Super Zoo

The wolf that came out was, of course, the only one currently living in the wild in the zoo, Comrade Huiya.

Just as Suming had hoped, after a period of survival training in the wild, the little guy who used to stumble while walking had become a large grey wolf with sharp claws and teeth; anybody who saw him would be taken aback.

In the city, perhaps many people would mistake Huiya for a dog and not pay much attention, but this just happened to be a zoo, and what's more, it was behind the zoo's hills; everyone's first reaction was: a grey wolf is coming!

Humans are social animals; if one person saw a wolf, they would definitely be scared out of their wits, but with dozens of people gathered together, emboldening one another, seeing Huiya come out caused some panic, yet mainly curiosity. The crowd drew back in a whoosh, but not in utter chaos.

Seeing a grey wolf in the wild was indeed a rare experience.

Following that, a large group of various pets, dogs, slowly emerged from the woods all around, surrounding the hilltop of Fox Home. The dogs, while having the appearance of pets, had cold, cold eyes, staring ominously at the visitors from a distance.

It was one thing for Huiya's gaze to be cold, but those other dogs also looked dangerous! As if they might pounce at any moment and tear the humans in front of them to pieces!

Mr. Lin intervened in time to explain, "Dear visitors, these dogs are the stray dogs that the zoo rescued last time and have been successfully rewilded. Don't be afraid, these dogs are the protectors of Fox Home, in charge of safeguarding the Broad-eared Foxes. As long as everyone conducts themselves properly in the park, there will be no danger."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Aside from superstitious concerns, Suming had also considered safety issues. Fox Home, while connected to the zoo, was not fully enclosed. It was necessary to prevent people with malicious intent from stealing little foxes. In addition to those with genuine bad intentions, it was necessary to guard against uncivilized visitors who, seeing the playful little foxes, might want to take them away. The Broad-eared Fox was not large and could easily be slipped into a bag without notice.

"No way, aren't dogs and wolves natural enemies of foxes?" someone in the crowd asked in astonishment.

Dogs catching mice is overstepping, but dogs hunting foxes and wolves eating foxes, that's natural and right. Mr. Lin chuckled, "Don't forget, this is a zoo. Alright, dear visitors, that will be all for today, please head back."

Under the 'salute' of the dogs, the visitors filed down the hill on a small path.

After the visitors had descended the hill, Suming appeared on the hillside.

Mr. Lin briefly reported today's specifics to Suming, who nodded slightly as he listened; it seemed that Fox Home was still a very popular new attraction. Part of its popularity was due to the originality of the habitat, and part was due to the Broad-eared Foxes themselves, which were specialties of Huaxia and rare to see in other zoos.

Their two big, endearing ears were just too cute. If you put such lovely creatures in cages, visitors would probably curse you to death.

"Remember, never accept any incense money!" Suming pointed toward a large old tree dozens of meters away on the hillside of Fox Home and said, "If someone really wants to make a wish, let them do it by that tree."

Halfway up the mountain stood a large tree that would take at least four or five people to encircle. The tree was said to be six to seven hundred years old. Before Fox Home existed, this old tree was a scenic spot on the hillside, the only attraction on the back hill. No one knows who first hung a red string for wishing on the tree, but gradually, this old tree became a famous Wishing Tree in Yangchuan City.

On its branches, some faded red wishing tags fluttered, and the tree's bark near the ground was quite damaged—evidence of wishers climbing upwards.

This old tree had witnessed hundreds of years of history and was now, taking advantage of this opportunity, ready to be repaired and protected. Making wishes was fine, but climbing on the tree was no longer allowed.

"Boss, I suggest we start charging an entrance fee soon…" Mr. Lin pointed at Fox Home and said, "Otherwise, it's too costly to maintain this place."

Although most of the visitors were civilized, Fox Home was simply too exquisite. A little carelessness and various small constructions would be damaged; by the end of the day, a third of the fence had fallen down, and two small villas had been crushed.

"Do this, starting tomorrow, set up a small toll booth on the road. We don't need to charge much for the tickets, start with five yuan per person, free for children under one meter and seniors over sixty. Use the money earned for infrastructure." Suming said.

"Five yuan? Isn't that too little?" Mr. Lin's eyes bulged. What kind of tourist spot these days costs only five yuan? Even the parks in Yangchuan City, which only have some flowers and grass, charge ten yuan for entry. Other cities' zoos with special animal houses, like Python Gardens or Crocodile Ponds, start at twenty yuan if they charge separately.

