"Oh, I know the place," Xia Shixuan said. "Turn right up ahead onto Purple Cloud Street. You’ll find Yunzhong City’s biggest toy store. It has every toy imaginable. I just bought something for my little nephew there not long ago." When it came to shopping, there was nothing Xia Shixuan didn’t know, so under her guidance, Shen Yibin quickly found the toy store.
The toy store was bustling with business, with many parents bringing their children to pick out toys. Hah’Er’s appearance immediately drew a warm welcome from the children, who all crowded around to ask for a picture with him. Shen Yibin even ran into an acquaintance: Hou Longtao, the boy Hah’Er had rescued from Xiong Mountain.
Hou Longtao’s father quickly came over to greet them and helped Shen Yibin guide the children aside. "Mr. Shen, long time no see! What brings you to my little shop today? I can help you find whatever you’re looking for." It turned out his family owned the toy store. Meanwhile, Longtao grabbed Hah’Er’s paw, showering him with affection.
To be able to open such a large store, Mr. Hou must have been quite well-off. But he was a little confused. He’d never heard that Mr. Shen had any children. Was he buying a gift for someone?
"Oh, do you have any tiny cups, small shovels, or little watering cans?" Shen Yibin asked, pointing at Maphario. "I’m planning to buy some for him. Oh, right, do you have any ladders? Like stepladders?" ’He might have the first few items,’ Shen Yibin thought, ’but ladders seem like a long shot.’
"No problem! I have everything here," Mr. Hou said without hesitation. "Even if I don’t have it right now, as long as you want it, Mr. Shen, I’ll make it for you myself!" This man was his son’s savior; he had to fulfill his request, no matter what. Besides, he enjoyed making toys in his spare time. If a design was particularly good, he’d even send a sample to a factory for mass production. A small task like this couldn’t be easier for him.
With that, he led Shen Yibin and Hah’Er to browse through all sorts of miniature cups and tiny shovels. They quickly found items that were the right size for Maphario, but as expected, there were no tiny watering cans or ladders.
"Don’t worry. I have all the materials and tools right here," Mr. Hou said confidently. "I’ll take Maphario’s measurements, and I can have something suitable made for you in a jiffy!" This was a man who could handcraft Transformers, after all; a small task like this was nothing. "Longtao, go play with Uncle Shen and Hah’Er for a bit. I’m going to make some toys for Maphario."
It was an offer too kind to refuse, so Shen Yibin thanked him profusely. Once Mr. Hou had taken Maphario’s measurements, he went into the back to get busy. Shen Yibin, meanwhile, led Hah’Er, Xia Shixuan, and Maphario to browse the interesting toys in the store. You had to hand it to them, the store was incredible. Even Shen Yibin found himself captivated by a few Transformers models, but he flinched when he saw the prices.
Of course, it wasn’t that Shen Yibin couldn’t afford them. Rather, he figured Mr. Hou wouldn’t accept his money anyway, and it felt wrong to accept such an expensive gift for no reason.
"Hmm~" As they were browsing, Hah’Er was drawn to a large toy. He curiously approached the toy excavator and began sizing up the various buttons in the driver’s seat.
"You can get in and drive this one! Hah’Er, want to come up and give it a try?" Just a moment before, Longtao had been clinging to Xia Shixuan’s hand, endlessly repeating, "Big sister, you’re so pretty!" Fortunately, he hadn’t forgotten his savior. Suppressing his infatuation, he ran to the excavator, hopped into the driver’s seat, and began to demonstrate for Hah’Er.
You had to admit, toys these days were incredibly advanced—on a completely different level from what Shen Yibin had played with as a child. Longtao sat in the driver’s seat, pressed a button, and the excavator began to move slowly toward a nearby sandbox. The front bucket moved up and down, digging sand from the sandbox one shovelful at a time. In no time, Longtao had dug a large pit. Then he shoveled the sand back in and used the bucket to smooth the surface flat again. His movements were so masterful, he looked like he’d graduated from the Broflay Academy of Excavator Technology.
"Hah’Er, your turn!" Longtao hopped out of the driver’s seat, giving it to Hah’Er. Hah’Er sat down with a goofy grin, but he lacked Longtao’s refined skills. He immediately lost control, sending a spray of sand all over himself. Maphario popped his head out of Hah’Er’s pocket, squeaking in protest. He was now covered in sand, and it was probably even worse inside the pocket. The place was completely unlivable!
"Hah’Er, not like that! You should do this... then this... careful with the power..." The elite operator and Broflay Academy graduate, Longtao, began to instruct Hah’Er on how to operate the excavator.
Guidance from a master really made a difference. After flinging sand on himself two more times, Hah’Er finally started to get the hang of it. Although he wasn’t as nimble as Longtao, he was still able to dig out the sand one shovelful at a time.
"Hmm! Hmm!" Hah’Er cried excitedly. After another successful maneuver, he took Maphario out of his pocket, pointed at the excavator’s bucket, and babbled something. Then he hopped down, tugged on Shen Yibin’s sleeve, pointed at the excavator again, and mimed the way Maphario had been digging in the soil to plant succulents at the store the day before.
"Uh, are you saying you want me to buy this thing to help Maphario dig holes?" Shen Yibin guessed. ’Dude, using an excavator for gardening? Isn’t that a little over the top? Besides, this thing is fine for digging sand, but I doubt it has the power to dig actual dirt.’
"Hmm! Hmm!" Hah’Er nodded eagerly, tugging and shaking Shen Yibin’s sleeve as if terrified he wouldn’t agree.
"Alright, alright! If you like it that much, I’ll buy it for you!" Shen Yibin threw his hands up in surrender. ’It’s no big deal if it can’t dig real dirt. Worst case, I’ll just buy a sandbox for him to play with. Can’t you grow peanuts and watermelons in sand? Maphario should be able to handle that, right? And even if he can’t, it’ll be another fun activity for Hah’Er, won’t it?’
Just then, Mr. Hou returned, having finished the miniature watering can and several types of ladders for Maphario. Shen Yibin took them for a look; they were exquisitely crafted. Not only were they perfect for Maphario’s daily needs, but they were also incredibly light, allowing him to carry them around himself. The only thing left was to teach him how to use them. For a pet that had taken the medicine, that wouldn’t be a problem at all; they definitely had the intelligence for it.
Sure enough, Mr. Hou refused to take any money from Shen Yibin, giving them the small toys and even the excavator as a gift. In return, Shen Yibin had Hah’Er pose for a picture on the excavator and told Mr. Hou he could print it out and hang it in the store. It would hopefully boost sales a little. Shen Yibin considered it a small way to repay his kindness.