Chapter 111

The two of them didn't go anywhere far; of course, that spot at the village entrance was no good, already dug up.

Even though it was late, they still looked for a familiar place; the two rode a motorcycle and headed to that bay they'd visited before, having only explored half of it last time.

The motorcycle's roar was hidden among the surrounding insect chirps and bird calls, and even at dusk it wasn't that noticeable.

However, just as Ye Cheng and the others had ridden out of the village, a bicycle shot out of the darkness and chased after them fiercely.

They'd been there once before, and Ye Cheng knew the way well; it took only ten or so minutes to get there.

The two parked their motorcycle by the road, walked through a small grove, and arrived at the seaside, which was still as tranquil and peaceful as ever.

"Brother, this place would be perfect for filming a romance movie—sitting here at night watching the sea, it would definitely look great on camera."

Ye Cheng looked at Xiao Hu in surprise, "Damn, you've gotten all romantic lately—did you see a girl you like?"

Xiao Hu fidgeted a bit; his expression clearly showed his heart had been stirred.

Ye Cheng directly tossed over a cigarette, "Well, whether you like someone or not, finish your smoke and get to work—brother's going to tell you something."

"No, it's the truth: with money comes love; without money, don't even talk about love—you won't even have an affair."

Xiao Hu's pure, budding romance was completely doused by Ye Cheng's remark about an affair.

The two walked toward the beach with shovels; the moon rose, and under its light the pale seawater reflected strips of silver.

A shadow wriggled in the silver light—there was a catch.

Ye Cheng, cigarette in mouth, grabbed a net and walked over; that wriggle looked like a shrimp or small fish, perfect for a net.

Upon approaching, he saw a dark red creature swimming back and forth, its body jerking.

Ye Cheng casually threw a net at it, scooped it up—it had a dark red shell, its head bigger than that of a Pipi Shrimp.

"Brother, it's a lute shrimp."

This is the lute shrimp, also called the nine-toothed fan shrimp; it's not the traditional round shrimp but flat like a Pipi Shrimp, named for its tail resembling a lute.

However, Ye Cheng thought its head was the most distinctive feature, resembling the miraculous blue-blooded horseshoe crab—a wide, flat lid.

Lute shrimp are relatively small, unlike Pipi Shrimp that can grow large; they're usually about the size of a palm.

In terms of taste, both are delicious, and lute shrimp are slightly more expensive.

There are plenty of lute shrimp on this Beach; even if you don't know the color, they're conspicuous and easy to spot.

Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu walked side by side, scooping them up as they went.

There's no real skill to it—one net haul yields several; in half an hour they'd caught dozens, filling both buckets, after which Xiao Hu produced a Snakeskin Bag to transfer them into, emptying the buckets.

After walking a few steps further, something on the seabed contracted under the moonlight—a large patch, unknown what it was.

Ye Cheng approached cautiously, prodded it with a shovel, and it contracted even more sharply; the yellow flesh snapped back into the sand, revealing a large yellowish-brown shell half-buried.

Ye Cheng grabbed it and pulled hard—it was tough, so he had to squat, grip it with both hands, and yank it out; this was a coconut snail.

Coconut snails are famously large, up to over ten catties; this one Ye Cheng had weighed seven or eight catties, feeling heavy and solid in his hand.

However, the meat of the coconut snail is somewhat tough and not great tasting, so it's much cheaper than the whelk—about ten yuan per catty.

But because they're big, a single one can sell for seventy or eighty yuan.

"Brother, what is this?" Xiao Hu called from a few meters away.

Ye Cheng chuckled, heaved with both hands, and flung the coconut snail over, shouting, "Catch!"

"Damn! What the hell." Xiao Hu exclaimed, stumbled back a few steps, and finally managed to catch the coconut snail by turning sideways; not expecting it to be so heavy, his hand sank sharply before he steadied it.

"A coconut snail—this head is good." Seeing what was in his hand, Xiao Hu immediately brightened.

"Just put it straight in the Snakeskin Bag; it won't fit in the bucket." Ye Cheng said.

"Okay." Xiao Hu opened a second Snakeskin Bag and tossed it in.

Having just finished with the first coconut snail, Ye Cheng spotted a second one, also half-lying in the sand.

It's hard not to notice; though he'd originally overlooked it, after seeing the first he instinctively looked more carefully.

And something that big is easy to spot at a glance.

Ye Cheng hurried over; before he could act, something twitched under his foot.

He looked down—another lute shrimp; tonight seemed to be shaping up for a big haul.

"Xiao Hu, there are lute shrimp over here too," Ye Cheng shouted.

"Coming, brother—I've also got a coconut snail over here; let me get it out." Xiao Hu replied.

Ye Cheng temporarily ignored the lute shrimp, first picking up the coconut snail—another seven or eight catties.

Soon Xiao Hu walked over holding something like a big ingot—another coconut snail, even larger than Ye Cheng's, estimated at just under ten catties, cradled like a golden doll.

After placing the coconut snails, Xiao Hu was about to grab his net for lute shrimp when Ye Cheng suddenly seized him, made a hushing gesture, and pointed behind.

"Brother, what's up? Wild boar?" Xiao Hu whispered.

Mentioning wild boar was a joke; these days, a wild rabbit would be more plausible.

"No, it sounds like someone's coming—hide." Ye Cheng whispered.

Having said that, he pulled Xiao Hu to crouch behind a nearby reef, peeking from the stone's side.

From behind, a soft rustling came from the woods; a figure pushed through the brush, holding a net and shovel, plus other beachcombing gear.

Because he was side‑on, Ye Cheng couldn't make out who it was, but he could tell it was someone out gathering.

"Brother, this place is so remote, yet we still run into someone gathering—what luck," Xiao Hu muttered, starting to rise.

Ye Cheng's expression turned grave as he grabbed Xiao Hu, lowering his voice: "There's no such coincidence; be careful—let's see what they're really after."

Besides the nice scenery, given Ye Cheng's years of experience with gangster films, this sort of spot is also used in movies for drug handoffs—maybe a boat would show up from the sea for an on‑spot deal.

Damn, I couldn't be that unlucky, could I?