Looking at their bellies, Ye Yaodong smiled broadly, "Two males, together over a pound. Today's catch is not bad; just right to stew for the kids at home."
He glanced around and casually picked up a piece of hemp rope washed ashore by the sea.
With swift hands, he tied the two blue crabs together and hung them on his basket, feeling pleased as he continued to pry open oysters and dig for clams on the rocky wall.
He had to complete the task his mother assigned; otherwise, he would have to hear her nag again.
Tomorrow, when the tide recedes even further, he could come out to gather more from the sea.
As he moved closer to the tide pools, the clams grew larger.
Ye Yaodong pried open a few, glanced at the tide's position, and decided to roll up his pant legs to his thighs, planning to venture a bit further where there should be more.
Most of the people out gathering from the sea today were after sand clams, so there weren’t many looking around the rocky wall.
The harvest from the oysters was low, and during the big tides on the first and fifteenth days of each month, people dug them out too.
With only half a month of growth in between, not many oysters grew, making the catch lesser compared to the sand clams.
Ye Yaodong walked along the rocks until the water washed over his knees, then stopped and patiently pried open oysters from the rocky wall.
The oysters he pried here were indeed a bit larger, and the spicy snails sticking to the rocks, along with the clusters of clams, were also relatively bigger.
Only the mussels were growing in a dense mass, but they were only the size of a fingernail, too small to be worth collecting.
Everyone was focused on their tasks, and no one noticed how far he had gone out, allowing him to dig in peace for a while.
As the tide gradually receded, he moved out a little bit more.
It had been decades since he last foraged in the sea, and his interest was utterly revived.
This feeling of harvest was quite addictive, though the sun was too hot, and he forgot to wear a straw hat.
At that moment, his skin looked fair because he hadn't worked much, unlike the sun-kissed complexion of other beachgoers.
However, spending a long time under the sun made his face flush and sweat profusely, and only by having his lower body soaked in seawater did he feel any relief from the heat.
After the tide fully receded at ten-thirty, it slowly began to rise again.
He could clearly feel the water creeping up from his knees as the waves rolled in.
When the water reached his thighs, he slowly moved forward, glancing at his bucket which was about one-third full.
Not bad; enough for two bowls of fried oysters, and he also had half a basket of spicy snails and clams.
Lin Xiuqing had been squatting for a long while and felt a bit tired.
Looking at her half-full basin, she stood up, stretching her back, and glanced at her youngest son.
The little one sat alone playing with sand, quite excited, his face and hair covered in sand, drooling enough to dampen his chest, while he grabbed handfuls of sand to play with.
He was good-natured, playing without crying or fussing, not seeking his mother.
She surveyed the area again but didn’t see her husband.
Frowning, she thought, indeed, one should never have hopes for this man!
Seeing her stand, Ye Mother felt a bit tired too and straightened up to take a break.
But when she looked over at the rocks, she couldn’t find Ye Yaodong anywhere, feeling furious. “Where’s he gone now? He promised me he'd dig for oysters, and now I can’t even see him!”
"Mother, how can you believe what Yaodong says? All these years, when have you seen him truly working hard? How often does he just play around, putting on a show and then sneaking off?" Ye Ersao scoffed.
Ye Mother was exasperated. “When we get home, I’ll have his father break his legs! Always so aimless!”
"With Grandma around, don’t think about it too much."
Ye Mother was worn out.
Her good son had turned into such a lazy loaf; if they weren’t around one day, would he really starve to death?
Ye Dabang added, "Mother, we can’t let Yaodong continue like this, who can support him for a lifetime? Xiuqing? He's a grown man; relying on his wife without lifting a finger is so shameful."
Ye Ersao went on, "Exactly! It’s so hard for Xiuqing to support the family all on her own! Only Xiuqing has the patience to tolerate him; which woman could stand to have a man like that at home?"
Some nearby women collecting sand clams echoed in agreement.
"Dongzi really is too much; they’ve been married for so many years. He’s not a child anymore..."
"It’s time to have a serious talk; he can’t keep going like this..."
Just as Ye Yaodong returned to the beach with his basket brimming, he overheard a group of women gossiping about him, feeling his face sour with anger!
These nosy aunts! They really love to meddle!
His wife hadn’t said anything yet; it was them who were so chatty!
"What are you saying? Where did I go? I’ve been right here the whole time!"
Everyone turned in surprise to look at him, thinking he had only been away for a moment, only to find he actually stayed put.
Those who had been gossiping suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
Who knew they would get caught red-handed for talking bad behind his back!
Yet, a few others felt they hadn’t said anything wrong and defended themselves.
"Dongzi, we say that for your own good. A man should provide for his family. If you keep loafing around, do you expect your parents to support your wife and children forever?"
Ye Yaodong shot a cold glare at the speaker.
"Aunt Zhu, you’re being too nosy, aren’t you? Which eye of yours saw me loafing around? Am I not working right now? Were you speaking with your eyes closed? No wonder your family's poor! Have you had your eyes checked?"
After all, he was used to being reckless and shot back boldly!
"Talk nonsense; your eyes are the ones with issues! Your family can’t even afford a house or split up; what’s that about? Yet, you have the nerve to call us poor..."
Aunt Zhu retorted, standing with one hand on her hip and the other holding a spatula, pointing at him and shouting.
Now it was Ye Mother's turn to get angry.
"What are you pointing at? My son is here to dig, does he deserve your scolding? So what if we’re poor? Are we eating your family’s rice? If your family isn’t poor, why are you down here gathering seaweed?"
"This sea belongs to your family, does it? You think you can just hog it all?"
"It’s not my family's, but it’s part of our village. You’re from the neighboring village, and you dare say that! My son is honestly working hard gathering from the sea, what right do you have to criticize him..."
Ye Yaodong had spoken once but then fell silent, simply watching.
This scolding business was better left to his mother; it wasn’t fitting for a grown man to bicker with a woman.
Anyway, half the village were their relatives; his mother had never lost out in a shouting match.
With many people around, it didn’t take long for bystanders to intervene, suggesting to each say less and calm down.
It wasn’t a big deal; just a few words of gossip.
When someone mediated, the two shot an angry glare at each other before stopping.
Aunt Zhu felt there was no point in staying any longer; since the tide was rising, she took her bucket and headed home.
The tension eased up.
(End of Chapter)