They were a group of long, worm-like things, each one peeking out as if searching for something.
They curl or stretch out, their bodies intertwined, both disgusting and bizarre.
Every corner of the ship's hull is covered with it, as if it were covered with a thick carpet.
The entire ship became their territory.
"What the hell is this thing? Ye-ge, Xuan-ge, do you guys recognize it?"
Ah-chan turned his head away, not daring to look any further; just looking made him nauseous and he felt like vomiting.
"I don't recognize it. This thing looks a bit like an insect. There are similar things in the sea, like sandworms, but they live in mud and sand. I've never heard of anything that can parasitize a ship."
Feng Xuan frowned, a strong sense of unease rising in his heart.
"I don't know either... wait, I think I know what this thing is?"
Just as Feng Ye was about to say he didn't recognize it either, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he remembered a marine creature.
"What? You know what this is?"
Feng Xuan and A-Can turned to look at Feng Ye at the same time, their eyes filled with surprise and curiosity.
"Um."
Feng Ye nodded and said, "This should be a barnacle."
"Barnacles? This ship has been adrift at sea for who knows how long, so it's normal for it to have barnacles growing on it."
Ah-Can, suppressing his nausea, pointed to the long, worm-like creature on the boat and asked, "What are those worm-like things?"
Feng Xuan seemed to be deep in thought: "Ah Ye, are you saying that those moving things are the tentacles of barnacles?"
"That's right, that's exactly what I mean. Once you get closer and see clearly, you'll know whether I'm right or not."
"Let's wait and see."
Although Ah-Can still felt nauseous, he still managed to nod.
The boat drifted slowly by with the wind and current, and the "insect-like" objects gradually revealed more details.
Feng Ye's words were proven true; those parts that originally appeared to be wriggling were indeed emerging from individual grayish-white shells.
They are grayish-brown, with about a dozen tentacles extending from each shell, swaying gently like tiny arms.
But they looked like worms, which was really disgusting.
"This shell... it really is a barnacle, but the barnacles we usually see never stick out their tentacles!"
Ah-chan's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"The barnacles we usually see grow on rocks, and they are only seen after the tide has gone out."
"Without seawater, how could they possibly extend their tentacles?"
"They only extend out to absorb nutrients from the seawater when the tide comes in."
Feng Ye explained, his tone carrying a hint of certainty, "Besides, you see, although this ship is floating on the sea..."
"But the surrounding seawater is not actually calm; there are surging waves and the effects of tides."
"These things will make the barnacles think that the tide is rising, so they will extend their tentacles to try to get more nutrients."
"Yes, that should be it."
Feng Xuan nodded. "The surrounding area is all seawater. The waves crashing against the boat create the illusion of a rising tide, so all the boats are sticking out their tentacles."
"Damn, it was just a barnacle. It almost made me sick."
Ah-chan spat fiercely, and the gloom in his heart finally dissipated.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, revealing a relieved expression.
Knowing that these were barnacles, they looked at the wriggling tentacles and no longer felt too uncomfortable.
People are afraid of the unknown, but once they understand the truth, they can face it with relative calm.
Ah-chan picked up a bamboo pole and forcefully struck the boat that had drifted nearby.
Perhaps it was the vibration of the ship that made the barnacles sense the danger, and they all retracted their tentacles into their shells.
In an instant, the wriggling tentacles on the boat disappeared, leaving only a dense array of grayish-white barnacle shells.
"Holy crap, there are goose barnacles in here!"
Feng Ye suddenly widened his eyes and shouted excitedly.
Hearing his excited voice, Feng Xuan paused for a moment, then remembered the barnacles they had dug up a few months ago when they went to the isolated island to fish.
There were goose barnacles mixed in with them at the time, and it was Feng Ye who helped him sell them.
That price is really high, 50 yuan per jin (500g).
He immediately became excited: "You mean these are the very valuable goose barnacles we dug up before?"
Feng Ye nodded, his eyes sparkling with excitement: "That's right, it's goose barnacle."
After a careful look, Feng Xuan confirmed it.
"It really is exactly the same as the one we dug up before, it really is a goose barnacle."
Among the barnacles densely covering the hull, many were indeed goose barnacles.
The slender, goose-neck-like cylindrical stalk is easier to identify once the antennae are retracted and there is no longer any interference.
Ah-Can was puzzled.
Isn't that a barnacle?
Why is it called goose barnacle again?
What's the difference?
Having this question in his mind, he didn't hold back and asked it out of the blue.
He was there with Xiao Guowen and Xiao Guowu that time, and they actually managed to dig them all up.
They just didn't recognize them and sold them as ordinary barnacles.
"Barnacles and goose barnacles are not the same thing; they are two completely unrelated things..."
Feng Ye explained the difference between common barnacles and goose barnacles, and then added, "Goose barnacles are not found on ordinary reefs."
"It only lives in the crevices of islands and reefs where ocean currents are relatively frequent, making it very difficult to harvest, hence it is also known as 'seafood from hell'."
"As for why there are goose barnacles on this boat, I don't understand either."
"It's possible that it was previously stuck in a crevice in the rocks of an island, and was only recently freed by the waves, and has been drifting at sea ever since."
"Brother Ye, from what you're saying, these goose barnacles are quite valuable, right?"
Ah-Can seemed to understand, but also felt a bit confused.
However, he doesn't need to fully understand it; he just needs to determine whether the item is valuable or not.
"Yes, it's very valuable."
No sooner had Feng Ye finished speaking than Feng Xuan added, "50 yuan a pound, do you think it's worth it?"
"So expensive?"
Ah-Can was so shocked that his mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg.
"Yes, it's that expensive. Otherwise, how could it deserve the title of 'seafood from hell'?"
"Does that mean we're going to make a small fortune again?"
Ah-chan's eyes widened even more, almost bulging out.
When he looked at the tentacles that had re-emerged because there was no danger, he no longer felt disgusted; instead, his eyes gleamed.
This is all money!
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