My 1995 Small Farm.

With these matters on their minds, the two boarded the ferry back to Hong Kong Island.

The sea breeze gently caressed my face, temporarily dispelling the hustle and bustle and heat of Shenzhen.

The ship cut through the azure sea, leaving a snow-white wake.

Chen Ling and Liang Yuemin stood by the deck railing, watching the Shenzhen skyline gradually recede into the distance, each lost in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, Chen Ling's gaze was drawn to a floating object on the sea near the stern of the ship.

That looks... like a sea turtle?
It was not large, with a carapace diameter of about 30 to 40 centimeters. It bobbed and sank in the waves, and its movements looked somewhat stiff and clumsy, unlike the calm and composed swimming of a normal sea turtle.

What's even more striking is that its carapace is densely covered with grayish-white deposits.

Those were barnacles growing everywhere.

A thick layer, almost covering the entire carapace, makes it look like a reef covered with oysters.

These barnacles have clearly been parasitizing the turtles for a long time, and some of them are quite large, severely affecting the turtles' ability to move around.

Chen Ling could even see that the turtle's head and the edge of one of its pectoral fins had broken marks, with faint traces of blood seeping out, as if it had recently experienced an impact or struggle.

"Brother Yuemin, look over there."

Chen Ling pointed to the sea turtle struggling to float.

Liang Yuemin followed the gaze and frowned: "Oh, a hawksbill turtle? Why are there so many barnacles on its back? It looks injured, quite pitiful."

Chen Ling's heart stirred.

He didn't know much about sea turtles, but he knew that hawksbill turtles were protected animals, and that the barnacles on its back were so numerous that it indicated its health was very poor.

It is unlikely that it can clean itself or find food on its own, and if it continues to drift at sea, its chances of survival are slim.

"Where is the captain?!"

Chen Ling turned and walked towards the wheelhouse, finding a crew member who was checking the mooring lines: "Excuse me, do you have any nets on board? There's a sea turtle over there that looks injured, and I'd like to try and see if I can rescue it."

The crew member, a dark-skinned middle-aged man, looked at the sea and shook his head: "Young man, it's good that you have a kind heart, but these sea turtles covered in barnacles are mostly not going to live long. Even if you manage to pull them up, they're hard to save."

Even so, he still found a landing net with a long pole in the corner of the cabin and handed it to Chen Ling: "Try it, be careful not to fall in."

"Thank you, brother." Chen Ling took the net and quickly returned to the stern of the boat.

Liang Yuemin followed curiously, "Fugui, are you really going to save it? Can this thing survive without seawater?"

"Let's give it a try. We can't just stand by and watch someone die."

As Chen Ling spoke, he waited for the sea turtle to surface, then carefully extended the landing net into the sea and gently scooped it up to the bottom of the turtle.

The sea turtle seemed to have no strength left to struggle; it merely moved its flippers slightly before Chen Ling steadily scooped it out of the water.

On the deck, a closer look reveals an even more distressing situation.

The barnacles were attached extremely firmly, with sharp edges, and some had even embedded themselves in the gaps in the carapace.

The sea turtle had a noticeable scratch on its head, a broken and bleeding edge on one of its pectoral flippers, and its eyes were dull and lifeless, making it appear very weak.

"Tsk tsk, that's quite a serious injury."

Liang Yuemin squatted down and looked at it: "This thing on its back is like armor; it definitely can't get rid of itself."

Chen Ling gently touched the sea turtle's cold, rough skin. It slightly retracted its head, its reaction slow.

"Take him back and see if you can save him."

Chen Ling said to Liang Yuemin, "I remember that private ownership of internationally protected animals is not allowed on Hong Kong Island?"

Leung Yuet-man waved his hand: "Normally it's not possible, but this is a rescue operation. Although hawksbill turtles are protected, the management on Hong Kong Island is not that strict, especially since private rescues are usually not handled."

"As long as you don't sell them or abuse them, no one will bother you. If someone asks, just say you're temporarily rescuing them and will release them when they're better."

He paused, then joked, "What? You saved him and now you want to keep him? Your house is practically a zoo!"

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Let's save him first. If we can't save him..."

He glanced at the large barnacles on the turtle's back. "I've heard that these barnacles are extremely delicious, much better than ordinary seafood. They're wonderful steamed with garlic or used in soup. We can't waste them."

Liang Yuemin was amused by his words: "Hahaha! Good heavens! You've got a real plan! Saving the turtle is just a pretense, you really want the barnacles, right?"

Amidst the laughter and conversation, Chen Ling asked a crew member for a large plastic tank for fresh water, filled it with a small amount of seawater, carefully placed the sea turtle inside, and then covered it with a lid that had ventilation holes to prevent it from being startled and crawling out.

When the ship arrived at the Hong Kong Island pier, it was already past 2 p.m.

The two had a simple bowl of wonton noodles for lunch near the pier.

"Brother Yuemin, you go back first. I'll go to the aquarium market to buy some medicine that the sea turtle might need and some food suitable for it," Chen Ling said to Liang Yuemin.

"Okay, then be careful. I'll help you carry this turtle case back." Liang Yuemin pointed to the plastic case.

