Chapter 274: Picking while draining water pits

Buddha's Hand Snails are relatively small; the one in Ye Cheng's hand is still fairly large, over 5 centimeters, each weighing 20-30 grams, about 15-25 per catty.

There were also a few small ones, only 2-3 centimeters, which Ye Cheng directly discarded.

The others are ordinary individuals, 3-5 centimeters, about 25-50 per catty.

Because Buddha's Hand Snails like to stay in reef crevices, Ye Cheng initially squatted to pick them, but later got tired and simply lay flat on the reef, giving him a feeling like archaeology.

The four people spread out, picking along the reef bit by bit.

Besides the upper part of the reef, there are also many underneath; today's water level is relatively high, and Ye Cheng saw that when the tide receded, the lower half of the reef was exposed, which also had many.

Those Buddha's Hand Snails down below feed well, individuals are large, and not harvesting them would be a bit wasteful.

Ye Cheng raised his head and said to Ye Guowei, "Brother, I see there are quite a few down there; I'll go into the sea to get them."

"In the sea? The sea is too dangerous, A Cheng; just stay above and do it." Ye Guowei said, a bit worried.

Not only is the situation on the sea bottom unclear, but the tide also comes crashing in; a moment's inattention could slam one into a rock.

"It's fine; I'm good in the water, you can rest assured."

After Ye Cheng said that, he originally wanted to find a place to go down, but after looking for a while he found no suitable spot, and instead saw a large water pit ahead.

Damn, a water pit—can't let that pass.

"Xiao Hu, look there." Ye Cheng called out to Xiao Hu, pointing ahead.

Xiao Hu stood up, his head a bit light‑headed, swayed slightly, then saw clearly and immediately understood,

"Brother, you want to drain the water pit again."

"If we don't drain it, we won't drain it anyway; since we have a water pump, let's go get it set up."

Xiao Hu nodded, put his things down first, then followed Ye Cheng back.

"A Cheng, you're not digging anymore?" Jiang Yunxiang lifted her head, glanced, and after squatting for half a day she was also a bit tired.

"Sister-in-law, there's a water pit; we'll go get the water pump over, drain it, and see if there's any catch."

"You really have everything, even brought a water pump." Jiang Yunxiang said, then continued working with her head down.

She is small‑built, so squatting is still relatively easy for her, while Ye Guowei, this big guy, found squatting there unbearable; seeing Ye Cheng and the other two go back to fetch things, he also stood up, joined them to carry the stuff, and got a bit of movement.

Three people can still lift two water pumps.

That water pit covers over 30 square meters; Ye Cheng threw a stone in to test, felt it wasn't very deep, and estimated it could be drained in a little over two hours.

After finding two suitable drainage spots, Ye Cheng tossed the water pump's hoses down; pulling them, the machine roared to life instantly, giving an immediate sense of getting to work.

"Two water pumps must cost several thousand, plus fuel; when will you break even?" Ye Guowei shook his head.

Ye Cheng chuckled proudly, "Brother, it's mainly for fun; otherwise, constantly squatting to pick Buddha's Hand Snails would make me feel like I'm digging myself out of depression."

"Hahaha, that shows you lack patience—look at your sister‑in‑law, she has patience." Ye Guowei teased.

"Your sister‑in‑law has been able to put up with you for so many years; she really does have patience." Ye Cheng muttered quietly.

My older brother is just passing the days, a good person, but a bit boring.

After settling here, Ye Cheng also couldn't be bothered to look for a spot; he took a running start and jumped into the sea with a splash.

The seawater was slightly cool; Ye Cheng adjusted his posture and swam toward the reef.

The seawater rose and fell; as he went down, the Buddha's Hand Snails were fully exposed, and indeed they were larger than those above.

Ye Cheng stood on the sea bottom, casually pulled one out; its body stretched out long, looking about 8 centimeters—a good specimen.

Using a bucket underwater is inconvenient, so Ye Cheng brought a net bag and directly tossed the Buddha's Hand Snails into it.

"A Cheng, how's it down there?" Ye Guowei shouted from above.

"Brother, no problem; the ones down there are all big catches." Ye Cheng replied, then focused on the work.

Working in the seawater is indeed tiring; after an hour, Ye Cheng felt his stamina draining excessively, just as he was about to surface for a rest, he felt a wave strike from behind.

Then a soft, limp thing smacked his forehead; Ye Cheng cursed, grabbed it off, turned his head, and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

Damn it, a big sea jellyfish, a big jellyfish.

This jellyfish is poisonous; it looks harmless, but its tentacles are covered with stinging cells containing toxins, and some jellyfish are even highly toxic. Fortunately, Ye Cheng didn't touch it with that move, or he'd surely have swollen up.

"Brother, brother!" Ye Cheng shouted loudly.

Ye Guowei stood up, "What's wrong?"

"Jellyfish, give me a net; I'll scoop it up."

Upon hearing it was a jellyfish, Xiao Hu and Jiang Yunxiang also stood up and came over, "A Cheng, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it didn't sting me; this one is fairly large, I'll haul it back to sell."

Jellyfish aren't expensive, but this one is relatively large; even if not sold, bringing it back to prepare as sea jellyfish to eat is fine.

Seeing Ye Cheng was unharmed, Ye Guowei set down his worries, threw a dip net down, and Ye Cheng, following the wave, got the jellyfish inside; it was quite heavy, estimated to sell for about 100 yuan.

After dealing with that sea jellyfish, Ye Cheng also came up to rest.

It was getting late; Jiang Yunxiang went to the boat to fetch the food, and the four found a shady spot to start lunch.

After work, eating is fragrant; Ye Cheng ate two bowls of rice by himself, and if Jiang Yunxiang hadn't brought insufficient rice, he could have had another bowl.

After resting a while, Ye Cheng went to check the water pump; the water had been mostly pumped out.

"Looks like there's nothing to catch," Xiao Hu said from the side; the water pit had no ripples at all, big fish were definitely gone, and it was unknown whether there was anything else.

In the afternoon they divided the labor: Ye Cheng continued harvesting Buddha's Hand Snails underwater, Ye Guowei and Jiang Yunxiang worked above, and Xiao Hu went first to collect the catch from the water pit.

As soon as he went down, Xiao Hu called out, "Brother, there are quite a few horse‑face fish."

Xiao Hu held up a brownish fish, about a catty or more, flat and thin.

"I said there must be something; dig a bit more carefully, at least earn back the fuel cost."

After Ye Cheng shouted that, he went back into the sea to continue his boring routine of picking Buddha's Hand Snails.

The Buddha's Hand Snails on the reef were processed quickly; Ye Guowei saw that not many were left, so he also went down into the sea and joined Ye Cheng in pulling them out underwater.

The four worked together until 4 p. m.; only then was this patch of Buddha's Hand Snails nearly finished. Seeing several water tanks gradually filling with the snails, Ye Cheng couldn't help but admire his own stamina—he actually managed to keep going that long.