"Hey Su, the love god, where are you?" came Nangong Yan's voice over the phone.
"Love god? Since when did I become a love god, calling me a beast would be more like it," Suming chuckled, knowing full well that with his ability to communicate with animals, he indeed had the potential to become quite the animal himself one day.
"Right, couldn't agree more! You big beast, alluring cats and teasing dogs!" Nangong Yan said with a serious tone.
"Huh?" Suming was completely baffled, what cats was he alluring and what dogs was he teasing?
"Never mind, I saw some job postings online that might be suitable for you, I've sent them to your email, take a look for yourself."
"Oh, thanks. But I've found a job," Suming smiled. This girl Nangong was not one to mince words, seeming quite brash at times, but she was genuinely nice to him.
Nangong Yan was taken aback, "What, you found a job? You were still worrying about it yesterday and today you've got one? You're not joking, are you?"
"For real, they've even sorted out my staff accommodation, I'm just about to head back to the school to pick up my luggage," Suming glanced at the sky, and said, "It's a bit much to explain over the phone, I'll treat you to a meal some day and give you the details."
"Okay, then I'll really have to take advantage of you then," Nangong Yan said with a laugh.
"Absolutely!"
Having ended the call and with the sun almost set, Suming grabbed his shopping list and bank card, then left the zoo.
The zoo, although located in a remote area, was still quite accessible due to being a tourist site, with a bus heading downtown right from the main gate, coming every fifteen minutes or so.
More than half an hour later, Suming had already returned to school, first stopping at the supermarket at the school gate to buy the life essentials listed, then heading back to the dorm to get his quilt, clothes, computer, and other stuff. After busying himself until after 8 o'clock, he had packed three huge bags almost as tall as a person, and then went to the security guard to process his dormitory checkout.
After expending a great deal of effort, he finally managed to drag and haul the packages to the school gate, where Suming realized a critical problem: How would he take all this back to the zoo?
Taking the bus was clearly out of the question, as any one of the three bags was nearly half a person tall, and he could at most manage two at the same time, which would be very inconvenient. As for taking a taxi, the drivers shook their heads repeatedly upon seeing the amount of stuff he had; it wasn't that they were afraid of the trouble, it simply wouldn't fit.
After some thought, he dialed Wang Hao's number.
"Fatty, I need a favor. Bring your SUV to the school to help me move my luggage," Suming didn't beat around the bush with Wang Hao. They had both gotten their driving licenses in university. The only difference was that Wang Hao had a car at home, whereas Suming hadn't even touched a steering wheel for more than a year after getting his license.
"Eh, you found a job? Alright, alright, I'm free anyway, I'll be right there," Wang Hao agreed efficiently.
In less than half an hour, a black Ford Kuga SUV pulled up at the school gate, with Wang Hao hopping out of the driver's seat and opening the back door of the vehicle.
These urban SUVs, though not associated with any real off-road capability, do offer ample space; the back seats could be folded down flat—enough room for a car quake.
The two of them together loaded the three huge bags into the trunk.
"Where to?" Wang Hao, having buckled his seatbelt, snapped his fingers and asked.
"The zoo."
"Holy smoke, you're working at the zoo? Su, you're really something!" Wang Hao's eyes widened with surprise as he gave Suming a thumbs-up.
"Just a temporary job, no official position," Suming said with a smile.
"That's not bad either. After all, it's about being comfortable, right? It's stable and relaxed, and the environment is nice. My old man also wanted to 'arrange' for me to get in there initially, but guess what, the head of the zoo is such a scholar, insisting on open recruitment, not doing favors for anyone. I didn't see it coming, Su, but you seem to have the knack!"
"It was just a lucky break for me, really. Mr. Song didn't want me at first," Suming simply recounted the incident of rescuing someone at Monkey Mountain, but he omitted the Animal Friends part and just mentioned that he was solely focused on saving the person and got lucky.
