Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Tang Yuyun left the store after she signed the pre-sale agreement. Zhang Zian became curious about how an OCD person like her bought clothes and other stuff.
The store became quiet again. Lu Yiyun sat behind the cashier counter, drawing. There were few people on the streets, much less in the store.
Zhang Zian looked around, and when he came up with nothing to do, he made his way upstairs.
“Ga! You hung me up just because of a disagreement? How did I annoy you today?” Richard hung from the ceiling of the second floor living room, flapping its wing as it swayed left and right.
Zhang Zian thought for a moment, and realized Richard didn’t really cause trouble today. “If you didn’t annoy me, it just means that I had nothing better to do.”
“You stupid sh*t!” Richard was enraged.
Zhang Zian replied, “There isn’t a day where you haven’t caused trouble, so think of it as advanced punishment.”
“Advanced punishment for someone who hasn’t made a mistake? Your thought process is very dangerous!” Richard cried out.
“Okay, let me get you down.” Zhang Zian pulled a stool over and used it as a ladder as he reached out to untie the nylon string tied around Richard’s claws.
Richard was finally able to stand up straight. “You’re being so nice today, is there something you need from me?”
Wow, Richard actually guessed correctly. Zhang Zian thought to himself.
“Do you remember Kathy? We met during the America CFA?” Zhang Zian asked.
Richard said with disdain, “Of course I remember her! Isn’t her memorial portrait just downstairs?”
Zhang Zian ignored his question. “Do you remember her voice? Her tone, her accent?”
Richard rolled its eyes. “I guess so. What do you want to do?”
When Zhang Zian met Kathy at the CFA, Richard was invisible on his shoulders, telling him what to say.
“Just before she passed, Kathy changed her will and, for some reason, she decided to leave the Abyssinian Cats to me. To receive something I didn’t do anything to deserve, doesn’t sit well with me, so I want to do something to repay her.” Zhang Zian said seriously.
“Interesting, so even you feel troubled? It seemed to me that you slept quite well last night,” Richard said.
“Of course, I want to be wealthy, but for something I did. In Kathy’s will, the cats were to be given to me while her other assets would be donated to the Matthew Davis Cancer Research Foundation to be used for research on lung cancer,” Zhang Zian recalled. “During the CFA, I think she mentioned that her husband had passed from lung cancer, so I think she wanted to save others the pain caused by lung cancer.”
Richard too became serious.
“I don’t know how much money she had, but I don’t think it was a lot. Actually, even if she was a millionaire, all that money wouldn’t help tackle lung cancer, but she still wanted to try,” Zhang Zian continued.
“So, what do you want me to do?” Richard asked.
Zhang Zian told Richard his idea. “Earlier, an Abyssinian Kitty was sold for 30,000 RMB. I calculated it, and the profit when converted to US dollars would be about $4,000. Although it isn’t much, I’d still like to donate it to the Matthew Davis Cancer Research Foundation under Kathy’s name, so you have to imitate her voice and call the Foundation.”
Richard paced back and forth on the desk.
After a moment, Richard said, “You mentioned the profit would be $4,000 USD, that would mean that the cost is about $700 USD? Before we even consider the fees for international shipping and genetic screening, we can also put aside the cost of food and litter. Even if we only consider the amount spent to purchase the shoe store and the renovation fees, it can’t only be $700 USD right? What about labor costs?”
“I’m aware of that, but I didn’t buy the shoe store for Kathy and the cats, it was meant to expand our operational space. Even without the cats, I would’ve still bought the store, the expansion was inevitable.”
Although Zhang Zian was convincing, it wasn’t enough. Richard stared at him. “The customer will return in three months to make the rest of the payment, right? Three months is a very long time, anything can happen. The customer might cancel the deal. If it was me, I’d wait until the transaction is finalized before donating.”
Zhang Zian knew what Richard said made sense, but he thought his way made sense as well. “Are you doubting my business capabilities? From what I’ve observed, the possibility of the customer cancelling is very low.”
“Any other reasons?” Richard asked. “If that’s it, I’d rather you tie me up and make the call yourself. Save me the trouble of your anger when you regret your decision.”
Zhang Zian thought, Am I really that petty?
“There’s actually another reason, when the lawyer pulled out the will, I noticed that today was Kathy’s birthday, so I wanted to give her a birthday gift,” Zhang Zian admitted.
Richard was silent. It understood Zhang Zian’s intentions. There were just some matters left unsolved, like why Zhang Zian wanted to make a donation in Kathy’s name, or why Kathy would gift a cat she had bred for years to a Chinese man she met by chance.
Flapping its wings, Richard said, “Then, what are you waiting for? Get the number of the cancer research foundation, and let’s revive the dead!”
===========================================================================