Future Pet Shop

With everything settled, they could all enjoy their meal. Shen Yibin had brought a special bottle of Monkey Wine for Professor Wu Gui, which Li Yan and Zhu Xiang also got to enjoy. The four of them, plus Hah'Er and Xiaoliu, had a fantastic time drinking.

"The two of us don't usually drink much, but when we come across a wine like the one Mr. Bin brought, we just can't resist." Li Yan and Zhu Xiang were full of praise for the Monkey Wine.

"Bin, you're not very generous, are you?" Professor Wu Gui joked. "Why haven't I ever heard you mention this wine before? You only bring it out now that you need my help. You really don't like losing out, do you?"

"I hadn't gotten this wine the last time I was here!" Shen Yibin quickly explained. The last time he came to Sichuan was to pick up Xiaoliu; he truly didn't have any Monkey Wine at that point.

After eating and drinking their fill, it was time for everyone to head back and rest. As they were getting up, Shen Yibin said to Li Yan and Zhu Xiang, "I'll have Director Dong send the letters of appointment to you both tomorrow. For the next few days, you can just focus on your preparations!" The two of them couldn't just up and leave. They still had to resign from their current jobs, figure out which people to bring with them, and persuade them to come. Of course, the most important task was to draw up a list of required equipment, which was their main concern.

It would take at least half a year for Yunzhong City to finalize the plans and complete the construction, so Shen Yibin wasn't in a hurry to rush them into their new roles. He simply saw them off to their car with a smile.

"Bin, I'll take you to your hotel. Tomorrow, we'll give Hah'Er a check-up, and then take him to see his cubs!" Professor Wu Gui drove Shen Yibin, Hah'Er, and the others to the hotel in his car.

Early the next morning, an eager Professor Wu Gui woke Shen Yibin. After breakfast, they took Hah'Er for a comprehensive examination. However, the check-up revealed nothing unusual, other than the fact that Hah'Er was exceptionally healthy. Professor Wu Gui's eyes lit up as he held the data. "My goodness! I never expected that your free-range approach would yield better results than our meticulous care, Bin. Hah'Er's physique is so much better than the pandas we have here. Ah, Bin, in a few more months, it'll be panda breeding season again. Why don't you bring Hah'Er over for another visit then?"

"Uh, Professor Wu Gui, we have to come again?" Shen Yibin looked troubled. The last breeding session had completely exhausted Hah'Er, and it had taken him several days to recover. 'And now we have to do it all over again?' Shen Yibin was reluctant to put him through that. However, Professor Wu Gui had just helped him recruit two top experts, which was a huge favor. He felt too awkward to refuse outright, so he chose his words carefully. "Professor Wu Gui, I'm not an expert, so please don't laugh if I say something foolish. But... if you keep using just Hah'Er for breeding, won't that negatively affect the genetic diversity of the overall panda population?"

'If this keeps up, won't all the pandas in the entire reserve eventually be Hah'Er's children? No matter how I think about it, that just doesn't seem right. In the long run, it would surely be detrimental to the panda population's proliferation, right?'

"Do you think I haven't considered something that even you could think of?" Professor Wu Gui said dismissively. "You're severely underestimating the number of pandas in China. How many cubs did Hah'Er even father last time? It's a negligible number compared to the entire population." He hadn't toiled away for all these years for nothing; thanks to their efforts, the panda population in China was constantly growing. "So, it's settled. I'll call you ahead of time, and you just bring Hah'Er directly here!"

"Ah, alright then. But the Shanghai Zoo also wanted Hah'Er to come over and help next year. Professor Wu Gui, what should I..." 'I can't get out of this,' he thought. 'But I can't have Hah'Er flying all over the country playing the stud, can I? He'll be completely drained!'

"If he pressures you, just say I've already booked Hah'Er in advance. If he's not happy about it, he can call me!" Professor Wu Gui declared with absolute authority. In the field of panda research, he wasn't afraid of anyone. "Worst case, I'll just find a strong male from the reserve and send it to them." Other pandas were negotiable, but he would never, ever let Hah'Er go.

"Alright, I'll tell them that then!" Although Professor Wu Gui had now booked up his schedule for the next year, being able to turn down the Shanghai Zoo was a welcome silver lining. A smile returned to Shen Yibin's face.

"I'm going to continue poring over this data. You can take Hah'Er out to play." Professor Wu Gui waved his hand, shooing them away. A few staff members led Shen Yibin and Hah'Er to an outdoor lawn where Hah'Er's cubs were waiting. After a moment's hesitation, the staff let Maphario into the enclosure, but Xiaoliu was kept outside. They were probably worried that Hah'Er's cubs were still small and feared Xiaoliu might injure them.

As they were his own flesh and blood, the moment Hah'Er saw the adorable little ones, he immediately rolled over to them. The cubs had grown quite a bit since their last meeting. They clambered all over Hah'Er, having the time of their lives. Maphario also wriggled out of a pocket and joined the little ones in a playful tumble. The adopted son and the biological offspring were getting along splendidly.

Shen Yibin stood outside, chuckling to himself. He occasionally pulled out his phone to take photos and videos, posting them to his social media feed and Scarf. The adorable panda cubs instantly garnered praise from countless people, all of whom were incredibly envious of Shen Yibin. They wished they could see the baby pandas up close, too!

After filming for a while, Shen Yibin felt a bit tired. Seeing that Hah'Er had no intention of leaving his cubs anytime soon, he found a nearby chair and sat down. He glanced around and spotted Xiaoliu napping on a tree branch, snoring softly.

He picked up a few pine nuts from under the tree and tossed them over to wake Xiaoliu up. He beckoned, and Xiaoliu scampered down from the tree to his side, happily starting to crack open the pine nuts.

"How about I take you home for a visit in a couple of days?" Shen Yibin asked, stroking the monkey's head. 'On this trip, Hah'Er got to see his children, but Xiaoliu hasn't been home to visit yet. I wonder if he's upset about it. If we run into that Clouded Leopard again this time, I won't take out the cat teaser. I want to see if you can handle it on your own.'

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" To his surprise, Xiaoliu seemed completely unwilling to go back, shaking its head repeatedly at Shen Yibin's suggestion.

Shen Yibin was baffled. 'What's going on? Look how happy Hah'Er was to see his family. Don't you miss yours at all? What's this all about?'

Suddenly, a thought struck him. He remembered the scene of Xiaoliu on the mountain behind the Yunzhong Zoo, a female monkey tucked under each arm. 'Wait a minute... you don't think the female monkeys there are prettier than the ones at home, do you?'