My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 449 Taming the Tiger
When the zookeeper came over on the third morning, he couldn't help but ask Chen Ling, "Do you know any animal training techniques? The little tiger has become familiar with you so quickly."

"I don't really know anything about animal training, but I do know a little about dog training. I have a pack of dogs at home, and I also keep livestock, including cows, horses, and sheep."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ling told the zookeeper about some of his experiences in the mountains and the recent encounter of the mountain donkeys with a pack of jackals.

The zookeeper was immediately taken aback: "Oh my, no wonder the tiger reacted so strongly the day before yesterday. You go into the mountains so often and have too much contact with wild animals..."

Please change your clothes and come in. It's time to prepare breakfast for the little tigers.

Since you have some experience with this, getting along with the tiger cub shouldn't be a problem.

The zookeeper was a young man under thirty, who became very talkative after getting to know Chen Ling.

Today, Chen Ling was even asked to prepare food for the little tiger himself.

Chen Ling was quite pleased with this, and taking advantage of the moment when the other person wasn't looking, he added some more spiritual water.

We're getting ready here.

A low growl, "Awoo," came from the cage.

Two chubby yellow paws peeked out from the feeding opening in the iron fence, scratching incessantly like a kitten.

The cement floor was covered in scratches and grooves.

A moment later, the iron fence rattled and shook. Another tiger cub was riding on the back of the one lying on the ground, pressed against the iron fence, growling anxiously, and looking in Chen Ling's direction.

"It's not lunchtime yet, Ah Fu and Ah Shou, why are you in such a hurry today?"

The zookeeper gently poked them with a metal back scratcher.

Afu and Ashou are the names of two tiger cubs.

The two tiger cubs are said to be six months old, but in reality, they look almost the same size as adult tigers.

Of course, it's still far from being a dominant tiger like the Siberian tiger.

Moreover, although he has grown in size and strength, he still looks quite childish.

It lacks the domineering presence and composure of an adult tiger.

"Don't worry, the food will be here soon." Chen Ling turned his head and smiled.

Being expected to be fed by such a big cat is a very fulfilling experience.

It's just a tiger's meal, and the amount of meat required is too large. The raw meat also needs to be cut into small pieces, so it takes a while to prepare.

"Haha, those two probably think of you as a new friend. They're excited to be fed by a new friend."

The zookeeper laughed.

He continued to use the metal back scratcher to poke the tiger cubs' chins and play with them.

Just then, footsteps could be heard outside.

A woman in work clothes came in; she was in her thirties, short and plump.

Upon seeing the zookeeper, he smiled and said, "Xiao Li, I heard that our little tiger is going to be filming a TV series. Have any people come over these past few days?"

"Oh, Sister Zhang, you've finally arrived! With you taking leave, I've been doing all the work at the tiger enclosure by myself..."

When the male zookeeper, Xiao Li, saw the woman, he beamed and said, "Here's Brother Chen."

As he spoke, he pointed at Chen Ling.

Introduce the two to each other.

It turns out that the woman was also a zookeeper at the tiger park, and she had taken leave to stay with the tiger patient at the hospital.

They watched these two tiger cubs grow up together.

"Wow, so young? Is everything alright?"

The female zookeeper couldn't help but say something when she saw that Chen Ling looked to be only in his early twenties.

“No problem, Sister Zhang, you don’t know, Afu and Ashou got along very well with Xiao Chen yesterday, and even let Xiao Chen touch them.”

"Really? They let us touch them? They're so well-behaved now?"

As he spoke, he turned to look at the two tigers inside the iron fence: "A-Fu, A-Shou..."

She had just called their names and picked up the iron back scratcher to tease them when, unexpectedly, the two tigers suddenly bristled, one fell from its upright position to the ground, and the other stood up and roared at her.

With its mouth wide open, it revealed a fierce appearance and emitted threatening hissing sounds, which were extremely intimidating.

