You're Knitting a Sweater with Red String

A single rice cooker of congee wasn't much. With dozens of mouths to feed, each person didn't get a lot. On the other hand, everyone could get a cup of wheatgrass juice.

Even so, after finishing the congee and wheatgrass juice, all the employees and volunteers were on their knees in admiration.

"Zoo Director, there's no future in running a zoo. Let's go into the restaurant business instead!" Xiao Su said, crying.

The restaurant industry is so much more profitable, and it's easier to operate than a zoo.

"You think I don't want to?" Duan Jiaze said faintly. "I'd rather be in real estate."

With such an awesome golden finger, yet his main business had to be a zoo. All the money he earned had to be spent on buying animals and hiring keepers. How infuriating!

Duan Jiaze hastily finished his food and went back to the kitchen to cook for Luya and the others. As soon as he entered, he saw a flock of sparrows gathered inside, pecking at the grain sacks. They had already pecked a small hole, and dozens of glistening grains of rice had rolled out, which the sparrows were fighting over.

"Stop that—!" Duan Jiaze shouted in alarm.

These sparrows had been relatively well-behaved since the zoo opened. Although they could no longer steal feed because of the exhibit renovations, they hadn't left, always staying in the open area not far from the main entrance.

Who would have thought that these thieving birds would seize the opportunity to steal the Shennong's Five Grains.

When Duan Jiaze shouted, the sparrows didn't listen. He went forward and waved a broom, but couldn't shoo them away. They persistently pecked at the grains, extremely determined, knowing it was good stuff.

Duan Jiaze's face darkened. A good man gets bullied by birds, indeed. Even the sparrows weren't afraid of him.

Looking at these outrageously bold sparrows, Duan Jiaze suddenly had an idea and shouted, "If you don't leave now, I'm calling Luya!"

The sparrows paused for a moment, then with a flutter, flew over Duan Jiaze's head and out the door.

Duan Jiaze: "..."

It seemed he had discovered another use for the Daoist Lord.

......

Duan Jiaze replaced it with a new rice sack. This time, after tying it up securely, he locked it in a cabinet. The sparrows surely wouldn't be able to steal from it now.

Just then, he received a phone call. Looking at the caller ID, he answered, "Ying Jie?"

The caller was Sun Aiping's daughter, Sun Ying. The two of them had gone through a life-and-death situation together. Originally, Duan Jiaze was only close to Sun Aiping, but after the incident with the thugs, he had become closer to Sun Ying as well, and they visited each other more often.

Sun Ying's voice was full of smiles, "Are you at the zoo? I'm coming to Lingyou Zoo this afternoon. My mom made some pumpkin pancakes, and I bought you a shirt when I was out shopping. I'll bring them over together."

Duan Jiaze: "I'm here. Thanks, Ying Jie, and please thank Auntie for me. You're not making a special trip just for this, are you?"

"No..." Sun Ying suddenly became a little awkward and said, "A colleague recently introduced me to a friend, and we're seeing each other. He heard about what happened to me over there and asked me out to visit."

So it was a date. Duan Jiaze grinned and said, "Great! You guys come over. We'll have dinner together tonight, and I'll help you check him out."

Sun Ying laughingly chided him a few times before hanging up.

Duan Jiaze took a nap. In the afternoon, Sun Ying indeed arrived with her on-probation prospective boyfriend. Duan Jiaze went to the entrance to meet them. Seeing Duan Jiaze rubbing his eyes, dressed in a pink zookeeper uniform, she couldn't help but pat his curly hair. "It feels really nice. No wonder your family's Luya likes to perch on it."

Duan Jiaze: "..."

Although he knew Sun Ying was talking about Luya the bird, when Duan Jiaze pictured Luya's human face, he couldn't help but shiver.

Sun Ying introduced him, "This is my friend, Bai Haibo. He's in the same major as you, just transferred to Donghai City, and works at the Environmental Protection Bureau."

Bai Haibo was fair and refined. He extended his hand to shake Duan Jiaze's and said, "Haha, hello. I graduated a few years before you. My focus is mainly on water. What about you?"

