Raising Pandas in the 1990s

[New novel: The Little TCM Doctor's Everyday Gossip in the Nineties. Please add it to your reading list!]

Cheng Sui devoted herself to protecting stray cats, but then she transmigrated into a period novel as a sickly supporting female character who died young.

According to the story, the original owner was too weak to lift or carry anything, but had nimble hands and could weave all kinds of little things from bamboo strips. Even while gravely ill, she raised pigs, sheep, chickens, and ducks until they were plump and healthy.

Good with her hands and skilled at raising little ones... Wasn't that the perfect talent for raising cats?!

After transmigrating, Cheng Sui thought about returning to her old line of work every day, hoping the heavens would send her a kitten.

Until one day, she came across a cart full of poor animals abandoned by smugglers.

When a “waa-waa”-crying giant panda crawled out of its cage and stumbled straight toward her, then clung tightly to her pant leg...

Cheng Sui: ??? A panda cub? Well, if you round it up, it still counts as a kitten!

The old folks said Cheng Sui was asking for trouble. If the giant panda got angry and turned on her, it would surely slap her to death.

But when Cheng Sui caught the panda misbehaving and smacked its palm, all it did was whimper, “Mm, mm,” in grievance?

The aunties said a giant panda wasn't human, and being kind to it was useless. She would be better off marrying and having children to rely on.

But when Cheng Sui ran into wolves in the mountains and her blind date abandoned her and fled, it was the giant panda that saved her from the pack.

The experts said giant pandas belonged to nature and should be returned to the mountains and forests.

Cheng Sui steeled herself and sent the giant panda back to the mountains. A few months later, it not only found its way home, but had also given birth to twins?!

As the number of captive giant pandas gradually increased, many zoos came to Sichuan Province hoping to borrow one to raise.

“An'an won't do. Director Cheng said she's just back to give birth and nurse her cubs. Once she's done, she'll be leaving again.”

“Lele won't do either. Director Cheng said he passed his wild training assessment and will be released into the wild soon.”

“Zhusheng doesn't need to be released, but Director Cheng says he's afraid of people and needs to be transferred to the reserve.”

The zoo directors all scratched their heads. “Are you making this up? There are more than a hundred pandas here. Does your Director Cheng really know every single one?”

The staff member replied, “I'm telling the truth. Not only did she raise all one hundred-plus herself, she also named every one of them.”

Everyone: !!!

Reading guide:

1. The female lead is simply an expert at raising little ones. She has no golden finger.

2. A sweet, slice-of-life story about raising pandas.

3. Set in 1990.

New novel: The Little TCM Doctor's Everyday Gossip in the Nineties. Please add it to your reading list!

Shen Miao took over her grandfather's practice and became the sole female heir of a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

On her very first day seeing patients at her clinic, though, Madam Chen from the neighboring village brought a crowd over to make a scene.

Madam Chen: “You quacks cursed my son, saying he couldn't have children and wouldn't live long. So tell me, where did my big, strapping grandson come from?!”

Shen Miao calmly pulled out the medical records she'd made earlier. “Your son is congenitally impotent. If you want to know where this grandson came from, ask your new daughter-in-law.”

Madam Chen: “What? Impotent!”

The onlookers: “Oh? Wow!”

In the nineties, Western medical technology was advancing rapidly, but that didn't mean traditional Chinese medicine was in decline.

They said that the Shen family in Qinghe Village had a famous doctor who could cure any illness, but the small clinic of just a few dozen square meters was always in an uproar.

In the morning, Shen Miao saw a young couple expecting a baby.

Shen Miao: “The husband needs to restrain himself. Your wife is pregnant, and having sex seven or eight times every night isn't good for the baby.”

The pregnant woman turned around quietly. “Oh, really? You were away on a business trip for half a month. Who were you having sex with seven or eight times every night?”

Shen Miao: “???”

In the afternoon, she set the bones of a young woman with a sprain.

Shen Miao: “Eat less kidney and barbecue. Look at you, all that pent-up heat. You should cut down on fatty meat too and stick to a lighter diet.”

The woman's parent stared in disbelief. “We haven't had enough money to buy meat for over a week. Where did you get kidney and barbecue from?”

Shen Miao: “???”

In the evening, she took the pulse of an elderly man in poor health.

Shen Miao: “His body is depleted, his vital energy is weak, and he has kidney deficiency... Auntie, what does my uncle do every day?”

The woman looked puzzled. “He farms during the day. At night he goes to the neighboring university student Xiao Liu's home and studies for a few hours. That's all.”

Shen Miao: “...Are you sure?”

Shen Miao's grandfather had always reminded her that doctors must practice with the principle of helping others in mind.

Later, Shen Miao discovered that helping people and having fun were two things that didn't conflict at all.

Reading guide: The author isn't a medical professional and is writing for fun. Please go easy on any inaccuracies.

Core theme: Protect giant pandas.