Super Zoo

Suming quickly explained, "He's a homeless man I met while working. He had no place to call home and seemed so pitiful, so I found him a job at the zoo. He doesn't have a family, and had nowhere to go for the New Year, so I brought him home with me."

"You and your dad were cut from the same cloth when he was young, always nosing into other people's business!" Mrs. Su said a bit worriedly.

Any parent who hears that their son has taken in a vagrant will not first think to praise him for his kindness and willingness to help, but rather worry about safety issues.

Only those who have no stake in the matter would openly praise Suming for his kind heart and such.

"Don't worry, the man is really good, earnest and honest. He's also strong and has even acted as my bodyguard on occasion," Suming chuckled and said, "There's just one thing, he didn't have a household registration, so I pulled some strings and registered him as my distant cousin, calling him Su Meng. If anyone asks, you mustn't slip up."

"Got it, I always keep my mouth shut. And you, inviting someone to our home and making him wait outside? That's not how you treat guests. Call him in, quick," Mrs. Su said.

Suming shouted outside and with a whoosh, the van door slid open, and Su Meng hopped out like a bag peddler, carrying two large duffel bags, one on his back, hanging another in front of his chest, and hefting one more on his shoulder, laden with bags big and small as he entered the house.

"Child, you should have helped him with some of those. Why are you treating him like a pack mule!" Mrs. Su, an educated and reasonable woman, gave Suming a stern look, then went to help Su Meng with the bags, laughing while saying, "Come on, put them down. My goodness, you're such a strapping young man!"

After setting the bags aside, Su Meng gave a booming laugh, which caused Mrs. Su to laugh along, "What a simple lad. Go wash your hands and then have dinner with your brother."

The rich and hearty country dishes were to Su Meng's taste; after the meal, several large bowl-like dishes were all emptied, along with half a pot of rice.

After dinner, Mrs. Su brewed a pot of tea, turned on the lights in the hall, and the three of them sat in the hall chatting. A mother's heart is always with her son. Despite Mrs. Su's usual refrain from expressing her worries and always telling Suming over the phone not to worry about home, her heart was forever fixed on her son.

Elderly parents simply hope their children live a safe, uneventful life, not seeking wealth or grandeur, but just wishing for steady, healthy living. Yet young people do not wish to settle for mediocrity and have dreams for the future, willing to wager their youth to strive for it.

Suming had been careful not to worry his mother these past six months, rarely mentioning business matters to her, only saying that he worked at the zoo and sometimes dabbled in small business on the side. Now face-to-face with his mother, he finally had the chance to tell her about recent events, like chartering boats, Shuijun Lake, the reservoir, and the future plan to establish a distillery. He just omitted some key details, such as Animal Friends and Zhou Jin.

Initially, Mrs. Su was happy for Suming, but as she listened, her eyes suddenly reddened. Stroking Suming's head, she said with a choked voice, "My son, how much hardship have you endured in these half a year to get to this point?"

Only a real mother could say such a thing! Mrs. Su's first thought was not that her son had made a fortune and brought honor to his ancestors, but about how difficult it must have been for Suming, an outsider with no connections, to strive in Yangchuan City.

"Who says so? I haven't suffered at all. It's like I've been living in a honey jar every day, even bathing in honey," Suming said, scratching his head with a sheepish grin. He wasn't joking; the amount of honey delivered from Hundred Flowers Valley was so vast that he couldn't use it all himself and had to give it away as gifts.

Speaking of which, he had brought a jar of royal jelly for his mother. He asked Su Meng to bring out the big jar of royal jelly, saying, "Mom, you should dissolve a small cup of this in warm water and drink it every morning and evening. Over time, it will help with detox and keep your skin youthful."

"Wasting money again! Why buy so much? This must weigh over a hundred pounds; how long will it take me to finish all this?" said Mrs. Su as she looked at the meter-tall barrel.

"Your son is rich now; I can provide for you to live a long life. Besides, it's made from our own bees, so it didn't cost a thing," Suming said.

"You still don't need this much. Tomorrow, we'll send some to your uncles and aunts."

The 'uncles and aunts' Mrs. Su mentioned were not Suming's blood-related uncles and aunts. Sun Town was formed long ago by a large clan with the same surname, and the residents all had intertwined familial ties. The town had a simple and sincere community spirit, and while Suming was absent these years, the family greatly appreciated the care from these distant relatives and neighbors.

"Don't worry, Mom, I've bought a whole van of gifts. Tomorrow, I'll go door-to-door to give them away," Suming said.

"Even then, we can't drink that much. Don't let it go to waste. I'll keep a small bottle, and the rest you can save for your future girlfriend. Speaking of which, I almost forgot, you're of age now; it's about time you seriously start looking for a girlfriend," said Mrs. Su.

Smacking his forehead, Suming knew it would only be a matter of time before this topic came up at home. He hadn't told his mother about Nangong Yan because things between them weren't settled yet.

Telling her wouldn't help; a mother's worry is endless. If he didn't say anything, she'd urge him to find a girlfriend; if he did, she'd press for a prompt engagement; once engaged, she'd worry about the wedding; after the wedding, she'd be eager to babysit grandchildren…

Poor are the hearts of parents; as long as they live, they worry for their children every day. Only when their eyes close for the last time can they stop worrying.

"Your son is now a model worker, a Party member, a young entrepreneur, and even a leading cadre! You think I'll have trouble finding a wife? In the future, countless girls will be throwing themselves at me. You just make sure not to get dazzled by the choice," Suming said with a laugh.

"You, my boy, talking about countless girls! You're just like your father," Mrs. Su laughed as she heard Suming say this.

