The shop was full of cages containing birds, rabbits, chicks, ducklings, turtles, mice, and goldfish. The rabbits, chickens, and ducklings were all small and hadn't grown up yet. Actually, these kinds of poultry aren't very pretty or cute when they grow up; they're cute when they're small.
Following Zhou Xuan's instructions, Wang Xin pressed a button and secretly thought about how to communicate with a rabbit. The converter's voice then sounded in her mind: "Please select a communication target: one, two, or an unlimited number!"
Wang Xin initially chose the rabbit as her interaction partner, and immediately, she clearly heard the little white rabbit's low voice in her mind: "I'm hungry... I'm hungry..."
Wang Xin immediately replied, "Okay, I'll find you something to eat!" As she spoke, she looked at the feed bags in the store and saw a bag labeled "rabbit feed." She grabbed a little bit and then went back to the cage, gently scattering the feed into the small food container inside.
The little rabbit hurried over and started eating. Because there were so many animals in the pet shop, the owner was too busy to feed them all. Sometimes it wasn't that she wouldn't feed them, but that she would feed them the wrong animals. It was normal to forget to feed one or two animals. In addition, the female owner was just doing business and didn't really have any love for the pets, so she would forget things.
Just then, I heard Wang Xin suddenly make a strange sound that seemed to sound like a rabbit. I was stunned for a moment, and then I saw Wang Xin go to the side and get rabbit feed to feed it. After a moment of surprise, I wondered if Wang Xin was a very knowledgeable expert.
Wang Xin then began interacting with a myna, a duckling, and a white mouse, handling them with remarkable ease. The shopkeeper, seeing Wang Xin mimic bird calls, duck quacks, and mouse squeaks, with the animals responding and jumping excitedly in their cages, couldn't help but wonder. Many customers came to the shop to interact with the animals, almost all of them trying to imitate their sounds, but the animals always ignored them. It was truly strange that Wang Xin could elicit such reactions from them.
At this moment, Wang Xin heard the little animals telling her how painful it was here, how hungry and frightened they were. The boss was just using them to exchange for money, buying them from people who caught them. Wang Xin had only wanted to test the language converter's function to see if it was really as magical as Zhou Xuan had said, but now it seemed that the magical aspect was only slightly exaggerated, and not at all in line with the description.
As Zhou Xuan watched Wang Xin interact with the animals, a thought struck him. He also remembered his mind-reading ability. He wondered if he could read minds of humans as well as animals.
If you can read the minds of animals, that would be pretty good. With that in mind, Zhou Xuan didn't hesitate to use his special ability to read the minds of those little animals.
Radio waves truly know no borders. As soon as Zhou Xuan's supernatural ability entered the minds of those small animals, their thoughts were transmitted to his own, and he understood everything they were thinking.
It seems that his ability to read minds is similar to that of a language converter, but the ability is more convenient and easier to use. He originally thought that mind reading could only read human thoughts, but unexpectedly, this test also revealed that he could read the thoughts of animals. What a pleasant surprise!
Seeing Wang Xin playing happily with the small animals, the young proprietress immediately stepped forward and said, "Miss, have you ever kept small animals before? You seem very experienced. I wonder if you could take a look at my parrot? I don't know what's wrong with it. It used to be able to say something that sounded like a human, but for the past two months, it's been quiet and hasn't been talking. It's also been eating less. I'm worried that something might be wrong, but I don't know any doctors who can treat birds, and veterinarians don't know how to treat birds either. If you know anything about birds, please take a look!"
The shop owner was heartbroken, not because the parrot was sick, but because it was the most expensive animal in the shop. If it got sick and died, it would be a huge loss. The parrot was priced at six thousand yuan, though before it started talking, the price was over twenty thousand yuan. But after it stopped talking, the bids dropped significantly. She was reluctant to sell it, but she couldn't cure its illness, so she was very distressed.
Wang Xin smiled slightly and immediately changed her communication partner to the parrot.
"What's wrong? Is there anything I can help you with?"
After Wang Xin greeted her softly, the parrot glanced at her but made no move. However, the proprietress was delighted. What Wang Xin had just said was actually a bird's chirp to her. Although the parrot did not make a sound, it clearly looked up at her after Wang Xin spoke, so there might actually be a chance.
Wang Xin asked again, "Tell me what's wrong with you, and maybe I can help you. But if you don't tell me, then there's nothing I can do. I'm leaving now. Let me ask you one more time: do you need my help?"
Hearing the sincerity in Wang Xin's tone, the parrot scurried around in its cage a few times before squawking at Zhou Xuan. Wang Xin heard it say, "You really can help me? Don't humans just want to use us for money? Why would you help me?"
Wang Xin smiled and said, "I'm different from others. Think about it, do other people understand you? No, right? I can understand you, so you can actually think of me as one of your own kind. You can trust me!"
The parrot hesitated for a moment, then actually spoke to Wang Xin: "Then I'll tell you. I was captured from the jungles of America. After arriving here, I was depressed for a while, but I came to terms with it. However, just two months ago, a Chinese parrot I met here got sick and died. I liked it very much, but unfortunately, I couldn't save it. Since its death, I've suffered from depression and I miss home even more. But I have no freedom and can't get out of this cage. I might be sold to some customer, and my fate will probably be the same as that Chinese parrot's—dying sooner or later!"
So that's how it is!
Wang Xin thought for a moment, but before she could speak, Zhou Xuan stepped forward and asked the young female boss, "Boss lady, how much do you want to sell these little birds?"