"What a coincidence, me too, but I didn't end up in a related profession." Duan Jiaze felt a sense of camaraderie seeing a senior from the same major and joked, "Most of my classmates didn't get jobs in our field either. They're doing all sorts of things now."

Bai Haibo shook his head helplessly, "Sigh..."

It seemed the topic had struck a sore spot, and he began to sigh.

"Alright, aren't you both doing well now?" Sun Ying gave the pumpkin pancakes and the shirt to Duan Jiaze, telling him to try the shirt on first.

Duan Jiaze saw that the shirt's brand was the same as the one Bai Haibo was wearing and knew they had been bought together. It seemed Sun Ying was quite satisfied with Bai Haibo. Sun Ying's visual estimation was quite accurate; it was a perfect fit when he put it on.

"Thanks, Ying Jie," Duan Jiaze thanked her again, then said teasingly, "Should I take you on a tour, or do you want to look around yourselves?"

Sun Ying was a bit embarrassed and shot him a look. "We won't trouble the great Zoo Director to accompany us personally. I'll come find you after we're done looking around."

After saying that, Sun Ying pulled Bai Haibo away.

Watching them leave, Duan Jiaze, as if infected by Bai Haibo, couldn't help but sigh as well.

Duan Jiaze grew up in Donghai City. He had watched the city develop while environmental pollution grew increasingly severe. The East Sea was far from being as clear as it used to be. He vaguely remembered that his parents, who had passed away early, were also passionate about environmental protection, which was why he chose this major in college.

Back then, his long, fruitless job search wasn't just due to the difficult job market, but also because Duan Jiaze's ideals were too lofty.

Who knew that later, by a strange twist of fate, he would bid farewell to environmental engineering and become a zoo director...

Duan Jiaze sighed and shook his head, then went back to his work.

......

Halfway through his work, Duan Jiaze received a call from Sun Ying. She said anxiously, "Jiaze, Haibo got burned for some reason. I'm with him at the visitor center now."

"What? I'll be right over." Duan Jiaze rushed to the visitor center. He saw a Lingyou Zoo employee trying to apply medicine to Bai Haibo, but Bai Haibo was clutching his arm, refusing to let them, his face contorted in pain.

Sun Ying was trying to persuade Bai Haibo, "Stop covering it! If you won't go to the hospital, you have to let someone treat the wound. What's wrong with you?"

She had no idea how Bai Haibo got injured, or what he had touched. In the blink of an eye, the next time she saw him, his clothes were burnt through, and he was clutching his shoulder, a smell of something burning coming from within. And despite being in such a bad state, Bai Haibo would rather bite his lip until it bled than let anyone treat the wound.

Fire? A burn? Bai Haibo's attitude?

Duan Jiaze keenly sensed that something was wrong. He took the first-aid kit and said, "Let me do it. Ying Jie, you guys go outside first. The wound might be pretty gruesome, I don't want you to be scared."

Sun Ying and the employee were a bit baffled as they were pushed out by Duan Jiaze. But they thought that as a grown man, he would be fine, and maybe he really was afraid of scaring them and was planning to apply the medicine by force.

Duan Jiaze turned back and pulled Bai Haibo's hand away, only to see that a hole had been burned into Bai Haibo's arm. Moreover, a small flame was still burning, and it had even seared deep scorch marks onto his palm.

There was also a faint blue glow at the wound, as if it were fighting against the flame, but it was losing, being corroded bit by bit. No wonder he refused to let go and show anyone.

Duan Jiaze sucked in a breath. He had only seen one type of fire that couldn't be extinguished, and that was the Essence of Solar Fire. As for the strange blue light, he would have to ask Bai Haibo. "Who on earth are you? What are you doing going on a blind date with Ying Jie?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Bai Haibo said with a pained expression. "To actually keep a fox demon in the zoo and befriend Xiao Ying's father. Not even I, nor so many eminent monks, can see through your cultivation. Why would you need to use their family?"

"..." Duan Jiaze was speechless. "Of course you can't see through my cultivation, because I'm a goddamn human!"

Bai Haibo: "..."

What, had he actually misjudged?

Duan Jiaze thought to himself that he had befriended the Sun family unintentionally and sincerely; this person was really overthinking it. However, that last sentence did reveal the fact that he cared about Sun Ying.

