Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl
Chapter 488 - 444: Already Honest, Seeking Forgiveness

"Leopard Sister, Leopard Sister, please let me go!"

As soon as he stepped into the emergency station's clearing, Chen Ying was knocked down, and a leopard head was breathing heavily against his neck.

Even though it's not particularly stinky, carnivores rarely brush their teeth, so their breath is quite poignant.

After sniffing for two or three minutes, Chen Ying was about to roll his eyes when Leopard Sister finally lifted her head, gave a low howl, released him, and jumped onto a wooden scaffold to lie down.

"Leopard Sister, your welcome was a bit too intense. Don't do this next time."

Chen Ying lifted his collar and sniffed; his shirt was unusable.

Professor Bai stood on the first-floor platform with his hands behind his back, watching him, smiling brightly.

"Teacher, why are you alone? Where are the others?"

"Little Sen and Mengmeng went to Old Bear Gully; they said a new black bear has arrived there. Little Gao and Xiao Shen went to check on the artificial birdhouse in Huaqiu Valley. They should be back soon."

"Why did those two go? Isn't the Bird Research Institute handling that?"

"They mostly sent people up the mountains; three mountains, four teams, and the task is quite heavy."

After putting away his things, Chen Ying went downstairs, and Leopard Sister and Jinya were no longer visible.

"Those little guys went to play in the back." Professor Bai was feeding the Little Hedgehog while tidying the small wooden platform.

"Look, this is what we made ourselves, isn't it great?"

(Something like this, a bit larger, with a small platform two inches high at the bottom.)

The materials were all processed from dead trees found in the forest and then joined. It was treated with waterproof paint before letting the hedgehogs move in.

Chen Ying squatted down for a look; it had a three-room, two-hall layout with a special area for exercise.

The little house was placed under the tree next to the warehouse, convenient for the hedgehog family to move about.

The Little Hedgehog was like a meatball, sleeping in the cotton nest.

The cotton cushions in their little nest were sewn by the teacher's wife herself, several of them, making it easy to wash, dry, and change.

After chatting with Professor Bai for a while, they heard dog barks approaching. Looking up, it was Duoduo, followed by two chubby little dogs.

"These two pups are the children of two retired dogs, picked and then eliminated by the Police Dog Base. They stayed at the Protection Station and can patrol the mountains with rangers in the future."

After the Protection Station was upgraded to a research base, a security team was also established. They patrol around the Protection Station and the base perimeter at least three times a day. Dogs are taken along on patrol to guard against hidden animals or people with malicious intent.

"Where is Duoduo's mother wolf?"

"The mother wolf migrated to North Mountain with the pack, but Duoduo couldn't bear to leave and stayed behind."

Duoduo, after all, is a dog, not a wolf. Even though it has a strong bond with the mother wolf, it can't completely adapt to pure wild life.

However, due to the establishment of the research base, human activity in this area has become too frequent. For the development of the wolf pack and safety on both sides, they naturally chose to move away.

"But every once in a while, Duoduo visits the mother wolf. I estimate when it and the mother wolf's children take over the pack, the mother wolf will return."

Professor Bai rubbed Duoduo's head, brought out a pot of meat and bones from the kitchen, and placed half in the feeding area under the wooden rack.

Duoduo let the two pups eat the meat, while it lay beside Chen Ying, sticking out its tongue as if smiling in welcome to Chen Ying's return.

Before lunch, Elder Tiger and Brother Leopard returned with Xiao Hai.

Xiao Hai had gone up the mountain to check on snakes because a ranger reported finding a snake den in a small mountain hollow between Huaqiu Valley and Hot Spring Valley a few days ago.

"There's a pile of rocks there. Brother Gao and I went to check it out. It's likely accumulated from summer mudslides, and a nest of snakes settled there. They're all cobras, about thirty in total."

Xiao Hai showed Chen Ying the photos he took.

"I scattered powder in the area and planted some snake-repelling plants. I also informed the Protection Station to avoid going to the hollow."

Now rangers carry snake medicine, realgar ointment, etc., along with trekking poles to conveniently deal with snakes while walking through grass.

"I'm planning to take Little Bai over there to have a look. That guy's been hiding at the Protection Station, scaring people. Fortunately, it's smart enough not to frighten the kids; otherwise, it might've been put down humanely."

Seeing the photos, Chen Ying felt a bit creeped out; a nest of baby snakes entwined together triggered his fear of density.

"I'll go bring it back this afternoon. I parked the car and left, forgetting I had that Big Baby…"

Just as he spoke, a white rope fell from the sky.

This was good; Little Bai, hearing that Chen Ying had forgotten about it, got annoyed and tied itself in a knot around his neck!

"Hey, how did you come back?"

Not only did Little Bai return, but Daqing also slowly slid down from the tree and naturally wrapped around Xiao Hai.

Apart from helping at the emergency station, Xiao Hai and Xiao Shen served as lecturers at the research base near the Protection Station, responsible for teaching students who came for research studies.

