Chapter 334: Seagull

A group of children kept crowding around the stove; Ye Mu chased them away but they wouldn't leave, some even wanting to help stoke the fire, until she scolded them a few times and they went off to the side, scratching their heads and craning their necks, waiting there.

Lin Lin Guangyuan asked curiously, "Are seabird eggs tasty?"

"They should be tasty, right? Chicken eggs are all tasty, so seabird eggs must be tasty too."

"You haven't eaten them?"

"Where would we eat them?"

"Aren't you people from the seaside? People from the seaside haven't eaten seabird eggs?"

"Who said people from the seaside must have eaten seabird eggs?"

They were discussing it there, all talking at once.

Ye Fu smiled and said, "Seabird eggs are tasty. Seabirds are different from birds in Lin Zili; seabirds often lay eggs on the ground or in piles of loose rocks. You just have to rely on luck. It's easier to pick them up on the islands."

Lin Lin Guangyuan suddenly understood, "I was wondering why we found seabird eggs on the ground back then, and found them nest by nest. Sometimes we'd find over a dozen at once, and not far away there would be more, all on the ground."

"Normal."

"Alright, alright, it's ready to come out of the pot. Stand to the side; I'm going to lift the lid. Don't get in the way here."

Hearing Ye Mu say this, they immediately stood to the side, calling out excitedly, "Finally ready!"

Ye Mu took a small basket, scooped all the seabird eggs into it to let the water drip off, then poured them into a large bowl and carried it to the table.

"Be careful, it's hot. Wait until it cools down a bit before eating..."

"I want the big ones!"

"I want the big ones too!"

"I want some too, I want the big ones..."

Ye Mu's head started to ache hearing this. "They're all about the same."

Seabirds vary in size, and seabird eggs vary too; some are as big as goose eggs, others as small as quail eggs.

When she put them in the pot just now, she made a point to sort them; otherwise, when it came time to share, it wouldn't be fair and they'd start arguing again. Every time food was divided, a few would claim it wasn't fair and start crying.

That's how it is with so many children; a whole string of grandsons.

The children didn't mind the heat. As soon as the bowl was set on the table, they all rushed forward, each grabbing one, then constantly switching from left hand to right hand and right hand to left hand because it was so hot, blowing on them continuously with their mouths open.

"I told you it's hot. If you wait to eat it, won't it be too late?"

"It's not hot, it's not hot..."

"Give them all to me; I'll soak them in cold water..."

"No need..."

One by one, they started tapping them against the side of the stove; some even tapped them on other people's heads...

Then they went "huff, huff" peeling off the shells. Seeing the pearly white egg white, they couldn't wait to finish peeling the rest of the shell and just took a big bite, rolling it around in their mouths a couple of times before they could swallow.

After Ye Yaodong had eaten his fill, he put down his bowl and chopsticks. Seeing their frantic expressions, he couldn't help but say, "What's the rush? We're giving them all to you anyway. If you wait until it cools down, won't it be too late? You swallow it without even chewing twice; do you even know what it tastes like?"

The whole group looked a bit dazed; it was as if they hadn't tasted anything?

Ye Yaodong shook his head, ignored them, went inside to check on the mother and daughter, but since he was dirty, he didn't dare touch them. He just stood nearby, watching them for a while with amusement, then took his clothes and went out again, preparing to take a shower.

As soon as he went out, he heard them exclaiming "Wow, wow" again.

"This yolk is so big!"

"Mine is too!"

"Huh? I already bit into it!"

The others who hadn't reached the yolk yet quickly ate the egg white, leaving the yolk to roll around in their palms.

"Mine is bigger!"

"Mine is bigger than yours!"

"Mine is the biggest!"

Seabird eggs are often larger than forest bird eggs, and the yolk ratio is often higher, perhaps because the birds themselves are larger, whether albatrosses, great egrets, sea ducks, or gannets.

Of course, there are many small ones too, such as gulls, petrels, and some wading birds.

Ye Yaodong heard this and felt a vein throbbing on his forehead; what nonsense were they talking?

