Chapter 649: Hibernation
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As soon as she heard that the hamsters might not be dead, Little Celery stopped crying.
"Store Manager, is that true? Are the hamsters still alive?" Tears welled up in her eyes, as if they would trickle down her cheek again at any given time.
"I think that it's possible. What's not possible is all the hamsters dying at the same time, unless they were poisoned. They might have entered a state of temporary hibernation," Zhang Zian explained.
"That's great!" Little Celery, believing in Zhang Zian's knowledge of animals was relieved.
Zhang Zian still had a stern look on his face because although the hamsters weren't dead, they were in a serious situation. Temporary hibernation is a state hamsters enter as a means of protecting their lives. Whether or not they'll be able to wake up from temporary hibernation, was unclear.
Zhang Zian looked at his surroundings, everyone who woke up early was still looking for the animals that escaped from the breeding base. There probably won't be much business today, so he said, "Little Celery, I don't have much going on today, why don't I go with you to take a look at the hamsters?"
"Okay!" Little Celery nodded. "We don't know what we're doing, so it's probably best if you come."
"Can I enter your school? Zian asked. "Security is strict, right?"
Little Celery thought for a moment. "Let me ask Yaning."
She took out her phone and sent a few messages to Wang Yaning.
Soon, she said, "Yaning said she'll tell her teacher to notify the security.
"Okay, let's go."
Zhang Zian went back into the store to inform Lu Yiyun to look after the store before he left with Little Celery.
His strides were big, one of his steps was equivalent to two of Little Celery's, sometimes she had to run to catch up to him.
Little Celery's was worried, every once in a while, she'd look up at Zhang Zian and ask him more about the hamsters. Although Zhang Zian believed that the hamsters were in a state of temporary hibernation, he was unsure if they'd be able to wake up. He didn't want to lie to Little Celery, so he could only tell her not to panic.
After the Christmas Eve trip, this was Zhang Zian's second time going to Zhonghua Road Primary ever since he graduated.
At Christmastime, the primary school was flooded with parents of students, gathered to watch their children perform. Their vehicles filled the streets outside the main entrance. Today, the main entrance was empty and the school gates were closed, leaving only the side gate by the guard house open.
Little Celery and Wang Yaning's teacher had already notified security. The teacher trusted Zhang Zian because she was once his teacher, too. Most senior primary school teachers spent their career in one school, watching their students graduate and leave to become pillars of the country.
Little Celery led Zian towards the back of the school building. He thought that they were raising the hamsters in class, but it seems like he was wrong.
Behind the building was a line of single-story cabins, the area around the cabins was built like a small garden. A swing swaying in the wind, a grape trellis made of thin bamboo, and a bamboo fence separated the cabins from the main building. When spring came and the flowers bloomed, it had to be a nice view.
The single-story cabin made use of a great number of tempered glass. Zhang Zian could see a few figures in the cabin, and it looked like they were busy.
Little Celery knocked on the door, and Wang Yaning ran over to open the door.
She suspiciously looked at Zhang Zian, and said, "Come in. What did you mean when you said the hamsters weren't dead?"
"Exactly what I said." Zhang Zian looked at the five students, including Little Celery and Wang Yaning who were there. He'd never seen the other three before, they were probably Little Celery's classmates. They all seemed very reserved.
"Where are the hamsters?" Zhang Zian asked.
"Over there." Little Celery pointed towards a shelf right by the window.
On the shelf was a hamster cage, clearly bought from the market, and a small glass fishbowl with wire netting as a cover. There was also a birdcage made out of iron wires being used as a hamster cage, probably brought from a student's home.
The cage was half covered in wood shavings and half covered in litter sand. On the wood shavings side, laid a hamster, either a Djungarian or a Winter White.
"Do you guys have a thermometer?" Zhang Zian asked as he checked the furniture in the room. When he came in earlier, he thought that the cabin was hotter than outside, but it was still pretty cold.
"No, we don't. Why do you need a thermometer?" Wang Yaning replied.
"Hamsters are sensitive to changes in temperature." Zhang Zian explained.
Wang Yaning then asked the others, "Do you guys have one?"
A small boy took out a box from his bag, opening it up to find a small thermometer.
"Is this okay?" the small boy asked.
Zhang Zian took the thermometer from the boy and looked it over, it should be okay for now.
The thermometer stated that the cabin's temperature was around 17 degrees.
"It's too cold." Zhang Zian finally understood the cause of the hamsters' temporary hibernation. He held out the thermometer so that the students could see.
"That's cold? My house isn't even close to 17 degrees!" Wang Yaning said, the other kids agreeing.
Zhang Zian walked over to the cage where the hamsters were, bent down to look inside, then asked, "Why is it covered in wood shavings and litter sand?"
"If we fill it up with just wood shavings, it's hard to manage and the smell is too strong," Wang Yaning answered. "So we thought of the solution to cover it half in wood shavings and half in litter sand. When the hamsters need to go, they walk over to the sand, and when they want to sleep, they go back to the wood shavings."
Zhang Zian shook his head. "First, the temperature is too low. 17 degrees is nice for us, but hamsters aren't used to such cold environments. It's best to keep it above 20 degrees. Second, if you aren't able to maintain the temperature around 20 degrees, you'll have to cover the whole cage with wood shavings to keep them warm. Half wood shavings and half sand is better for spring and fall, then during the summer, use only litter sand.
"Store Manager, you're saying that the hamsters went into temporary hibernation because it's too cold?" Little Celery asked.
"That's right." Zhang Zian rolled up his sleeves. "Now, I need you guys to help me save these hamsters."