834 The Live Rock Is Dead (1/2)

The residential area where Welder Zhao lived was built before the SOE Reform. Many residents had been living there for 20 to 30 years, some even longer. They knew each other well, always stuck together, and took care of each other when something happened. Even if someone had to leave their child home alone, the neighbors would help out. It was unlike the new residential areas, in which the next door neighbors didn't even know each other.

However, there was one disadvantage to an old residential area: When there was gossip, everybody knew it the following day.

Welder Zhao saw Carpenter Wang taking the trash out and tried to hide his bag behind his back, but Carpenter Wang saw it anyway.

”Wow, a bobbit worm? Zhao, you have some guts in you to keep such a thing in your tank!” Carpenter Wang said in surprise.

Welder Zhao wondered if Carpenter Wang knew marine creatures really well, since he seemed to know what a bobbit worm was.

He had always known Carpenter Wang, but not very well. They used to work in different sections of the factory. Their acquaintance was nothing more than greeting each other when they saw each other.

”Wang, how do you know about this worm?” he asked with a smirk, not being able to hide it anymore.

”Well, I've owned saltwater fish for eight to ten years. How would I not know this worm?” Carpenter Wang kept his head up, looking quite confident.

”Oh, I've never heard this before. You are an aquarium pro?” Welder Zhao was astonished.

”I'm not a pro. There's too much to learn about saltwater fish. I only know a little.” Carpenter Wang's words were humble, but his tone was not.

He pointed at the bobbit worm in the bag and asked, ”Zhao, tell me the truth. Did you get the worm on purpose, or did it follow the eco-bio-block into your tank?”

Welder Zhao blushed. He might be able to trick an amateur, but not a seasoned aquarium lover. Who would be so stupid to keep such a worm?

”Hey! You are right. The eco-bio-block was not clean. The worm did follow it into the tank.” He told the truth.

Carpenter Wang nodded. ”I told you. But luckily you found it early. If you had discovered it a few months later, it wouldn't fit in your plastic bag anymore.”

”Actually, I didn't discover it. A young man running an aquarium found it…” Welder Zhao glanced left and right, then whispered, ”To tell you the truth, it took us quite a while to finally kill the worm. I freaked out…”

”Oh? Tell me more about it.” Carpenter Wang grew curious. His heart started burning for gossip. In fact, he had nothing to do. His wife was cooking at home.

Welder Zhao told him the story in detail––but, of course, he made himself sound better in the story. Carpenter Wang fell into the story. After hearing that Zhang Zian and the others had poured boiling water on the rock to force the bobbit worm out and then burned it to death, he shook his head as if it was nothing.

”Zhao, allow me to be direct with you. In my opinion, that Zhang Zian's method is questionable. I'd guess that he is an amateur who pretended to be a pro,” he said with confidence.