My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 548 Even Tigers Have Depression

After getting a clear look at the two tiger cubs...

Chen Ling was stunned.

Thin, haggard, and covered in wounds, his dirty body was filthy.

Is this still the innocent and lively Afu and Ashou, like a kitten?

and……

He actually saw tears in the eyes of the two tiger cubs.

Through the iron cage, her eyes glistened with tears.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, they stared at Chen Ling with pleading eyes, letting out panicked and desolate cries that sounded like weeping.

At that moment, Chen Ling's heart also trembled.

Then the two tiger cubs started pounding on the cage with their claws even more frantically, making a loud clanging sound and shaking it violently.

It continued to scream in panic, "Awooo!"

Tears streamed down her face.

The old zookeeper and others next to him hadn't yet noticed the two tiger cubs' unusual behavior. They simply spoke to Chen Ling in the same tone they used on the way there, saying, "Little Chen, you see? These two tiger cubs have been like this lately. To put it bluntly, it's no longer a matter of arousing their hunting instincts and wildness; they're becoming a bit neurotic... If this continues to worsen, there will definitely be casualties when they fight among the tiger pack."

The animal trainer leaned close to the zookeeper and whispered, "It seems that calling Brother Chen here didn't help. It looks like Afu and Ashou's illness..."

Before he could finish speaking, the zookeeper exclaimed in surprise, "Look! Afu and Shou's eyes are full of tears!"

"Hmm? Tears?"

The old headmaster, who was closest, quickly shone his flashlight over.

Upon taking the photo, one could see Ah Fu and Ah Shou's two pairs of teary eyes, constantly streaming with tears, as they frantically howled and scratched at the iron cage while crying.

"What's going on?"

It was the first time the group had ever seen a tiger cry like this, and they felt a strange sense of shock and unease.

Just then, Chen Ling said, "Open the cage, I'll go in and check the situation."

"Brother Chen, something's not right with those two tiger cubs..."

Before zookeeper Xiao Li could finish speaking, the old zookeeper waved his hand to interrupt him: "Open it. I'll take responsibility if anything happens."

The old man, being an old man, had already noticed the problem by this point.

really.

As soon as the cage was opened, Chen Ling walked into the tiger enclosure.

The two tiger cubs immediately jumped off the cage wall, eagerly taking tiny steps like two little kittens, howling as they ran to Chen Ling, burying their big heads in his arms and holding on tightly.

Everyone gaped, speechless.

He could only watch as the two tigers nestled in Chen Ling's arms, nuzzling and licking him...

"This, this, could it be that the two tiger cubs are sick because of this?"

"I never expected this, I really never expected this."

"...To be honest, I'm a bit confused. Can anyone tell me what's going on? Why did Ah Fu and Ah Shou get better as soon as this young Chen came over, and what about the old director?"

"Don't look at me, I don't understand what's going on either, but calling Xiao Chen over was definitely the right thing to do."

Actually, they weren't confused; they just couldn't understand what had happened between the two tiger cubs, Afu and Ashou, and Chen Ling in such a short time—far less than a month—that made them so dependent on and close to Chen Ling.

So much so that after leaving Chen Ling, even being with the tiger parents who raised him in the zoo where he was born and raised didn't work out. First, he lost his appetite and couldn't eat, and later his mental state also deteriorated.

It goes crazy and acts up all day long in the park, barking incessantly, and even went to fight with a big tiger; it almost hurt people.

His mental state can be described as extremely worrying.

But everything changed when Chen Ling arrived.

So much so that these people couldn't accept it for a while.

"Alright, alright, Ah Fu and Ah Shou, be good."

Chen Ling hugged the two tiger cubs and rubbed them for a while, feeling both sorry for them and relieved, not caring that he was covered in mud.

The two tiger cubs didn't care about any of that. They continued to rub and lick Chen Ling's face and neck, reluctant to leave. Their eyes were softer and clearer than before, revealing human-like excitement and affection.

The crowd that followed gasped in amazement, both surprised and incredulous.

How could a country youth, after only a few days of training, have developed such a relationship with a tiger?

They are closer than one's own parents.

"Xiao Chen, what's going on between you, Afu, and Ashou...?"

The old headmaster couldn't suppress his curiosity and looked hesitant to speak.

Chen Ling didn't respond directly, but instead asked, "Old Director, Afu and Ashou aren't doing well, why haven't they been isolated?"

"Ah, well, they were isolated before, but then several veterinarians said that the two tiger cubs needed socialization, so they were released back into the tiger enclosure."

The old kindergarten director said helplessly, "We tried all sorts of methods before, quarantining for a few days, letting people out for a few days, going back and forth, trying everything, but unfortunately, nothing seemed to work."

As he spoke, he looked at the two little tigers that were circling around Chen Ling and acting cute, licking Chen Ling's face with their big tongues until he couldn't open his eyes.

