Chapter 1206: All things have spirits

"What else is there to look at? It's all barnacles?" Ye Fu didn't understand, so he followed behind him and also walked toward the abdomen.

"Go take a closer look."

The people beside him didn't know what he meant, so they could only follow him to take a look.

At this time, as the tide receded, more and more people were gathered around, and everyone was extremely amazed.

It's rare to see such a big whale in a lifetime. If you miss this village, you won't have this shop.

This was also rare news for the surrounding villagers.

Even if they weren't fishermen, those living by the sea were villagers by the sea, and they were exceptionally familiar with and enthusiastic about the sea.

More than half of the people were gathered around the gray whale, pointing and discussing, sighing and exclaiming.

"This fish is bigger than a car. How much money must this sell for?"

"You have to see if anyone wants it. It's so big, it's not even easy to weigh..."

"I've never seen such a big fish in my life. Aren't there too many barnacle larvae on its body?"

They squeezed back around the gray whale's abdomen, pushing away the gathered crowd.

"Let us through, let us through, we caught this fish."

"Let us through, let our boat boss in..."

Ye Fu squeezed in with great effort and complained, "Why are there so many people all of a sudden?"

A crew member asked, "Did Ah Dong make the call? To the Public Security Bureau or the Ocean Bureau? When will people come?"

"Not yet. Let's confirm one thing first. Give me the gloves you're wearing."

The crew member was a bit confused, but still took off the gloves he was wearing and gave them to him.

Ye Yaodong asked the two old guys beside him while putting on the gloves, "Did you discover anything?"

"What?" Ye Fu was confused.

Pei Fu was a bit indecisive, frowning, and said hesitantly, "Its belly..."

"What's wrong with its belly?" Ye Fu still didn't understand.

Ye Yaodong sighed in his heart. His father really couldn't compare to Pei Fu.

"Don't you think its belly is a bit big?"

"It really is... I just looked at the barnacles on it, and I thought it was normal for such a big fish to have a big belly. Is it not normal?"

Pei Fu frowned. "Do you think there's a cub in its belly?"

"Hmm, whales are mammals. Its belly is a bit big, which is a bit unreasonable, but I'm not sure. There were no gloves just now, and its belly was covered in barnacles, so I couldn't touch it. Let me touch it and see."

The abdomen was indeed a bit softer, but he touched it for a long time and couldn't figure anything out.

"How is it? Did you touch a cub?"

"Sigh, my ability is limited. I've never given birth to a child, so my ability is a bit poor. You guys try. I'm going ashore to make a phone call. You guys keep an eye on things here, and don't let it be snatched away by others."

Ye Yaodong said while taking off his gloves and throwing them to his father.

Ye Fu took the gloves. "I've never given birth to a child either? How could it be snatched away? We have so many people."

"Hmm."

"Touch it and see if there's a cub in its belly?" Pei Fu urged Ye Fu. "Half a day has passed, even if there's a cub, it's hard for it to live, right?"

"What can be touched out of this? Who knows what it's like for a whale to be pregnant? If I could touch it, wouldn't I be able to act as a midwife?"

Ye Fu muttered while stretching his hands to touch the gray whale's abdomen.

"I didn't touch anything. It's just these barnacles. What could be touched out..."

Pei Fu saw that he was dawdling and felt anxious in his heart. Seeing the crew members beside him also learning from Ye Fu, stretching their hands to probe around, he pulled them over.

"Give me the gloves, let me try, let me touch and see..."

As the tide receded lower and lower, more and more people gathered around. Some people didn't know what was happening at all, but seeing so many people here, they also crowded over to watch.

The livelier the place, the more people there were.

Ye Yaodong only went to make a phone call, which took about an hour, and he couldn't squeeze in anymore.

It was packed, three layers inside and three layers outside. Some people even brought their own long benches from home and stood on them to watch, which almost stunned him. He could understand watching a play, but he didn't know you could bring your own benches to watch the excitement.

It was still long benches, one row standing on each, making it impossible for people to squeeze in even if they wanted to.

He could only squeeze in while shouting, but he only received a scolding and still couldn't squeeze in.

"Damn it, I was the one who worked so hard to get it back, and I can't even get in..."

He shook the cotton-padded jacket on his body. He had broken into a sweat from running back and forth, and he couldn't squeeze in, so he had to stand outside and wait to see.

The surrounding discussions were constant. Those who couldn't see pricked up their ears to listen to those who could see talking with great animation.

He also followed along and listened on the side, while waiting for people to come.

