Super Zoo

```

Zhao Yun initially selected a few plots of land for the winery construction; however, the locations were not ideal. Either they were too far from the animal zoo for Suming to manage, or the land was too expensive to afford.

After the discovery of Chen Youliang's tomb in the back mountain, a piece of land about four or five kilometers away from the tomb, nestled halfway up the mountain, suddenly became available.

This plot of land was approximately several dozen acres, also embedded halfway up the mountain, and it directly faced the location of Chen Youliang's tomb. It was currently barren land that had been intended for residential use, to sell for the construction of luxury villas on the hillside.

But now, with an ancient tomb discovered a few kilometers away, the land was obviously not suitable for building villas for living. If it were in the city, a distance of four or five kilometers would be considered quite long. There are residential areas within five kilometers of a crematorium, and it wouldn't matter. But in the mountains, four or five kilometers seems very short, and on a clear day, one could almost see the opposite side at a glance.

Who would spend a lot of money to buy a villa when, upon opening their eyes each day, they could see the slope of a dead person's tomb in the distance? That would be looking for bad luck. Moreover, those who can afford villas are either rich from business or holding official positions—such people are most concerned about auspicious signs and good luck.

Therefore, this land was definitely not suitable for residential use anymore. The Construction Committee and several other government departments discussed whether to change the intended use of the land. Zhao Yun planned to blow some wind from behind the scenes and pull some strings to see if they could convert it into an industrial site, which could then be acquired for the winery.

Upon hearing this, Suming also made a call to Wang Jian She, hoping he could help and lend some support from behind. Land approval was not originally under Wang Jian She's jurisdiction, but since the plot was in the mountains, Wang Jian She, a leader in charge of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, had some say in the matter.

"Hmm, this..." Wang Jian She pondered for a moment before saying on the other end of the phone, "It shouldn't be a big issue, I'll try my best. Oh, did Wang Hao call you since he came back yesterday?"

"I received his call, planning to ask him out for a meal in a couple of days, and we can talk about the company's future plans," Suming laughed. Wang Hao was a constant worry to Wang Jian She. He was always hanging around aimlessly, and while Wang Jian She feared that his son could cause trouble, he also worried about his son's health when he genuinely dedicated himself to his work.

Even if there were no ties with Wang Jian She, Suming did not want Wang Hao to overwork himself to illness due to their friendship.Suming also needed capable people, and after this past half year's experience, Wang Hao had developed his abilities and was familiar with various governmental departments, making him perfect for helping Suming out.

During the hectic days, The Monkey King hadn't even had time to brew new batches of Monkey Wine in the back mountain, and the New Year's celebrations were fast approaching.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Suming planned to return home for the New Year. Despite apparent smooth sailing these months, a lot of perilous events happened that only Suming was privy to. Now that his small enterprise was finally taking shape in Yangchuan City, it was time to visit his mother and, preferably, bring her to Yangchuan City.

The zoo was closed for seven days during the New Year, and after taking an additional two weeks of leave, he had a total of twenty days of vacation. Before leaving, there were still matters to wrap up at the zoo.

This year's end-of-year bonus was so generous it was astounding. The zoo's ticket revenue alone was nearly twice of previous years, and the employees, having helped Suming with this and that, made more in tips than their regular salaries. When Mrs. Tong drafted the bonus distribution, Suming, in his customary style, suggested taking the smallest share for himself, a mere thousand yuan as a token gesture.

"Fine, since you don't care about that little bit of money anyway," Mrs. Tong said after completing the bonus distribution and closed the office door, "Su, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Ah?" Suming was taken aback, hoping it wasn't another matchmaking ploy?

It turned out to be exactly that, though not for Suming.

Mrs. Tong asked, "Your cousin, Su Meng, aside from not being eloquent, there's nothing wrong with him here, is there?" While speaking, she pointed at her temple.

"There's nothing wrong with him, but his family is very poor!" Suming said.

"Well, no matter how poor, after working with you for a couple of years, won't all be well?" Mrs. Tong was clear-sighted and whispered to Suming, "My distant niece Hu seems to have taken a liking to Su Meng."

Suming chuckled internally, thinking, I knew it. Seems like Nurse Hu, strong and sturdy, likes men of the same build. She's not my type, and I'm not hers.

"If she likes him, she should pursue him. Su Meng is easy to get along with," Suming hoped that Su Meng could have a family life. Since he had come to this world, it wouldn't be good to be forever alone, and Suming would have his own family eventually, so what would Su Meng do? It wasn't like he could follow Suming for his entire life?

"That's why I'm asking you if he has any issues here!" Mrs. Tong spoke mysteriously, "I'll tell you, you know Hu, she's extroverted, not like some girls who are bashful, but Su Meng seems utterly oblivious to her advances."

"Really? Is it possible he's not interested in Hu?" Suming inquired.

Although Su Meng still struggled to speak, he could generally understand others, and he could handle normal social interactions. Sometimes he would laugh loudly in his unique way, which was because he was inherently innocent, not truly foolish.

"Well, now I have to say something to you!" Mrs. Tong said, "Hu doesn't mind that your brother is mute, and yet he's the one snubbing Hu? I'm telling you, a good girl like Hu is hard to find!"

Suming slapped his forehead, thinking, Mrs. Tong, your logic is flawed, if Su Meng isn't interested in her, why come after me?

