The Endless Love for Animals

This book is a work full of humanity， showing how humans and animals get along with each other and get to know each other. In this book， the author reveals several deeply touching experiences when raising pets with affection and expresses the major theme of human society about love and hate， good and evil， which has a profound philosophical meaning.

Zhang Wei

Zhang Wei is the winner of the Mao Dun Literature Award and the Good Chinese Book Award. His major works include The Ancient Ship， September’s Fable， and The Song of Hedgehog， etc.

The Endless Love for Animals

Zhang Wei

Shandong Education Press

April 2021

35.00 （CNY）

Rongrong stayed overnight at the southern airport and would arrive in Jinan by plane the next morning. The landing time was 11：10 am. My family members and I didn’t go to the airport for some reason and one of my child’s friends picked up Rongrong at the airport.

From this day on， we would have a new member of our family. I felt a little guilty because I had not gone to the airport to pick it up. As the time approached， I felt a little uneasy about the thought of the moment Rongrong entered as if I were not ready to accept it at all. The whole thing was a bit sudden. I was hesitating and contradicting myself， but at the same time， everything went as planned. Rongrong was coming soon and somehow， we were in a panic. To be precise， we were a little excited or possibly slightly compulsive. In fact， we did not have anything to do before this， and we should have picked it up at the airport. But at last， it was delayed， as if we were at a loss and didn’t know what to do for a while.

It was no longer a question of whether to welcome or reject Rongrong， because it would come soon. We stood at the window for a while， walking， waiting， and then sitting quietly. At twelve o’clock， we walked again and leaned over the window from time to time.

They finally arrived. I saw a car pulling up downstairs， the doors opening， and someone carefully carrying a thing which looked like a suitcase with a window and was very delicate. I knew it was a place for small animals to stay in during travel. In the distance， I saw a small face shaking behind the window. I could not see the eyes clearly. We ran to the elevator.

As the elevator doors opened， our eyes quickly focused on the small window. There was a pair of big blue eyes staring back at us. Ah， this was our “first sight” of each other and my heartbeat felt a little strange. Rongrong’s eyes were too beautiful and we had a sense of déjà vu.

In order to prevent the new little ones from running helter-skelter because of unfamiliarity， we had prepared an enclosed rear porch in advance， where a cat litter box， a water fountain， and a soft cat nest are placed. Rongrong was quickly placed inside， looking at us and the new environment through the sliding glass door.

I was trying not to be surprised that it had not felt tired at all after a long journey， and it was full of life and energy. It was basically pure white， except for its ears， eye sockets， and back， which were light brown. It was surprisingly large， completely the size of an adult cat. It would be just four months old after six days， but it weighed six jin （a unit of weight equivalent to half a kilogram）.

It stood behind the floor-to-ceiling glass door， with a gentle inquiry in its eyes， not a hint of panic. It quietly looked at everything in the house， and mainly the new owner. Only then did we feel that the former precaution was really like carrying coals to Newcastle. We unzipped the cat carrier in embarrassment. It bowed its head and came out slowly. The initial bearing was unforgettable： Rongrong’s face was warm and solemn and its steps were like a lion.

Its gait directly reminded people of a small lion， walking calmly. Every time a pair of front paws lifted off the ground， they rolled over slightly like a lion and then lifted up.

It went straight on， quiet， peaceful， and courteous： it first went to the missus， laid itself against her leg， and looked at her. Then it walked towards me， repeating the action again without the least difference. The only difference was that I didn’t let it go immediately. Out of surprise and love， I couldn’t help reaching out my hands and hugging this warm and soft body tightly. It was motionless， waiting for my craze to come to an end.

Quickly， being aware of my recklessness， I released it and said， “Rongrong！” As I called out， my right hand reached to it unconsciously， as if to shake a guest’s hand. What happened next was impressive： it looked up and immediately put its right front paw on my hand， a closed white paw. I held this chubby little paw， shook it again and again and said： “Hello！ Hello！”