Chapter 296 – Danger! (1/2)
Noon. It stopped snowing, and the snow on the ground started melting.
Dong Xuebing, Yu Meixia, and Yu Qianqian were eating at a small restaurant in the zoo.
“Big Brother, where are the tigers and lions? We still have not seen them.”
“They are not located at the walking trail and should be kept in the Wildlife Safari in front.”
“I want to see them. Big Brother, can you bring me there?”
“Hahaha… don’t be so anxious. Alright. We will take the tour bus after we finish lunch. I don’t know if they have lions here, but I am sure there will be Siberian Tigers.”
After lunch, the three of them walked to the end of the walking trail.
The area in front is reserved for wild animals, and tourists can see birds circling the trees. There are more tourists in this part of the zoo, and the staff is controlling the crowd. Tourists are lining up to board three big tour buses and one smaller bus. When a bus is full, the staff will wave the driver to enter the safari area and let the other tourists board the next bus.
Yu Qianqian is very excited and pulled Yu Meixia and Dong Xuebing towards the queue.
Dong Xuebing laughed and walked over to register for the tour, before joining the mother and daughter pair in the queue.
They are unable to board the second bus as it was full before it reaches their turn and had to wait for the next bus.
About six to seven minutes later, a bus stopped in front of the queue.
“Qianqian, let’s board the bus.”
“Yay! We are going to see the tigers!”
“Hahaha… slow down and watch your steps.”
To get a better view, Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian sat on the first row, and Dong Xuebing sat on the window seat behind them. The rest of the tourists boarded the bus slowly. Soon, all the tourists in the queue got into the bus, and the bus is not full. The driver did not drive off immediately, as he needs to fill the bus with more tourists.
Qianqian kept asking why is the bus not moving off?
Dong Xuebing and Yu Meixia smiled as they seldom see Yu Qianqian so excited.
About ten minutes later, the bus is almost full. But when the driver is about to drive off, someone shouted.
“Wait!” Cheng Tingting walks over to the bus with Liangliang.
The driver opens the door and lets them, board.
When Cheng Tingting boarded the bus, her eyes met with Dong Xuebing. But because of the unhappy incident earlier, they pretended not to know each other. Liangliang did not know about the grudges between the adults and waved to Yu Qianqian. “Big Sister!” Yu Qianqian took a glance at Cheng Tingting before waving to Liangliang.
The bus moved off and entered the safari area.
Most of the families on the bus are with children, and the children immediately got excited.
“Mum! Look! It’s a leopard!”
“Dad! I can see an elephant!”
“That is a big bear! The bear is coming over!”
The children, including Yu Qianqian, shouted excitedly. She kept tugging Yu Meixia’s arm and pointing to the animals. Dong Xuebing stroked Yu Qianqian’s hair lovingly and took a glance behind him. Liangliang is sitting quietly in his seat, and his mother, Cheng Tingting, is speaking to him.
The tour bus stops in the Leopard sanctuary, Elephant sanctuary, and Bear sanctuary for a while for the tourists to look at the animals.
After a while, Yu Qianqian felt looking at the animals through the bus window is not satisfying. She slides the window open slightly and wanted to stick her head out for a clearer view.
The tour guide immediately stopped Yu Qianqian. “Haha… little girl, you cannot stick your head out of the bus. It is dangerous.”
Dong Xuebing quickly close the window and pulled Qianqian back to her seat.
This tour bus is specially customized for a wildlife safari. The window panels are stronger, and the vehicle’s balance is modified to suit the terrain. All the windows, except for the windows in front, are sealed. But the two windows in front cannot be opened fully and is not enough for an adult to get through it.
The tour bus had gone off-road to enter the different sanctuaries.
Suddenly, Liangliang’s face becomes pale. “Mum, I feel sick.”
The bus is swaying as the ground is bumpy, and Liangliang is getting motion sickness. Cheng Tingting asked the tour guide. “My son is getting motion sickness. Can we move to the seats where we can open the windows?”
The tour guide hesitated for a second and nodded, before speaking to the tourists sitting in the front row.
Dong Xuebing took a glance at Cheng Tingting and did not let Sister Yu and Yu Qianqian exchange seats with them.
Only the two seats located in front can open the windows slightly. Yu Qianqian and Yu Meixia are seated on the right side, and a young couple is seated on the left side. The tour guide spoke to the couple, and they switched places with Cheng Tingting and Liangliang unwillingly. Cheng Tingting carried her son on her lap and opened the window slightly. With fresh air, Liangliang should be feeling better.
Yu Qianqian is concerned for Liangliang and secretly took a glance at him.
“The tiger sanctuary is in front.” The guide said. “The roads ahead will be bumpy, and please hold on.”
Yu Qianqian heard it and started looking around excitedly. “Where are the tigers?”
“Don’t be so anxious.” Yu Meixia patted her daughter’s hand. “We still have not reached the sanctuary.”
A sign with the words, ‘Tiger Sanctuary’ was written in red in front of the woods, and the woods are fenced up. Although this is a wildlife safari, these dangerous animals are not allowed to roam freely. Or else, the tigers will be eating the animals in other sanctuaries.
The bus entered the tiger sanctuary.
The guide asked the children to be patient. A few Siberian tigers had settled deeper in the sanctuary and seldom roamed around the entrance. They must go deeper before they can see the tigers.
“Are you feeling better?” Cheng Tingting asked her son.
Liangliang replied with a painful expression. “Mum, I am still feeling nauseous.”
“Bear with it for a while.” Cheng Tingting replied worryingly. “The tour will be ending soon, and we cannot get off the bus now.”
As they were talking, Liangliang suddenly gagged as about to vomit. Cheng Tingting looks around for plastic bags but cannot find any. She slid the windows wider and did not see any tigers or animals outside, before carrying Liangliang up to let him vomit outside of the bus.
The guide immediately said. “Mdm, don’t let your child stick his head out of the windows. It is dangerous.”
“We will be done soon.” Cheng Tingting helped her son up with one hand and patted his back with her other hand.
The guide saw Liangliang vomiting and went to get a plastic bag from another tourist.
But at this moment, something unexpected happens!
The dirt roads in the sanctuary are full of potholes. The bus front left wheels ran over a small hole and tilted towards their left. The bus quickly got out of the hole, and there was a strong jerk upwards. The impact is quite strong, and everyone on the bus can feel their bodies bouncing off their seats.
The next moment, Cheng Tingting let out a piercing scream!
“Ahhhh! Liangliang!” She had accidentally let go of her son when the bus jerked!
The windows of the bus can only be opened slightly, and the opening is not big enough for a grown-up to pass through. But Liangliang is around seven to eight years old, and he is skinny. He was also leaning out of the windows, vomiting when the bus drove into the pothole. The impact caused his body to jerk upwards and making him fall out of the bus. Liangliang screamed as the rest of the tourists watch him fall out of the windows!
The tourists were stunned.
“Shit! That kid fell out of the bus!”
“Hurry up and save him! This is the tiger sanctuary!”
Cheng Tingting turned pale and stick her head and hand out of the window to try to grab her son. But she cannot reach Liangliang, and the window is not big enough for her to push her body through. The ground is not hard, and Liangliang is not seriously injured from his fall. However, he was shocked by the fall and sat there, crying for his mum and dad.
Cheng Tingting shouted to her son. “Liangliang! Get up! Hurry and get back up!”
“Sob! Mum! Mum!” Liangliang could only cry.