Clearly, he only called Director Chen of the Ocean Bureau, but the Coast Guard Bureau arrived a step earlier. He didn't know if the Coast Guard Bureau was closer, or if the crowd's discussions had spread over there.

After waiting for two hours, he saw a group of people in uniforms running down from the shore.

After they approached, they shouted for the crowd to move back.

Ye Yaodong also hurriedly stood up. No matter who came, the crowd would automatically make a path for them, and he could squeeze in too.

Not long after, a cordon was pulled up, and he also followed these people in uniforms and squeezed to the front row.

"Who discovered this first..."

"We..."

"We dragged it back from the sea..."

A group of them hurriedly raised their hands to respond.

The people from the Coast Guard Bureau looked at the group of fishermen who raised their hands, asked who the boat boss was, and asked someone to reply. Everyone pointed to Ye Yaodong behind them.

Those people also turned their heads to ask Ye Yaodong.

Only then could Ye Yaodong barely stand at the very front.

He told the cause, process, and result of how he discovered this whale.

"Comrade, based on my experience, I think there is a cub in this gray whale's belly, and this gray whale has only been dead for ten-plus hours. Now, call a doctor to dissect it, maybe the cub inside can still live."

"There's a cub?" The person asking was surprised.

"Yes, its belly is bulging. I think there should be a cub. We must take it out immediately, otherwise it won't live if it takes too long."

"You dragged it back all the way. Even if there is a cub, can it still live?"

"That's hard to say. This whale is so big, the cub it gives birth to must also be several meters long. Whether it can live, we have to dissect the belly to know."

"It's just a fish... wait a moment..."

The person asking went to communicate with the people in uniforms around him first.

Ye Yaodong also walked toward his own people and complained, "So many people, I couldn't even squeeze in, and I sat on the beach for a long time."

Ye Fu asked curiously, "Why didn't we see that leader?"

Xiao Wu asked, "The clothes they are wearing are also different. When we went to receive the award before, the Ocean Bureau didn't wear these clothes. Where did these people come from?"

"I don't know where they came from. These people said they are from the Coast Guard Bureau. Anyway, they are wearing uniforms, so just say whatever they ask. As for the others, let's wait and see. I called to notify the Ocean Bureau, and the Ocean Bureau should be arriving soon."

Pei Fu asked, "A doctor is for treating people. Is it okay to dissect this fish?"

"It should be okay, right? Anyway, we just need to dissect the belly. This fish is already dead, it's not a person, so there shouldn't be any pressure."

He felt that if he were given a knife, he could do it too.

"Have you explained it?"

"Yes, just wait."

Those people in uniforms whispered to each other and didn't say what to do. There was no answer to the questions, so they could only wait.

Until it was almost noon, another team of people ran over, and then shouted for the crowd to move to one side. Only then did Ye Yaodong and the others see a familiar figure.

"Director Chen is here."

As soon as Director Chen squeezed in, he first shook hands and greeted the other people from the Coast Guard Bureau, then asked about the current situation, before looking at Ye Yaodong and the others.

"It's best if there's a cub in the belly. I've risked my old face and guaranteed it before I brought a military doctor over. I don't know if it will work."

Ye Yaodong squeezed to his side with a full face of smiles. "There's a 70% or 80% possibility. It's just that I don't know if it can still live if we dissect it now."

"Then hurry up, let the military doctor take a look first. We'll understand the situation while watching."

The comrades from the Coast Guard Bureau smiled and said, "So you came prepared and even brought a military doctor."

"Comrade Ye Yaodong called me to notify me, so I brought a military doctor. Comrade Ye Yaodong, do you know? A few days ago, he just made the news in the newspaper for salvaging a piece of foreign spy equipment. His whole boat of people was commended by the city. Today is even more incredible; he actually dragged back a whale."

The people in uniforms around looked at him in surprise.

"It's him..."

Ye Yaodong just smiled on the side.

The others straightened their backs, feeling that they also shared the honor.

Director Chen had nothing to do, watching the military doctor fiddling with the fish, and also smiled and bragged about Ye Yaodong to others.

"Don't look at this young man as young; his ability is very strong. At a young age, he is the boat boss of several boats. He is especially amazing. Before, he even salvaged a torpedo from the War of Resistance period..."

"So amazing?"

"See, he has a share in these three big boats in front of you. Who have you seen whose young man under 30 has so many boats?"

"That's true..."

Director Chen talked lively with others, and also focused his attention on watching the military doctor take a knife to dissect the whale.

"This is for treating people. Now it's facing a fish. I don't know if it can work?"

