"Little girl..."
"I knew it was you as soon as I heard the noise."
A sturdy, middle-aged man pulled aside the curtain and came out of the room behind the counter.
"Oh."
"There are other customers here, too."
The Middle-aged Man immediately spotted the two unfamiliar men nearby, who looked a little like father and son, and a little like brothers.
Uncle Xi and the young man who'd been called out both instinctively took a step forward.
At least they weren't standing in the doorway anymore.
"Hello, Shopkeeper Uncle."
The girl smiled and greeted the Middle-aged Man.
"I'm back again."
"This time, I didn't come alone."
"I came with my brother and uncle."
"Oh."
The Middle-aged Man, who was also the owner of the pet shop, suddenly understood.
"So these are the little girl's brother and uncle."
"What's this?"
The owner crooked his mouth at the girl, his expression teasing.
"Are you here to make a big purchase?"
This was the first time the little girl had brought her family along.
That eased some of his lingering worries.
Although the little girl had told him a bit about her situation, he'd still suspected she was buying snakes from his shop behind her family's back.
After all...
Most people were only so-so about snakes.
Most families felt the same way.
The little girl not only came to his shop alone every time, but had bought more than one snake...
How could he not be suspicious?
But today, he grinned.
His white teeth gleamed in the dim light of the room.
His worries had indeed been unnecessary.
That was good.
The little girl had an open-minded family, and open-minded relatives.
"It's not that big a purchase."
The girl modestly waved a hand.
"Xiao Xin."
The young man