Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 164: The Goodman Connection

"My private stash is almost bone-dry."

"My parents haven't sent me a cent in four years just because I chose veterinary medicine."

Barry's voice dripped with utter disdain. "A grown man like you, and you still have the nerve to hold your hand out for pocket money."

Leon immediately launched into his act, his voice sounding pitifully mournful. "Well, if you won't help me out..."

"Then I... I guess I'll just have to go beg Miss Nancy to advance me some salary. Even though she knows I'm a broke new grad, she already gave me a raise just last month. "

The second Leon finished his sentence, a loud beep signaled that the other end had hung up without mercy.

A few seconds later, Leon looked at the SMS notification of a 500,000 transfer on his phone, and his mouth curled into a delighted grin.

"My god, that's a lot!"

However, another text from Barry followed immediately: "400,000 is for the zoo's animal feed. 100,000 is for your meals."

Leon looked at the biased distribution. "Am I even your favorite nephew anymore?!"

Despite his grumbling, Leon remained diligent in monitoring Fawks's livestream. He had noticed Fawks earlier while feeding the animals in the Red Panda House and had been keeping an eye on him from the shadows. Anyone who dared to target Miss Nancy and the zoo would have to pay a price; he wasn't about to let the guy just walk away!

Barry was Leon's uncle—his paternal uncle, a real one with the same last name. Barry's own two half-brothers were conniving and rotten to the core. Fortunately, not all the "bamboo shoots" in the Goodman family were bad. Barry's cousin—Leon's father—was a genuinely good person who had taken great care of Barry during his school years.

Leon was that kind cousin's son. By seniority, he had to call Barry "Uncle," though in reality, there was only a five-year age gap between them.

The Goodman Corp was a massive medical empire. From the oldest to the youngest, almost everyone in the family was a doctor in some specialty; they'd talk about rare medical cases even at family dinners.

Yet, when it came to Leon, he had resolutely "rebelled" against the family tradition and dived headfirst into veterinary medicine, which had left his father absolutely fuming.

What Leon hadn't expected was that his uncle Barry—who supposedly had a germaphobia-level hatred for fur and dander—had quietly moved into Loren Zoo! Seeing Barry bottle-feeding a snow leopard at the zoo made Leon wonder if his uncle had been possessed by a spirit!

Leon rubbed his chin, pondering: Is the Goodman family destined to be tied to this zoo forever?

Having successfully "extorted" pocket money from his uncle, Leon turned back and enthusiastically threw his arm around the miserable Fawks to continue using him as a tool to hawk zoo merchandise and earn more silver.

Inside the infirmary.

The surgery had concluded successfully. Magenta, the red panda, was lying on her side in an incubator, recovering from the anesthesia. Her breathing was steady, her little belly rising and falling gently. Though she was still showing signs of post-op weakness, her moist black eyes had regained their spark, and she occasionally stuck out a tiny pink tongue to lick her nose.

Nancy leaned against the incubator, her fingers—clad in sterile gloves—lightly brushing the soft fur behind Magenta's ears. Her eyes were shining, her heart turning into a puddle of mush. "You're so cute, baby Magenta..."

The thought that such a precious little life was a cherished resident of her zoo filled Nancy with a massive sense of accomplishment and made her smile uncontrollably.

Just then, there was a soft knock on the infirmary door.

Several keepers filed in, carrying the small animals that needed follow-up exams. Macaques, alpacas... a total of twelve little ones were waiting.

Nancy stood up quickly and brought out the animal medical files she meticulously maintained, handing them to the experts with both hands. "Professor Nathan, Director Garrett, Commissioner Quinton—these are their recent health records and previous treatment histories."

The titans took the files and began to flip through them.

The handwriting was beautiful and neat. Every animal's weight fluctuations, dietary intake, medication records, and even behavioral observations were recorded with absolute clarity. She had even thoughtfully added color-coded tabs for classification.

Professor Nathan was the first to nod in praise. "Miss Nancy, these records are more detailed than those of many of my graduate students!"

Director Garrett chimed in with a smile, "No wonder the animals here are in such good condition. The Director is truly dedicated."

Commissioner Quinton looked over the data, his eyes full of admiration. "With such detailed records, follow-up treatment and recovery will be much easier."

Nancy was a bit embarrassed by the praise, her cheeks flushing as she waved it off. "It's what I should do, really..."

The following hours turned into a large-scale expert consultation as the twelve furry patients took turns being examined. The room was filled with constant laughter and interesting moments.

The funniest was a mischievous little macaque. Halfway through its exam, it suddenly reached out a paw and curiously patted Director Garrett's shiny, bald head, letting out a couple of "squeaks."

Monkeys are naturally fond of raiding bird nests, after all.