At the prime spot on the street corner sat a dessert shop and a newly opened Pet Shop.
As soon as she got out of the carriage, Aier’s gaze was instantly captured by the various fluffy creatures inside the Pet Shop, and the drowsiness she felt just moments before vanished without a trace.
Aier couldn’t help but peer through the window, looking into the Pet Shop.
This shop was extravagant enough to provide each little animal with its own glass enclosure, just to make it easier for passersby to observe them.
Aier swept her eyes over row after row of small pets.
There were Cats, there were Rabbits, there were Dogs…
The shop was also thoughtful enough to stick notes on each pet’s glass, listing the animal’s preferences and things to be aware of.
No wonder it could open in such a prime location—the service was truly on point…
Xie Yier saw Aier pressed right up against the glass, her face almost touching it.
Her interest was obvious without a word.
So many adorable little animals!
Aier had once kept a Cat before, a beautiful Three-colored Cat. She loved her Cat dearly, but unfortunately, due to family circumstances, she eventually had to give it away.
“Xiao Ai, do you want to go in and take a look?”
“Can I? Thank you, Master!” Aier’s eyes lit up as she spoke.
She had thought Xie Yier would mind places like this, since after all, she was a severe germaphobe.
But… if it was to make her beloved happy, Xie Yier could barely tolerate it.
Ding ding dang dang.
The Brass Bell hanging behind the Pet Shop door chimed crisply, alerting the Cashier to the arrival of customers.
“Welcome, honored guests. How may I help you? We have all kinds of Cats and Dogs here. If you’re interested in small pets, you can go upstairs to the second floor to choose.”
“We’ll just look around ourselves,” Xie Yier replied coolly.
The Cashier had no objection, so Xie Yier led Aier around the Pet Shop.
The shop had three full floors, though the third floor was probably a storage area or something similar and wasn’t open to the public.
They headed to the second floor first.
To be honest, Aier really hadn’t expected the shop to have collected so many types of pets, especially birds.
In this era, bird-catching techniques weren’t very advanced. People would simply set up nets among a cluster of trees and wait for the birds to fly into them.
By rights, this method was just like drawing cards in a gacha game in her previous life—pulling SSRs out of a pool of N cards, and without even a guaranteed draw.
But here, there were Pigeons, Owls, Parrots, and… Canaries?
Aier suddenly felt a strange sense of resonance with the Canary.
Was this the mutual attraction of Stand Users?
Aier shook her head. She wasn’t very interested in birds, only knowing that many nobles liked to take birds out on strolls, but the care was always handed off to servants.
She teased the Canary for a bit, and tested if the Parrot could mimic speech.
Hamsters were cute, but if you couldn’t hold them in your palm to play with, something just felt missing.
Aier quickly lost interest and asked Xie Yier if they could go back down to the first floor to look at the Cats and Dogs.
Xie Yier didn’t mind.
Back on the first floor, Aier’s excitement picked up again.
One moment she was crowding next to the Cats, the next she was running over to the Dogs, then heading to the Rabbits to feed them a bit of food—she was having the time of her life.
At that moment, Xie Yier suddenly took an interest in something else.
Her gaze shifted to the Brass Bell hanging behind the shop’s front door—a large bell, about the size of a fist.
Almost on a whim, Xie Yier reached out, took it down, and gave it a shake.
Ding ding dang dang~
The bell rang out with a crisp, clear sound.
“Um, madam, that’s actually the decorative bell we use to greet customers at the door. It’s a bit too big for pets. If you need a bell for a pet to wear, we have smaller ones over here.”
The Cashier explained patiently with a smile.
But Xie Yier didn’t seem to hear a word, and instead turned to look at Aier, who was crouching in front of the Cat cage, playing with a kitten.
At that moment, Aier was carefully extending a finger, trying to tease a Milk Kitten inside the cage.
“Meow~”
The Milk Kitten, having its chin scratched by Aier’s finger, let out a contented mewl, squinting its eyes, actively rubbing against Aier’s finger, and purring with satisfaction.
Aier’s smile blossomed, and her movements became bolder and more enthusiastic.
So soft… so tiny… so fluffy…
Even its paw pads were so squishy…
No need to think about contracts, no need to think about Xie Yier, no need to worry about all those troublesome things… This was wonderful…
Golden hair fell around her face, and the girl’s focused profile looked especially pure at that moment.
Xie Yier’s eyes grew sly, the corners of her lips curling into a meaningful smile.
Xie Yier: “I’ll take this. How much is it?”
“Ah, um…”
Faced with Xie Yier’s unquestionable tone, the Cashier was clearly stunned.
She’d met plenty of difficult customers in her time—most haggling over prices or demanding discounts—but she’d never seen anyone come into a Pet Shop, ignore the pet supplies, and insist on buying a display item.
But money not earned is money lost—why not take the business delivered to her doorstep?
Her mind raced, planning to quote a high price, then buy a cheaper replacement later and pocket the difference.
She carefully raised two fingers, about to say 2 silver coins.
“20 silver coins, right? Here. And please get me a Neck Collar as well.”
“Huh?”
Xie Yier didn’t even wait for the Cashier to confirm, simply took out her coin pouch, counted out 20 silver coins, and set them on the counter.
The Cashier: “……”
She was utterly petrified, staring at the pile of silver coins on the counter, her mind blank.
Wait, 20 silver coins for a plain bell? Was this noblewoman planning to do something weird with it?
The world of the rich… truly unfathomable…
But…
The Cashier gathered up the coins with trembling hands, overjoyed.
What a windfall! She’d thought making just one silver coin’s difference would be amazing, but now she’d earned a tearful profit of 19 silver coins and 80 copper! Today was her lucky day!
As for the Neck Collar, what was that worth? With such a fat profit, she could give it away for free!
“Of course, madam. What size Neck Collar would you like?”
Xie Yier glanced at Aier, made an estimate, and said, “The kind for Cats, preferably a bit larger.”
The Cashier was efficient, quickly bringing over a brand-new leather Neck Collar and leash.
Xie Yier toyed with the heavy Brass Bell in her hand, listening to its occasional faint ring, and glanced at Aier—who was still a bit confused by the earlier commotion—a flash of delight and deeper meaning in her golden eyes.
“Xiao Ai, have you decided on a pet?”
“Um, I think maybe I shouldn’t… Bringing one home would just trouble the Maids.”
“What’s the problem? That’s what they’re paid for. Pick whichever you like.”
Seeing this, Aier knew she couldn’t get away without choosing.
She pointed at a Rabbit. “Then… this one.”
Rabbits, comparatively, weren’t much trouble to keep.
The only hassle might be trimming their teeth.
Compared to Cats shedding fur and Dogs needing regular walks, Rabbits were much quieter.
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