This reaction left the female zookeeper completely bewildered. "No way, Ah Fu and Ah Shou, it's only been half a month, and you don't recognize me anymore?"

"That's right, this is the aunt who has taken care of you since you were little, why are you being so fierce?"

As the two were talking, the female zookeeper reluctantly reached in with a back scratcher to test the tigers, but the two tigers remained the same, their fur standing on end, emitting terrifying hissing sounds, and constantly backing away.

Fortunately, they were still small and hid behind each other. If they were adult tigers, they would probably have slapped them with one paw.

"Why is it acting like a stranger to me?"

The female zookeeper said in bewilderment, "I heard you say that they let us touch their heads on the first day, and I thought that since they grew up with the two of us and had someone to look after them, they had a very good temperament."

"You're trying to intimidate me as soon as I start work, aren't you?"

Seeing this, the male zookeeper said, "Why don't you try hiding to the side first, Sister Zhang?"

"Okay, I'll stay away for a while. These two heartless little tigers don't even recognize me after only half a month."

The female zookeeper did as instructed and went into the work area, looking out through the glass window.

As soon as she left the iron gate, the two little tigers, Afu and Ashou, came forward again, sniffing loudly at Chen Ling through the iron gate.

Seeing this, Xiao Li frowned and guessed, "Sister Zhang, judging from their behavior just now, they seem to be guarding their food, right? Did they think you were here to steal their food?"

"I do not know."

Then, seeing that Chen Ling had prepared a large basin of meat, he said, "Xiao Li, have Brother Chen feed them again, but remember to keep them at a distance."

Normally, the tiger cub is not wary of its familiar keepers, especially those who raised it from a young age.

When dealing with tiger cubs under one year old, the keepers prepare food and feed them small pieces of meat to build a bond with them.

Tigers are as docile as cats; even if the keeper holds meat in their hand and feeds it to them, they won't do anything excessive.

Chen Ling tried it twice yesterday and found it both exciting and stimulating.

Feed the tiger like you would a cat.

An ordinary person will never have this experience in their lifetime.

He was even thinking that one day he could raise a tiger in his own cave, just like that leopard with the broken tail.

However, since the two tiger cubs roared at the female keeper today, and seemed a bit temperamental, he was still very careful. If he wasn't careful, he might lose his hand.

They would throw pieces of meat in from a distance to feed the animals, and dared not feed them by hand anymore.

Fortunately, that's what we did.

Perhaps because it was mixed with spiritual water, the two little tigers tasted the benefits of the meat after eating it yesterday.

Know that this is good stuff.

I didn't get to eat it for a day.

They ate very quickly.

Yesterday, the two little ones didn't fight over food, but today they're fighting over it.

After we finished eating the big bowl of meat.

The two little tigers, Afu and Ashou, ate to their hearts' content, and their bellies bulged out.

The three of them carefully observed the two tigers, and only dared to approach again when they saw that the tigers' eyes had softened and become clear.

but.

When Sister Zhang approaches, the two little tigers still get upset, roaring and breathing heavily, clearly resisting her advances.

He actually had a lot of fun playing with his new friend Chen Ling.

Yesterday, Chen Ling went home and specially made something like a cat toy, making about twenty of them. Although they were all ruined by the two tigers' mouths and claws today, it didn't stop them from having fun.

This puzzled Sister Zhang, and she was also a little angry and jealous. She kept complaining that the two little tigers were heartless. She had raised them for so long, but after only half a month, they didn't recognize her and even yelled at her.

It's really hard to understand why she's so close to a complete stranger like Chen Ling.

Fourth day.

Day .

Day .

Not only did the two tiger cubs, Afu and Ashou, get used to Chen Ling, but the two pairs of adult tigers in the tiger park also stopped roaring, barking, and trying to pounce on him when they saw him.

After the two tiger cubs got used to the unique taste of the meat, they became unusually close to Chen Ling.