"Inviting a military doctor for a fish? I just went to make a phone call, thinking about arranging a vehicle to drag it back directly and then asking the leaders what to do."

"It's not easy to get such a big whale ashore. Research institutes need this kind of famous and big marine life..."

"There are too many barnacles on this whale..."

"Comrade Ye Yaodong said it was probably because of these barnacles that it died."

Ye Yaodong nodded and took over the conversation. "Yes, whales swim slowly, and this gray whale is famous for being slow among whales. It's especially easy to be parasitized by barnacles..."

He talked eloquently about this gray whale...

Everyone pricked up their ears to listen to him, their eyes fixed on the military doctor's side.

"There really is a cub... it seems it's still alive..." The middle-aged military doctor suddenly spoke, and everyone was surprised and hurriedly crowded over to look.

"Really, I see the tail... it seems it moved..."

"I saw it too..."

"There really is a cub! Why didn't I see it move?"

"Oh my, it's still alive..."

A bunch of people exclaimed in wonder. Ye Yaodong was also a little excited; his judgment was really correct.

The military doctor followed the belly that had already been cut open and continued to use the knife to cut upward. The little whale baby inside also gradually revealed its shape.

Ye Yaodong also took the opportunity to pick up the camera hanging around his neck and took two pictures.

Such a scene, he estimated he could only see it once in a lifetime.

The military doctor shouted, "You have to go and get seawater, otherwise it will die immediately. But this one seems to be dying soon too."

"How can we get seawater? It's almost the same as sending it into the sea."

The tide had receded to the bottom, but today was not a high tide, and the water level was not very low. There was still some accumulated water under their feet, but if they wanted to submerge the little whale, they still had to walk forward a few meters.

"After dissecting it, shall we lift it to the seawater below?"

"Then lift it down. It will come out immediately. It can still move now, but I don't know about later. The mother body has been dead for too long."

Director Chen frowned. "So it's a good thing we dragged it back, otherwise it would have died together in the sea?"

The military doctor said while dissecting, "About the same. If we delay a while longer, it will be about the same. I don't know if it can live after being dissected now."

"If it dies, let it die, right? It's just a fish, nothing much?" Some onlookers said.

"You can't say that. It feels a bit of a pity. It's quite a big one, and it just died."

"Alright, it's out. Hurry up and come over to help lift it. Although it's a little whale, it's two meters long and weighs over a hundred jin. Be careful. It's dying, so it can only move a few times. I don't know if it can live."

After the military doctor finished speaking, Ye Yaodong hurriedly greeted a few people to go up and help lift it.

The little whale that had just been dissected still had its eyes closed, its tail could still move a few times, and its body was still covered in blood. It looked bloody and a bit miserable.

"Be careful, be quick, hurry up, lift it to the water in front."

"Okay..."

"A little further forward, just make sure its body gets more water, right?"

"Put it in the water early..."

Everyone stopped when they walked to where the water reached their knees and put the little whale into the water.

"Just like this. Even if it's grounded, at least it has water on its body."

He was afraid that if he delayed any longer, it would die.

As soon as it was put into the water, the little whale baby opened its eyes after a while.

Ye Yaodong was happy. "Is it saved?"

"Should be alive, right?"

"Wait and see. It just touched the water."

The surrounding people all followed them and moved over. Seeing a little life suddenly come alive, although it was a fish, it wasn't an ordinary fish, so everyone was a bit happy, and smiles appeared on their faces involuntarily.

"This little whale is about two meters long just after being born. It's really not small."

"Who says it isn't? Some fish can't grow to two meters in a lifetime, and this fish is so big as soon as it's born."

"Then what should we do now? It only moved a few times, and it's still grounded here. Are you sure it's alive?"

Everyone looked at each other, and they weren't sure either, so they all looked at the military doctor, but the military doctor didn't know either.

Ye Yaodong looked at Director Chen again and said, "This little whale seems to need milk just after being born."

"It still needs milk!!!"

Everyone was surprised.

"A fish needs milk?"

"Where would the milk come from? That whale is already dead."

"A whale actually needs milk?"

Ye Yaodong didn't know how to tell them that whales are mammals.

In this day and age, information about the ocean is really too scarce. Everyone's understanding of marine life is particularly limited, at most familiar with some common ones, and then passed on by word of mouth.

Only old fishermen know relatively more, but it's also limited. Such large marine life isn't often seen, after all, there are few fishing boats that can go to the deep sea.

Director Chen was also a bit confused. "Then what should we do?"

