The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 337: Chapter 337: Sea Bamboo Black Coral

Even though it was time to haul in the nets, Chen Yishui couldn’t be bothered.

She quickly asked, ”Xiao Rui, are you pregnant?”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”I am.”

”Then... how far along are you? Why are you still on the boat? If something happened, I... we would have let you down.” Chen Yishui and Liang Xiaoyu walked over to Han Xiaorui, taking her by the arms on either side.

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Well, I was ovulating right around the time we got married. I haven’t had my period since. By that count, it should be about two months. You don’t have to worry about me, I’m fine. I didn’t say anything precisely because I wanted to come out on the boat.”

Remembering how Han Xiaorui had just been lifting baskets with everyone, Liang Xiaoyu protested, ”Then you just sit tight and don’t lift a finger. Even if you’re in good health, carrying a child isn’t that simple for a woman.”

Chen Yishui nodded. ”I remember when I was pregnant. I didn’t know it at the time, but I, who never get seasick, actually got seasick. The moment I got on a boat, I’d feel dizzy and nauseous.”

Sister Tang also chimed in, ”Exactly, Xiao Rui, don’t be careless. Now that a baby is on the way, we as parents have to be careful. We didn’t have the means before, but we do now, so we can’t afford to be negligent.”

Seeing how concerned everyone was, Han Xiaorui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ”You really don’t have to worry about me. I know my own body. I won’t do any work, I’ll just watch. That should be okay, right?”

Chen Yishui thought for a moment and nodded. ”If you feel uncomfortable at all, you have to say something. Don’t you dare try to tough it out.”

”Okay, I know.” Han Xiaorui shook her head and chuckled. ’If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have told them I was pregnant.’

Chen Yishui started hauling in the net. As a haul of golden pomfret landed on the deck, everyone got busy.

Before, Han Xiaorui could at least help pass baskets, but now they wouldn’t let her touch anything, forbidding her from doing any work.

Bored, Han Xiaorui stood by the gunwale, watching the sea. The little dolphin had arrived.

It leaped joyfully around the fishing boat. The little sea snake came out too, now much longer and thicker. Xiao Dai came over as well.

When these three good friends met, it was an exceptionally lively scene.

Han Xiaorui borrowed the dolphin’s vision and began to dive.

The dolphin was full of energy, diving all the way down to a depth of more than two hundred meters.

The vibrant, colorful underwater world was breathtakingly beautiful.

Han Xiaorui watched, mesmerized. After about ten minutes, she quickly had it surface, knowing she couldn’t keep the dolphin underwater for too long.

Han Xiaorui’s vision switched to the sea snake, which led her toward a reef.

There was no valuable seafood at this particular reef.

Han Xiaorui was puzzled, but given that the sea snake had once brought her a huge piece of ambergris, she kept her vision following it forward.

And wouldn’t you know it, the little sea snake truly was an expert at finding ambergris.

On the reef, Han Xiaorui discovered a piece of ambergris the size of a watermelon.

It was already white and pale yellow, a clear sign of its superior quality.

This stuff was more expensive than gold. She remembered that the last piece of ambergris had sold for over two million.

This one wasn’t as big as the last one, so even if it didn’t fetch as high a price, it should still be worth a lot of money.

Before Han Xiaorui could even get excited, she spotted several more pieces of ambergris.

Fishing boats usually steer clear when their sonar detects a reef; they don’t get close.

’But there’s so much ambergris on it! The little sea snake found it for me. If I don’t collect it, it’ll be a complete waste!’

If the pieces were very large, she could have Xiao Dai carry them over, but they weren’t big enough and would just get washed off its back by the current.

Just as Han Xiaorui was thinking about how to stop the boat and retrieve the ambergris...

She saw the sea snake wrap its long body around a piece of ambergris, and then Xiao Dai ducked underneath the sea snake’s body.

Xiao Dai then began swimming toward the fishing boat, carrying the sea snake which was coiled around the ambergris.

Han Xiaorui was stunned. The two little creatures had learned to cooperate.

’Are they really that smart?’

Seeing what Xiao Dai and the sea snake were doing, the little dolphin copied them, grabbing another piece of ambergris in its mouth and swimming rapidly toward her.

This was where the little dolphin’s advantage showed. It was incredibly smart, holding a large piece in its wide-open mouth.

Han Xiaorui quickly grabbed a landing net and scooped up the ambergris from the little dolphin’s mouth.

The little dolphin made two trips in the time it took Xiao Dai and the sea snake to make one.

Liang Xiaoyu happened to see Han Xiaorui with the landing net, scooping something out of the sea. She immediately dropped the fish in her hands and ran over.

”Xiao Rui, what are you trying to net?” Liang Xiaoyu came over and took the landing net from Han Xiaorui’s hands.

Han Xiaorui pointed at what was in the net. ”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, take a closer look!”

Liang Xiaoyu paused, peering into the net at the dark, somewhat whitish object. ”Is this... ambergris?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Yes! My little buddies brought it all for me! Quick, the little dolphin is here, hurry and net what’s in its mouth.”

Liang Xiaoyu moved swiftly and, very smoothly, scooped up that watermelon-sized piece of ambergris. The next piece the little dolphin brought over was a bit smaller, like a cantaloupe.

Just like that, they ended up retrieving seven pieces in total.

Only after they had collected them all did they stop.

”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, go get some fish to feed them!”

Liang Xiaoyu laughed heartily. ”Alright, coming right up!”

There were many small fish among the ones they were sorting. Liang Xiaoyu brought over two buckets and tipped them over the side of the boat.

Han Xiaorui grabbed a few fish and tossed them over, infusing them with a bit of her Water Ability as a reward for the three little creatures.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the three little ones dove back underwater to play freely.

After everyone else had finished sorting the fish and cleaning the deck, they all gathered around to have a look.

Chen Yishui was especially experienced. When she saw what was in the basket, she froze for a second, then reached out, touched a small piece, and lifted it to her nose to smell.

”My heavens! This is ambergris! It’s more expensive than gold!”

Everyone crowded around. Some had seen it before, some hadn’t, but they all knew this stuff was valuable.

Han Xiaorui chuckled. ”After we sell it, I’ll give everyone a bonus!”

Liang Xiaoyu was beaming. ”Thank you, Ship Owner!”

”Thank you, Ship Owner!” a chorus of voices rang out.

Even though they weren’t the ones who had found it, their ship owner, Han Xiaorui, was making money, which meant the crew definitely wouldn’t lose out.

Han Xiaorui waved her hand. ”Let’s move it to the cold storage for now. Everyone’s been busy for a while, so take a break in shifts! We still have to stand watch tonight!”

”Yes, Ship Owner!”

Just then, Sister Tang brought out a few branch-like objects, each several dozen centimeters long.

”Ship Owner, this is good stuff too. You should take it!”

Han Xiaorui was slightly taken aback. ”What is this twig-like stuff? Did it come up from the seabed?”

Sister Tang smiled and nodded. ”Just now, part of our fishing net got torn, and it snagged these pieces of sea bamboo!”

Han Xiaorui was stunned. ”Sea bamboo? Like a willow tree from the bottom of the sea?”

Sister Tang shook her head and explained with a smile, ”Not a willow tree from the sea. It’s not a plant; it’s black coral from the seafloor. Bracelets and other accessories polished from this aren’t afraid of being dropped, of sweat, of fire, of fakes, or of rot.”