Chapter 160: Extra Story Three

Chapter 160: Extra Story Three

"Mom, your younger son has a peeping Tom habit!" Gu Junrui counter-accused.

Gu Peiming was speechless.

Qin Yao closed her eyes. "Okay, it's pretty clear what happened. Mingming, you sneaked a peek at your brother's diary, and he took advantage of the situation by deliberately writing shocking things to scare you."

"Don't you get your brother's weird sense of humor?"

Gu Peiming glared at his older brother. "Did you hear that? You have a weird sense of humor!"

Gu Junrui held back his laughter. "Did you really fall for that? You silly kid, were you actually scared?"

"Out of everyone in the world, you’re the one I care about most, my twin brother. You misunderstanding me like this makes your brother very sad."

Gu Peiming made a strange face. "If we’re on the same page, why won’t you let me see your diary, mean brother?"

"What privacy do you have from me? If you're me, then I'm you, right?"

Gu Junrui: "Even brothers have their own secrets."

...

Qin Yao nodded and led the clapping. "Seeing you two getting along so well is what makes our family life truly harmonious and loving."

Gu Cheng rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

The little girl next to him suddenly burst into tears. "Mom, I'm so pitiful! Dad cares about you the most, you care about Dad the most, big brother cares about second brother the most, second brother cares about big brother the most. Am I just the extra person in this family?"

Qin Yao pinched her daughter's cheek. "Don't be unreasonable. You're the little princess of this family."

And quite a handful!

"You're Mom's joy."

Qin Yao stroked her daughter's ego, knowing that her little one wasn't the brightest. On a daily basis, she needed to coax her more. As a mother, she knew she was being selfish. Sometimes, she didn’t need her children to be too accomplished. She preferred her somewhat ditzy daughter, who was more likely to stay by her parents' side.

Knowing her youngest daughter wasn’t the sharpest, she wanted to shelter her under her wings forever, letting her be a carefree little princess.

She could be willful, spoiled, and not have to worry about anything.

Her daughter would have a mom who would protect her from all the storms of life.

Thinking about this always gave Qin Yao an unexplainable sense of contentment.

She worked so hard to ensure her daughter could live a comfortable life. After all, in this journey of life, whether you become a king, a general, achieve great fame, or accomplish grand feats, in the end, you're still just a handful of yellow earth.

There wasn’t much difference.

Qin Yao hugged her daughter tightly, squeezing her affectionately. "My dear daughter, you're mom's little heart and soul."

Gu Cheng found the scene unbearable to watch.

The little one turned her head to glance at him and snorted, "Commander Gu, shouldn't you express something to me?"

Gu Cheng responded dismissively, "Study hard."

She tugged at Qin Yao's hand, "Mom, look at him!"

Qin Yao chuckled, "Your dad prefers to express his love through actions. How about letting Dad help you with your homework?"

The little Meimei from the Gu family: "..."

"Mom, save me! Don't let Dad throw me to the sharks!" She had made a mistake. She originally thought the biggest demon was her brother, but actually, the most unfathomable one was her own father.

Who knows what terrifying fate awaits when he gets his hands on you.

She held her cheeks and said, "I'm just a cute little sea otter."

"Okay, okay," Qin Yao kissed her cheek.

"Mom, I've decided to give up on being a zoo director!" After working hard for over half a month, experiencing excitement, frustration, and feeling regret, it seemed she really wasn't cut out for it. "I'll switch to a new wish—I want to be a female captain!"

Qin Yao: "..."

"Absolutely, go for it! Your mom, dad, and brother will always support you."

Qin Yao rubbed her daughter's head. She hoped that her daughter was just a late bloomer. There are many examples of kids who did well in elementary school but didn't do as great in middle school. Many smart children tend to succeed later in life.

After giving up on being a zoo director, she found herself getting along better with animals, who started gathering around her.

"Mom, you're right. You can't force things. Among all these animals, there's always one that likes me! I just need to be good to it!"

Meimei discovered the secret to making animal friends—extending her hand. Those that came up to sniff it and interact affectionately with her naturally took a liking to her.

She only needed to interact with these animals, feed them tasty treats, and care for them. In return, these little creatures provided her with the best emotional support.

At her young age, she had already learned: a forced relationship never works. The harder she tried to force interactions, the quicker the animals would run away from her.

"It's so frustrating! Why do all the animals love my big brother!"

