Looking at Little Celery’s astonished face, Zhang Zian laughed, "Don’t you talk to the little hamster and Mini Lop?"
"Yes, but…" Little Celery was confused. "Adults don’t talk to pets…"
Zhang Zian pointed at himself, "Do I look like a normal adult?"
Little Celery thought about it, "Maybe not."
"That’s true. I am a special man. You are a special girl. We don’t have to worry about what other people think," Zhang Zian put the skewers back in the lunch box, "Little Celery, this might be too hard for you to comprehend. There are two kinds of people in this world. One follows what other people do and the other stays true to their heart and does not care about what others think."
Little Celery was even more confused.
"It’s okay if you don’t understand. I am trying to tell you that you don’t have to follow what other people do. You should try your best to be yourself and be a good student."
Little Celery thought for a minute and said, "That means I should do what I am doing."
"Yes. What you are doing is already great!"
Zhang Zian knew from their conversation when they walked up to the store that there were a few naughty boys in her class that always caused trouble. She didn’t like them.
Zhang Zian couldn’t really do anything about it, so he tried his best to encourage her.
"Okay," Little Celery again went into deep thought and then nodded confusedly, "I see."
"Don’t overthink it. Let it be," Zhang Zian knew that she wouldn’t understand fully at this age. If she overthinked it, it would only make her unhappy. She was only a little kid. She deserved to be happy.
"Oh, right, Mr. Manager, when you talk to them, do you think they understand?" Little Celery curiously stared at Snowy Lionet, who was eating the chicken.
"Of course, didn’t you see them meow to answer me?" he answered affirmatively.
"Really?! So, they meow to talk to you?" Amazed, Little Celery’s mouth opened into an O-shape. She turned back to the little hamster and Mini Lop, "So do you think Xiao Ling and Ear can understand me?"
"Oh. You named them Xiao Ling and Ear?" Zhang Zian laughed, "I am sure they understand. Hamsters and Mini Lops don’t meow, so they can’t talk back."
"That’s great! I never thought they understood. I thought it was only me talking to myself…" Little Celery was happily surprised.
Zhang Zian wasn’t sure if the hamster and the Mini Lop could understand her, but he was quite sure that they could feel her love.
"Are they going to turn into a person someday?" Little Celery looked at him with hope.
Looking into her eyes, Zhang Zian decided to tell a white lie. "Yes, if you keep talking to them, one day they will turn into a person and play games with you,"
"Really? That is great!" Little Celery jumped up and down, cheering.
Zhang Zian looked at her with a real smile on his face.
Someday, Little Celery would grow up and find out that there was no Santa Claus and a princess didn’t always marry a prince, but she would remember when Mr. Manager told her a joke about animals turning into humans… Childhood was priceless. He wished her to enjoy it as long as possible.
Little Celery tore open the zip-lock bag, and took out the nuts and dried fruits to feed the hamster and Mini Lop. She said seriously as she fed them, "Slow down. I can get more for you."
When they were chewing with their mouths full of food, she stared at them and said happily, "Xiao Ling, Ear, I haven’t seen you in a long time. Did you miss me?"
The hamster and Mini Lop glanced at the source of the voice, then continued chewing on the food.
"Mr. Manager said you can understand me, right?" Little Celery asked.
Fina, Old Time Tea and Snowy Lionet finished breakfast. Zhang Zian was picking up their bowls. Neither him nor Little Celery was expecting a response from the hamster and the Mini Lop.
However…
"Little Celery
, long time no see."
A strange voice appeared all of a sudden.
The voice was soft but low, so you couldn’t tell the gender. Zhang Zian was sure he had never heard that voice before.
He was terrified and almost threw the bowls in his hands thinking that a thief had come in.
He turned around and found that Little Celery was extremely excited.
"Brother Manager, you are right. Xiao Ling and Ear are talking to me!" Little Celery was so excited that her cheeks and ears all turned red, "I am not sure who was talking to me, Xiao Ling or Ear?"
Zhang Zian was still scared. Glancing through the store, there was no one in there besides him and Little Celery. He turned to Old Time Tea for help.
Old Time Tea also looked surprised. Its eyes screened through the store like a radar but found nothing.
Fina opened up her eyes and stood up from the tall cat tree. It was on top of the store so it could spot the thief as soon as possible.
Snowy Lionet didn’t care and it continued to look at Fina’s tail and daydream.
Xinghai also didn’t care and continued its game with the kittens.
Was it… a ghost?
Zhang Zian thought he had made a mistake, but everyone in the store heard the voice.
Old Time Tea raised a paw and pointed at the direction behind Zhang Zian.
He turned around and looked…
What the f*ck?! It was the b*tchy bird!
Richard was hiding behind the display cabinet of the hamster and Mini Lop, giggling and winking at Zhang Zian.
"I am Xiao Ling. Can’t you tell this is my voice? That breaks my heart!" Richard said in the same voice.
"Oh, Xiao Ling. I am sorry I couldn’t tell it was your voice," Little Celery apologized to the hamster, who was eating the nuts and dried fruit.
"That’s fine. You don’t have to apologize. We are friends, right? No apology is needed between friends," Richard continued the show.
Knowing that they were okay, Zhang Zian relaxed. Old Time Tea kept on watching TV. Fina stared at Richard and laid back down on the cat tree.
"Yup, we are friends. Good friend. Best friends forever!" Little Celery nodded.
"So only it is your friend, and I am not?"
A strange, gentle voice that sounded like a girl appeared this time.
"Oh?" Little Celery was again surprised.
"It is me, Ear. Don’t you call me Ear?"
Little Celery was even more excited. Putting her face against the cage, "Ear, are you talking to me?"
"Of course, am I your friend?"
"Yes, yes, yes! You and Xiao Ling are both my friends!" Little Celery confirmed.
"Okay. Let me tell you as a friend that you are almost late for school!"
Little Celery realized she had to go!
"Xiao Ling, Ear, Mr. Manager, I am sorry I have to go. I will come see you tomorrow!" She waved in a rush and ran out of the store to go to her school.
Richard flapped its wings and landed on Zhang Zian’s shoulder, "Lolita complex?"
"What the f*ck?! Shut up!" Zhang Zian laughed.
For the first time, he realized Richard’s voice was quite useful sometimes.