Pet King

It was evening time.

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Zhang Zian was resting on the recliner.

Since the glass door was broken, the cold wind rushed into the store without anything stopping it.
The store was as cold as it was outside.
He didn’t want to fall asleep in case he caught a cold in his sleep; therefore, he sometimes stood up to move around and sometimes played hide-and-seek with Xinghai.
”Grandma Tea, more tea for you? ” he asked Old Time Tea.

Old Time had turned back into the laid-back, quiet, old cat.
She was sitting on the electric blanket with both front paws tucked into her chest, happily watching TV.
She could have a drink of tea by only dipping her head and not moving another muscle.

”I’m okay.
I have plenty, ” Old Time Tea smiled.
”Okay, ” Zhang Zian didn’t get up.
He was planning to close the store in a bit.

”Do you really understand the meaning of ‘I have plenty’? ” Fina stood up from the highest cat tree, staring at him.
Zhang Zian was confused.
”Doesn’t it mean what it reads? ”
Fina was worried about Zhang Zian’s intelligence.
Soon, she raised her head, ”‘I have plenty’ means I already have enough tea.
It is time for dinner! I don’t understand why you are so stupid! ”
Really?! That was interesting.

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Just say the word if you are hungry.
Why do you have to speak on behalf of Old Time Tea?!
Zhang Zian turned around to ask Old Time Tea, ”Grandma Tea, are you hungry? ”
Old Time Tea said peacefully, ”Well, I am okay. ” When she said that she was okay, that meant she was hungry, because she was not demanding like Fina.

”Okay, I will cook, ” Standing up, Zhang Zian saw Xinghai sitting at the gate, watching pedestrians walk by.

”Xinghai, are you okay? ” he asked.
Ever since the naughty kid incident, he had become extremely alert.

”Zian, I am fine, ” Xinghai turned around and said.

Zhang Zian felt that Xinghai was not as scared of strangers as she used to be.
When she first arrived, she was both curious and terrified of humans.
She would always secretly observe humans behind the glass door.
Whenever someone walked by, she would curl up, scared.
Now, she sat in front of the broken glass door comfortably.
Only when someone landed their eyes on it would she slightly curl up.
Sometimes, when a customer walked in the store, she would escape and hide.
There was definitely more curiosity in her heart than fear.

Now that the glass door was broken, so was the defensive wall towards humans in Xinghai’s heart.
Zhang Zian recalled Old Time Tea’s words: ”When something is broken, a new and better replacement has to be established. ” He looked at Old Time Tea.
There had to be great wisdom inside her sophisticated mind.

”Don’t just stand there.
I am starving! ” Fina raised her front paw to pound on the cat tree angrily.

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”It is unfortunate I have a demanding pet like you… ” Zhang Zian sighed and walked upstairs, ”When will I find a girlfriend? One that is gentle, caring and good at cooking… ”
”What are you talking about? How dare you say something behind my back?! ” Fina was even angrier.
She jumped down the cat tree but Zhang Zian had already left.

”My majesty, ” Old Time Tea laughed, ”I think he was just joking with you. ”
”Tut! ” Fina’s belly growled.
”I was the distinguished pet in the old days and I never suffered from hunger.
Now, I have to push him to cook for me every day. ”
As Fina was complaining, Xinghai noticed that across from the road, the street vendors Aunt Li and her husband came to start their dinner time business.

Zhang Zian took out the chicken breast and fish that he had prepared ahead of time.
As usual, he turned on the oven, put the meat in, set a timer and started baking.

The oven didn’t turn on, nor did the light inside even flicker.

”What’s wrong? Did I forget to plug it in? ” Zhang Zian stuck his head behind the oven and confirmed the oven was plugged in.
He turned on the kitchen hood to make sure the circuit didn’t trip.
The kitchen hood was fine.

”Oh no.
The oven is broken? ”
He pounded on the oven in the hope of fixing it before he once again tried to turn on the oven.

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Still nothing.
”Sh*t! ”
The oven was from his parents.
It was old but it had been functioning just fine.
Today, it finally gave up.

Honestly, an oven wasn’t expensive.
However, should he get a new one from the store now? He was fine without food for a bit or he could even eat something else for dinner.
However, Old Time Tea and Fina would be out of food.
Especially troublesome was Fina; if he fed her the cat food from the store, it would not be good.
When Fina was hungry, she was even more grumpy.
Thinking that he had to tell her the bad news about not having food for at least another hour or two, he was terrified.

He tried several times.
It didn’t work.
If he could just cook the fish and meat with the stove… No, this was way too difficult for him to try.

Walking around in the kitchen, he was out of ideas.
So, he walked downstairs slowly.

Fina was not done complaining yet.
Once it saw him it started questioning, ”Dinner is ready? How come it is so quick today? ”
Old Time Tea was also curious.
She knew that food wasn’t ready because she didn’t smell any aroma from the chicken or fish.

Zhang Zian cleared his throat and said, ”I have a suggestion.
How about we try something new today? ”
”What is it? ” Fina stared at him, coldly.
”I am listening.
However, don’t even try to trick me like you trick others. ”

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Zhang Zian felt helpless.
Fina knew all his tricks.
It wasn’t easy to trick her.
”Fina, maybe you don’t know.
There is a country to the east of ours, across from the sea, named Japan. ”
”Yeah, I know this, ” Old Time Tea said.
”I am curious: what is the relation between Japan and dinner? ”
Glancing at Fina’s angry face, Zhang Zian said with all his courage, ”In reference to Japan, people there love one way to eat fish, called sashimi.
In fact, sashimi originated from ancient China, but it became popular in Japan.
It started over 2000 years ago, in the same era you used to live in… ”
”Well, don’t talk nonsense.
Tell me how to eat sashimi, ” Fina said as if she saw right through him.
It stopped his BS.
”In fact, sashimi is another word for raw fish… ” Zhang Zian hid himself behind Old Time Tea as he spoke.

”How dare you to tell me eat raw fish?! How dare you to compare me with those uncivilized crooks?! ” Fina was angry for real this time.
Her hair was exploding.
”I never eat raw food! ”
”My Majesty, please don’t be mad. ” Old Time Tea paused the TV and tried to help calm down Fina.
”Buddy, why did you suggest eating raw fish? Honestly, I don’t really like raw food. ”
”Well… ” Zhang Zian said, ”Grandma Tea, the oven broke all of a sudden.
If you guys can wait, I will get a new oven from the store… But right now it is a busy time, so the store might be busy. ”
Tilting her head, Xinghai was staring at the street cart across the road.

Aunt Li and her husband moved a few folding chairs off their tricycle and started their cart.
They lit the portable lamp, turned on the stove, heated up the cooking surface and waited for their customers.