Chapter 80: A Child with a Mom Is Truly Precious
Q: A subadult Siberian tiger runs from halfway up the mountain down to the foothills—how long does it take?
A: Tracking the trail plus sprinting at full speed, the total time is under twenty minutes.
When that subadult tiger came charging toward Lin Jiangye’s location, Lin Jiangye calmly reported its movements to the Forestry Bureau.
The moment they heard the subadult was heading for Lin Jiangye, the Forestry Bureau people practically saw stars.
“Y-you… don’t act rashly!” They were worried Lin Jiangye might clash with the subadult.
Sure, before, Lin Jiangye and the Mountain God had teamed up and given that subadult a brutal beating.
But this was different now. Back then, the subadult had lost too much blood, was weak, and had also been hit with an anesthetic injection. Now it was healthy, lively, and full of energy—if they really fought, Lin Jiangye would definitely be the one who died.
What the Forestry Bureau didn’t expect, though, was that Lin Jiangye’s little courtyard contained a whole group of fierce predators.
So when the subadult reached the courtyard gate, it immediately sensed several unfamiliar large-predator scents inside.
It paced outside for a while, hesitating about whether to go in. Before it could make up its mind, the courtyard gate opened.
The moment it saw the young man in front of it, the subadult instantly remembered the misery of being suppressed.
“ROAR!” [It’s you, you hateful human!]
“It’s me! So what?” Lin Jiangye admitted it openly, even rolling up his sleeves as he stepped out of the courtyard on his own.
The subadult was furious, roaring at Lin Jiangye. Just as it was getting ready to take revenge, the familiar female Siberian tiger slowly emerged behind him.
[Neighbor!]
Tiger Mom looked at the little tiger with sympathy—along with a very well-hidden hint of schadenfreude.
This cub was so annoying.
Her own kid could be as rowdy as it wanted—that was her business. But this one, who-knew-whose, kept showing up at her place. If it weren’t for the fact that it didn’t seem malicious, she would’ve actually fought it for real long ago.
After Tiger Mom came out, two gray wolves followed. Their icy pale-gold eyes fixed on the tiger with a vicious glare.
Then the lynx and the cheetah came out too.
The youngsters formed a semicircle around the subadult, blocking its escape routes. Lin Jiangye stood right in front of it, flashing a row of teeth, his voice low and ominous.
“So I hear you’ve been harassing my Tiger Mom a lot.”
[That’s Tiger’s neighbor!]
“That’s my mom.”
[That’s Tiger’s neighbor!]
The tiger’s low growls drew Bai Zhengwen, who was cooking. When he saw another Siberian tiger appear—and saw the animals in the yard staring at it with hostility—his heart seemed to skip a beat, thudding wildly.
He didn’t even have time to think. He vaulted straight out the window, yanked the pistol from his waist, and aimed the muzzle at the subadult’s head.
“Leave here. Now!”
Just as Bai Zhengwen was about to act, a hand pressed down on his gun barrel.
“Not your job. Don’t shoot.”
Bai Zhengwen stared at Lin Jiangye, shocked, not understanding what he meant.
Then he understood—immediately.
Lin Jiangye lunged forward and started fistfighting the subadult Siberian tiger.
Fistfighting. A Siberian tiger.
He’d never seen anything like it, never even imagined it. Bai Zhengwen suddenly felt his heart seize painfully.
“You bratty little menace needs a proper beating!” Lin Jiangye threw bam-bam-bam punches onto the tiger’s head.
When Lin Jiangye raised his hand, the subadult reflexively shut its eyes and ducked its neck—an instinct from being beaten too many times.
But when the punches actually landed, it tried to retaliate. The moment it opened its eyes, that annoying human had already darted to the other side.
[If you’ve got guts, don’t run!]
It wanted to pounce, but the moment it moved, the two unfamiliar animals moved too. It didn’t know how strong they were, but one look at those teeth told it they wouldn’t be easy to deal with.
The subadult tiger howled in place, furious. It still held a grudge over what Lin Jiangye had done when it was weak!
Worst of all—right when it was almost fully recovered, when its fighting strength was basically back—
that human had just left.
