Catch the sea: start with a sand shovel and take over the entire beach

What appeared was an army of sea otters. While we often see animals like Tiger and Dazhuang, this is only the fourth time we've seen an army of sea otters, including this one.

The first time was naturally when I rescued them, the second time was when I helped them float on the sea, and the third time was during Mazu's sea pilgrimage. Unexpectedly, I've seen these little guys here again now.

They even played a prank on me.

"Ah Qin, let's fish again."

Zhao Qin gave a soft "hmm" and shouted towards the sea, "Be careful, don't get caught on the fishhook."

Old Cat didn't laugh at Zhao Qin's words, because he had seen many strange things with him, and now he believed that these kids could truly understand what Qin was saying.

Sure enough, at Zhao Qin's shout, the nearly one hundred little heads all dived down again in unison.

Zhao Qin then cast his line again, and before the line had drifted far, he hooked another fish. Well, another one caught by the little guy.

Old Cat also found it amusing, "Qin, with them following us, even if we don't bring any homework tools, at least we won't lack fish to eat."

Zhao Qin thought about it more deeply. With them following him, it was as if he had gained another group of skilled porters from the seabed to the ship.

When the fish was pulled up, it turned out to be a large three-knife fish, weighing more than three pounds. Old Cat chuckled, "Wow, these little guys are quite something, they really know how to hook the fish properly for us."

With enough fish to eat, Zhao Qin didn't want to fish anymore; mainly, it wasn't very rewarding.

Old Cat got hooked and took the fishing rod to try it out, but to his dismay, the sea otters wouldn't cooperate at all. He was trolling at the stern of the boat, but they swam to both sides of the boat.

A moment later, Old Cat smiled wryly and started reeling in the line. "Qin, why are they so fixated on you?"

“I rescued two or three of them before, and I think they were the leaders of this group. All things have a spirit, and they know how to be grateful.”

Old Cat didn't believe in this. He knew that even if he saved these guys a hundred times, they wouldn't cooperate. But his frustration was only temporary. In his decades of fishing, such strange things had only happened to Zhao Qin.

Who is Zhao Qin?

That's Mazu's own grandson, the village's undisputed chosen one.

It's fortunate that she's still young and alive now. If she were a hundred years from now, there would probably be countless versions of the legend in the village, and perhaps even a statue would be erected to accompany Mazu.

Zhao Qin opened one of the railings, set up the iron ladder, and waved to them, "Come on board and rest if you're tired from swimming."

At his call, the sea otters actually moved closer to the boat. As the first sea otter climbed the ladder and boarded, the rest of the group followed without hesitation, one after another.

The old cat, afraid of startling them, dared not get too close, but this scene was enough to shock him. What surprised him even more was how disciplined these little creatures were; they lined up one by one, without the slightest bit of fighting.

Zhao Qin stood by the ladder, and each time a cat came up, he would gently pat its head.

The old cat could clearly see that the little creatures being stroked by Zhao Qin all had expressions of enjoyment on their faces.

Unbeknownst to him, Zhao Qin activated the system while petting them, injecting luck value into each little creature and checking their bodies. There were about a hundred of them, sitting neatly on the deck, some lying down, others standing upright with their tongues out, grooming their fur.

"Aqin, how long can they stay on the shore?"

"It depends on the weather. Today's temperature is a bit high. They can probably stay for five or six hours. The little guys are very delicate; they can't stand being too cold or too hot."

"They should be more afraid of the heat," the old cat said, looking at their fur coats.

Zhao Qin didn't respond; his gaze was drawn to a mother sea otter, or more precisely, to the baby sea otter she was cradling.

He had done his research beforehand; sea otters are generally born with reddish-brown fur, but this one in front of him was completely white, and with its adorable appearance, it was simply irresistible.

"Give me a hug."

I thought the mother sea otter would be protective of her cubs, but to my surprise, she simply put the baby on the deck and even pushed it towards her feet with her foot.

Zhao Qin couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Well, so you're tired of taking care of them too, huh? Fine, I'll take care of them for you for two hours."

As she spoke, she picked up the baby sea otter and examined it closely. Its white fur made its dark eyes appear even more striking. Sea otters don't have whites in their eyes, making them look like two black gemstones, like a plush toy.

