A large truck drove up to the entrance of Lingyou Zoo. After it came to a steady stop, two men got out of the driver's cab, and two more men jumped down from the truck bed. They shook hands and greeted Duan Jiaze, who was waiting at the entrance.

“Thank you for your hard work, thank you for your hard work.” Duan Jiaze was all smiles.

These men were employees of the City Zoo. Through Sun Aiping's connections, Duan Jiaze had already made contact with the City Zoo, and they were indeed willing to send animals they were giving up to him.

The City Zoo didn't see this private zoo as a threat. Besides, even if it were, giving up animals was a way to reduce their own burden, and there was no great benefit for the other party in accepting them.

This time, the City Zoo was transferring a twenty-year-old lioness to Lingyou Zoo.

The lifespan of a captive-bred lion is typically between twenty and twenty-five years. In human years, this lioness was already a senior citizen.

Duan Jiaze saw it lying in a large cage in the truck bed. Its fur was much darker and duller than Lingyou's young male lion, and it lay listlessly in the cage, looking spiritless.

Its keeper, Xiao Xu, gave it a reluctant glance and introduced it, “Her name is Huanhuan. She was brought to the City Zoo from another zoo when she was two years old, so it's been eighteen years now. Before I even started working here, I saw her during visits to the zoo. She must be a part of the childhood of many young people in our Donghai City.”

“It's just that she's old now, her teeth are bad, her appetite has shrunk, and she doesn't have much energy.”

As Xiao Xu spoke, he choked up a bit. “I hope you will take good care of her.”

It was clear that Xiao Xu was extremely reluctant to be separated from Huanhuan, but this was a management decision made for operational reasons, and there was nothing he could do.

In fact, the City Zoo had wanted to give up Huanhuan for a while because her condition was deteriorating day by day. However, a few citizens who lived near the zoo were very fond of Huanhuan and kept petitioning the management. Plus, they couldn't find a suitable zoo to take her for some time. It was only when the qualified and nearby Lingyou Zoo popped up that the conditions became undeniable. The management made a prompt decision and sent Huanhuan over as the first one.

Duan Jiaze was very moved and said, “Don't worry, we will definitely take good care of Huanhuan. You're welcome to visit her anytime!”

Xiao Xu forced a smile. “Where will Huanhuan be living?”

“We have a male lion here. We'll have her live next to him first, and then we'll see if it's appropriate to house them together.” Duan Jiaze called his employees over, and together they moved the cage down and placed it on a large, specialized trolley.

Laymen see the surface, while experts see the substance. A regular tourist would only think the design and facilities here looked pretty good, but these employees from the City Zoo could tell at a glance that all this equipment was state-of-the-art.

When they looked inside the exhibit, they saw that the other male lion here was also exceptionally well-cared-for, full of vigor, with glossy fur and an extraordinary bearing.

Xiao Xu felt much more at ease. He believed this private zoo was indeed qualified and was taking care of the animals with heart. Being adjacent to Cape Mountain, the air was fresh and the environment was quiet. It should be a good retirement home for Huanhuan.

Huanhuan was moved into the enclosure next to the resident male lion. After entering, she quietly lay down. The male lion next door, however, kept sniffing at the gate, letting out low roars from time to time. He had already discovered he had a new companion, though he couldn't see her yet.

However, this new companion didn't seem to have any intention of paying attention to him.

For Huanhuan, who had lived for twenty years and had even gained some insight into human rules, the youngster next door trying to make a fuss was still too young. Besides, she understood perfectly well that no matter how much the male lion roared, he couldn't get over to her side.

......

Duan Jiaze took the City Zoo employees to the office building for some tea. After they had rested for a while, he saw them off.

It was now noon, and there wasn't a single visitor in the zoo. Duan Jiaze went to see Huanhuan again, carrying a bucket of feed in his hand.

