Chapter 568: Dolphins Bring Gifts
Chapter 568: Dolphins Bring Gifts
A small wooden boat approached from a distance, gradually growing from a mere speck into a fishing boat.
Dolphins followed on either side of the boat, leaping out of the water, some jumping especially high.
Jiang Xia quickly parked her bicycle, locked it, and ran down to the dock.
As the fishing boat drew closer to the shore, the dolphins stopped following.
This was the quietest time at the dock, with no one around.
Zhao Cheng Lei didn't expect to run into Jiang Xia. He extended his hand to her, "Come, I'll show you the dolphins."
Jiang Xia placed her hand in his, "What did you do? Why are so many dolphins following you?"
"I saved a small dolphin that was tangled in a fishing net. They've been following me ever since. I couldn't even set my nets, so I came back early", Zhao Cheng Lei explained, gripping Jiang Xia's hand tightly and helping her onto the small wooden boat. "Why are you riding Elder Brother's bicycle?"
Zhou Chengsen's bicycle was the one they used the most. It was the oldest and most worn out, making strange noises when pedaled.
"I went to Zhen Shang to finalize Zhou Zhou's adoption. On my way back, I saw Dr. Ruan coming to Elder Brother's workplace to take him for a rabies vaccine. I lent him the car to go to the city, so I rode his bicycle back to the village."
It seemed Elder Brother had lied to him last night. Zhao Cheng Lei asked, "Did you finalize it? Why didn't you wait for me to handle it?"
"It's done. Who does it doesn't matter, right?" Jiang Xia watched the distant dolphins performing and asked curiously, "Is Elder Brother really afraid of shots?"
Zhao Cheng Lei wanted to save his brother's face, "He was when he was a kid."
What Zhao Cheng Lei didn't say was that when Elder Brother was little, a doctor once left the needle in his buttock while removing it. The doctor then had to push the syringe back onto the needle to pull it out, which probably left a deep impression. After that, Elder Brother refused to get shots whenever he had a fever!
Once Jiang Xia was seated, Zhao Cheng Lei skillfully maneuvered the boat, turning it around and heading straight out to sea. The speed was faster than usual, like an arrow from a bow.
In the distance, the dolphins continued to leap from the water.
When Zhao Cheng Lei steered the boat to a more distant spot, the dolphins swam over again, jumping joyfully as they approached.
Zhao Cheng Lei stopped the boat to let Jiang Xia enjoy the rare sight.
The dolphins surrounded the fishing boat, leaping on either side.
Jiang Xia looked left and right, feeling her eyes couldn't take it all in.
Zhao Cheng Lei picked up a fish and dangled it, and several dolphins swam over, opening their mouths wide.
Zhao Cheng Lei placed the fish in one of the dolphins' mouths.
The other dolphins kept their mouths open, waiting to be fed.
Zhao Cheng Lei looked at Jiang Xia, "Want to try? Dolphins are gentle and somewhat intelligent. They don't bite."
Jiang Xia knew dolphins weren't afraid of humans, didn't bite, and even enjoyed human company.
She picked up a fish and fed it to one of the dolphins.
Seeing Jiang Xia wasn't afraid, Zhao Cheng Lei also picked up a fish and fed it to a dolphin.
More dolphins approached the boat, opening their mouths wide.
The couple fed the dolphins one fish at a time, trying to ensure each one got a share.
"I wish I had brought a camera."
"There will be other opportunities", he said, having seen dolphins many times throughout his life.
After feeding for a while, Jiang Xia stopped. All the fish that had been taken off the boat were fed, and the rest were still on the fishing net.
She waved her hand, "No more! I need to take the rest home for dinner!"
The dolphins waited for a bit, but when they saw Jiang Xia and Zhao Cheng Lei weren't feeding them anymore, they swam away, continuing to leap on the surface of the sea.
Jiang Xia planned to watch for a while longer before heading home. Suddenly, one of the dolphins surfaced with a black sea bream in its mouth.
Jiang Xia was surprised, "Is that for us?"
The dolphin didn't understand what Jiang Xia was saying but insisted on holding the fish, waiting for them to take it.
