Chapter 224: So Expensive?

"Sis, breakfast’s ready!"

Bai Yifan placed a plate of small dishes on the living room table and shouted towards Bai Xiqin.

"How long has it been here?"

Bai Xiqin took out her phone and snapped an adorable photo of the dazed mutated panda through the car window.

The zoo’s boss looked a bit adorably goofy.

Somewhat unlike the fierce image of the Iron-eating Beast described in ancient times.

However, Chi You did ride this thing into battle.

"It’s been here a while, I guess!" Bai Yifan scratched his nose. "Let’s finish eating before we go down."

He saw the mutated panda first thing in the morning when he went down to make breakfast, and his first reaction was to make sure all the car windows were locked tight.

For nothing else.

This Kung Fu Panda is too powerful and likes to grab people!

Last time’s nightmare of being caught was still fresh in his mind; better to be cautious.

Another reason is to prevent the family from succumbing to the temptation to touch it!

The last bamboo debt hasn’t been paid off yet!

Better to be cautious.

Now, when Bai Yifan looks at the panda, all he sees is a little trickster that knows how to scam bamboo!

"Let’s eat! We’ll play with it after breakfast."

Bai Anhai picked up a piece of stir-fried bamboo shoot, crunching it in his mouth.

Bamboo, his favorite.

Bai Xiqin yawned, sat in her seat, and started eating.

Crunch, crunch.

Mr. Bai munched on bamboo shoots, turning his head to look out the window.

Suddenly, he picked up the plate, opened the car window, stood by it, and continued munching while watching the mutated panda outside.

The crunching sound and the unique fresh scent of bamboo instantly caught the mutated panda’s attention.

The mutated panda’s round, bun-like face puffed up, its chubby paws clenched into little fists, staring intently at Mr. Bai’s plate.

The plate was covered in slices of bamboo.

Ah, I want to eat so badly.

Mr. Bai picked up a slice of bamboo with his chopsticks, waved it in front of the mutated panda, then stuffed it into his own mouth.

Crunch, crunch went the sound.

The mutated panda’s furry ear twitched, its eyes widened, staring directly at the plate.

A suspicious liquid dripped from the corner of its mouth.

"So tasty!"

Bai Anhai’s lips curled slightly.

Ha, little one!

The bamboo in the space, he hardly ate any himself; it mostly went to the mutated panda.

Mr. Bai acted generously towards the panda snatching his bamboo, but he was actually a bit petty!

Men, no matter how old, can still be petty.

A piece of fresh white bamboo was clamped by Mr. Bai’s chopsticks and held out to the mutated panda.

The mutated panda blinked at Mr. Bai, slowly opening its mouth, eyes sparkling.

The slice of bamboo didn’t end up in the mutated panda’s mouth; it made a detour and went into Mr. Bai’s mouth.

Mutated panda: ...

The chubby little fists of the mutated panda clenched tightly.

It resisted the urge to dent the bus.

Distinguishing between a bus full of bamboo and a slice of bamboo, it knew which was more in its interest.

Hitting the annoying human may be satisfying for a while.

But what if that sucker uses it to default on the debt?

It had a bunch of fools to take care of!

Patience!

The mutated panda took a deep breath, turned its chubby body, showing its back to Bai Anhai.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Bai Anhai raised an eyebrow, his chewing sounds on the bamboo growing even louder.

The mutated panda paused, pressing its chubby paws over its ears.

Pretending not to hear.

To think this zoo boss has fallen to such lows, all because of bamboo!

"Dad, come back in!"

Bai Xiqin saw her taunting dad, her mouth twitching furiously.

Pandas aren’t just herbivores.

Just because it eats bamboo doesn’t mean it doesn’t eat meat.

Back when Chi You rode it into battle, it wasn’t just because it was "cute," but because it was really "ferocious"!

Mr. Bai touched his nose, picked up a big bunch of bamboo with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, munching away as he returned to the living room.

The mutated panda, still showing its back to the bus, let out another almost inaudible sigh.

It thought being the zoo boss was miserable enough.

Having to support a bunch of fools that only knew how to eat bamboo.

But who knew that sucker has it quite bad too.

Also has to support fools!

The Bai Family finished breakfast quickly; with a hulking, adorable mutated panda nearby, they didn’t feel like lingering over the meal.

After eating, the family got off the bus, their eyes sparkling as they looked at the mutated panda, several times bigger than a normal panda.

The enlarged version of a panda, its clumsy appeal also multiplied several times.

Liu Jing and Wang Yiyun gazed at the mutated panda with shining eyes and an eagerness to move.

It must feel amazing to touch.

The two exchanged a glance and walked towards the mutated panda, not afraid at all of encountering trouble.

Skill gives courage.

The mutated panda glanced at Liu Jing and Wang Yiyun getting ready to touch it.

Its gaze was extremely disdainful.

Ha, foolish humans.

They don’t have any resistance against me.

The mutated panda’s face held disdain, but its eyes were fixed on their hands, and it slightly shifted its body.

Exposing its chubby, soft belly.

Go ahead, touch!

This is an imperial gift to you!

And I’ll be tallying up the account later!

"Mom, grandma, don’t touch."

Bai Yifan quickly grabbed Liu Jing and Wang Yiyun, who were about to pet the panda.

"What’s the matter!"

Wang Yiyun rolled her eyes at her son.

"Nothing, just that one touch costs a bamboo shoot. Our last debt of bamboo shoots hasn’t been paid off yet!" Bai Yifan rubbed his nose, feeling guilty.

Back in the day, he touched it for a long, long time, not realizing how much it cost.

"We have so much bamboo in our space, isn’t it enough?" Wang Yiyun assumed a wealthy posture.

Oh! Bamboo tycoon!

The mutated panda’s eyes sparkled, though its face wore impatience, its chubby little paws moved slightly, edging ten centimeters closer to Wang Yiyun.

Humans, go ahead, pet!

Not everyone gets this chance!

"We probably owe tens of thousands, maybe even more!" Bai Yifan said sheepishly.

He didn’t know how many times he touched it back then, only remembering the panda’s fur becoming greasy and shiny.

Definitely not just a few thousand.

"That expensive? I’m not touching it!"

Wang Yiyun decisively stepped back.

Liu Jing widened her eyes too; tens of thousands of bamboo shoots, more expensive than raising a son!

Her son, no matter how much he ate, couldn’t consume that much!

Mutated panda: ...

I could charge a bit less.

The chubby body silently scooted closer to Wang Yiyun and her daughter-in-law.

They quietly moved back another step.

The mutated panda puzzledly scratched its head.

Could it be that the zoo boss isn’t fierce (or cute) today?

Shouldn’t be!

"Ahem, you can understand me, right?" Bai Xiqin lightly coughed. "We’re planning not to be around here for a while. We’re going somewhere else to look around; it might take a few months before we’re back."

The mutated panda abruptly looked at Bai Xiqin.

Its naive eyes had a tinge of wariness.

Sucker, trying to run?

Better settle the bamboo shoot debt first.

It wasn’t easy supporting a bunch of fools who only knew how to eat bamboo, it couldn’t afford to get cheated!