The moment they got out of the car, Bald Qiang and Gao Lujie bolted for the roadside trees. They hugged the base of a large tree and bared their big, shiny teeth, which scared the daylights out of Shen Yibin. ’Dammit, you can’t just chew on these! If you actually chew through it, the fine would be the least of my worries. What if the tree falls into the middle of the road? Someone could get killed!’
"Hah’Er, quick, help me stop them!" Shen Yibin sprinted over and snatched up Bald Qiang. The beaver’s incisors chomped on empty air with a sharp SNAP, and the sound sent a shiver down Shen Yibin’s spine. ’If that bite had connected, this tree wouldn’t have survived for long.’ Meanwhile, Hah’Er saw that running over wouldn’t be fast enough, so he pounced, pinning Gao Lujie directly underneath him.
"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Seeing this, Bald Qiang immediately began to struggle violently, apparently very displeased that his mate had been pounced on by Hah’Er. Shen Yibin quickly called him off. "Hah’Er, get off her! Don’t crush her!" ’You can’t just go around pinning other people’s wives!’
The moment Hah’Er got up, Gao Lujie relentlessly lunged for the roadside tree again, as if she wouldn’t rest until she had gnawed it down. Hah’Er quickly grabbed her large tail with all his might, but this time, he’d made a mistake.
A beaver’s tail is flat like a paddle. In the water, it acts as a rudder and propeller, allowing the beaver to swim freely. On land, it can be used to pack mud, making their dams incredibly sturdy. Consequently, a beaver’s tail is extremely flexible and powerful. Gao Lujie yanked hers free with a simple twitch, then forcefully swung it. SLAP! SLAP! Two quick smacks sent Hah’Er tumbling.
"Hmph!" ’He’d actually been hit!’ When had Hah’Er ever been treated like this? He was instantly furious. ’A panda is a fierce beast, no matter what! Since when does some big rat get to push me around?’ Hah’Er let out a couple of roars and lunged forward, tumbling into a chaotic brawl with Gao Lujie. Shen Yibin watched, wanting to cry but having no tears. ’What is happening?!’ Bald Qiang, still in his arms, grew even more restless, struggling as if he wanted to jump down and help his mate.
"Calm down, calm down!" Shen Yibin hurried forward to separate them. He pulled Hah’Er behind him and tossed Bald Qiang to Gao Lujie. That finally got the two troublemakers to quiet down a little. However, both Hah’Er and Gao Lujie were still puffed up with anger, looking like a new conflict could erupt at any second.
"Hah’Er, be good. Don’t cause trouble, and don’t bully our new friends. She didn’t mean to do that," Shen Yibin said, patting Hah’Er’s head to calm him down. Then, he squatted to face Bald Qiang. "You can’t just chew on the trees here. I’m about to take you to see lots of wood, right? There’s plenty of it inside, so why make a fuss out here? Also, Hah’Er was just following my orders to stop you. He wasn’t trying to be mean, so please don’t fight, okay?"
Hah’Er nodded obediently. Gao Lujie, who hadn’t taken the medicine, was still acting on pure animal instinct, but Bald Qiang seemed to have understood the gist of what Shen Yibin said. He turned and squeaked a few soft words to his mate, and she finally lowered her guard. The conflict was resolved, at least for now.
"Excuse me, please let us through!" By now, a circle of spectators had formed around them. Shen Yibin had a hard time squeezing through with his three critters. Once they reached the market entrance, he delivered another stern lecture. "You can’t chew on things inside, either! If you see some wood you like, just tell me, and I’ll buy it for you two!"
"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Bald Qiang nodded his little head and glanced at Gao Lujie, as if to say he would keep an eye on his mate. Only then did Shen Yibin feel relieved enough to lead them inside.
Inside the market, Shen Yibin saw all sorts of lumber piled up everywhere. There were raw logs, trimmed of their tops and branches but still retaining their bark; planks that had already been sawn into boards; and square timbers tightly bound together. They came in all shapes and sizes, thick and thin. The sheer variety of wood was dazzling.
"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" The moment Gao Lujie saw this sight, she lost control again and immediately lunged toward a pile of wood. Luckily, Bald Qiang had been watching her closely and tackled her to the ground before she reached it.
"Come on, let’s take our time looking. If you find a type you like, I’ll buy it!" Shen Yibin gently waved away the merchants’ sales pitches and began to stroll leisurely through the market with Hah’Er and the two beavers. ’With so many kinds of wood here, they’re bound to find something they like, right?’
However, the reality was disappointing. Bald Qiang ran from one pile to another, sometimes getting close to sniff the wood, other times sticking out his tongue for a lick. But even after they had toured the entire market, he hadn’t shown any particular interest in any of it. This left Shen Yibin completely baffled. ’What in the world is going on?’
"Sigh... I’ll ask around to see where else we can find wood. I’ll take you to check it out tomorrow. For today, let’s just go home and eat," Shen Yibin said. He had no choice but to lead them home in disappointment.
There were still groceries left from the morning, so they didn’t need to shop again. They went straight back to the shop. Shen Yibin had been planning to take a break, but then he saw Hah’Er rummaging in the storage room and pulling out his beloved skateboard. It was only then that he remembered it had been a while since he’d taken Hah’Er to the park to play with it. And so, he led his grand procession of animals toward the park once more.
Xiaoliu limped along in the lead. An excited Maphario climbed onto Hah’Er’s head, grabbed a handful of his fur, and chirped away, eager to feel the wind in his face. Shen Yibin, meanwhile, kept most of his attention on the two beavers, terrified they would suddenly dart off to chew on the roadside trees again.
Fortunately, Bald Qiang seemed to remember what Shen Yibin had said. He kept an eye on Gao Lujie the whole way, not letting her dart off. Just like that, they finally made it to the park.
Once inside the park, he had just taken a couple of deep breaths of fresh air when he turned around and discovered the two beavers had vanished again! The shock made him jump. Shen Yibin instinctively glanced toward the base of the large trees near the park entrance. Sure enough, there they were, hugging the roots of a big tree and about to sink their teeth in!
He rushed over and yanked the two rascals up. "Can you two please give me a break? If you try to bite every big tree you see, how can I ever take you out to play!" Shen Yibin’s head was throbbing. He even started to wonder if he should find a cage to keep them in.
’Wait a second... why were they so uninterested in all those kinds of wood at the lumber market, yet so obsessed with the roadside trees and the ones in the park?’ A flash of inspiration struck Shen Yibin. He thought he might have just figured out their criteria for choosing wood.