Chapter 594: Sea-Green (Extra Chapter for Alliance Leader Aliaeti)

After entering the twelfth lunar month, Mother Ye had already gone ahead and picked out all the auspicious days of the month, written them down, and told them about it—folks in the countryside like to pick an auspicious day for everything they do.

The sixth and ninth of the month are both good days, so they set tomorrow, the sixth, to deliver the New Year's gifts.

Even for the big year-end housecleaning, they have to pick an auspicious day to wash the house and yard.

Yesterday when Lin Lin Xiuqing went to the market, she had already prepared everything in advance, and had also pre-ordered a pig's trotter from Fatty's father-in-law, but plans can't keep up with changes.

In the morning they noticed the sea was calm, with a faint red glow on the horizon.

It had been blowing for ten-odd days already—who'd have thought it would clear up today.

The neighbors in the next few households were also saying that if there was no wind or waves at night, they'd head out to sea and cast a net to have a look.

Ye Yaodong was also mulling it over—on a cold day like this, who knew when the wind would pick up again.

At night he'd either drag one net first to have a look; if there was a catch, he'd keep dragging nets, and if the catch wasn't much, there'd still be time to set out gill nets.

It's just that with gill nets, once you set them today, they have to stay out a whole day, and you'd only go collect them early tomorrow morning—that takes some time, and who knows if the weather will hold tomorrow? Drag nets are a bit more convenient.

As for not making it to deliver the New Year's gifts tomorrow, it's no big deal—there's still the ninth in three days, also a good day for going out, or if it really doesn't work out, the sixteenth is a good day too.

It's not the first year anyway, being a bit late doesn't matter; his father-in-law and mother-in-law would surely say making money comes first.

Lin Lin Xiuqing thought so too. "If the weather stays good from now on, I can go back alone to deliver the New Year's gifts—leave early, come back late, and have Ye Ye Dasao and Ye Ye Ersao watch the kids."

"Let's see first, no rush. I'll go return the pig's trotter in a bit and buy another in a couple of days. Tonight I'll drag one net first; if there's good catch, I can keep some fresh to bring along."

She nodded with a smile.

"I'm going out for a walk."

At this point, a few of the Zhou and Lan brothers from next door came over to ask him if he still wanted dried fish—if he did, they'd keep setting some aside to dry when they went out to sea tonight.

Ye Yaodong certainly did. The dried fish he had on hand was only enough for one more trip; if he didn't go to sea again, after delivering the New Year's gifts at his father-in-law's he'd planned to go into the city and buy a few thousand jin, haul a few cartloads back to dry, or he'd have to break his word.

They too were unsure—after all, it had been nearly ten days since he last went out, and they didn't know if he still wanted any, so they had to ask in advance.

Only after getting a definite answer did they feel at ease.

Ye Yaodong also told Lin Lin Xiuqing that if anyone came by to ask, give them a definite yes. He planned to go walk around outside the dock and check on the boat while he was at it.

It had been many days since he'd gone out to sea; if he was going out tonight, he definitely had to prepare in advance—cramming at the last minute was asking for trouble.

Outside the dock there weren't many people at this time; only when boats were going out did the dock get busy with people coming and going.

Still, not long after he came out, a few scattered people also came out to check the rising and falling of the tide, to figure out what time to head out tonight.

After Ye Yaodong finished checking the boat and found nothing wrong, he was about to head back ashore, but he saw a few women coming out carrying baskets.

They chatted as they walked; from their talk he learned they were taking advantage of the low tide to go dig some moss off the rocky cliffs at the outer corner to take home for soup.

It's the green fuzz that grows on the rock face—they locally call it sea-green. The sea water these days is still very clean, unpolluted, and the moss that grows is still a vivid, clean green, an edible sea vegetable.

Sea vegetables have a fairly long growing season, from winter all the way to early summer, except in winter they usually grow out at sea, and there's less of it on the rocks along the shore.

It's not exactly a rare item, and few people are willing to wade into the freezing sea water to gather it. At most, when they spot some on the shore, they casually pluck a few handfuls to take home and cook into egg drop soup, dough-drop soup, or even cold-dressed as a side.

In winter and spring it's still tender; after May first it gets rather tough, and locally no one's willing to eat it then.

Watching the women step onto the rocks by the shore to pluck sea-green, he thought for a moment—it's almost noon, might as well go pluck a couple of handfuls too and make an egg and sea-green soup.

