Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Chapter 5 Illegal Hunting
3pm.

As the sun sets, the city becomes exceptionally noisy.

The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and birdsong rose and fell.

Many booths preparing for the evening exhibition have already begun setting up, with wires being strung and colorful lights being hung, creating a bustling scene.

As Gu Xiao traveled, she saw antiques, calligraphy and paintings, jewelry and jade, and felt envious, but she also knew that she did not have the eye or the money to do so.

Suppressing his unrealistic fantasies, he strode confidently toward the pet market section deep within the market.

The further you go in, the more complex the smell of the air becomes.

The scents of flowers, feed, disinfectant, and a pungent, mixed odor of countless animals assaulted his senses, while a cacophony of sounds assaulted his mind.
"I'm so hungry! When are we going to be fed by those two-legged creatures?!"

"This cage is too small, it's so crowded!"

"New guy! You stepped on my foot!"

……

……

After browsing around and talking with several shop owners, Gu Xiao confirmed some of her views.

First, the sounds he heard were definitely not hallucinations.

Illusion is essentially the imagination of known information; it is absolutely impossible for a person to imagine a shop's phone number and QQ number out of thin air.

Second, the number of animals that can hear speech is limited.

Animals that can talk have an exceptionally bright light in their eyes, somewhat similar to the "spirituality" in fantasy novels.

Third, he attracts animals with spirituality; basically, if you get within five meters of them, he will notice you and strike up a conversation with you.

He quickly recalled the sparrows that had been chirping and discussing their "pleasant smell" that morning.

This attraction also explains why the hamsters in the hospital and the big yellow dog in the gatehouse would actively communicate with him.

Gu Xiao suddenly realized that she had awakened some troublesome trait.

He silently prayed that the objects he was "attracted" would not be insects, otherwise he would be disgusted to death.

"Handsome, do you like small animals? How about buying one?"

The male shop assistant's voice interrupted Gu Xiao's thoughts.

Gu Xiao glanced at the tabby cat in the cage in front of her, meowing at her, and shook her head slightly:
"No, I don't have time to keep a cat."

The male shop assistant hurriedly said, "Cats are very independent animals and don't require too much attention."

It's not that I'm not interested, it's that I'm broke. Gu Xiao ignored the kitten's pitiful eyes, firmly refused, and continued walking forward.

Not long after walking, a loud and energetic shout came from the right:

"Squirrels for sale! Squirrels for sale! Cute and adorable squirrels, only twenty dollars!"

Gu Xiao frowned.

squirrel?

This was in 2002, when the pet industry was just starting out. People kept dogs and cats mainly for the functional needs of guarding the house and catching mice.

Is it really possible for someone to breed squirrels, such a niche pet, and sell them?

Or.
Gu Xiao stopped and turned around.

On the street, a dark-skinned middle-aged man was shouting loudly through a megaphone. At his feet were two square wire cages, each containing three squirrels.

They all had scars on their bodies, and one of them was curled up in a corner, motionless, as if it were about to die at any moment.

Gu Xiao paused for a moment, then walked over and said, "Hello."

"Hello! Young man, are you looking to buy a squirrel?" The shopkeeper quickly put down his megaphone and flashed a fawning smile.

Almost the instant Gu Xiao approached, the previously lifeless cage began to stir.

"What a comforting smell."

"Help us! Help us!"

A flurry of anxious, fragmented sounds rushed into Gu Xiao's mind, driven by a strong will to survive.

The squirrels that were still able to move lay on the wire mesh, their bright black eyes fixed on him.

Gu Xiao glanced at the iron cage and asked curiously:
"Squirrels should be protected under the 'Three-Protected' category, right? Can they be caught freely in the wild?"

The boss's expression froze, and his smile became somewhat forced.

"These are all domesticated."

Gu Xiao lowered her eyes and pointed to the reddish-brown squirrel huddled in the corner:
"Could you please describe its breed? Judging from its fur color, it doesn't seem to be a typical squirrel. When is its mating season? What precautions should I take when it sheds during the changing seasons?"