He frowned, glanced at the children, flicked Mao Jin, draped it over his shoulder, and headed for the back door.

He happened to look up at the sky; under the night, the starry sky was exceptionally bright, dotted with countless stars, making it clear that tomorrow would be good weather again.

Although the boat was bumped today, it operated without any incidents until it returned. He planned to go out to sea as usual. If he asked someone to come inspect it, that would waste a whole day.

The Fishing season is only a few days long, and it's often delayed by rain and wind. There are only a limited number of days for fishing. He couldn't bear to stop now; the loss for one day would be huge. Anyway, Little Ah Zheng's boat was operating nearby.

Earlier, while eating, Lin Fu and Lin Mu said that if there was no rain or wind at night, they would go with him again, returning the day after tomorrow.

After all, this money-making opportunity was quite rare; earning over 30 a day was really a lot.

Ye Yaodong had no objections; this was just a side benefit. He didn't mind helping his father-in-law and mother-in-law earn some money; this was money they earned through their own labor.

However, while he was taking a shower, Ye Ye Chenghai sneaked over.

"Third Uncle, can you take me with you tonight? I don't have school tomorrow."

Ye Yaodong paused while scrubbing his body with Mao Jin, looked over, and said, "Go tell your father; let him take you."

Ye Ye Chenghai hesitated and said, "Will he agree to take me?"

"Why wouldn't he agree? Just tell him you want to experience how hard being a fisherman is, so you'll cherish your studies more in the future. Anyway, you don't have school tomorrow. Going along will add an extra pair of hands to pick up more. Just stay on the small island and don't run around. You're not a little kid anymore; you can at least help the family with some chores during your free time to earn some money to supplement the household expenses. Just say that."

Ye Ye Chenghai was stunned by what he said, then blinked his eyes.

"Third Uncle, what you said makes so much sense! Why didn't I think to persuade him that way?"

"Because you're a clever fool!"

"Huh?"

What kind of adjective is that?

"Why aren't you going to tell them already?"

"Oh, right, right!" He scrambled off at once. His parents had only just gotten back a little while ago and were still at the door.

But after only a few steps, he turned around and came back.

"Third Uncle, say it again—how did you put it?"

Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes and repeated it for him once more.

Ye Ye Chenghai also muttered it under his breath, reciting it once, then said happily, "I've got it!"

Right after that, he took off at full tilt.

Ye Yaodong shook his head and went on with his bath. He'd never seen the boy memorize anything that fast when it came to studying—every one of them thought going out to sea was great fun.

When he was nearly done washing and was tipping the last basin of water over his feet to rinse off, Ye Ye Chenghai came gusting over like a whirlwind again, shouting excitedly as he ran, "Third Uncle, Third Uncle, it worked, you're amazing!"

"Pfft—"

Ye Yaodong shot him a glance, then kept rubbing his two feet together to rinse off and called it done.

"So how are you going to thank me?"

"Still need to thank you? Then I'll split tomorrow's seabird eggs with you half and half, and tell Ye Ye Chengjiang to split his with you too. Second Aunt said he could come along as well, and he was so happy his grin nearly split his face."

"Oh, so you're not going to pick up squid, you're going to pick up seabird eggs!"

"Hehe, I'll pick up both."

"Fine then, each of you hand over half your seabird eggs as a finder's fee!" he said, picking up the washbasin and towel and heading inside as he spoke.

Lin Lin Guangyuan listened and was a bit speechless. "Little Uncle-in-law, you're so sly—giving a little tip and charging a finder's fee for it."

"Of course. Something that comes knocking on its own, no sense turning it away. Don't forget to pay your boat fee tomorrow, pick up a little more, and I'll toss you a few as a reward."

"Hmph hmph—"

Ye Skinflint!

Lin Lin Guangyuan rolled his eyes, took the washbasin from him, and figured he'd rinse off too. He'd been wearing Ye Ye Chenghai's clothes for the past few days—although the sleeves and trouser legs were a bit short, the weather was warm so it wasn't a big problem.

