Their home was not far from the beach; after a ten-minute walk, they arrived.
However, upon reaching the shore, they did not rush directly onto the sand but continued to stroll along the coast towards the pier.
Though there were sand clams to dig from beneath the beach, one had to search for them.
The beach was quite expansive, and not every spot was rich with clams.
It wasn't as simple as shoveling a few times and finding them.
Sand clams, also known as flower clams, were a type of clam, but in their village, people referred to them as sand clams since they were dug from the sand.
Despite being dug from the beach, most of these clams were clean, and only on rare occasions would one find them sandy.
If that happened, leaving them overnight would suffice before they could be eaten.
They were especially tasty when added to soups or noodles—one could hardly describe the freshness.
The clams found in the market were not as beloved among the villagers; they could not compare with the clams pulled straight from the beach.
The meat of the sand clams was much firmer and more tender than those bought in town.
Moreover, the sand clams from their beach differed somewhat from those sold at markets.
The sizes varied; some were as small as a fingernail while others matched the size of flower clams, though even the small ones had plenty of meat.
Each day, the tide rose twice and fell twice.
During low tide, children would often dig for clams for fun, but on the days of the full moon and the new moon, there would be many more people out.
The villagers had the habit of digging near the pier, for during the full moon and new moon, the tide would drop much lower, exposing more beach, while at other times, it would always be covered.
Whenever the beach was revealed, there would be many sand clams buried beneath, and the rocky shore would expose sea cucumbers, oysters, and spicy sea snails that could be harvested.
They lived off the mountains and the sea, and those who worked a little harder by the coast would never face hunger.
Arriving at the pier, they made their way down the rocky slope.
By this time, the tide had receded, revealing a small stretch of beach.
Several women were already crouching on the sand, digging away.
Usually, it was the women and girls who engaged in this work.
Ye Yaodong had not visited the beach since getting married—he was no longer a child and had lost his sense of wonder about this place.
However, having been reborn, perhaps due to some sense of nostalgia, his perspective had shifted, and he saw the beach with fresh eyes.
He wandered over to look into a bucket near the village women.
"Is there anything to dig up? Oh, there really is! How long have you been digging?"
Everyone was too focused on their work to reply, shoveling away diligently with their cooking spatulas and ignoring his questions.
Why would they treat him, a man of leisure, the same as themselves? Wouldn't it be better to dig a bit more rather than waste time chatting?
Not concerned by their silence, Ye Yaodong turned to his wife.
He noticed that, in just a little while, her basin had already collected six or seven clams.
Hearing the gentle clinking sound of more clams being added, he squatted down beside her.
"You’re digging quite fast."
The spatula was the most practical tool for digging for clams—no question about it!
Some people, lacking a proper handle, were struggling with just the spatula blade.
Lin Xiuqing, holding her spatula, continued digging without looking up.
"With practice comes skill. It’s not complicated; just shovel sand."
He nodded.
This was something he had done plenty as a child.
Growing up by the sea, digging in the sand was a favorite pastime.
Having come this far, he couldn’t just stand by and watch.
Not having a spatula, he decided to dig with his hands instead.
Ye Yaodong found a little air bubble hole in the sand and, without thinking, dug.
Sure enough, he pulled out a sand clam with ease, and each time was accurate.
The sound of the clams hitting the basin caught Lin Xiuqing’s attention. “So fast?”
Noticing her gaze, he raised an eyebrow, “What? Do you think I’m impressive? Want me to teach you?”
Saying this, he pressed down on the sand with his hands and pulled out another clam!
“It's really easy to dig these; I used to do it often as a child.”
“How do you manage to get one every time?” she asked, genuinely curious.
Though her family lived in the next town over, it was further inland and far from the sea.
Having married into a coastal town, she had mostly followed the lead of her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, doing what they did.
Every time they went clam digging, it was the same story—everyone using spatulas to scrape the sand little by little, unlike his straightforward method.
Ye Yaodong pointed at the tiny holes in the sand. “Do you see these? Sand clams need to breathe, and they use these little holes to do so. Wherever these holes are, you can be certain there’s a clam underneath.”
As he spoke, he demonstrated, pulling out two more clams.
He was quite good at this digging technique.
It was precisely because they were close to the full moon that the sand was easy to dig.
The middle part of the beach was not nearly as simple.
Lin Xiuqing, curious, decided to try digging as well.
Sure enough, she found one too!
“Why bother with a spatula? Just dig!” Using a spatula took more effort, and after a while, her hands would get tired.
“You should still use a spatula; it’s easier with tools. I’m just digging because I don’t have one. Some clams are close to the surface and don’t need a little hole to breathe. Once more people step on the beach, you won't be able to see the holes anymore. It’s only because the tide just went out that we can see them now.”
Lin Xiuqing kept her eyes on him.
Over the years, apart from the brief time right after their wedding, they had rarely had a proper conversation.
He was usually around at meal times or at bedtime, just answering basic questions.
Normally, he acted carefree.
It was quite a change to see him so earnest and focused, teaching her; it made her a bit uncomfortable.
“Why are you just staring? Dig!”
“Oh!”
Before long, more people began arriving to dig for clams.
In this season, people were quite diligent, with Ye Yaodong being an exception.
After squatting for a short while, he began to feel his legs growing numb.
Standing up, he stretched his back and neck while looking out at the wide sea.
After digging for a bit, it was good to show a little effort, but he couldn’t appear too industrious.
As the tide continued to recede, many small boats were stranded nearby at the pier.
Because of the low tide, many had run aground, having to wait for the next high tide to return to the sea.
The time was now 9:30; the tide would reach its lowest point around 10:30 and then start rising again, fully filling by around 4:30 in the afternoon.
It would lower again by around 11:30 at night, and the high tide returned at about 7 in the morning.
Every day, the high and low tide shifted by about 50 minutes later than the previous day.
Although he had just been reborn today, a single glance at the water told Ye Yaodong when the tides would be for the next day.
No wonder his brothers wanted to check the tide and prepare the boats.
Approaching the full moon, the tide would drop even lower at midnight.
On the night of the full moon, the tide would be at its lowest around 12 o’clock; they would probably head out to sea around 1 or 2 a.m., when the tide wouldn’t be too high yet.
If the tide wasn’t right, the boats wouldn’t be able to go out.
(End of Chapter)