You can open the cage and get closer to him, let him touch you as much as he wants, playfully roll around with him, turn your belly up to him, and even purr and rub against him like a cat.

When Chen Ling touched its paws, it would actually retract them on its own, and even the barbs on its tongue would retract.

This means that you have truly accepted him as your new friend.

There's just one thing: these two little tigers are too willful.

Once you get tired of playing, you lose all patience.

Eat when you want to eat and sleep when you want to sleep.

After all, tigers don't sleep for a fixed number of hours every night like humans do.

They sleep when they're tired and hunt when they're hungry.

However, at the zoo, they started begging for food. So on the third day, Chen Ling and the two zookeepers discussed it and decided to use the two tiger cubs' greed to give them some simple training.

Good grief, you want to tame a tiger? Aren't you being a bit too bold?

Moreover, the idea of ​​taming a tiger was truly a pipe dream for the two keepers.

It's true that zoos have circuses and make money from animal performances, but that has nothing to do with them, and they don't know how to train animals.

However, seeing that Chen Ling and the two tiger cubs were getting closer and more familiar with each other, it wouldn't hurt to try it out with him. After all, it was just for fun, not like performing animal training.

And when I tried it, it actually worked!

……

"Roll over."

"Sit down, sit down."

"Sit or stand up."

“Stand up.”

"Lie down."

With each command from Chen Ling, the two little tigers, Afu and Ashou, actually performed a series of astonishing actions in front of him.

Their comprehension skills are still too poor; they can't just sit down when told to sit or stand up when told to stand up. Most of them can't fully cooperate.

We still have to half-train and half-coax them.

They also entice them with food.

They give you food if you do something.

That's why they patiently played with Chen Ling.

Otherwise, these random things wouldn't be as appealing as Chen Ling's "cat teasers."

Even so, it was enough to amaze the zookeepers.

These days, Chen Ling has become quite famous in the zoo.

Whenever he has free time, many zookeepers who are responsible for other animals come to watch him play with the two tiger cubs.

The zookeepers were all amazed that a stranger could play with the tiger cub so quickly and even dare to train it.

On the evening of the sixth day, Chen Ling left.

The two tiger cubs, who had been fed with spiritual water for nearly a week, were becoming increasingly intelligent, as if they had sensed something.

Inside the cage.

The little tigress, Afu, rolled over, her two front paws wrapped around his legs, purring and acting like a big cat, refusing to let go no matter what.

Little male tiger Ashou stood up, hugged his neck, and licked his face vigorously. Then he nudged his chest with his head, not wanting him to leave.

"Goodness, it knows you're leaving and can't live without you."

Upon seeing this, Xiao Li exclaimed in astonishment.

At the same time, I also felt a little jealous.

Not only him, but also the female zookeeper, Sister Zhang, was completely baffled and quite frustrated, since she and Xiao Li were clearly the tiger cub's wet nurses.

How can someone be worse off than a stranger you've known for a week?

Moreover, ever since she returned from her leave, the two little tigers have been ignoring her.

"Haha, Ah Fu and Ah Shou, my good boy, we'll see each other again soon."

While dodging Ah Shou's licking, Chen Ling stroked its back to comfort it.

Then it lay down, purring and whining sweetly.

Chen Ling reached out and touched its and Afu's heads, scratching his chin to tickle it.

After much comforting, the two tiger cubs finally let him go.

Otherwise, if two tigers were hugging and holding you, you really wouldn't be able to move.

……

Early morning, the first rays of dawn.

In summer, the streets of Tiannan City are lined with lush green trees, and the fruit trees planted along the park roads are laden with fruit.

At that time, the heavily polluting heavy industry had not yet started to develop at full capacity.

There are no towering buildings or dense steel jungles in the city.

The river is clear, and the trees are lush and verdant.

The air was very fresh in the morning.

The golden-red sun casts beams of light through the gaps in the dense foliage.

