Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl-Chapter 173: The Red Panda Brother Who Loves to Listen to Philosophical Book Recitations (Asking for Monthly Passes)

Chen Ying grabbed its big tail and gave it a couple of strokes, "Aren't you afraid of getting lost?"

"What's there to be afraid of? If it can't find its hometown, there are always other lovely females around. You're too short-sighted, always fixed on one place."

Huh, so it's picky now?

"The most important thing in life is not the result, it's the process. It's about encountering beauty on the way toward your goal."

￣□￣｜｜, is this a philosophical bear?

Chen Ying couldn't help herself and took out her phone to snap a picture of the little guy calmly munching on a sweet potato, then asked in the protection center's medical group chat if the bear's keeper had a degree in philosophy.

"Not from the philosophy department, but I've been overhearing him watching all these philosophical videos recently. He even plays Hegel's audio readings for the red pandas."

An intern in the medical group spoke up quietly, "The red panda cubs sit around his phone in a circle, munching and dozing off while they listen. I actually suspect it's some kind of hypnosis."

Case solved!

He had only heard of animals enjoying music while eating or listening to storytelling and cross-talk, but philosophy... how sophisticated!

The conversation in the medical group went on, with someone suggesting they play national treasures for the animals to listen to, and others said they could play some high-energy music or street dance videos to get the animals moving, so they wouldn't all become fat and lazy, at risk of getting the 'three highs'!

(Officer Leopard: All this meat I've eaten bite by bite, why should I have to lose it!)

Not much later, a phone call came in from Breeder Sun, who specialized in caring for red pandas at the protection center.

"Dr. Chen, thank you, thank you so much, sob sob, please, you must keep an eye on this little guy. It has a sweet tooth and is particularly interested in new things it hasn't tried before..."

Breeder Sun went on and on with her ramblings, all about the red panda's love for food and play.

"I'm on my way over. You have to look after it for me, it's actually not very well, otherwise it would have been released into the wild long ago."

Chen Ying had already noticed that this little guy was slower in its movements compared to its peers; how it managed to escape from Red Panda Valley without incident and make it here safely was truly a miracle.

A fist-sized sweet potato, and it's only nibbled less than two-thirds of it.

Chen Ying didn't disturb it, just sat down to keep it company while waiting for the keeper to arrive.

In the meantime, three Large Spirit Cat cubs returned home for a visit and, seeing a guest in the house, the three little ones thought about it and decided to leave.

They couldn't really be called cubs anymore; they've grown as big as their mother, with glossy and sleek fur, a sure sign of good health.

One of the Large Spirit Cat cubs even went to sniff Chen Ying, greeted him, and then cheerfully called his brothers to go snuggle up with mom.

The Red Panda watched the cubs bounce in and out, its small face lifting up with barely concealed envy.

"I have to go, can't waste too much time."

The Red Panda put down the unfinished sweet potato and turned to leave through the cat entrance.

"I still haven't figured out something, let's talk about the 'two-dollar weather' a bit more."

She slid over a bamboo shoot that Old Gao had quietly passed her to the Red Panda brother, "It's winter now, not your mating season. Why did you suddenly think to look for a girlfriend in such cold weather?"

The Red Panda brother hesitated for two seconds between the fragrant shoot and his journey, then decisively sat down.

"Looking for a girlfriend doesn't mean we immediately start having babies. Do you understand the importance of cultivating a relationship?"

Would Hegel talk about this? He didn't read much, so don't fool him!

"Reproduction without love is just a physiological act, and it's only the babies born with love that are the continuation of life."

It seemed to make sense, yet it somehow felt completely off.

Chen Ying silently added the philosophy book to her shopping list.

The rescue center staff arrived quickly, and the Keeper rushed in, nearly bursting into tears while embracing the Red Panda.

"Huh, ε=(´ο｀*)))" the Red Panda showed a resigned expression all too human, placing his bushy tail into Breeder Sun's hands.

"Here you go, stop crying. It's giving me a headache."

The Red Panda, sighing with every bite, looked at his fleeting freedom and his fuzzy face turned into an o(╯□╰)o expression.

As Breeder Sun was turning the Red Panda over, checking him from head to toe, Chen Ying chatted with the center's manager outside the door.

"This Red Panda has a weak heart; in human terms, it's congenital heart disease, so he moves very slowly. He usually doesn't move much in the Red Panda Valley either; we really didn't expect him to escape, let alone travel this far on his own."

Red Panda Valley was a good five or six kilometers away as the crow flies, and with the mountainous terrain, it must've been at least a hundred kilometers.

"We thought he was still within Red Panda Valley. These past few days, everyone's been going up the mountain looking for him. If you hadn't called to confirm, we wouldn't have believed he could have run this far."

Chen Ying fell silent for a moment, "So he was born in captivity in Red Panda Valley?"

"Yes. We've had a release project for Red Pandas before, and several from his batch have been released into the wild. This one, along with another female, were kept because of their innate unsuitability due to physical conditions."

Chen Ying fiddled with her phone for a good while, "Could I, perhaps, take him to the mountain to stay for a while?"

The manager tilted his head, looking at her with a furrowed brow, his gaze inspective.

"There's a group of Red Pandas near my emergency station; they're in good physical and mental health. I would like to take him there to see. After a while, I'll return him; is that possible?"

The manager didn't hurry to answer, pondering for a bit before walking aside to make a few calls.

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Chen Ying wasn't holding out much hope; domestic policies are strict – usually, such borderline actions wouldn't be allowed.

But he had mentioned there was a group of Red Pandas living near his emergency station; perhaps that could work through the route of introducing them to the wild.

Introducing new genes into the wild Red Panda population.

"Do you have a way to obtain biological samples from that group of Red Pandas? We need to comprehensively assess and make sure there's no blood relation with Manman before considering your proposal."

"No problem, I'll collect them as soon as I get back, and I can deliver them to the center's lab tomorrow."

Manman also needed to return for a health check and to prepare for the wild reintroduction.

When Breeder Sun picked up Manman, the Red Panda, and put him in the back of the car's metal cage, the panda lacked all energy.

Chen Ying went over to see him, squeezing his paws gently.

"I'm heading back today to collect materials, and I'll come see you tomorrow. If all goes well, by Chinese New Year you might be meeting some lovely wild sisters."

Manman looked up, gazing at Chen Ying, seemingly skeptical.

But he was a Red Panda with stable emotions, quietly curled up in the cage, silently leaving with the vehicle.

After they left, Chen Ying and Old Gao also drove away.

Yin Li went with them up the mountain, saying he'd come back during the New Year holidays; constant time at home would only worsen his father's psychological state.

As soon as they arrived at the Protection Station, they saw a group of people in the yard, ready for action.