mtlumby2d Chapter 438 The Zookeeper's Troubles
Chapter 438 The Zookeeper's Troubles
"Huh? What's not it?"
"Look at the leopard spots."
The three furry little animals had very obvious leopard spots on their fur and were much smaller than lynx cubs. He guessed they might be leopard cats.
The leopard cats of the Northeast forests in the 80s are different from the leopard cats kept as pets in later generations. The leopard cats of later generations are a breed developed through several generations of breeding between Bengal cats and pet cats. But these leopard cats are true wild predators.
With a newborn baby at home, he decided to send the three leopard cats to the city zoo.
He said, "Let's feed them some milk powder first. Luckily you have a car. Let's go to the city. Last time, the zoo director wanted us to go see the two black bear cubs that Lao Qin gave us. Let's see how big the two bears have grown."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiangqian became excited and shouted, "Alright, let's have a drink!"
The mother leopard cat is definitely nowhere to be found. It had just snowed heavily on a snowy day, so where could we find any trace of the mother leopard cat from three days ago?
In addition, leopard cats are small animals and were hunted extensively in the 1950s and 60s, making their numbers scarce. At that time, leopard cat pelts were very valuable. However, these three leopard cats were too small, so the hunters killed the larger ones and kept the smaller ones. Li Ju'an would send the leopard cats to the zoo according to the hunters' custom, so that the city children could see them on spring and autumn outings and broaden their horizons.
He tucked the three leopard cats into his arms and said, "Good luck, little guys. You're lucky to get a ride."
Li Ju'an got into the driver's seat. The driver, Xiao Zhang, was initially hesitant and wanted to sit in the passenger seat, but Chen Xiangqian insisted on sitting there, saying he wanted to see Li Ju'an drive. Xiao Zhang had no choice but to comply. He was filled with anxiety and silently prayed that Li Ju'an would drive steadily, while mentally apologizing to his superior several times.
After starting the car, Li Ju'an pressed the clutch, released the handbrake, and stepped on the gas to turn onto the road down the mountain.
The sharp turn and drift startled the driver, Xiao Zhang, so much that he rolled from the left side of the back seat to the right side, yelling, "Brother, brother, don't mess with me!"
Li Ju'an shouted, "I'm not interested in men, don't worry."
Xiao Zhang cursed, and Li Ju'an stepped on the gas again. The mountain road twisted and turned, and Xiao Zhang tumbled from the right to the left in the back seat. Terrified, he grabbed the handle above his head tightly, trying to keep his balance, and yelled, "Mr. Chen, buckle up!"
Chen Xiangqian had already fastened his seatbelt, but Xiao Zhang didn't have time to. He could only shakily pull down his seatbelt and buckle it, and then drifted around another sharp bend.
After the group arrived in the city, the first thing the driver, Xiao Zhang, did after getting out of the car was to lean against the door and vomit all over the floor. Chen Xiangqian even joked with him, "You're a driver, and you still get carsick after driving for so long?"
The driver, Xiao Zhang, looked distressed, with a hint of resentment on his face. Was he carsick? It was just that Li Ju'an drove in such a thuggish, bandit-like manner. He exuded banditry! Even a bandit leader would be nauseous riding in his car.
Li Ju'an first went to the city zoo, carrying three fluffy leopard kittens in his arms. In the zoo, that was practically a pass, and he was soon led by his secretary and assistant to meet the zoo director.
"Li Pao, another familiar face has arrived. Let me see if the principal's meeting is over."
"Li Pao, go in. The headmaster said he wants to have a chat with you."
The zoo director was a kind-looking middle-aged man. He was preparing for the zoo's expansion plan, but hadn't made any progress. When he saw Li Ju'an carrying three furry cubs, he rubbed his hands together with delight, quickly took the three leopard cat cubs from him, and handed them to his assistant, saying, "Give them a physical examination, feed them well, and don't let Li Pao's good intentions go to waste."
He sat down with a smile, and Li Ju'an raised an eyebrow, already guessing what the headmaster was going to give him.
"This time, Director Chen is giving us badges and medals again. Can't we give us something more practical?"
Li Ju'an rubbed his hands together and winked.
The old fox of the park director chuckled and pretended not to understand, saying, "Alright! To be more practical, the park is short of scavengers. If Li Pao can get some, we'll apply for him to be recognized as an outstanding youth in the district, hold a commendation ceremony, and make him look good."
Li Ju'an's lips twitched. Those words sounded very familiar.
When Qin Pao brought the two black bears to the zoo, this old fox tricked him in the same way. And what was the result? No "Outstanding Youth" award, no commendation ceremony, no substantial cash reward—just two tin badges as medals.
Li Ju'an wasn't Qin Pao; he wasn't about to let Director Chen back down so easily. He said, "Director Chen, you're too kind. The park needs some scoundrels, isn't it?"
"Correct."
"What else is missing?"
"It would be great if we could get a brown bear. We have black bears in our park, but we still need brown bears. Brown bears are big, and if the elementary school organizes a spring outing for them, we could give them a systematic explanation."
Li Ju'an nodded and smiled.
Director Chen smiled, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Li Pao, as you know, our zoo is short on funds. Feeding these animals is a significant expense. Li Pao, do you know any feed manufacturers you could recommend?"
Li Ju'an immediately thought of the feed mill that Song Desheng had been talking about. Song Desheng and the Lu brothers jointly ran a sheep farm, and feed was the biggest problem. The feed mill they contacted only provided enough feed for the first month, and then they started cutting corners, which made Lu Jinyang very dissatisfied.
He thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll introduce you to someone later. How much feed does your park use approximately per month?"
Director Chen frowned, did some calculations, and gestured a number.
"Feed for herbivores is easy to manage, but the most troublesome thing is feeding carnivores. If you make dough or cornmeal, they won't eat it and will just become skin and bones. The feed we supply is expensive now. And the funds allocated by the higher-ups are tightening. The tighter the funds are, the worse our animals will be, and the fewer students will come to the school."
The zoo director has a real headache. After the policy was relaxed, the nature of the feed mills the zoo partnered with changed. Previously, only state-owned feed mills existed, but with the addition of many private ones, various private companies have started producing feed, causing a dramatic shift in the market. The feed mills they previously cooperated with have also increased their prices, leading to significant changes in the animal feed supply for the zoo.
While Director Chen was worried, Li Ju'an thought this was a golden opportunity. He patted his chest and guaranteed, "No problem, leave it to me. I'll definitely help Director Chen find a suitable and cost-effective feed mill."
Director Chen's eyes lit up, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope. He stood up excitedly, grasped Li Ju'an's hand tightly, and said repeatedly, "Then I really have to trouble you, brother, to put in a good effort and make an introduction."
Li Ju'an went to a gold shop in the city.
State-run gold shops sell gold foil and jewelry. His daughter is almost a month old, and he wants to buy her some protective gold jewelry to wear on her wrists to ward off evil spirits; it's also a way for the family to express their best wishes for the child.
"Hello, how much does the Ruyi pendant cost?"
Gold prices in the 80s were ridiculously low. He thought about how gold prices would soar to over $1000 in later years, and looking at the gold prices of the 80s now, he felt like gold was just lying on the ground.