NOVEL WEB Chapter 058 – Tourists Arrive
Siren quickly swam near Poseidon, lifting its large head and calling out, “Awoo~ Awoo~” in two loud greetings, as if to say good morning.
Zhao Zhao picked up a white dragon eel and tossed it to Siren. “Well, now all the people of Chonghai City know you, this unorthodox orca. Stop speaking a foreign language and just say you’re fluent in your own tongue.”
“Awoo~” Alright, it jumped up and caught the fish in one bite.
The white dolphins arrived one after another, surrounding the boat and waiting for food. Zhao Zhao threw them fish one by one. Since today's fish weren’t soaked in spiritual spring water, Siren wasn’t as enthusiastic as yesterday. It only raised its head to grab food when it was near, otherwise, it played and chased with the gray baby dolphins.
Zhao Zhao estimated these gray baby dolphins were probably the same age as Siren, despite the size difference.
However, the white dragon eel was a supreme delicacy for the white dolphins. They eagerly surrounded and scrambled for it, not giving an inch.
Watching the white dolphins that arrived afterward, the female reporter’s face turned red with excitement as she broadcasted, “Dear viewers, this orca can actually make wolf-like sounds! Our ocean overlord can speak the language of forest beasts. This is truly incredible! It must be some kind of wonderful connection. Siren and its friends spent the night well at Jinshi Island. Look at how lively they are! The water quality in the East China Sea might be improving, as it’s known that white dolphins have high water quality requirements. They are having a great time here and even accept food from humans. According to my research, the last time a white dolphin appeared in Chonghai waters was 17 years ago, near Fuzhou Bay, and there was only one. This time, I counted twelve precious Chinese white dolphins here in the waters of Jinshi Island!”
Village Chief Zhao was quite satisfied with how often the reporter mentioned Jinshi Island. Those three words should definitely not be edited out.
Throughout the morning, people came and went in two shifts, with more and more joining the onlookers. Even fans from their Little Bear live stream arrived, all calling her “Sister Bear,” unmistakably her fans.
Clips from yesterday’s live stream were circulating online, with many media outlets re-sharing them.
She introduced the island’s fishing lodges to fans who greeted her. She recommended a place called Big Bear’s Fishing Lodge on West Street, known for its delicious food and great value, where Yang Yang’s mom worked. It was the most popular spot, frequently visited by tourists heading to the geological park.
“You came at just the right time. Our fishing boats returned yesterday, bringing back a lot of deep-sea Pacific squid. The quality is excellent. You must try Jinshi Island’s famous fried squid at Big Bear’s. I guarantee you won’t forget it.” Zhao Zhao promoted enthusiastically.
Two girls on the boat next to hers nodded excitedly. One said, “Sister Bear, do you use filters in your live streams? You look even prettier in person, like a fairy!” The other was more practical, “Sister Bear, if we mention you when we visit the island, do we get a discount?”
Zhao Zhao gave her a thumbs-up, “You truly are my fan. Just like me!”
The two girls laughed together.
“Prices on the island aren’t high, but you can try. Maybe the owners will give the village head some face?” Zhao Zhao thought for a moment and added, “If they don’t, don’t expose me online. My fairy image can’t collapse, OK? But if you encounter any problems on the island, you can go to the village committee for help. If it’s really serious, you can find me. I live on the east coast.”
After saying goodbye to her fans, Zhao Zhao prepared to head back. She didn’t want to spend the whole day at sea with tourists. The TV crew had already left to edit their footage.
As Poseidon started moving, Siren stopped playing and followed the boat. Zhao Zhao had to stop again and toss it a spiritual water ball.
“I’ll come get you tonight to improve your living conditions. For now, play with your friends outside.” She pointed to the distant sea. Realizing it couldn’t go back, Siren turned and continued playing with the white dolphins. With playmates now, it didn’t cling to Zhao Zhao as much as before. Previously, it would have rolled on the spot and tried to reason with her. Zhao Zhao felt a bit of maternal loss, akin to a mother seeing her child grow up.
As she approached the shore, she saw Secretary Liu leading a group of men and women at the pier, looking like they had been waiting eagerly for her.
When she stepped onto the pier, Secretary Liu came forward to greet her, “I was just about to call you. Good thing you’re back.”
