1983Fishing and Farming between Mountains and Seas

Chapter 69: The Evil Sparrow-billed Barnacle

Logically speaking, Liang Ziqiang had good eyesight and should have been able to recognize from a distance what Dahuang was pushing with great effort.

But he had to walk closer before he dared to confirm that it was indeed a turtle.

However, there is almost no shell on the turtle's back, but instead it is carrying a "small hill".

That hill was actually covered with barnacles!
It looked like the turtle was still alive, but due to the torture of the barnacles on its body, it looked like it was either dying or in a state worse than death.

The turtle itself was as big as a small basin, and the barnacles on its body looked like they must weigh several kilograms. No wonder Da Huang was pushing it forward with great effort, so slowly, like an old cow pulling a broken cart!

Chen Xiangbei also saw the unrecognizable turtle. She was so frightened that she hurriedly turned her head to the side, not daring to look at it again.

It’s not that it’s scary, but the density of the barnacles on the turtle really makes people feel claustrophobia, and it makes people feel uncomfortable no matter how they look at it!
It seemed that Dahuang could not push the turtle anymore, so he put it down and came forward happily. He raised his face, wagged his tail and stuck out his tongue, asking Chen Xiangbei for praise.

Chen Xiangbei was so angry that she wanted to beat it up:

"Da Huang, you did this on purpose, didn't you? Who are you trying to disgust by bringing this kind of thing here?"

After being scolded by her, Da Huang was a little hesitant. He was not sure whether he had done a good deed or made a mistake.

Liang Ziqiang touched her quickly:
"You've wrongly blamed Da Huang this time. He gave you money, but you're still mean to him?"

After saying that, he touched Dahuang's head and praised him, "Good dog."

Chen Xiangbei wondered:

"This turtle is in this state, can it be sold for money?"

Liang Ziqiang smiled:

"Sea turtles may not necessarily sell for money, but if you don't look at what grows on them, they are all money!"

"Are you talking about those ugly things?" Chen Xiangbei couldn't name the barnacles, but she felt that they didn't look like something valuable.

Liang Ziqiang nodded:
"Don't worry about whether it's ugly or not, it tastes delicious, so the price is naturally not cheap!"

Chen Xiangbei looked at him doubtfully, as if she found it hard to accept that the oddly shaped thing on the turtle's back could be so valuable.

What she couldn't believe was, when did Da Huang also go to the sea? He went for a walk along the coast and brought back a large amount of goods...

Liang Ziqiang approached the turtle, and the turtle raised its eyelids and looked at him pitifully. It had no intention of avoiding him at all, and there was even a hint of pleading in its eyes, as if it was looking forward to his approach.

He reached out to pry the barnacles off its back, and the turtle immediately lay flat on its back and cooperated with him.

Liang Ziqiang found the look a little funny.

I have heard from many fishermen that in the sea, sea turtles sometimes swim to the side of the boat and ask the fishermen for help to remove the barnacles on their bodies.

Now he believed that the rumors were true.

There are many kinds of small barnacles, and there are hundreds of them. But they all have one thing in common - they all look weird and ugly.

Liang Ziqiang certainly couldn't name many strange barnacle species, but he recognized the barnacles on the turtle in front of him:

Bird-billed barnacle.

The outer shell is like an iron barrel, but the meat inside is shaped a bit like a bird's beak. This is how the bird-billed barnacle got its name.

When I say it's ugly, I mean it's really ugly.

But to be honest, the meat inside is really delicious, much better than ordinary shrimps and crabs.

Of course, the price is definitely much more expensive than ordinary shrimps and crabs!
Liang Ziqiang tried to break it off with his hands, but failed. Yes, if barnacles were so easy to remove, many sea turtles would not be tortured to death.

Barnacles are so stubborn and terrifying that not only are sea turtles helpless against them, but even some huge whales are tortured to death by them.

They particularly like to attach to wrinkled areas of the whale's skin, such as the whale's nostrils, around the eyes, around the mouth, under the fins, and in places like the excrement holes.

Whales sometimes suddenly crash into reefs, and sometimes even attack human ships, just to rub off the annoying barnacles on their bodies.

"I think I brought a chisel with me?"

Liang Ziqiang took a peek into the bucket and found it was really there.

Picking up the chisel, he tried to move as gently as possible and pried the barnacles on the turtle's back one by one.

With this tool, it is not difficult at all.

In a short while, the bucket was filled with barnacles.

Liang Ziqiang’s plan is that after all the barnacles are harvested, the sea turtles will be completely liberated.

I heard that after a sea turtle is helped to remove the barnacles on its body, its swimming speed can be increased several times.

In this way, when the turtle is released back into the sea, it will be able to survive well.

