Chapter 643 - 533: Have to Do the Chasing

Chapter 643: Chapter 533: Have to Do the Chasing

They had agreed yesterday that while they were getting familiar with the work, they would first follow Ma Tao.

The veteran leading the rookie.

They had to be at the zoo by seven, so the two of them got up at the crack of dawn.

Today was November 17th.

At this time of year in Anjing, the daytime temperature was just over ten degrees Celsius. With the wind, it was quite cold so early in the morning.

Since it was close, Ding Yuwei suggested they walk. There was no need to take the car and trouble the driver.

The driver’s name was Lin Wei.

Shen Xin disagreed, insisting the driver take them.

It wasn’t for show.

"Think about it. He just drives us in the morning and evening. The rest of the day, he has nothing to do. It’s like a day off, so cushy. If you’re being polite here, he might not even be happy about it."

If he stayed at the department, who knew what tasks he’d be assigned? A few minutes to drive them to the zoo, then he could just hang out in the parking lot all day. It was basically sanctioned slacking.

They arrived at the zoo a few minutes before seven.

Ma Tao was already there.

He seemed a bit embarrassed when assigning work to Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei; after all, they weren’t his people.

’Shen Xin and the other officer must be here on a mission,’ he thought. ’They have official business. I just need to cooperate. There’s no need to make them do manual labor.’

The job of a panda keeper earned a lot of envy online, but having done it for nearly thirty years, he knew it wasn’t as glamorous as people thought.

To put it bluntly, it was a job serving others.

And the ones they were serving were even more precious national treasures.

Most importantly, they weren’t getting paid, just like volunteers.

Shen Xin certainly couldn’t just stand by. He proactively followed Ma Tao to find things to do and familiarize himself with the day’s work.

"It’s really just odd jobs."

Seeing Shen Xin’s eagerness, Ma Tao didn’t press the issue and led the two of them through the work.

Arriving at seven, the most important task was preparing for the zoo’s opening.

This meant adding food and water to the outdoor enclosure.

And you couldn’t just toss the bamboo in randomly. It had to be inserted properly to make it easy for the pandas to grab, simulating their natural foraging habits in the mountains and forests.

Once the food was ready, they had to herd the pandas from the inner enclosure to the outer one, ready for the first wave of visitors to grace them with their presence at 7:30.

After the pandas left, it was time to clean the inner enclosure, also known as the cage area.

Tidying up and shoveling poop.

Not only did they have to shovel the poop, but they also had to take samples to analyze the pandas’ digestive health later.

Although Walnut was no longer on display, he still needed to be sent to the outdoor enclosure to stretch his legs.

But this big shot wasn’t like the other pandas, who would scurry over happily at the first call.

Ma Tao opened the gate and called out several times, but Walnut didn’t even twitch his butt.

"Walnut."

Shen Xin also moved closer and called out.

Shen Xin had only learned yesterday, after Ma Tao mentioned it, that all pandas are nearsighted.

The kind where they can’t tell male from female beyond ten meters.

So Shen Xin wondered, ’Could Walnut’s cold shoulder be because his eyesight is poor and he just hasn’t seen me?’

’With my Druid constitution, if he really saw me, wouldn’t his eyes light up?’

But it was the same as always.

Shen Xin was right by the cage, very close, yet Walnut still didn’t react much.

He had definitely seen him; Shen Xin was sure of it.

He just couldn’t be bothered to respond, paid him no mind, didn’t care.

Shen Xin was secretly frustrated.

’Looks like it’s not that Walnut didn’t see me,’ he thought. ’He simply doesn’t want to deal with me.’

Meng Lan’s reaction was proof of this.

The moment he entered the outdoor enclosure yesterday, Meng Lan had noticed him.

They were some distance apart at the time. Knowing pandas were nearsighted, Meng Lan definitely couldn’t have seen him clearly.

Instead, he had discovered Shen Xin through his sense of smell.

Pandas have a top-tier sense of smell.

So, Meng Lan’s friendliness toward him was because he had smelled a scent he liked on him.

The fact that he later hugged his leg, sniffing him all over, was also excellent proof.

"Brother Ma, do you think Walnut has some kind of psychological issue, like depression or something?"

Just like cats, if they’re caged for too long, they can develop stereotypical behaviors.

Ma Tao hesitated for a moment before giving a noncommittal reply, "Well, that’s hard to say."

As soon as he said it, Shen Xin realized Ma Tao couldn’t really answer that question.

Saying Walnut was depressed would be admitting that their care wasn’t good enough.

And even if he really was depressed, what could they do? Could they demand the zoo release him back into the wild?

Just as they were speaking, Walnut finally reacted.

He lifted his rear, swayed to his feet, and ambled toward the outdoor enclosure.

Ma Tao closed the gate and called Shen Xin over to help clean.

Shen Xin had actually considered asking Ma Tao if he could spend some more time alone with Walnut.

But on second thought, Ma Tao would never agree.

This was a panda. For Shen Xin to be alone with it would be like locking a person in a room with a bear.

The risk was too high.

Especially since Walnut had a prior record.

If Walnut really were to attack Shen Xin, he wouldn’t even have time to run.

So Shen Xin figured he couldn’t rush this. He had to take it slow, stick around for a while, and first let Walnut get used to his scent and know that this person was now around.

To make an analogy.

It was like dating. The animals he’d met before were probably all lovesick, thinking he was handsome and throwing themselves at him.

But Walnut was the opposite.

He was an ice queen, an Immortal Sister. There was no way he’d start chasing Shen Xin after just one meeting.

It had to be the other way around; Shen Xin had to be the one to pursue him every day.

"Brother Ma, do pandas need to be bathed? Look, Walnut is a bit dirty," Shen Xin asked.

Based on past experience.