The only consolation was that her second brother was also unpopular with most animals, with only a few special ones showing natural affection towards them.

The one most attached to Meimei was an ugly white swan from the Swan Lake. Every time it saw Meimei, it would excitedly spread its wings and rush over, carrying a scent of "chicken."

Initially, Meimei was repulsed by the stinky swan, but its tiny beady eyes were always fixated on her, making her feel special.

Meimei couldn't help but grow fond of it.

At first, she always complained, "Why are you so ugly yet you like me?"

"Why are you so ugly? Are you really a swan?"

...

Later on, she said, "Fine, even if you're ugly, we're still best friends! I'll give you the best food and treats!"

"Actually, you're not that ugly."

"Hmph, you have great taste! From now on, you'll be the princess of our zoo!"

At this point, the actual zoo director, Qin Xueguan, Meimei's uncle, reminded her, "It's a male."

Meimei: "..."

"I said it's a princess, and it's a princess!"

Thus, with Meimei's endorsement, the star animal enjoying luxurious treatment in their zoo was born—a male swan named "Haohao."

She even paraded the swan around the zoo to demonstrate to the misbehaving animals what it meant by "one goose prospers, all benefit."

*

After the arrival of the giant pandas, the zoo saw a modest uptick in visitors. Most people on the island had never seen a giant panda with their own eyes and flocked to the zoo to catch a glimpse.

"Why can't we go in for a photo with the pandas?"

"Why aren't there any animal performances?"

"The pandas are clearly well cared for; their eyes are so bright."

"These animals are more spirited than those at the zoo in the city."

"Exactly, look at how the red panda is hopping around."

Some people thought the animals were well-cared for, while others felt there wasn't enough to see. "There's too much greenery. Aren't animals usually kept in cages at other zoos?"

"The tiger is hiding under a rock and won't come out."

"The zookeeper says it only comes out when it feels like it."

"I came to the zoo to see animals. If I can't see them, what's the point?"

Some visitors wrote suggestions, hoping to reduce the barriers around the animals for a more comprehensive view. Qin Yao ignored these suggestions.

At first, Qin Xueguan was also anxious. "If visitors are unhappy, what if no one comes in the future? Should we make some changes?"

"Brother, you're getting worked up. Where did you learn about animal protection?"

Qin Yao said indifferently, "If the zoo isn't making money, I'll reach out to wealthy donors."

Or perhaps "incite" them. With her daughter's skills, Qin Yao could raise hundreds of thousands in annual donations from wealthy individuals. Many wealthy people, especially affluent ladies, were very compassionate toward these little animals.

Once Qin Xueguan understood his sister's plan, he stopped insisting on profitability.

However, what he didn't expect was that making animals harder to see actually increased "repeat visitors," and the zoo sold tickets even better.

"I didn't see Coco last time. This time, I must see it!"

"It's so energetic and lively! It really has a lot of spirit."

"These animals clearly live comfortably. I wish I were one of them—fed, watered, served, and free to come out for visitors if I feel like it, or hide away sleeping if I don't!"

"That animal is so bold! It even peed on us!"

"Look at how it's showing off its teeth and claws. It's so spirited!"

For visitors, seeing these "spirited" animals was much more fun than seeing animals locked in iron cages, which often just lay there like decaying toys, lifeless.

As for animal performances, while novel, they seemed too cruel. Having animals mimic human actions—what’s the point?

Bowing, kneeling, jumping through hoops of fire—these aren't natural animal behaviors; they're conditioned responses trained through human coercion. Their eyes reflect only panic, fear, and a sense of defeat, coupled with the dread of punishment for failed performances.

Thanks to the growing number of repeat visitors and the opening of the zoo’s commercial street, making a profit became almost inevitable.

Qin Yao implemented a business model of "low ticket prices, high commercial value." The zoo offered cheap tickets, while its commercial street, packed with animal-themed souvenirs and tasty treats, drew huge crowds and generated significant revenue.

In addition, she invited a group of writers to build an inspiration guesthouse in the zoo. By day, the writers worked part-time as zookeepers, and by night, they focused on their writing, receiving modest wages and free room and board to ensure these dedicated writers wouldn’t go hungry.

Qin Yao wasn’t offering this arrangement out of pure charity; she had an agreement with the writers that her company would have the first right to publish and adapt any works created during their stay.