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墨書 Inktalez
"There's no need to pay me; I'm just happy to be here!" The man who approached had not yet responded, but Ani was already smiling.
A gentle Mountain Breeze caressed her dark red face, and her smile was particularly sweet.
"The Ecological Aquaculture Farm is really short on staff right now. My cousin happens to be free at home, so my uncle sent her over. I haven't had a chance to tell you..." The man spoke with his head lowered.
This man was the Keeper of the Ecological Aquaculture Farm, dressed in work clothes and wearing a name tag, looking very proper and honest.
Song Pearl often came to the Ecological Aquaculture Farm to personally guide the staff on aquaculture techniques. She remembered this person as someone who was quiet but performed exceptionally well.
He and this girl were actually cousins?
Song Pearl looked at the two of them and thought they didn't resemble each other at all.
"Let's go, let's go, hurry back!" The man urged Ani.
"I'm not done playing yet!" Ani protested stubbornly. "Besides, I just made a good friend."
"You go ahead and do your work; we'll stay here and enjoy the mountains," Song Pearl said to the man.
"Alright then. I'm just worried that Ani might disturb you." The man seemed a bit uneasy, his dark face turning red.
"Is your name Ani?" Song Pearl asked, looking at the smiling Girl. "Then why did you call me Song Pearl earlier?"
"Because I like that name!" Ani cheekily tilted her head and said to the man, "You should take the snake back; it wouldn't be good if it scares the visitors."
"This..." The man seemed reluctant. He wanted to take Ani away, but with Song Pearl watching nearby, he couldn't be too rough. He could only bend down to pick up the snake and walk along the mountain path toward the nearby breeding area.
Because this snake was sent by Song Pearl, there were no instructions on how to handle it. They were only told to take good care of it, so they did not sell it.
However, this snake was quite restless and often sneaked out.
Ani saw the man walk away and reached out to pull Song Pearl.
"I'll take you to my house to have a look."
"Your house?"
The girl was the man's cousin, so her house must be quite far away.
"My house is right up the mountain!" Ani smiled and quickly ran a short distance to pick up a grass basket.
"When did anyone build a house on this mountain?" Song Pearl wondered for a moment, then suddenly realized it might be the Keeper's dormitory.
She instinctively glanced at the bamboo basket hanging from Ani's arm. Inside, there was a White Cat squatting, its eyes half-closed as it stared at her.
"This cat?" Song Pearl looked at the cat in her basket. "We don't keep cats at our Ecological Aquaculture Farm?"
"Maybe it's someone else's cat?" Ani gently stroked the cat's head. "It somehow ended up on the mountain. When I saw it earlier, that snake had just bitten it. If it weren't for me, it might have already been swallowed by the Azure Green Snake!"
The White Cat was very docile, squinting its eyes and enjoying Ani's petting.
"Did you just find it?"
"Yes! I originally wanted to pick some wild mushrooms for soup, but I ended up encountering two animals fighting. It was so much fun!"
Ani kicked stones underfoot, walking briskly.
"Sister, how did you think of raising animals here? Song Family Village used to be so poor that no one thought this barren hill could make money, but now, Song Family Village is the richest village nearby. Even those who take care of the mountains are quite wealthy. You can marry whoever you want..."
"I just thought of it casually," Song Pearl replied somewhat dismissively. How did she come up with that idea?
She hadn't really thought about it. At that time, it was just to protect her home and her family's Fish Pond. Later, when she promised the village chief to help preserve the village, it seemed natural to consider farming in the mountains.
As autumn deepened, the mountains remained lush and green. There were noisy sounds coming from ahead; several tourists were gathered there, pointing and discussing but not approaching.
Song Pearl looked in the direction they were watching and saw an injured monkey looking fearfully at the crowd below.
The group of people was laughing and playing, shouting at the tree, even throwing things at the monkey up in the tree.
Some peaches and bananas had fallen under the tree, along with a few stones.
"How can there be a lone monkey!" Song Pearl frowned; the management of the Ecological Aquaculture Farm was too chaotic.
Ani quickly walked over to the crowd, pushed through those who were having fun, and shouted, "Stop scaring that monkey! If it gets angry, it will come down and bite you! It's very agile; you would definitely be at a disadvantage."
The group consisted of teenagers around fourteen or fifteen years old, both boys and girls. They seemed to be local kids who might have skipped school to play.
They didn't take Ani's words seriously. "Who are you? If we get hurt, it's not your business! The Resort will compensate us! Besides, there are so many of us; how could this little monkey be our match!"
"You are bullying the few with your numbers!"
Ani put down the basket on her arm and pushed those who were laughing and causing trouble.
"Look, this White Cat is so beautiful!" Someone bent down to pick up the basket and ran off to the side, "It's so much fun. In the past, we had to buy tickets to go up the mountain and follow the designated route by the staff. Now it's so good, we can come and go freely!"
"Put down my cat!" Ani rushed over to snatch her basket back but almost fell when she couldn't get it, "Sister, please help me get the cat back; it's still injured!"
