YM778.TV Chapter 22: 22: Stepping on Milk
Every second of waiting seemed to stretch on endlessly.
"Director! I, I\'m here!"
"You\'ve worked hard! Sit down and rest for a bit!"
Lan Li arrived with a bag, leaning against the doorframe of the office to catch her breath, her hair sticking together with sweat!
She looked up and her eyes suddenly widened in disbelief, she let out a cry of shock!
Director, what\'s that black and white striped thing in your arm!
A...a tiger cub?
And it\'s a White Tiger!?
"Direc, Director, that, that, that..." Lan Li became so excited, she couldn\'t speak clearly!
Fang Ye took the bag from the overly excited Lan Li, handed her the little White Tiger, and said very calmly, "It\'s just a White Tiger. Calm down. Hold it for me for a moment, be really careful, and gentle, don\'t scare it."
Ouch!
Lan Li held the little White Tiger as if it was a delicate piece of porcelain, gingerly embracing it.
She touched its tiny nose with her finger and immediately withdrew as if shocked, "It really is a White Tiger!"
Her eyes filled with love and treasuring as she looked at the little White Tiger, then she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Director, where did you get this from? If I\'m not mistaken, there aren\'t more than a hundred White Tigers in the whole world, right?"
Fang Ye had already cleaned the milk bottle and prepared the goat milk formula!
He stirred it until it was even and stealthily added a few drops of the Protective Potion.
Shaking the bottle in his hands, he pressed it against his face and closed his eyes to feel the temperature.
Just to be safe, he also dropped a droplet on the back of his hand.
Hmm!
The temperature seemed just right.
Hearing Lan Li\'s question, he tossed out the explanation provided by the system, "This little White Tiger was donated by an overseas zoo."
"Eh, White Tigers are so precious. Wouldn\'t zoos treat them like treasures, and be reluctant to donate them?"
"Well, that zoo faced some economic difficulties..."
Fang Ye came up with a random excuse, and without needing to elaborate, Lan Li nodded as if she understood, "The Director must have donated money to that zoo and got it in exchange, right? Having money really does allow you to do whatever you want!"
"Yes, yes!"
Fang Ye nodded in agreement, indicating she was absolutely right!
Lan Li gently rubbed her face against the little White Tiger\'s, "Little White Tiger, you\'re very lucky! The Director loves animals a lot, you can grow up here safe and happy!"
"Alright, let me feed it now! Otherwise, the milk will get cold, and that would be no good!"
Fang Ye placed the little White Tiger on his forearm, supporting its body, and held the milk bottle with his other hand.
Then, he brought the nipple to the little White Tiger\'s mouth!
As soon as he squeezed it a little, a few drops of milk seeped out.
The little White Tiger had been looking for something to eat this whole time, and tasting this hard-earned milk, it almost burst with gratitude!
Lying in the crook of Fang Ye\'s arm, its front paws tightly clung to his wrist as if afraid the milk would escape.
Its cheeks puffed in and out, sucking on the nipple vigorously!
Slurp, slurp!
The little White Tiger\'s throat moved rhythmically, swallowing the milk ceaselessly.
[Mood: Extremely Happy!]
After half an hour of feeding, the little White Tiger\'s sucking started to slow, and its body gradually relaxed.
Its forelimbs no longer clung tightly to Fang Ye\'s wrist but started fumbling over his palm, its chubby little claws extending, retracting, extending, retracting...
Lan Li watched the heartwarming scene from the side, resting her chin on her hands, with hearts continuously popping in her eyes: "The baby white tiger is actually kneading! So adorable!"
Kneading!
People who have raised cats may have seen their own furry companions perform this action on a soft blanket, a fluffy mattress, or even their thighs, all the while purring contentedly.
It\'s an inheritance from their kittenhood!
Kneading in cats is meant to stimulate the mother to produce more milk.
Although they no longer drink milk as they grow up, the feeling of lying safely and warmly in their mother\'s embrace, a sensation of happiness and contentment, is still etched in their memories.
Upon encountering something soft, they can\'t help but knead it, seeking the joy of the old days.
Fang Ye laughed, "Tigers are cats too, of course they knead!"
"Without being taught, they just know how to knead; life really is miraculous!"
Another fifteen minutes went by.
There was hardly any milk left in the bottle, and the baby white tiger, licking its lips, finally stopped its movements.
By then, its belly had become round and plump; it lay on its back, lazily sprawling in Fang Ye\'s arms.
One paw rested on its belly, and the other dangled off to the side.
It didn\'t look like it wanted to move at all, its demeanor endearingly foolish.
Fang Ye gently massaged its belly, aiding in its post-meal digestion.
"Burp~~~~~~"
Suddenly, with Fang Ye\'s massage, the baby white tiger opened its mouth and let out a long, milky burp.
It seemed quite satisfied with its meal!
"Waah~ waah~"
The baby white tiger wriggled its body and let out two soft cries.
Compared to the hoarse, urgent cries from before it was fed, it now sounded more like a contented moan after a full meal.
It wiggled its paws and twisted its body.
A little while later.
The baby white tiger closed its eyes and peacefully fell asleep.
"The baby white tiger has fallen asleep~"
"Mm," Fang Ye stroked its little head, speaking in a soft voice, "Lan Li, go call a few people, clean up the foster room, air it out, and lay some mats on the floor. You might be in for some hard work these next few months!"
"It\'s not hard, I really like the baby white tiger!"
Before leaving, Lan Li pinched its tiny paws reluctantly.
The foster room at Linhai Zoo had been idle for a long time, and was now filled with miscellaneous items that needed to be cleared out for use.
But there was no way to finish it all today.
Fang Ye planned to sleep in his office tonight to take close care of the baby white tiger.
In the next couple of days, he would train Lan Li, teaching her how to feed the white tiger and change its diapers, and then they could take turns looking after it.
From the memories of his original self and his interactions over the past few days, Fang Ye saw that the level of love, care, and patience of the other animal keepers wasn\'t quite sufficient.
Take the animal logs he had assigned, for example. Although they were completed, there was a feeling that they were done somewhat perfunctorily.
Lack of technical skills can be quickly improved through learning!
But love and patience aren\'t qualities that can be developed overnight; they need to come from a genuine fondness for the animals.
It was fine for these animal keepers to perform familiar routine tasks, but Fang Ye was hesitant to entrust the yet infant white tiger to their care.
If the white tiger got hungry for milk during the night and the keeper on duty slept like a log, unable to be woken by the white tiger\'s hoarse cries, it would truly suffer.
"Yes, it\'s time to hire some more people!"
Fang Ye\'s desire for skilled staff became more urgent.