The next day, Ye Fan and his large family all went to the zoo to see the animals with the children.
There was no helping it; Little Fourth Ye Jie clung to Ye Fan the whole time.
The other little ones followed Ye Fanâs parents, Grandpa Bai Zhentian, and Bai Susu, who was trailing behind, holding Little Second and watching the animals.
Only Little Fourth kept pulling Ye Fan forward, insisting on seeing the big tiger.
Ye Fan looked helplessly at this little guy who was only as tall as his knee.
Ah, itâs so difficult!
He wanted to be with his wife, what to do!
Meanwhile, Bai Susu was at the back, holding Little Second.
It seemed impossible from the look of it.
âWife, Little Fourth wants to see the big tiger, letâs go see it together,â Ye Fan said to his wife Bai Susu.
âBut, Little Second wants to see the giraffe,â Bai Susu said with indecision.
Four children, all wanting to see different things.
Who should they follow first?
Everyone was conflicted.
It turns out, having many kids isnât always that great.
âThen how about this, you take Little Fourth to see the tiger first, and weâll regroup later!â Bai Susu suggested.
Now, it seemed that was the only option.
After all, the four children all wanted to see different things.
âAlright, be careful, and remember to call if anything comes up,â Ye Fan said, beginning to worry a bit.
Ye Fanâs parents were taking Ye Bing, the eldest, and Ye Jade, the third, to see the giraffes.
âAlright, donât worry!â Bai Susu nodded and said.
âCome on, youâre still not reassured?â Mother Ye said smilingly, carrying Ye Bing.
âYou guys, try not to be held by grandpa and grandma or mom too much. Youâre three years old now and have gotten quite heavy; be careful not to tire them out!â Ye Fan said.
He was more concerned for his own parents.
After all, his parents had raised him when he was little, and that had been hard enough. Now, his parents had settled everything at the old house and were just taking care of these little ones, so they were quite tired.
He didnât want his parents to be even more tired.
Parents spend a lifetime taking care of us, and itâs not enough; they also help us care for our children. Itâs really too tiring!
Ye Fan wanted his children to know that nothing was easy and that they should learn to be considerate.
âGot it, Daddy!â the eldest nodded obediently, ready to get down straight away.
But Mother Ye insisted on holding him a little longer.
Ye Fan didnât interfere further and let Little Fourth pull him off to see the big tiger.
Just look; the little one had quite the strength.
Seeing Ye Jieâs eager expression, Ye Fan found it extremely adorable.
The little ones seldom made such requests.
This was also a good thing!
Ye Fan took Little Fourth Ye Jie to the tigerâs cage, and when Little Fourth Ye Jie saw the tiger, she became extremely excited.
âDaddy, look, itâs really a tiger, so beautiful!â Little Fourth exclaimed with joy, but the words she said next made everyone nearby turn their heads.
âDaddy, I want to go in and ride the tiger!â Ye Jie said excitedly, looking up at Ye Fan with big, longing eyes.
She seemed to think that riding a tiger would be amazing and impressive.
At that thought, Little Fourth Ye Jie grew even more excited.
Uh (âoâ)â¦
The people around them were all staring at this beautiful little girl who was, seemingly, out of place.
Only three years old!
And yet, she wasnât afraid of the tiger and wanted to ride on it.
Such bravery was commendable.
âLittle Fourth, you canât ride this one. You should know that tigers are fierce. Wild Siberian tigers can attack people. Youâre so small, you wouldnât even satisfy the gaps in its teeth,â Ye Fan said with a slight concentration and then continued.
This child was so fearless, even wanting to ride a tiger.
That was really something.
âAh, Daddy, why do I feel like itâs not as fierce as me? Look, it doesnât have much energy, always walking around the âDragon Cage.â And look, the tigerâs so skinny its belly is hanging,â Little Fourth spoke again, her small finger pointing at the tiger inside the cage, her large eyes filled with curiosity.
Yes, the tigerâs belly was just hanging there like a loose flap of skin.
And it kept pacing around the cage.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âThis tiger has been locked up in the zoo for so long that itâs developed some anxiety, pacing back and forth like this. And, itâs very thin, so its belly is all saggy. But, no matter how harmless it looks, itâs still a wild beast, got it?â
âA skinny camel is still bigger than a horse,â Ye Fan said.
This tiger seemed to be developing depression.
With listless eyes, pacing continuously around the cage, the sight was indeed pitiful.
These animals would be better off in the wild.
Of course, some animals need to be conserved, and keeping them in the zoo isnât a bad thing.
âDaddy, can I really not ride the tiger? I really want to ride it so much,â Little Fourth Ye Jie said to Ye Fan with longing.
She truly wished to ride a tiger.
âIf you really want to ride a tiger, there is a way!â Ye Fanâs eyes sparkled as if he had thought of something and promptly spoke up.
âDaddy, whatâs the way that would let me ride a tiger?â Little Fourth asked excitedly.
Hearing Ye Fanâs statement, some people nearby became curious too.
They also wanted to know what the method was.
âDaddy, I want to ride a tiger too,â a boy nearby said, tugging at his fatherâs sleeve.
âYour dad doesnât know how,â the man replied helplessly.