Song Wei and her family were lucky—they actually found an animal they had once known.
A snow leopard.
It was one of the cubs of the snow leopard mother they had seen back then.
Song Wei’s memory was sharp, and she recognized that the cub’s markings had simply grown proportionally larger.
Even if a person couldn’t tell animals apart by their faces, their coat patterns were always unique.
This snow leopard was male, the smallest among the three cubs from those years.
He had inherited his mother’s territory.
Snow leopards are solitary predators; only one will occupy a given territory.
“Mom, is this really one of the cubs from back then?”
“The snow leopard is so beautiful, so handsome!”
Among big cats, snow leopards could be considered the pinnacle of beauty.
Covered in thick, snow-white fur patterned with black rosettes, this one’s eyes carried a faint violet hue. When it sat upright on the mountainside, it looked incredibly regal—like a noble young master among the feline family.
Of course, sometimes it also seemed a bit silly.
For example, it startled easily, and when frightened, it would leap straight up—high, with all four legs spread out.
Snow leopards also liked to bite and tug at their own fluffy tails.
But when hunting, they were swift and dashing. As specialists in preying on blue sheep, they could even sprint across steep cliffs.
Song Wei and her family didn’t disturb it; they simply took pictures from a distance.
“Mom, shouldn’t we go closer to take a look?”
Song Wei shook her head. “Better not. So many years have passed. Back then, it was just a tiny cub. People can’t even remember someone they saw only once as a child, let alone a snow leopard.”
At that moment, the snow leopard was hunting.
Through binoculars and the camera lens, they watched from afar.
They witnessed a thrilling and spectacular cliffside chase.
The snow leopard was clearly an experienced hunter. After a fierce pursuit, it finally clamped its jaws around the neck of a blue sheep.
The spectators couldn’t help but cheer quietly.
“That was amazing!”
Both little girls thought the snow leopard was incredibly powerful.
Mainly because it was so striking in appearance—little girls naturally adored beautiful big cats.
Of course, for the preyed-upon blue sheep, it was a bit cruel.
But even the youngest, Yueyue and Xiaoxiao, weren’t the type to overflow with misplaced compassion.
From a young age, Lin Zhen and Song Wei never hid things like killing rabbits or chickens from them.
And whenever they took the children into the forest, they taught them about the laws of the jungle.
Carnivores and herbivores are destined to be natural enemies. It’s normal to feel pity for herbivores when they’re hunted, but humans have no right to condemn carnivores.
They only kill to survive—if they don’t eat meat, they’ll die. And who ever spares a thought for their suffering?
After finishing the hunt, the snow leopard lay down to rest for a while before slowly beginning to eat its prize.
Above, vultures and crows circled in the sky.
Some even landed on the ground, but they kept their distance, not daring to approach.
They only hoped that after the snow leopard was full, it would leave behind some scraps.
For them, even leftovers would be a feast.
Watching this scene, Song Wei suddenly thought of the story of a whale fall and couldn’t help telling it to the children.
“When a whale falls, life flourishes. The largest creatures in the ocean, like blue whales, sink to the bottom of the sea when they die. Their bodies feed countless living beings in the deep ocean.”
Xiaoxiao gasped, “Nature is amazing! Mom, I love the animals in nature. When I grow up, I want to learn how to live alongside them.”
Song Wei stroked her little head. “As long as you don’t do anything against the law when you grow up, you can do whatever you want.”
Yueyue added, “Mom, when I grow up, I want to be a doctor who heals animals.”
That surprised Song Wei. “Why do you think that?”
Yueyue said, “Because I saw that Auntie’s family had a sick dog, but Auntie’s mother said there was no one to treat it. Lots of their animals get sick, but no doctor will see them. When people get sick, there are so many doctors. But animals don’t have any. So Yueyue wants to be a doctor for animals in the future.”
Lin Nan remarked, “That sounds exhausting, and dirty too.”
Yueyue clenched her little fists. “I’m not afraid!”
The adults all patted her head.
“What an ambitious little one. If you don’t change your mind when you grow up, then go study for it.”
Lin Zhen said, “Daddy will give you the best resources.”
Song Wei felt fortunate—her children all had strong wills of their own. Under their upbringing, the two older ones were excellent and hadn’t gone astray, while she and her husband continued to nurture the two younger ones.
They wouldn’t raise their children to be fragile flowers in a greenhouse. They wanted them to see the world with their own eyes, to truly experience it themselves.
The snow leopard seemed to notice them then.
From a distant peak within its territory, it stood watchfully, eyes fixed in their direction.
“It’s time for us to go.”
Song Wei was delighted to have seen the snow leopard from years ago, but there was no need to disturb its life.
Later, they encountered even more animals.
They even saw a herd of yaks.
But this time, Song Wei didn’t try to catch one.
Now that people in the Nankang Brigade were raising yaks, they could just buy some when they returned.
Many animals were now listed as protected, so they avoided hunting whenever possible.
Wild rabbits, however, were still fair game.
With their powerful reproductive abilities, rabbits were everywhere, and it was unlikely they’d ever make the protected list.
Leave a Reply