Super Zoo

```

The mountains were dark and chilly, not a place for talking. The second elder left a few strong young men in the watchtowers of the fields to guard against the boars causing more trouble, and the rest of the people hustled down the mountain to discuss the compensation details back in the town.

Article 14 of the "Huaxia Wildlife Protection Law" clearly stipulates that for losses caused by the protection of national and local key protected wild animals, the local government shall provide compensation. The methods for such compensation shall be determined by the governments of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government.

This law had been in place for many years, yet few people knew about it. On the one hand, who would bother studying a wildlife protection law for no reason? Suming only became somewhat familiar with it after working at the zoo and needing it for work. Many farmers in Sun Town hadn't had much schooling, let alone studying the law.

Moreover, in backward places like Sun Town, which were relationship-oriented societies, people trusted solving problems through "connections" rather than the law. Especially for the lower-class farmers, they were somewhat fearful of the law and didn't want to get involved in 'lawsuits'.

Ultimately, it was up to the government to pay, and less trouble is better than more. The county was so poor, it was practically in tatters; of course, they wouldn't take the initiative to advertise this regulation.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As far as Suming knew, the province did have a compensation plan. In other words, if their crops were destroyed by a second-class protected animal like wild boars, the farmers could rightfully demand government compensation, which the government was obliged to provide.

Of course, that was the theory. In practice, how much to compensate, and how long it would take to receive the compensation, depended on having capable people to manage the process.

By the time they got back to the town, it was nearly dawn. A large group of people, sleepless, all poured into Suming's house.

The originally empty hall of the Su Family's house suddenly teemed with people; there weren't enough stools for everyone to sit on, many just squatting on the ground and the threshold, looking at Suming expectantly, waiting for him to explain the details about the compensation.

Every family in Sun Town owned fields in the surrounding mountains; if compensation could be implemented, they wouldn't have to live in constant fear.

Mrs. Su saw so many people coming over, she quickly started boiling water for tea, offered the seeds and snacks usually reserved for guests during the New Year, and after asking the second elder about the situation, she pulled Suming aside and whispered, "It's about a few thousand yuan for the dozen or so acres of crops. If it really comes to it, you can pay it. Didn't you just give me a hundred thousand yuan the other day? I don't need that money..."

The second elder heard everything loud and clear as he was nearby and, before Suming could speak, he got upset and said loudly in front of everyone, "Auntie, that's not the way to put it. One thing at a time, Suming has made something of himself, but his money didn't come from a gust of wind! We've suffered a disaster, to take the government's subsidy, that is what the state stipulates, and we are entitled to it! To ask Su to pay, what kind of approach is that? Would that not become charity? We can't start this precedent. We can't expect little Su to foot the bill for every disaster in the town!"

The second elder wasn't well-educated, but his point was made with convincing force. Many people in the town might have been uneducated, but they understood the basic principles of how to behave; nodding their heads in agreement upon hearing him.

The second aunt, wiping away tears, said, "The second elder is right, Suming, I can't let you pay for this! You're educated and worldly, we just ask you to help our three families, to find out about the government subsidy, and that'll be enough."

"Oh, I was just worried that Gu and the others were getting anxious!" Mrs. Su laughed too and said to Suming, "Since everyone believes in you, you must take this seriously. Make sure the compensation is settled before you go back to the city."

"Don't worry. Every province has a different compensation plan. Let me call a friend first to see how exactly it's done in our province," he said.

```

```

Unable to access the internet in the village, Suming simply gave Liang Shi a call. Liang Shi was a research student at the Agricultural Academy, and the experts from the Academy were often involved in formulating agricultural regulations and laws for the province, so Liang Shi should have a good understanding of these matters.

Noisy sounds came through from the other end of the line; it seemed like Liang Shi was at a KTV. Suming hadn't expected the usually reserved Liang Shi to have a wild side. He chuckled and said, "Happy New Year! Are you out having fun?"

Liang Shi moved to a quieter spot, chuckled shyly, and said, "They're my classmates. They heard I made some money raising fish with you, and now they're robbing me blind at the bar." Then with a hint of nervousness, he asked, "Mr. Su, I was about to call you. Drinks here are so expensive; a bottle of beer costs over fifty yuan, am I getting ripped off?"

Suming couldn't help but laugh; his own reaction the first time he went to a bar with Wang Hao was much like Liang Shi's.

"Everything's overpriced in places like that. Don't worry, just get a receipt, and we'll reimburse you through the company hospitality expenses when you're back. But remember, no unlawful behavior, and if you want to pick up girls, that's out of your own pocket."

Suming started with a joke before getting down to business, "Perfect, since they are your classmates from the Provincial Agricultural Academy, you could help me inquire about compensation for crops damaged by wild animals in our province. I was just talking about this because during the New Year's visit home, some of the villagers' fields were damaged by wild boars!"

He was making the call from the main hall, and the other villagers were watching him eagerly. When Suming mentioned 'Provincial Agricultural Academy,' many villagers' eyes lit up, their expressions filled with respect. In the eyes of these farmers, the experts at the Agricultural Academy held a status even higher than county leaders, let alone those from the provincial level.

After a brief conversation, Suming hung up the phone and told everyone, "What a coincidence, my friend has classmates who are currently interning at the relevant provincial departments, dealing with this exact issue. He'll ask around and call me back later!"

"Let's have some tea and cigarettes while we wait," Mrs. Su said, arranging tea and tobacco for everyone.

Uncle Er lit a cigarette and patted Suming's shoulder heavily, jokingly saying to the others, "See that? The Su kid really made something of himself. We'd have to run to the township head over anything, but he just makes a phone call and gets through to provincial leaders!"

A slap from Uncle Er's iron palm made Suming's eyes roll, thinking to himself, if the old man kept slapping like that, he'd flatten him out!

Meanwhile, Mr. Gu was puffing on his pipe, lecturing his two sons, "Look at your Mr. Su. Now you understand why your father insists on sending you to school despite hardships! Without an education, without seeing the world, you'll never amount to anything!"

After Suming's call, the atmosphere had clearly become much more relaxed. Auntie Er resumed her role, chatting to Mrs. Su on the side in whispers, gossiping about the county leader's daughter, the township leader's cousin, and such—making it sound as if all the unmarried women in the county were lining up to be selected by Suming as consorts.

Soon, Liang Shi called back.

On the policy front, the province stipulates a compensation of 50%-80% based on last year's market price.

"Such a large range?" Suming didn't quite understand and asked.

```