Chapter 9: Unexpected Harvest

Ye Yaodong's gaze shifted from the boats back to the surrounding rocks, which were covered with dense clusters of tiny mussels, small cockles, and oyster shells already stripped of their meat.

These rocks had been visited far too often; any mussels or cockles of decent size had long been picked clean, leaving only the extremely small ones, about the size of a pinky fingernail, still clinging to the stone.

At this size, they were mostly shell, with meat probably smaller than a booger, unfit for eating, yet whenever the tide receded, a few that had grown larger could inevitably be found.

Right now, people were scouring the rock faces with tools, and his mother was one of them.

He stepped closer to look; his mother held a water ladle in one hand, with a small basket hanging from her wrist.

The ladle already contained a few freshly pried small oysters, while the basket held some slightly larger cockles and small spicy snails.

"Mother, this dense patch will blind anyone just looking at it; why don't you go dig for sand clams instead?"

While prying oyster shells off the rocks with a screwdriver, Ye Mu said, "There are so many people at home digging already; I'm just getting a few oysters to make oyster omelets tonight, since the children haven't had them in a while."

"There's barely anything here; isn't our boat repaired? Just let Father take you to the isolated island to dig. For now, let's stick to sand clams; in two hours, the tide will cover this beach again."

"You make it sound so easy; the rocks on the isolated island are incredibly slippery and hard to stand on. If a wave crashes over, I could easily be swept back into the sea to meet Goddess Mazu."

"Ah, that's unlikely; just pick a calm day with a low tide to go."

Ye Mu lifted her eyelids and glanced at him sideways, "Then calculate for me exactly which day and month will be calm, with the tide receding just enough, and when your father and brothers happen to be free!"

"Ah! How would I know how to calculate that?"

How could a mere mortal like him predict the winds and waves of the sea!

Besides, how could he know when his father and brothers would be available?

Ye Mu rolled her eyes at him, "If you don't know, then shut up and go somewhere cool; don't hinder my work!"

Ye Yaodong touched his nose; was he really that annoying?

"How about I help you dig? You can go for the sand clams?"

His legs were sore from squatting for so long, but prying oysters off the rock face was fine; besides, he didn't suffer from trypophobia.

"You will?"

"Yes, let me do it; prying oysters and digging cockles are things I'm good at."

He might not be good at other things, but he had done these plenty in his youth; skills learned never fade with time.

Ye Mu sized him up, recalling how he had just sworn inside the house that after the family division, he would learn from his eldest and second brothers to become diligent and hardworking...

Could he be serious?

Had he changed his nature?

"Then I'll let you try; if you don't dig a full bowl by the time we return, I'll beat you to death!"

"Oh, we can only dig whatever we find; it depends on luck. How can I guarantee a full bowl before we leave? These oysters are so tiny..."

Without further argument, Ye Mu hung the basket on his wrist and shoved the water ladle and screwdriver into his hands, "Look carefully; I need a bowl of pried oysters, a bowl of dug cockles, and you must also get me a bowl of snails!"

Ye Yaodong stared wide-eyed; was he a magician or something? Now he had to produce three bowls.

"Dongzi, didn't you go out to play today? Why are you at the beach?" His eldest aunt, also holding a water ladle while searching the rock face, asked curiously upon seeing him.

"Mm, it's too hot; I didn't want to go out!"

"Huh? Isn't it hot coming to the beach too? Look at this blazing sun!"

Having failed to come up with a good excuse, Ye Yaodong felt awkward, "Ah, yes, just came out to look around casually."

Better hurry and search; no more chatting. Dig for a while, and when the tide rises, it will be just time to go home for lunch.

Oysters, also known as sea oysters, grow on rock faces; they are actually a type of planktonic organism.

During the breeding season, oviparous oysters release mature sperm and eggs into the water; after fertilization in the seawater and a period of planktonic life, they attach to other objects, harden into juvenile shells, and slowly grow; pry off the shell, and inside is the oyster meat.

When boats remain docked in the sea for long periods, juvenile shells also grow under the hull; people usually lift the boat up, pry off all the juveniles from the bottom to reduce the vessel's weight, and conveniently carry them back in baskets to open for oyster meat.

The juvenile shells on these rock faces are too small; the oyster meat pried from them is merely pea-sized, yellow-green, resembling snot; only the larger ones reveal the white flesh in their bellies.

"What the hell am I prying? They're so tiny; when will I ever fill a bowl!" Ye Yaodong muttered after opening one.

"If we want to eat, we have no choice; with so many mouths to feed in the family, we take whatever we can get. These aren't sand clams, nor can we come out to dig for them every day."

His eldest aunt responded, then added earnestly, "Dongzi, you are already a father of two; you can't idle around all day anymore. You need to find proper work; your wife and children depend on you for survival, and your parents cannot support you forever."

"Aren't I working right now, Eldest Aunt!"

"Working is correct, but you need to earn money, and you cannot work just one day; supporting a family requires year-round effort. As a man, you must have backbone and a sense of responsibility..."

A relentless lecture followed, blah blah blah...

Ye Yaodong regretted speaking up; if he had kept silent, his eldest aunt probably wouldn't have felt the desire to talk to him.

He couldn't talk back rudely, since she was an elder, and what she said was true and meant for his own good, but her endless nagging gave him a headache; he might as well have gone to dig sand clams. He never knew his eldest aunt could be so long-winded.

"Eldest Aunt, you continue digging here slowly; I'll walk a bit further out to look."

Since the tide had receded a bit more, he decided to start searching from the rocks furthest out.

However, his luck seemed a bit too good!

Just as he reached the rocks nearest the water's edge, he spotted two small green crabs in a pile of accumulated stones in the shallow area ahead; his eyes immediately lit up, as these were treasures!

He quickly set the ladle and basket aside, took a few quick steps toward the rubble pile, where the two green crabs, unaware of the impending danger, were still fighting with their large claws!

Ye Yaodong grabbed the shell on the back of each with one hand, carefully separating them to prevent their leg hooks from tangling and breaking.

Green crabs with broken legs lose much of their value, though it doesn't matter if eating them oneself.

The separated green crabs still waved their large claws wildly; getting pinched by one would be terrible, enough to snap a fingernail clean off.