"Daddy, Daddy! Look, look! It's a panda!" The little girl was beside herself with excitement. It seemed Shen Dalong hadn't told her about Hah'Er on their way here. She wanted to get closer to Hah'Er but was afraid of startling him, so she stood rooted to the spot, at a loss for what to do.
Shen Dalong had only wanted to give his daughter a surprise, but he hadn't expected her to be this overjoyed. He quickly stepped forward to explain, "This is Bin's pet. He's very gentle and well-behaved; he won't hurt you. You can get a little closer, and you can take pictures, but you can't touch him without Hah'Er's permission, understand?"
"Hah'Er, say hello to the little girl." Seeing that Hah'Er didn't seem to mind, Shen Yibin spoke up. Inwardly, however, he was grumbling, 'Damn it, why does your daughter have to call me Bin? That knocks me down a generation compared to you!'
"Mmm!" Hah'Er slowly and deliberately waddled on his short legs over to Shen Dalong's daughter, then extended his right paw as if to shake hands.
"Daddy, take my picture!" The little girl took out a handkerchief and wiped her right hand over and over before carefully taking Hah'Er's paw, her eyes sparkling like stars.
"This is my daughter, Shen Yue. Sorry to trouble you again," Shen Dalong said bashfully. This was the first time he had ever used his position for a personal favor like this, but who could blame him? Hah'Er was just too adorable, and he really wanted his daughter to see him.
Shen Yue was very well-mannered. Even though she absolutely adored Hah'Er, she knew he was someone else's pet and that she couldn't take up too much of their time. So after playing with him for a little while, she took the Russian Blue Cat Shen Dalong had bought her and reluctantly left.
'Looks like Hah'Er is a hit with all types, from mature women down to young girls!' Shen Yibin couldn't help but fantasize. 'With him around, I could definitely attract tons of women, right?'
Once all the police officers had picked up their pets, Shen Yibin closed the shop door, went back to the kitchen on the second floor, and started preparing Hah'Er's dinner. "Hah'Er, are you getting tired of twice-cooked pork every day? What else do you like? Should we try something new? How does mapo tofu sound?"
'I remember they made something called Great Panda Magical Mapo Tofu in *Little Chef of China*,' Shen Yibin recalled. 'And some amazing chefs online have figured out how to make a real-life version of it. Maybe I should give it a shot?' He pulled up an episode of *Little Chef of China* on his tablet, found the part with the Great Panda Magical Mapo Tofu, and held it out for Hah'Er. 'If he likes it, I'll go get the ingredients.'
"Mmm! Mmm!" It seemed Hah'Er was happy with anything, as long as it was Sichuan Cuisine. He started drooling just from watching the mapo tofu being made in *Little Chef of China*.
"Okay, you stay here and play with the newcomers. I'm going out to buy groceries." Shen Yibin wanted to take Hah'Er out with him, but supermarkets didn't allow pets, and the street market was too crowded and chaotic for him to feel at ease. 'I'll just wait and take him out for a walk tomorrow during the day!'
He headed out, hailed a cab, and returned to the same street market. He bought both black and white tofu, along with pork lard, doubanjiang, soy-based ground "meat," small chili peppers, and other seasonings, then hurried back to the shop.
Back at the shop, Hah'Er had already fed the other pets and was now clutching the tablet, frowning as he studied the Great Panda Magical Mapo Tofu. It looked like he was trying to determine if the method shown in the cartoon could actually produce a delicious dish.
Sure enough, the actual cooking method was quite different from the one in the show. As Shen Yibin cooked, Hah'Er kept making noises to guide him. Fortunately, after spending so many days together, the two were becoming more and more in sync. Besides, it felt like Shen Yibin's own culinary talents were continuously growing whenever he was around Hah'Er. A single gesture from the panda was all it took for Shen Yibin to grasp his meaning and respond correctly.
After the combined efforts of the two goofballs, the black-and-white Great Panda Magical Mapo Tofu was finally ready. Judging by its color and aroma, it seemed excellent. And indeed, the flavor was a cut above regular mapo tofu. The two foodies happily devoured the entire dish.
"The flavor still has some flaws. It seems like there's a lot of room for improvement. Let's try again tomorrow!" After they finished eating, the two foodies exchanged thoughts, patting their round, bulging bellies.
"Mmm! Mmm!" Even something as delicious as twice-cooked pork gets old if you eat it for days on end. So, even though this attempt at Great Panda Magical Mapo Tofu was just average, Hah'Er was still delighted to eat it.
'Huh? That's right, I still haven't asked about those official documents and that video. What method did the Future Pet Shop use to pull off something so huge?' With that thought, Shen Yibin opened his phone. "By the way, how exactly did you take care of the Giant Panda Base issue?"
"It was just some simple network hacking combined with memory implantation. Nothing major. It won't cause you any trouble! If you're worried, I can also add some memories of you living and working at the Giant Panda Base. How about it? The panda's identity issue is completely resolved now, right?" The Future Pet Shop's reply was as cocky as ever.
'Memory implantation? No wonder Professor Wu was so certain. To people of this era, documents and videos can be faked, but memories are infallible. Too bad for them, the 22nd century has already unlocked the secrets of memory.'
'If I'm going to have to deal with the Giant Panda Base, I probably should get familiar with it beforehand to avoid any slip-ups later.' The Future Pet Shop's offer was tempting to Shen Yibin. But perhaps due to the influence of sci-fi movies, he still felt a little apprehensive about something like memory implantation. So, instead of taking it up on the offer, he changed the subject. "Right, does this mean I'm a Level 3 Partner now? Are there any new permissions?"
"Solving your pet's identity and origin issues is a permission for a Level 3 Partner. In addition, you may continue to procure pets from this shop," the other party replied swiftly.
"Uh, what kind of pet will you be sending me this time?" 'Please don't be something as rare as a panda. I don't want to go through being tackled by the police a second time! Though, if it was Bai Yanni doing the tackling, I wouldn't be opposed...' Shen Yibin's mind went into the gutter.
"It will still be a random delivery. Level 3 Partners do not have the privilege of choosing their pets," the Future Pet Shop replied haughtily.
'That's a little too much pressure,' he thought. 'Last time it was a panda. What if they send me a Northeast Tiger this time? Even with all the proper paperwork, that would still make people suspicious, right?'
"Heh, in that case, I think I'll wait a bit," Shen Yibin replied, backing down. The shock of receiving Hah'Er had been more than enough for him.