Adorable Pet Daily Life Ch. 41

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Big Horn was a chaotic little thing—couldn't sit still for more than a minute. Either he was flying around outside or standing on a perch chattering to himself non-stop. Super noisy. When the Big Beauty of the house got annoyed with him, she'd slap him a few times, and then he'd finally shut up.

"Big Horn, need to talk to you about something."

"What?" Big Horn replied, with this perfectly pronounced northeast accent that made Shen Luo's teeth ache just hearing it.

Shen Luo stepped a little closer. Big Horn, sensing trouble, flapped his wings and backed off a bit. Shen Luo frowned and rolled his eyes but didn't push it.

"Remember that lady from a couple days ago, walking a pit bull? She asked me to help find a male pit bull to be the dog's boyfriend. She promised to pay a good matchmaking fee. Problem is, I don't know anyone who owns that breed. Think you could help me find one?"

The grey parrots were excellent flyers, and Big Horn was a smart one—good at staying hidden and keeping himself safe when he flew out. If anything happened while he was out, he'd come back chirping away, gossiping to Shen Luo about it. But no matter how smart he was, he still wasn't human, so half the stuff he talked about ended up sounding kinda lame to Shen Luo.

Big Horn went quiet, those yellow-ringed eyes staring at Shen Luo like he was thinking it over.

Shen Luo waited, then added, "If you say yes, I'll get you the good sunflower seeds. Deal?"

Shen Luo also grew sunflowers in his field, and he'd get a harvest every year, but honestly? The soil wasn't great for it, so the seeds didn't taste amazing. They were fine as casual snacks for the birds and mice, though. For real meals, he'd usually go with corn or something heartier.

"Cream-flavored ones!" Big Horn even knew how to haggle.

Shen Luo facepalmed. "Those are bad for you."

"It's fine, just for fun! My wife likes them," Big Horn said, clearly thinking about his wifey even now.

Shen Luo sighed. "Alright, fine."

Cream-flavored seeds weren't that big a deal anyway.

"And I want an apple a day too!"

Additional conditions now, huh?!

Shen Luo looked up and glared at Big Horn, who tilted his head and blinked, looking all sweet and innocent.

Shen Luo thought about it. One apple a day wasn't that big of a deal, so he nodded and said, "Alright."

"No grabbing those leftover apples at closing time. I want the good stuff—at least four yuan per jin*! Anything cheaper, I'm not doing it!"

(*at least 4 yuan per 500 grams—aka, good quality ones, not the cheap leftovers :D)

Damn, this bird really knew how to push his luck! Shen Luo smacked the table and cursed, "You scruffy-feathered little beast! You really learned how to bargain, huh? Believe it or not, I'll pluck you bald and toss you outside!"

It was still snowing out there!

Big Horn fluffed up his feathers, took a few steps along the perch, and kept his beak shut.

"Half an apple a day," Shen Luo bargained. "You share it with your wife. The other half goes to the other birds."

There were a few more birds at the clinic—also parrots, but the cheaper kind. Smaller breeds like lovebirds and budgies. None of them were nearly as picky or dramatic as Big Horn.

Big Horn thought it over. Honestly, he and his wife couldn't even finish a full apple, and it'd just go bad if left too long. Half was more than enough. He finally gave a little nod.

With terms settled, Big Horn started flying out every day. The cold northern wind howled, snow came down now and then—earning those sunflower seeds and apples wasn't easy work at all.

But with Big Horn on the case, things got a whole lot easier for Shen Luo.

Near the end of the year, a heavy snow hit the city. It piled up past the knees. Shen Luo grabbed a few of the guys from the pet hospital and went out to shovel it. Judging by the weather, business was probably gonna be pretty slow for the next few days. He sighed at the thought.

Just as he got back to his room, sat down, and took a sip of hot tea, someone knocked at the door.

Shen Luo was surprised. With this kind of weather, someone showing up probably meant something urgent.

"Hello, can I help you?"

It was a middle-aged woman with a headscarf and a shy-looking little boy.

Looking closer, the boy wasn't just shy—he seemed a bit spaced out, like he wasn't fully there. One hand kept rubbing at his pants, fidgeting, and there was just something a little off about him.

But Shen Luo had seen it all. Weird cases, strange people—nothing shocked him anymore. He didn't show a hint of surprise and just invited them to sit.

The woman quickly explained why they were there—they wanted to adopt a dog.

"My son saw your adoption photo online yesterday. He said he wanted the dog named Bai Zhuzhu. You know how I felt at that time!" As she spoke, the middle-aged woman's tears started to fall.

Shen Luo finally understood what had felt off—the boy had a mental condition, supposedly something like autism. For a child like that to actually express a desire of his own... that was something truly rare.

So even with the snowstorm, the mother and son made the trip.

Bai Zhuzhu was a small white dog, kind of like a pomeranian—tiny, fluffy, and ridiculously cute. Zheng Jiamei adored her, but since she already had a clingy, territorial poodle at home, she hadn't taken her in.

Shen Luo brought Bai Zhuzhu out, and the boy's eyes lit up instantly. He walked over by himself, squatted in front of the dog, and Bai Zhuzhu gave his hand a little lick. The boy smiled.

It might've been nothing special with another kid. But for a child with autism? That moment meant everything.

The woman wiped her eyes, her voice hoarse with emotion. "He hasn't smiled like this in so long."

Shen Luo glanced at the kid holding Bai Zhuzhu. The dog was behaving surprisingly well in the boy's arms—not struggling, just sniffing around him excitedly.

With his arms crossed, Shen Luo asked, "You're sure you want to adopt this dog?"

The woman nodded. "As long as Zhuangzhuang likes him, why not?"

"Dogs aren't like people. If your kid pulls his tail or hits him, he might fight back. That could end up hurting your son."

If Bai Zhuzhu could really help Zhuangzhuang's condition, Shen Luo wouldn't mind letting her be adopted. After all, what mattered to a pet was whether their owner treated them well and didn't abandon them. Whether their human was rich, pretty, or had some kind of disability wasn't something animals cared about.

All credit goes to the original author
Feel free to pinpoint us if there are any grammar error or typos
Please don't use Guazi's translations to re-translate in other languages

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