He actually ran away!!!
[Hateful human!]
“Bleh-bleh-bleh!”
[Annoying human! Tiger hates you!]
“Bleh-bleh-bleh!”
[AAAH! Tiger’s going to beat you up!]
“Bleh-bleh-bleh!”
Watching the chaotic, noisy scene, Bai Zhengwen’s tension and worry evaporated completely.
If he still couldn’t tell Lin Jiangye was deliberately teasing this male tiger, he really would be blind. And the tiger—despite looking fierce and aggressive—wasn’t actually going all-out at all.
After they’d messed around enough, Lin Jiangye finally stepped out from behind Tiger Mom, grumbling as he reached a hand toward the subadult.
“Alright, stop yelling already. It hasn’t even been that long—how did you get this much fatter?”
The subadult widened its eyes, glaring indignantly.
[This is the body a tiger is supposed to have!]
You skinny human don’t understand—don’t talk nonsense.
Lin Jiangye pinched the tiger’s round little ears and gave them a gentle rub, then grabbed its big head and scrubbed it hard—until the tiger finally couldn’t take it anymore and swung a paw at him.
Missed.
Bai Zhengwen’s heart clenched again. A tiger’s paw wasn’t a joke—if it really hit, it could flatten a human skull.
Lin Jiangye, on the other hand, didn’t care at all. Hugging the subadult’s head, he started introducing the new members.
“These are the ones I rescued. What they went through back then was a lot worse than you…” He didn’t start with their species—he told the story of their condition and what they’d suffered at the Zhang family’s hands.
The subadult fell silent as it listened.
Tiger Mom fell silent too. After returning here with Lin Jiangye, she’d already met the new youngsters and exchanged greetings. Within half an hour, she’d fully learned their scents.
Otherwise, the wolves wouldn’t have dared bare their teeth at the subadult at all.
Of course, it was just for show. The subadult might be big-bodied, but its head was still pretty clear. As long as nobody actually attacked, it wouldn’t realize the wolves were mostly bluffing.
Not that they were pure bluff—but against a wild gray wolf, these two wouldn’t win; and against a Siberian tiger, they definitely wouldn’t.
The subadult’s ears drooped slightly. It looked at the youngsters with sympathy. From what the human said, they’d been hurt badly.
“They’ve had it rough, so while I’m here, don’t go teasing or scaring them, okay?” Lin Jiangye finally revealed his true purpose.
To Bai Zhengwen’s surprise, the subadult didn’t object. It just huffed softly.
At Lin Jiangye’s signal, Yuheng and Kaiyang flopped down beside the tiger, making soft whimper-whimper sounds like they were coaxing it.
And the lynx and cheetah—well, they were cats. What was wrong with rubbing up and acting cute?
Bai Zhengwen watched in a daze. Lin Jiangye flashed an OK sign, indicating the subadult had been successfully soothed.
…Wait, the tiger was that easy to placate?
Bai Zhengwen couldn’t understand it—he was thoroughly shocked.
The subadult really did seem to be here mainly because it was worried about Tiger Mom. After confirming she was fine, it huffed and trudged back up the mountain.
Once the tiger left, Bai Zhengwen finally dared ask his question.
Lin Jiangye let the animals play in the yard with Tiger Mom and took Bai Zhengwen into the kitchen, explaining as he tidied ingredients.
“First, you need to know this: Siberian tigers are usually very smart.”
Bai Zhengwen nodded. Whether it was the two he’d seen today or the one kept at home, honestly—they weren’t dumb.
“Second, even among Siberian tigers, every individual has a different temperament. Some are loners—they leave their parents early and don’t even get along with the tiger next door. And some are the opposite—super friendly.”
This subadult was like that: naturally sociable. Maybe because it was still young, it was more naive and easier to coax.
When the Forestry Bureau subdued it and brought it back for treatment, it was extremely violent at first. That was why Lin Jiangye had been forced to stay for a whole week—just to help keep the newly-treated subadult under control.
With a combination of fists and relentless praise, its aggression gradually eased. And as its injuries healed, it realized humans were actually saving it—so it became more compliant.