"No need, I can carry it myself. It's not heavy. I'll go straight back to the hillside after I finish shopping."

"Okay, call me if you need anything."

After parting ways with Liang Yuemin, Chen Ling carried the box containing the sea turtles but did not immediately go to the aquarium market.

He first walked along the pier for a while, then turned into a relatively quiet side street, found a clean but inconspicuous little hotel, and booked a room by the hour.

After entering the room and locking the door, Chen Ling immediately led the sea turtle into the blessed land.

The cave is still filled with spiritual energy and is as warm as spring.

Chen Ling took the sea turtle and its box to the edge of the newly opened small sea area.

He gently lifted the sea turtle out of the box and placed it on the damp sand in the shallow water.

Back in the cave, Chen Ling felt that his perception and control had been greatly enhanced.

He can more clearly "feel" the life state of the sea turtles.

Extremely weak, but its core vitality has not been completely lost, so there is still hope.

He first took some diluted spiritual water, dipped it in a cotton swab, and carefully wiped and cleaned the wounds on the turtle's head and the damaged parts of its pectoral fins.

When the spiritual water touched the wound, the sea turtle seemed to feel a little better, making a very slight hissing sound in its throat and moving its head slightly.

After cleaning, Chen Ling sprinkled on the hemostatic and tissue-regenerating powder.

Next comes the most difficult part.

Clean the barnacles off the carapace.

These things are attached extremely firmly; prying them off forcefully would definitely damage the tortoise shell.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ling decided to use a gentler approach.

He retrieved some herbs that grew in the cave and had mild anesthetic and keratin-softening effects, crushed them into a paste, and carefully applied them to the gaps where the barnacles and tortoise shells connected, as well as to the surface of the barnacles.

Then, he waited patiently.

The effects inside the cave are several times greater than those outside.

About half an hour later, Chen Ling gently touched the barnacles and found that their adhesion had weakened significantly.

He found a small but sturdy scraper and began to carefully peel off the barnacles.

The process requires a great deal of patience and skill.

Chen Ling was completely focused, as if performing a delicate surgery.

He first gently pried at the edge of the barnacles to find the point of leverage, and then slowly applied force to pry the barnacles off one by one intact, trying not to damage the tortoise shell underneath.

Some barnacles had deep roots, leaving small pits, so Chen Ling would apply a little more medicinal paste to promote healing.

Chen Ling did not discard the barnacles that had been peeled off.

This is a rare delicacy.

He put it in a wooden basin to keep it, and will deal with it when he has time later.

It took Chen Ling nearly an hour to clean most of the barnacles off the sea turtle's shell.

Although there are still some minor traces and remnants, they no longer affect the turtles' activities.

The entire carapace revealed its original dark brown color with beautiful markings, though it had become somewhat dull due to long-term coverage by barnacles. After cleaning, Chen Ling used spiritual water to rinse the sea turtle's entire body again, especially the wounds and carapace.

Then place it in the shallow waters of the sea.

The sea turtles seemed to instantly come back to life the moment they came into contact with the spiritually rich seawater!

It instinctively paddled its limbs, and although it was still a little weak, its movements were much smoother. It plunged into the clear seawater and swam happily, surfacing from time to time to breathe. Its eyes were also much clearer.

Chen Ling then found some tender seaweed and small shrimp growing in the Dongtian Sea area and scattered them into the water.

The sea turtle immediately swam over and began to devour the food, clearly starving.

"It seems he has been saved."

Chen Ling breathed a sigh of relief, a smile of satisfaction spreading across his face.

Watching the sea turtles gradually regain their vitality in the cave-heaven sea area, another thought popped into my head:
“Injured, sick, or flawed ornamental creatures… after being nurtured and treated by the spiritual energy of the cave, can often be transformed and their value multiplied.”

"That's indeed a good idea."

“The high-end aquarium and pet market on Hong Kong Island is huge, and there are many people who pursue top-quality and rare items.”

“I can easily buy some fish, turtles or even other pets that have flaws but good quality from outside, 'condition' them in the cave for a period of time, and then sell them.”

"This way, I can make money without attracting too much attention. After all, the difference between a 'treated' product and its original state is huge. People will just think that I have a unique eye or that I got lucky and found a bargain."

“Like this hawksbill turtle, once it is saved, the markings on its carapace are restored, its body becomes stronger, and its spirituality increases, its value will definitely increase dozens or even hundreds of times.”

"And the idea of ​​finding suitable mates for the little blue horse and the little white calf can also be applied to this approach..."

"It's not necessary to directly purchase top-quality breeding horses and cattle; that would be too conspicuous and the price would be outrageously high."

“We can find those promising individuals who are temporarily underestimated due to injuries, poor development, or other reasons, bring them into the cave for ‘remodeling,’ and if that doesn’t work, we can find some superior breeds and breed offspring…”

The more he thought about it, the more feasible this approach seemed. It was highly covert, yielded high returns, and aligned with his enjoyment of "creating" and "cultivating."

After observing the sea turtle in the cave for a while and confirming that it was in stable condition, Chen Ling left the cave with satisfaction and returned to his hotel room.

