An Outing to Keystone Zoo I

Previously:

Lai smiled at the young girl and thought, 'This must be the niece he was telling me about.'

"Sara, meet aunty Lai," Bai began introducing them to each other, "Lai, this is my 3-year-old niece, Sara Adnet."

Lai stooped at the girl's level and focused her eyes on Sara.

"Greetings, Sara. I adore what you did with your hair," she complimented, "Your hair looks even more lovely with the ribbons."

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Sara hurriedly backed away from the legs of her uncle.

"Really!?" Lai nodded in response to Sara's question.

Lai added, "You look like a beautiful princess.

Sara smiled as her face brightened up.

"Mummy and daddy say I'm their princess," the little girl nodded, "And even you too! Thank you, pretty lady."

Lai grinned while nodding. She then got to her feet and turned to face Bai, who was smiling.

Bai said, "Oh right, I made you a sandwich."

Then he made his way to the kitchen.

Sara said, "Come, aunty Lai," taking Lai's hand and guiding her to the kitchen.

"I hope you're hungry because here it is," Bai said, pushing the sandwich to her, "It is alright if you can't eat it right away. It will be kept for you."

Sara was attempting to sit on the kitchen stool when she said, "You should have it now, aunty Lai."

When she successfully sat down, she let out a breath of relief.

Sara continued, motioning for Lai to join her at the table. "Uncle Bai cooks delicious food," she said.

Sara was acting like his wingman.

Lai nodded and sat down next to Sara on the kitchen stool, saying, "Since Sara said it's delicious, then I'll have it."

Bai appeared indifferent on the outside but ecstatic on the inside. He was thrilled that Lai was enjoying the sandwich he had prepared for her.

And that Sara seemed to enjoy Lai's company. He was delighted to see the two get along.

He left the kitchen to get his car keys from his room. Lai, in the meantime, listened to all the tales Sara told her about her favorite television programs and tales involving uncle Bai.

Lai discovered that he had a great fondness for Sara.

"The snake was then caught by uncle Bai using only his bare hands," Sara exclaimed, "That was to protect me from getting bitten."

Lai said with astonishment, "Wow, that's very brave."

"Yes!" Sara chimed, "But he got bitten instead. Luckily, the snake wasn't ven...vino...m-mous?"

"Venomous?" Lai suggested with a smile.

Sara was struggling to pronounce the word. Lai found this very cute.

"Yes, that's the word!" Sara clapped her hands in delight, "It's still a hard word for Sara to pronounce."

Lai felt the urge to hug her.

'How could a child be this cute?' she thought, 'My heart can't take it.'

Lai had already finished the sandwich by the time Bai arrived. Sara leaped out of her chair as soon as he entered the room.

"Uncle Bai, we are ready. Let's go see, Panda-mon," the three-year-old chimed.

Lai was taken aback as Sara wrapped her teeny fingers around hers. She wasn't prepared for the blonde girl to swiftly warm up to her or even hold her hand.

She was happy that his niece seemed to like her.

She had been worrying about getting Sara to like her before she arrived. She felt lighter due to Sara's positive attitude and friendliness with her.

Bai grinned and said, "Okay, let's go."

They left through the door. They proceeded to the black Sedan after closing the door. Sara sat in the backseat with Lai, much to his surprise.

"So nobody wants to join me in the front seat?" he sat in the driver's seat and pouted jokingly, "I assume you ladies don't like me."

Sara shook her head and said, "Don't be upset, uncle Bai. Sara only wants to sit close to the pretty aunty."

Through the rearview mirror, Bai observed them.

"We like you very much! Right, aunty Lai?" Sara gazed at Lai after turning her head.

Lai answered, "Oh! R-right.

"Oh? You like me too, Mrs. Xiulan?" asked Bai as his gaze shifted to Lai.

He was flirting with her.

Lai replied in a hurried tone, her cheeks beginning to flush.

She understood his implication. He shrugged while sighing.

