There's a chat group for pets in my neighborhood.

The day after tomorrow afternoon, in the central garden of Tiancheng Community.

A beautiful, snow-white Bichon Frise, looking like a little princess, was being walked obediently by its owner.

But this tranquility was soon shattered by a group message from Lu Fang.

"The mouse toy has arrived! First come, first served!"

Almost at the same time the Bichon Frise saw the message, it set its sights on the stinking ditch next to the flower bed.

Closer, even closer!

The Bichon Frise seized the opportunity and jumped straight into the stinking ditch. Its originally snow-white fur was instantly dyed black. The usually clean Bichon Frise showed no intention of running away; instead, it excitedly rolled around in the ditch.

"Ah!! You damn dog! Are you crazy? I just gave you a bath a couple of days ago!" The owner could only scream in despair at the sight before him.

The Bichon Frise, having successfully pulled off its wicked scheme, wagged its tail innocently, its mind already filled with thoughts of finally getting its desired mouse toy.

This is just a small microcosm of Tiancheng Community.

In just one afternoon, Qin Zhuyan's Hello Pet Shop welcomed more than a dozen "mud monkeys", "skunks" and "garbage scavengers".

A husky, fighting for its owner's collar, dived into the sewer and drank its fill.

A Schnauzer "accidentally" fell into a trash can, getting covered in all sorts of garbage and tissues.

Every homeowner who pushed open the door had a face etched with exhaustion and anger.

Lu Fang's face was also etched with exhaustion.

He knew there would be a fierce battle today, but he didn't expect it to be this fierce.

To be honest, he almost threw up when that husky came in.

You created this mess yourself!

I'm doing this all to save money to open a pet hospital!

Lu Fang took a deep breath and almost choked. He could only plug his nose and mechanically start washing the dog clean and applying shampoo.

Although he was numb, his movements remained swift.

Before long, the dogs, now smelling sweet and soft again, were brought to the lobby, and naturally set their sights on the toy mice displayed on the counter.

Finally, they went to Qin Zhuyan, whose eyes were glazed over, to pay the money.

This is the first time my Little Hello Pet Shop has been this lively since I opened it.

Qin Zhuyan inexplicably recalled what Xu Yi had told her the night before: "Sister, I did a divination for you, and Lu Fang will bring you good fortune."

Could it be that this little girl really knows some mystical methods?

Otherwise, it doesn't make sense.

Lu Fang is really like a god of wealth. Whether it's the mouse toys or the currently booming bathing business, Qin Zhuyan always feels that they are closely related to him, even though she can't quite put her finger on why.

The owners waiting in the reception area were grumbling intermittently.

"Is there something wrong with the feng shui of our neighborhood today? This dog is like it's possessed, it just keeps getting itself so dirty!" An older woman looked at the Schnauzer howling in the bathroom with concern, her brow furrowed.

"Mine's the same, it's like it's gone mad, we can't hold it back." The owner next to him chimed in, and since they were waiting anyway, the group started chatting.

"By the way, have you all seen the wanted posters in our community?" a young male homeowner said.

"There's a bounty on our property?" As soon as everyone heard there was gossip, they immediately gathered around, chattering away.

"Are you talking about that lost dog poster?" Some people clearly knew what the man was referring to and immediately chimed in.

"I saw it a few days ago. It was a dachshund that had gone missing. Its owner seemed to be quite wealthy. He kept posting missing dog notices in various places, and the price had gone up from 10,000 to 100,000. He would give 100,000 in cash if the dog could be found."

Upon hearing this news, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

One hundred thousand is no small sum.

"Then why should I even go to work? I might as well go find a dog. This is really a bounty. I can't even earn 100,000 a year." Someone immediately said, their eyes full of envy.

"But thinking about it, I can understand. If my dog ​​got lost, even though I couldn't afford 100,000, I would still give within my means!" A young girl nodded firmly, clearly agreeing with this approach.

The group was chattering away, and Lu Fang, who was in the bathroom, listened intently to everything.

"Tsk tsk tsk, 100,000." He clicked his tongue and said, "If I had that 100,000, it would cover more than half of my investment in the pet hospital."

But it was just a thought. No one had been able to find it for so long, how could it possibly be so easy for him?

Lu Fang now lives a very routine life, going to and from work, so he doesn't have time to go out and look for dogs.

However, to be fair, the owner of this dachshund is really willing to spend money; it seems this dog is very important to her.

It's nice to have money.

He sighed and resignedly quickened the speed of his scrubbing, after all, Qin Zhuyan had given him an ultimatum: he wouldn't be allowed to leave work until he finished washing these dogs!

As the conversations in the reception area gradually subsided, the toy mice on the shelves disappeared one by one, and the time quietly arrived at eight o'clock in the evening.

Lu Fang slumped in the chair, his hands red, barely breathing.

Those eight hours that afternoon, looking back now, were like hell. Except for going to the toilet, he spent the whole time in the bathroom.

"We had seventeen customers in total. The revenue from bathing and toys alone was 2980. Including the membership card payments, our total income for today is four thousand!"

Qin Zhuyan tapped on the calculator, her face beaming with delight as she looked at the numbers on it.

Today was a great day. Some dogs were so dirty that the bathing prices went up a bit. While the pet owners waited, she also tried to promote her own recharge packages. Two people, seeing that the store environment was nice, each recharged a membership card for 500 yuan.

"You've got some skills, kid." Qin Zhuyan was also quite tired. Seeing that they couldn't finish washing, the two of them worked together for more than two hours before they finally finished.

"I'll treat you to dinner tonight. Order whatever you like; consider it a reward for our great hero!" She waved her hand generously, unable to hide the smile in her eyes.

The two tidied up the shop briefly and then locked the door.

On a breezy early summer night, Qin Zhuyan led Lu Fang to a thriving barbecue stall.

As soon as the proprietress saw Qin Zhuyan, she greeted her warmly: "Isn't this Zhuyan? What brings you here for dinner today?"

"Bring your new employee over for a nice meal." She greeted her familiarly, clearly having known the proprietress for a long time.

After sitting down, she ordered a whole bunch of grilled skewers, just like she always does, and also ordered a case of ice-cold beer.

Only then did Lu Fang have a chance to ask, "Are you friends with the owner here?"

"I guess so. When I first came to Yanling City, the proprietress took me in as a waitress," Qin Zhuyan said frankly. "Later, I changed jobs and went to other places, but I always came here to eat."

"Their cooking is really good, you should try it."

Under the bright incandescent light of the barbecue stall, Lu Fang got to observe the female boss up close for the first time outside of work.