Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 235 - 95 Arrival at the Zoo_1

Chapter 235: Chapter 95 Arrival at the Zoo_1

Yan Fei and Xu Xiaoyan arrived at the train station. Before getting off, they inquired about how to get to the zoo. Instead of going straight there, they first went to the railway bridge tunnel where Yan Fei once sold dinosaur bones.

Xu Xiaoyan, a country girl visiting the city for the first time, found everything fascinating. She trailed behind Yan Fei, constantly uttering remarks beside his ears like how short that girl’s skirt is and how the boy’s hair is as long as a girl’s. She even compared someone’s hair to a pop star named Guo Feng.

Constantly finding everything around her interesting, Yan Fei had no idea that the man singing "the heart will follow love" from the speakers of a roadside shop was the pop singer Xu Xiaoyan was talking about. To him, regardless of resemblance, it was foolish for a man to have such long hair.

Such long hair not only interferes with hearing and vision but also becomes a hindrance in daily life. More importantly, it’s extremely convenient to be grabbed in a fight, making it easy to be hit in the face.

Seeing Yan Fei’s expression of disdain, Xu Xiaoyan guessed his thoughts and instantly felt a heavier burden: "Looks like, in addition to reading classics to improve your character, you’ll have to watch more TV and listen to more news. Otherwise, you won’t understand anything people are talking about!"

Yan Fei continued to be disdainful but this time, afraid of Xu Xiaoyan’s subsequent comments, he just didn’t express it. For him, who was performing a song had nothing to do with him—it would be more practical to know who could raise cattle.

He is, after all, a typical pragmatist, immersed in his little world all day long. Firm in his goals, he rushes headlong into things, oblivious to the scenery around him. Without Xu Xiaoyan, he would probably become like these stubborn old fools when he grows old, putting himself in a terrible mess with a careless move.

Understanding him well, Xu Xiaoyan quietly poked her two fingers at his arm and threatened fiercely: "Say, you’ll have to watch more TV and listen to more broadcasts after we get back, to learn more."

Noticing Xu Xiaoyan’s two slim and tender fingers, Yan Fei obediently repeated the sentence.

Xu Xiaoyan let go of his fingers, pleased with herself: "Good that you’re scared! Humph!"

By the time they had finished talking, they had arrived at their destination. Yan Fei spotted a man selling fish and asked, "Excuse me, sir, do you sell catfish?"

The old fishmonger looked up at Yan Fei and Xu Xiaoyan smilingly, "No, that thing’s not good. At present, carp or Hypophthalmichthys nobilis are cheap, but catfish, no one wants even at a few dimes; who will sell it!"

Hearing that it’s only a few dimes per catty, Yan Fei was a bit disappointed. However, he didn’t give up and asked, "What if the catfish is more than 2 feet long? Can a big one sell for a higher price?"

"More than 2 feet?" The old man was slightly astonished, then laughed. "That size is rare to see, but the bigger they are, the cheaper they get. Who would want such a giant catfish at home! Even if it’s 2 yards long, it wouldn’t increase in value. Do you raise these at home?"

"No, I just caught some in the river and came to inquire," Yan Fei responded casually.

The old man chuckled again, "That’s good then. That creature eats everything, the bigger it gets, the worse it tastes, rather dirty too, not suitable for formal occasions..."

Hearing the old man’s words, Yan Fei thoroughly abandoned the idea of selling catfish. The main reason was that he had caught many large catfish, and the small pond on Vegetable Garden Island was full of them.

This trip to the city was intended to sell the catfish, thinking he could make some money. But when he heard the price, he was disheartened. The hundreds of catties of fish wouldn’t fetch much even if they were sold, perhaps only one or two hundred yuan. It wouldn’t be worth the trouble.

Moreover, he would need to enter and exit Vegetable Garden Island to take out the fish. With Xu Xiaoyan with him, finding a secluded place would be difficult. Apart from risking his secret being discovered, the effort wouldn’t even cover the cost.

Since he was no longer intending to sell the catfish, he took Xu Xiaoyan directly to the bus to the zoo.

Xu Xiaoyan then asked in puzzlement, "Yan Xiaofei, I’ve been eating large catfish meat you serve me daily, and I think it tastes quite good! Why did the fishmonger say the taste of catfish is bad?"

Hearing this, Yan Fei began to bluff again, "That old man lacks experience, he’s definitely never seen such large catfish like the ones I caught. He wouldn’t know!"

Xu Xiaoyan didn’t believe him, "He’s a professional fishseller, are you saying he has less experience than you? Besides, I’ve never seen you catch those big catfish, where does all that meat come from?"

Ever since spending their days together, Yan Fei had become an adept bluffer, reaching the master level of storytelling. Unblinking, he answered, "Catfish are carnivorous, they get terrifyingly large. I didn’t want to scare you, so I only catch them at night. They don’t change their hiding spots often, so they are easy to catch!"

"Humph!" Xu Xiaoyan knew he was just lying, she was helpless and refrained from asking anymore. "You’ve told me before that it was giant salamander meat! Bluffing!"

Yan Fei was amused: She disbelieves when I speak the truth, and she only listens when I tell lies, what can I do?

The bus to the zoo came infrequently, but Yan Fei was lucky. As soon as they finished their conversation, the bus arrived. He quickly got Xu Xiaoyan on board.

At that time, public buses didn’t have automatic coin deposit machines; tickets were sold by a conductor. They paid one yuan after informing the conductor about their destination and were directed towards the back.

Once on the bus, Yan Fei let Xu Xiaoyan sit by the window. She was too absorbed in the scenery outside the window to continue questioning Yan Fei about the fish.

The zoo in Wancheng City was located in a corner within the park. Although it didn’t look appealing, it was actually quite nice.

They had almost all the animals that should have been there, and they were well cared for.

This was the most glorious era of Wancheng City Zoo. With the advancement of the economy, the buildings around the park were rented out. The enormous amount of cash earned was even enjoyed by the lions and tigers of the zoo.

However, several years later, someone had a sudden idea. All the houses around the park were demolished and replaced with iron rails. Apparently, the intent was to allow the public to see the scenery inside the park, to add a touch of green to the city, but that’s a story for another day.

Shortly after the houses were demolished, within a few years, the zoo’s staff started to appear on the streets with donation boxes, asking for charitable contributions from the public for the animals’ food supplies.

From the moment they entered the park, Xu Xiaoyan was concerned about the cost.

The park was nothing impressive and yet had an entrance fee. It even cost more than the bus ride to the park, at one yuan per person. What she found even more excessive was that they had to buy another ticket to enter the zoo, and this was even more expensive at two yuan per person.