I have a wildlife zoo

National Day is just around the corner!

Fang Ye had been too busy to meet with the animal keepers to discuss enrichment or to discuss the content of activities with the publicity department. The zoo had gone through so many holidays and had organized numerous events, so they had plenty of experience and he could entrust the work confidently to the staff.

He only approved some more important documents, dedicating more of his energy to the engagement preparations.

Following the wishes of Lan Li's family!

What to buy, what betrothal gifts to bring, their parents from both sides had already discussed beforehand.

For any unclear procedures, he humbly sought advice from married employees like Lü Jiamu.

How much money to give as a betrothal gift was secondary; what mattered most was to show his sincerity and intentions to Lan Li's parents—the attitude was the most important.

He must not leave an impression of disrespect on her parents.

The engagement party venue was set in a hotel in Linhai.

Since they were getting engaged, it naturally meant that Lan Li couldn't stay with Fang Ye anymore. They both returned to their own homes first and would head to the hotel for the engagement party later.

Before leaving, they held hands, reluctantly parting, and took a slow stroll in the zoo, discussing many things about marriage and the future.

Fang Ye pointed at the alpaca enclosure, "After our wedding ceremony enters the zoo, a bunch of alpacas following behind us would be impressive and grand."

Brother Aotian, upon seeing Fang Ye point in his direction, stylishly flipped his mane, radiating a free-spirited aura.

Lan Li laughed radiantly, "Not good, not good, what if the alpacas poop on the way? That would look terrible."

"Then how about pandas rolling behind us as we proceed?"

"Eh, that's not bad!"

Although it wasn't very likely, the thought itself was quite beautiful.

...

In a blink of an eye, National Day arrived!

Early in the morning, Fang Ye crawled out of bed.

With a "whoosh" he opened the curtains, and the splendid Sunshine bathed him.

The excitement and a bit of nervousness from the previous night made it hard for him to sleep.

Today was the engagement, so naturally, he had to dress sharply.

Fang Ye didn't use to care much about dressing up. His daily routine was washing his face, taking a shower, shaving, and keeping his hair short without much of a hairstyle.

Being close to animals all the time, he also didn't use skincare products.

Male animal keepers generally don't use skincare products, and even the female keepers who do typically use mother and baby products.

For a man, being clean and fresh is actually quite handsome.

However, after Lan Li became his girlfriend, under her guidance, he let his hair grow a bit longer and learned how to style it with hair gel.

After washing his face, he rinsed his hair with water and then dried it with a towel.

While his hair was still a bit damp, he ran his fingers through it a few times to make it stand up, then used some hair wax, grabbing and tousling to give it a fluffy look!

Staring at the mirror, he meticulously adjusted the details.

Taking two steps back, he admired his work and a smile curled at the corners of his mouth. Sunshine handsome, perfect!

He video-called Lan Li.

"Did you get up?"

When Lan Li saw Fang Ye, her eyes sparkled with stars, "Honey, you look so handsome today!"

Fang Ye replied with a smile, "How about that, I did dress up carefully! Guaranteed to make a good impression on your uncle and aunt."

Lan Li said, "I'm still getting my makeup done! Ah, let's not talk now, we'll chat when we meet!"

"Alright, I'll go pick up dad and mom first, then meet up with you. Bye!"

Girls are indeed much more complex when it comes to dressing up.

Lan Li meticulously applied her makeup, making herself pretty and radiant, then started to choose her clothes from the wardrobe.

She took out piece by piece, held them up against her chest, and gestured in front of the mirror to see the overall effect.

Finally, she chose a white dress with blue chiffon, looking pure and well-behaved.

When she came to the living room, she modeled it, "Mom, what do you think of this one?"

Mother Lan praised, "This one is nice, very suitable for our daughter!"

Father Lan, seeing the genuine smile on Lan Li's face, felt a bitter sweetness in his heart, as if the carefully grown cabbage had been taken away by a pig!

Mother Lan gently said, "Come, sit next to mom, I want to talk to you... You go over there, don't disturb our mother-daughter chat."

Father Lan sighed, "Alas, daughters grow up and leave home!"

He sauntered back to the bedroom.

Mother Lan and Lan Li chatted, having talked quite a bit the night before, mainly about sharing some experiences for after marriage, how to make life more harmonious.

Today was mostly about reminiscing about childhood stories, growing up experiences.

Their words were tinged with reluctance; as they spoke, their eyes reddened, with Mother Lan dabbing at the corners of her eyes and Lan Li feeling like crying too!

Mother Lan said, "You can't cry today, you have to be beautiful."

Lan Li, hugging Mother Lan's arm, obediently replied, "Mhm!"

"The bride's family communicated with us and we didn't make any demands, fearing they might have some opinions about us, making things unpleasant for you two. Your happiness after marriage is what mom hopes for the most."

Some families, when marrying off a daughter, hope to sell her for a high price, demanding exorbitant dowries, asking for hundreds of thousands, a house, and a car.

But Lan Li was an only child, pampered from a young age, so naturally her family wouldn't do such things.

...

Father Fang and Mother Fang had flown in last night, staying directly at the hotel.

Fang Ye had wanted to pick them up and bring them to the zoo for a night, but since their flight had arrived quite late, they didn't let him.

Taking a taxi to the hotel, he saw Father Fang and Mother Fang in the hotel's dining room having breakfast.

Mother Fang pinched Fang Ye's cheek, smiling, "Oh! Who's this handsome young man?"

Father Fang glanced over and commented coolly, "Hmm, not bad."

Mother Fang immediately showed displeasure, "Not bad? He's much more handsome than you were at his age!"

Fang Ye said earnestly, "My looks are inherited from you two, aren't they?"

Mother Fang laughed heartily, "Having a girlfriend really changes you, your mouth has become so much sweeter. And look at that hairstyle, nice, very spirited!"

Although Lan Li's family did not ask for any betrothal gifts, Father Fang and Mother Fang were not stingy!

Aside from the cash gift, they prepared basic offerings like meat, sugar, cakes, and fabric, and planned to give Lan Li a piece of valuable jade jewelry.

By ten o'clock in the morning, Lan Li's family had arrived at the hotel as well.

The parents from both sides greeted each other cordially, and Fang Ye and Lan Li also politely said hello to their uncles and aunts.

Although they did not speak, their eyes communicated volumes with glances exchanged.

Fang Ye raised his eyebrows, and Lan Li snuck a peek, her cheeks flushing, her lips unable to hide her smile.

Taking advantage of the parents' distraction, their hands even gently touched.

But once they were seated, they both behaved very well.

Mother Fang, as a businesswoman, was adept at handling such occasions, engaging in various topics and quickly livening up the atmosphere.

She lavished praise on Lan Li, and Lan Li's parents had nothing but good things to say about Fang Ye as well!

The conversation was extremely enjoyable.

The two families had no objections to the dowry and betrothal gifts, quickly coming to an agreement, and then started discussing the wedding arrangements.