He checked out of the hotel, feeling refreshed, and then headed towards the aquarium market.

This time, my trip to the market was more purposeful.

He not only bought multivitamin powder, calcium powder, and some medicines for treating common turtle diseases, but also focused on visiting stalls selling "clearance" or "defective fish".

Sure enough, in some inconspicuous corners, he found several red arowanas with damaged scales from fighting, a golden arowana with a torn tail fin from transportation, and several fine koi with dull colors due to unsuitable water quality.

These fish would be worth far less in the eyes of experts, but in Chen Ling's view, they were treasures that could be "turned from rotten to magical".

He managed to buy all the "problem fish" at a very low price through skillful bargaining.

This time, Chen Ling went directly into the public restroom and entered the cave. Only then did he carry large bags of medicine and bait and take a bus back to his new home halfway up the mountain.

It was already evening when I got home.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the courtyard in gold.

Wang Susu and Liu Yinhuan were playing with the children in the yard.

Rui Rui followed Wang Zhenzhen around, studying how to use a slingshot, while Kang Kang and Le Le crawled around on the blanket, with Xiao Tie Dan faithfully guarding their side.

The crab-eating mongoose seemed to be much better in its hind legs, and it even dared to limp to the edge of the yard, looking around curiously.

"Daddy's back!" Rui Rui was the first to see Chen Ling and ran over excitedly.

"Brother-in-law, what nice things did you buy?" Wang Zhenzhen chimed in.

"Buy some fish medicine and fish food."

Chen Ling smiled and patted their heads, then said to Wang Susu who came up to them, "The fish tank is still empty. I'm planning to raise some easy-to-care-for tropical fish while I'm at it."

"We're about to go back, do we still need to buy fish?" Wang Susu asked.

"They're some very hardy fish, like the flower handkerchief fish and some local anchovies..." Chen Ling said with a smile.

The flower handkerchief is a fighting fish.

The fighting fish in Dongtian are also somewhat overpopulated.

These fighting fish are actually quite valuable, and after mutation, they are also very ornamental. The key is that they are very easy to keep alive, so let's keep them here for now.

Add some life to the home, and then slowly raise other things.

Liu Yinhuan laughed and said, "Fugui really takes his pets everywhere he goes; the house is practically a zoo now."

"Hey, I just like them." Chen Ling smiled, put down his things, and picked up Kang Kang and Le Le, who rushed towards him.

"Besides, our zoo is actually in the planning stages."

The two women laughed when they heard that.

"Is the matter done?"

"It's all done. Not only were they signed and sealed, but a certificate was also written. Everything was done perfectly."

When Chen Ling talked about his trip to Shenzhen, he mainly talked about Yang Yongjie's experience, which was not as glamorous as it seemed on the surface.

Both women were stunned.

Liu Yinhuan had seen a lot of the world by following Liang Yuemin, so she was better off.

Wang Susu was deeply shocked.

"How can there be women like this? They're terrifying."

“I used to think Sun Yanhong was pretty formidable, but compared to this kind of person, she seems like an honest person.”

"Sigh, Hong Kong Island is in a mess right now, that's normal. It was even more chaotic when the British didn't care."

Chen Ling shook his head. If it were back then, he might not have dared to bring his wife and children over to play.

The family chatted for a while.

Liu Yinhuan asked, "We've almost finished with things here, and the weather's alright. How about we go back next week? Xiaoming called yesterday and said he misses Uncle Fugui..."

Chen Ling laughed and said, "Okay, let's try to get back before the weekend."

"But we won't take a plane back; we'll take a boat. It'll be a long detour, and we can let Rui Rui and the others have a great time, so they won't be reluctant to leave..."

And so, the plan was finalized.

That evening, Chen Ling called Liang Yuemin over again, and he cooked a big pot of seafood fried noodles using instant noodles from his own factory.

We enjoyed a delicious meal before the party ended.

At night, after his family had fallen asleep, Chen Ling entered the cave again.

In the sea, the hawksbill turtle recovered at an astonishing speed.

Not only did the wounds begin to scab over, but the dull markings on its carapace also became brighter, its eyes became lively, and its swimming posture in the water was powerful and elegant.

Upon seeing Chen Ling appear, it even swam over on its own initiative, raising its head in the shallow water as if to express its gratitude.

The newly introduced "problem fish" swam in the cave water for a while and became noticeably more energetic, with their damaged fins showing signs of slight improvement.

Chen Ling nodded in satisfaction.

The combination of the grotto and the spiritual water truly makes it a divine artifact capable of reversing the course of fate.

He believes that before long, these "flawed products" will all become stunning masterpieces.

Afterwards, he went to see the leopard family and the jackal pack in the "primitive survival zone".

After several days of adaptation and competition, they were clearly aroused to be wild, with sharper eyes and more swift movements.

In the struggle for limited resources and better habitats, rudimentary territorial divisions and hierarchical order have begun to emerge.

"That's more interesting," Chen Ling nodded to himself.

After surveying the grotto-heaven, Chen Ling returned to the outside world, lay down on his bed, and gradually drifted off to sleep. (End of Chapter)