The female shop owner was taken aback, thinking Zhou Xuan was joking. Who would ask such a question? The purpose of asking such a question was obviously just for fun, and she wouldn't take it seriously. If someone really wanted to buy a pet, they would choose a target and then buy it. But Zhou Xuan hadn't looked at these animals carefully from beginning to end, let alone liked them.
In fact, Zhou Xuan had naturally read their thoughts, and seeing that Wang Xin really wanted to help the parrot, he spoke up in advance. The female shop owner didn't believe him, so she casually said, "Twenty thousand yuan, that's the amount you'll pay if you want to buy it!"
There were only six birds in total, which wasn't a lot. Apart from the parrot, which was the most valuable, the other birds weren't very valuable, but they were still priced between two or three hundred and seven or eight hundred. The parrot was the most valuable, but since it stopped talking, its price had been steadily declining, and it was difficult to sell. Now, the parrot had become the hardest item to sell.
Without thinking, Zhou Xuan took out his wallet, looked inside, and saw that there were only three or four thousand US dollars, no RMB. When he transferred money to Wang Xin at the bank, he hadn't even thought of taking out some RMB for urgent use. After thinking for a moment, he said to the female shop owner, "Madam, I don't have RMB, do you accept US dollars?"
The female boss immediately said, "Of course I'll take it, why wouldn't I?"
In coastal cities, both Hong Kong dollars and US dollars are accepted. Because there are many foreigners, it is common to use foreign currency when it is inconvenient. Many shops also offer currency exchange services, earning a profit from the exchange rate difference. This difference is sometimes more than their turnover, making it a good source of profit for them.
Zhou Xuan immediately counted out three thousand five hundred US dollars and said, "I'll give you three thousand five hundred US dollars. That's enough for twenty thousand RMB. Count it yourself!"
The female shop owner's mouth dropped open in surprise. She hadn't expected Zhou Xuan to actually buy it. After a moment's thought, she quickly took the US dollars, counted them, and confirmed the amount was correct. Then, she asked again, "Are you sure you want it?..."
But after asking that question, she knew it was inappropriate, so she quickly stuffed the three thousand five hundred US dollars into her pocket. She thought that even if Zhou Xuan wanted to go back and changed his mind, she wouldn't agree. It wasn't like she had set a trap to deceive them. Buying it was voluntary. It was a willing transaction. If he regretted it, he wouldn't be able to find anyone to complain to!
Zhou Xuan naturally wouldn't back out, and Wang Xin was still happily chattering with the parrot. After Zhou Xuan paid the money, Wang Xin asked the animals for their thoughts and then nodded, saying, "Alright, are you ready?"
The proprietress thought Wang Xin genuinely liked the animals, so she quickly helped her lift the cage containing the six birds and placed it outside the shop, presumably because Zhou Xuan and Wang Xin were planning to call a taxi.
Zhou Xuan smiled and said to Wang Xin, "Wang Xin, is that what you mean?" He then gestured and made a flying motion.
Wang Xin smiled and nodded: "Yes, that's exactly what I meant!"
Zhou Xuan grunted in agreement, then opened the small doors of the cages and released the birds. The proprietress was startled and asked in surprise, "What...what are you doing?"
Zhou Xuan waved his hand and said, "Go, go home, fly far away, and don't get caught again!"
The six birds then took flight, circling above Zhou Xuan and Wang Xin's heads for a while before flying away. In the blink of an eye, only a few small black dots remained in the sky, and a few seconds later, the dots disappeared completely.
The female shop owner was extremely annoyed. Although Zhou Xuan had released the birds she had bought, it was still very upsetting to let them go. But it was a fact, and she couldn't change anything. She just felt it was a pity, especially since the parrot had already developed sentience and could say a few words. When a parrot can talk, it becomes valuable.
Then she thought that this man was either crazy or stupid. He spent more than 20,000 yuan to buy these six birds just to release them. What difference was there between that and burning the money or throwing it into the sea?
Wang Xin smiled slightly and gave Zhou Xuan a grateful look. Although they didn't say anything, they both understood each other's meaning.
Then the two men walked out of the pet store and onto the street. The female shop owner stood there for a while, until they could no longer see each other, before angrily saying, "Two lunatics!"
But he still patted the banknotes in his hand. This was a real bargain. It was just a pity that he had asked for too little price. If he had asked for more, he thought that fool would have bought it.
Zhou Xuan only bought a few birds because birds have wings and can fly. Other small animals, even if he bought them, could not be released. If they left the pet store and were not bought by someone to raise, they would only die if released into nature. They simply could not survive. This is a big city. Where could they run to if they were released? They would probably not even be able to escape the city and would be run over by cars.
Birds are different, especially these kinds of birds, which are good at long-distance flight. Although the journey back to America is long and they may encounter other dangers, it is better than being kept in cages as they are now.
After turning a corner on the main street, Zhou Xuan asked Wang Xin in a low voice, "Wang Xin, if we were to go back to your hometown now, would you fly or take a car or train?"
Without even thinking, Wang Xin replied, "By train!"
Zhou Xuan was stunned for a moment, somewhat confused. After so many years without an answer, didn't she miss home and family? Why did she still have to take the train home slowly?
Wang Xin seemed to understand Zhou Xuan's expression and smiled, saying, "I miss home and my family, but I know this might be the last time I take a train in China. Let's treat it as a trip and enjoy the process slowly."