Jiang Xia reached out to take the fish.
"Be careful not to get pricked by the fish bones", Zhao Cheng Lei said.
"Okay."
The dolphins waited for Jiang Xia to take the fish, then dove back into the sea.
Soon, another dolphin surfaced with a mackerel in its mouth.
Jiang Xia smiled and took the fish, reaching out to stroke its head, which was smooth and slippery. "Thank you!"
The dolphin bowed and dove back into the water to catch more fish.
One by one, the dolphins surfaced with fish in their mouths.
Jiang Xia was moved for the first time by animals. "These dolphins are so intelligent!"
Zhao Cheng Lei took a fish from a dolphin's mouth and threw it onto the deck. "Dolphins are among the friendliest and smartest animals in the sea."
The couple hurriedly accepted the "gifts" from the dolphins.
In a short while, they had gathered two or three dozen fish, including a couple of sea cucumbers.
The dolphins continued their generous offerings, but Jiang Xia waved them off. "That's enough! You can keep the rest for yourselves!"
One dolphin, seeing that Jiang Xia wasn't accepting, dove underwater and then leaped up, spitting out a fish and water onto the boat.
The spray soaked Jiang Xia's clothes.
"..."
The other dolphins followed suit.
A few minutes later, the dolphins finally swam away.
The boat was piled high with fish, like a small mountain, all gifts from the dolphins.
There were at least forty to fifty fish, all of good size and quality, worth about fifty to sixty dollars.
Jiang Xia was drenched, but as she watched the dolphins leap away, she felt a sense of wonder. Indeed, animals have a spirit and even know gratitude.
After the dolphins were completely out of sight, Jiang Xia said to Zhao Cheng Lei, "Let's go home!"
Zhao Cheng Lei took off his light jacket and put it on Jiang Xia.
Her shirt was soaked through.
"I'm not cold. The sun is too hot, so it's good to cool down. It will dry soon."
As Jiang Xia spoke, she looked down and saw the prominent curve of her chest.
"..."
She quickly put on the jacket.
She had forgotten that she was wearing a white silk shirt today.
With Jiang Xia's clothes wet, Zhao Cheng Lei was worried she might catch a cold, so he quickly started the boat to head home.
He hadn't forgotten that when she first married him, she had a fever after swimming.
Now, having just given birth not long ago, he didn't know how strong her immune system was.
Jiang Xia looked at his broad back, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
*
That night, after putting the three children to sleep, Zhao Cheng Lei finally addressed Jiang Xia's confusion.
It had been too long since they had been together.
He lingered in his affection, reluctant to stop.
The night was deep, and the sea waves gently enveloped everything.
...
The next morning, before six o'clock, Zhao Cheng Lei returned from his run, looking refreshed. Jiang Xia was already sitting in bed, one arm cradling the elder brother while breastfeeding, the other hand gently turning a rattle to entertain her daughter and the youngest son.
Zhao Cheng Lei hadn't expected the children to wake up so early; usually, they woke up around six-thirty. "Why are they up so early today?"
Jiang Xia said, "Probably because they went to bed earlier than usual last night."
Zhao Cheng Lei asked, "Are you tired? Do you feel unwell?"
Last night, the children had woken up again soon after falling asleep, needing to be breastfed, so she hadn't gotten much sleep.
The three children took turns being breastfed.
In a twenty-four-hour period, they needed to be fed five or six times.
They woke up at six-thirty in the morning, around nine-thirty, one-thirty in the afternoon, after their nap, in the evening, and once more at night.
It was a regular schedule, more or less.
To ensure the health of the children, Jiang Xia tried to breastfeed each of them at least three times a day, supplementing with formula when necessary.
He saw how exhausted she was from caring for all three children.
This month, she had been drinking a lot of soup and eating more than usual, but she had still lost weight.
So even though Dr. Gao had said it was fine after forty-two days, he was still worried.
"I'm tired", Jiang Xia admitted.
Zhao Cheng Lei leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You should take a nap soon. We can leave a bit later."
(End of Chapter)
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