Being a Dad in the Animal World
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In the animal kingdom, no other creature has the habit of giving gifts to express affection—only dolphins do. Once again, they prove with their actions that their intelligence sets them apart from other animals.
Of course, Jason’s gesture of returning a gift also took Bai Yi by complete surprise.
The little one swam toward him with a beautiful seashell in its mouth, its tiny pointed snout nuzzling against Bai Yi’s mouth while letting out soft whistling sounds. It was utterly adorable.
Bai Yi understood that the baby was giving him a gift in return, so he quickly accepted it, holding it in his mouth.
Jason seemed overjoyed. He kept chasing the seaweed Bai Yi had given him, pushing it back and forth in the water.
Bai Yi was deeply touched by the baby’s gesture. Since this was the first time the little one had given him a gift, he decided to keep the seashell with him.
But how could he carry the seashell around? That was the question.
Fortunately, the problem was soon solved.
Bai Yi found a long strand of seaweed in the water and spent quite some time on the shallow seabed, using his mouth to tie the seashell onto the seaweed. Then, with the help of his fins, he looped the seaweed around his neck.
Perfect. He now had his first piece of jewelry—a seashell necklace, a gift from his baby dolphin.
When the little one saw Bai Yi wearing the seashell around his neck, he happily swam circles around him, occasionally nudging the necklace with his mouth.
It was clear the baby also loved this kind of accessory. So Bai Yi took him to the shallow sandy beach to collect more seashells and made a beautiful necklace for the little one too.
Now, both the big and small dolphins had their own accessories. They looked incredibly happy, leaping and spinning in the water.
The pink and gray figures became a beautiful sight in the shallow sea.
Seeing Erdan’s exceptional parenting skills, the fans, though not entirely surprised, were still amazed.
"Our Erdan is such a skilled dad. He’s so good at taking care of the baby, and the seashell necklace is so pretty."
"I’ve always felt he was special, and now it’s clear he truly is unique—adorable and kind-hearted. It’s infuriating that such a sweet creature was stolen by poachers. I hope all poachers meet a terrible end."
"I can’t wait for him to come back. I want to go see him. I’ve already got my visa ready and can leave anytime."
"Count me in, sis! I’ve got some time off recently. Let’s go see Erdan together."
"I heard Erdan’s brother was also stolen. I wonder how he’s doing. I’m worried since we haven’t seen him here."
"Erya hasn’t mentioned Erdan’s brother either. It’s probably not good news."
"Sigh, these two best friends are too famous. There are just too many evil people in this world."
In truth, Bai Yi didn’t know he had a best friend. Without the memories of his original dolphin self, he had no knowledge of this companion.
However, when he was here before, he vaguely heard that the other dolphin had been bought by a wealthy person and kept in a private aquarium, becoming a plaything for the rich.
Dolphins in aquariums don’t have the freedom of the open sea. They belong to the ocean by nature, and the confined conditions of an aquarium only bring them suffocation and pain.
This is also why Bai Yi dislikes animal performances.
Behind those impressive tricks lies countless days and nights of suffering, all for the chance to perform in front of an audience.
While people cheer for their incredible skills, their bodies bear the scars of abuse.
All living beings have souls, but some humans do not.
Some revere life, while others treat it as worthless.
Bai Yi once wanted to dedicate his entire life to wildlife conservation, but fate didn’t give him the chance.
Instead, he became an animal. Bai Yi couldn’t help but wonder if this was the heavens’ way of urging him to advocate for nature in a different form.
Perhaps it was. Otherwise, why would he keep appearing on people’s screens every time he transformed into an animal?
This might be another opportunity given to him by fate.
Thinking this way, he suddenly felt less burdened.
If a great responsibility had been placed upon him, then he must shoulder it.
Bai Yi realized he had a remarkable ability to find joy even in hardship.
Now that both he and Jason had matching accessories, anyone who saw them would know they were family.
