Chapter 510: Holding A Rabbit
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Just when Zhang Zian was feeling kind enough to share his knowledge of hamsters to Little Celery and Wang Yaning, Wang Yaning raised her hand and said with a straight face, "You don't need to tell me. I did my homework before I came here. For example, this hamster is a Winter White hamster, correct?"
"It's called Xiao Ling," Little Celery reminded Wang Yaning again.
Xiao Ling, or the Winter White hamster, was covered with white fur all over its small and soft body, but also had shallow black stripes on its back. It was holding corn chips to nibble on. Little Celery was holding it carefully in her hands and gently stroked its soft fur. It was less than ten centimeters in length and looked almost the same size as her hand.
Zhang Zian was a little surprised. It seemed that Wang Yaning wore glasses because of all her hard work. At least she hadn't become nearsighted from playing too many video games like Yi Le had.
"Yes, Xiao Ling is indeed a Winter White hamster. This kind of hamster is docile and very suitable for children to raise," he explained.
Wang Yaning looked at the lop-eared rabbit in the display cabinet and said, "I prefer rabbits."
"Since you like rabbits, would you like to hold it?" Zhang Zian suggested. In fact, ever since Wang Yaning entered the pet shop, apart from watching the puppies and kittens, she spent most of her time gazing at the lop-eared rabbit. Like the lop-eared cats, the rabbit's drooping ears often won the favor of girls more than any other type of rabbit.
Wang Yaning showed a flicker of interest, but she still shook her head and said, "No need. 'It can be only appreciated distantly but not touched greedily!'"
Zhang Zian was reaffirmed that this little girl really was a diligent student who was likely born into a well educated family. At such a young age, Wang Yaning was able to accurately quote the famous sayings from the essay On the Love of Lotus.
Little Celery didn't care as much as her. She dropped the hamster, picked up the lop-eared rabbit from the display case and forced it into Wang Yaning arms. "Yaning, just hold it, it's so soft! Here, hold it!"
Wang Yaning's tiny face that had always seemed so serious finally revealed a panicked look. She dropped the cell phone that she was holding tightly in her hand, still trying to be ready to call the police if necessary. She took over the rabbit and cupped her hands underneath its belly.
"How is it? Is it very soft?" asked Little Celery expectantly.
"Soft ... it's very soft ..." Wang Yaning felt stiff all over her body, like she was holding a huge marshmallow that could melt any minute.
Although this was a smaller lop-eared rabbit, it was still much larger than a hamster and was more difficult for a primary school girl to hold. The lop-eared rabbit seemed to have felt the trembling of her fingers and it too became tense and nervous. Its small head was looking left and right, its body struggling to wriggle away.
Zhang Zian was afraid that the rabbit would fall and he stepped closer to Wang Yaning and told her, "You're holding it the wrong way."
Wang Yaning's manner as a serious scholar had completely vanished. She also noticed that the lop-eared rabbit seemed to want to run away from her embrace. Keeping her balance awkwardly, she asked anxiously, "How should I hold it?"
Zhang Zian gestured at Little Celery with his gaze. "Little Celery, you teach her."
Little Celery took the lop-eared rabbit from her friend's hands and said, "You should hold it like you're holding a baby, or you can hold it this way." She put an arm close to her chest and let the lop-eared rabbit rest on that entire forearm. That way, her arm and her torso formed a solid platform together. She placed her other hand gently on the back of the rabbit and stroked its hair. "Er Duo, don't be afraid. She's my good friend and your friend too."
Little Celery was holding it very firmly, and the lop-eared rabbit slowly calmed down, no longer struggling to escape.
Wang Yaning was surprised and looked at Little Celery with admiration. The information she had read before didn't teach her how to hold a rabbit.
Little Celery smiled and said shyly, "This is the way that Mr. Store Manager taught me. I didn't know how to hold it at the beginning either and I almost dropped it."
"Come on, Yaning, you try." Little Celery motioned for her friend to take over the lop-eared rabbit.
"I... I can't..." Wang Yaning felt uncomfortable.
"It doesn't matter. Just copy my method. You're so smart, you can do this!" said Little Celery who forcibly put the lop-eared rabbit into Wang Yaning's arms.
This time, Wang Yaning mastered the method of rabbit holding. The lop-eared rabbit was actually quieter than before and allowed Wang Yaning to pet its fur.
"It's really soft." Wang Yaning smiled happily. Finally, her facial expression didn't seem so serious.
Little Celery was also very happy. "So, should we raise rabbits and hamsters in our class? The same rabbits and hamsters that look like Er Duo and Xiao Ling."
Before Wang Yaning had the time to clearly state her opinion, Zhang Zian reminded them, "Little Celery, in fact, this is still a young rabbit. When it becomes six months old and reaches its maturity stage, it may not be so gentle and adorable like it is right now. It will sometimes become violent and aggressive. At that age, the rabbits will fight each other and even bite and ruin things. After all, digging holes is in their nature. If you raise rabbits, be sure to prepare for their changes. Otherwise, when your classmates find that the rabbits are not so docile or cute anymore, they may abuse the rabbits or even abandon them."
What he did not mention was that the aggressive behavior of rabbits after sexual maturity could be partially improved through sterilization. However, since Little Celery and her classmates still needed to learn about animal breeding, the rabbits must not be sterilized.
Little Celery seemed to understand and nodded, and Wang Yaning listened very closely.
Since he had brought up this topic, Zhang Zian decided to tell them more so that Wang Yaning, this young and brilliant student, would not look down upon him.
"Do you know the saying 'mad as a March hare'? It means that rabbits will become crazy in the early spring and fight for courtship. Although domestic rabbits are not as crazy as wild rabbits in this respect, it is hard to change their nature. Your class is setting up a class on animal breeding next semester, so I'd suggest you start raising rabbits next year. That way, you'll have one full year to get along with the rabbits and understand their habits. If you buy young rabbits to start raising them now, you'll have to deal with their agitation and restlessness this upcoming March."
He changed the topic and said, "Do you know that there is Easter in the West? The rabbit is a symbol of Easter. The adults there say that rabbits hatch from Easter eggs. This of course is nonsense. After all, rabbits are viviparous mammals. However, to make their children happy, adults usually buy bunnies and pretend that the bunnies hatched from the eggs. So, around Easter in April, bunnies in foreign pet shops tend to be particularly popular. But this phenomenon brings up another problem. Many children are not prepared for rabbit rearing. They soon discover that the mature rabbits are very aggressive in the spring. After Easter, the rabbits will experience a particularly high rate of abandonment. If you go for a walk casually in parks or residential areas, you can sometimes catch an abandoned rabbit."
In addition, it was also likely to see girls abroad dressed as bunnies, wearing tights and fishnets on the streets. He certainly could not tell this to the little girls!