Chapter 9: A Drowsy Classroom in the Seventies

Isn't it said that pangolins are naturally timid? Yet this little one not only came out on its own to eat her wafer biscuit but even poked her in the butt.

I’ve heard pangolins eat ants and termites, but I never thought they’d eat wafer biscuits. Could it be poisonous?

“Little guy, you can’t eat any more. If you get poisoned, I might end up in jail!”

The pangolin, busy munching away, froze for a moment at these words, then suddenly let out a loud scream.

“Ah—how can you understand me?! Mom always said our pangolin language is very difficult to comprehend, only our own kind can communicate!”

Jiang Cha squatted down. The little fellow only then curled up its body, exposing just a pair of small eyes warily fixed on her.

Looks like this pangolin is a real chatterbox. Jiang Cha took a step back, putting some distance between herself and the pangolin.

“You ate my wafer biscuit and I haven’t even scolded you yet, and now you’re scared?”

The pangolin licked the crumbs from its lips. Seeing how greedy it looked, Jiang Cha broke off a small piece and placed it in front of it.

“Here, have a little more. Our human food is highly processed; you should eat less.”

The pangolin hesitated, looking at Jiang Cha timidly, yet unable to resist the lure of the wafer biscuit, it slowly stepped out again.

Jiang Yun watched curiously from the side. She’d seen her sister talk to animals before, but never imagined she could communicate with such a niche creature as a pangolin.

Her eyes were filled with admiration. The person she revered most was no longer Uncle Qin, the village’s only policeman, but her sister!

“Ah-woo, ah-woo! Why are human biscuits so delicious?!”

Jiang Cha laughed. “Because of technology and skill. Natural things don’t taste nearly as good.”

The pangolin’s tiny head was just so small; its brain couldn’t possibly grasp what Jiang Cha said.

Curious, Jiang Cha mused that pangolins wouldn’t normally venture into human habitats.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you afraid?”

Hearing this, the pangolin stopped eating and looked at Jiang Cha with teary eyes.

“Sister, our home was destroyed by a group of bad people. Mom and my brothers and sisters were all taken captive by them! Can you save them?”

Jiang Cha frowned. Such things really happened now? People these days were truly reckless, even daring to capture pangolins. They must have a death wish.

The pangolin choked up as it recounted the atrocities of that group: they came armed with guns, burning, killing, looting; shooting any animals they saw, then stuffing the dead ones into bags.

They forcibly took over the cave where the pangolin family lived, capturing those who hadn’t escaped.

According to this pangolin’s story, these people were searching for something, digging incessantly inside the cave.

The more Jiang Cha listened, the more uneasy she felt. From the description, this sounded like grave robbers!

She comforted the pangolin, promising, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you. When the others arrive later, you find a place to hide first.”

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