There were many dolphins in this area, and they often crossed paths. Groups of male and female dolphins were busy hunting every day.
However, the male dolphins were particularly good at finding ways to have fun.
And they have many ways to have fun, such as courting female dolphins, showing affection to the same sex, and diving competitions.
Compared to male dolphins, female dolphins are relatively kind. They have to take care of their young, so they are particularly caring towards baby dolphins.
It's instinctive for male dolphins to leave the group when they grow up. They leave their mothers to survive independently after the age of two, and at this point, their mothers no longer care for them.
Because they have grown up and can survive on their own.
Bai Yi accidentally entered a group of female dolphins one day. There were many baby dolphins in the group, all following behind their mothers' pouches.
They have enough breast milk to fill their stomachs. Bai Yi felt a little uncomfortable when he saw them following their mothers and enjoying the breast milk flowing from their pouches.
His little Jason doesn't have that.
However, there is one advantage. Although his accidental entry into the female dolphin group puzzled the girls for a long time, after observing him for a long time, they showed friendly behavior towards him, rubbing against his body to show their friendliness.
His color is too strange, but his voice is that of a dolphin, and he greeted them with his voice and introduced himself.
Dolphins identify each other by sound. The sound is like their name, which will accompany them for life.
Unlike humans, baby dolphins don't need their parents to name them. They find a sound they like in their own voice to represent themselves.
"Bai Yi's baby dolphin hasn't reached the age where he can name himself yet. Bai Yi gave him a name first, Little Jason.
However, only he knows this name.
Bai Yi followed a group of sisters to fish. The sisters didn't reject him, and he was a little happy.
Moreover, when he saw breast milk flowing from the dolphin mothers' pouches, he wanted his Little Jason to have a taste, but Little Jason just wouldn't go, staying under his belly and not going anywhere else.
After trying a few times and seeing that the child didn't want to eat breast milk, he stopped insisting.
However, the necklaces on their necks made the dolphins curious. They would occasionally touch Bai Yi's necklace with their fins or mouths and then make whistling sounds.
It was clear they were very happy, with their naturally smiling faces, which were healing no matter how you looked at them.
But soon, trouble came.
A female dolphin in the group took a liking to him, always staring at him, circling around him, and occasionally touching his seashell with her mouth. She seemed to like Bai Yi's seashell very much.
But the seashell was a gift from the baby dolphin, so Bai Yi definitely couldn't give away the gift his child gave him.
It wasn't until this dolphin kept pestering him, showing intimacy, and showing signs of wanting to do something indescribable with him that Bai Yi realized what was happening.
She mistook the seashell Bai Yi was wearing as a courtship gift.
Bai Yi: "..."
He belatedly remembered that dolphins have the habit of giving gifts to show love.
Although he didn't give her one, she saw it and thought that this unique dolphin was coming to the group to court, so while the other dolphins were indifferent, this "kind" lady was ready to pay attention to Bai Yi.
Bai Yi: "..."
Thank you, although it's heartwarming, I really didn't want to court you.
Dolphin courtship isn't private. Once they successfully pair up, they will complete their romantic union in front of the whole family, swimming and doing it at the same time.
This female dolphin had already turned over, facing Bai Yi, and began to signal.
But she noticed the little dolphin under Bai Yi's belly and was a little confused.
Bai Yi could see her confusion. Her eyes seemed to be asking, "Is the child yours? Aren't you a male? How can you have a child?"
Although she was confused, she didn't give up on Bai Yi. After all, this pink dolphin looked so unique."
Female dolphin: "Mom, I saw a handsome guy today. He's different from all those jerks. He's pink!"
Bai Yi: "..."
Female dolphin: "I must chase him and make him my husband."
Bai Yi's baby dolphin: "Didn't you see he already has a dolphin? Although I'm still small, I will grow up. Get lost, now."
Female dolphin: "..."
Bai Yi: "..."
Bai Yi also thinks he's very unique. He's the most handsome guy on the coast of Mozambique.
