owlsbooks Chapter 62 Piggy Fish
Chapter 62 Piggy Fish
Su Jin turned around, but the words caught in his throat.
Because Shen Ruying was standing a few steps away from him, and what she was wearing... was something.
It wasn't her usual professional office attire, but a simple outfit that could barely be called a "bikini".
Her upper body was simply wrapped in treated, soft linen strips, barely covering her vitals, revealing large areas of fair skin and a flat stomach without an ounce of fat.
Her lower body was also covered by a small piece of linen of the same color, tied to the side with a thin rope, making her slender legs particularly eye-catching under the sheen of the black stockings.
A sea breeze blew by, causing the fabric to sway gently, and the thin ropes looked as if they might break at any moment.
Su Jin subconsciously raised an eyebrow and quickly scanned her body with his gaze.
Then he turned back naturally and continued flipping the grilled fish, his tone indifferent:
"Wow, new clothes? Quite unique."
Shen Ruying's face, which had been flushed with unease, relaxed a bit when she saw his calm reaction.
She brushed a strand of hair that had been ruffled by the wind behind her ear, walked over, squatted down next to him, and looked at the fire.
"Qiaoqiao made it casually this afternoon... She only used a little bit of scrap material because she was afraid she wouldn't have enough linen, so she didn't dare to make more."
Her voice was soft, with a hint of explanation in it.
"Yeah, it's nice, it's cool to wear." Su Jin replied casually.
He then tore off a piece of steaming hot fish from the stone slab and handed it to the young woman:
"Try it, it tastes good."
Shen Ruying took it, carefully blew on it, took a small sip, and her eyes lit up slightly:
"It's so fresh and tender... Brother Su's cooking skills are getting better and better, almost as good as Yuanyuan's!"
She ate her fish, hesitated for a moment, and then got down to business.
"I just went aboard and saw the fish you brought back... It was a great catch today."
Su Jin turned his head to look at her.
Shen Ruying said earnestly:
"I touched them all, identified them, and then... I collected enough illustrations. It seems my talent leveled up, and I discovered a Tier 3 marine creature among them."
"Oh? Tell me more." Su Jin became interested.
"It's that kind of fish that's all white with three golden lines on its back," Shen Ruying gestured to indicate the name. "It's called a snow mullet, and each one is about the size of a palm; they're already considered adults."
Su Jin nodded and pressed for an answer:
"So, to be more specific, what tangible benefits does this fish bring us right now, especially with a cold wave approaching?"
Seeing that he was getting serious, Shen Ruying also put away her shyness and thought for a moment before saying:
"Let me think... This snow ray, as its name suggests, is very cold-resistant. Even when the seawater temperature drops to very low, it can still be active, at least more resilient than most fish."
"If we can raise them, it means we'll have a stable source of live fish even during cold snaps."
She paused for a moment, then continued to explain the advantages of this snow ray.
"It's very easy to keep. It eats almost anything, such as seaweed, scraps that fall off when we process fish and shrimp, and even some rotten plants."
"They're not picky eaters, they don't fight much, and they don't like to move around much. You can keep quite a few in one tank."
Upon hearing this, Su Jin's eye twitched, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud:
"It sounds like a pig, all you have to do is eat. Let's just call it Pigfish."
"Pfft." Shen Ruying was amused by this, but before she could finish speaking, she continued:
"That probably won't work, because there's a reason it's called that. Its most useful feature is the velvety structure on its body."
"Oh?" Su Jin leaned forward slightly.
Shen Ruying's tone gradually became excited:
"The guidebook says that when this fish grows to a certain size or during a certain season, that layer of down will naturally fall off and be replaced."
"The shed down fibers, once collected and processed, can be used as a natural insulating material."
"This material is like cotton, but lighter and fluffier, and being aquatic, it naturally has some moisture-resistant properties."
"Although the amount may not be particularly large, it adds up. We can use it to fill the lining of our clothes, or to pad the gaps in our sleeping mats and cabins."
"The insulation effect should be much better than simply using hay or ordinary fur. Until we find a large amount of cotton, this can provide us with a basic level of warmth."
Su Jin's eyes lit up after hearing Shen Ruying's words.
It seems he misunderstood the snow leopard. Although it's a bit piggy-like, it's really useful.
Not only are they cold-resistant and easy to raise, allowing for intensive cultivation, but they also produce natural heat-insulating materials.
Although they are not rare marine creatures, they are definitely very useful fish for their current stage, especially for preparing for the cold wave.
Su Jin slowly exhaled, a smile appearing on his face:
"Yes, that's a great idea. Things that build a solid foundation for survival are more useful than fancy-looking ones."
Shen Ruying nodded, then suddenly added:
"But there's a problem. Because this fish is associated with the pig, it's practically a prime example of someone who just loafs around and waits to die. As a level 3 marine creature, it's actually being used as food by level 2 marine creatures."
"So this results in a rather small number of them."
Su Jin frowned. He also remembered that he hadn't actually encountered many of these fish today, only about three in total.
He then immediately made a decision:
"Tomorrow we'll focus on these snow bream, try to bring back as many live ones as possible, and then have Qiaoqiao improve a special fish tank as soon as possible."
He figured the people on the islands probably didn't know the wonderful uses of the snow lemur, so he decided to make a quick buck before they even realized it.
Seeing that Su Jin had adopted her suggestion and immediately put it into action, Shen Ruying felt relieved and gave a soft "hmm".
Then she remembered something and said softly:
"Brother Su, I heard from Yuanyuan that you discovered steel and wood over there. Do we have any plans for tomorrow?"
Shen Ruying's voice came softly.
Su Jin paused for a moment while flipping the grilled fish, then continued, his voice steady:
"Hmm, tomorrow... I plan to send the whole crew over to Forest Island to focus our efforts on cutting down the steel and wood and using it as soon as possible to upgrade my ship."
He glanced at the leaping flames, paused for a moment, and then continued, his tone becoming more serious:
"Also... this time, after we cut down the steel and wood and upgraded the ship, we might not come back to this island."
After he finished speaking, he clearly felt Shen Ruying's body stiffen slightly.
He turned his head and looked at her somewhat bewildered face illuminated by the firelight.
"Your island..." Su Jin said before she could ask, "is actually not worth much anymore."
Shen Ruying opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.
She lowered her head, looking at the piece of fish she was still holding in her hand, and remained silent for a long while.
The fire crackled.
"I know," she said softly when she spoke again.
She looked up at Su Jin, her face showing no intense emotion, simply stating her position calmly.
"Actually... I've been thinking about this occasionally these days. The flax harvest is basically over, and the most valuable parts have already been processed."
"You brought those sheep onto the ship before, and the fruit trees on the island... they were damaged by sea monsters and wolves before, so there are hardly any good ones left."
She paused, a faint, bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips:
"This island, for us now, is really just a deserted island with a slightly better environment. Safety... is not there either. I understand."
Giving up is for a better tomorrow.
"Let's talk about tomorrow's plans. Are you going to the archipelago again, Brother Su?"