By nightfall, they went out to sea as usual, but Lin Fu, Lin Mu, and Lin Lin Guangyuan were clearly not as energetic as the day before.

"Buck up, it's only been two days!"

"Little Uncle-in-law, you really work us hard."

"You bet. Pick up a few more seabird eggs for me later to make up for it."

Lin Lin Guangyuan pursed his lips. Forget it, pretend he never said anything.

Going out to sea today, there were no more clueless ones getting in the way—it went smoothly the whole time. They split off with Ah Zheng and Xiao Xiao to the two sides of the island to work separately, not getting in each other's way.

But by mid-afternoon the wind picked up and the waves grew big. They forced themselves to keep working for a while, but later realized it really wasn't working—the boat was rocking badly, and waves were slapping them in the face when they hauled in the nets.

Ah Zheng and Xiao Xiao's boat came over too and told them they couldn't keep at it, so everyone could only regretfully call it a day early.

Over on Lin Fu and Lin Mu's side, it wasn't affected, and the big waves washed in plenty of squid too—they picked up even more than yesterday. The ones with shells alone were a whole sack more than yesterday, three sacks in all. Lin Mu was so happy she couldn't close her mouth; they hadn't even reached evening yet and already had a bumper harvest.

The joy of tide-picking is a full harvest.

"Not bad, Ma. You pried up more than yesterday today."

Lin Mu smiled so much the corners of her eyes creased, overjoyed. "I've got the hang of it today, pried a bit faster, and I went to dig early too. These seabirds really are too many, so annoying."

Lin Fu straightened up too and asked in confusion, "Didn't you go catch squid? Why'd you come back so suddenly?"

"The wind picked up, the waves kept getting bigger, we couldn't keep working, had to head back."

"Huh? That fast?" Lin Mu looked up at the waves on the sea. "Seems pretty big, all right."

Lin Fu had also felt the waves were a bit big just now, but he wasn't a coastal person and didn't know about these things. Now that he knew they had to head back early, he felt it was a bit of a pity, but safety first.

"Then let's head back early, first haul all this cargo onto the boat." After saying that, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted toward the hill for Lin Lin Guangyuan.

Lin Lin Guangyuan's voice drifted faintly back from the woods.

He and Lin Fu first hauled the few full sacks of shellfish beside them onto the boat, waiting for Lin Lin Guangyuan along the way.

After they finished hauling the few full sacks, his shoulders were red over a large area. Lin Mu pointed at a sack in the corner. "There's still that one…"

"I'm coming, I'm coming…" Lin Lin Guangyuan's excited voice came from far away.

They turned to look and saw Lin Lin Guangyuan run out of the woods, step onto the reef, and throw down a string of white animals from above?

White animals?

Ye Yaodong took a closer look—weren't those seabirds?

Egrets? Pelicans? Seagulls?

"Holy crap! Where'd you get so many seabirds?"

Lin Lin Guangyuan carefully climbed down from the reef and handed the bucket to Ye Yaodong, asking him to hold it, before leaping down himself.

"Because I've got a secret weapon!"

He grinned, flashing his twelve white teeth, then pulled a slingshot out of his pocket.

"Look! I came prepared today!"

Lin Mu said happily too, "Caught so many again."

"Again?"

"There are a few in that sack beside you too."

Only then did Ye Yaodong open the sack beside him—he'd assumed it was squid too.

When he opened it, there really were a few seabirds inside, all fairly big ones, and he was immediately delighted.

"Not bad aim."

Lin Lin Guangyuan said, a little smugly, "Of course. When I make a move, I always hit—every shot lands. Sparrows are that tiny and I can still hit them, let alone these seabirds."

"Yesterday I already found them annoying—chase them off and they won't leave, drive them away and they fly right back. Last night I borrowed a slingshot from Ahe, and told Brother Ahai and Ajiang to bring their slingshots along too."

"Look, I only picked the big ones to shoot—these are definitely meaty!"

