Super Zoo

Chapter 257 The Future of Taoyuan

```Turning past the large stone screen carved with "Fox Home," Suming now understood why this place was called "Fox Home" as he arrived at the fenced hillside.

In front of him were dozens of wooden houses, about half a person tall, lined up much like a human residential area. However, each house was a standalone "villa" with its own courtyard, appearing like a group of villas standing tall among the mountains from a distance.

The owners of these miniature houses were foxes.

The villas had no doors and were semi-open, allowing one to easily see inside; each villa housed foxes, some with just one or two and others with five or six. Suming had allocated these homes to the little guys based on family units. Those with more family members had larger villas, while those with fewer had smaller ones. The bachelors actually had the best deal because they had the most space per capita...

At a glance, these foxes were different from those seen in zoos. Their bodies were much smaller, but their ears were big and long, like two giant fans perched on either side of their heads, as if they had stepped out of a cartoon.

These foxes seemed not to be afraid of humans at all. In the face of a large group of tourists, the Broad-eared Foxes showed no signs of alarm. They neither bared their teeth in a defensive posture nor scattered in fear. On the contrary, it was as if they didn't notice the tourists at all, continuing to do whatever they were doing, whether sleeping or playing in their villas...

Looking around, there were at least a hundred foxes with long, large ears that looked quite cute, and they formed a tiny village, grouped by family.

"Eh? What's that on these foxes?" A girl suddenly pointed at a villa not far from her, as if she had discovered something very interesting.

Following the direction of her finger, one could see four Broad-eared Foxes in a villa near the edge; two of them were larger and the other two were young, their fur not yet fully grown, covered in a dense layer of fine fluff, a family of four.

The two larger Broad-eared Foxes were actually wearing small clothes. The designs were very simple: one in an ancient men's robe and the other in a short cheongsam. The two adult Broad-eared Foxes, dressed in these clothes, looked like a couple from the Republic of China era. If the one in the men's attire had put on a pair of glasses, they would have looked even more lifelike.

The two young foxes, the older one wore a simple jacket that looked, upon closer inspection, to be a school uniform, and the youngest Broad-eared Fox wore nothing but a red belly band...

The belly band even had a big "Fu" character on it.

"Over there too..."

"This family is dressed up as well..."

Surprised exclamations continued to rise, as they realized that all the Broad-eared Foxes living in Fox Home were dressed in human clothes. To prevent discomfort for the little animals, the clothes were made very simply, often just a single piece of cloth, but it was still apparent that there were different styles.

Most commonly seen were outfits resembling those of farmers; the villas' thatch-covered roofs, under the eaves at the entrance, hung rows of small, dried salted meats, little corn cobs, and small red chili peppers. The courtyards even thoughtfully contained several mini-sized hoes...

Foxes, due to their graceful figures and cunning looks, have maintained a unique position in Huaxia's folklore for thousands of years. Names like deceptive fox, Huli Jing, and immortal have been ingrained in people's hearts. The sight of foxes always brings to mind thoughts of the mysterious and the mystical, especially among the older generation.

And these Broad-eared Foxes were particularly clever. Not only were they adorable, but they also seemed spirited. Unlike other animals, which have various instinctive reactions like fleeing or displaying aggression when they see humans, these foxes seemed utterly indifferent. Their composure alone was not something ordinary animals possessed. Furthermore, dressed in anthropomorphic clothing with lively eyes, they appeared almost capable of communicating with humans, giving off an impression of being 'spiritually awakened.'

Like Mr. Lin and Xiao Lin in the beginning, the vast majority of people didn't believe in the existence of demons or immortals, but when they saw the Broad-eared Foxes, some of the more superstitious visitors couldn't help but think of the Fox Immortal.

"

A man adorned with a large gold watch, clearly a nouveau riche, squatted in front of the small Land Temple at the entrance to the village, muttering, "Fox Immortal, please bless me with a fortune this year and make Zhang Daya across the street lose until he's down to his last pants..."

An elderly lady with a face full of wrinkles was squatting in front of a small house, praying with her hands clasped, whispering, "Fox Immortal, bless me to win more money in mahjong and keep my rheumatism at bay..."

As luck would have it, some of the foxes in Fox Home, bored of staying indoors, were wandering around the village. Two just happened to pass by and, seeing the old lady with clasped hands, imitated the gesture perfectly. Their front paws pressed together, they bowed to the humans facing them...

That attracted a crowd immediately. The old lady was dumbstruck, incessantly muttering, "The immortal has shown a sign, the immortal has shown a sign..."

While repeating this, she kept bowing relentlessly toward the little foxes.

Her exclamations drew a crowd, each person gawking at the group of foxes exchanging bows with humans.

Most of the people present didn't believe in Buddhism or Taoism. If anything, nowadays more people believe in astrology than religion. To them, it seemed likely that the zoo trained these foxes using some special method.

Even so, it was a rare spectacle. The number of spectators grew, and among them, a few superstitious folks started bowing to the foxes as well. Really, they were just seeking peace of mind; they didn't truly believe these foxes had any 'magical powers.'

The earlier rich man boldly stuffed a hundred yuan into the Land Temple's donation box, saying, "Don't just bow, give some donation. How else will the Fox Immortal bless you!"

"Right, right, right..." The old lady fumbled for her purse.

Seeing this, Mr. Lin felt he couldn't stay seated any longer. He had to step forward and clarify the situation. Suming was indeed prescient; Fox Home could have ended up fostering feudal superstition. While Mr. Lin was somewhat superstitious himself, having run a rescue station for so long, he understood the gravity of the situation. It would be a different story for anyone to keep a few pet foxes and worship them at home, but a zoo is a public institution. If people started worshiping the Fox Immortal and offering money in a zoo, it would be a completely different issue.

It was time to step in and take charge.