```

Mrs. Tong continued, "Do you think my Hu is too robust? Hey, it's good for a woman to be sturdy, better for childbirth! Since I'm older, I'll say something shameless, with Su Meng's physique, how could an average girl withstand him?"

Suming was completely stunned by the married woman's boldness and managed to say, "Well, I'll ask him what he really means, okay?"

"That's right, that kid Su Meng doesn't speak easily and beats around the bush. Don't let Hu wait any longer; she's already twenty-five this year..."

After Mrs. Tong finished talking, Suming took two bottles of Monkey Wine and two packs of cigarettes over to Mr. Peng at Mingqing Residence.

Among the older generation of staff at the zoo, Mr. Peng was the first to take Suming under his wing and had the best relationship with him. Perhaps because of this, now that Suming has become successful, Mr. Peng has naturally become the big brother among the old zoo staff.

"I know you've been busy. As long as you keep this kind intention, I've not taught you vainly as my apprentice. Hehe, to tell the truth, you've outstripped me long ago in skills," said Mr. Peng as he cooked a few dishes and chatted with Suming over drinks.

"Master, where are you spending the New Year?" asked Suming.

Suming knew Mr. Peng's situation at home; his wife had passed away early, and he only had one daughter, who was studying in college in another place. It was uncertain if she would come back for the New Year.

"My girl is coming home this year, so I'll be home for it!" Mr. Peng's face glowed as he talked about his daughter. She had excellent grades at school and often received scholarships. She used to study and work part-time due to their poor financial conditions. Now that Mr. Peng was in charge of the boats and feed, their financial situation had improved, so he didn't let her work so hard anymore.

Raising his glass to Suming, Mr. Peng put his drink down and said, "Su, I have something to discuss with you. My girl will be graduating after the New Year. Could you help her find a job?"

Having been a recent graduate himself, Suming knew too well the difficulties of job searching. It wasn't always the case that good grades guaranteed a good job. Moreover, Mr. Peng was getting on in years. He hinted that he wanted his daughter to stay in Yangchuan City after her graduation, and as a zookeeper with no connections or resources, it wasn't easy for him to secure a good job for his daughter.

"I've actually thought about it, just didn't want to demean her," said Suming, also sipping his wine. "I'm about to start a small distillery soon; we need an accountant. Your daughter majors in that, right? If she's willing, she can start with us. But the distillery won't be big, probably less than a dozen people."

"That'd be great! I'd be reassured if she works with you. You know, the society is so chaotic nowadays, and my girl, she looks like an angel. I'm just worried she might get taken advantage of."

"Absolutely, don't worry. I can't promise much, but she definitely won't be taken advantage of at my place."

Suming held back his laughter; Mr. Peng was good at everything except exaggerating about his daughter. When he drank too much, he would use all kinds of hyperbolic adjectives on his daughter. Suming had seen photos of her; she wasn't bad-looking but far from an angel — just a pretty face.

After a night of drinking with Mr. Peng, Suming gave Liang Shi the next day off. There wasn't much money left in the accounts, so he gave him 40,000 yuan to go home for the New Year.

He then visited Mr. Song's house. The old man was indeed getting older; he kept dozing off while chatting in the living room. Suming didn't disturb his sleep, left the gifts, greeted his family and left.

"You don't look so good," said Suming, who hadn't seen Wang Hao for a while and was shocked at his appearance.

Mr. Wang's face had an unhealthy pallor, like someone on the brink of death.

"Dude, it's almost New Year's, don't jinx me!"

Wang Hao rolled his eyes, "Last night, I had to accompany our leaders to have fun. Damn it, the old lecher had his fun, and he had to find me two companions. Look at how fat I am now, how could I cope with two?"

"So you're saying that was very painful for you?" said Suming.

"Absolutely, it was torture. At this rate, I'll vomit at the sight of delicacies and get turned off by beauties. My whole life is about to be ruined!" Mr. Wang lamented, clutching his head in agony.

"Damn, how did the Party end up recruiting a degenerate like you?" Suming flipped him the bird, "Come work for me after the New Year, I guarantee you'll spend twenty hours out of twenty-four immersed in the joy of labor."

"Fantastic!" Wang Hao slapped his thigh, "I now think the happiest thing in the world is to work!"

*********

PS: In the next few days, there will be double updates with 6,000 words each. I'm working on building a buffer, but don't worry, because we'll soon reach 1,500 average subscriptions, and then you know what happens...