Chapter 649: Giant Panda Birthday Party

August 22!

The birthday party was scheduled to start at 10 AM, which was considered a suitable time.

Too early and people might still be asleep, too late and it might get too hot as the sun rises.

"Ying Ying, let's go celebrate the panda's birthday!"

Ying Ying was standing on a small stool, holding onto the balcony railing and gazing into the distance. Hearing Liu Xueqing's call, she jumped off the stool.

Even though the doves had already left their nest and flown away, Ying Ying still liked to run to the balcony now and then, hoping to see the doves that grew up there.

After learning to fly, the young doves didn't leave immediately but stayed on the balcony for about three more days, perfecting their flying skills.

About a week after they left, one of the young doves returned for a visit, resting on the balcony where it was born and eating some of the bird food and water Liu Xueqing had prepared for them.

Liu Xueqing noticed the dove's return and was about to call Ying Ying to see, but the young dove, now very alert, flew away as soon as it saw someone approaching. Its flying skills had significantly improved since it first learned to fly.

But to see them again, they might have to wait until next spring.

Ying Ying hopped around excitedly, shouting, "Cake, cake!"

She seemed even happier than on her own birthday.

Liu Xueqing had already told her that they would get to eat cake at the zoo today. Ying Ying, who loved pandas, was even more thrilled at the thought of cake.

She put on her small backpack, then took it off to check inside.

Inside was a drawing of a panda!

She had drawn a black and white panda hugging a tree trunk, with the words "Happy Birthday Yun Duo and Zhuang Zhuang" written in pinyin, as she couldn't read yet.

Although there was no drawing activity at the zoo today, Ying Ying made the drawing because she liked the pandas and wanted to wish them a happy birthday.

Liu Xueqing squatted down, smiling as she patted Ying Ying's head and straightened her braids. "The pandas will surely love your gift! By the way, do you know what the panda's cake is made of?"

Ying Ying instinctively shook her head, then said, "Bamboo!"

Even though she was still in kindergarten, she had learned a lot about pandas from her many visits to the zoo.

Liu Xueqing kissed Ying Ying's cheek. "That's right!"

Ying Ying suddenly remembered something, her little face scrunched up in serious thought, "What kind of cake will we eat?"

Ying Ying's dad laughed, "Haha, of course, it's a cream cake. Did you think we'd eat a bamboo cake?"

Ying Ying stuck out her tongue!

Then Ying Ying's dad started the car, and the family headed to the zoo.

...

At the zoo entrance!

The zoo was bustling with a festive atmosphere. Volunteers dressed in panda costumes mingled with the visitors, handing out panda balloons to the kids and happily posing for photos with those who wanted.

Kids ran around with their balloons, laughing and playing.

Ying Ying also got a balloon and took a photo with a volunteer!

The plaza was decorated with many cute panda posters, and a giant panda plush toy, leaning against a tree, attracted many admiring glances near the raffle machine.

Liu Xueqing exclaimed, "Wow, this prize is amazing! A pillow-sized plush toy costs 200 yuan, so this one, bigger than a person, must be worth two or three thousand yuan!"

Ying Ying's dad laughed, "Let's see if Ying Ying can win one today."

Most visitors headed straight for the panda exhibit upon entering the zoo.

The panda exhibit was bustling!

Behind the glass wall, about two meters away, tables were arranged in a long line, and volunteers were setting up the cake.

The cake was a 40cm square, with each piece forming a word. Together, they spelled out "Happy 5th Birthday to the Adorable Pandas Yun Duo and Zhuang Zhuang at Linhai Zoo."

The more words on the cake, the more pieces could be shared among the visitors.

A girl watching the volunteers set up the cake exclaimed, "Wow, we're going to have a feast!"

Her friend said, "Wake up! Look at how many people there are. I'm worried there won't be enough to go around."

The girl turned to look and realized it was true! The panda exhibit was already filled with hundreds of people.

The cake had been custom-ordered a week in advance, and the bakery owner delivered it early this morning.

The owner had initially offered the cake for free, saying his child loved pandas and it was a sponsorship.

The zoo gratefully accepted but insisted on paying for it.

While preparations were underway outside, the activity area was being cleared, and the pandas were sent back to their enclosure.

Fang Ye arrived at the panda exhibit, disinfected himself, and entered the activity area.

Yun Duo was on a tree!

Her feet were apart, standing on two branches, performing a mid-air split for the visitors, making everyone laugh.

Fang Ye called up to the tree with a smile, "Yun Duo! Come down!"

Hearing Fang Ye's call, Yun Duo slowly adjusted her position and climbed down the tree.

Next to the tree was a perch!

When she was not far from the ground, Yun Duo grabbed onto a branch, looked down, and tried to step onto the perch to climb down layer by layer.

But as she reached the perch, she slipped off the edge.

She extended her paw to grab the perch but couldn't change her fate!

She tumbled down from the perch, landing on her chubby bottom with a thud, "duang," hitting the ground below the perch.

From a distance, Fang Ye instinctively reached out as if to catch Yun Duo, but of course, he caught nothing.

However, falling from heights was quite common for pandas.

Yun Duo got up nonchalantly, looking around as if she couldn't find Fang Ye.

Fang Ye laughed, "Yun Duo!"

Yun Duo perked up her ears, heard the voice, and happily ran towards him!

When she ran, her steps were lively, almost as if she wanted to jump. Her soft, large ears wobbled as if she was about to take flight, looking very cheerful.

"Wow, those ears are so cute!"

"A few hundred pounds of happy bear!"

"She's in a good mood today!"

"The director treats Yun Duo very well, and Yun Duo likes the director a lot. Of course, she's happy to see him."

"Yun Duo is so beautiful!"

"Hehe, I used to think the yellowish fur was urine stains, but later I learned from the guide that it's the natural color of their fur."

The visitors chatted excitedly.

Fang Ye squatted down, rubbing Yun Duo's big ears, and smiled, "Running so fast, do you know it's your birthday today?"

Yun Duo: "Mm!"