The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 187: Chapter 187: The Little Dolphin is Bad but Loves to Play

Han Xiaorui’s firm and powerful voice carried far.

Almost everyone on the dock heard it.

Yang Zhigang, feeling a bit uneasy, strode in. ”This is a new era. Don’t you know how to be civilized and polite?”

”Here in our Jinshan Bay, a man’s got to act like a man and respect women. Anyone who messes with Xiao Rui is messing with me, Yang Zhigang.”

Whether for his own benefit or for his granddaughter’s sake, Yang Zhigang had to step up and protect Han Xiaorui and her female crew.

When the crowd heard this, they quickly chimed in. ”Zhigang, that man from just now looked unfamiliar. He’s not a local!”

”We came over to watch the spectacle, we really just wanted to see something amazing! After all, this many Big Yellow Fish is a rare sight.”

”That’s right, we were just here to watch! We didn’t touch anything. It was that stranger just now who was out of line.”

Yang Zhigang cupped his hands and chuckled. ”My thanks to all of you! The seafood needs to be shipped out quickly to maintain its quality, so please make some room.”

And it was true; the crowd gathering around was indeed slowing them down.

Zhang Guangnan also cupped his hands, pulled cigarettes from his pocket to hand out, and said loudly, ”Do me a favor, too, everyone. I’m Zhang Guangnan, and I’m waiting on this batch of seafood for my business!”

This wasn’t just flattery from Zhang Guangnan; it was the truth.

Although he didn’t only source his seafood from Han Xiaorui, the products from her boat were of exceptionally high quality.

They were clearly the same type of fish, but for some reason, the ones from this boat always tasted a bit better!

An ordinary person couldn’t tell the difference, but for a discerning gourmand, it was unmistakable.

This was one of the reasons his three seafood restaurants had been able to establish themselves and attract so many loyal customers.

Even though the purchase price was high, Zhang Guangnan was willing to pay it.

Zhang Guangnan had now firmly established himself. He had taken over all the connections and businesses left by Zhang Fa Cai and was considered one of the more prominent figures in the area.

As soon as he spoke, the crowd quickly backed away.

Another half hour later, all the seafood had been weighed, and the bill was settled on the spot.

The total came to 279,300 yuan.

After Han Xiaorui and Zhang Guangnan confirmed the amount was correct, they each signed the agreement.

Around 10:00 AM, Chen Yupeng arrived in his work unit’s jeep, bringing along two marine experts who specialized in dolphins.

As they walked, Chen Yupeng made the introductions. ”Comrade Xiao Han, this is Professor Wang and Professor Li. They’re marine biology experts from here in Shencheng. Professors, this is Comrade Xiao Han.”

Han Xiaorui hurried over. ”Hello, Professors. The seafood has been unloaded from the boat. I can take you to the dolphin in the live well now.”

The two experts were very curious. They studied not only the growth and development of dolphins but also their behavior.

They knew dolphins possessed high intelligence and could communicate with humans. They had also heard stories of dolphins seeking help, but they had never seen it for themselves.

After receiving Chen Yupeng’s call, they had immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed over.

”Please lead the way, Comrade Xiao Han!” Professor Wang said with a smile. ”Could you tell us what happened?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Of course. I was resting in my cabin last night... The whole thing was bizarre. You might not believe it, but many people on my crew saw it. You can ask them.”

Professor Wang listened intently, a gentle smile on his face. ”We’ve been studying dolphins for a long time, so our understanding of them is deeper than most. Studies from here and abroad have shown that adult dolphins have the intelligence of a five- to seven-year-old child.”

”So when you say a dolphin asked for help, we’re surprised, but not shocked. After all, a five- to seven-year-old child is very clever and can do many things.”

Seeing that Professor Wang believed her, Han Xiaorui relaxed a little. ”Professor Wang, I’ll entrust the dolphin to you, then. But once it’s healed, you have to promise you’ll let me release it back into the ocean.”

Professor Wang nodded and smiled. ”We study dolphins to better protect them and the ocean, not to keep them as our pets.”

Han Xiaorui’s face lit up. ”That’s wonderful! I was so afraid you wouldn’t give him back. I’d have no idea how to face his mother, and I definitely couldn’t handle a mama dolphin chasing me for her baby!”

At this, both Professor Wang and Professor Li laughed.

No wonder Han Xiaorui was a boat owner. She was cheerful, generous, and very kind.

Most importantly, they could tell that Han Xiaorui loved the sea and was passionate about protecting the ocean and its creatures.

Chen Yupeng followed behind them, a faint smile on his lips.

’The woman our Captain has his eye on really is something else! When he gets some free time, I’ll have to arrange for them to get to know each other better.’

When they reached the live well, Professor Wang and Professor Li hurried over, one after the other.

Inside was a newborn little dolphin, about 95-100 centimeters long and weighing around thirty kilograms. It had a long gash on its abdomen, about fifteen centimeters, that looked as if it had been sliced open.

Fortunately, it was no longer bleeding, and the wound was slowly starting to heal.

It floated almost motionless in the water, looking utterly adorable.

When it saw Han Xiaorui approach, its mouth opened in what looked like a smile. Its eyes sparkled, and it let out a sound, only to immediately cry out in pain.

’More enthusiasm than sense!’

Han Xiaorui rushed to its side and stroked the little dolphin’s head. ”Don’t move, don’t make a sound. Then it won’t hurt.”

Professor Wang and Professor Li were surprised by how obedient the little dolphin was. They began to examine the wound, then glanced at each other in disbelief.

”Old Li, a wound like this, especially on a baby dolphin... it most likely wouldn’t have survived. But its cries were so strong just now. It has a powerful will to live.”

Professor Li nodded in agreement. ”Old Wang, I once saw a dolphin with a wound that wasn’t as large or as dangerous as this, and it didn’t survive the trip to our base.”

Han Xiaorui put on a worried expression. ”Professors, can this little dolphin be saved?”

Professor Wang answered immediately. ”Yes. But this live well isn’t suitable for its recovery. We need to take it to our facility.”

”As long as it can be saved, that’s all that matters,” Han Xiaorui replied. ”How do we get it to the jeep?”

Professor Wang thought for a moment. ”We’ll carry it on a plastic tarp to avoid putting pressure on the wound. Old Li and I will handle it. We don’t need anyone else.”

Han Xiaorui offered to help, but the two professors declined.

Soon, they had placed the little dolphin in a water tank in the jeep. The water inside would aid its healing.

Han Xiaorui was still uneasy, so she got into Chen Yupeng’s jeep, insisting on going to the facility to see for herself.

”Comrade Xiao Han, you still don’t trust me?” Chen Yupeng said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He’d spent the entire morning running around for her.

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Just see it through to the end, since you’ve been so helpful. Last time I was out, I found a lot of scallop pearls. I’m having someone make them into jewelry this afternoon. Once it’s done, I’ll give you a pearl necklace. You can give it to your wife as a gift.”

Chen Yupeng’s eyes lit up at her words. ”Comrade Xiao Han, are you serious?”

In his position, people often tried to give him gifts, but he couldn’t accept them.

But a gift from Han Xiaorui was different. He would accept it without a second thought, completely unworried that she might report him for it.