The little girl's smile easily pierced the fragile, wounded hearts of the crippled animals, causing a momentary misunderstanding between the animals and people present.
It feels like the cubs and the little human pets have switched places...
The little cubs lined up obediently, eagerly awaiting the little girl's smiling hand to feed them. Those with tails could be seen by their tails alone, and the whole hall was filled with the crisp, crackling sound of their tails sweeping the floor.
The mother deer's big eyes sparkled, and she smiled with the same joy as her little calves. "They've never been so happy!"
"How about we ask the dean if we can keep a few pets?" another deer mother, who was a little younger than it, excitedly suggested.
"Don't even think about it!" Teacher Lion shook his head. "Leaving aside whether the budget is enough, look at how other people pamper their pets."
The two deer looked around in confusion, only to see three human-shaped pets huddled under the fur of a red fox, looking terrified. The red fox, on the other hand, stared blankly, its face filled with existential doubt. The other three human-shaped pets, however, were calm—too calm, their eyes mirroring those of their owners: full of affection for the smaller pets, yet excessively indifferent to the cubs.
The mother deer blinked her big eyes and gave up her naive idea.
Just as Cheng Shuang was about to finish all her snacks, the disabled children's free play time ended, and their excited yet reluctant gazes lingered on the little girl.
The little girl generously gave each animal a hug. Some of the animals, who had become a little more confident and daring, tried to lick the smooth little faces, but were stopped in time by Mr. Axe, who had been waiting in the wings.
Because of genetic issues, disabled cubs carry far more germs than normal cubs. Hugging and feeding are already the most extreme forms of contact. If it weren't for seeing his baby having so much fun, Old Axe would have already taken the baby home and given it a thorough cleaning.
The mother deer quickly went over and gently calmed the overly active cubs. Perhaps because of their sensitive nature, the disabled cubs were more considerate of other animals. As long as the mother deer said that they shouldn't disturb the other cubs' activities, they would obediently listen, say goodbye to the little girl, and leave.
Several animals quickly disinfected and cleaned the hall, while Old Axe took out a cleaning spray and disinfected the little girl from all sides.
Before long, a faint smell of disinfectant wafted through the lobby.
There's nothing we can do about it. The sanatorium not only houses disabled cubs, but also healthy abandoned cubs and... cubs with psychological problems.
The next few squirrels Cheng Shuang saw all had different psychological problems, such as autism, and some had never interacted with animals since birth and were afraid of physical contact. Their big tails were the best shield for them to hide.
In order for its mother to recover her health, she gave up her good job and became a teacher at the orphanage for abandoned cubs, just so that her cub could receive the best care.
However, after several years, the cub's illness did not improve at all, until the human-pet hybrid appeared.
This time it wasn't Cheng Shuang; the little squirrel approached Du Jun on its own initiative. The young man's clear face showed no sign of aversion; on the contrary, it was more gentle. He gently stroked the little squirrel's fur, letting it lean against his lap and slowly eat pine cones.
In a quiet corner of the hall, the squirrel mother's excited and hopeful cries could be heard, small and delicate, as if afraid of disturbing this scene that had never been seen before.
Cheng Shuang jumped off the giant axe's claws and slowly approached the smallest human pet behind the red fox, using snacks as bait to try to get it to communicate with the little squirrel.
When Du Jun turned his head and saw this, he immediately understood the little girl's idea. He cooperated with her and gradually made the little squirrel accept the touch of the second human pet.
Because squirrels and red foxes are both furry species, and squirrels are not as ferocious as carnivores, the person naturally stroked its fur. Seeing that the cub did not harm him, he carefully approached it for food.
Although clumsy, it is harmless and approachable.
The mother squirrel wiped away her tears, revealing a look of thankful surprise. This day was extremely important for her and her baby. She immediately went to consult with Mr. Axe about the precautions for raising human pets, and set a time to go to the store to choose a small human pet to accompany her baby as it grows up.
It doesn't ask that keeping a pet can cure diseases; it only hopes that its cubs can have a glimmer of light in that dark and lonely world.
The day was so fulfilling that even Cheng Shuang, whose stamina had increased considerably, started yawning before it got dark, not to mention the animals who had been busy all day.
The abandoned children sanatorium occupies a large area, and the estate has fields and orchards. In addition to their own consumption, the remaining crops are sold online to cover the normal operating expenses of the sanatorium.
We can't always rely on private sponsorships. What will happen to the nursing home if the sponsors withdraw their funding?
Dean Raccoon was a wise middle-aged beast. He was grateful for the joy that the human pets brought to the cubs in the yard, and invited the group of beasts to stay overnight to avoid the inconvenience of traveling at night.
Mr. Axe was not good at socializing, but he was indeed a businessman, so he could somewhat discern the deeper meaning behind Dean Raccoon's overtures.
Simply put, it wanted to buy a pet, but didn't have the money.
After coaxing his baby to sleep, Mr. Axe did not pull back the tail that the baby was holding. Instead, he turned on the video call and went straight to the point, asking Dean Raccoon about his intention to keep the guests.
The animals on Animal Planet rarely engage in scheming or trickery; even the cunning fox disdains lying.
Without hesitation, Dean Raccoon pulled up several short videos and over a hundred photos posted by Big Axe within a week, and said with a kind smile, "Social media is a great promotional platform. Your little human pet has become popular. Do you think that if human pets come to the aquarium every week to play with the cubs, such a kind act would bring you more business opportunities? Perhaps it can also help animals to better understand and love human pets. After all, they are not just pets, but also family and companions."
It must be said that the dean's last sentence was the key to touching Mr. Axe, even though all he wanted was the opportunity to become a human-pet volunteer.
"Transportation costs are too high," Mr. Axe rationally raised the issue.
Dean Raccoon's eyes lit up. A problem meant there was hope. "The institute also has a partnership with the car rental service station. Their owner is one of the sponsoring animals."
"Give me a proposal first, I want to take a closer look." Mr. Axe didn't accept or reject it immediately; what he valued was Dean Raccoon's sincerity.
Hearing this, Cheng Shuang felt completely relieved and fell asleep. Even though she knew she would be leaving soon, her worry persisted regardless of time or place.
According to her observation, the pet business has always been neither good nor bad. If she could cooperate with the nursing home to enhance the store's reputation, it would at least keep the lazy and unambitious Old Axe busy and help him find his own career goals.
The little girl nuzzled the tiger's tail in her arms, hoping that Old Axe's life would get better and better, even without her.
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