The four of them worked together to load everything on the boat.
In total, they had five large sacks: two filled with small clam shells, one big sack of scallops, two mixed sacks containing sea cucumbers, Buddha's hand fruit, snails, and cowrie shells.
They also filled a whole bucket with bamboo clams and small abalone, while another bucket was packed with sea chicken feet and turtle eggs.
The crabs and fish were tossed into a bamboo basket, as there wasn’t enough room for everything.
The king crab’s legs were tied, and it was thrown onto the boat as there was simply no space left for it.
The entire boat was packed full of goods, with bags piled high.
Fortunately, the tide had come in, the water covering the outer reef rocks, and they had waited until the tide was fully in before setting off.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to push the boat.
“Dongzi, aren’t you worried it’s too much? It seems like a hassle to take all this back. If you can’t eat it all, isn’t it just a waste of effort to give it away?” Ah Guang, after helping to lift the last bag of shellfish aboard, wiped his sweat.
That bag wasn’t light; the shells alone made it heavy.
Xiao Xiao chimed in, “Yeah, I already thought bringing back two bags was a lot. A bag of small clams probably weighs just over ten jin, and with so many people at home, we can eat it for two to three days.”
“Not to worry about giving it away. My mother told me to dig up more; she wants to dry out the meat and store it for later. With so many mouths to feed at home, including the workers, the consumption is quite large,” Ah Zheng replied, smacking his lips.
“Your mother really knows how to budget; she doesn’t mind the hard work. How long will it take to dig all that?”
“With many people who can help at home, there are three daughters-in-law and a daughter. It shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
“That’s true; having more sons is better; more hands to work with.”
Ye Yaodong glanced sideways at Xiao Xiao, someday he would understand the value of having a daughter.
Sons, ah… they’d just run off to work for their wives’ families.
“Is everything loaded onto the boat? Don’t leave anything behind; I won’t make a special trip back for it.”
“It should all be here; we loaded our things ages ago. If anything’s missing, it’s yours; don’t blame me, heh heh~ Let’s set sail.”
Ye Yaodong shot a sideways glance at Ah Zheng, “Don’t you think you’re missing something?”
“Missing something? No way!” Ah Zheng, uncertain, scanned the boat, “No; I’ve got a bucket and two sacks.”
“Then I’ll be setting off. Don’t call me back for your fire tongs. Let your mother give you a good thrashing.”
“Ah, the fire tongs? Where did I put it?”
He jumped off the boat and ran to the beach to search.
It turned out he had just absentmindedly left them on the rocks when he helped Dongzi carry shellfish earlier; they were all covered in gray and black, no wonder he hadn’t noticed.
“Ha ha, found it, I’m heading back now!”
Ah Guang sat on the boat and teased him, “Got your face slapped, didn’t you?”
“Humph…”
Ah Zheng huffed a couple of times but fell silent.
Ye Yaodong checked once more, ensuring nothing was left behind before starting the boat back.
By now, the sun was nearly setting, and he was eager to return.
He had spent the whole day out and was feeling quite tired.
His father should have been home by now, considering the tide had come in for a while.
During lunchtime, the heavy sea wolf fish had filled everyone’s bellies, and on their way back, they just wanted to get home quickly without the hassle of casting nets again.
Fishing was hardly easier than dragging nets out at sea, especially having to climb the steep rocks.
Luckily, the tide had receded completely, leaving the rocks exposed, and they didn’t have to worry about slipping and being washed out to sea.
If they had come at any other time besides high tide, the danger level would have skyrocketed.
As he paddled the boat close to the port, he found boats of all sizes packed around the dock.
He was among the last to arrive, unsure if there were any boats still out.
Once his boat was docked, they started lifting the goods, carrying them down in pairs, bag by bag, to the shore.
Since they had used burlap sacks, the passersby at the port couldn’t see what was inside.
Some curious folks approached and asked about the contents.
They simply replied, “Nothing much.”
It wasn’t any of their business, so why bother explaining everything?
When they didn’t say much, others were left wanting to know more, murmuring with intrigue before returning to their own matters.
After borrowing a cart from Ah Cai, they loaded the items onto it, bringing down several water buckets from the boat as well.
Thinking about the potentially valuable shellfish they had loaded, Ye Yaodong decided not to hurry in sending the large king crab to Ah Cai.
Instead, he planned to take it home first and sort through everything before finally delivering it all.
The group happily delivered their goods home one by one, starting from the closest.
Ye Yaodong was the third to arrive, with Ah Guang living at the farthest end.
Upon reaching the Ye family home, everyone was waiting anxiously for him.
The sun had already set, and they were worried about his first solo outing at sea.
Lin Xiuqing was also anxious, sitting at the door peering out.
Only when she saw him and Ah Guang’s figures did she rush inside and call out, “Why are you back so late? Next time, let us know if you’ll be late. The whole family has been worried about you.”
“We went together, so what’s there to fear? Today we just collected a lot of shellfish, which took some extra time,” Ye Yaodong replied.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
After Ye’s mother emerged and saw the entire cart filled with sacks, her eyes widened in surprise.
“This crab is huge! How many jin is it? It must weigh over three jins, right? Why didn’t you take it to Ah Cai?”
“No rush; there are more things in the sacks. I’ll sort through them later before taking the king crab over. For now, let’s move everything inside.”
“Okay, okay! Eldest and second brothers, help carry the sacks to the back yard.”
“Alright!”
Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua looked on with envy at Dongzi.
How did he always come home with his hands full? Today, he had brought back such a big crab.
Ye Ersao made a snide comment from the side, “Dongzi really got lucky with that little wooden boat.”
Ye Yaodong didn’t even raise his eyes and ignored her words, addressing his brothers instead, “Two bags are Ah Guang’s; don’t carry those by mistake.”
“Got it.”
It was mealtime, and every household was busy eating.
The entrance was clear, with no one around, providing a peaceful atmosphere.
After moving the goods, Ye’s mother smiled and invited Ah Guang to join them for dinner.
“No, I’ll head back to eat.”
“Don’t be polite; just eat at my house. It’s just a matter of a few extra chopsticks. You’ve worked all day; fill your stomach first.” Ye Yaodong insisted, pulling him inside for a meal.
“But I eat a lot…”
“Can you really eat enough to empty my family’s pantry?”
Ye’s mother laughed and added, “Yes, you only have two younger sisters now; they might have finished eating by this time. Just stay and eat with us.”
Ah Guang couldn’t refuse and had to stay thick-skinned, thinking he’d help out more at their new home tomorrow.
(End of Chapter)