Maybe because of that treatment experience, plus its personality, after Lin Jiangye left, it even played along pretty well with the Forestry Bureau folks.
The only ones who couldn’t quite handle its roughhousing were the Bureau’s vets.
“That injury left it with a big shadow. The chief said now it’s cautious even when hunting—basically hasn’t been hurt again since.”
Bai Zhengwen suddenly understood. Bringing up that the other youngsters had been injured—worse than it had—would trigger its memories. Then add a little softness and coaxing, and it wouldn’t press the issue.
“Of course, the biggest premise is: Yuheng and the others aren’t its food. They’re not prey, and they’re not competitors. Unless it’s bored out of its mind, it won’t attack.”
And even if it got itchy and wanted to fight, it would probably come looking for Lin Jiangye first.
Hearing that muttered line, Bai Zhengwen laughed in disbelief. “You know that, and you still provoke it?”
Lin Jiangye scratched his nose and grinned. “Relax. It knows its limits. At most, we’re just getting some exercise.”
A Siberian tiger as your sparring coach—how often do you get that chance?
Bai Zhengwen’s mouth twitched hard. He suddenly felt exhausted.
He had a feeling that staying here for any length of time would mean constant panic attacks.
And indeed—
After they finished cooking and carried the food out, Bai Zhengwen saw that tiger again.
Wait—weren’t you gone?!
The moment Lin Jiangye stepped out, the subadult opened its mouth and bit his arm!
Bai Zhengwen’s vision went black. He nearly passed out.
But the imagined bloodbath didn’t happen. The tiger didn’t bite down—it just held Lin Jiangye’s arm gently in its mouth and dragged him outside the courtyard.
“ROAR ROAR ROAR!” [Human, I brought you food—now make me something tasty!]
As it spoke, it licked its lips, exactly like the tabby and tortoiseshell at home when they got greedy.
Lin Jiangye burst out laughing. He’d cooked it a meal while it was recovering—he hadn’t expected the tiger to remember it for so long!
Of course, you couldn’t add seasonings for wild animals, but if artificial seasoning was out—there were still natural flavors.
Besides, some things didn’t need seasoning at all. Like venison meatballs: pound fresh venison into a paste, stuff it with crunchy water chestnuts, boil it in plain water. The subadult ate one after another—crunch-crunch—happy as could be.
Lin Jiangye planted his hands on his hips and looked down at the tiger’s utterly righteous eyes. He was about to refuse—
and then the big tiger lowered its head and rubbed against him.
[Human! Tiger wants meat!]
It purred like a tractor, acting nothing like a majestic tiger—just a giant cat.
“Hmph. Who was talking about fighting me earlier?” Lin Jiangye still didn’t want to give in so easily.
The subadult flared up instantly. [I didn’t even really fight you!]
Wasn’t it just playing? Why are you, this human, so petty?!
“You dare call me petty?” The tiger hadn’t said it out loud, but the expression was pure accusation—so Lin Jiangye lunged again.
By now, Bai Zhengwen could watch the two of them tussle with total calm. It hadn’t even been that long, and he was already used to it.
“Food’s ready!”
With Bai Zhengwen’s call and Tiger Mom’s roar, those two finally stopped messing around. The subadult immediately dragged a deer leg inside.
“This is—” Bai Zhengwen startled, not understanding what that meant.
Lin Jiangye shrugged and sauntered in. “Boarding fee. Tomorrow I’ll make it something good.”
Bai Zhengwen’s mouth twitched. He watched the tiger toss a whole deer aside—then actually follow Lin Jiangye into the house.
What a ridiculously friendly tiger.
He sighed, found a large vat, and stuffed the nearly-200-kilogram adult sika deer inside.
When he returned indoors, the food on the table had basically been wiped out. If Lin Jiangye hadn’t had the decency to plate him a portion earlier, Bai Zhengwen would’ve been left licking the dishes.
But there really was someone licking the plates clean. Bai Zhengwen watched the subadult Amur tiger go swish-swish-swish with its tongue and couldn’t help worrying the plate might get scraped right through by the barbs on that tongue.