Whale babies are very fragile after birth, unlike other animal babies that can move and find food.

This means the whale mother must provide enough nutrition to meet the newborn's needs.

The main dietary source for whale newborns is the whale mother's milk.

Ye Yaodong popularized it for Director Chen according to what he had seen in short videos in his previous life.

"This little whale has no ability to forage and move just after being born. Soaking in the water now can only keep it alive for a while, but it must drink its mother's milk to grow up."

"Uh, and the mother whale has to drag it to swim, otherwise it won't be able to live if it's released directly into the sea."

"Then what should we do?"

Ye Yaodong spread his hands. He didn't know either. He just felt that there should be a little baby in this whale, so he chose to drag it back to confirm. If there was one, he could save it.

If there wasn't, there wouldn't be a big loss. Anyway, dragging this big whale back wouldn't be a loss.

But now that it's saved, he doesn't know how to raise it to keep it alive...

The mother body is already dead. It's not easy for this little whale to barely live, and there's no way to catch a mother whale to feed it.

"It's a rare miracle that it's still alive after being dissected with such difficulty. Are we just going to let it die like this?" The military doctor was a bit unbearable, after all, he was the one who delivered it.

Generally, fish eggs are discharged directly. Everyone is seeing this kind of viviparous birth, and such a big little whale born, for the first time.

Ye Yaodong also frowned. It was not easy to save it.

"Soaking in the water now can only ensure it barely doesn't die, but it's hard to say if it's always grounded and has nothing to eat. After all, with such a big size, the daily intake is also amazing."

"Only breast milk?"

"You can imagine it as a human baby just born, unable to take care of itself."

Everyone looked at each other.

Seeing this little whale dissected and born with their own eyes, they felt the significance was different, and they were also reluctant to let it die.

"Director Chen, why don't you find a way to see if it can be scientifically fed?"

Director Chen looked at him blankly. "What is scientific feeding?"

"You call and ask an expert who specializes in marine biology to see if there is any way to keep this little whale alive through technological means?"

"These two whales, one big and one small, one dead and one alive, can contribute to China's marine scientific research. Living is more valuable than dead. Technological means should be able to try to ensure the whale baby lives, right?"

"Our country has so many scientists, oceanographers, and so many research institutes, we can always find a way, right?"

"Isn't marine life quite worth studying? Living is more meaningful. Why don't you contact all parties to see?"

"It was saved with such difficulty. You should be reluctant to release it, right? It's so big as soon as it's born, not to mention the mother whale is already dead. This little whale won't be able to live if released."

Director Chen looked tangled. "Then I'll go ask my superiors to see. Listening to what you said on the phone earlier, I just thought about coming over to take a look, and then contact a heavy truck to come over and drag it."

"I thought there would really be a little whale. If it were alive, I would just take a bucket and transport it away together. I didn't expect it to need milk."

"We can't really let it die here. Living is more meaningful than dead. I'll go make a phone call to see first."

Ye Yaodong nodded. "As soon as possible. It's hungry if it doesn't eat a meal. A whale baby just born is as fragile as a human baby, and I don't know how long it can persist."

"Understood, I'll go find a place to make a phone call now."

After Director Chen finished speaking, he only named one person to take away and left first. He came by motorcycle, so it would be fast to go out and make a phone call, and there was no need for Ye Yaodong to follow him specifically.

Ye Yaodong saw that it was past noon and everyone was still hungry, so he found Lin Guangyuan on the side, took 50 yuan and gave it to him, and asked him to take his second uncle's tractor to pack more meat dishes.

And he also instructed two crew members to go to the boat to cook a few pots of rice first and cook two basins of fish soup.

Several dozen people were waiting here, and they couldn't just wait hungry. They still had to eat. Who knew how long they would have to wait.

It is estimated that Director Chen reports to his superiors, contacts layer by layer, and there is still a long wait before the superiors send down instructions.

The cordon around was pulled longer, wrapping the little whale inside.

The little gray whale was still staring at the mother whale in front with wet eyes, blinking, its body sticking to the beach, and only its tail would swing a few times.

Everyone was gathered around this little gray whale, pointing and talking.

After Ye Yaodong assigned all the work, he also took the opportunity to pick up the camera hanging around his neck and took a picture, and also took the opportunity to ask someone to take a group photo for him.

Suddenly, the little gray whale made a strange cry, which startled everyone.

"It can even cry!"

"Normal, right? Don't dolphins cry too?"

"That's true, it's normal for such a big guy born to be able to cry."

During the process of their waiting, the little gray whale made two cries.

