Chapter 48: Exclusive to Jinjiang 1/3

Song Fuzhi looked at the words “nationally protected animal at level two” that Shi Zhang sent and was mildly shocked.

His first reaction was that Professor Shi lived up to his reputation. Even the birds building nests in his home had such status. The second reaction was that this was tricky. Should they contact relevant departments?

After inquiring with Shi Zhang, he received the answer that if they encountered injured animals, they needed to contact the police. However, for normal nesting, as long as they didn’t disturb people, it was fine.

Shi Zhang counted, and there were a total of five chicks crowded in the flowerpot, with one looking significantly weaker, always unable to grab any food, opening its small beak and calling plaintively.

Originally, Shi Zhang thought it best not to disturb the family because falcons have strong hunting abilities, and recklessly feeding them might disrupt their habits. But with a thriving family, some chicks might be neglected, and the food supply probably couldn’t meet the demand.

In the end, Shi Zhang sought the advice of the bird expert from the adjacent department and also searched online. According to their suggestions, he bought fresh chicken and beef from outside, intending to feed them.

Song Fuzhi didn’t have evening self-study tonight and originally planned to go home early to cook. He changed his mind.

He asked Shi Zhang, “Do you need me to come over and take a look?”

Shi Zhang, who was handling raw meat alone in the kitchen, quickly replied, “Sure.”

It was an unexpected joy to suddenly have little animals nesting at home, and he really hoped to share this with his partner.

Shi Zhang sent Song Fuzhi their home address and door number, saying that if he arrived, just ring the doorbell.

Song Fuzhi said he knew the address; he had been here before.

Shortly after they got married, when Shi Zhang returned from a business trip with a fever, Song Fuzhi came to Shi Zhang’s house to take care of him.

Although he didn’t stay long, Song Fuzhi remembered where it was—an area with good greenery. No wonder the nationally protected babies chose to settle here.

When Shi Zhang was about to hang the meat outside the window, the doorbell rang, so he put down his bowl and went to open the door.

As soon as Teacher Song entered, he said, “Sorry to disturb.”

He didn’t even change his shoes, glancing left and right, anxiously asking, “Where are the chicks?”

“On the window sill.” Shi Zhang brought him a pair of slippers and smiled. “Change your shoes first.”

This group of little ones had melted the hearts of these two old guys, temporarily setting aside any sense of propriety. Nothing mattered more than the little birds.

Inside the house, the bird calls were quite clear. Even without Shi Zhang pointing, Song Fuzhi could probably guess where the bird’s nest was.

Not far from the window sill, Song Fuzhi softened his steps, carefully approaching.

Several fluffy little heads were squeezed in the flowerpot, with an adult Peregrine Falcon standing next to them, holding a freshly caught prey in its beak; the insect type was unclear.

“This should be the falcon mom.” Shi Zhang pointed at it from afar and said, “The falcon dad just flew back and left again.”

The falcon mom stood there, warily staring at Song Fuzhi with round and intelligent eyes.

Song Fuzhi didn’t dare to move recklessly, observing it from a distance.

Finally, it seemed that the falcon mom judged that these two giant humans wouldn’t pose a threat to itself and its children for the time being. It lowered its head and started feeding the chicks.

The falcon mom quickly finished feeding, and the food went into the mouths of the two most adept at snatching. The smallest chick, who had been calling plaintively, remained pitifully on the side, visibly weak.

Song Fuzhi also noticed, “Little Five seems to still be hungry; it looks a bit weak.”

“Yes.” Shi Zhang nodded with a calm expression on his face.

“Survival of the fittest. In the wild, if this little one remains weak, there’s a high probability it will be eaten by its parents after death or be fed to other siblings, becoming their food.” Song Fuzhi subconsciously shivered, well aware of the inherent cruelty of nature. Though he knew it, hearing Shi Zhang calmly say these words made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Then let’s lend a hand,” Song Fuzhi said with lowered eyes. “As the stepdad.”

Shi Zhang chuckled and agreed with a simple “Hmm,” raising a plate of fresh red meat. “Stepdad is on duty.”

Since the falcon mom was still outside, the two of them didn’t dare to make too much noise, afraid of startling the birds.

Song Fuzhi gently pushed open a window, while Shi Zhang, holding tweezers, picked up a long strip of meat and cautiously extended it outside.

The falcon mom immediately noticed, spread its wings, widened its round eyes, and emitted a sharp cry, staying vigilant as it focused on the gradually approaching meat strip.

