Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

    Chapter 9 Unexpected Gain

Ye Yaodong's gaze shifted from the boats back to the surrounding rocks, where he noticed clusters of small mussels, tiny sea melon seeds, and empty oyster shells that had been picked clean.

These rocks have been frequented by people so many times that the slightly larger mussels and sea melon seeds have already been harvested. Only the extremely small ones, about the size of a pinky fingernail, are left clinging to the rocks.

They are so tiny, only shells, and the flesh inside is probably smaller than a booger. There’s nothing to eat. However, when the tide recedes, it's inevitable that some of them will have grown larger.

At this moment, there are people using tools to search along the rocky wall, and his mother is one of them.

He approached and took a glance. His mother was holding a ladle in one hand, and there was a small bucket hanging from her wrist.

The ladle already had a few small opened oysters in it, and the small bucket contained some slightly larger sea melon seeds and tiny spicy snails.

"Mom, with all these densely packed shells, it's enough to strain your eyes. Why don't you go dig for sand clams instead?"

As Mother Ye pried open the oyster shells with a screwdriver, she replied, "With so many people digging for other seafood, I'm collecting some oysters. We can make pan-fried oysters for dinner, the kids at home haven't had them in a while."

"But there's hardly anything here. Didn't we fix our boat? Why don't we let Dad take you all to the deserted island to dig instead? For now, let's keep digging for sand clams. In another two hours, the tide will cover this part of the beach again."

"You make it sound so easy, but the rocks on the deserted island are slippery and not easy to stand on. If the waves come crashing in, one wrong move and I'll be swept back into the sea, meeting the sea goddess Mazu."

"Ah, it's not that extreme. Just choose a calm day with low tide to go there."

Mother Ye raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. "Then you tell me the exact date when it will be calm with perfectly timed low tide, and your father and brothers happen to be free!"

"Ah! How would I know how to calculate that?"

The winds and waves at sea are not something that ordinary mortals like him can calculate!

Moreover, how would he know when his father and brothers would be free?

Mother Ye gave him a disdainful look. "If you don't know, then keep quiet and mind your own business. Go find somewhere else to cool off and don't get in my way while I work!"

Ye Yaodong rubbed his nose. Was he really so annoying?

"How about this, let me help you dig? You can go and dig for sand clams?"

After squatting for a while, his legs felt sore, so he thought he could dig for oysters on the rocky wall. After all, he didn't have trypophobia.

"You want to do it?"

"Yeah, sure. I can do it. Opening oysters and digging sea melon seeds, it's no big deal. I got this."

He may not be good at other things, but when it comes to these, he played with them a lot when he was young, and the skills he learned didn't fade away with time.

Mother Ye looked him up and down, recalling his confident declaration just moments ago about becoming more diligent and hardworking after they moved out…

Could it be true?

Has he really changed?

"Then you can do it. But if you don't bring me a full bowl later, I'll beat you up!"

"Well, I'll dig as much as I can, but it depends on luck too. How can I guarantee that I'll be able to dig a bowl before we go back? These oysters are so tiny..."

Without replying, Mother Ye handed him the bucket and placed the ladle and screwdriver in his hands. "Search carefully. I want a bowl of oysters, a bowl of sea melon seeds, and a bowl of sea snails!”

Ye Yaodong stared in disbelief. Was he supposed to transform or something? And now he was being asked to gather three bowls.

"Oh, Yaodong, you didn't go out to play today? Why are you at the beach?" His aunt, also carrying a water ladle, was searching along the rocky wall and curiously asked when she saw him.

"Yeah, it's too hot outside, so I didn't feel like going out!"

"Ah? Isn't it hot at the beach too? It's scorching with the sun shining so brightly!"

Unable to find a good reason, Ye Yaodong was a little embarrassed, "Um, yeah, just came out to take a look."

Let's focus on searching instead of chatting. Dig for a while and wait for the tide to rise. It will be a good time to go home and have lunch.

Sea oyster, also known as the true oyster, grows on the rocky walls. It is actually a type of bivalve mollusk.

The oviparous oysters, during their breeding season, release mature sperm and eggs into the water. Fertilization occurs as the sperm and eggs meet in the seawater. After a period of planktonic life, they attach themselves to other objects and undergo a process of solidification, forming young oysters known as spat. As they grow, they develop shells, and inside the shells, you will find the oyster.

When boats stay in the sea for a long time, spat can grow underneath them. Typically, people would prop up the boat and remove the oysters from the bottom to reduce the weight of the boat. In the process, they can also collect the oysters in buckets and bring them back to shell and open for consumption.

The young oysters on the rocky wall are too small, so the edible oysters that are opened from them are tiny, about the size of a pea. They are yellow-greenish in color, like snot. Only the larger ones have a noticeable white color on their bellies.

"What's the point of opening these tiny things? When will I be able to fill a bowl with them?" muttered Ye Yaodong after opening one.

"Well, we have to make do with what we have. With so many mouths to feed at home, every little bit counts. These aren't sand clams, and they're not something we can dig up every day.”

His aunt responded and then said with a serious tone, "Yaodong, you're already a father of two. You can't just laze around all day anymore. It's time for you to find a proper job. Your wife and children depend on you to support them. Your parents can't take care of you forever, you know."

"I am working right now, Aunt!"

"Working is good, but you need to earn money, and you can't just work for one day. Supporting a family requires consistent effort throughout the year. You are a man, and you need to take responsibility and have a sense of duty..."

She went on and on with her lecture, bla bla bla~

Yaodong regretted speaking up; if he had remained silent, his aunt probably wouldn't have had the desire to talk to him either.

He couldn't really argue back, she was his elder, and what she said was true and for his own good. However, her incessant lecturing was starting to give him a headache. He thought it would have been better to go dig for sand clams instead. How could he have known that his aunt could be so relentless?

"Aunt, you can continue digging here. I'll walk a bit further and take a look."

Since the tide had receded a bit, he decided to start searching directly from the farthest rocks.

However, it seemed like luck was on his side!

Just as he reached the closest rock near the water, he noticed two small blue crabs among the rocks in the shallow water area ahead. His eyes lit up instantly; this was a great find!

He quickly set aside the ladle and bucket, taking a few quick steps towards the pile of rocks where the two blue crabs were oblivious to the impending danger. They continued to engage in their skirmish, clashing their large pincers against each other.

With one hand on each blue crab, Ye Yaodong carefully grasped their shells and gently separated them to prevent their large pincers from getting entangled and possibly breaking off.

A blue crab with a broken leg significantly decreases in value, but it's not a problem if you're going to eat it yourself.

The two separated blue crabs were still waving their large pincers wildly. If someone were to be caught by them, it would be quite a problem. The force could easily break even a fingernail.