Future Pet Shop-Chapter 47: Hah’Er, Beer Is Not for You to Drink

"Uh, Hah’Er, you go ahead and eat first." When Hah’Er brought over the freshly grilled lamb skewers, Shen Yibin and Cheeky felt a bit embarrassed again. After all, Hah’Er had been working so hard and hadn’t eaten anything himself yet, while the two of them had at least gotten a taste.

"Go on, you eat. I’ll go grab a couple of beers." Barbecue just had to be paired with beer. He’d been extra careful ever since Hah’Er came home, so when would he have had time to go out for skewers and beer? Now that he had the chance, he was determined to indulge himself.

"GLUG, GLUG... Ahhh~ So good!" The cold beer went down, instantly washing away the slight greasiness from the food. He let out a burp, and every cell in his body felt a wave of pure bliss. Shen Yibin blissfully slumped into his deck chair, so comfortable he didn’t even want to lift a single finger.

"Hmm?" Hah’Er curiously stretched his head over to look at the beer Shen Yibin was drinking. Cheeky sidled up next to him. "What are you drinking? Seems like it tastes pretty good?"

’What the heck? Are you two even of age?’ he thought. ’Is it really okay for you to want to drink at such a young age?’ Shen Yibin quickly covered the beer can. "This is alcohol. You’re both still too young, you can’t drink it."

"I’m thirty-two years old this year. May I ask how old you are? Who’s older and who’s younger between the two of us?" Cheeky said, holding its head high. As mentioned before, Amazon parrots are naturally a long-lived species of bird, and Cheeky was a new breed modified with 22nd-century biotechnology, so it wasn’t strange for it to have lived this long.

’Dude, it’s a miracle you’ve lived this long with a mouth that damned cheeky,’ Shen Yibin thought. Before he could react, Cheeky had already flown onto his arm. "Come on, give me a taste. You can’t keep all the good stuff for yourself."

"Uh, alright, I’ll pour a little for you. I’m guessing you won’t like it." Shen Yibin had seen this guy drink juice before, but whether it could handle the taste of beer was anyone’s guess.

He got up, grabbed two small bowls, and poured just enough to cover the bottom of one before handing it to Cheeky. "Here. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Beer has a pretty weird taste. Don’t blame me if you don’t like it."

"Hmm! Hmm!" Seeing Shen Yibin pour some for Cheeky but not for him, Hah’Er, who was still grilling skewers on the side, started to get anxious. He quickly made some noises to protest this blatant favoritism.

"Hey, don’t tell me you’re over thirty, too?" With Hah’Er’s personality, he seemed like a minor no matter how you looked at it. Shen Yibin didn’t dare casually pour him alcohol.

"Hmm! Hmm!" Hah’Er protested vehemently again.

"BLECH! BLECH! BLECH! What is this weird taste? It’s way worse than juice!" While they were talking, Cheeky had already tasted the beer. It frantically stuck out its tongue as if it had drunk poison, then directly buried its beak in the bowl of juice Shen Yibin had prepared for it, only recovering after a long moment. "That was absolutely disgusting. I’m starting to have doubts about your taste." ’How could you drink something that awful with such enjoyment?’

"See? Even Cheeky can’t stand it. You probably shouldn’t try it, either," Shen Yibin continued to persuade him.

"Hmm! Hmm!" But Hah’Er had really gotten fixated on the beer now. No matter what Shen Yibin said, it refused to give up and insisted on tasting it.

"Alright, alright. I’ll pour you a little, just a little, okay? Whether you like it or not, you can’t have any more, understand?" ’You guys are the bosses here, I can’t win, can I?’ He took the other small bowl, poured it less than half full for Hah’Er, and placed it in front of him.

"Hmm! Hmm!" Its wish granted, Hah’Er was overjoyed. It quickly distributed the grilled lamb skewers to Shen Yibin and Cheeky, then, mimicking Shen Yibin’s earlier actions, took two hearty bites of a skewer before picking up the small bowl and downing it in one gulp.

"Ooh~" Never having drunk beer before, Hah’Er was hit by the potent taste. It couldn’t help but let out a burp, a strange expression on its face as if it were savoring the flavor.

"How is it? Doesn’t taste good, right? Okay, put the bowl down, I’ll get you some juice." As he spoke, Shen Yibin reached for the small bowl in Hah’Er’s paws. ’Heh, see what happens when you don’t listen to your master? You choked on the beer, didn’t you?’

"Hmm?" But Hah’Er clutched the small bowl, refusing to let go. It squinted its little eyes, licked its lips, and then its eyes suddenly shot wide open, radiating a brilliant light of surprised delight. It held the bowl out to Shen Yibin. "Hmm!"

’No way. Does this mean you’re hooked?’ This was clearly the prelude to asking for a refill. But this time, Shen Yibin wouldn’t dare agree, no matter what. Beer might be low in alcohol content, but it was still alcohol. How could he let this kid drink as much as it wanted?

"Alright, alright, a taste is enough. You can’t have any more." Shen Yibin quickly hugged the beer can, afraid Hah’Er would snatch it from his arms.

"Hmm! Hmm!" Hah’Er wasn’t having it. After finally finding such a delicious drink, how could it not drink its fill? It pounced, hugging Shen Yibin’s leg and begging for a long while, its two teary eyes staring up at him with a pitiful look that was impossible to refuse.

"Hah’Er, I just saw him take it from the fridge. Why don’t you go see if there’s any more?" Just as Shen Yibin was about to give in, Cheeky piped up from the side with another one of its brilliant ideas.

"Hmm!" Hah’Er immediately let go of Shen Yibin’s leg and went PITTER-PATTER into the kitchen. It climbed onto a stool, opened the refrigerator door, and sure enough, there were several more cans of beer inside. The little guy decided to take them all, hugging the remaining six or seven cans in its arms as it came out.

"Hmm..." However, bringing them out was completely useless. Opening a beer can was not a skill Hah’Er’s paws could master. After fiddling with the can for a long time, it could only turn to look at Shen Yibin again, its expression pitiful.

"Sigh... you win. Come here, I’ll open it for you." Shen Yibin was truly at a loss. He had no choice but to take a beer can, pull the tab, and pour it into the small bowl in front of Hah’Er. "One more bowl is the absolute maximum."

"GULP." Another bowl of beer went down. Hah’Er contentedly wiped its mouth, patted its belly, and didn’t even bother with grilling the lamb skewers anymore. It simply held out the bowl again.

’Damn, I never realized this little guy had the potential to be an alcoholic!’ Helpless, Shen Yibin could only fulfill its wish once more, pouring another bowl for Hah’Er. "Hah’Er, you can’t just drink without eating. Finish this lamb skewer first, and then I’ll give you the beer."

"Hmm! Hmm!" Hah’Er took the lamb skewer from Shen Yibin’s hand and devoured it in a few bites. Then, it reached its paws out for the bowl again, picked it up, and downed it with another GULP. In terms of sheer gusto, it was far more impressive than Shen Yibin.

"Hmm!" After finishing the drink, Hah’Er gnawed on a few more lamb skewers, then presented the empty bowl to Shen Yibin for a third time, urging him to hurry up and pour.

Shen Yibin was starting to panic. At this rate, was Hah’Er going to get drunk? What on earth would a drunk panda be like?