Chapter 595: Hah'Er Wishes You a Happy New Year

"Bin, where are we going? If you're visiting relatives, would it be inappropriate for me to come along?" Sylvie asked curiously. 'Seeing Shen Yibin leave the house with so many things, he must be going to visit someone. But I'm not his anything, so wouldn't it be awkward to tag along? And yet, for some reason, I feel a little happy about it.'

"Haha, it's not me. I already did all my visiting before the New Year. The one giving gifts this time isn't me, it's this guy!" Shen Yibin pointed to Hah'Er, who was roughhousing with Xiaoliu in the back seat. "We're going to the zoo. Hah'Er has some good friends over there, and since it's the New Year, it's the perfect time to visit them!"

Indeed. The zoo was closed for the holidays, with only a skeleton crew on duty. Dong had already returned to his hometown, and the researchers, including Li Yan, had all gone home for the festival. The family of three little black bears, however, was still there. Shen Yibin was taking Hah'Er to bring them gifts; they deserved a nice treat for the New Year, after all.

"Oh, I see. Is it that little black bear from before?" Sylvie recalled. She had still been a clerk at the pet shop when Hah'Er rushed into Xiong Mountain to save Hou Longtao. 'Such a wonderful memory. Life was so much more relaxed and pleasant back then, compared to dealing with politicians all day in the Royal Palace now.'

"That's right. I brought them honey and fresh meat this time. They're going to love it," Shen Yibin said, gesturing to the pile of things in the trunk. "I can't give all of this to the little bear family at once, though. I'll have to leave most of it with the zookeepers, otherwise they'll probably eat themselves sick."

"But don't black bears hibernate in winter? If you go see them now, won't they just be sleeping in their dens? Waking up a hibernating bear is a very serious thing!" Sylvie asked, confused.

"That's for bears in the north," Shen Yibin explained. "The winters up north are so cold that it's hard for black bears to find enough food, so they hibernate to reduce their energy consumption and get through the long winter. But the winters in Yunzhong City aren't nearly as cold, and the bears here don't have a food shortage, so they don't need to hibernate. The last time I came, I saw them. The whole family was sprawled out on a rock, comfortably soaking up the sun."

Sylvie finally understood. The car pulled into the parking lot, and Shen Yibin got out with Hah'Er, Xiaoliu, and Carmen. He grabbed the gifts from the trunk and headed in. The zoo wasn't supposed to be open today, but the moment the staff saw it was Shen Yibin, they let him in without a second thought. Nowadays, a visit to the zoo for Shen Yibin was like coming home.

"Don't go running off now that we're here. If you wander over to the tiger mountain, I won't have time to rescue you." Shen Yibin gave Carmen's leash a tug as a warning, then led them toward Xiong Mountain. As they drew near, he handed the leash to Sylvie. "You should watch from up here. Keep an eye on this guy, too, and don't let him run wild. The little bear family only recognizes Hah'Er and me. It would be dangerous for you to go in."

"Alright," Sylvie replied listlessly. She had been hoping for a chance to get up close and personal with the black bear family and was naturally a little disappointed to hear she couldn't.

"I'm so sorry to trouble you on New Year's!" Shen Yibin said to the Xiong Mountain keeper who had rushed over to open the gate for them. He thanked the man and then led Hah'Er inside.

"OOF! OOF!" The moment they stepped inside, Hah'Er began to call out. Hearing the familiar sound, the little black bear that had been sunbathing on Xiong Mountain lifted its head. It tilted its nose, took a deep sniff, and instantly recognized its visitor. With an excited cry, it scrambled down from the rock and pounced toward Hah'Er.

"Mmmph." Instead of immediately tumbling into a playful brawl like usual, Hah'Er put its paws together in front of its chest and gave the little black bear a cupped-hand salute. It was as if to say, 'Hah'Er wishes you a Happy New Year!' Only then did it lunge forward, pinning the little black bear down for a thorough, playful mauling. He'd been training with Shen Yibin every day, and his stamina had clearly improved.

"GRUFF~" Mama and Papa Bear ambled over as well. Shen Yibin pulled the honey and fresh meat from his bag and passed them to Hah'Er. "Go on, give this to them!"

The two large black bears watched Hah'Er with good-natured expressions. They were very fond of this little creature who often came to play with their cub. However, the delicious honey and fresh meat soon captured their full attention, and they immediately began gnawing on bread smeared with honey. The little black bear, at least, remembered to share with Hah'Er, and soon all four of them—two big and two small—were happily playing together.

After watching them with a smile for a while and seeing that there wouldn't be any issues, Shen Yibin quietly slipped out of Xiong Mountain. 'I'll just let them play for a bit,' he thought. He had other things to attend to.

"Let's go, we'll take a walk around. Hah'Er probably won't be done playing until the afternoon," Shen Yibin said. He had planned to spend the whole day at the zoo and had even brought lunch.

After leaving Xiong Mountain, they soon arrived outside Hou Mountain. Hah'Er wasn't the only one with friends at the zoo. Xiaoliu had long ago established a huge harem for himself here. The moment he spotted his beloved concubines, he began to chitter excitedly and scrambled up the wire fence, completely forgetting about the fruit Shen Yibin had brought for him.

Thankfully, a staff member helped get the large basket of fruit inside Hou Mountain, where Xiaoliu was tasked with distributing it. This little guy who valued love over friendship showed clear favoritism; he gave the largest and most delicious fruits to the pretty female monkeys, while the portions for the others were significantly smaller.

Still, the fruit Shen Yibin had brought was all carefully selected and couldn't compare to the zoo's usual provisions. The monkeys started gobbling it down the moment they got it, so none of them seemed to have any complaints.

Leaving the little guy to his fun in Hou Mountain, Shen Yibin continued to wander through the zoo with Carmen and Sylvie. At noon, they found a scenic lakeside spot to eat their lunch. After they had eaten their fill, they threw breadcrumbs into the water, attracting a swarm of carp that fought over the scraps—it was an adorable sight.

'It's been quite some time since I got hooked up with the Future Pet Shop. I've collected so many different kinds of pets for the store—ones that run on the ground, climb trees, and fly through the air. But as for aquatic pets, it seems I only have that one couple, Bald Qiang and his mate. I even have two birds, Cheeky and Marc. The number of aquatic animals is a little low. I wonder what kind of animal the shop will give me next. It would be great if it was one that could swim!'

Shen Yibin silently wondered if his wish had any chance of coming true.