The sunlight shone on the wet street surface.

The sunlight hit the ground, which was still damp from last night's light rain, stirring up the moisture.

It makes the air more humid and fresh.

More than a decade later, during the morning rush hour, only pedestrians rode bicycles, including commuters and students in school uniforms.

There were very few cars on the road; the honking was mostly from motorcycles.

People rode their bicycles at a leisurely pace, chatting and laughing, their smiles radiant.

The breakfast stalls on the roadside are steaming hot, with a mix of various aromas of rice.

It attracts students and office workers to stop here and take out their spare change to buy food.

Chen Ling walked downstairs, listening to the birds chirping, and looking at the bustling street, the energetic young people and vibrant students, and was momentarily stunned.

He thought to himself: There's nothing wrong with the city at this time of year.

Unfortunately, this lifestyle was short-lived.

He shook his head with regret, carried his lunchbox through the alley covered with dense ivy, smelled the fragrance of wildflowers by the wall, and walked to a beef bun shop.

I sat down and drank two large bowls of soup and ate half a basket of steamed buns.

Then I bought a large bowl of beef soup and half a basket of steamed buns, and strolled leisurely around the area before turning back home.

At this moment, Wang Susu was wearing a loose white dress and washing up in the bathroom.

"Aren't we going to the zoo today?"

"No, let's not go. After breakfast, I'll take you out for a bit. Tomorrow we'll visit Professor Han, buy a few more clothes, and then head home..."

It's so hot in the city, much hotter than at home. It's so much more comfortable and cool at our farm.

As Chen Ling spoke, he poured the beef soup into two bowls and called Wang Zhenzhen to eat.

"Dad~"

Before Wang Zhenzhen could respond, Rui Rui started shouting from the bedroom.

While shouting, she awkwardly slid off the bed with her little bottom sticking out.

Then she ran towards him with her short legs.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?" Chen Ling turned her head and glanced at him.

"Poop, poop."

The little thing was completely naked, stretching out its arms and jumping around in front of him, extremely anxious.

"Oh dear, go find your mother. Your father is preparing food for you. Be a good boy."

Chen Ling immediately frowned in disgust. This brat's poop smelled terrible, and he liked to be held to pee, otherwise he couldn't poop. He was really difficult to please.

Rui Rui stared blankly at him for a moment, then glanced at the steamed buns on the table. She had no choice but to rush to the bathroom with her head down, shouting loudly, "Mom, Dad won't give me any poop!"

Wang Susu had just boiled water and started washing her hair, so she had no time to look after the child.

Then she lifted her wet hair, stared at him, and her fair and tender face puffed up like a steamed bun.

Chen Ling had no choice but to give in and walk over, pinching his nose as he accompanied his son to defecate.

"Damn it, this brat is getting worse and worse, he's even learned to tattle."

"It's all because you're not proper; you won't even help your son pee."

"His poop smells terrible."

"What smell? It's because you're being lazy... Oh, it really is. This smell, you brat, have you been eating too well? Your poop smells so bad."

"Zhenzhen, come here quickly, let's take the basin to the living room, I'm not washing here."

Rui Rui can't quite understand what they're saying. He just looks at his mother and aunt carrying out the basin of water, his little face full of confusion.

With her little head tilted back, she murmured in confusion, "Mommy~"

"Hurry up and poop, your mom thinks you smell bad too."

Chen Ling frowned, stuffing tissues into both nostrils in pain. He thought to himself that it would be enough for his wife to have another child. He used to think that having more children would be more lively, but now it seemed that even one child was difficult to take care of, and having more would just exhaust him.

But soon after the little one finished pooping, he clung to him in the bedroom, wanting him to dress him. His giggling, affectionate, and clingy little face softened his heart again.

Oh well, having more babies is fine too. As long as my wife wants them, I'll cooperate and try my best to have more.

(End of this chapter)