"I have something serious to talk to you about. After the New Year, come back to Yangchuan City with me. I'll buy an apartment in the city, or we could just move into the zoo. I'll find you a quiet place where we can take good care of each other,"

Suming's most important reason for coming back this time was to bring his mom to live in Yangchuan City. In the past, his career was unstable, filled with unknowns, and there was Zhou Jin always targeting him. Suming didn't want to cause his mother any worry. Now, it was time for his mother to enjoy some blessings in Yangchuan City with him.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

He had even considered, under the guise of establishing a company in the future, building a small villa right next to the zoo for his mom to live in.

To his surprise, Mrs. Su didn't even think about it before shaking her head and saying, "I won't go. You just stay well in the city. I'll stay in the town."

"The town is both poor and remote—nowhere as comfortable as a big city. Besides, with such a distance between us, I can't have peace of mind about you," Suming said with a look of grievance as he sat on a stool.

"You child," said Mrs. Su, gently rubbing Suming's head in a soothing manner, showing a calm smile, "Don't forget, your mom lived in a villa in big Shanghai when she was young. How could I not know the benefits of a big city?"

"Then you won't come with me to Yangchuan City. Or, we could go to big Shanghai," Suming thought, ready to go all out—next year, after earning money from the reservoir, he'd buy her an apartment in Shanghai!

Mrs. Su laughed and said, "You young people, you all like bustling cities. Mom was the same when she was young. But now that I'm older, I actually prefer the peaceful life here, growing my own vegetables, keeping my limbs moving, enjoying the fresh mountain air, which is so much more comfortable than enduring the pollution in a big city."

Suming was always a bit uneasy about his mom living alone in the town. Sensing her son's concern without needing him to speak, Mrs. Su continued, "As long as you're doing well out there, Mom's happy. I raised you since you were little; I'm not even fifty, and I can take care of myself. Besides, I have the monthly money you give me plus my pension, which is even higher than the town chief's salary, enough for all my needs."

In a secluded place like Sun Town, there really wasn't much to spend money on. Many of the local elderly didn't have any income; they lived simply by farming and receiving subsistence allowances. Even in a county town, more than a thousand yuan a month was enough for an elderly person's expenses.

"Oh, I almost forgot, it's not just over a thousand anymore—in the future, there'll be almost five thousand yuan a month." Suming had scraped together another 1.5 million and, along with the previous 500,000, had taken out a commercial insurance policy at the insurance company, so the monthly interest would be close to 5,000, more than enough for his mother's expenses.

A person who doesn't worry about the future will have troubles close at hand. Every time he earned a sum of money, he would set aside a small part for this commercial insurance. If something unexpected ever happened to him, this money would be sufficient for his mother's latter half of life.

"I also brought back a hundred thousand yuan this time," said Suming as he took a small bag from Su Meng and opened it, revealing stacks of bright red cash inside.

Seeing so much cash, Mrs. Su quickly closed the bag, handed it back to Suming, and said, "I don't need that much money by myself! You're starting a business, and finances are tight. The family can't support you much, but at the very least, we shouldn't hold you back. Take this money with you when you go back."

This time Suming was adamant, refusing to take it. Seeing that Suming was unwavering, Mrs. Su gave in and locked the money away in a small cabinet. Then she said to Suming, "I don't spend much, so if you really want to help, figure out a way to help the people of the town. Ever since your father left, the townsfolk have done a lot for our family, and a large part of your college tuition was gathered through donations by the town chief and the townsfolk. One should remember one's roots; now that you have a career, you should give back to your hometown."

"I understand, Mom. I'll keep it in mind. Don't worry too much; I'll think of something," Suming nodded.

Truly, with his current financial situation, repaying the entire Sun Town wasn't practical. But he could see it was his mother's wish, and as a son, he had to try his best to fulfill it, if only to make his mother happy.

People often talk about repaying their parents and being filial. When it comes down to acting on those words, filial piety is about acquiescence. Even if it means making some sacrifices, as long as it can bring peace and joy to one's parents, that's true filial piety.

Mrs. Su was right—the people of Sun Town had been kind to their family, and it was even fair to say that they owed them a debt of gratitude. Without the townspeople's donations, Suming would not have had his college fees paid. With his mother living as a single woman in the town and managing quite well, it was definitely thanks to the help from their neighbors.

But how to repay them was something Suming needed to ponder. Giving someone a fish is not as good as teaching them to fish. Just handing out money couldn't work. Firstly, Suming didn't have that much money right now; secondly, giving money directly sometimes does not help people and might even cause them to become lazy and ultimately do harm instead of good.

After chatting for a while longer, Suming specifically brought up the matter of the family's ancient jade. His mother didn't know much about it either, only that it had been passed down in his father's family from generation to generation. He also brought out the Luminous Pearl for his mother to take a look, but nothing new was discovered.

Moreover, regarding Su Meng, both he and Zhao Yun felt that he looked familiar. Suming asked his mother if she found Su Meng to seem familiar, to which she decisively responded that she had no sense of recognition whatsoever.

It was soon after 9 p.m. His mother used to sleep early because she lived in the mountains. Seeing that she was getting sleepy, Suming didn't say much and helped his mother upstairs to her bedroom.

Knowing that Suming was used to city life and did not go to bed early, Mrs. Su still took the time to warn him before going to sleep, "If you want to go out, just stay in the town. Don't go out into the mountains in this winter weather. You never know when a wild boar might come out and hurt someone."

"Don't worry, Mom," Suming smiled, thinking to himself that if he really encountered a wild boar, it was unclear who would harm who.

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PS: I can't believe there are 48 votes urging for updates~~ Don't play like this, guys. With the subscriptions getting close to 1500, I need to prepare for a big burst~~