Duan Jiaze simply went and got Luya, who retracted the Essence of Solar Fire from Bai Haibo's body. A ripple of water flashed over Bai Haibo's wound, and it stopped bleeding, but it didn't heal immediately and looked quite frightening.

Duan Jiaze helped him bandage the wound. After it was bandaged, he saw Bai Haibo staring dumbfounded, as if he couldn't believe Duan Jiaze had just ordered around a mighty being who could control the Essence of Solar Fire at will.

Bai Haibo: "You're really an ordinary human?!"

"Is there a problem?" Duan Jiaze first went out to tell Sun Ying not to worry, that Bai Haibo's wound had been treated and it was nothing serious, no need for the hospital. He just needed to rest. He had someone take her to get something to eat first, and then he returned.

"Let's talk. What are you?" Duan Jiaze asked.

Luya said disdainfully from the side, "Just a big-headed fish."

A complicated expression appeared on Bai Haibo's fair face. How was his head big? Humans even called them the "Goddess of the Yangtze River," but Bai Haibo was angry yet dared not speak.

"I am a Baiji Dolphin demon, one thousand three hundred years old this year. I was born in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Xiao Ying just told you about my identity among humans. I'm serious about my relationship with her..."

He glanced at the somewhat dazed and surprised Duan Jiaze and said, "Many demons have integrated into human society now, and many have relationships with humans. Not all of them are harmful."

Given Bai Haibo's age, he was considered a relatively powerful demon in the Human Realm. No wonder he dared to swagger into Donghai City for work.

This person had been brought in by Duan Jiaze, so the Essence of Solar Fire secretly placed by Luya did not attack him. But later, who told him to try and mess with Hu Dawei during his tour? Hu Dawei was also under protection. The fact that he wasn't burned to ashes was a testament to his great luck, and that was just a tiny wisp of the Essence of Solar Fire.

"After I saw the fox demon, I felt something was off. The news clearly stated this place has dealings with the Daoist sects, so how could there be a demon? I wanted to grab him and ask what was going on, but who knew I'd be injured by the true fire. I thought you were the one who set it." Bai Haibo looked at Luya. "So you're the human, and he's the one who set the fire."

Luya raised his hand and said, "This aquatic creature is quite annoying to look at. Better to just kill him."

Duan Jiaze stopped Luya. "Wait."

Luya said impatiently, "You're always so indecisive."

Duan Jiaze said angrily, "Holy crap, do you have any idea how rare a Baiji Dolphin is? A wild Baiji Dolphin!!"

Luya: "..."

Bai Haibo: ".........."

The Baiji Dolphin is hailed as the panda of the water, which shows its rarity. It has already been declared functionally extinct, with theoretically only a very few individuals remaining. In fact, when Bai Haibo introduced himself earlier, Duan Jiaze was surprised not just by the human-demon romance, but even more so by his true form...

After learning Bai Haibo's identity, Duan Jiaze's attitude softened considerably. He even turned back to Bai Haibo and said, "Don't be afraid."

But the gentler he was, the more Bai Haibo trembled. "Are you... are you thinking of capturing me for exhibition in the Aquarium? I'm telling you, the country won't allow it..."

Duan Jiaze: "..."

Duan Jiaze: "Why didn't you think about the country when you were trying to snatch our fox? I don't know what you're thinking. Relax. If I captured you, what would I tell Ying Jie when she asks?"

When it came to the relationship, what Duan Jiaze said didn't count, and what Bai Haibo himself said didn't count either; they had to wait and see Sun Ying's attitude. Right now, Duan Jiaze was thinking about something else.

Bai Haibo glanced fearfully at Luya again. "Then... will you just let me go like this..."

Duan Jiaze was a little embarrassed and rubbed his hands together. "It's like this, we're not exactly flush with funds right now... Wait, don't take out your card, I'm not asking you to donate money. Although we have many new projects to do at the same time, and I was originally planning to get a bank loan. But seeing you, I just wanted to ask, could you, maybe, introduce some aquatic creatures to come work here?"

Bai Haibo was in a daze, thinking he was hearing things. "Work?"

