Mr. Hou personally helped Shen Yibin load the excavator and sandpit into the car. He stuffed the small, miscellaneous toys into Hah’Er’s paws and waved goodbye to them. "Next time you want anything, just give me a call. I’ll make it and deliver it to your shop. Don’t be a stranger!"
"Alright, I’ll take you up on that. Longtao is welcome to come play at my shop anytime. Hah’Er can have a good time with him," Shen Yibin replied warmly.
"Shixuan, I’ll come play with you at the shop when I’m on vacation! Oh, and Hah’Er too. I’ll bring you some yummy snacks next time..." But Longtao’s eyes were fixed on Xia Shixuan, almost forgetting about Hah’Er. As for Shen Yibin, he was completely ignored.
’He’s already like this at such a young age, what’s he going to be like when he grows up? Mr. Hou is really in for it.’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but sympathize with the man.
Waving goodbye to them, Shen Yibin started the car and drove unhurriedly toward the pet shop. Once he arrived at the entrance, he called over Gao Shu, Li Shiqing, and Xie Nannan to help. First, they all carefully carried the potted monstera back into the shop and put it in its place. Then, they brought in Hah’Er’s excavator and sandpit, setting them up in the empty area next to the bamboo grove.
It was almost time for his afternoon workout, so Shen Yibin didn’t rush to give the seeds to Maphario. Instead, he grabbed his skateboard and ambled toward the park with Hah’Er and Maphario. ’Now that Shi Gaofei is gone, I don’t have to train so hard anymore,’ he thought. ’I won’t need Xia Shixuan to come along and carry me home.’
Just like last time, as Shen Yibin slowly picked up speed on his skateboard, Maphario popped out of Hah’Er’s pocket. It scrambled to the top of Hah’Er’s head, tugging on its fur and squeaking excitedly in the breeze. Shen Yibin couldn’t help but worry about Hah’Er’s fur again. ’At this rate, Hah’Er’s going to have to change its name to Ginóbili!’
After working up a sweat and taking a shower back home, Shen Yibin felt refreshed and invigorated. He quickly whipped up a lavish dinner, and they all enjoyed a wonderful meal together. Maphario now had its own spot at the dining table. Mr. Hou had given Shen Yibin a set of miniature tables and chairs, which was perfect for Maphario to sit on. On its little table were several small plates and bowls containing pine nuts, peanuts, and candied melon seeds that Shen Yibin had given it. As for the mealworms... eh, those didn’t seem appropriate for the dinner table. ’Better to save those for a snack later.’
"Hmph!" Hah’Er contentedly took a sip of beer, then stared blankly while holding its bowl. It glanced back and forth between its own beer bowl and the water cup in front of Maphario, seeming to hesitate over something.
After a long moment, Hah’Er seemed to have made up its mind. It picked up the empty water cup in front of Maphario with two fingers, set it on the table, and then used a spoon to ladle some beer from its own bowl into the cup.
"Hmph!" Hah’Er placed the small cup of beer in front of Maphario and grunted a few times, as if trying to persuade it to try a sip.
’Tsk, I never thought I’d see the day you’d be willing to share your beer, Hah’Er. But Maphario is just a baby. Is it really a good idea to give it alcohol? Is that any way to raise a child?’
"SQUEAK SQUEAK!" Maphario stretched out its nose, sniffed at the cup, and immediately recoiled in disgust. It seemed the little one really didn’t like the smell of beer. This left Hah’Er completely baffled. ’It’s so delicious, why on earth don’t you like it?’
’Good thing it doesn’t like it,’ Shen Yibin thought. ’One alcoholic in the shop is more than enough; I really don’t want another.’ Recalling the ruckus Hah’Er and Egg caused when they were drunk gave him a headache. ’It’s a relief Maphario doesn’t have that vice. You’re definitely not a true child of the Storm Brew Family.’
"Hmph~" Hah’Er let out a couple of aggrieved grunts. It poured all the beer from Maphario’s cup back into its own bowl. Then, it even held the cup upside down over the bowl until the very last drop had dripped out. To Hah’Er, every drop of beer was extremely precious; it couldn’t bear to waste a single bit.
After finishing the last of the bamboo shoots, Hah’Er raised its bowl and drained the last mouthful of beer. It leaned back in its chair, patted its belly, and let out a contented groan. Dinnertime with beer was its happiest time of day. ’If only I could have another bowl...’
Li Shiqing and the others started clearing the table and washing the dishes according to the duty roster. Xie Nannan and Gao Shu huddled together, chattering excitedly about where to go shopping later. Shen Yibin had just paid them their salaries and commissions today, so their wallets were bulging.
As for Maphario, after resting for a short while on the miniature lounge chair Mr. Hou had given it, it scurried up the railing to the tree branch that extended to the terrace. Then, in a flash, it ran over to the empty patch of ground by the bamboo grove, apparently ready to start farming for real.
Seeing this, Hah’Er forgot all about resting. It got up unsteadily, climbed onto the staircase railing, and WHOOSH, slid down to the first floor as if it were a slide.
"Wait a minute, the seeds are still in the bag!" Shen Yibin had to take the stairs. He walked down to the first floor, took the bag of seeds out, opened the package, and handed them to Maphario. Maphario placed the seeds in a small box Mr. Hou had given it, then lowered its head and started digging holes.
Hah’Er swayed over to the excavator, pressed the button to start it, and drove it next to the empty patch of ground. It expertly pulled the control lever, and the bucket slowly lowered to the ground. It was clear that under Longtao’s tutelage, Hah’Er’s operating skills were getting more and more proficient.
Unfortunately, the soil here was much harder than the sand in the sandpit. The plastic bucket was practically useless against it. After struggling for a long time to no avail, Hah’Er, at Shen Yibin’s urging, went to deal with the sand in the sandpit instead. ’We’ll see if Maphario can plant something in the sandpit then!’
Hah’Er regained its spirits by the sandpit, while Maphario was having a blast digging holes in the empty patch of ground. Shen Yibin suddenly found himself with nothing to do. He looked around, feeling like something was missing. A moment later, he suddenly slapped his thigh as if he had figured it out.
Shen Yibin dashed into the storage room and rummaged around for a few unused wooden planks. He then found a saw, a hammer, and some iron nails and got busy for a while. Finally, he took out a paintbrush and some paint and spent a good while painting the wood. After it dried, he stuck the wooden sign into the ground next to the empty patch.
Xia Shixuan came over curiously and saw the words written on the sign: Maphario’s Happy Farm.