Chapter 618: Chapter 518: The Little Fairy in Distress

Dinner is set to start at 6:30 in the evening.

After sending off the last batch of visitors at 5:30, everyone except necessary on-duty personnel gathered on the small square to the right of the office building entrance.

The tables were the kind brought over from Xiaozhai Village, dual-purpose for firewood and coal, placing a pot in the middle, dishes around it, with the furnace underneath also providing warmth.

These multifunctional stoves have become popular in the countryside over the past two years, while in the city, most use electric ones, which have more appealing names like “warming table.”

Including the Protection Station and the study base staff, there were fifty or sixty people, not counting those on duty, which meant there would be over a hundred if everyone was present.

Chen Ying was generous, directly having ten stoves delivered, setting up ten tables. People from Xiaozhai Village who came to help stayed to eat together.

“Brother Ying, one pig, two sheep, five chickens, five geese, altogether this much money. The village chief uncle said all the vegetables are grown by folks in our village, no charge.”

Chen Ying glanced at the pile of vegetables on the farm tricycle: cabbages, radishes, potatoes, pumpkins, filling a whole cart.

The radishes still bore fresh dirt, showing they’d just been pulled from the ground.

Chen Ying knew Dao Meihua had helped the village with many projects over the past year and hosted two public benefit livestreams to assist farming, with the village chief wanting to give money in thanks several times but being politely refused. If he insisted on giving money now, the chief’s feelings might be hurt.

“Alright, then you help me thank the village chief uncle. By the way, your Sister Meihua has brought a lot of simple packaged cigarettes from her home, when you go back, help me give them to the village chief uncle, ask him to help distribute, the rest can stay in the village committee office, anyone who wants to smoke can take them themselves. But keep a watch, children aren’t allowed to smoke.”

Many people in the village used to like smoking leaf tobacco; after tobacco planting was restricted, everyone started smoking low-quality cigarettes.

Chen Ying himself wasn’t interested in it, but customs in the countryside are like this, offering a cigarette before starting a conversation.

Conditions had improved over the last few years, even ten years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for one cigarette to be shared round.

At seven o’clock, before officially starting dinner, Chen Ying packed some offcuts and scraps to feed the little ones in the shed.

The few little ones were rescued during the heavy snow some time ago.

Some froze and became ill, some were injured while searching for food in the snow.

There were two forest musk deer, one yellow-throated marten, one leopard cat, and two fruit bats.

Other than the forest musk deer, which are herbivores, the other four are carnivores. Fruit bats are omnivores but particularly like birds, loving them enough to want to tuck those pretty-feathered little creatures into their bellies.

Chen Ying gave the stripped cabbage leaves to the forest musk deer, while the lamb bones, chicken, and goose necks and innards, plus some meat, were divided among the other four.

Taking a lap to check on the status of the shelter animals, Chen Ying was headed back with the empty basin when he suddenly sensed some movement in the empty animal shed at the far end.

The fastest eater, the leopard cat, chewed and swallowed the scraps before raising its head to look at Chen Ying, then glanced in the direction he was observing.

“Do you know that big guy?” The leopard cat squatted down, licking its newly healed right front paw, chatting casually with Chen Ying.

“That big guy arrived yesterday, looks strange, never seen anything like it in the mountains.”

Hearing this, Chen Ying curiously walked over, intending to see which little cutie had found its way to them.

The last animal shed was set up for small animals, with no animals currently residing, thus the doors to both the outer and inner pens were not shut, nor was the monitoring turned on.

Chen Ying turned on the light, a shadow quickly darted through, hiding behind the artificial stone platform in a corner of the outer shed.

Squinting, he saw a furry tail slightly raised, trembling.

From the shape of the tail, it’s clearly a member of the cat family, yet among the cat breeds on Jiamu Gully Mountain, none have such long fur.

A Lynx is long-haired, but its tail differs significantly from this cat’s.

Could it be someone’s pet cat wandered in?

Chen Ying gently pushed open the door, softly called twice, three to four minutes later, half a little furry face peeked out.

The fur on its head was messy with dirt, clumped in locks, with bits of leaves and grass wrapped in it.

Even just this half-face made Chen Ying marvel, “What a stunning cat!”

Perhaps sensing Chen Ying’s friendliness, the little one finally emerged from behind the stone platform, lifting its small furry face, the pitiful look tugged at one’s heartstrings.

Golden brown eyes glistening watery, as if the next moment it would burst into tears.

Seeing this little cutie in full, Chen Ying finally recognized it as probably a pure-bred Norwegian Forest Cat.

This cat fetches a high price on the pet market, not affordable for just anyone, and not easy to keep well.

Being a forest wild cat, adept at climbing, jumping, and hunting, it requires sizable space for activity, and its temperament is relatively private and independent, not inclined towards interaction with caretakers. To raise them, one must have a yard or garden, or room sufficiently large enough to allow ample space for activity.

Surely some keep them domestically, but is there a wealthy person in Jiamu Gully who can raise this cat?

Squatting down, beckoning the little cutie to come closer, the cautious creature after a brief scan walked up to him, stretched out to sniff the empty basin.