With his pink color, standing in the sea, no dolphin can resist him, even male dolphins...
Forget about male dolphins. Although he's a gay guy who was made gay by a lion, he hasn't reached the point where any male can make him gay.
His little lion is unique.
Little dolphin: "Dolphin sad, daddy doesn't love me. Crying."
Bai Yi: "..."
Bai Yi doesn't know what will happen to Jason in the future. After all, that was his past life.
In his case, it's indeed the past life.
He doesn't know what happened to his past lover in the end. He just occasionally remembers the years he spent with him in the Maasai Mara and smiles with relief.
Yes, he was also loved by a lion, although the other was much younger than him, but he didn't feel awkward.
Jason has always been sensible. He started to support the family after he became a sub-adult. At that time, Bai Yi didn't have such strong feelings for him.
To be honest, he never thought he would miss a male lion.
Very sad, everyone.
The feeling of loss and longing always occupies his brain and heart from time to time.
Fortunately, Bai Yi doesn't know what happened to Jason later. He would think that Jason, although lonely after he left, could die peacefully.
If he knew that the child committed suicide after his death, he would definitely feel so much pain that his internal organs would be torn apart.
"Er Dan and Little Er Dan have now mixed into a group of female dolphins. There are many mothers with children in this group. Little Er Dan may receive better care. I have to say, our Er Dan is promising. He even knows how to disguise himself as a sister."
Wang Erya is broadcasting Er Dan to domestic fans.
Because she didn't know what to name the little dolphin, Wang Erya personally decided to give this little cutie a name: Little Er Dan.
Here's the translation, with some of the more colloquial phrases adjusted for clarity:
In the scene, a large and a small dolphin, both wearing shell necklaces around their necks, looked quite (ridiculous) yet adorable.
The female dolphin was still relentlessly pursuing Erdan, as if she wouldn't give up until he engaged in a romantic deep interaction with her.
At this moment, the fans were extremely worried.
"Erdan isn't mature yet. This dolphin has good taste, but you can't force a child who isn't mature."
"Could it be that because of Erdan's inaction, Erdan and Little Erdan will be driven out of the group?"
"It shouldn't be. With bottlenose dolphins, only the males are somewhat nasty; the rest are okay."
Bai Yi and the little dolphin were indeed not driven out of the group, but the sister's persistence was quite troubling for Bai Yi.
She was full of (adorable charm), constantly flipping and sticking to Bai Yi's belly as she moved. Bai Yi used sounds to convey his thoughts.
"Big sister, I'm still a child, please leave me alone."
"Even though I'm male, I'm not ready for that yet, go away! You're squishing my little dolphin!"
But the big sister clearly didn't understand his meaning and continued to (persistently rubbing against) Bai Yi's belly.
Bai Yi: "..."
He simply swam faster to shake her off.
It shouldn’t be that tragic, right? The child he raised wouldn’t turn out to be that kind of (pervert), would he?
Bai Yi instinctively glanced at his little dolphin. The little one still wore the shell necklace he had given it, looking utterly adorable.
His little dolphin would definitely not end up like those shameless creatures.
It was so cute, and following him, the (universally invincible big pink handsome dolphin), it would surely grow up to be an extraordinary child.
Yes, after thinking this, Bai Yi felt deeply comforted.
After a month, the little dolphin was already able to follow Bai Yi in learning how to hunt and use its own sounds to give itself a name.
That day, on the water’s surface, Bai Yi taught it to use sounds to name itself. He deliberately guided the child toward the name "Little Jason," hoping it would produce a similar sound.
He only had to teach it once, and the little one understood. It seemed particularly happy, as if it really liked the name.
Bai Yi then raised his voice, using his sonar to call out to it.
The little dolphin responded with a sound at the same frequency as Bai Yi’s.
Bai Yi was overjoyed.
His little dolphin seemed incredibly smart!
It really liked the name "Jason," and Bai Yi liked it too!
This phenomenon once again caught the attention of researchers.
