Chapter 171: “Little Wormy”
Chapter 171: “Little Wormy”
“Dad, I just saw a Little Wormy. Can we take it home?” Just as Liu Heming was watching the Bear Kids, the little one tugged at his arm. When he crouched down, she leaned close to his ear and asked.
“Little Wormy? What Little Wormy?” Liu Heming asked curiously.
“It’s just a Little Wormy, a very cute Little Wormy,” the little one said seriously.
“Where did you see it? Was it over here too?” Liu Heming continued.
“Yes, in the little house on the other side. There are so many Little Wormies. Can I have one?” The little one twisted her small body and spoke coquettishly.
“Alright, alright. We’ll take one with us when we leave,” Liu Heming said dotingly, pinching his daughter’s little cheek.
He didn’t think much of it. Since his daughter said there were many over there, it probably wasn’t any rare animal. Surely, he could ask for one.
“Dexter, to confirm, we’ll take some samples and run a DNA test on them,” Alfred said after Liu Heming stood up again.
“That’s fine. Thank you for your trouble. It would be amazing if they really are mother and child,” Liu Heming said with a smile and a nod.
“By the way, my daughter really likes the Little Wormies you’re raising. Can you give me one? Don’t worry, the chickens at home won’t go into the house to play.”
“Little Wormy? What Little Wormy?” Alfred said, somewhat puzzled.
“It’s the Little Wormies on the other side, the ones that eat meat,” the little one said anxiously.
“Um… I just took Alex to see the baby alligators we’re fostering here. Could Alex be referring to the baby alligators as Little Wormies?” Jenny said uncertainly.
“You can’t be serious. That kind of Little Wormy?” Liu Heming said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
How could they raise an alligator at home? That would be a real headache.
He was worried, but there was no way around it. He had already promised his daughter. If it really was an alligator, they would have to raise it. Even if conditions weren’t suitable, they would have to create them.
After instructing the Bear Kids to stay put for a while, he followed Alex’s lead to the room where she had seen the Little Wormy.
It was exactly as expected — baby alligators. These baby alligators were only about a foot long, staying in a pool.
Once there, the little one happily ran to the edge of the pool and lay down, watching the baby alligators play.
“Alfred, can I adopt one of these too?” Liu Heming asked somewhat sheepishly.
“You can, but taking care of alligators is even more troublesome than caring for that bear. They’re also very sensitive to cold, so you’ll have a lot to learn,” Alfred said, again not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
“Maybe you could try persuading Alex to see if there are any other animals she likes here? We have plenty of animals.”
“Ah, I wish I could, but the little one told me, and I already promised her,” Liu Heming said, grinning awkwardly.
“I wasn’t very involved in her life before, so maybe I’m not a good dad. But now I want to make it up to her. Please find me some information later. If it comes to it, we’ll just keep it inside during winter.”
“Ah, alright. You should be prepared for a lot of hard work,” Alfred said, shaking his head.
“Alex, pick one. Which Little Wormy do you like? You can have that one,” Liu Heming said to his daughter.
Hearing Liu Heming’s words, the little one perked up. She pushed with her little arms, twisted her small waist, kicked her little legs, and jumped into the pool. Then she grabbed a baby alligator and held it up for Liu Heming to see.
“Hehe… My daughter is a bit impulsive, but she really likes these baby alligators,” Liu Heming said awkwardly as he reached out and lifted his daughter out.
Alfred was indeed speechless. This little girl was so small, yet so bold. Hmm, and quite Agile too.
“Are these all from the last batch we caught? Why are they different sizes?” Liu Heming asked.
“They’re hungry. At this size, they have little ability to catch food in the wild. Their parents also don’t take very good care of them,” Jenny said from the side.
“So, in the future, you should still let the Little Bears develop their survival skills in the wild. This is one of the drawbacks of humans keeping animals — many lose the ability to live independently.”
Recalling the Bear Kids’ performance today, Liu Heming nodded with a bitter smile. They really needed to give the Bear Kids proper training and make them aware of what it means to be bears.
The baby alligator held by Alex was very well-behaved. It was unclear why Alex liked it so much, but she held onto it without letting go.
And this baby alligator looked quite docile in Alex’s arms. It was hard to say if its good behavior was temporary, but Liu Heming felt it was only for now. Once it grew bigger, it would probably become mischievous.
He knew why — his daughter’s Animal Affinity was incredibly strong. He couldn’t compare to her at all. He dared to take the big bear home without protection only because Alex had his back.
It might be difficult at first, but as long as the big bear lived there for a while and hibernated when it was time, it would adapt to life on the Ranch after waking up.
Jenny found a small booklet on how to raise alligators. It had many rules and guidelines, and just flipping through it gave Liu Heming a headache. Fortunately, he had a secret weapon — Small Lake Water. When he treated the Owl Selin before, he had used chicken soaked in Small Lake Water, and now it was part of its regular diet.
With just Liu Heming’s Pickup Truck, it was hard to transport the big bear back home. Luckily, they were at the Wildlife Management Bureau, which had a dedicated Transport Vehicle.
There was a bit of trouble during the transfer from the cage. The big bear refused to be separated from the Bear Kids, or it would go into a rage mode. After much effort, they managed to move the one big and two small bears into another vehicle.
After completing all the procedures, Liu Heming sincerely invited everyone to visit the Ranch sometime. He said he would cook some of his specialty dishes for them to try.
On the way back, his vehicle felt much emptier. The little one played with the animals in the back seat, and the four Square Kittens were also very interested in the “Little Wormy” she was holding.
Liu Heming was still quite worried because he didn’t know how he would accommodate the big bear and the baby alligator once they got home.