I've been the zoo director for so many years.

They've seen quite a few strange things, big and small, that happen to animals.

Moreover, due to their advanced age.

This also has advantages.

In my early years, I also obtained many notes on rare and exotic animals from the early zoo during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China period. At that time, the zoo was called "Wanshengyuan" (Ten Thousand Life Garden), and it actually had more species than it does now, and knew even more bizarre stories.

But I've never encountered a situation like this before.

More and more staff members were drawn to this area.

Everyone gathered around Chen Ling and the two tiger cubs, looking at them with surprise, and then a flurry of discussion broke out, with the voices growing louder and noisier.

Because someone recognized Chen Ling as the young man who had been featured in the news and newspapers for hunting the wild boar king.

With the two tiger cubs now clinging to them and acting cute, their discussion became even more enthusiastic.

The old headmaster watched from the side, moved his lips, and then suddenly didn't know what to ask.

What else can we ask in this situation?
The way the two tiger cubs behaved in front of Chen Ling said it all.

……

That night.

Chen Ling suggested that he first spend the night with the two tiger cubs in the former cub quarantine area, give Afu and Ashou a bath, and see if there were any changes in their mental state.

The former headmaster and others didn't have any objections.

After all, he was able to hunt down a wild boar king the size of a house, and according to the zookeepers and trainers, this young man had many legendary stories about him, which they had heard from the villagers.

Now it seems that they are probably all true.

If someone like him makes a request, the park will try its best to accommodate it.

That evening, after everyone had enjoyed the festivities, they dispersed late at night. Chen Ling then led the little green horse over and put the horse and two tiger cubs into the cave.

There were no cameras or anything like that at the time. The tiger cubs' isolation area was empty and deserted.

Chen Ling then became unrestrained.

……

Inside the Sun and Moon Cave, it was still night. Over the past six months, the shadows of stars had gradually appeared in the sky along with the sun and moon.

One by one, they blinked and shone brightly in the night sky.

In the darkness of the grotto world, the rising and spreading night mist, illuminated by the dim moonlight and starlight, evokes a sense of ancient desolation.

Compared to the outside world, there are few buildings here except for thatched huts and stone arch bridges.

Nighttime feels like stepping into a primitive, wild world.

As soon as Afu and Ashou entered, their tiger bodies trembled, and they hurriedly shrank behind Chen Ling, each peeking out one of their tiger heads to look around curiously, while carefully raising their chins and constantly sniffling.

I'm smelling the aroma here.

When the little blue horse saw this, it immediately revealed a human-like mocking smile, grinning with its big white teeth, and frolicked back and forth in the thick night fog before suddenly rushing out again.

It showed off its familiarity with the area to the two tigers.

It means that this place feels like home.

"Xiaoqing, behave yourself, I'll take you to take a bath."

Chen Ling clapped his hands, picked a bunch of grapes, and walked towards the lake while eating them.

The two tiger cubs followed closely behind him, twitching their noses and looking around with curiosity in their eyes.

The little blue horse, however, was even more excited than Chen Ling could say, and it took off galloping into the lake.

It stirred up a lot of water and whirlpools, then, with a horse's head on its head, it grinned and showed off to Chen Ling and the two tigers.

Afu and Ashou were clearly tempted by the sight, gently flapping their two cat ears and staring intently at the lake.

The two tiger cubs hadn't seen Chen Ling for a long time, and now they were inseparable. Although they were tempted, they couldn't bear to leave Chen Ling.

She turned around and stared at him longingly, letting out two soft "ah-ooh, ah-ooh" sounds.

"Go ahead, go play if you want. You two go soak in the water for a while, then I'll give you a bath."

Chen Ling smiled and patted the backs of the two little tigers.

"Why aren't you moving? Do you want me to come with you? Okay, let's go together."

So he took the two tiger cubs to the shore of the lake, and with a gentle push, they fell into the water.

Actually, they had already taken a bath.

But no bath outside can compare to a relaxing soak in the vast lake of Dongtian.

really.

As soon as the two tiger cubs entered the water, they comfortably squinted their eyes and happily swam and played in the water. Little Green Horse, who had been restless ever since it entered the house, soon started teasing the two tiger cubs, which made Ah Fu and Ah Shou roar fiercely and chase after it in the water.

After all, they were three children who had developed intelligence, like three little kids, and they quickly became friends.

With Little Green Horse around, Afu and Ashou gradually became as lively and mischievous as before.

The three of them had more and more fun playing in the lake, and all the negative emotions that Afu and Ashou had been suppressing during this period of time disappeared.

A little while later, they came to drag Chen Ling into the water again.

Chen Ling was asked to play with them.

Ah Shou, the little male tiger, even caught a big fish from the water and brought it to Chen Ling in a flattering manner.