Ani anxiously shouted at Song Pearl.
At that moment, Song Pearl walked over from behind a few tourists.
"Song Pearl, it's really Song Pearl! Song Pearl is here, run!" The group of boys recognized Song Pearl and scattered in all directions.
Song Pearl watched as the boys quickly disappeared without a trace, feeling puzzled. What was wrong with these people? Was she really that terrifying? Seeing her was almost like seeing a witch!
"Sister, they all ran away! They seemed really scared of you!" Ani picked up the abandoned basket. The White Cat was still quietly sitting inside, eyes closed in meditation, seemingly unbothered by the commotion.
"Yeah! Why would they be afraid of me?" Song Pearl shook her head and smiled. These kids were about the same age as Song Fei. She hadn't provoked them, had she?
Song Fei?
Suddenly, some images flashed in Song Pearl's mind. Song Fei was often bullied at school and sometimes even stopped for money. She seemed to have scared those boys away when she went to help him. Could they be those same people?
She didn't have a clear impression of it because her mind had been troubled back then.
Now that I think about it, that adult even helped Song Fei bully her classmates, scaring them so much that they are still afraid of her. This behavior is really inappropriate!
"That monkey is so pitiful!"
Song Pearl looked at the monkey perched high up in the tree, and the monkey was also looking down at her. When its eyes met Song Pearl's gaze, it suddenly turned away and obediently jumped down from the tree.
"Monkey, if you leave the group, you'll be bullied!"
Song Pearl gently patted the monkey that had come close to her, smiling as she spoke.
"Look, she can actually talk to the monkey!" a tourist exclaimed.
"She is Song Pearl!"
Song Pearl bent down to check the monkey's injuries.
After the Resort was built, it became essential to artificially feed some monkeys on the mountain to attract tourists. However, the Rhesus Monkey species she introduced is quite aggressive. Although they have been artificially domesticated, these monkeys still often cause trouble, either scratching tourists or stealing their belongings, making it nearly impossible to find any Keeper willing to manage this area.
On this mountain, even a goose can bully people at will; this is the first time a monkey has been bullied.
"These kids are really naughty; the monkey's leg has been injured!" Song Pearl rolled up the monkey's leg, feeling very angry.
"Who is responsible for feeding these monkeys? How could one stray away from the group?"
All the animals on this mountain were carefully selected by her, and those who cared for them were diligent. Her requirements were simple: they should not bully tourists, and tourists should not harm them!
"It’s Sister Xiaoxia!" Ani was rummaging through her pocket. "Sister Xiaoxia went into the city today, so there’s no one to take care of these monkeys."
Ani carefully bandaged the monkey's wound with gauze. Song Pearl watched her gentle movements and found it quite interesting.
"Do you carry gauze with you?"
"Yes, when I patrol the mountains, I often encounter injured animals, so these are essentials," Ani replied matter-of-factly.
"Patrol? Who assigned you to do that? Isn’t there a dedicated staff for patrolling the mountains?"
"I don’t know. I haven’t encountered anyone," Ani said as she finished wrapping the bandage around the monkey and handed it to Song Pearl. "You can hold it; I have no more space in my basket."
Song Pearl took the monkey and held it in her arms. "I’ll take it back first; the monkey troop isn’t in this area."
"Alright, I’ll wait for you here."
Ani called out to Song Pearl's retreating figure while carrying her basket, not noticing that the cat in the basket suddenly stood up, meowed, and swiped its paw at Ani's face.
"Ah!" Ani felt a sharp pain on her face. She tilted her head back, dropped the empty basket, and covered her face with her hands.
When Song Pearl returned, she saw Ani sitting on the ground with her face covered.
"What happened? Where’s the cat?" Song Pearl squatted down in front of her and tried to pull her hands away from her face.
"The cat scratched my face!" Ani cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Song Pearl looked closely at Ani's face and said, "No, there's not a scratch on you. If you don't believe me, feel for yourself."
"But it hurt so much! I thought I was bleeding!" Ani reached up to touch the painful spot on her face. There were indeed no traces of blood or any wounds, and it seemed like the pain had subsided.
"That cat must have been a wild one; otherwise, how could it be so fierce?" Ani sniffled as she stood up, wiping the tears from her face. She muttered, "That beautiful cat, how could it scratch me? I even saved it!"
Song Pearl's gaze fell on the empty basket, deep in thought. Could this cat be the same one?
They arrived at Ani's place, which was a two-room staff dormitory. A section of the eaves extended out to create a small shelter, and beneath it was a stove.
"This is where I live. You can come visit me anytime."
Ani cheerfully grabbed Song Pearl's hand, looking like a hospitable host. "Over there is the women's dormitory, and that room belongs to Sister Xiaoxia. It's kept very tidy, but she rarely stays here. I have the key, so when you come, you can stay in her room."
The sun was setting in the west, and the area under the forest cover was already becoming dim.
Ani looked up at the sky and then at Song Pearl, happily saying, "It's getting late; why don't you just stay here tonight?" (To be continued...)
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