He introduced a distinguished elderly man with gray hair and scholarly demeanor, “Zhao Zhao, this is Professor Fan from Chonghai Institute of Technology, a specialist in marine biology. Professor Fan, this is the village head of our island, Zhao Zhao. She graduated from Kyoto University.”
Secretary Liu felt proud that their village head could hold her own among these scholars.
After some warm exchanges, Professor Fan explained that he had heard from students about a large group of white dolphins coming to Jinshi Island and had brought several students over that morning. Zhao Zhao warmly welcomed them. The more experts, the better!
Learning that there were no boats available for hire as they were all out at sea, Zhao Zhao enthusiastically offered her yacht.
Professor Fan laughed and declined, “We’ll wait for a fishing boat to rent. Your village’s yacht is too expensive for us; we don’t have that kind of budget.”
Zhao Zhao said, “This yacht is my personal property, no rental fee required. Consider it the village’s support for your work. I’ll call my brother to come and drive for you. With all your equipment, our fishing boats might not be suitable, and it would be a loss if something goes wrong. Don’t be polite. I have some matters to attend to, otherwise, I would accompany you myself.”
Secretary Liu also chimed in enthusiastically, and in the end, Professor Fan couldn’t refuse.
Accompanied by Da Linzi and Secretary Liu, they headed to the offshore waters.
The arrival of the white dolphins breathed life into Jinshi Island’s stagnant tourism industry. The island’s iron boats were busy every day, ferrying tourists to see the orcas and dolphins.
She gave the crew of Yaoguang a break, asking them to prepare their seaman certificates during the vacation. They might need to dock in other countries for supplies when they head north later, and not everyone on the ship had a certificate, which could cause trouble.
The next day, Chonghai TV broadcast the news about the orca and white dolphins, featuring her interview, interviews with the island villagers, the online video of the orca rescue, and footage of the dolphins and orcas frolicking. The lively sea scene attracted much attention.
Previously, the locals of Chonghai didn’t recognize her, although she had some online fame. Now, after seeing the program, they would say, “Hey, aren’t you the village head who towed the orca by yourself?”
Village Head Zhao… This title made her sound like a brawny, tough guy who was not to be messed with.
Netizens are adorable, calling her a “super-strong beautiful girl” sounds much nicer.
The island’s fishing lodges have become more popular, and the remaining guesthouses are experiencing an unprecedented peak in visitors. With the knowledge that expenses are low, many people from nearby cities are bringing their children to spend the weekend. The islanders are increasingly treating Siren and the white dolphins as treasures.
Initially, Zhao Zhao had to go to the offshore area at night to find them, bring them into Yaoguang’s realm to play for two hours, then treat them to a luxurious meal, which made the white dolphins have no intention of leaving. They spent half their time playing near Jinshi Island and the afternoons wandering to other parts of the East China Sea to forage.
After a few days, under Zhao Zhao’s deliberate guidance, Siren began to come to the shore to call for her. The beach in front of her house, extending a few dozen meters to the east, was within her fishing grounds. She spent a significant sum to have the company clearing the seabed while piling to deepen the area for Siren and the dolphins’ convenience. Some large reefs were left, with the seabed parts smoothed out. Now, when Siren missed her, it would bring the white dolphins to the east shore, and Zhao Zhao could release them back without having to go out to sea, just tossing them from her doorstep if no one was around. Perfect.
This area will never have surveillance installed.
Professor Fan and his students also stayed on the island. With low expenses, they decided to reside there, renting boats daily to observe the orca and dolphins.
Zhao Zhao keenly noticed that the island’s atmosphere had changed significantly in just a few days.
More unfamiliar tourists strolled the streets, and people had set up stalls near the pier. Even Qin Yunmei had set up a wild boar and salted meat skewer stall, which was doing quite well.
She skewered a piece of salted meat, a piece of fish oil, and a clove of garlic, grilling them on a charcoal grill. The salted meat was pre-steamed, offering a different flavor from fresh pork, and the fish oil came from a fish called the oil button, which was fatty and inexpensive. Grilling it helped balance the dryness of the wild boar meat. Paired with garlic and seasoning, it was very flavorful.
Her invention was very popular. Barbecue is common everywhere, but this combination was unique. Tourists who saw it had to try a couple of skewers, and even Zhao Zhao would stop by for a couple when passing.
Zhao Zhao and Secretary Liu organized a general meeting, emphasizing the importance of maintaining their initial intentions and avoiding price gouging. The long journey of ten thousand miles had just begun, and they were still relying on the national treasures. Hygiene, prices, and service needed to be well-maintained to continue progressing.
