I have a wildlife zoo

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The busy days flew by, and the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived in the blink of an eye!

The weather today was clear and sunny, with a soft and warm breeze that felt comfortable and pleasant, making it a perfect day for a visit to the garden.

The entrance to the zoo was also decorated with a festive air, a red inflatable archway blown up tautly, with two white jade rabbit inflatables on each side.

The gates hadn't opened yet, but the entrance was already bustling with activity, with no fewer than two hundred visitors gathered.

Mostly children with their families!

Since the mooncake-making activity had limited spots available and required a draw, and though the announcement said the draw would start at 9 am, who knew if all the spots would be gone if you arrived later, so everyone made a point to come early to line up.

The kids were shouting excitedly, chasing and playing around the jade rabbits, while smiles decorated the faces of the adults, some of whom knew each other and huddled together for a warm chat!

"Keke!"

"Xiaoxin! I've missed you!"

The two girls rushed toward each other and hugged, jumping up and down with excitement.

Although they had been in school together just yesterday, meeting up at the zoo during a holiday was definitely a different feeling!

Both girls had come with their families today, so they hadn't set off together.

"When did you get here?"

"I just arrived!"

"Oh, you're all here too?" Teacher Li, the biology teacher, saw Tang Xiaoxin and Qian Keke, and came over to greet them.

Tang Xiaoxin said in surprise, "Teacher Li, you came too!"

Old Li patted the head of a little boy beside him and laughed, "Yes, I brought my child to play at the zoo! Xiaoliang, say hello to your sisters!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The boy, who seemed to be in elementary school, greeted respectfully, "Hello, sisters!"

The parents also came over: "Oh, Teacher Li!"

Qian Keke looked around cautiously and said to Mother Qian, "Today's a holiday, let's not talk about school stuff, okay?"

"Haha!" The adults couldn't help but laugh, and Teacher Li said with a smile, "I won't speak ill of you; you've been making good progress recently."

Mother Qian exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"

While the adults chatted and caught up, Tang Xiaoxin and Qian Keke slipped away to whisper to each other.

Liu Xueqing's family had also arrived!

Yingying's grandfather looked around at the crowd of visitors and showed a surprised expression, clearly not expecting so many people to have arrived so early in the morning.

Yingying's father was also quite astonished: "Gee, everyone's so enthusiastic, wanting to get their kids involved in the activity."

"Yeah, I wonder if we'll manage to get a spot," Liu Xueqing said, slightly worried.

Mi Jin was at the side, looking for angles to 'click click' and capture the laughter of the visitors!

She noticed a somewhat peculiar young man with noticeable white long hair, carrying a large drawing board on his back and pushing a black cart that seemed filled with painting supplies; people around him glanced sidelong, but he remained indifferent.

Mi Jin thought to herself, "Well, this is supposed to be a fun activity, and even professionals are showing up."

She didn't recognize the man with white hair, but with that aura, appearance, and tools, he was clearly a professional.

Approaching him with a greeting, she said politely, "Hello! I'm Mi Jin, a reporter from Green Coastal. May I interview you?"

Zhuang Xiaobai adjusted his hat brim and smiled slightly, "Sure."

Mi Jin asked curiously, "Are you an artist? Are you planning to participate in the 'Mid-Autumn Scroll' activity?"

Zhuang Xiaobai nodded, "That's right, I mostly paint animals, and I've been coming to the zoo lately for inspiration. I happened to see this event and thought I'd join in."

"I can tell you're an artist just by looking at you," Mi Jin flattered with a few words, and asked curiously, "So, do you have any ideas for what you're going to paint?"

Zhuang Xiaobai confidently said, "Considering the names of the various awards set by the event, they seem to be judging the paintings based on dimensions like handsome, beautiful, and cute. So today, I plan to paint a handsome animal!"

"A handsome one? A wolf, or a tiger?" Mi Jin guessed.

"A wolf!"

At that moment.

"The gates are opening, the gates are opening!"

Seeing the gates open, the visitors immediately became restless and surged toward the entrance.

Zhuang Xiaobai smiled apologetically at Mi Jin, "Sorry, I need to enter the zoo now!"

The artwork had to be submitted by 4 p.m., and if he wanted to create a serious piece, time was indeed a bit tight.

Although it was just a recreational competition, Zhuang Xiaobai was very serious about it!

The cart contained not only paintbrushes, paints, a palette, and a folding chair, but also bread and water for lunch, all prepared to save as much time as possible for creation.

Seeing this, Mi Jin no longer wanted to disturb him, "Thank you for the interview, and I wish you luck in winning the award in advance!"

The police and security were maintaining order at the entrance, using a loudspeaker to subdue the noisy crowd, "Don't push, everyone! Please line up and enter one by one to prevent stampedes.

Enjoy the zoo happily, and don't let any accidents spoil the festivities. The ticket-checking process will be quick!"

Hearing this, the visitors became much more orderly, entering one by one by either buying tickets or showing their annual passes.

After buying the tickets and entering, Yingying's grandmother looked at Yingying's grandfather and said, "You go try the raffle, we'll find a chair to sit for a while."

It was only 8 a.m., and the raffle wouldn't start until 9!

After some thought, Liu Xueqing said to Yingying's father, "Then you go with mom and dad. You can start by touring the zoo; otherwise, waiting too long will be tedious. Yingying and I will go for the raffle!"

"Alright!"

A lottery machine was placed on the left side of the square, on the edge, and families interested in the mooncake-making event queued up there, so as not to block the path of those who wanted to visit the zoo normally.

After entering the zoo, Zhuang Xiaobai, pushing his cart, headed straight for his destination—the wolf exhibit!

Having visited the zoo every day recently, he was already very familiar with its layout.

Today, he planned to paint a scene of a noble wolf king standing on the cliff by the waterfall, howling up at the silver moon under the night sky!

After all, it was Mid-Autumn Festival, and painting a full moon would also lend a more festive atmosphere to the piece, plus the wolf itself is traditionally linked with legends of the moon.

As he entered from the wolf den, preparing to approach the viewing spot by the waterfall, he caught a glimpse of a wolf shadow in the jungle, so he took a look.

In the trees were two wolves, Charcoal and Mizzle; Charcoal turned its body slightly, looking back at something with profound eyes, while Mizzle was behind the trees, facing in his direction, revealing only half of its face.

It was this glance that seemed like a bolt of lightning had struck his mind—inspiration surged forth!

Zhuang Xiaobai's eyes widened, revealing a voracious greed like that of a predator, and then he tightly closed his eyes as if to etch the scene permanently into his memory.

When he opened his eyes again, Charcoal and Mizzle had disappeared, off to play somewhere, but in his mind, the image of the two wolves lingered still.

The concept of the wolf king howling at the moon was a bit too contrived!

This was the natural essence of a wolf, hidden in the dark recesses of the forest, secretly scrutinizing its surroundings, curious yet vigilant, possessing an enigmatic and untamed wildness.

Zhuang Xiaobai was ecstatic, his entire body trembling with excitement, his face flushing a touch of crimson as blood rushed to his head, and his hands, reaching for the drawing board, trembled slightly.

He felt as if he had captured a hint of the wolf's essence!

This essence was exactly what he had been tirelessly searching for.

He hastily set up the folding easel, placed the drawing board on top, sat down on the folding chair, and began to mix the watercolor paints.