Chapter 535: Aqing's excitement

Walking over one patch of high and low reefs after another, seeing the shellfish growing in patches on top, anyone with trypophobia would have gotten goosebumps.

However, he seemed to have seen wild kelp in the crevices?

"Kelp?"

The wind on the island was particularly strong, blowing the kelp on the reef until it fluttered out.

When he came over earlier, his attention had been entirely on the beach, and he hadn't looked carefully at the reefs on the side. Anyway, the goods on top wouldn't run away. Now, on his way back, he looked around and finally saw it.

Farmed kelp grows on ropes, while wild kelp clings to the reef and grows on rocks.

In this day and age, the villages around them didn't grow kelp. It seemed it would be a few years before the village committee learned the planting technology from another county and organized the villagers to plant it.

He couldn't remember clearly; it was too long ago, and he had always lived in a daze himself.

Thinking that wild kelp wasn't easy to get—it was rare in most places, and farmed kelp was even more non-existent—he hesitated for a moment and walked toward the edge of the reef.

He had originally wanted to dig up that patch of bamboo razor clams first and then slowly pry the goods off the rock walls, but now he would go over and take a look first; it wouldn't take much time.

Walking closer, the things dancing in the wind on the inner side were indeed kelp. He didn't know how long they had been growing; some were particularly large, blown by the wind until they lay flat against the rock, and only the small ones still fluttered in the wind.

Normal kelp isn't green but yellowish-brown. Connected to these rocks, from a distance, it looked like one piece, and it was impossible to tell whether it was a rock or something growing on it; it was very easy to overlook.

He put down the bucket, reached out his devilish claws, and pulled hard at the large patch of kelp, prying it off.

It had an irregular shape, thicker at the head and middle, and a bit thinner at the tail. Holding the whole sheet in his hand, it felt slippery and had a substantial, heavy feel.

Seeing them scattered around, some still in the crevices between the reefs, he didn't stand on ceremony and tore off all the large sheets. Since he had encountered them, the more the better; he threw them all into the sack.

Some grew on higher rocks, so he even climbed up.

The rocks covered by kelp were relatively slippery, and there were no barnacles growing on them. Looking at the smooth surface, just like the rock itself, it was really easy to be overlooked.

Tearing off this kelp was also particularly simple and easy. If he had a small knife, it would be even more convenient and efficient.

He threw them into the sack one by one until he had plucked almost everything in this small area, leaving only palm-sized pieces, before he stopped and jumped down.

The sack had also become heavy. The kelp carried moisture and was in large sheets, directly taking up 1/4 of the entire sack. Luckily, there wasn't much else inside, so it could accommodate it.

With both hands—the left hand heavy, the right hand also full—he looked at the bamboo sticks stuck in the beach not far away. He could only put those razor clams aside for now. He would carry these things back first and take a look at his wife while he was at it.

He always felt that bringing her out this time wasn't for fun, but to do hard labor...

As soon as they arrived, he left her alone there, letting her pry slowly to ensure a minimum harvest, while he wandered around aimlessly.

"Wife!"

"Ah! You're back. Did you catch a lot of fish again?" Lin Xiuqing turned around with a smile, put down her tools, and trotted toward him. "Filled the bucket again? And half a sack?"

Ye Yaodong kissed her cheek. "Are you bored being alone?"

"It's alright! What's there to be bored about when working? Everything is fine, why kiss me? Do you feel guilty for leaving me here alone?"

Aha, she was so sharp; she noticed his guilt immediately.

"Psh~ I'm rewarding you for being diligent and hardworking, and for catching a sesame grouper. Here's a loving encouragement."

Lin Xiuqing was so amused by him that her eyes disappeared. "Give it a rest! 'Loving encouragement,' where did you learn all this? You're getting more and more glib."

"Aren't you also listening very happily, feeling overjoyed?"

He didn't believe there was any woman who didn't like hearing nice words, especially the sweet talk from her own husband.

Lin Xiuqing gave him a reproachful glance, then glanced at the bucket. It was dogfish, nothing special; she had already seen a bucketful earlier.

She opened the sack and took a look, immediately surprised. "Hey? There's kelp too! Where did you pick it?"

"Over there," Ye Yaodong pointed in a direction. "There's a small patch of reef that curves inward. There wasn't much growing, so I tore off the large sheets. I didn't take the small palm-sized ones; I left them there so they can grow longer and be picked next year."

