I have a wildlife zoo

Tang Xiaoxin finished planting the bundle of seedlings in her hands and looked at the crooked seedlings in front of her, a small patch lush and green, as she straightened up, hands on her hips.

Her shorts and shirt were already splattered with mud and water, so she was no longer so particular about it.

She paused her planting to admire her recent achievements, feeling a bit proud of herself!

In the clear blue sky, white clouds drifted lazily by, with warm Sunshine showering down on the fields.

A gentle breeze passed through, causing the wildflowers at the edge of the rice paddy to sway, attracting butterflies with their fragrance.

Tang Xiaoxin felt a coolness on her body as if all her troubles had been swept away by the wind!

She couldn't help but lift her head and smile at her parents, who were watching her from afar.

Then she called out, "Dad, pass me the seedlings!"

Father Tang laughed and said, "Catch!"

Carrying a bundle of seedlings, he swung his arm and "whooshed" it up from below, tossing it to Tang Xiaoxin's feet.

When the seedlings hit the water, they "plopped" and splashed up a spray of water, catching Tang Xiaoxin off guard.

Her front, trousers, face, and hair were all splashed with mud, looking a mess.

Qian Keke, seeing the muddy water streaming down her face, couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahaha, you look so funny!"

While she was speaking, a bundle of seedlings hit her area with a "splash," coating her face in mud as well.

It was Mother Qian who threw it.

The two of them looked at each other's messy appearances, both unable to restrain their white teeth as they laughed out loud!

Bundles of seedlings fell into the field, and soon, all the kids had turned into mud babies.

The parents found it quite amusing to toss seedlings to their children.

Especially Father Tang, who grew up in the countryside and had helped his parents plant rice as a child, was filled with nostalgia.

Back then in the village, he often heard the call of the common cuckoo, a sound he no longer heard after moving to the city.

Looking at the crooked seedlings, he felt an itching in his hands, almost wishing he could jump in and plant himself to show his child what a master looked like.

Listening to the common cuckoo's leisurely "cuckoo, cuckoo" singing, smelling the earthy fragrance from the fields, and watching the children planting rice, it felt as if he had returned to his childhood, carefree and playing in the fields!

Catching cicadas was like capturing summer itself.

Lying under the shade of a tree, with babbling brook water and birdsong, listening to the sounds of nature, was joyful and beautiful.

While reminiscing, he took a photo of Tang Xiaoxin in her mud-monkey state to keep as a memento!

The children bent their backs and focused intently, planting each seedling one by one into the mud.

Some parents guided them from the side, "That one's floating! Push it down, find some mud from the side if there isn't enough."

The children were quite concerned about the seedlings they had planted, reminding others planting nearby, "Be careful! Don't knock over my seedlings!"

Pulling out seedlings could be fun too, but it was a bit difficult; the tender seedlings would break if not handled properly. Plus, they needed to shake off the mud after being pulled out.

If they had to pull and then replant, that workload might be a bit too much for the kids, so it was best just to experience the planting.

But planting rice was, after all, labor!

For city kids like Tang Xiaoxin who lacked physical exercise, just jogging a few laps on the school track in the morning left them gasping for breath, and with the PE teacher frequently sick, the homeroom teacher could only helplessly hold a study session.
Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

Their bodies really weren't up to the task, and being novices in rice planting, every single planting took a lot of effort.

Even though each person only had to plant five hundred seedlings, it was a huge amount of work.

At first, Tang Xiaoxin found planting quite fun.

After a few bundles, constantly bending and stooping, she gradually started to feel a soreness in her legs and back.

She stood up, straightened her body, and rubbed her legs.

The younger kids had already lost their composure and were sitting on the edge of the rice paddy, resting!

She had wanted to rest for a while, too, but seeing that Qian Keke was planting rice seedlings faster than herself, having planted twenty more seedlings and leaving her behind, still focusing on planting, a competitive spirit was stirred.

She then called out for Father Tang to toss her another bundle of seedlings.

When Fang Ye saw that the children were tired, he clapped his hands and suggested everyone take a break.

He would point and talk about any animals nearby.

On a nearby tree, there was a bird with a white belly, black from its forehead to the top of its head, white on the back of its head, and gray-green wings!

"Chirp~ chirrup~"

Its song was loud and full-bodied!

Fang Ye asked, "Does anyone know what bird this is?"

All the children shook their heads in unison!

However, someone said, "I think I've seen it near my home!"

Fang Ye smiled and said, "This is a light-vented bulbul! It is one of the birds most commonly seen in our cities.

There is a story about the light-vented bulbul that says it wanted to learn many great skills. So it learned to build nests from the Oriental magpie, to sing from the oriole, to fly from the eagle, and to catch fish from the cormorant… But in the end, it mastered none, and until it got white hair, each skill was half-baked.

Later on, it passed this head full of white hair to its offspring.

As a fairy tale, it tells us that we must persevere in our endeavors and not be fickle-minded.

But it also points out the most obvious trait of the light-vented bulbul, which is the patch of white on the back of its head, a feature that can be used to identify them.

Now is their breeding season, and judging from its call, this light-vented bulbul is probably calling for a mate."

"Oh!"

All the children remembered the light-vented bulbul so they could recognize it the next time they saw one.

After resting for ten minutes, they continued planting seedlings and working.

The sun climbed higher, and as Tang Xiaoxin planted the seedlings, she felt sweat pouring down her back!

Her arms, legs, waist, and back, her muscles sore and uncomfortable.

During the planting process, she gradually became more adept, having improved quite a bit from the initial clumsiness.

Qian Keke was the first to finish planting. She sat on the ridge resting, cheering for her, "Go on, keep going!"

Tang Xiaoxin stood up, leaning on her leg, drew a breath with a grin, "Hss, finally done! I'm exhausted!"

Standing up and looking at the green and vibrant seedlings she had planted in the muddy water, though not perfectly aligned, but still standing tall and spirited, a sense of accomplishment welled up inside her!

Father Tang and Mother Tang were laughing on the side, clapping for her enthusiastically!

"Daughter, you are really fantastic!"

"Here, have some water!"

Tang Xiaoxin took the mineral water and drank it heartily, gulping it down.

She had imagined what farming would be like before.

However, the image in her mind was not as direct as this personal experience.

There was the pleasantness of nature and mountain streams, but also the labor and hardship!

After planting the rice, she felt satisfied and joyful.

If any of the children truly had no energy left to continue farming, of course, they wouldn't be forced.

By this time, quite a few tourists had gathered around, watching the children plant rice and asking about what this activity was, wanting their own children to participate and get some exercise.

In the vacant land, several more children joined in impromptu, putting on the gear and happily starting to farm.

Other tourists took mental notes, thinking about signing their children up for the next farming event.