There were two ways to increase favorability.

One was to get close, serve them good food and drinks, and also provide emotional value.

The other... well, like with Tiger Stripes, beating them into submission also worked.

But the latter method was clearly not applicable to pandas.

Never mind whether the zoo would agree; even if they did, Shen Xin couldn’t beat a panda in a fight.

So, for the first path, there were only a few key points.

Good food, and then lots of interaction.

Like petting a cat, scratching an itch was one thing, but helping with a bath was also an excellent way to build rapport.

Especially with Walnut looking so dusty and gray.

Ma Tao leaned on his broom and said, "They need to be washed. It’s not good if they’re too dirty; the visitors are watching. In this internet age, if you let the pandas get too filthy, people will post online saying we’re abusing them."

"We’d love to wash them until they’re squeaky clean, too. It’s more pleasant to look at."

"The key is that the pandas don’t always cooperate. Take Meng Lan, for example. He loves bathing. In the summer, he can sit in his pool for ages. He’ll even wash his own face, use a towel to wipe it, and then he’ll even hang the towel out to dry."

Ding Yuwei was amazed and asked if he was exaggerating.

’Hang the towel out to dry?’

Ma Tao laughed. "No exaggeration. That’s what he does. He’ll climb up on the wooden frame himself and hang it up to dry."

"But some pandas don’t like bathing, like Walnut. Just look at his rear end. It’s so dirty you can’t even look at it."

"The thing is, you can’t just hold him down and force him to bathe. No one is strong enough to hold him down."

People can’t even hold down a pig for slaughter during New Year’s, let alone a panda.

And it’s not like you can tranquilize them just for a bath.

"So we usually just fill the pool in the outdoor enclosure with water and see what mood they’re in. If they want to wash, they’ll wash themselves."

Shen Xin understood, and another headache set in.

Walnut was a tough nut to crack; there was no place to even start.

Shen Xin then asked about food.

For instance, if there was anything Walnut particularly liked to eat.

He had seen online before that people made special cornbread buns or something for the pandas.

Ma Tao shook his head. "He doesn’t really have a favorite. Logically speaking, the most important thing in a panda’s life is eating."

Their days consist of eating and sleeping, with little social activity and a reproductive drive so low they could drive themselves to extinction.

"So eating well should be the most important thing, right? But with Walnut, it feels like he’s not very particular about food."

"Take Meng Lan and the others, they love snacks like apples and carrots. But Walnut isn’t like that. If there’s food, he eats; if there isn’t, he doesn’t care."

"Why else would people call him ’the old master’? He’s in his prime, but he’s already living the Zen life of early retirement."

After a pause, Ma Tao added, "But if you really had to name something he likes, I guess bamboo shoots would count."

"But that stuff isn’t cheap. With their appetites, if you let them eat freely, they’d go through a dozen or two pounds a day. The cost isn’t low."

"Our zoo gives them bamboo shoots as a snack, just a few a day. Like right now, winter bamboo shoots just hit the market. They’re almost twenty yuan a pound at the wholesale market, more expensive than meat. So there’s no way we can provide an unlimited supply."

He probably guessed what Shen Xin was planning and said, "Officer Shen, if you’re willing, you could buy some for him to eat."

"Take Old Xu, for example. He’s always taken care of Meng Lan and is especially good to him. Meng Lan loves bamboo shoots, so sometimes he’ll pay out of his own pocket to buy him some."

"That’s why Meng Lan is so close to him. Normally, you’re not supposed to feed adult pandas up close, but Meng Lan is so affectionate with him that it’s not a problem at all."

Shen Xin understood.

’No question then. I have to buy some.’

Just as they were talking, someone came over looking for Ma Tao.

They said Meng Lan was throwing a tantrum and making a huge fuss.

"Isn’t Old Xu there?" Ma Tao asked.

Meng Lan had a great personality and rarely caused trouble.

The person said, "He’s there, but he can’t calm him down. That’s why he sent me to get Officer Shen. Old Xu said he thinks Meng Lan is looking for Officer Shen."

Ma Tao gave Shen Xin a surprised look.

Meng Lan had been especially friendly to Shen Xin yesterday, but it was hard to believe he’d be clamoring for someone he’d just met.

Shen Xin glanced at Walnut, who was silently munching on bamboo in the outdoor enclosure. Whether it was true or not, he quickly followed Ma Tao to the Olympic Hall.

The zoo was already open, and many visitors had rushed over first thing in the morning to see Meng Lan.

But he hadn’t even "opened for business" yet.

When they got to the Olympic Hall, they could hear a panda’s cries as soon as they reached the keeper area.

Faintly, they could also hear the sound of a cage being struck.

They went over and saw Meng Lan in the cage area, standing upright, gripping the iron bars with both paws, and shaking them with a loud CLANGING.

With his incredible sense of smell, he immediately caught Shen Xin’s scent as he approached.

And then he quieted down.

Outside the cage, Xu Haisheng watched Shen Xin’s group approach, shaking his head.

’There’s no doubt about it. He was looking for Shen Xin.’

It had taken him a long time of coaxing to realize what Meng Lan wanted.

Through the bars of the cage, Meng Lan reached out his paw, letting out an urgent cry.

The cry even had a hint of grievance, as if to say, ’Where did you go? What took you so long?’

"I’m here, I’m here," Shen Xin said, greeting him while mumbling to himself, ’He really missed me this much?’

’We just met.’

The words had barely left his mouth when Meng Lan let out two low calls, and the favorability meter above his head increased by another point, reaching 4.

It was as if he was saying, ’I did.’

Then he stretched his arm out again, trying to reach Shen Xin.

Shen Xin couldn’t get too close, but he silently reflected that all the rejection he’d faced from Walnut was being completely made up for by Meng Lan.