With each question he asked, the boss's face grew darker.

"Get out of here if you're not going to buy it!"

The boss suddenly erupted, his face contorted with rage, "If you keep babbling, I'll beat you up!" His booming voice sent shivers down the spines of the squirrels in the cage.

The once noisy market fell into a brief silence as surrounding merchants and customers turned to look at the source of the noise.

Gu Xiao didn't react at all, not even blinking:
“I know that if the people don’t complain, the officials won’t investigate, and I have no interest in being a saint.”

His gaze swept over the cage. "But the one in the corner is almost dead. You can't sell it if you keep it, so why bother?"

"fart!"

The boss, spitting as he spoke, yelled, "It's perfectly healthy, how can it be useless! I think you're just here to cause trouble!"

Seeing that the other party was completely emotional, Gu Xiao knew that reasoning with them was futile.

He said calmly:

“My dad works for the Forestry Bureau. You know better than me whether there are any problems with your market operation license and domestication and breeding license. I’m a student, I have plenty of time to waste with you.”

The boss, like a rooster being choked, stopped cursing abruptly and stood frozen in place.

Having lived among ordinary people for many years, reading between the lines is almost an instinct.

The young man in front of me was so calm and had such a handsome appearance.

That kind of calm that emanates from his very bones is something that can't be cultivated in an ordinary family. Especially those eyes, their indifference sent chills down his spine.

"What exactly do you want to do!" The boss's momentum clearly weakened by three points, leaving him only with stubbornness.

"I'm not here to take away your livelihood."

Gu Xiao pointed to the cage, "This squirrel has a health problem, and you obviously can't treat it. Come with me to the zoo; they have an animal rescue center there."

He added, "Don't worry, it won't cost you a penny."

The boss was so embarrassed that his face turned green, and he wanted to slap him.

But seeing the other person's calm eyes and towering height of 1.8 meters, he cowered and suppressed his anger, saying:
“I don’t have time to run around. Take it to get treatment yourself and bring it back to me tomorrow.”

Gu Xiao automatically ignored the second half of the sentence.

Gu Xiao opened the iron cage, carefully placed the squirrel curled up in the corner into her palm, nodded politely to the shop owner, and turned to leave.

……

……

Zoo rescue center.

The incubator's light shone softly as Gu Hui gently placed the dying squirrel inside.

"How is it going?" Gu Xiao asked curiously from the side.

Gu Hui adjusted the incubator temperature, a hint of seriousness in his expression:
"It ate too many rotten and spoiled vegetable leaves, and its stomach and intestines were severely damaged. We just gave it medicine and water, but the next 24 hours are still very dangerous. We'll have to see if it can survive."

"so serious?"

"It's too small, only four months old, and it's not a local breed. If you hadn't delivered it in time, it definitely wouldn't have made it through the night."

At this point, Gu Hui glanced at his son.

In the past, the other party would never have done such a thing.

Ignoring her father's complicated expression, Gu Xiao asked, "Not a local variety?"

Gu Hui walked to the sink, washed his hands, and explained:

"This is a red squirrel, scientifically known as the Eurasian red squirrel. They are mainly distributed in northern Eurasia. You might still see some in the deep forests of northeastern China, but their numbers are small. It's almost impossible for them to exist in the wild in the Beijing area."

After saying that, he said with a hint of indignation, "The owner of that flower and bird shop has a serious problem."

Gu Xiao had anticipated this kind of thing; the country's supervision in this area is indeed not very good at the moment.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

He stretched, got up, and walked towards the door.

"and many more."

Gu Hui called out, his eyes darting away:

"Although red squirrels are cold-resistant, they cannot tolerate heat, and zoos do not have suitable enclosures for them." In other words, they can only be kept as pets.

Gu Xiao paused for a moment, glanced at the furry ball curled up in the incubator, and sighed:

"If it survives, I will keep it."

Gu Hui's eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly, "Great, great. Should we give it a name?"

Gu Xiao thought for a moment and then said, "Xiao Jiu."

No matter the era or the land, living longer is always a good thing.

(End of this chapter)