Free Web NovelChapter 135: Chapter 135: Raising Monkeys
The Snow Monkeys’ sudden docility surprised Shen Baoying. "Xiao Shen, they seem a little afraid of you."
Jiang Si covered for him. "Maybe Qin Shen just has a strong presence. He probably intimidated them."
Shen Baoying nodded. "So, should we apply the medicine now?"
"I’ll handle it," Qin Shen said.
He was a surgeon and skilled at treating external injuries, so Shen Baoying didn’t question it, only reminding him, "Be careful, then. Watch out in case they suddenly try to bite you."
"Okay."
Qin Shen slowly approached with the first-aid kit. The Snow Monkeys’ big eyes were filled with terror. They wanted to retreat but had nowhere to go, and they dared not attack Qin Shen.
Just as they sank into despair, they saw Qin Shen open the kit, take out wound medicine, and gently apply it for them.
Although they didn’t understand what Qin Shen was doing, the fear in the Snow Monkeys’ eyes visibly faded.
’They probably figured Qin Shen wasn’t going to eat them... for now.’
When Qin Shen closed the first-aid kit, Jiang Si sidled up to him and whispered in a low voice, "They’re so well-behaved."
Qin Shen looked up at her and suddenly leaned close to her ear. "I can make them even more obedient!"
Jiang Si’s eyes lit up. As she turned her head, her lips inadvertently brushed against his cheek. Her gaze froze for a moment, and Qin Shen gave her a light kiss.
A syrupy-sweet atmosphere filled the air. Jiang Si quickly averted her eyes. "How will you make them more obedient?"
Qin Shen smiled. "Leave it to me."
"Okay."
Qin Shen went and found a thick log, chopped it into posts, and then used a hammer and nails to build a circular fence in the farthest corner of the greenhouse.
Everyone gathered around. Lu Zhifeng offered enthusiastically, "Xiao Shen, want me to help you enclose the top?"
He thought Qin Shen was building a cage to lock the two Snow Monkeys inside.
But Qin Shen shook his head. "No need. They’re both injured, so we can just put them in. They won’t run as long as they aren’t startled."
The Snow Monkeys could leap to the roof of the greenhouse even when they were injured. Now that Qin Shen had bandaged them, they suddenly wouldn’t run away?
’How unconvincing.’
But the truth was, when Qin Shen reached into the net bag and grabbed a Snow Monkey by the arm, it went into the enclosure without a shred of resistance and obediently started eating the carrots Qin Shen had prepared for it.
Everyone looked on in amazement, but the monkeys remained perfectly behaved.
It was as if the fence, less than a meter high, held some unimaginable danger.
Then again, they thought, even that huge moose had surrendered to a life of comfort. The greenhouse was warm and had food. It was only natural that the Snow Monkeys would suddenly quiet down.
’Only Jiang Si knew that the tiger was the king of the forest. As long as Qin Shen wanted it, most animals would obediently obey.’
Jiang Linhai stared at the Snow Monkeys’ white fur. "Sisi, are you really planning to raise them like sheep?"
"These two monkeys look pretty old," Lu Zhifeng said. "They probably don’t have long to live."
The implication was that raising them like sheep wasn’t very cost-effective.
Jiang Si smiled. "Monkeys are primates. They’re highly intelligent and can even use tools. They’re short on food right now. If they could help us farm, it wouldn’t be out of the question to feed them with some of the radishes we grow or sea fish we catch."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone was stunned by her incredible idea. frёeωebɳovel.com
The domestication of monkeys is well-documented in history, but in modern society, after protests against animal performances, it had become rare to see monkeys on the streets.
While Jiang Si’s words were shocking, they also started to feel that it might just be possible.
Jiang Linhai frowned. "But we don’t know how to train monkeys. Besides, they’re already so old. Can they be taught to obey?"
Jiang Si stared at the monkeys, which were sitting乖巧 on the ground eating. "They seem pretty obedient right now."
Everyone followed her gaze. They did, in fact, look quite obedient.
Snow Monkeys are the supermodels of the monkey world. Even though these two were old, they still had big eyes, round faces, and fluffy fur that made them look like mobile cotton balls.
Niu Niu was delighted.
"Sister, can I go pet them?"
Jiang Si shook her head. "Not yet. We need them to be a little more sensible. They haven’t adapted to the new environment yet. It’s like with the mother moose. After a while, she’ll let you pet her."
Niu Niu nodded obediently.
Shen Baoying then asked, "Will the monkey troop come back? What did you find when you went to check?"
"The giant radishes by the hot spring and the fish in the pool have been nearly all eaten by the troop," Jiang Si said. "So, without a food source, it’s highly likely they’ll come back."
Zhang Qingfang’s brow furrowed. "Isn’t there any way to drive them off?"
They thought Jiang Si’s plan to raise monkeys was limited to the two before them. They hadn’t even considered that they had the ability to support an entire troop.
Shen Baoying sighed. "If we drive them away, where else will they find food? They’re quite pitiful."
If the group hadn’t been well-fed themselves, they certainly wouldn’t be thinking about such things. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
But now that their lives had stabilized, they felt that this troop of monkeys was truly having a hard time.
Besides, none of them were cruel people. They weren’t about to hunt the monkeys to extinction just because they stole some radish seedlings.
And anyway, the monkeys were the ones who discovered the giant radishes in the first place.
But they couldn’t have their lives constantly disrupted by the monkeys either.
While everyone was worrying, they heard Jiang Si calmly point to the two Snow Monkeys and say, "What if the whole troop could become as obedient as these two? If they could be taught, is it possible they could grow their own radishes and catch their own fish to support themselves?"
"That way, we could all coexist peacefully."
This was just too damn absurd.
Everyone felt that Jiang Si’s imagination was as vast as outer space.
It was impressive enough to tame one or two wild monkeys.
How could an entire troop possibly be taught to farm and fish to feed themselves?
It was pure fantasy.
But in the next instant, their expressions froze again.
The Snow Monkeys already knew how to hang around the hot spring to catch fish, and they knew about the radishes. Getting them to grow radishes and catch fish in a different spot... didn’t seem completely out of the question.
Jiang Linhai looked at Jiang Si in astonishment. "But can they learn? What if they just end up eating our stuff every day?"
If they had to be shot in the end, it would surely feel worse than just driving them off now.
Jiang Si said, "Let’s wait and see. Who’s to say? If they want to live, they’ll have to learn to be self-reliant. We’re not asking them to do much. As long as they don’t cause trouble, we can give them some support. We’re all one big family, going way back, right?"
"This is so much simpler than dealing with people."
Jiang Si made everyone laugh. Jiang Chengwu’s voice boomed as he agreed, "Alright, let’s see then! Let’s see if they’ve got what it takes."
After one end of the greenhouse was occupied by the two Snow Monkeys, the people went about their business as usual, tilling the soil and planting.
Two days later, the initially fearful Snow Monkeys noticed that the people still had no intention of harming them. They tentatively stepped out of the enclosure, picked up some farming tools, and examined them from all angles, occasionally even imitating the people by pawing at the ground a few times.
