In recent years, many families have seen improvements in their living standards.
Not every household is eager to go scavenging by the sea.
Furthermore, with such a blazing sun, isn't it more appealing to stay home and weave fishing nets for some extra money?
Moreover, scavenging by the sea doesn’t yield much profit; it only earns a meal.
As Ye Yaodong made his way home, he spotted just a few people along the road, each carrying tools and buckets.
As he approached a bend in the road, he saw several women from his family, along with children, all walking together in a lively group.
“Are you heading to the dock, or to the beach at the corner?” Lin Xiuqing paused, cradling her youngest son, to respond to him. “Mother said we should go to the dock. Some of your friends are waiting for you by the gate.”
“Got it! You all go ahead; I’ll catch up shortly.”
Ye Yaodong quickened his pace towards home, where he found a few friends lounging in the cool shade outside his house, teasing him as he ran closer.
“Hey, our Brother Dong has become diligent! Even out in this heat to help pull weeds?”
Panting while standing under the shade of a tree, he fanned himself, “I have to put in some effort for my new house, right?”
Ah Zheng, showing his loyalty, said, “When are you starting to build? If you need help, just let us know; we’ll lend a hand.”
“Why would I have you do my work? Don’t you fear your mother beating you with a stick?”
“Not at all! My mother will only praise my hard work! Besides, we’re brothers; if something happens at my place, you’d be there to help too.”
Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes, thinking to himself: “A kind mother breeds a wayward son.” Forgetting he was one of those ‘wayward sons’ as well!
“Alright, I’ll call you if I need you. Did you all bring your tools? Wait for me; I’ll grab my hook and bucket and a hat; the sun's burning.”
“Hurry up! If you’re slow, someone else might get all the good stuff.”
“Coming right away!”
He dashed into the house but didn’t find where he put the hook, so he simply grabbed a pair of fire tongs and rushed back outside.
The old lady followed him, holding a bamboo tube and called out, “Dongzi, take the tea with you.”
He turned back to grab the bamboo tube from her. “Thank you, Grandma. You head back home! Just sit inside or at the door to cool off; don’t go to the backyard; it’s slippery if the ground’s wet.”
“Alright, alright!”
“Then I’m off!”
The five of them, each with a bucket and tools in hand, excitedly made their way to the dock.
Xiao Xiao chimed in, “It seems we haven’t gone scavenging by the sea for two years.”
Ah Zheng reminded him, “More than that, right? Ever since you all started to get married, we haven’t gone much.”
“That’s okay; today we’ll relive the old times! Let’s move faster.” Ye Yaodong felt a surge of hope for this new chapter in their lives, his spirit uplifted.
Seeing him so eager, everyone else quickened their pace to keep up.
When they reached the dock, the beach below was already bustling with people of all ages.
Nobody could match the number of Ye Yaodong’s family! Adults were shouting and keeping their children from running too far towards the incoming tides, allowing just play on the beach.
When Ye Yaodong’s two sons saw him arrive, they shouted, “Dad! Dad! Mom, Dad is here too!”
Lin Xiuqing glanced at the latecomer, relieved that he wasn’t fooling around last night. “Got it! You two play by my side and don’t wander off.”
Aunt Ye couldn’t hold back, “Yaodong has been quite industrious these past few days!”
“Who knows how long it’ll last? Maybe he just finds it fresh since it’s been a while since he’s been here,” Aunt Er scoffed, not believing that Ye Yaodong had genuinely changed.
After all, it’s hard to change one’s nature!
“At least he seems more responsible now; it isn’t like before, where he would disappear all the time.”
“If he doesn’t step up a bit more, who will support him after the family splits?”
After getting closer, Ye Yaodong overheard the gossip between two sisters-in-law and couldn’t help frowning.
Women sure can talk a lot!
“Dad, where are you going? Mom said not to go near the tide.”
“I’m going to catch fish and crabs. You all just play here and help dig for clams. You aren’t allowed to come with me.”
The kids halted in their tracks, their desires to join him boiling over, but with no adults, they would have jumped in to swim.
What a pity!
“Let’s split up, and then we can see who catches more.”
“Sounds good!”
The thrill of finding crabs, fish, and shrimp was unlike digging for clams, so not many spent time searching; it was just something to do when they felt idle.
Yet, having tasted the sweetness of catching two blue crabs the day before, Ye Yaodong headed towards the rocky areas nearby.
He used the fire tongs to move a large stone, and to his delight, out popped a big mantis shrimp!
“Wow, look what I found! A mantis shrimp! This is a good catch!” He quickly grabbed the lively mantis shrimp and held it up for everyone to see.
His friends turned their attention, “Good luck! You just got here and already found something, and it’s a mantis shrimp at that!”
Mantis shrimp are large, beautifully colored creatures, with distinct stripes on their bodies, and after cooking, they show a lovely white pattern.
The meat is fresh and bouncy, much loved by Ye Yaodong.
Feeling accomplished with his first catch, he was very pleased.
“I’m so envious; I want to catch a few too!” Xiao Xiao, full of energy, casually kicked a pebble aside, “Oh~ a jumping fish? Didn’t expect to find something just by kicking!”
“Alright, since you all have found something too, we can’t lag behind. Let’s split up!”
At first, they were just casually enjoying their time, but now everyone was filled with enthusiasm.
As the tide went out, little fish and shrimp could easily get caught among the rocks and wouldn’t retreat back to the sea, instead remaining in shallow waters near the rocks until the next high tide pulled them back out.
Everyone knew the routine well enough to search in the low, rocky areas where water pooled.
When Ye Yaodong felt particularly lucky, he took a couple of steps to the side and spotted two crab hiding under a large rock.
“Caught another two. What a pity they’re not blue crabs, but better than nothing!”
The rock crabs had a brown, speckled carapace, and their claws were bright red.
They blended well with their rocky surroundings and had thick shells, preferring to reside in the mud and sand near low tide or among dense seaweed.
He used the fire tongs to grab the two hiding crabs and placed them in his bucket before moving on.
In this current year of the 1980s, this area of the beach in their village remained untouched by development, still in a primordial state.
The ocean’s bounty was abundant; a casual stroll along the beach during low tide would likely result in a catch.
As for how much one would catch, it all depended on the tide and luck.
(End of Chapter)