After eating and drinking its fill, Lin Jiangye decided it was time to wash up and sleep.
Bai Zhengwen originally wanted to stay by the young man’s side, but when he saw Lin Jiangye sprawled on the kang—on his left an Amur tiger, a lynx, and a cheetah; on his right two North American gray wolves… and a raven perched right on his chest—where was he supposed to lie down?
With Tiger Mom’s warm belly pressed close, Lin Jiangye slept like a log.
Over the next few days, he took the little ones up the mountain to play during the day, picking wild greens now and then. The whole group—people and animals—had an absolute blast.
The subadult tiger also came over, wrestling with Lin Jiangye every day, and in no time at all it had practically “trained” the young man’s strength up another notch.
Bai Zhengwen watched from the side. Sometimes he couldn’t help thinking: aside from being able to understand animal speech, Lin Jiangye genuinely knew how to get along with animals.
He was even freer and more in sync with them than he was with people.
Bai Zhengwen had asked around—Lin Jiangye had only spent a week with that subadult Amur tiger when they first met, yet that single week was enough for the tiger to keep thinking about him all this time.
If Lin Jiangye had shown even the slightest intention of taking it home, Bai Zhengwen honestly worried the subadult might have been coaxed into following them back to the Lin household.
And so, playing and playing, they finally reached New Year’s Eve.
Early that morning, just as Lin Jiangye stepped outside, he saw a tall, slender figure walking over from the distance.
When he got a closer look—well, damn. It was Shang Fu’yan.
“You actually came!” Lin Jiangye jolted, then immediately lit up with delight.
Shang Fu’yan had been watching Lin Jiangye’s face, curious what kind of reaction he’d have. When he saw that smile appear, the worry in his heart finally eased.
But before it could last even a moment, Lin Jiangye grabbed his arm. “Perfect timing!”
Shang Fu’yan: ???
A sudden, ominous premonition.
And the premonition was spot-on. Since it was New Year’s Eve, they had to make a reunion dinner, right?
And if they were making a reunion dinner, then aside from Tiger Mom, they’d obviously have to prepare food for the other little ones too—
Like the animals on this mountain he’d interacted with before.
Lin Jiangye had already bought nearly a thousand jin of meat yesterday—specifically for tonight’s meal.
But with that much food, just him and Bai Zhengwen wouldn’t be able to handle it. He’d even been thinking of hiring help—only for Shang Fu’yan to show up at exactly the right time.
After listening to Lin Jiangye rattle on, Shang Fu’yan’s relaxed expression froze.
So Lin Jiangye was happy… because he’d found extra labor?
He took a deep breath, wanting to say something, but when he turned and saw that bright, radiant grin, the words just wouldn’t come out.
Fine. If he was going to be a helper, then so be it.
Back at the familiar little courtyard, Shang Fu’yan first tensed when he saw an extra Amur tiger—then quickly put it together.
“This is the subadult you and Tiger Mom beat up before, isn’t it?”
The subadult, chewing on a rubber ball, shot him a look and rumbled an unhappy huff in its throat.
But this newcomer not only wasn’t scared—he stared at it for a long time, then reached out and ruffled its big head.
“Nice texture. No wonder you keep thinking about it now and then.”
The subadult tiger was stunned. Being ruffled by Lin Jiangye was one thing—how was it getting ruffled by other people too?!
It was about to throw a tantrum when Tiger Mom padded out with steady steps and brushed against Shang Fu’yan’s leg.
Well then. If he was an acquaintance of the neighbor… fine. It could reluctantly allow the petting.
“Mountain Deity, long time no see. How have you been lately?” Shang Fu’yan squatted down and gave Tiger Mom a warm hug.
Tiger Mom lifted her head and nudged her cheek against the man’s cool face.
“Long time no see, human.”
Then Shang Fu’yan was shoved into the kitchen—where it was packed to the brim with meat.
The first thing Bai Zhengwen did upon seeing him wasn’t to ask why he’d come, but to let out a breath of relief. “Thank goodness you’re here.”