"Holy crap, that white guy with big upturned lips!"

Chen Ling was startled, thinking of the half-meter-long whitebait in the farm's irrigation ditch. "No way, could it be that I accidentally brought the whitebait to the cave and then took it out of the cave?"

Upon closer reflection, it does seem to make sense.

He and Zhao Dahai and others first met Qiaozui Bai at the Dumb Lake in the north of the city.

The largest upturned beak that time was 1.3 meters long.

It was also around dusk that he was stirring up trouble on the lake, hunting small fish. At the time, he thought the fish were fierce, so he secretly put a few small fish into the cave.

Later, after eating, drinking, and having a good time, I completely forgot about it.

So much so that he even took Rui Rui to the reservoir and the old river bend to look for any Qiaozui Bai.

"Aww."

At this moment, Ah Shou cried out in panic, quickly using his paws to hold down the fish that had just been placed on the ground and was still jumping around, and looked at Chen Ling with expectant eyes as if presenting a treasure.

As for Ah Shou, Ah Fu was not to be outdone. He caught a large catfish from the water. The catfish was slippery and strong, making it even harder to catch. Ah Fu used a lot of effort, stirring up the lake water until it was murky, and he himself was covered in mud before he finally managed to pry the catfish, which he had bitten in two, to Chen Ling with his claws.

"Good boy, so well-behaved."

Chen Ling chuckled and stroked the two tigers' thin backs a few times. "Eat up, these things are very nutritious. Look how skinny you are now."

"Aww."

When the two little creatures saw Chen Ling feeding them fish, they let out a puzzled cry, lowered their heads to sniff, and licked the bloodstains seeping from the two fish with their tongues. Then, they would occasionally shake their heads slightly and squat on the bank to eat carefully, just like kittens eating fish.

When the little blue horse saw the horse swimming up from the lake, it eagerly came over and sniffed it. After one sniff, it turned its head away in disgust, sneezed, and walked away, shaking off the mud all over its body.

Chen Ling laughed heartily, "Serves you right for being naughty, always wanting to join in on everything. You're a horse, and you want to eat fish?"

Tigers can eat fish, but this is the first time the two tiger cubs have ever eaten one.

However, they ate fish from the cave, which they really enjoyed.

The little green horse couldn't eat fish, but it imitated what it saw. It picked a small branch of fruit from a fruit tree and brought it to Chen Ling. After Chen Ling fed it to it, it happily trotted its hooves, swished its fluffy and beautiful tail, and ate alongside the two little tigers.

Chen Ling couldn't help but laugh when she saw this. Even though he's become more intelligent, he still has the mind of a child and likes to compare himself to others.

He felt that if he didn't take the fruit that the little blue horse brought him and feed it to it, the little blue horse would probably throw a tantrum and refuse to do it.

I feel that I receive far less pampering than Afu and Ashou.

"Go, go catch some more fish to eat."

Seeing that Afu and Ashou had each finished eating a large fish, Chen Ling waved his hand, telling them to go into the lake to catch fish.

He was hungry by then, and had ridden his horse all the way to the provincial capital without having eaten dinner.

They caught a few fish from the ditch behind the thatched hut, made a fire and grilled them. They stuffed the fish's bellies and wrapped them with some seasonings and plant leaves, and the taste was quite good.

After filling their stomachs, they gave a bath to a horse and two tigers, and let them play in the water.

They then removed the barriers that blocked several areas of the cave, allowing the two tiger cubs to chase after the jackal and the tailless leopard in the jungle.

Chen Ling originally wanted to try something more exciting, but he later unexpectedly discovered that the jackals had already given birth to several litters of hungry puppies, so he gave up on that idea.

As for the leopard with the broken tail, it was so frightened by Afu and Ashou that it stayed in the tree and dared not come down, and it didn't dare to fight back at all.

Chen Ling sighed, saying that while its body had recovered, its courage hadn't, and it was almost a crippled leopard.

You'd better hurry up and find a female leopard to have your cubs.

After spending half the night inside the cave, Afu, Ashou, and Little Green Horse played happily around the thatched hut, while Chen Ling took a nap inside.

The next morning, the old director and the park staff were even more surprised to see the two tiger cubs than the day before, and they all said that after just one night, Afu and Ashou were so much more energetic.

However, they didn't pursue the matter too much.

Because Professor Han brought a very experienced doctor from Beijing Hospital with him today.

After hearing about Afu and Ashou's condition, they concluded that the two tiger cubs had developed depression after a period of prolonged low mood.

Yes.

Just like humans, animals can also suffer from depression.

He also gave many examples, such as some wild birds that people think are beautiful, so they catch them, keep them in cages, and feed them well, but these birds become depressed and eventually die.

This is a similar principle.

(End of this chapter)