Everyone didn't understand, just thought it was crying casually, and continued to point and discuss these two gray whales, one dead and one alive.

After waiting for a long time, Director Chen arrived late.

"The instructions won't be issued so quickly. We have to wait first, so just guard here. I left one person waiting by the phone. If there are instructions to dispatch, someone will come to notify us later."

"Then everyone can only wait first."

Ye Yaodong also said to his own people, "Then let's all wait first. This matter hasn't been dealt with, I think you won't go back."

"Then we definitely have to wait and see how to handle it later. It's too magical. I didn't expect this whale to die, and there's still a little whale in its belly that can live."

"It was discovered just in time. If we hadn't seen it, the big and small ones would have sunk to the sea and died together."

"Can we count as contributing one big and one small whale? And there's a living little whale. Can we have a reward?"

"Should be able to have it, right?"

Each of them was very shrewd, discussing directly in front of the leader.

Others couldn't understand, but Director Chen was a local from their side, so of course he could understand the local dialect they spoke.

However, he didn't respond. It wasn't up to him to decide whether to reward or not.

Ye Yaodong coughed twice. "Just listen to the leader's arrangement."

Director Chen also echoed, "Just watch, it's not up to me."

Everyone immediately tactfully changed the subject and chatted about other things.

They waited like this, and as Ye Yaodong expected, they waited for the whole afternoon. Fortunately, whether it was the people in uniforms or them, they didn't go hungry and had something to eat.

Even the leaders praised him for being sensible and able to arrange things, and for being thoughtful.

In the middle of the afternoon, they also received news that a heavy truck would be sent to drag these two whales. The researchers couldn't come for a while, but they would first get a container to house the little whale.

It's just that the arrangement and dispatch weren't that fast, so they still had to wait.

As time passed, the tide slowly rose. Everyone's first feeling was that the tide rose from their legs bit by bit, and gradually submerged the little gray whale.

It's just that the tide submerged it, but it couldn't move and was still in place.

"Help move it forward a bit, it also needs to breathe the air on the water, it can't always be soaked in water."

"Why hasn't it come yet? The sun is about to set."

"Delayed for a whole day, just waiting here, and didn't do anything."

"There's no way, just wait, it should be soon, right?"

The people watching the excitement outside changed wave after wave. The same people left and came, came and left, but there didn't seem to be much decrease.

Everyone probably just basked in the sun while watching the excitement.

It was just that these people were still the original team standing here waiting, but the number of people in uniforms also increased.

Ye Yaodong watched the tide rise bit by bit, and also let everyone move this little gray whale upward bit by bit.

Among the people here, only he was a bit familiar with this gray whale, so no one blocked his actions, and everyone listened to him.

When he moved the little gray whale bit by bit to the surroundings of the mother whale, this little gray whale moved.

It kept making cries in its mouth, and its head kept pushing forward, colliding with the mother whale.

Ye Yaodong was silent...

Before, when it was lying in the water, this little gray whale had no reaction at all.

All things have spirits.

He asked people to move this little gray whale forward again, put the gray whale in front of the mother whale's chest, avoid the knife wounds, and let their bodies fit together.

The little gray whale's head kept arching toward the mother whale's chest. This time, even its fins moved, and it put its fins on the mother whale's body, looking like it was hugging its mother.

Witnessing this spectacular scene, everyone was silent, feeling very awe-struck. This is awe for life.

"All things have spirits."

Although the little gray whale was just born, it knew its mother.

Director Chen also sighed, "Animals also have love."

"Yeah, I didn't expect this whale to be so attached to its mother. Fish also have family affection."

"Dongzi said it well, all things have spirits, sigh."

Everyone looked at that little gray whale, and they all felt a bit emotional.

That little gray whale cried and paused, cried again after a while, but the fins put on the mother whale's body didn't move.

Fortunately, the tide rose, and it could still be moved to its mother's side. Before, when it was soaked in the water far away, it was probably crying out at the mother whale.

Now the tide rose bit by bit, and the little gray whale was soaked in the water, and its tail shook even more violently.

"What should we do? If the tide rises further, it will be full tide in two hours, and it will be dark." Ye Fu looked at Director Chen and asked.

Director Chen didn't know what to do either. He said it was arranged, but he didn't know when the vehicle would come.

He didn't want this little whale to die either.

Just when everyone was at their wit's end, the crowd exclaimed.

"There's a big truck..."

"The big truck is here..."

"It must be here to drag these two whales."

Everyone's expressions relaxed. It's good that it's here.