Shang Fu’yan could only laugh helplessly. One look at Bai Zhengwen’s slightly worn-down face and it was obvious how many scares he’d had since arriving.
“You didn’t mention on the phone that Lin Jiangye knows this many predators…”
Bai Zhengwen had thought Lin Jiangye calling a tiger “Mom” was already the limit. Who would’ve guessed that the moment they arrived, another tiger would show up—
And they were both wild Amur tigers!
This was nothing like Tian Shu. Even if they were both Amur tigers, one raised in the wild was definitely not the same as one raised at home.
Two tigers was already Bai Zhengwen’s limit. But then…
The next morning, the moment he opened the door, there was a male sika deer outside—bigger than most.
“Oh. The Deer King’s here. Where’s the little white deer?” Shang Fu’yan asked casually.
Hearing how familiar his tone was, Bai Zhengwen’s feelings got complicated.
“And there were lynxes, snowy owls, martens—several kestrels too.” As Bai Zhengwen listed them off, Shang Fu’yan just nodded.
Good. All familiar “people.”
“After we’d been here a few days, a magpie showed up. According to Mr. Lin, it came to complain—said a human had snuck into the mountains to shoot birds. He stormed out in a rage.”
Later, the news reported that the Taibai Mountain police station had caught a group specializing in trapping birds.
“Catching them before the New Year—looks like the chief’s bonus after the holiday will be pretty nice,” Bai Zhengwen said, nodding.
Trapping birds sounded like a small case, but if they were protected species?
They’d reportedly rescued over twenty protected birds from the suspects’ hideout. Converted into value, that was tens of thousands—easily a major case for the local station.
No wonder the station chief had been smiling so hard his eyes nearly disappeared that day.
“I’ve heard people say that among police, you all treat Mr. Lin like a lucky charm.” Bai Zhengwen almost wanted to laugh at that.
Consultant Lin could help solve cases—and he could also bring new cases.
Sometimes something happened and people didn’t see it, cameras didn’t catch it, but that didn’t mean nearby animals hadn’t witnessed it.
Sometimes an animal had a connection to the victim, or the criminals had harmed the animals’ interests. Either way, once they learned there was a human who could understand animal speech—and could even help them report crimes—they naturally came looking for Lin Jiangye when trouble happened.
That, in turn, reminded Shang Fu’yan of Cat Boss Sang Biao.
Ever since Lin Jiangye came to Yue City, plenty of animals had sought him out to report things—animal abuse, home burglaries, owners being beaten, and more.
Not to mention the crows later became roaming “supervisors,” occasionally staring down pedestrians on the street.
Because if they spotted a criminal and successfully reported them, there would be shiny rewards!
So petty theft in Yue City decreased, cases decreased, and residents’ sense of well-being rose.
Listening to Shang Fu’yan, Bai Zhengwen felt a little emotional.
Why emotional? Because someone like Lin Jiangye was simply too rare.
When Lin Jiangye came into the kitchen to help, the two men switched topics and chatted.
And so the three of them worked from morning until afternoon, finally getting tonight’s reunion dinner ready.
A thousand jin of meat—no joke.
They cleared out a room and invited the animals who’d come for the meal inside.
The animals didn’t understand what day it was, but they’d asked Lin Jiangye and learned that tonight was a human holiday celebrating family reunion.
So when they came to eat this time, they’d also brought small gifts of their own.
The little white deer and the Deer King brought a string of “winter fruit”—not fruit that grew in winter, but fruit left hanging on the branches and frozen by frost.
A winter delicacy! The two of them had searched for ages to find this much.
Lin Jiangye examined it curiously, took a bite after it thawed, and found that even after freezing for so long, it tasted even sweeter.
Then the snowy owl brought some nuts. As for where it got them…
Let’s not ask.
Lin Jiangye stared at the bag of nuts, hesitated for a long time, then asked darkly, “Did you go rob a squirrel?”
The snowy owl just blinked its big eyes, innocently meeting Lin Jiangye’s gaze.
…Yeah. So it did.
“They won’t starve, will they?” The bag looked like one of his old meat bags. There had to be three or four jin of nuts inside.