Living by the sea, you eat what the sea gives; lately it's been radish soup, potato and pickled-vegetable soup every day, he's about sick of it.

Anyone who's never seen sea vegetables probably can't picture what they look like—they're closer to seaweed, but finer and more fragmented than seaweed, like strands of hair, only green.

Ye Yaodong saw that what was growing on the rocks looked fairly long—no wonder people came to pick it. These women really knew every edible thing along the coast like the back of their hands.

Otherwise in the past it was too short, and on a freezing cold day, no one would come out to brave the sea wind to pick this.

He tugged up several handfuls, and only stopped once he had a ball of it in his palm.

Enough to eat is fine—it's nothing rare; a small handful can cook a big bowl of soup.

People who've never eaten it might not care for it much—this sea-green has a certain smell to it, not a fishy smell, but a grassy smell. Locally though, they're used to eating it.

Back in the days when there wasn't enough to eat, how could you be picky? Having something to eat was already good.

Ye Yaodong hadn't eaten it in many years, and was feeling a bit nostalgic for the taste.

Many things often aren't all that delicious, but when you happen to see them you get a special craving, because what you're really eating is a memory and a feeling—like malt sugar.

The women nearby, seeing him pick sea-green, started whispering among themselves, chatting about his recent big moves buying up dried fish in the village, and about his shop and the like.

Ye Yaodong pretended he hadn't heard a thing, automatically tuning it out, and went straight back ashore for home—anyway, he knew he was already the village celebrity.

Lin Lin Xiuqing was stir-frying and, seeing him go to the dock and come back with a handful of sea-green, hurried to say, "Did you go down into the water to get it? I've already made radish soup—how do you want this sea-green prepared?"

"Radish soup again? Then save it for tonight, and make a sea-green and egg soup."

"Eat radish in winter, eat ginger in summer—the fields are full of radishes, if we don't eat radish soup, what soup are we supposed to eat?"

"Fine then, we'll switch it up tonight. Just now on the way back I saw a few old aunties picking this, so I plucked a handful along the way. In a couple of days, should we pick a basketful to bring back for your parents too?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing said with a laugh, "Bring it back for what? It's not like they haven't eaten before—always hauling stuff back to your maiden family, people will laugh at us."

"Laugh at what? I was just thinking they probably haven't eaten this sea vegetable from our coast."

"They won't be used to the taste. I couldn't get used to it at first either—a grassy smell."

"Alright then."

"Did you fill the boat up with fuel?"

"No, I just did an inspection. I'll buy a barrel to bring along when we board the boat tonight."

"Oh."

She gave the dried lizardfish in the pan a few more stirs before plating it. "How about I take a small pinch and pan-fry it with eggs? With this much of a bundle, you can cook two batches."

"Sure, up to you."

Ye Yaodong took the plate from her hand, not afraid of the heat, and reached in to sneak a piece of dried lizardfish.

"You just finished work and came back without washing your hands and you're already eating—how dirty is that?"

"As long as it's cleaner than the two boys—one has stiff snot on his sleeve, the other has dirt."

"You're an adult, they're children—how can you compare yourself to them?"

"Mm, don't mind."

"Ahhhh…" Ye Ye Xiaoxi stood in the standing cage beside him, watching her father sneak a bite, and hurriedly grabbed the bamboo slats above, swaying as she stood up, crying ah-ah-ah there, drool hanging down.

Ye Yaodong looked on, amused. "How can she be this greedy?"

The old lady held a bowl of steamed egg custard, blowing on it, and laughed: "Can't even eat fast enough — the moment it came out of the pot, she started crying."

"Take a big bowl, put some cool water inside, set the egg custard on top — it'll cool faster."

"Just afraid it'll be cold by the end. Blow on it a bit and it'll be fine."

"Ahhh~"

"Papa, call me Papa~"

"Aye~ ahhh~ oops~"

After standing too long, her legs probably ran out of strength, and Ye Ye Xiaoxi plopped right back down on her bottom, even letting out an oops sound — unbearably cute to hear.

Ye Yaodong's old-father heart nearly melted, his face full of smiles.

"My daughter is still the cutest!"

"Mm, let the boys argue and fight all they want, I don't care — a daughter is cute no matter how you look at her." Lin Lin Xiuqing turned her head and teased.

"Mm, that's just how it is. Boys don't need minding."