"The construction of Fox Home is not yet complete. First, we cultivate the habit of charging fees; it's not too late to increase them later." Suming looked out over the empty hillside, having a clear plan for the area—to create a Taoyuan centered around Fox Home.

Now everything is just beginning, and of course, it's not good to charge high fees right away. In the future, once everything is completed, prices will naturally increase, or the cost will be included in the overall zoo admission. But now, just relying on Fox Home to charge twenty or thirty would be far too greedy.

The pressing matter at hand is to develop a work schedule for the Broad-eared Foxes!

Suming couldn't possibly provide for all the animals out of charity; even if he were willing, he didn't have the capacity. Even the residents of the zoo had to 'exhibit' themselves to earn their keep.

And it wasn't just animals, Suming couldn't support any human friends unconditionally either. Take Wang Hao, for example, Suming could only offer him a way to improve his life, not hand him money directly. After all, Wang Hao had to rely on his own efforts.

However, coming back to the point, animals are animals after all; you can't just treat them like beasts of burden to make a bit of money. It's not only inhumane, but also unnecessary.

Today, Big-eared Thief had the hardest time because his room was right opposite the entrance to Fox Home, where most of the visitors passed by. Not just Big-eared Thief, but the rest of the Broad-eared Foxes also appeared listless and weak, sprawled in their little rooms.

"Big-eared Thief, Big-eared Thief, you can't die, you can't die!" Suming squatted in front of the room of the foremost Big-eared Thief and jokingly swung its big ears back and forth.

Big-eared Thief was so listless that its head drooped low, dragging its tail, with its two soft ears flopped back over its head. It stuck out its tiny pink tongue at Suming, its fur having lost some of its luster as if exhausted.

A reasonable shift schedule had to be arranged so that each Broad-eared Fox could get enough rest and play time. A Broad-eared Fox only needed to work a few hours a week, and the remainder of the time, they should be left to their own devices, allowed to roam the outdoors or simply rotate closing off parts of the villas each day so that they could rest at home.

There was a sufficient number of Broad-eared Foxes, over one hundred and eighty, both male and female, and the team was sure to keep growing. Organizing shifts was quite easy.

"Mr. Lin, set aside part of the ticket revenue for the foxes, on top of the zoo's standard food ration, to buy them something extra to eat to improve their lives. Oh, and don't buy milk, as many foxes are lactose intolerant and it could easily kill them... The rest of the money for the time being, give it to Peng Xue the accountant, and keep it in the entertainment company's account. In a while, we'll build a semi-open Fox Immortals Shrine or something here, and a path leading down the mountain, so visitors won't have to trudge up the wild path into a mud pit every day..."

After instructing Mr. Lin what to do next, Lin seemed to have something to say but hesitated. Enjoy new tales from empire

Noticing that Lin's expression was a bit out of the ordinary, Suming stopped speaking and nodded at him, signaling him to speak up.

"You whippersnapper, spit it out if you have something to say," Mr. Lin chided him while giving Lin a noogie. He glared and added, "The leader's time is precious; we can't afford to dawdle with you."

Seeing Mr. Lin's reaction, Suming chuckled to himself, thinking how interesting the uncle-nephew pair was. They spent their days together; whatever Lin wanted to say, Mr. Lin certainly knew, and it seemed Lin was seeking a favor.

Perhaps Mr. Lin not only knew but also wanted to ask on his behalf, but being older, he might feel awkward to bring it up. Lin was younger; even if Suming rejected his request, things wouldn't turn sour.

"It's a small matter..." Lin scratched his head, grinning as he said, "Uh... I've recently started dating someone..."

"Ah, that's good news!" Suming nodded, indicating for him to go on.

"My partner is from out of town, and she hasn't found a job in Yangchuan City yet," Lin said nervously. Mr. Lin really did know the situation and interjected to briefly explain that Lin's partner was also from Changping County and wanted to move to Yangchuan City but couldn't find a suitable job right away.

To be strict, not being able to find a job isn't accurate. With the economy growing so rapidly and all industries in urgent need of workforce, anyone who isn't picky or lazy should be able to support themselves: waiting tables, working as a receptionist, serving in restaurants, these jobs are everywhere.

Of course, these kinds of jobs don't pay much, only about two thousand a month.

Having said that, Suming knew what they were implying. Pay at Suming's companies wasn't the highest, around three thousand a bit more, but the work was relatively easy-going and free. Not only workers like Lin coming to the city but even fresh university graduates were eager to get in.

After a brief pause, he said, "Well, have your partner come to Yangchuan. Forget the fishery company; it's all manual labor, not suitable for women. Go to the entertainment company and report to Mr. Wang."