"So Mr. Song is quite something, huh? Not even your old man's clout worked?" Suming was indeed interested in Mr. Song. Wang Hao's old man is no small-fry officer, an actual bureau-level cadre, and seems to be in charge of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, essentially the zoo's boss's boss. And you're telling me Mr. Song didn't give in even when he asked?"
"Heh heh, forget about my old man. Even if the provincial leaders spoke up, that old director might not listen. Old experts like him may not hold high positions, but their experience speaks for itself. Who knows which old friend might be connected all the way to the top. Plus, they have students and disciples in high places, not a few either. Given his good reputation, even top leaders don't want to offend such an old expert."
The two chatted about this and that along the way, and the Ford Maverick weaved through traffic, quickly returning to the animal park.
Two of the animal park's security guards stopped the car. Suming rolled down the window, presented his staff card, and explained to the guards. The Ford Maverick started up again and followed the small roads within the park, heading towards Whisperwind Pavilion.
The Ford Maverick's headlights brightly illuminated the park's narrow roads, attracting the attention of various animals that wonderingly ambled up to the fences, looking over curiously. It wasn't clear whether humans were watching them, or they were watching the humans.
A few ostriches, still looking rather confused, tried to follow the car, only to thump into the fence unexpectedly.
"A flock of dumb birds!" Wang Hao laughed heartily.
Soon enough, they reached the end of the road. Suming's place was surrounded by woods, and the car couldn't go any further, so they had to walk.
Wang Hao parked the car, turned off the engine, and they both got out to take their luggage from the trunk.
"Having a car is convenient." Suming closed the trunk of the Ford Maverick and thought about asking Mrs. Tong next time if the animal park had any cargo vehicles. Otherwise, borrowing Wang Hao's car every time for bulk purchases was too much of a hassle.
"Speaking of cars, it's frustrating. With my family's resources, I could afford a Land Rover, but my old man insisted on buying a Ford Maverick for just 200,000. Every time I go out clubbing and picking up chicks, it depresses me. Think about it, who gets more attention: the guy driving a Land Rover or the one in a Ford Maverick? Driving this Ford Maverick, I'm almost too embarrassed to say hi to girls. Once I do, they might even mistake me for a rideshare driver. If I had a Land Rover, leggy girls would be climbing into my car like crazy..." Wang Hao, carrying a big bag, griped as they walked.
"Oh, give it a rest. I can't even afford a second-hand QQ, so be content!" Suming rolled his eyes. Dissatisfied with a 200,000 joint-venture car, many professors at the school drove only domestic cars worth around 100,000.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, they finally made it out of the forest. Wang Hao, drenched in sweat, dropped his heavy luggage onto the ground, and immediately plopped down beside it, gasping for air.
"Yeesh, Su, the place you live is so remote, it's practically the middle of nowhere! You're killing me..."
"You need some exercise, kid. You don't want to end up with the three highs at such a young age," Suming said, also slightly sweaty but not as exaggerated as Wang Hao.
"Enough, let's keep moving. Rest up once we get to my quarters..." Suming urged, but Wang Hao didn't respond.
Not only did he not respond, but the gasping sounds also stopped altogether.
Had the guy passed out from exhaustion?
Looking down, Suming saw Wang Hao sitting on the ground with his fat legs crossed, mouth agape like a giant toad, staring blankly at the small lake and Fengshui Pavilion in front of him, completely petrified.
"Wang... Fatty... you okay? What's gotten into you..."
"You live... here?" Wang Hao asked with wide eyes, stuttering.
"Yeah, the place is a bit remote, and the house is somewhat old, but the environment's not bad, right?" Suming scratched his head.
"Damn! 'Not bad'?!"
Wang Hao suddenly jumped to his feet with agility that belied his size, grabbed Suming with one hand and pointed emphatically towards the pavilion with the other, rambling incoherently: "You're not kidding me, right? Just 'not bad'? I'll be damned, man, you're practically living like a celestial being here!"