The two of them passed through the square, which was intended as a resting spot for people, but there was a blue peafowl dragging its dress-like long tail, strutting past with its head held high as if on a fashion runway.
The younger children, excitedly shouting "Peafowl! Peafowl!" wanted to get closer but were too timid to approach.
Some tourists eagerly whipped out their phones to take nonstop photos, while old-timers of Linhai Zoo looked on with amused smiles, already accustomed to the sight.
A particularly brave and mischievous little boy stretched out his hand, attempting to tug the peafowl's tail, but his parent, quick-eyed and quick-handed, pulled him back and gently slapped his hand, "You can't touch it, okay?"
Someone had already been stopped from touching the peafowl by the announcements and the animal keeper!
Stay tuned for updates on M V L
So a lesson was already learned.
The peafowl twisted its head to look around and, seeming to think there was a big enough audience, let out a high-pitched, melodious "Wow! Ah!" It then unfurled its tail fan with a "Shalala," revealing mesmerizing blue eyes that shimmered with the body's shaking under the sunlight's reflection.
"Oh!" The children's eyes widened in amazement.
"It's fanning its tail! It's fanning its tail!"
"Wow, that tail is so beautiful, absolutely gorgeous."
Hearing the exclamations, the peafowl appeared even more energized, showing off for a while before folding its feathers, flapping its wings, and then flying off, brimming with satisfaction.
Two little girls sipped on their drinks, having enjoyed the peafowl's display, and proceeded across the lush green lawn and through the quiet bamboo forest to the red panda exhibit.
There were quite a few tourists here, too, but most were looking at the exhibits inside and the educational posters on the walls.
Tang Xiaoxin, seeing this, said with some confusion, "Huh, aren't they looking at the red pandas?"
"Right? Red pandas are so cute."
The pair made their way to the glass curtain wall and then understood why.
It turned out it was too hot, and the red pandas were inactive.
"So that's how it is."
Tang Xiaoxin, having listened, also came to an understanding, "Right, if we can't see the red pandas, they might have gone back to the back house."
The two red pandas in the outdoor exhibit were just lying there lazily, not moving an inch.
"What's the deal with this thing, not moving at all!"
A tourist muttered and raised his hand in a motion as if to hit the glass, but he was immediately spotted by surveillance, and the loudspeaker warned, "The tourist in the green shirt on the left! Please don't hit the glass."
However, the warning was a bit too late, as the tourist in green had already knocked on the glass twice with a "clang clang."
The red panda that was lying closest to the glass on the perch, quietly resting, suddenly heard the "clang clang" of the glass being knocked, shuddered violently, and nearly fell off the perch as it was hanging halfway off.
In a fluster, it steadied itself, glanced back in alarm at the people in this part of the exhibit, then swiftly ran down from the perch and hurriedly hid in the nearest rock cave.
The red panda lying farther away on the ice block shook its ears and lifted its head, looking somewhat puzzled, but noticed nothing amiss and lazily settled down again.
The people around the tourist in green all turned their heads and stared at him with great dissatisfaction.
"You've scared our adorable red pandas."
"MD, what kind of person is this, no manners at all. Didn't you see the 'Please do not knock' sign?"
Tang Xiaoxin frowned, glancing at the tourist in green with a look of disgust as if she were looking at dog excrement in a stinking ditch.
Qian Keke's face puffed up in anger, "I really hate this kind of person."
While the two girls were whispering to each other, Guan Shan approached the tourist in green. Although she was angry inside, she maintained a calm exterior, "Sir, didn't you see the 'Please do not knock' sign on our glass?"
The tourist in green laughed nonchalantly, "I thought they were toys since they don't move. Just wanted to tap the glass to see if they would move."
"If you have any questions, you can ask us. Knocking on the glass like this can scare the animals. Please abide by the rules, enjoy the zoo civilly, otherwise, it'll disturb other tourists' enjoyment of the animals," Guan Shan cautioned him verbally.
The tourist in green looked around and noticed that everyone was staring at him unhappily, his face sour as if he were missing a seven in a game of Dou Di Zhu, snorted through his nose and walked away.