"Well, if that's the case, I'm delighted," he stated.

Ready to drive to the Keystone Zoo located in the heart of Qingzou, he turned on his Sedan. Even though Qingzou was a small area, it was home to the enormous and well-liked Keystone Zoo.

Due to the variety of animals and events, the zoo welcomes more than a thousand visitors per week.

Twenty minutes later, they were at the zoo. When they arrived, they noticed that the zoo was, as usual, bustling and lively. He opened Lai and Sara's door.

They stepped out. Bai locked the car after getting out. He then stood in front of them while they held hands.

"I have a few rules before we enter," he said, "These are for you, little one."

Sara nodded.

"Rule number one is to never run off by yourself. Rule number two is to always be in our line of sight if you don't want to grasp my or aunty Lai's hand as you walk. Rule three: Only touch animals when instructed to do so. Don't speak to or follow strangers is rule number four. Understood?"

Lai gave Sara a smile as she gazed at her.

She shook her head, "Yes, uncle Bai. Understood!"

Bai stood with his arms folded.

"Good. Let me know if you require anything. That also applies to you, Lai."

Sara and Lai nodded in unison.

He headed to the ticket counter to purchase their tickets and said, "Let's go."

They entered the zoo after purchasing them.

"Wow!" Sara shouted, "Take a look at that gorilla. It's huge!"

Lai and Bai turned to face Sara's pointing finger. Indeed, there was a gorilla that was five times Sara's size. They passed it, and it grumbled and gazed at them.

Despite her outward look, Lai was inwardly excited. She had last visited the zoo a long time ago. Precisely more than six years.

While she shared Sara's joy and excitement, she didn't want to act childish in front of her boss. She resisted the impulse to exclaim and gasp when she saw the animals.

But it was proving to be a difficult task.

Sara begged, "Let's go see Panda-mon."

Bai nodded. They arrived at the panda's site. There was only one panda, a female, at Keystone Zoo. She was a lovely beast with ebony black and snow-white fur.

She was munching on bamboo roots that one of the zookeepers had supplied.

She was being observed by other individuals who were in awe of her beauty.

"Aunty Lai? She looks fluffy, doesn't she?" Lai nodded after Sara asked her.

Lai had added, her gaze now fixed on the panda, "She's very beautiful."

She recalled visiting here with her folks six years prior. She remained still and stared at the panda that had captured her attention.

Originally, there were two pandas at the time, a male and a female.

Sadly, a disease spread from one of the other animals, causing the male panda to pass away a few months later. For a year, the Keystone Zoo had to be closed so that the animals could receive treatment and vaccinations.

This panda was mating with that male panda. Lai's heart ached when the panda appeared alone and a little depressed.

Lai's beaming smile took an upside-down turn.

Bai took notice. He wondered what was suddenly wrong. Why did Lai have such a dejected expression?

He wanted to ask her but felt that maybe he shouldn't.

They wandered around and observed other animals once Sara had had enough of watching "Panda-mon." They observed hippos, zebras, penguins, cheetahs, lions, giraffes, tigers, sloths, parrots, and peacocks. He recommended they take a break at an animal café.

The notion delighted the two women.

As soon as they entered the café, the waitress said, "Welcome to Keystone Animal Haven Café. Table for three?"

Bai nodded as the waitress escorted them to a table in the café's right-hand corner. In between Lai and Bai, Sara took a seat.

The waitress that returned with their menus was a different lady.

She handed them their menus and added, "When you're ready to order, please ca-..."

Lai was carefully buttoning up a button on Sara's shirt when the waitress gasped and fixed her gaze on Lai. Lai's eyes widened as she turned to see the new waitress.

It was the student who was molested, the one she had assisted on the train.

"Oh! So, it is you! Wow, I can't believe I get to see you again," the girl gushed.

"Who is this?" Bai prompted Lai.

Lai introduced her, "This is a student I assisted a few months ago. I didn't think I'd see her again."