Shi Zhang held his breath, swiftly hanging the meat strip on the window sill and retracting his hand.

The falcon mom gradually quieted down, folding its wings and observing for a long time with its head tilted before cautiously approaching. It then stretched its neck, quickly snatched the meat, and retreated.

The two of them sighed in relief only after watching this unfold.

Shi Zhang laughed and wiped his forehead, saying, “This is the first time I’ve been so nervous with tweezers.”

Song Fuzhi patted his back, praising, “Professor is amazing.”

The falcon mom fed the meat strip to the little ones. This time, the weakest Little Five finally had a chance to get a share and chirped happily after swallowing the meat.

“Feed them a bit more; this big family devours everything,” Song Fuzhi suggested.

Shi Zhang handed the meat plate and long tweezers to Song Fuzhi, saying, “Your turn.”

Teacher Song’s hands were steadier than Shi Zhang’s, and he hung the meat on the window sill. Perhaps the falcon mom gradually accepted this natural gift, as it wasn’t as vigilant this time. It took a few steps closer, snatched the meat, and flew away.

Song Fuzhi breathed a sigh of relief, then moved a bit closer, blinking. “Falcon mom is actually quite small, chubby, and fluffy.”

“Although it’s small in size,” Shi Zhang said, “it’s a raptor, very fierce.”

“Oh, I see.” Song Fuzhi nodded.

After saying that, he looked back at Shi Zhang, pursed his lips, and smiled. “Unlike some other creatures that may look fierce but are very gentle, taking care of small animals with great care.”

Shi Zhang was slightly stunned, gently holding Song Fuzhi’s neck. He leaned down unexpectedly and gave him a gentle, wet kiss without warning.

After separating, both of them were a bit breathless, and there was a hint of moisture in Song Fuzhi’s eyes.

Shi Zhang’s voice was a bit hoarse. “Not only taking care of small animals.”

The youthful bird cries seemed to have become livelier again. Song Fuzhi felt a bit embarrassed and stepped back a bit, saying, “The kids are watching.”

Shi Zhang turned his head and met the innocent eyes of the five little beans in the flowerpot. He couldn’t help but smile.

The two alternated feeding the plate of meat. Meanwhile, Falcon Dad also returned. The kids should be full now, as the last few bites of meat were shared between the parents.

“They eat so much.” Song Fuzhi smacked his lips. “Indeed, they are raptors.”

Shi Zhang went to wash the dishes. “I probably need to come home often in the next month.”

He said this, and Song Fuzhi finally remembered to ask, “Why did you suddenly come home today?”

Shi Zhang’s movements stalled for a moment, and the room filled with cosplay costumes and plant specimens flashed in his mind.

After a while, he calmly said, “Came back to drop off some things.”

Song Fuzhi nodded, his mind also recalling the days when he occasionally went home to check on figures and manga. He didn’t ask further.

While Song Fuzhi was handling the remaining meat, Shi Zhang, without showing it, glanced up at the collection room. He saw that the door was securely closed and withdrew his gaze.

Song Fuzhi asked, “So, do we need to come to feed them every day from now on?”

“Probably.” Shi Zhang nodded.

Song Fuzhi’s approach was straightforward: “So, one person each day, or whoever is free, comes.”

After all, based on their previous experiences, there weren’t many days when both teachers had the entire evening free. Most likely, one person would be free while the other had something to do.

They quickly took out their schedules and checked. As expected, this was the only feasible arrangement.

Shi Zhang suddenly realized that this meant Song Fuzhi would have to come to his house by himself.

He subconsciously glanced at the collection room, and his eyelashes trembled a bit.

The things inside were not suitable for Teacher Song to see, whether it was the exaggerated number of cosplay costumes or the lily flower specimens mixed in with regular plant specimens.

Actually, these were all fine—what was more crucial was that there were some other things deep inside the cabinet that must not be discovered by Song Fuzhi.

But the problem was that this room didn’t have a lock. Shi Zhang usually lived alone and had no need to hide anything; who could have expected such a day?

“So, the procedure after that is like this.” Song Fuzhi’s voice rang out, bringing Shi Zhang back to reality.

Song Fuzhi gestured, “I’ll buy the meat, change shoes when I enter, first check if the birds are safe, then come to the kitchen. Use the knife on the far left to cut the meat, put it on this plate after cutting, and use these tweezers to feed the birds. If the meat is not finished, hang it outside the window for them to eat later.”