Maybe Richard was not homosexual, but it definitely wanted to turn Zhang Zian into one—he could understand this thought process. If possible, he hoped all the men in the world were gay, so that he would face no competition in going after women.
Fortunately, when Zhang Zian was synchronizing Richard’s speaking, he always forced some smiles, so the bitchy laughter didn't make Tim and Lauren suspect.
After sitting down on the chairs, Lauren spoke up instantly, "Jeff... it's Jeff, right? My husband and I came to China because we really want to see the kittens dance in person. This is very important to us. Can you make our wish come true?"
She and her husband gazed at Zhang Zian's face, looking forward to his answer. If the kittens indeed could dance, it would lay the foundation for discussing their cooperation in the future.
In case Zhang Zian didn't understand, Richard repeated the question clearly, "So you want to see the kittens dance?"
"Yes, if that's fine with you."
Zhang Zian nodded slightly, and Richard said, "No problem, it's very easy."
Zhang Zian stood up and clapped his hands three times towards the kittens.
The kittens stopped playing immediately. They raised their heads in unison and looked at him.
Tim and Lauren were astonished, as if cannonballs had bombed their hearts!
Upon seeing this, they could be pretty sure that the kittens really could dance together!
The couple looked at each other, trying to convey their excitement to one another.
And then, whether it was the cooperation between human and kittens or the dancing movements of the kittens, every detail was exactly the same as in the videos...no, it was not precise to put it that way. In fact, watching the kittens dance in person was way more shocking than watching them in videos!
Tim and Lauren were both cat lovers; otherwise, they wouldn't choose operating their cattery as their life’s work or put high demands on the qualifications of their clients. Upon seeing this group of adorable kittens dancing together, their previous knowledge of cats had been totally subverted!
They didn't know what to say or how to make sense of the scene. There was only one thougt in their heads—what kind of sorcery was that?!
When the music had finished, the kittens continued their playing, and Zhang Zian sat back down on the chair.
Tim and Lauren kept applauding so hard that their palms turned red.
"Thanks for watching the performance. How did you like it?" asked Richard.
"Amazing! This is amazing! I can't believe it!" Lauren was so excited that her words sounded incoherent, "Pardon us for forgetting ourselves, but this is the most fantastic thing we've ever seen in our life! It's like a dream!"
Tim, who was rough-and-ready, fumbled out every expression to indicate the meaning of shock in English!
Hearing their sincere compliments, Zhang Zian was very happy inside, but he controlled his expression and remained cool.
Though Lauren was very excited, she didn't forget her purpose of this trip. As the atmosphere seemed friendly, she raised her question at this time. "Jeff, do you mind telling us how you accomplish such a marvelous thing? We are very curious about this."
Since Zhang Zian was talking nonsense all the time, Richard decided to make up such nonsense in English for him, "Because I am the inheritor of a very ancient and mysterious occupation in China—I am a cat trainer."
"A cat trainer?" said Lauren and Tim at the same time.
"Yes, cat training is more than just teaching cats how to go to bathroom, it has been a family business since the ancient times. Nowadays, only a few people in China can master the techniques of cat training, and I am one of them. As for the specific methods... Sorry, according to the rules left by my ancestors, cat training is the top secret in our family that I can't reveal to anyone." said Richard neither cringingly or arrogantly. After that, it added a sentence which Zhang Zian had been thinking about, "So, to pass on the abilities of cat training, I really need to find a girlfriend..."
Zhang Zian really wanted to applaud it. Richard had read his mind! He almost believed in this story, that he was indeed a cat trainer, and that the reason he needed to find a girlfriend was so sublime: he was going to keep passing this ancient occupation down to the next generations...
Lauren and Tim were so confused. What did cat training have anything to do with finding a girlfriend?
They had never been to China before, and their understanding of China was completely from newspapers, TV and the internet, where there were many exaggerated and false descriptions. Influenced by media publicity and public opinions, their knowledge of China was lopsided and narrow. China, in their minds, was powerful and mysterious, yet in some respects, it was falling behind the time. This impression was intensified when hearing Zhang Zian's cat training art and his absolute obedience to ancestors' words.
They had heard that there were many mysterious techniques inherited from ancient China, such as Qigong, Fengshui, the Five Elements, Kung Fu, acupuncture, and traditional Chinese medicine. Maybe cat training was one of these techniques, but was much rarer and more mysterious than others. At least Zhang Zian was not a sorcerer, and making kittens dance was not some kind of sorcery. They couldn't accept it if they must abandon their faith in God and succumb to Black Magic.
They didn't expect that Zhang Zian would tell them his secrets easily. However, they were not giving up like this, otherwise their journey was all a waste.
"Jeff, please listen to me, I have a proposal which is beneficial to both you and us." Lauren looked him in the eyes, "Maybe we can try to build cooperation. I hope you can consider it seriously."
Neither Zhang Zian nor Richard was surprised by this proposal. After all, no benefits, no getting up early. Their last names were Keller instead of Bethune, and coming all the way to China, apart from witnessing the truth of kittens dancing, they must be up to something.
"Please go on, I’m listening," said Richard.
Lauren and her husband exchanged glances and saw determination in each other's eyes.
"What I mean is that you have something we want, and we have something you want too," said Lauren, pointing to the chasing kittens. "Jeff, may I ask why you don't have Ragdoll kittens here? As far as we know, Ragdoll kittens are extensively popular around the world, and China must be no exception."
Upon hearing the word Ragdoll, Zhang Zian stopped his forced smile. His expression became serious, his muscles tightened all over his body, and his breathing rhythms became strange.
Through its claws on his shoulder, Richard had sensed the changes in his breathing and muscles. It stopped talking. At this moment, it had better remain silent.
Lauren had also noticed the slight change in his expression, She continued, "Jeff, as the inheritor of the ancient cat training occupation in China and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, you must be very clever. Can you guess why my husband and I name our cattery 'Blue Climax'?"
"I'd love to hear about it," said Richard.
Lauren nodded mildly towards her husband, indicating that it was time.
Tim unlocked the luggage, pulled out a thick folder and handed it to his wife. This was the thing they had prepared elaborately before they left, and they could finally show it to the pet shop owner.
Lauren took over the folder, opened it and invited Zhang Zian to have a look. Inside the folder were the 12-inch close-up photos of Ragdoll kittens with clear details, which were photographed by a single lens reflex camera. Whether it was the equipment or the qualities of the photography, these photos were much better than the picture of the Shiba Inu puppy in avi display quality captured by Deng Jie.
These were also proving their sincerity to strive for cooperation. Instead of just taking pictures on their cell phones, the paper documents seemed more official and serious.
At first sight, Zhang Zian held his breath when looking at the bi-color Ragdoll kitten in the picture.
What a pair of beautiful blue eyes!