Chapter 83 - WHO'S CALLING HER INTIMATELY
Chef Sophia served the dishes carefully and asked, "Young Master Han, I have a question."
Han Sheng Ming reluctantly replied, "What is it, Sophia?"
"Does adding 'Ah' before a name have any value in a Chinese name?"
Han Sheng Ming nodded and explained properly, "It has. In China, if we have a very intimate or close relationship with someone, we add 'Ah' before a name. Similarly, in Japan, they add some honorifics after names like 'kun', which shows a friendly relationship, 'san' to show respect, 'sama' to show utmost respect and 'chan' to show close relations. But unlike Japanese, we cannot use 'Ah' before every name. Suppose, you can add 'Ah' in front of my name as – Ah Sheng or Ah Ming. However, you cannot add it before Yujin or Xiao Yuan's name. 'Ah Yujin' or 'Ah Yuan' sounds weird. Before their names, I use 'Xiao', and that shows a close relationship between us."
Sophia found it very interesting yet complicated. She questioned, "Does anyone call you 'Ah Sheng' or 'Ah Ming', Young Master Han?"
Han Sheng Ming shook his head. "Nope, I don't have anyone to call me so intimately."
Tang Yujin said beside him, "There will be someone to call him intimately one day. It'll happen when he has a girlfriend." He knew his friend didn't like to waste an ounce of energy on girls.
Han Sheng was flustered. He bashfully protested, "W-what nonsense are you spouting?"
"I'm just telling the truth." Tang Yujin shrugged and looked at Sophia before asking, "Why did you suddenly ask about it? As far as I know, no one in this house puts 'Ah' before someone else's name."
"Not at all, Young Master Mo calls Miss Han 'Ah Luo'. At first, I was confused but I guess now things are clear." Chef Sophia realized that Han Luo and Mo Yuan had some special relationship.
Han Sheng Ming slapped the table, stood up from the chair, and shouted, "What did you say?!?!"
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Three days later, Han Luo, Han Sheng Ming, Tang Yujin, and Mo Yuan went to the ZSL London Zoo. It would take hours to visit the whole place so they went at an early hour to make sure they wouldn't have to rush at the end. They were going to see a collection of 673 species of animals, with 19,289 individuals, so it would take time to visit the whole area. As it was the weekend, the place was lively.
Han Sheng Ming pulled Han Luo close to him. "Little Luo Luo, look at the lions." Han Luo smiled seeing his childish behavior. Since childhood, Han Sheng Ming was always excited whenever he went to the zoo.
Land of the Lions is an enclosure for ZSL London Zoo's Asiatic lions. The exhibit, also home to a troop of Hanuman langurs and a band of dwarf mongoose, demonstrates how the lions' natural habitat overlaps with the local urban environments.
Tiger Territory is ZSL London Zoo's Sumatran tiger enclosure. The exhibit is also home to Malayan tapirs, Reeves's muntjacs, Northern white-cheeked gibbons, and Bornean bearded pigs.
The Gorilla Kingdom is home to a group of 20 western lowland gorillas and consists of a moated island with an indoor gym for the gorillas to use. The Gorilla Kingdom area also features smaller enclosures housing Diana monkeys, eastern black and white colobus, white-naped mangabeys, crested black macaque, and Congo peafowl.
Into Africa is an Africa-themed area that includes Chapman's zebras, warthogs, okapis, Rothschild's giraffes, pygmy hippos, and African wild dogs.
"One day, I want to visit Africa," Han Luo sang dreamily. Just like her cousin, she also loved animals.
Tang Yujin smiled. "We can go together next year during the summer holidays. What do you say?"
"That's a great idea!" Han Luo clapped her hands together. She was wearing a light blue shirt and a white skirt. Her long shiny black hair was tied up into a ponytail, her hair swaying as she moved.
Han Sheng Ming immediately declined. "No! Little Luo Luo is still a child. Let's go there when she turns sixteen."
"Big brother Ming is such a party pooper," Han Luo whined.
"Don't be sad, little Luo Luo. When you grow up you will realize that it's for the best."
Rainforest Life is a walk-through indoor exhibit that houses several different species of rainforest animals. Among the species in the main forest, walk-through are two-toed sloths, golden lion tamarins, emperor tamarins, red titi monkeys, red-faced spider monkeys, big hairy armadillos, Geoffrey's marmosets, cotton-top tamarins, Goeldi's marmosets, southern tamandua and Rodrigues flying fox.
"I feel like I'm in a real rainforest," Han Luo whispered. She felt that if she spoke loudly, she would attract the animals.
"It's nothing compared to a real rainforest." Last year, Han Sheng Ming and another guy from his class went to the Atlantic Oakwood Forest with a group. It is one of the four temperate rainforests in Europe.
Han Luo tugged his sleeve and requested, "Take me there next time you go."
"That place is not for you," Han Sheng Ming denied. He had a bad experience there and for that reason, he didn't want to take her there.
Han Luo pouted and tugged Tang Yujin's sleeve. Tang Yujin smiled helplessly. He was weak for her puppy eyes.
Mo Yuan saw the intimate movement of those two and squinted his eyes. He was planning how to get onto her good side. After that day, she hadn't talked to him at all for three days, which filled Han Sheng Ming with delight.
That building also has a darkened area called 'Nightlife', which houses nocturnal animals such as Mohol bushbaby, Seba's short-tailed bats, slender lorises, pottos, rakali, Malagasy giant rats and blind cavefish.
The Outback is an Australia-themed exhibit housing that has groups of emus and Bennett's wallabies. It features an artificial rocky cliff made of concrete blocks for animal enrichment.
"Oh, this reminds me of my Australia visit when I was six! I collected some gold stones together with mom and big brother Yuan," Han Luo recollected the event.