Pet King

Karl invited Zhang Zian to stay in his house since he lived alone and his daughter, Reina, resided in Berlin. Karl’s house was very empty, but Zhang Zian felt that, if he lived with Karl for seven days, he might become an alcoholic, so he politely declined the offer and asked for Karl to recommend a hotel to him that would accommodate pets.

Karl’s popularity in the local area was pretty good. He found a friend’s empty house for Zhang Zian, and it was quite a luxurious seaside villa. The villa was occupied only during the summer when Karl’s friend was here for a holiday; otherwise, the villa was usually empty for most of the year. The keys to the villa were left with Karl, as his friend had entrusted him to take care of the place. Karl contacted his friend about the matter and his friend readily agreed. In exchange, he requested a photo of Famous with its paw print.

Staying in the villa was much more convenient compared to staying in a hotel. The most important factor was that it was free. After Zhang Zian left Berlin, everything was at his own expense. From food to lodging, everything was out of his own pocket, so it was good for him to save on costs whenever possible.

The villa stood alone at the top of a cliff by the sea with an open view. The doors and windows in the villa were all full height glass panels, and walking onto the balcony welcomed in a view of the Baltic Sea that went on as far as the eye could see. There were no other houses in the vicinity––the nearest one was a few hundred meters away and it was also a holiday villa that belonged to someone else.

It was very deserted in the winter, but once it was summer, it was going to become quite lively as a great number of wealthy people from Berlin would make their way down to spend their summer vacation by the sea. It was also a very well-known, clothing-optional beach––the holy land of the nude beach…

Zhang Zian had asked for the email of Paul, the professional who tested Karl’s water quality. Paul had printed some introductory materials for water quality testing for Zian, and if there was anything Zian did not understand, he would be able to consult Paul through email or drive his way down to the aquarium and operate the water testing console under Paul’s guidance.

Paul was a very genuine person. He unreservedly shared his experience and knowledge, to which Zian benefited a lot from.

From the day that he arrived, Zian had made use of all his spare time to immerse himself in the study of water quality testing techniques, striving to have a thorough grasp of it before he left town.

It was noon and the weather was great; there was less wind and the temperature had risen slightly.

Zhang Zian tried to use the barbecue grill in the backyard of the villa for a barbecue. The stainless steel grates were covered fully with steaks, sausages, chicken skewers, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and corn. The combination of meat and vegetables was balanced in nutrition and looked really good. As the sauce and oil dripped off the grill into the burning charcoal fire, it sizzled into smoke and the fragrant aroma permeated the air.

“When will it be ready?” Fina asked as it swallowed its saliva.

“Don’t rush me. A watched pot never boils, you know?” Zhang Zian said as he flipped the food over and continued with the barbecue.

Snowy Lionet tugged on his trousers. “Leave me a piece of raw beef, got it?”

“Zian, are we still going to the aquarium later?” Old Time Tea asked while it laid on its stomach in a sheltered space. “There are so many new and strange things there. It’s an eye-opener even for this old one who has lived a long time…”

Whenever they visit the aquarium, it was Old Time Tea, aside from Zian, who gave the place a serious look. Old Time Tea could not stop singing praises about the various strange and different marine life in the aquarium tanks.

“Not today.” Zhang Zian looked up at the sky. “It’s rare to have such great weather. Let’s take a walk along the beach after we’re done with lunch. We can visit the famous tourist spots.”

“Pei pei pei! You’re just itching to go to the beach after hearing that people were spotted skinny-dipping, right? Don’t think I can’t tell!” Snowy Lionet spat on the floor with contempt.

“Don’t you frame an innocent person out of the blue!” Zhang Zian clarified. “It’s winter now, how could anyone be skinny-dipping when the water is so cold? Don’t even mention skinny-dipping––it’s too cold even with a swimsuit on!”

“Then what about the binoculars you bought from the supermarket?” Snowy Lionet exposed his lie without batting an eyelid. “Although you tried to hide it during payment, such lousy trickery can’t escape my eyes!”

“That’s…” Zhang Zian was left speechless for a moment. “That’s for its original purpose: to view the scenery…”

“Pei! What kind of scenery is there to see at a beach in the middle of the winter?” Holding the upper hand in the argument, Snowy Lionet continued, “When you overheard the cashier discussing some sort of FKK area while you were getting the steaks and sausages, your eyes lit up immediately and your saliva was drooling all over the floor!”

Freikorperkultur had close to a hundred years of history in Germany. It was known as tian ti culture in Chinese––which “Tian Ti” could also mean celestial body like the stars and planets of the universe––and the actual definition referred to the stark naked human body.

When the summer sun shone, Germans who were passionate about Freikorperkultur would always make their way down to a park, beach, or a lawn and remove all their clothes. They would then sunbathe openly while they were stark naked.

However, in order to avoid drawing the dislike of others, not all parks, beaches, and lawns allowed the support of such a movement. Most Germans chose areas that had been specially designated so they could proceed with their sunbathing while in the nude. These areas were also known as the FKK areas. Entering such areas meant that you were okay with seeing men and women, young and old in their most bare form…

Zhang Zian learned from the cashier at the supermarket that the beach under the cliff where the villa stood is one of the designated FKK areas. Once it became summer, the beach would become the most cloth-saving place in the world.

Zian had long heard that foreigners were fond of the free body culture. When he learned about the beach, he could only sigh and regret coming here during the winter months…

But, just in case, Zian had hurried back into the supermarket, grabbed a pair of binoculars, and settled the payment while reciting that such indecent behaviors should be criticized…

Zian’s face turned red with embarrassment when his thoughts were exposed by Snow Lionet.

Whenever the elfins were in the other room, Zian would always camp on the balcony with the binoculars in his hand, scanning the beach in hopes of finding an unexpected surprise.

However, he was left disappointed numerous times. Even the highest temperature in the afternoon was around zero degrees Celsius; only a crazy person would exercise their free body culture in such cold temperatures. If anything went wrong, it would easily turn into free corpse culture…

“Ga! Cough cough!” Richard flapped its wings and descended on Zian’s shoulder, coughing twice due to the smoke coming from the barbecue. “I understand you. You’re just curious about the naked body of foreign men! You bought those binoculars to see if their buttocks are still firm! Nice boat!” it cried loudly.

“Understand your sister!”

Zhang Zian was so angry that he wanted to catch Richard and hang it upside down, but Richard was smart and flew away before anything happened. Zian then picked up a cherry tomato and threw it at Richard, but Richard caught the tomato using its mouth and swallowed it after chewing twice. Richard even made a face at Zian.

Fortunately, Famous saw that Zian was in an awkward predicament and promptly interjected, asking, “Any new news from the crew?”

“It seems as though the overseas distribution rights are selling well. Several European countries have expressed their interest in the purchase. Southeast Asian countries, Japan, and Korea are in contact with the producers, while some other countries are awaiting the results of the awards before making their decision.”

Zhang Zian said all of that very quickly before finally letting out a sigh of relief. Famous was, after all, still my brother. Let’s grill an extra steak for Famous!