Chapter 238 The Farewell Hug
After strolling through the zoo with Father Fang and Mother Fang, Fang Ye asked them, "How many days are you planning to stay out for the National Day holiday? Or are you heading back today after the visit?"
Father Fang said, "We're leaving after we're done here today; we've got other things to attend to! We'll come to see you again when we get the chance."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Mother Fang laughed, "Looking at you, you don't seem to miss us at all. If we stick around, you'd have all sorts to nag about. You'll probably be more comfortable after we leave. But that's good, too. You have your own life, and as long as you're comfortable, that's what matters!"
Fang Ye quickly widened his eyes, "Hey, how can I not miss you? I'm thrilled to see you both."
Mother Fang pursed her lips, a skeptical look on her face, "If you really missed us, you'd try to persuade us to stay a little longer when you heard we were leaving, not just let us go without a word."
Fang Ye felt a bit awkward inside. Today's meeting had indeed caught him off guard; he hadn't been mentally prepared, and now that his parents mentioned leaving, he actually felt a sense of relief.
Unexpectedly, Mother Fang was so perceptive, immediately noticing his reluctance.
He ventured, "Then, how about staying for two more days? My new villa just finished construction, and the environment is pretty nice!"
Although it wasn't decorated, he had already moved some furniture like tables, beds, bookshelves, and most importantly, the computer.
Low EQ: It's not decorated.
High EQ: It's minimalist style.
Fang Ye had moved in a couple of days ago, and everything was fine. He could wake up to the beautiful sight of the zoo, which put him in a good mood.
But with the place being so empty and hollow, it did feel a bit uncomfortable. He planned to spruce it up later with some action figures and to decorate the room with animal plushies and a wife figurine.
When his parents visited next time, he could introduce them to the place, "The big wife in the maid outfit sweeping the living room, and on this wall, the little wife (misunderstanding)."
Thinking it over, if his parents were to stay, he could let them have his bedroom, and he could use the camp bed in the storage or lay out a quilt on the floor to sleep on.
Mother Fang expressed her surprise, "You didn't even tell us about this. Let's go, take us to see it."
He then took his parents to see the small villa he had built on the hillside.
Father Fang and Mother Fang noticed the huge bookshelf in Fang Ye's room, crammed with books related to animals.
Titles like "Raising Snakes, Preventing and Treating Snake Injuries," "The Wild Cats of the World," "East Asian Birds Field Guide," "Aquarium Operations and Management in Practice," and all sorts of assorted works were there.
They covered creatures that fly, run, and swim, and even included obscure and esoteric specialized books like "Veterinary Surgery" and some on architectural design.
The books piled high on the desk also had edges that were yellowed and darkened, indicating they were frequently read and reread.
It was no wonder he spoke so knowledgeably about animals; he truly had put in a lot of hard work.
Father Fang, picking up a "Practical Techniques in Agroecology," flipped through it curiously, "You read books on agriculture too?"
Fang Ye explained, "Our zoo's animal manure isn't a small amount every day; we can use it to make compost.
Growing healthy, eco-friendly vegetables with it, we can feed the animals or serve them at our tables. This way, we can convey to visitors a concept of resource recycling, sustainable development, and harmonious coexistence between humans and animals.
It's more impactful for visitors to know that the vegetables they are eating are grown from animal manure."
"In the future, I plan to build an ecological farm exhibit area…"
"Mama doesn't understand this stuff, so you'll have to explain it to me later, so I can learn a bit too."
"Sure, but I haven't fully grasped it myself yet."
Then they visited the side courtyard.
Mother Fang saw the shimmering swimming pool and two towering palm trees and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, you're living quite the comfortable life!
But we've already booked a beach hotel in the Maldives, so compared to that, your place still falls a bit short, otherwise we'd just vacation here."
"Huh?" Fang Ye said in astonishment, "Didn't you say you had other matters to attend to?"
Father Fang matter-of-factly replied, "Yes, we do, we're off to vacation in the Maldives—that's our business."
He glanced at his watch, "We've stayed at your place quite long today, and we have a flight at 10:30 tonight. We should leave now, or we might miss it."
Fang Ye wore a wry smile, thinking to himself how misguided he was to feel uneasy for not having insisted on his parents staying longer—turns out they were in a rush to enjoy their couple's retreat!
The comforting words Mother Fang had spoken earlier moved him, but it now seemed they were part of an intentional ruse.
He sincerely said, "Well then, I hope you enjoy your holiday! Do you want me to drop you off?"
Father Fang answered, "No need, we wouldn't want to hold you up from your work."
Mother Fang opened her arms with a smile, "Won't you give your mom a hug before leaving?"
"Oh, come on, we're all adults here, there's no need for such childish hugs," Fang Ye sighed reluctantly, but despite his words, he still gently embraced his mother, and then his father.
"Remember to eat more and put on some weight! Don't overwork yourself, and make sure you don't stay up too late. If you're short on money, don't feel embarrassed, just come to us..."
Before leaving, Mother Fang couldn't help but give another long list of reminders, finally adding, "Hurry up and find yourself a girlfriend, okay? It would be best if you could bring her home for the New Year. You're not going to be too busy then, are you?"
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"Hey hey hey, I definitely will come back! Alright, I'll try my best to find a girlfriend!"
"Okay, we're leaving now, not to bother you any longer, goodbye!"
"Bye, love you guys!"
Watching his parents leave with a laugh and a wave, Fang Ye headed back to the park.
Inside the security booth, Lei Zhi and Wang Jun saw Fang Ye's relaxed smile and commented, "The park director seems really happy."
"Of course he's happy, his parents came to visit him."
The news of Fang Ye's parents visiting the zoo had spread among the staff during lunchtime.
Fang Ye indeed felt relieved, as if a burden had been lifted from his heart.
He has always been quite broad-minded and quickly accepted his new identity after his time travel, but he did struggle a bit with how to face the parents in this world.
The original host was quite annoyed with his parents, especially disliking his own father, feeling that his family neither understood nor supported him. Fang Ye might have been influenced by these feelings too, not knowing how to confront them.
He had planned to defer it, to slowly grow accustomed and accept them gradually, but he did not expect his parents to launch a sudden attack today.
After spending some time together, he found Father Fang and Mother Fang to be quite adorable!
Of course, it was probably the zoo's achievements that made them recognize his efforts.
Otherwise, if Father Fang had come and seen a decrepit zoo, he definitely would have thought Fang Ye was irresponsible, and upon meeting, it's likely they would have exchanged sarcastic remarks again. If it had been the original host, they might have ended the visit on bad terms once more.
In reality, no matter how things were, Father Fang and Mother Fang always cared a lot about Fang Ye.