Tiger Amulet

Old Wang felt like a charlatan for the first time, even though he was just a zookeeper.

He held a plastic bottle in his hand, filled with a stinky liquid that the zoo director euphemistically called "Tiger Essence," priced at fifty yuan a bottle. Old Wang was responsible for selling it, and his sales targets were even included in his performance evaluation.

"This is real tiger urine," Old Wang said to a tourist wearing sunglasses, feeling his face flush, "Drink it, and it'll boost your virility."

The tourist curled his lip and didn't buy it. Old Wang smiled awkwardly and turned to a young girl whose eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Young lady, have you heard of tiger bone wine? This tiger urine is the real deal, undiluted."

The girl giggled and bought it. Old Wang felt a little better. After all, selling one bottle meant he was one step further away from being fired.

In the following days, Old Wang found himself completely transformed into a salesman. He would block people at the zoo entrance, wear T-shirts with tiger head patterns, and shout loudly to passing tourists: "Don't miss out! Genuine tiger urine, guaranteed to give you tiger-like vigor!"

Old Wang started reflecting on himself. He originally loved animals and enjoyed being with the tigers. He remembered the awe and shock he felt the first time he saw a tiger. But now, his daily work was to pour the tigers' waste into bottles and exchange it for cash.

One day, Old Wang went to the tiger enclosure again, preparing to collect fresh "Tiger Essence." Holding an empty bottle, he looked at the tigers lazily lying on the artificial rocks, and an idea suddenly struck him.

He found some meat and deliberately threw it into the tigers' urine. The tigers sniffed it and excitedly ate it. Old Wang smiled; he realized he had found a new sales strategy.

He uploaded a video of "meat soaked in tiger urine" online with the caption: "Tigers love it!" The video quickly went viral, and tourists flocked to the zoo. Everyone wanted to see if the tigers really would become more powerful after eating "meat soaked in tiger urine."

Old Wang's sales soared, and he quickly became the zoo's top salesman. The director praised him, gave him a bonus, and was preparing to promote him to head of the sales department.

Old Wang began to feel uneasy. He was no longer the zookeeper who fed the tigers; he had become a "tiger urine expert," a "tiger meat sales" whiz, a shrewd businessman people called "Manager Wang."

He even began to study the habits of tigers to better "collect" and "process" their urine. He no longer remembered his initial love for animals; his life was now all about performance and commissions.

Until one day, a tourist curiously asked him: "Manager Wang, is this tiger urine from real tigers? I heard they use machines to collect it now."

Old Wang was stunned. He looked at the person in front of him and suddenly felt a sense of inexplicable fear. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

Seeing his silence, the tourist asked again: "And what about this meat? Is it tiger meat? I heard they process it into meat paste with machines now."

Old Wang was completely speechless. He looked at the tigers in the distant enclosure. They were still lazy, as if everything had nothing to do with them.

Later, Old Wang was transferred to the logistics department. His daily work involved dumping animal feces into trash cans and transporting strange meat paste to unknown places.

One day, he happened to see a new product promotional poster on the wall, with his photo prominently displayed and the caption: "Manager Wang's heartfelt recommendation, a special meat paste rich in human essence, nutritious and delicious, to make your life as powerful as a tiger!"

Looking at the photo, Old Wang saw that he was smiling especially brightly. He suddenly realized that he had also become a commodity, labeled and waiting to be consumed. He thought of the creatures in the zoo that he once admired, but now, they had all become symbols that could be used and sold.

He slowly walked to the trash can, looking at the residue mixed with all kinds of odors, and suddenly felt that he should be in there too.