Currently, there are teachers in the field of animal studies, but lecturers in the field of plant studies are still needed.

Previously, the staff at the Protection Station acted as temporary lecturers, explaining the unique plants in Jiamu Gully to the students. However, they could only provide a brief introduction, and lacked the resources for an in-depth explanation of plant characteristics, growth environments, and other knowledge.

"Currently, many Protection Stations nationwide are promoting volunteer initiatives. Previously, Jiamu Gully didn't have any, but since this research base was set up, it's estimated that starting this year, volunteers will be arranged to come. The expected service period is six months, mainly to teach the children and conduct regular field investigations."

During the six months Xiao Hai was here, he visited all four villages and established good relationships with the local village officials.

"I had been drifting around without a firm plan. After my service period here ends, I'm planning to return to Dian Province to take the civil service exam. While there is intense competition in other departments, positions in villages are relatively easier to apply for."

His educational background and experience are sufficient. As long as he's willing to endure hardships and work in challenging locations, passing the civil service exam is not difficult for him.

"That's good. It's important to have a plan. You can frequently chat with the local village officials. If you need any help, feel free to ask."

Xiao Hai chuckled awkwardly, rubbed his shaved head, and mentioned his plan to spend a night in the highest village over the weekend.

"The conditions in that village are probably the harshest. When I had dinner with the local village official last time, we discussed industry development. I think we can set up a snake farm there."

In terms of snake farming, he's a legitimate expert, with familial expertise backing him up.

"The area is remote, but accessible by car. They initially hoped to earn money through tourism, but the conditions there are really not favorable, and tourists rarely stop by their village. However, I have observed that the climate and environment there are very suitable for snakes. So, setting up a snake farm along with a traditional alcohol brewing workshop to develop a unique industry should be a viable path."

Besides snake farming, he believes rearing mountain chickens and pearl chickens is also feasible there.

Currently, special farming is strictly regulated, but these few villages have the inherent advantage, backed by the Agricultural University for technical support. Additionally, the villagers' cooperation is strong, unlike the complexities found in larger villages.

Of course, no place can achieve complete unity among all people, but the relatively straightforward population in these villages with simple customs provides a good foundation for cooperative entrepreneurship within the village.

The village next to Xiaozhai Village has made a closed-loop industry by growing medicinal herbs and flowers and setting up a hive. The development there has noticeably accelerated over the past two years.

Xiaozhai Village relies on tourism and specialty agricultural products (such as Sichuan pepper and walnuts) for entrepreneurship, leading to nearly all households completing renovations and reconstructions of old houses, if not building small villas.

Vacant old houses, without specific owners, are managed, repaired, and renovated collectively by the village, operating as village guesthouses. Villagers are hired for jobs, and the income goes into collective accounts, providing preference and assistance to the village's elderly and households needing welfare support.

The two villages a little lower down the mountain developed well, making the village higher up in the mountains appear somewhat underdeveloped.

Xiao Hai's frequent visits to the village were partly to learn as a foundation for his future work in villages and partly to try and lend the villagers a helping hand, hoping to catch the right opportunity.

Chen Ying had been outside these past two years and really hadn't paid much attention to the situation of the four villages.

After hearing Xiao Hai's account, she realized he had considered it quite thoroughly.

Although the four villages are independent administrative entities, historically they've supported each other. Significant disparities might lead to potential issues.

Professor Bai, overhearing their conversation, chimed in.

"These days, special farming is also hard to manage, affected by issues from a few years ago."

"Yes, but fortunately, snake farming is relatively stable. Apart from ensuring the safety of facilities, there's usually no outbreak of infectious diseases. Mountain chickens and pearl chickens, however, are more problematic to rear."

Avian flu is not a trivial matter, and slight negligence can lead to total devastation.

Moreover, many farming practices now adopt intelligent management systems, and it's somewhat challenging for villagers to master the latest farming technologies.

"For this issue, you can consult one of the teachers in this research team."

Professor Bai offered a suggestion.

"In your team visiting Shennongjia, there's a teacher whose project is related to poultry farming. He also serves as a technical advisor to several chicken farms."

Chen Ying raised her head in surprise at Professor Bai, pondering whether this seems a bit stretched.

"Well, his expertise is in avian studies, and poultry farming is a business extension. Researchers also need to make a living."

That makes sense, especially for special poultry farming; lacking relevant knowledge poses difficulties for successful rearing.

Except for the elder rearing "phoenixes" – he was naturally gifted with the Innate Bird Breeding Saint Body!

"Alright, when I go over, I'll seek advice from that professor about the issues of rearing mountain chickens and pearl chickens, or see if the teacher has any other suggestions."

"In fact, I'd recommend rearing golden pheasants."

Professor Bai patted his thigh, "There are already many golden pheasants on our mountain, and the Bird Research Institute professionals can provide guidance. Buying vaccines and other necessities would also be convenient."

Chen Ying and Xiao Hai exchanged a glance.

It could be done, but they were truly uncertain if, once reared, the bird-loving enthusiasts would resist selling them!