"How about this, Director."

Yang Qi proposed a compromise. "I’ll make time every day to come to the Leopard Hall, check on Big Flower, and talk to her. As long as she can see me every day, that should be enough."

"Master Li can still handle the main tasks like daily feeding, cleaning, and care. I’ll also keep up with my regular duties. This way, we can keep Big Flower’s emotions stable without neglecting the other animals I’m responsible for, which might cause them to feel unsettled. What do you think?"

After listening, Jiang Kai felt Yang Qi’s considerations were indeed thorough and nodded.

"Alright, that arrangement is more sound. It’ll be a bit more work for you, making an extra trip every day. Old Li, what do you think?"

"No problem!"

Old Li quickly smiled and said, "With Xiao Yang coming by every day to give Big Flower some ’psychological counseling,’ it’ll make my job a lot easier too. The most important thing is that Big Flower and her cubs are safe and sound. That’s better than anything!"

And so, the matter was settled.

Yang Qi now had a new routine task: "visiting the pregnant leopard."

「...」

In the evening, the faint aroma of rice drifted through the dorm in the small villa by the mountain.

Yang Qi had cooked a pot of Spirit Rice Porridge, which he shared with Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard.

The furry kids ate with particular relish.

After dinner, while Yang Qi was washing dishes at the kitchen sink, the phone on the counter suddenly began to buzz nonstop.

He wiped his hands, picked up his phone, and saw it was a WeChat message from Pang Yunrui. A series of pictures was loading.

He tapped it open. They were all photos of land.

Some showed slopes covered in weeds and shrubs, some showed relatively flat but barren land with exposed yellow soil, and a few were plots where you could see the ridges of former rice paddies, clearly once farmland. Farther in the distance were rolling hills with good vegetation cover.

The lighting in the photos was excellent, showing that the place was wide open and very pristine.

At the end was a text message:

[Fatty Rui: Junior, the land is secured! The paperwork is mostly done. Now we just need you, the Director, to come give it your expert approval. When are you free to come take a look? Any thoughts or suggestions, just let me know! We brothers need to plan this out properly!]

’The land for the new zoo has been decided on this quickly?’

Yang Qi raised an eyebrow slightly, unable to help but marvel at the efficiency and power of the Dazhuang Group.

It hadn’t been long since he’d reached a private agreement with Pang Yunrui. To find such a large plot of land in Laishan County that met all the requirements—far from residential areas, with mountains, water, and flat ground, and a decent ecological foundation—and to have progressed this far, it was clear Pang Yunrui had put in a great deal of effort.

He studied the photos carefully and replied.

[Okay, Senior. I have a day off the day after tomorrow. I’ll go take a look then.]

The moment he sent the message, Pang Yunrui replied almost instantly.

[Fatty Rui: Awesome! The day after tomorrow, right? Perfect! Give me a call when you get to Laishan County. I’m telling you, the new place is a bit ’big,’ and there are no proper roads inside yet. If I don’t guide you, I’m afraid you’ll get lost even in a Wrangler, haha!]

’A bit "big"?’

Yang Qi smiled and replied with a concise "Okay."

For Pang Yunrui to specifically emphasize "big" and worry that he might get lost, it seemed the area of this land truly exceeded his initial expectations.

’That’s good, though. A bigger place means more room to work with.’

Creating an ideal place that integrated nature, animal welfare, and combined both research and education would require a sufficient amount of land.

"I’ll go see for myself the day after tomorrow, just how big it is."

Yang Qi put his phone away, his heart filling with greater anticipation for the new territory he would soon help plan and build.

The next day, Yang Qi went about his daily work at the Zoo as usual.

He fed the Gray Wolves and raccoons, and recorded their conditions.

In the evening, he took the roly-poly giant panda, Tuantuan, out of his enclosure for a stroll and gave him two specially prepared apples.

Afterward, he went to the Leopard Hall as promised.

When Big Flower saw Yang Qi, she was clearly delighted and affectionately rubbed against him.

Yang Qi stayed with her for nearly half an hour, using the Spirit Communication Technique to gently communicate and soothe her pregnancy-related anxiety. He also used his perception to carefully check on her and the fetuses’ condition again. Everything was stable.

The keeper, Old Li, watched from the side, chuckling.

"The moment Xiao Yang shows up, it’s like Big Flower takes a chill pill. It’s more effective than me feeding her ten pounds of venison!"

「...」

「The following day was Yang Qi’s day off.」

As usual, Yang Qi first went to the Leopard Hall early in the morning to see Big Flower and complete his daily "psychological support" mission. Only then did he return home, gather Hu Zi, Leopard, Xiaojiu, and Bai Wan, start up his Wrangler, and drive away from the Zoo, heading toward Laishan County.

Ta Xue had gone into the mountains with her mother, Caiyun, for a few days to learn survival skills again.

Laishan County was located northwest of Cangshan, while the main urban area of Donghua City and the Zoo were on the southeastern foothills of Cangshan.

This trip meant that Yang Qi was essentially driving more than halfway around the perimeter of Cangshan.

Fortunately, the road conditions were good. As he drove along the provincial and county roads, the scenery outside his window gradually changed from urban, to suburban, and then to a typical landscape of hills and mountains.

A little over an hour later, the car entered the boundaries of Laishan County.

The overall level of development here was average. The villages and towns along the way seemed more rustic, and the air of the untamed wilderness was much stronger.

Yang Qi found a wide spot on the roadside to pull over and called Pang Yunrui.

"Hey, Junior! You here?"

Pang Yunrui’s hearty voice came through the phone, with the hollow sound of wind in the background.

"Yeah, Senior, I’ve entered Laishan County. Where exactly are you now? Send me your location."

"You got it, I’ll send it on WeChat! But let me warn you, there are no proper roads near the location pin. The GPS will probably only get you to a nearby village. You better be prepared, the road ahead is pretty ’wild’!"

Pang Yunrui reminded him with a laugh.

Soon, a WeChat location pin was sent over.

Yang Qi opened his navigation app and entered it.

Sure enough, the navigation route only went as far as a nearby place called "Ao Village." After that, it was just a blank area with the message "No road information."

"It really is remote."

Instead of being surprised, Yang Qi was pleased.

’Remote means fewer disturbances. Perfect.’

He started the car again.

"Alright guys, I’m taking you to see our future new home!"