"Uncle-in-law, does seabird meat taste good?"

He swallowed his saliva. "I've never even eaten seabird before!"

Ye Yaodong flicked his forehead. "Seagulls can't be hunted."

"Others are fine. The egret was only listed as a protected animal in '89, and other seabirds were listed around the same time."

"Why? Is there a seagull in here? I don't even recognize them!"

"There's one, and one egret. The rest are boobies. Boobies are pretty clumsy on land."

"Right, right. A few do look kind of dumb. Why can't you catch seagulls?"

"We'll talk when we're back on the boat. The wind's picking up and the waves are a bit rough. Let's hurry back first."

As he spoke, he picked up a string of seabirds and stuffed them all into a burlap sack. They were surprisingly heavy, and the feathers had been dragged through the dirt—patches of black and white, all mud. Still, he had managed to drag them back.

Lin Lin Guangyuan followed at his side, walking and sighing regretfully: "What a pity I'm too small to drag them, otherwise I could've taken down a few more. Once I realized I couldn't drag them, I went and raided some seabird nests. These few were really just picked up along the way. I saw them fly from the shore into Lin Zili, so I casually shot them down."

"Get on the boat first."

Ye Fu was on the boat helping receive the cargo.

Once everything was loaded onto the boat, they headed back. Xiao Ah-Zheng and the others' boat was also waiting nearby, and they all returned together.

Ye Yaodong rubbed his shoulder and said to Lin Mu: "We're heading back early today. Once we're back, we'll dump the goods and sort through them to see if there's anything valuable. We can sell it for some money."

"Aren't these shells all pretty worthless?"

"Some are worth money, like the goose-necked barnacle, though I doubt there are any. We came to this island before and didn't see any. But larger snails can still be sold for money."

Lin Mu nodded with a smile.

"Uncle-in-law, you still haven't said why seagulls can't be hunted?" Lin Lin Guangyuan asked again as soon as he got on the boat.

"Seagull, seagull, my friend, seagull~ Our good friend~"

"Didn't your teacher teach you this song?"

Lin Lin Guangyuan blinked. "Seems like I've heard it."

"Ahem~" Ye Yaodong cleared his throat. "Today let me give you a lesson. Besides eating fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish, seagulls also love picking at the leftovers people throw away on ships, so they're also called the harbor cleaners."

"Seagulls are also 'forecasters' of safe navigation at sea. When sailing on the sea, ships often run aground on reefs or get stranded because they're unfamiliar with the waters, or have maritime accidents due to sudden weather changes. Experienced fishermen all know that seagulls often perch around shoals, rocks, or hidden reefs, flying in groups and crying out—this is undoubtedly a signal to people to watch out for reefs."

"Oh! Is that so?" Lin Lin Guangyuan looked half-understanding.

Lin Fu and Lin Mu beside him, on the other hand, understood perfectly.

"Also, they have the habit of flying in and out along the harbor. When you're lost at sea or in heavy fog, observing the direction seagulls fly can help you find the harbor."

"Alright, so which one is it? Take it out and let me see what it looks like? They all look pretty much the same to me?"

"What does it look like? Like a bird, obviously! What else could it look like?"

As he spoke, Ye Yaodong pulled out the badly injured seagull from the sack, half-dead from being dragged. "This one is a seagull."

"If it flies close to the sea surface, the weather will be sunny. If they linger along the shore, the weather will gradually worsen."

"If seagulls leave the water and fly high, flocking from far out at sea toward the coast, or if groups of seagulls gather on the beach or in rock crevices, it signals that a storm is about to come."

The reason seagulls can foresee storms is that their bones are hollow tubes, without marrow but filled with air.

This not only aids flight but also works much like a barometer, able to predict weather changes in time.

In addition, the hollow feather shafts on a seagull's wings are also like small barometers, able to sensitively detect changes in air pressure.

Lin Lin Guangyuan scratched his head. "No matter how I look at them, they all look pretty much the same?"

"You're blind, that's why!"

"Hmph, I'm not a coastal person!"