Its nose is somewhat like a dog's, its ears are flat, and its overall shape is more like a cat's.

They are very docile; they stay still when held in my arms.

"Brother Cat, isn't it cute?" He walked over to the old cat and lifted the baby up.

"This little guy is so adorable." The old cat reached out and gently stroked his fur, then lightly pinched his chubby little paws.

Sea otters have natural oil glands on their bodies that are used for waterproofing and ensuring the health of their fur. However, these glands do not have a noticeable odor, so even when you hold them close, apart from a faint sea smell, there is no other pungent or unpleasant smell.

Zhao Qin carried the little guy to the card table at the bow of the boat. "Look, isn't this little guy cute?"

Ahe turned his head and glanced at it. "Huh? Where did this little dog come from on the boat?"

Zhao Ping put down the cards, walked closer, and said, "This is a sea otter, isn't it? Where did this tiny one come from?"

"Wow, it's so cute!" Chen Dong exclaimed. "Can I take it home and raise it myself? Ah Qin, is it easy to raise? It's such a rare find."

Zhao Qin shook his head, "It's a level two dog, so it's not allowed to be kept by individuals. Besides, it's still too young and needs to be breastfed, so it can't be separated from its mother."

"Where did you get it from?"

"Brother, let me hug you." Before Zhao Qin could reply, Ahe took the sea otter from his arms, probably more carefully than he would his own son. "Brother, it stuck out its tongue, it's pink."

"Don't touch its tongue with your hands," Zhao Qin reminded her.

Chen Xun and Qian Bijun were also drawn over. Even a tough guy like Chen Xun was completely charmed by the little guy's adorable appearance.

The three old Taoist priests who had been chatting idly to the side also came closer to take a closer look, marveling at it. One of the old Taoist priests even said, "If we take this back and let Miaomiao see it, the little girl will be overjoyed."

Zhao Qin was also a little disappointed that the little girl couldn't see it, but he wouldn't be so selfish as to bring the sea otter ashore.

He suddenly had some new ideas: could the aquarium be built by the sea, with part of it extending into the ocean, where most of the marine life could be kept in tanks for visitors?

The other part is right next to the sea, where the little guys can spend some time each day resting, and it will also provide them with food and space to reproduce, greatly improving their survival rate in the wild.

This way, tourists can see them without restricting their freedom.

That's a good idea. I need to go back and plan it out carefully.

He originally wanted to build the largest aquarium in the country, and now he can expand it. He also wanted Tiger to come and play in the aquarium from time to time, since Tiger is an animal with a performative personality.

At this moment, even Ah Chen, who was in charge of the helm, ran over when he heard the commotion. "Brother Ah Qin, let me hug you."

"Did you bring a camera?" Zhao Anguo asked.

Zhao Qin then slapped his forehead and told Ahe to get his camera from his bag. Then everyone took a picture with the little one in their arms, even the old Taoist priest. "Take it back to show Miaomiao."

The old Taoist priest also wanted to show off to his grand-disciple!

When Zhao Qin led everyone to the aft deck, they were utterly astonished to see the deck covered in sea otters.

"Is this the group that accompanied Mazu on her sea pilgrimage?"

Ahe was about to rush forward when Zhao Qin stopped him, saying, "They are very sensitive to unfamiliar smells, so don't get too close."

……

P.S.: This is chapter 1900! I never imagined this book would go this long. To be honest, the thought of ending it has crossed my mind countless times, especially since I initially only planned to write around 200 million words.

Now, with over 400 million words, it is Lao Shan's longest book.

It's agonizing because you have to stick to it every day for hundreds of days, even years. Friends, and even my wife, sometimes say they envy me for being so carefree and relaxed, not having to worry about being late in the morning or getting yelled at by my boss.

But what they don't know is that while everyone else can completely relax and have fun on weekends, I still have to write without fail.

They wouldn't understand the panic they feel when they miss a day of writing because of something, nor would they know the pain of sitting in front of the computer for an hour without being able to type a single word when they're stuck.

Haha, that's too sentimental, not like Lao Shan's personality.

All of the above is just a rant. What I really want to say is that I want to thank everyone for their support in making this book 400 million words long. You gave me the strength.

The mountain peaks bow in gratitude!

Isn't it cute?