Chapter 51: Temporary Panda Cub Caretaker
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Observing the supervisor still chuckling ahead, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but let out a wry smile himself. His intention had been to playfully engage with the pandas, but it seemed that the roles had reversed – now the pandas were the ones playfully engaging with him. As Zhou Chao emerged from the midst of it, he noticed Lin Wu wearing a mischievous grin, his phone in hand.
Quietly approaching, Zhou Chao discovered that it was a video of himself being “bullied” by the pandas. This sight made Zhou Chao chuckle. He retaliated by giving Lin Wu’s rear end a playful kick, but Lin Wu swiftly evaded it, showing his quick reflexes.
“You’re something else, daring to secretly record your boss’s embarrassing moments.”
“Boss, I’m just capturing life’s moments for you. Take a look, isn’t it worth commemorating?” Lin Wu said, opening the video for Zhou Chao to watch. Seeing himself surrounded by pandas in the video, Zhou Chao laughed too, and he asked Lin Wu to save the video for him.
The supervisor approached, looking at Zhou Chao, and said, “Are you interested in working here? These pandas seem to really like you.” Zhou Chao shook his head at the suggestion.
Seeing his reaction, the supervisor didn’t push further. Instead, he led Zhou Chao forward. Soon, they arrived at the panda cub breeding room. Inside, workers were seen bottle-feeding the cubs.
“Boss, these cubs are still so young. Their fur hasn’t even fully grown yet. They look really tiny,” Zhou Chao leaned against the glass window, observing the nursing cubs.
“Less than a month old. We’re doing much better in panda breeding now compared to the past. Panda mothers used to produce very little milk, which often led to cub deaths. We rely on artificial breeding now, resulting in a higher survival rate for panda cubs.”
The supervisor glanced at Zhou Chao. “Do you want to try feeding them? Of course, not the ones this small. We have cubs around 4.5 months old. Since the pandas seemed to like you so much earlier, the younger ones should too. You can give it a try later.”
Zhou Chao’s interest was piqued, and he nodded eagerly. The supervisor led Zhou Chao to a larger breeding room. Inside were several panda cubs, around 4.5 months old, playing around. When Zhou Chao walked in, several cubs ran over and clung to his legs. He stood there frozen, not knowing how to react.
At that moment, the supervisor entered with four bottles of milk. Seeing Zhou Chao’s predicament, he couldn’t help but laugh. “It would be a loss if you don’t work here.”
“Supervisor, please help me. I’m afraid I’ll accidentally step on them.”
The supervisor handed two bottles to Zhou Chao, then carefully approached to cradle two cubs and began to feed them. Zhou Chao quickly followed suit, lifting the remaining two cubs. He imitated the process skillfully.
Zhou Chao watched the two cubs on his lap, tested the milk’s temperature, and found it comfortably warm. He began feeding the panda cubs, each holding a bottle in his hands.
Soon, the cubs finished their milk and curled up on Zhou Chao, falling asleep. Zhou Chao could only hold the two small cubs and remain seated.
After the supervisor finished feeding the cubs, he saw Zhou Chao sitting on the stool with sleeping cubs. He didn’t know what to say and thought that Zhou Chao was naturally cut out for this kind of work.
The supervisor cautiously picked up one cub, and Zhou Chao followed suit, returning the other cub to the breeding room. Zhou Chao breathed a sigh of relief and felt that today’s experience was truly rewarding. Not only did he get to interact with the pandas, but he also fed panda cubs, which was genuinely wonderful.
Checking the time, the supervisor realized it was almost noon. He invited both of them to have lunch in the staff cafeteria. Zhou Chao didn’t refuse and headed to the cafeteria with Lin Wu and the supervisor.
Entering the cafeteria, Zhou Chao noticed that there weren’t many food options. There were only around five or six dishes, with just two being meat dishes. The rest were vegetarian, and the portions weren’t substantial. Zhou Chao ordered two vegetarian dishes.
Soon, other staff members started trickling into the cafeteria. Zhou Chao took a quick look around. There weren’t many people, only about twenty or so. Most of them appeared to be above thirty years old, with very few young faces.
Zhou Chao didn’t inquire too much about these matters, after all, he was just a tourist. Soon, they finished their meal. The supervisor wanted to invite them to visit the entire Wolong Giant Panda Reserve, but Zhou Chao politely declined, explaining that they were planning to return to Rong City. As they were leaving, the supervisor told Zhou Chao that he was welcome to visit Wolong more often. Zhou Chao knew that these people had dedicated a significant portion of their lives to this place.
Zhou Chao took a final glance at the sleeping giant pandas and left the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve with Lin Wu.
“System, can 1 freely toggle the Animal Affinity skill?”
“Yes, you can,” the system replied, exciting him.
“Deactivate Animal Affinity.”
On their way back to Rong City, the two of them visited the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, a grand hydraulic engineering project with a history of over two thousand years. It is the world’s oldest, only surviving, still functioning, and water-diversion-only irrigation project. Zhou Chao couldn’t help but marvel at the ingenuity of ancient people. Even after thousands of years, it remained an extraordinary feat of water management.
By the time Zhou Chao and Lin Wu returned to Rong City, it was already three in the afternoon. Zhou Chao felt somewhat tired. After reaching the hotel, he took a shower and lay down on the bed to rest.
It wasn’t until nightfall that Zhou Chao got up from the bed. He walked to the window and looked outside at the brightly lit city. After changing his clothes, he called Lin Wu and headed to Yulin Road, aiming to visit a small tavern and enjoy some folk music.
They hailed a taxi and as soon as they got in, the driver struck up a conversation as if they were old friends. Zhou Chao listened while the taxi driver enthusiastically introduced various places with delicious food. Sometimes, Zhou Chao interjected with a comment or two, but the driver was quite the talker.
They quickly arrived at Yulin Road, the setting of the folk songs. Even at night, Yulin Road was bustling with people. Perhaps the warm weather played a role, as many attractive women were dressed in light attire. Of course, Zhou Chao paid no mind to this.
At that moment, Zhou Chao was busy looking for a good small tavern where they could enjoy some drinks and listen to music. Passing by a tavern named Yulin Road, he heard the sound of music emanating from inside. Zhou Chao led Lin Wu inside.
Upon entering, a waiter greeted them. Zhou Chao ordered some light snacks and low-alcohol content drinks. They quietly enjoyed their drinks while listening to the folk music performed in the tavern. The ambiance of the moment allowed them to unwind completely.
The two of them stayed in Yunlin Tavern until the early hours of the morning, having consumed a fair amount of alcohol. However, both Zhou Chao and Lin Wu remained quite sober. When they left the tavern, they saw that the streets were still filled with pedestrians, and they could feel the warmth and liveliness the city radiated.
The early morning scene on Yulin Road was uniquely charming. Zhou Chao and Lin Wu walked a short distance, still able to sense the local atmosphere. Afterward, they hailed a taxi and returned to their hotel..