As soon as the male lion saw Duan Jiaze, it stood up, a very human-like, fawning expression appearing on its furry face. However, as it watched Duan Jiaze carry the bucket over to the next enclosure, it became very disappointed.

Next door, Aunty Huanhuan was resting with her eyes closed. Sensing a stranger approach, she stood up unhurriedly.

A piece of meat was placed in the feeding trough. Huanhuan's black, slightly dry nose twitched, and then she went for the food without hesitation.

If Xiao Xu were here, he would have been very surprised.

In her youth, Huanhuan could eat twenty to thirty jin of meat in one meal, but the zoo would usually only feed her a dozen or so jin. In recent years, however, her appetite had gotten worse and worse, and she couldn't even finish that much. Every time she ate, she would dawdle.

Although she had just entered old age, the zoo's conditions in her early years weren't as good as they are now, and her care hadn't been particularly scientific. This led to her current poor physical condition, and her teeth and appetite were no match for her younger days.

Huanhuan walked to the feeding trough, lowered her head, and took a bite of the meat. Although her teeth weren't as sharp as they used to be, she ate this bite with great determination.

Although her five senses had begun to decline, just like the male lion at the beginning, she could sense that this food contained something good for her body. Physical decline and listlessness were not what she wanted; in truth, she still yearned for a vigorous life, just like every living creature in nature.

The male lion next door seemed to have heard Aunty Huanhuan eating. It let out an aggrieved whimper, pawing at the ground while staring at Duan Jiaze.

Duan Jiaze looked at its aggrieved expression and stroked his chin, thinking, 'Right now, the only animal in the zoo with a name (not counting the two dispatched ones) is Huanhuan from the City Zoo. Just one name makes our Lingyou seem so basic!'

Bigger zoos even hold naming contests for their star animals and newborns, but Lingyou doesn't have that many fans right now. Besides, would you dare hold a naming contest for Yousu and Luya?

Duan Jiaze mulled it over and decided to order a batch of custom nameplates and give all the animals names. When the zoo grew bigger and stronger in the future, it wouldn't be too late to hold a contest. For now, it was indeed necessary to name them to cultivate repeat visitors.

Duan Jiaze pointed at the male lion. “You’ll be called Lele!”

With that, he turned and left with the feed bucket, leaving the male lion with an aggrieved and bewildered look in its eyes. A Lele to go with a Huanhuan—isn't that perfectly normal?

......

Duan Jiaze told the employees about naming the animals and asked everyone to brainstorm names for them.

Only Yousu and Luya were left out. Duan Jiaze said with conviction, “I rescued the bird, so it’s basically my private pet that I'm just keeping here. As for the arctic fox, I plan to build it up as a star animal. You’ve all seen how popular it is. We’ll let the visitors name it in the future.”

No one suspected a thing. What Duan Jiaze said was true, especially about the arctic fox. It was simply mesmerizing. A group of visitors had been quickly won over as fans. Not only did they say they would come back next week, but they also offered all sorts of suggestions, like making the arctic fox's enclosure more luxurious.

While Duan Jiaze was chatting about this, a call came from the ticket office. The newcomer, Xu Wen, told Duan Jiaze that three people dressed as Daoists were at the entrance looking for him.

Duan Jiaze was instantly flustered and quickly said, “Just say I'm not here!”

Heavens, he hadn't contacted them, yet those Daoists had actually shown up at his door again. However, he was determined to ignore them.

Duan Jiaze had Xu Wen lie and say he wasn't there. About half an hour later, just as he was about to take a lunch break, he received a call from a sub-district officer. Since he had received some help from them in the past, Duan Jiaze was very polite. Hearing that the person was at the entrance and had business with him, he immediately went out.

As a result, as soon as he went out, he saw that the officer was indeed at the entrance, but standing next to him were the three Daoists he had seen before—a fat one, a thin one, and a young one.

This was awkward...

Duan Jiaze gave a dry laugh. “Oh, what a coincidence. Hahaha.”