Some guesthouse owners inquired about expanding their two-story buildings to three stories without ruining the aesthetics, and the owner of Daxiong’s fishing lodge said they would rebuild into a Tang-style restaurant designed by Zhao Zhao after this wave of tourists. The step into tourism had finally begun.
That day, Gu Nan forwarded her a travel blog post on Hongshu, which had tens of thousands of likes, titled “500 Yuan Student Two-Day, One-Night Island Tour.”
Zhao Zhao first read the text. The student, studying in Chonghai, had discovered Little Bear’s live stream on Panda and decided to spend her living expenses on a trip to Jinshi Island to see the rare aquatic pandas in person. The trip cost her just over 500 yuan, and she detailed every expense, uploading numerous photos.
There were long shots of the small island, Siren and the white dolphins in the water, fishing boats shuttling across the sea, islanders with their stalls at the pier, local seafood from the fishing lodges, the towering mountains behind the island, the Cambrian landscape of the geological park, and a super clean 100-yuan-a-night homestay with enthusiastic hosts and free breakfast.
She flipped through more pictures, finding one taken from the sea of her house at dusk, shrouded in mist, a white-walled, black-tiled Tang-style building standing majestically on the rock, mysterious and elegant.
Gu Nan sent her a screenshot, comparing it to the photos Zhao Zhao had taken. The difference in quality and atmosphere was like the distance across the Pacific, putting Zhao Zhao’s photos to shame.
Zhao Zhao continued flipping through the photos. The tourist had taken close-ups of her house and the entrance to her guesthouse. The photography skills were impressive, making the post’s popularity unsurprising.
The blogger also mentioned that the island lacked fishing and angling activities, though she wasn’t interested in them, making the trip highly cost-effective. Actually, Jinshi Island also lacked a beach resort, but the student probably didn’t think of it due to the cold weather.
It was a great promotional post, especially since the island hadn’t spent a penny on it.
Then she checked the comments section:
【This price is appealing. Are the white dolphins still there? As a poor student, I want to go too. I’m just in neighboring Jiangzhou.】 The author replied that the dolphins were still there and advised hurrying.
【Such large servings of seafood? Thinking about it, it must be a hundred times fresher than what I get in inland cities. My mouth is watering!】
【The fried squid is bigger than my head! One would fill me up, crying with hunger!】
【The blogger said the squid came from the deep Pacific. It must be incredibly fresh!】
【Are there any Little Bear live stream fans here? By the way, is that house Sister Bear’s? The one next to it with workers should be her guesthouse being rebuilt? Damn, she’s a wealthy sister! I want to buy a ticket to be her leg pendant. Anyone joining me?】
This comment thread was long, with Panda fans finding a community and urging for more live streams.
【Sister Bear and I are not compatible, so I’ll focus on Little Bear. Don’t compete with me.】
【No wonder fairies don’t live in ordinary houses. Damn, I thought it was a famous scenic spot.】
【Sister Bear said she studied architecture. Seeing this house, it’s clear she’s not an ordinary internet celebrity. She graduated from Kyoto University in architecture, and the house’s aesthetics are incredible.】
【Who wouldn’t love it? Fairyland in traditional Chinese style. When I win the lottery, I’ll build one back home. This house must cost as much as an apartment in a big city.】
【I’ll ask Sister Bear how much it costs. Dreams are necessary. Isn’t this better than buying a pigeonhole in the city? I’m lucky enough to have a homestead back home, haha!】
【So polite! The courtyard walls are too high to see the layout. What kind of tree is sticking out over the wall? Those black branches look fake.】
【Sister Bear, can you live stream a tour of your mansion? I want to see it! When Da Linzi was live streaming squatting exercises, the camera was fixed, and I saw what looked like a corridor in the distance with flower-patterned pavements. I thought it was a public square on the island, but now I think it’s her home. This architectural style makes me suspect the courtyard has covered walkways!】
【Probably not. She’s never live-streamed from her home, preferring to stream squatting exercises.】
【Not necessarily. Maybe she’s afraid of being accused of flaunting wealth? Sister Bear, are you there? Let me take a look. If anyone criticizes you, I’ll defend you. I want to see!】
That’s not possible. Her home is off-limits, not because of fear of criticism.