Bai Yi was going against the natural behavior of dolphins yet again.
Dolphin mothers never interfere with their calves’ choice of names. They let the little dolphins pick a sound they like, which then becomes their lifelong identifier.
But this Chinese white dolphin was actively intervening in its child’s name and the frequency of its sounds.
The researchers were baffled. They asked Wang Erya, "Is this how all your national treasures from China) behave?"
Whether other national treasures behaved like this, Wang Erya didn’t know. All she knew was that her Erdan seemed quite unique. She answered the researchers, "Erdan has always been amaverick dolphin. Please don’t treat him like an ordinary dolphin. He’s very intelligent, arguably on par with humans."
Of course, this was Wang Erya exaggerating. Her serious tone made it hard not to believe her.
In no time, this pinnacle of human bragging was at it again during the broadcast:
"Folks, Erdan has made us proud. He’s named his child! He gave Little Erdan a beautiful name. Of course, this is what the researchers told me. There’s no way I could’ve figured out what name he chose."
The fans in the livestream couldn’t stand her teasing and started bombarding her:
"Just say it already! Leaving us hanging is killing us!"
Wang Erya coughed and said solemnly, "He named the child Jason. At first glance, it really does sound like a proper name."
The fans burst into laughter.
"Erya, look at the name Erdan gave his child, then look at the name you gave him. They're not even on the same level."
"Jason, it sounds so nice. Erdan is quite clever."
"Actually, I'm curious, how do those researchers know what name Erdan gave his child? Can they understand dolphin language?"
Erya whispered, "They're experts, whatever they say goes. But Jason sounds nice too, let's just pretend they understand."
Little Jason knew he had a name, which was a very happy thing.
Bai Yi would occasionally use his sonar system to call out to the little dolphin, and the little dolphin would respond with his own sonar frequency, which Bai Yi found very heartwarming.
Then the little dolphin was out of luck. He was pinned down by the big dolphin with his two fins and thoroughly "rua-ed" with his mouth.
Bai Yi was very happy when he "rua-ed" the little dolphin. The little dolphin couldn't avoid it and kept squeaking, as if accusing the big dolphin of his heinous "rua-ing" behavior.
Bigger dolphins are easier to "rua."
The white belly, smooth and delicate.
Two small fins helplessly made a gesture of hugging the big dolphin's pointed mouth, which looked like a child acting spoiled after being teased by his parents.
Bai Yi's heart was melting, and he once again prayed that his little dolphin wouldn't grow up to be as perverted as the male dolphins in their group.
When the child grows up, he has to learn to hunt, which is usually taught by the mother.
After all, fathers are free and unrestrained all their lives, rowing without oars, relying entirely on the waves.
Bai Yi played the role of a male mother, and he had to teach all the little dolphin's habits.
To be honest, after the experience of messing up Jason's siblings, Bai Yi was also afraid of messing up the little dolphin.
So this time he was extremely serious in playing the role of a dolphin.
But on the way to hunt that day, they saw a group of male dolphins on the other side. To prevent the child from encountering danger, Bai Yi had tried his best to avoid them.
But from a long distance, he and the little dolphin saw the "strange behavior" of the male dolphins showing affection.
They swam and peed at the same time, and they sprayed it far away, splashing the urine on their companions without reservation.
Yes, for dolphins, this is also an alternative way to show affection.
Bai Yi suddenly felt fortunate that he didn't make friends with bottlenose dolphins. He really couldn't complain about this kind of dolphin.
His little Jason can't be like these "uncivilized" dolphins in the future.
He will definitely raise the child into the cleanest and most unique dolphin in this sea area!
Bai Yi's ambition was revealed at this moment.
Until they finished hunting on the seabed, finished eating, and went to the surface to breathe, his good son peed directly on his handsome dolphin face.
Bai Yi: "..."
Author's Note: Jason: Honey, this is my way of showing love.
Bai Yi: Get lost, now! (pouting)
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Chapter 45