Liang Ziqiang had no intention of taking the turtle from the beginning, not because he was soft-hearted. If he was soft-hearted, he would not be able to be a fisherman.

The main reason is that turtles often eat toxic algae, such as giant filamentous algae, so some turtle meat contains a certain amount of toxins.

Some people believe that eating turtle meat can prolong life, and indeed, they ascend to heaven in the blink of an eye...

But in 1983, some people were quite enthusiastic about eating turtle meat, and corresponding poisoning accidents occurred from time to time.

It was not until a few years later that sea turtles were listed as national protected animals.

Sure, turtle meat can be toxic, but the barnacles on the turtle's shell are completely unaffected.

This is because the barnacles just want to hitch a ride and cruise the ocean on the turtle's shell, but they do not suck the turtle's blood, nor do they eat the turtle's meat.

After removing all the barnacles, Liang Ziqiang weighed it and estimated that it was about four or five kilograms!

The most exaggerated case is that some small turtles weigh only 10 pounds, and the barnacles they carry also weigh 10 pounds, which is as heavy as the turtles themselves. It can be said that the turtles are eventually exhausted to death.

Liang Ziqiang made a preliminary estimate. Since the price of black-billed barnacles is much more expensive than shrimps and crabs, if these few kilograms of barnacles were sold, the value would probably be in double digits!

After the barnacles were removed, the turtle finally regained its original appearance and looked somewhat like a turtle. There were only some spots on its back, but it didn't matter whether they were removed or not.

Litchi simply squatted down and looked at the turtle with interest. The turtle also raised its head to look at her, and the two of them just stared at each other.

Lizhi's tone became a little reluctant:

"Just let it go into the sea?"

"if not?"

“I felt like it didn’t want to go away.”

Liang Ziqiang pushed the turtle towards the sea, but it slowly lifted its legs and crawled twice, then stopped and turned to look at them.

He really looked like he didn't want to leave.

"See, I knew it wanted to stay and repay you!"

Chen Xiangbei couldn't hold back after hearing what Lizhi said. She smiled with her eyes flashing and poked Liang Ziqiang:
"To repay a favor! Does the White Snake in the play know about this?"

Liang Ziqiang glared at them:
"My benefactor is over there, if I have to repay you, it's to Da Huang!"

Then I flipped over the turtle's belly and finally understood the real reason why it didn't want to leave:

"Look, there's a wound at the base of the front fin. I don't know where it got broken!"

It was exhausted and injured from being entangled by barnacles, no wonder it was brought to the shore by the tide.

Although the barnacles have been cleaned up now, the wound is still there. It is estimated that if it enters the sea water, it will become further inflamed and worsen. It is definitely a question whether the turtle can survive at that time.

It was obviously for this reason that it refused to go into the sea.

"It's really an injury. It looks fresh, so it probably wasn't long ago. Can you heal it?"

Chen Xiangbei looked at the wound at the root of the front fin and the silly look of the turtle, and couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic.

"Please help it. I don't want to see it die in the sea!" Lizhi shook his arm and begged.

Liang Ziqiang thought about it and decided to do a good thing to the end.

In fact, it is not difficult for humans to treat the wound on the turtle. Go to the village doctor to get some hydrogen peroxide or iodine, wipe it a few times a day, and it should heal soon.

Once the injury at the root of the front fin is completely healed, there will be no problem releasing it back into the sea.

No matter what, it came from afar to deliver the money to him in person, and worked hard to carry the valuable goods on its back, acting as a courier for him.

"Let's go, it's almost time to go back."

Liang Ziqiang touched the front of the turtle's shell with one hand and the back of the shell with the other hand. In this posture that the turtle could best accept, he lifted it up and started walking back.

Chen Xiangbei glanced at the long beach. There were still many places she had not visited, and her face showed an obvious look of dissatisfaction.

Seeing that she was still unsatisfied, Liang Ziqiang touched her with his arm:
"Why, you're not satisfied? That's easy. When you marry me, you can go fishing whenever you want. It's just a matter of a few steps!"

Chen Xiangbei said stubbornly:

"Who wants to go to the sea?"

She said so, but when she looked up at him, happiness was in the corners of her eyes.

Liang Ziqiang was actually very happy at this moment. It was impossible not to be happy.

I originally just planned to take my wife to the beach for a stroll, but I accidentally made a fortune.

No matter who it is, wouldn’t they be so happy that they would feel like they were floating when walking?

Chapter 70 will be released in two minutes, two chapters in a row. Thanks to all the book friends for their recommendation votes, monthly votes, and wonderful reviews! Stable updates, welcome to read the latest chapters.

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(End of this chapter)