Chapter 222: Chapter 221: Mass Dehydration!

Jiang Mo looked calm, but his gaze was unusually serious: “I owe it to you this time.”

He paused, “The scandal from a year and a half ago has been cleared, and Zhang Chenyi’s trouble has also been resolved. You saved my acting career, and I can still earn more in the future.”

“It turns out I’m the one who profited this time.”

“You’ve got the perspective.” Xu Ying genuinely praised, recalling some artists who were harsh on staff and even resold fan gifts, she couldn’t help but view Jiang Mo in a new light, “You’ll definitely be a big hit in the entertainment industry for a long time!”

Jiang Mo chuckled softly at her words, taking a sip of coffee: “Thanks for your kind words.”

When she returned to the shelter in the evening, Xu Ying’s excitement still lingered, and she looked at the check in her pocket over and over.

She took out a small notebook and started planning. With the number of animals in the shelter increasing, staff needed to be hired, and dormitories for them had to be built. The animal hospital under construction already included staff apartments.

So, it’s okay to have volunteer dorms similar to the Color Steel prefab cabins of her shelter, but they need to be made comfortable.

Xu Ying had inquired with the construction team sent by the Qiao Group that building movable, reusable Color Steel prefab cabins costs 250,000 each.

Given the current size of the shelter, at least four employees are needed.

Xu Ying, believing it’s better to have more than less, planned to build ten cabins, after all, the shelter was being planned towards a large zoo and hospital.

Xu Ying looked out the window towards the construction site of the animal hospital, determining to finalize the location for the temporary staff dormitories by tomorrow.

The desert animal hospital is still in the foundation stage, working on ground hardening treatment.

This large desert animal hospital will take a year to be built.

Initially, Xu Ying thought it might cost about 10 million, Qiao Yuxi also told her that not much money would be spent, no need to worry. But later she learned that Qiao Yanli budgeted a small goal, 80 million to build the hospital, and 20 million as operational reserve funds for the hospital.

This was Xu Ying’s first tangible understanding of immense wealth, which refreshed her worldview.

Qiao Yanli and Qiao Yuxi, the wealthy uncle and nephew, are truly swimming in wealth!

She also had to work hard to save money to give the little animals a better life.

*

Noon in the desert.

Just as Xu Ying pushed open the iron door of the shelter, a heatwave hit her face.

She squinted her eyes, using her hand to shield against the glaring sunlight, secretly worrying—today’s temperature was even higher than predicted.

[Little Xu Station Chief, help!]

An urgent voice came from beside her feet.

Xu Ying looked down and saw the Little Sand Cat anxiously pawing at her pant leg.

Behind Little Sand Cat, the Black Jungle Cat, always with a cool demeanor, was gently placing a half-unconscious Mongolian Rabbit in the shade at the door.

“What’s happened?”

Xu Ying squatted down, her fingers lightly stroking the dry fur of the Little Sand Cat.

“It’s so hot, it’s so hot!” The Little Sand Cat spun in place, “We found a lot of little guys collapsed on the backside of the dune, Master said they’re dehydrated!”

Only then did Xu Ying notice that five or six small animals were neatly lined up on the ground behind the two cats: two Mongolian Rabbits, a Jerboa, a Desert Hedgehog, and a… Tusun?

The round-faced Tusun lay on its side, like a sun-wilted plush toy.

Its gray-brown long hair stuck up in a tangled mess, revealing the snow-white underfur below.

Its characteristically flat, round face looked lifeless, with two tufts of black ear fur limply stuck to its head, its golden round eyes glazed over, and its expression appeared particularly melancholic against the black eyeliner markings.

(Tusun with a flat round face)

Xu Ying’s heart tightened instantly.

“Quick, help me bring them inside!”

She moved quickly, carefully carrying the weakest Tusun.

Inside the shelter, it was noticeably cooler than outside, with three fans buzzing and a large air conditioner.

Xu Ying quickly cleared a space on the examination table and laid out a clean towel.

Little Sand Cat and Black Jungle Cat skillfully helped move the small animals one by one inside.

“Little Sand Cat, where are you? Can you help me prepare some wet towels?” Xu Ying asked while checking the Jerboa’s condition.

[Right here!]

A crisp voice came from behind the medicine cabinet. The Little Sand Cat poked out its head, holding a stack of wet towels in its mouth, [Little Xu Station Chief, I’ve already got them ready!]

Xu Ying nodded with a smile, the little guy was always so quick-witted.

She took the wet towels and wrapped them gently around the Jerboa’s body. “First step in dehydration emergency, lower the body temperature, but not too quickly…”

(Jerboa, true-tailed mouse)

Her movements were gentle yet swift as she performed initial checks on each animal.

The Tusun was placed in a corner of the examination table, while Little Sand Cat sat beside it, tilting its head in observation.

The Tusun’s pink nose was cracked and flaking, its whiskers drooped pathetically against each cheek.

Its stumpy limbs were completely splayed, revealing pink paw pads, and even its fluffy short tail hung weakly.

[Little Xu Station Chief, is this big cat’s brain fried by the sun?]

Little Sand Cat lightly pawed the Tusun’s face, [I called out to it several times, but it didn’t respond.]

“Shh!”

Xu Ying quickly set down the syringe in her hand and gently covered Little Sand Cat’s mouth, “Don’t say that, Tusuns are naturally slow to respond.”

She walked up to the Tusun, carefully checking its pupils and gums. It only blinked slowly and let out a faint “squeak” when Xu Ying touched the soft fur behind its ear, revealing two tiny canine teeth.

“That’s a physiological trait of the Tusun, not an illness. Although they’re felines, their metabolic rate is much lower than yours, so they always seem a bit slow.”

Little Sand Cat blinked its big eyes: [Really? I thought all felines were as quick as me!]

Xu Ying smiled and patted its head, her hands never stopping.

She fetched saline and glucose, preparing to establish an intravenous line for the Tusun.

“Tusuns live in high-altitude and desert regions, this slow metabolism helps them adapt to harsh environments and food scarcity. They may look harmless, but it’s actually an evolved survival strategy.”

When the needle pierced the Tusun’s forelimb vein, this round-faced little guy slowly blinked its eyes, letting out a vague “gurgle” from its throat.

“See, it’s okay.”

Xu Ying adjusted the drip rate, “It’s just that the high temperature has made it even more sluggish than usual.”

In the following hour, the shelter turned into a bustling emergency center.

Xu Ying devised different rehydration plans for each animal: Mongolian Rabbits only needed subcutaneous saline injections;

The Jerboa, in more serious condition, required intravenous fluids;

The Hedgehog preferred to drink water from a shallow dish itself.

Little Sand Cat proved to be a capable assistant, replacing wet towels and handing over tools as per Xu Ying’s instructions.

Neither master nor disciple was idle, one watched over the small recovering animals, while the other stood guard by the door to prevent predators from approaching.

[Little Xu Station Chief, why is the Tusun’s face so flat?]

Little Sand Cat curiously asked again, clearly intrigued by this newfound “distant relative.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep