Chapter 11: The Siberian Tiger Big Brother

Wang Xuan came chasing from not far away, panting heavily. Before he could even raise his hand, Xiao Si, who was sitting obediently in Lin Xiao's arms, flapped its wings and swiftly leaped up, dodging his hand.

Its claws quickly stepped over his wrist as it jumped onto Lin Xiao's shoulder.

The macaw seemed unwilling to let it go; it held a feather in its beak and tilted its head to look at Lin Xiao, its bead-like eyes filled with expectation.

*Why aren't you taking it?*

Lin Xiao's lip twitched. He looked at the Director beside him with some embarrassment, his trembling brows conveying his inner thoughts entirely.

*Is it like this with all the animals in your zoo?*

Wang Xuan massaged his forehead, feeling a headache coming on, and hurriedly intervened.

"You absolutely cannot agree!"

"The parrot is courting. If you agree, something is definitely going to go wrong."

Wang Xuan's anxious voice merged with the parrot's squawking.

"Why aren't you taking it?"

Lin Xiao turned his head helplessly, only to meet the parrot's bead-like eyes, which were filled with confusion.

With a feeling of being at a loss for words, Lin Xiao patted the top of the parrot's head, his tone full of sighs and helplessness.

"Xiao Si, I'm really sorry. I'll send you back."

As he spoke, he looked up and quickly signaled to Wang Xuan with his eyes, telling him to bring the cage over.

Xiao Si let out a few whimpering cries, but it still refused to give up and continued to inquire.

"You really don't want it? This is the most beautiful feather on my body."

Lin Xiao's lip twitched, but he maintained a firm stance in refusing its enthusiasm.

Xiao Si let out a dejected whimper, looking as if the entire bird had suffered a blow.

Even when Wang Xuan brought the cage over, the bird didn't show the slightest reaction.

Lin Xiao helped put the parrot into the cage, and only then did he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Chu Lian laughed heartily. He walked over to Lin Xiao's side and patted his shoulder with great solemnity.

"Well done! Let's go see the animals you'll be feeding this afternoon."

They walked along the stone path to its end, and as they turned a corner, the Carnivore House appeared before their eyes.

Lin Xiao's footsteps paused slightly, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

*Am I going to be feeding fierce beasts during my probation period?*

Curious, Lin Xiao followed Chu Lian inside.

His eyes instantly lit up when he saw the animals in the enclosures.

"A Siberian tiger?"

Inside the enclosure, a large orange-red cat was huddled in a corner, appearing as if it were asleep.

Lin Xiao walked a few steps to the front of the cage, his moving eyes filled with astonishment.

Currently, there are only about 500 Siberian tigers left in the wild globally.

He actually had the luck to see one here.

Chu Lian leaned against the cage and sighed helplessly, his soothing voice explaining the situation.

"This tiger is called Da Mi. We rescued him near the Changbai Mountains a few months ago."

Chu Lian gave a helpless smile and said no more.

But Lin Xiao already had a vague suspicion in his heart.

Without slaughter, there is no harm.

He wondered when... things like poaching would finally disappear completely.

Shaking off the messy thoughts in his head, Lin Xiao turned to look at the man beside him, his voice carrying a hint of doubt.

"Just simple feeding for a Siberian tiger?"

For a zoo that collaborated with animal protection centers, feeding animals was merely the most basic level.

More importantly, one needed to be able to treat animal wounds and soothe their emotions, among other things.

Sure enough, as soon as the words left his mouth, Chu Lian nodded with a smile.

"Ever since we brought Da Mi back, his mood hasn't been good."

"He's even showing signs of depression."

"We've tried every method, but there's been no improvement."

"His wounds have healed, and he should have been released long ago. But..."

Chu Lian shook his head, his face full of helplessness.

Lin Xiao's lip twitched as he looked at Chu Lian in disbelief.

"So... you want me to solve this problem?"

Chu Lian nodded with a chuckle. "The capable should work more. If you truly solve this problem, I believe no one else will have any objections."

Lin Xiao touched the iron cage, looking thoughtfully at the despondent big cat inside, and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

They say that during technical interviews, HR will trick you into providing solutions.

How come he was simply interviewing for a zookeeper position, yet people were still finding ways to take advantage of him?

Needless to say, Director Chu must have heard some rumors, which was why he was being so generous.

But seeing the gloomy Da Mi, Lin Xiao's heart eventually softened.

Of course, more importantly, he desperately needed this job.

Seeing Lin Xiao nod, the smile on Chu Lian's face instantly widened.

He said "good" three times in a row and patted Lin Xiao's shoulder very solemnly.

"Then, I'll leave this to you."

With that, the old man chuckled and turned to leave without looking back.

Lin Xiao turned back with a helpless expression and slowly crouched by the cage.

"Da Mi, how are you feeling?"

"Not great!"

A hearty Northeastern accent drifted from inside the cage, causing Lin Xiao to freeze in shock.

This emotion... no matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like depression; instead, it felt a bit... angry?

Before she could figure it out, Da Mi, who had been lying in the cage, suddenly sat up with a *whoosh*.

A pair of bright eyes scanned the surroundings, finally landing on the "two-legged beast" outside the cage.

"Little sister, was that you talking just now?"

A pair of round cat eyes trembled violently, and the man's accent suddenly rose in pitch.

"How did I suddenly understand what you're saying?"

This voice sounded exactly like a boisterous big brother from Northeast China.

Lin Xiao's lip twitched, and he asked softly and awkwardly.

"Da Mi, I heard from the Director that your mood hasn't been good lately. Did something happen?"

Da Mi gave Lin Xiao a thoughtful look, let out a long sigh, and crawled back to his original position.

"Sigh, don't even mention it. They transported me from that place in the Northeast, and it's been half a month already."

"Even though there's food and drink, there's no freedom! Look at this place, it's barely the size of a palm; how can it compare to my home in the Northeast?"

"And that old fellow is just too devious; he's constantly putting out all sorts of meat to tempt me every day. You tell me, in a place this small, after eating so much, there's no room even to move. How am I supposed to talk to my little sister in the future?"

The Siberian tiger's complaints poured out like a machine gun.

Lin Xiao even suspected that his previous poor mental state might have been simply because he had no one to chat with.

But fortunately, now that the problem was identified, the solution would be simple.

"You want to move Da Mi to the Tiger Garden?"

Chu Lian looked at Lin Xiao, who was standing by the desk, feeling very surprised.

"Yes!" Lin Xiao nodded. "Da Mi is a wild animal. Since coming to the zoo, he has been eating very well."

"Even though he is in his recovery period, he still needs a certain amount of physical activity."

"Having only this small cage is truly a bit too cramped."

Chu Lian tapped the tabletop thoughtfully and nodded in agreement quite readily.

That evening, Chu Lian strolled leisurely into the Tiger Garden. Seeing the lively Da Mi inside, he became visibly happy.

In truth, Da Mi should have been placed in the Tiger Garden from the very beginning.

Because his wounds were too severe, he had been carefully recuperating in the Carnivore House.

Unexpectedly, this decision had actually harmed him.

Just as Chu Lian was about to turn and leave, he saw Wang Xuan standing in a corner, looking at the Tiger Garden with an indescribable expression.

He walked over cheerfully and teased him directly.

"How is it? The person I picked is pretty good, right?"

(End of Chapter)