Seeing he wasn’t angry, the snowy owl finally cooed an explanation. “No. I only took a little from each tree hole!”
A “little” from each hole—meaning it had rummaged through ten or eight squirrels’ stashes, that’s all.
Lin Jiangye sucked in a cold breath. He was just about to ask how it even knew that many cache holes, when another bird interrupted—
“Human! The kestrel’s here—woohoo!” It was the Eurasian kestrel.
This little one had been specifically told not to bring mice or insects, so this time it carried a small twig instead.
But every leaf on the twig had been frosted over, so it looked like tiny white plum blossoms blooming along the branch.
Lin Jiangye didn’t dislike it at all. He even found a vase indoors, placed the twig inside, and set it by the window.
“So pretty! Thank you for the flowers, little kestrel!” Lin Jiangye hugged the kestrel and gave it a gentle rub.
The kestrel was thrilled its gift was treasured.
Even if it still didn’t quite understand why humans liked this sort of thing.
A lot of little fluffballs came too, but what they brought wasn’t forest stuff—just bits of city greenery. Lin Jiangye accepted everything, gathered the scraps into the shape of a bird’s nest, and then tucked the round little birds inside.
They looked like tangyuan—pressed together one by one—staring at him with tiny black-bean eyes, completely baffled. Lin Jiangye was so overwhelmed by the cuteness his heart nearly melted.
How could the world contain such adorable little round things?!
Seeing Lin Jiangye practically radiating happiness, Shang Fu’yan exchanged a look with Tiger Mom. Man and tiger both looked amused and helpless.
Just then, the subadult tiger let out a snort and forced its way into Lin Jiangye’s arms, its huge furry head staring him down.
It didn’t say anything, but Lin Jiangye understood immediately.
He burst out laughing, rubbing the big head in his arms. Unable to resist, he leaned in and kissed it. “What, are you jealous now?”
It was just a single compliment about being cute! In this room, what furry creature wasn’t cute?
The subadult huffed and grumbled. And the gift it brought this time wasn’t its own food—it was a ginseng root.
Yes. Another ginseng—with its whiskers snapped off.
The moment Lin Jiangye saw it, he went a little dazed, instantly recalling the wild hundred-year ginseng Tiger Mom had dug up for him before.
That one had already been made into pills to preserve its potency.
Now there was another—and this one was even more badly damaged.
Lin Jiangye didn’t play favorites. He kissed and petted every little one who came to eat, thanking them for coming.
After putting away all the gifts, it was time to eat.
This time Lin Jiangye had prepared custom meals for every little one—his and the other two humans’ gift to them.
Watching them eat with happy little smack-smack sounds, the three of them exchanged a look, all wearing satisfied smiles.
And Bai Zhengwen saw a scene so beautiful it felt unreal: creatures of different species, peacefully and amicably eating together.
He hurriedly took out his camera and captured it.
That night, as netizens ate reunion dinner and watched the Spring Festival Gala, a new trending topic popped up—
“Do you believe a deer can eat at the same table as a tiger?”
What a bizarre question.
Would prey eat at the same table as a predator? How would that work—prey being eaten by the predator, does that count as “eating at the same table”?
But the moment people clicked in and saw the photo, everyone’s eyes went wide.
“What is this?!!”
It was a photo taken in a spacious, old-fashioned farmhouse courtyard. Two handsome men were eating reunion dinner at a table, and around them sat a ring of all kinds of animals.
From big ones like an Amur tiger and North American gray wolves, to tiny ones like a flock of plump long-tailed tits. Mixed in were small raptors, a lynx, a marten, a cheetah, and more.
The “deer” mentioned in the trending topic were a big one and a small one—two sika deer, one of them albino.
Considering the account’s location, that albino sika deer was clearly the “white forest spirit” from Taibai Mountain.
Everyone was shocked—but once they realized the person in the photo was Lin Jiangye, it somehow didn’t feel that strange anymore.
Lin Jiangye dared to raise tigers and lions at home, and even had tigers, lions, cats, and dogs playing ball together. What couldn’t he do?