Duan Jiaze: "That's right, work. Actually, that fox demon is also working for me. The benefits here are great. It's not calculated in human currency. After a demon works here, their cultivation level shoots up, and those without cultivation will see their intelligence soar. If you don't believe me, you can ask that fox demon."

"The work is very simple too. Just stay in my Aquarium and display your living habits to the visitors. Which basically means, you don't have to do anything."

Luya couldn't help but glance at Duan Jiaze. He knew this guy would be corrupted by the Nine-tailed Fox; he had even learned how to get something for nothing.

He would have to be able to afford it if it were calculated in human currency. As for the so-called benefits, wasn't it just the spirit-rich food provided by the Ling Xiao Hope Project, a task reward that didn't cost a single cent?

As for cultivation shooting up and intelligence soaring, that was a bit of an exaggeration. Otherwise, the animals in Lingyou Zoo would have become demons long ago. But it was indeed better, faster, and more effective than absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, saving many years of hard work.

Bai Haibo, on the other hand, looked at Duan Jiaze in disbelief. With the power of the mighty being beside Duan Jiaze, he could be easily crushed. Catching fish would be a piece of cake. Why bother talking to him about work?

—That was, of course, because these guys were all land animals and knew nothing about aquatic species. They might as well go for the Huang Qi they were currently in the process of acquiring. It was easy for them to catch fish, but to catch suitable fish, Duan Jiaze would still have to put in the effort.

But this Baiji Dolphin who had stumbled right into his lap looked pretty decent. He both understood aquatic species and could communicate with them. He was perfect for being coerced and bribed into acting as a middleman...

Bai Haibo said incredulously, "Linshui Temple would allow it?"

On second thought, with that mighty being around, how could Linshui Temple object?

Duan Jiaze: "Why wouldn't they? I can guarantee they won't do anything bad. Besides, I'm not recruiting those with cultivation right now, just ordinary fish. Even if you don't have any, your friends must have some descendants, right? Why don't you ask if any are willing to come?"

If a group of demons came, how would he manage them? It was obvious that not every demon would be as cowardly as Hu Dawei. So it was better to recruit ordinary fish, and he had to make Bai Haibo keep his mouth shut.

Duan Jiaze pulled Bai Haibo over and explained the benefits and compensation in detail. "You'll understand after you have a meal with us tonight. I'll hire you as our recruitment manager, and I'll give you benefits then."

Bai Haibo: "Ah..."

......

That evening, Bai Haibo, his hand still wrapped in gauze, had a meal with Sun Ying at Lingyou Zoo. Stir-fried beef with Purple Bamboo shoots, five-grain congee, wheatgrass juice... To Sun Ying, these dishes were just exceptionally delicious. She didn't know any better and thought it was just a different cooking style. But for Bai Haibo, it was a different story.

The meal made Bai Haibo question his entire existence. Especially when he heard Duan Jiaze, in response to Sun Ying's question, say that he would open a restaurant, he almost suffocated. What a monstrous waste of heavenly treasures! To think this food would be used to serve tourists in a restaurant?

Wait, getting to the bottom of it, why would someone as incredible as Duan Jiaze open a zoo? Did he have a dream of popularizing science in his heart?

However, Bai Haibo was now thoroughly convinced. He understood why the fox demon stayed here, why Linshui Temple (had to) sell joint tickets, and about that mighty being who played with fire. The Zoo Director claimed to be an ordinary human, but Bai Haibo felt he was anything but simple.

Things having reached this point, Bai Haibo would be a fool not to agree. If it weren't for his ideal of controlling water pollution, and the fact that Duan Jiaze wasn't recruiting fish with cultivation, he himself would have wanted to come work here!

Thinking about his aquatic kin, whose numbers had dwindled in recent years due to the harsh environment and widespread human hunting, their transformation rate had also dropped lower and lower. Here, there was no danger to their lives, and there were excellent resources. It was indeed a good idea to select some outstanding young fish to come here.

......

Duan Jiaze moved some clothes from his original room to Luya's room. It would still be a while before the dormitory building was built and renovated. After all, it wasn't a construction team sent by the System, so even with Shisu's empowerment, it would be a challenge.

While putting away his clothes, Duan Jiaze saw a suitcase on the bottom shelf of the wardrobe. This was the suitcase Luya had brought with him when he arrived; Duan Jiaze had almost forgotten about its existence.

