Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The aquarium Welder Zhao went to was an old one, and had been open in Binhai City for more than ten years. It had a very good reputation––their relationships with the higher-ups and their customers was very good, and their scale of production was slowly increasing. If it was not for the Palytoxin incident blowing up, the shop most likely would not have closed down.
Because the scale of the shop was quite large and the aquatic animals were all quite small in size, even if they sold everything at super low prices, the things in the shop would not sell out that fast.
Welder Zhao had heard about the shop location and had taken the electric bicycle to quickly find it.
Just like what was said in the group, even though it was late at night, the shop was busy like it was the morning. The main door was sealed up by the joint law enforcement stickers and could not be entered, but the back door was open wide. There would occasionally be fish lovers that came and went, having bought many things.
The shop was clearing stock secretly and did not dare to be too obvious. They did not even dare to open the main light in the shop. Whether it was shop employees or those who came to buy fish, they were all holding torchlights or using their phones for light. It resembled the headlights that underground workers used.
Quite a few people drove their cars over, buying the fish tanks and the equipment for keeping their fish like they were free of charge.
Welder Zhao looked at the situation and became even more anxious, scared that he had come too late. He was worried all the good things had already been taken.
He had not kept saltwater fish for a very long time, and he could only recognize the commonly seen aquatic animals. At that moment, the shop was very dark and a mess. There was no time to observe how the fish looked, and his eyes, which had presbyopia, could not clearly see the words on the labels for the fish tanks. He could only guess the type of the fish based on the price.
The employees were yelling to clear out their stock and mark down their prices, not giving receipts and not talking about prices. Their hands were continuously collecting payment from the customers, so they did not have the time to bother with him.
Seeing the fish lovers in the shop increase, and the items in the shop decrease, Welder Zhao gritted his teeth. Based on how much money he had in his secret stash of money, he chose ten fish that he had never seen before, found a shop employee, and paid for the fish.
Because Welder Zhao did not have a car, it was not convenient to bring the precious and expensive fish home. The employee promised that they would have someone deliver the fish to his house and told him not to worry.
When Welder Zhao heard the promise, he felt that it was not suitable. When he left the house earlier, he had not told his wife that he was going to buy fish. If they were sent over, wouldn’t that expose him? He could not bear to part with the fish that he bought, so he gave them Electrician Wu’s address and had the employees send the fish to his house the next day.
The next day, when the employee sent the fish to his house, Electrician Wu was very confused. His wife had thought that it was edible fish that their son and daughter-in-law had bought and almost cooked it.
Electrician Wu had guessed that there was an 80 percent chance it was Welder Zhao who bought it. When he called to ask, his suspicion was confirmed.
Welder Zhao talked about his trouble and told the happenings of the situation to Electrician Wu. After he went back home from the aquarium the previous day, he had tried to test the waters with his family members, and had hinted about wanting to buy a fish. His family members all rejected the idea, however, thinking that the Palytoxin incident had just been resolved. They did not want him to buy more aquatic animals so quickly… They didn’t want the neighbors to gossip.
He had no choice. He could only ask Electrician Wu if he could temporarily leave the fish at his house. After a few days, when the whole problem was over, he would bring the fish back home.
Electrician Wu had originally not wanted to agree, but if he did not agree, what could they do? The fishes were quite expensive, so they could not throw them away… Although he was not as petty as Welder Zhao, as a whole, he was still quite thrifty.
After he said that, Electrician Wu sighed. He had finally gotten to the point of his entire visit to the aquarium. He said, “Store Manager Zhang, I don’t want to keep it from you, but Zhao is not a very reliable person. These last few days I’ve been very worried. The fish that Zhao brought back… I don’t recognize them and I am worried that there is a dangerous fish in there…”
Electrician Wu was the kind of person that, after having been bitten by a snake once, he would be scared of a rope for ten years. He was filled with fear towards aquatic animals and was worried about the foreign fish.
He continued, “I have a young child at home, and he’s at such a mischievous age right now. Although I ordered him to stay away from the fish tank, he’s a young child. When he starts to play he goes crazy… I came here because I wanted you to help me see if the fishes are dangerous or not. If there is a danger, no matter how expensive the fish is, I’ll throw it out!”
Zhang Zian finally understood. Welder Zhao was playing with fire again, blindly buying fish he did not recognize and leaving them in other people’s house. He was basically making someone else his shield!
Electrician Wu took out his phone in embarrassment. “Store Manager Zhang, I know that you are a famous person in Binhai City and you are busy with a lot of things… I did not want to trouble you. I had originally wanted to take a photo of the fish using his phone and ask you to take a look, but this horrible phone… When I took a photo of it, it was only a blur… I couldn’t manage to get an acceptable photo…”
He had heard that the dog in Zhang Zian’s shop had gotten an important award from an overseas film festival, and he had also solved the Palytoxin case and had gone on television. It was no longer the same as before… He was now a famous person in Binhai City. When would he have the time to make a trip down to his house to help him check the fish? Even if Zhang Zian found an excuse to reject it, he would have nothing to say. He had already prepared himself for a no.
Zhang Zian took his phone to take a look. The photo was really not clear, and he could not see the species of fish. Actually, even if it was a high-quality phone, because the speed of the camera shutter was quite slow, and the reflection of the glass of the fish tank, even if they wanted to take a photo of a fast moving fish, it would not be easy.
He passed his phone to Electrician Wu, thought about it, and said, “I understand. Teacher Wu, it just happens that I have time today. I can make a trip to your house to take a look.”
“Really? How can I trouble you like that…” Electrician Wu was both shocked and happy. “I didn’t buy these fish from your shop, but I’m troubling you like that… It really makes me feel uneasy…”
“It’s not a problem,” Zhang Zian smiled and said. “Actually, I’m almost done with what I’m dealing with, so I have a free moment. I had originally planned on finding an opportunity to go to your area and visit some old friends, and it just happens that I can visit your house on the way. It’s not troublesome, so you don’t need to be overly polite. There’s nothing to be uneasy about.”
Electrician Wu stood up and rubbed his hands, his gaze falling onto the electric bicycle outside of the shop. “That’s great! Then… should we go now or…”
He had an electric bicycle, but Zhang Zian did not have one. If he wanted to go with him, he could only sit behind him.
When they were in the capital, Zhang Zian had ridden on the back of the electric bicycles of the auxiliary police to chase the human traffickers. That was an urgent and evil situation, so he had a reason to do so. Now, however, it was not something urgent, and an adult sitting on the back of an electric bicycle was illegal.
Zhang Zian had always been a law-abiding citizen, and now that he was slightly famous, he was even more conscious of his actions. He could not do these kinds of obviously illegal things. Even if he wanted to do it, he could not do it in broad daylight. If he was investigated by the traffic police, he would be embarrassed.