If a deer and a tiger could eat together now, maybe the tiger had even groomed the deer before! After all, in the corner of the photo, two wolves were licking a lynx like crazy.
Still, people were curious what was really going on.
Tigers and lions playing with cats could be explained as being raised at home and losing their wildness. But in the photo—aside from the two wolves, the lynx, and the cheetah—weren’t the rest wild animals?
Could wild animals really gather together so peacefully?
Even many experts said it was impossible and suspected the image was photoshopped.
But as soon as midnight passed, a video appeared on Lin Jiangye’s account.
When people clicked it, they heard animals yowling and Lin Jiangye’s slightly irritated voice.
Looking closer, it turned out the countryside fireworks had startled the animals.
The most frightened one was that male Amur tiger.
It howled and tried to hide, but Lin Jiangye quickly hugged it and covered its ears.
When the sound faded, the male tiger gradually calmed down. With a female tiger grooming it beside him, it finally opened its big eyes and watched the sky turn into a riot of colors with fascinated wonder.
“Pretty, baby?”
In the video, the young man was smiling brightly, and the wild Amur tiger in his arms actually leaned in to nuzzle him, letting out a small ao-ao-wu-wu sound as if saying something.
Of course, netizens weren’t Lin Jiangye—they couldn’t understand what it said. But from the way the young man laughed and kissed the tiger’s head afterward, it probably wasn’t anything unpleasant.
Wait—Lin Jiangye dared to manhandle a wild Amur tiger?
For a moment, people didn’t know whether they should warn him to be careful, or envy him for being able to touch a wild tiger.
Before other experts could protest, the local Forestry Bureau spoke up first.
“Consultant Lin, how can you sneak around and pet the tiger without telling us?!”
Those three exclamation marks were more than enough to convey their heartbreak—and their envy.
Netizens quickly piled on too: “Exactly! We want to pet it too! Let us pet the big kitty!”
Who wouldn’t want to? If not for the fear of dying, who wouldn’t want to pet it?
Unfortunately, Lin Jiangye didn’t have time to deal with them. After watching wave after wave of fireworks with the little ones, it was time to sleep.
And likewise, Lin Jiangye was almost ready to leave.
But late that night, Tiger Mom led him to another house.
“I heard the humans down the mountain say you’re raising a tiger at home.”
A chill ran down Lin Jiangye’s back. When he’d mentioned it before, Tiger Mom hadn’t reacted, so he’d assumed she didn’t care.
Turns out it wasn’t that she didn’t care—
She’d just been waiting for the right moment.
“I’m coming back with you.”
Tiger Mom’s eyes fixed on Lin Jiangye. That tone wasn’t negotiation. It sounded like a decision already made.
Lin Jiangye was just about to try persuading her—after all, the back mountain at home still wasn’t fully set up. Bringing Tiger Mom back now would mean only that small patch of woods to roam in.
Tian Shu didn’t mind, because it had grown up in a cramped cage and was used to it.
But Tiger Mom wasn’t. Her territory was tens of square kilometers. Even giving her the entire back mountain would still feel like a slight.
If it weren’t for retirement, Lin Jiangye honestly wouldn’t have had the heart to drag Tiger Mom into the human world.
But to his surprise, Tiger Mom’s attitude was utterly firm.
“I’m going.”
Lin Jiangye met her gaze, then suddenly threw his arms around her, grinning. “Tiger Mom, are you jealous?”
Your cub isn’t living with you, but with another Amur tiger—hehehe! Tiger Mom must be jealous, right?
Tiger Mom growled and swatted the shameless little brat aside.
“Are you taking me or not?”
“Taking you, taking you, taking you! If Tiger Mom says it, then of course I’ll take you! Once I make more money, I’ll buy the mountain next door too!”
Tiger Mom finally stopped talking. Lin Jiangye hugged her even tighter.
If earlier Lin Jiangye had looked at the fluffballs and felt cute-happy, then right now he looked like he’d walked out of a comic—pink little flowers practically blooming all around him.
So many flowers he was almost drowned in them.
This New Year’s gift was something Lin Jiangye had never expected.
With Tiger Mom at home, he’d be a kid with a parent now.