It wasn't until now, seeing it again because they were sharing a room, that Duan Jiaze remembered it, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

The Daoist Lord never seemed to change his clothes. Besides playing games, watching TV, and scolding the Zoo Director, he had no other hobbies. He didn't seem to have taken out any of his own possessions; all the utensils he used were from the human world. So, what on earth was in this suitcase?

"What are you looking at?" Luya said coldly from behind Duan Jiaze.

Duan Jiaze jumped in fright. "Nothing, I was just spacing out."

He closed the wardrobe door and saw Luya swagger over to his bed and sit down, boasting, "If this venerable one hadn't taken you in, you'd be sleeping on the floor of an exhibit. Don't you have any sense? Come and serve this venerable one."

Duan Jiaze was already used to Luya's occasional fits. He poured a cup of hot water. "Yes, yes, Daoist Lord, have some water."

Luya glared at him and took the teacup filled with plain hot water.

"Hey, Daoist Lord, that Baiji Dolphin today said that there are many human-demon relationships in human society now. Is that true? Do you think it's possible?" Duan Jiaze wasn't afraid that Bai Haibo was a bad demon, because no matter how bad he was, he couldn't be worse than the few in his zoo, nor could he possibly harm Ying Jie.

However, he still had to observe the future of Bai Haibo and Sun Ying's relationship. Cooperation was one thing, but dating Ying Jie was another matter entirely.

Are human-demon relationships really that common now? Then wasn't Bai Jie's death back then a great injustice!

"How would I know," Luya first refused forcefully out of habit, then said indifferently, "It might be true. The Human Realm is already in the Dharma-Ending Age. Spiritual energy is thin, there are no immortals or gods, and technology reigns supreme. The gap between humans, demons, and cultivators has become smaller and smaller."

—And because of this, the gap with the Immortal Realm has also grown wider and wider.

Duan Jiaze: "That's true. I just don't know if Ying Jie can accept it. He'll have to confess to her himself."

Luya retorted, "If she wants to live with a fishy smell and sweep fish scales off her bed for the rest of her life, then you should persuade your 'sister' to accept."

"...Don't make it sound so disgusting. And Baiji Dolphins don't have scales, thank you." Duan Jiaze thought of the suitcase from just now and asked curiously, "By the way, Daoist Lord, can I ask what's in your suitcase?"

Luya glanced at him. "None of your business."

Duan Jiaze: "I'm just curious. What if it's some kind of powerful artifact? I'm not very worldly."

Luya was silent for a long while. Just when Duan Jiaze thought he wouldn't answer, he dragged the suitcase out. After opening it, inside were a half-knitted red sweater and a pile of red string.

Duan Jiaze: ???

Luya's tone was a mix of indignation and pride. "Before I left, Yue Lao contradicted this venerable one for no reason, so this venerable one stole several hundred years' worth of his red string. Let's see him rush to make more now!"

Duan Jiaze: "..."

No matter how he listened, Duan Jiaze felt there was something very wrong with Luya's statement. What kind of nerve would Yue Lao have to contradict him for no reason? And Luya was crazy too. Stealing the red string was one thing, but what was this about using it to knit a sweater?

Duan Jiaze: "You knitted this sweater?"

Luya: "...I was bored anyway. It'll piss Yue Lao off."

Duan Jiaze forced a compliment, "Such a delicate and clever heart. Who are you knitting it for, Daoist Lord?" The Daoist Lord himself was covered in feathers and was of the fire element; he couldn't possibly need a sweater. And to piss Yue Lao off, the old man would have to be able to see it.

Luya suddenly said fiercely, "Go away! Why should I tell you!"

Luya slammed the suitcase shut with a "bang."

Duan Jiaze walked back dejectedly. 'Why is the Daoist Lord being so fierce? What's there to hide? Even if he doesn't say it, it's obvious. He's definitely knitting it for his beloved bird.' He thought for a moment, took out his phone, found a song, skipped to a certain part, and a line of lyrics played from the phone: "Wuu~ wuu~ wuu~ you're still knitting a sweater for that idiot~"

Luya: ".........."