"This is good. A whole sheet can be dried, rolled up, and stored for a long time. In the mountains where we are, you can't even eat it if you want to. I'll send a few sheets to my father and mother when the time comes; our mother seems to like eating it too."

His mother likes it?

He really didn't know that. He was truly an unfilial son.

"Yeah, you handle it. Let's see if we can buy some pork ribs later when we go back. We'll make a pot of kelp and pork rib soup tonight. If we can't buy any, I'll go rob Fatty. There's basically no meat left, but I'm not worried about not having bones."

Lin Xiuqing laughed. "The Daheizi family at home will have something to eat again."

"Yeah, we've raised them for over half a year, and they're becoming more and more capable. Several times at night, I've heard the dogs barking wildly; they must have deterred quite a few petty thieves."

"I dug a sack of those shellfish too. They're too heavy, I can't even move them. Later, I just used the bucket to fill them up and then poured them into the sack, otherwise, it's a struggle just to move them. I didn't dare fill the sack too full, for fear it would be too heavy to move onto the boat later."

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"It's fine, you have me. I'll carry them later. You just fill the bucket and pour it in; do whatever is convenient. Don't be too meticulous about it; we'll have to sort them out when we get back anyway."

"Yeah," Lin Xiuqing responded with a smile. "Are you going over there again? There are also plenty of shelled things on the rocks here. The two of us definitely can't dig them all. Why don't you just dig here too? Don't go over there?"

"There's a small patch of bamboo razor clams on the beach over there. That can sell for some money. I plan to dig those up and then come over to keep you company."

"Then I'll go with you? It's better to have company when digging, so I don't have to be alone if I want to talk. If I had known, I would have called the eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law this morning. Anyway, they're just weaving fishing nets at home. Coming out for a trip might yield a better harvest, and we'd have company to talk to, so it wouldn't be boring."

He thought that his wife hadn't had many friends since she married him. Daily, she mostly interacted with his two sisters-in-law and his younger sister. Her relationship with the neighbors was even less than that with family, so it really seemed quite difficult for her.

"Next time! I'll bring you along next time to keep you company. If you feel bored, shall we go back first? It's noon, are you hungry?"

"Not hungry. I just ate a few white shrimp. It was my first time eating them raw, and they felt quite fresh and sweet."

"Yeah, these fresh wild seafood can be eaten raw. If you feel hungry or tired, shall we go back first?"

"No, no, it's not easy to come out for a trip. It's only noon, and the tide has just receded; the tide won't rise that fast."

"Alright, then let's go dig the razor clams together first."

Since she was in high spirits and wanted to continue, he definitely couldn't be a killjoy and mention the two children in front of her, making her worry and unable to have fun.

Lin Xiuqing happily emptied the bucket in her hand, put it in her hand, placed the tools inside, and then linked her arm with his.

Only then did she notice that he had thrown his rain boots on the beach and was barefoot.

"Hey, you're still barefoot?"

"Yeah, they got wet when I went into the water earlier, so I took them off. It's quite comfortable to step on the beach barefoot; it's soft."

"Then I'll take mine off too."

Lin Xiuqing threw her rain boots onto the beach, took off her socks and stuffed them inside, and rolled up her pant legs, revealing her fair and tender toes.

Two pairs of feet, one big and one small, were equally fair and tender.

She couldn't help but tease him: "Look at your feet, they're whiter than a woman's. Aren't you ashamed?"

And she used her toes to hook a small pinch of sand and flick it onto the back of his foot, and used the sole of her foot to smear it evenly on the back of his foot a few times.

Looking at the back of his foot, which was now speckled with brown sand, she retracted her foot with satisfaction.

Ye Yaodong looked at her rare, playful behavior and smiled, letting her grab him and step on him as she pleased.

"My feet aren't the whitest part."

"Then where is the whitest?"

"My butt! Do you want to take a look and verify it?"

"Go to hell!" Lin Xiuqing gave him a reproachful glare, let go of his arm, and trotted forward.

Ye Yaodong took the tools and the bucket and chased after her. "Sunshine, beach, waves, white butt—it's also very harmonious~"

"Hahaha~ you're so shameless~"

"I'm your man, what's there to be shameless about? I call this romantic interest~"

Lin Xiuqing laughed and laughed as she ran... ===== CHAPTER 536 =====