Chapter 58 : Going to the Sea

Song Shiwei smiled and nodded. “Yes, your sister Xiao Cui is probably waiting. I promised her that after sea hunting, I would teach her how to read.”

Before Zhou Lin could say anything, Zhou Cheng limped out of the house.

“Mom, I’ll go with you, and I’ll bring all the old books and notebooks we find for Sister Xiao Cui!”

Since calling her “Mom” for the first time, Zhou Cheng and Zhou Lin had become more and more comfortable addressing her that way.

Looking at him, Song Shiwei couldn’t help but feel distressed. “Just stay at home and take care of yourself! Let Zhou Lin come with me.”

Zhou Lin quickly nodded in agreement. “Yes, brother, just rest at home!”

Zhou Wei and Zhou Xinxin also shouted excitedly, “We want to go too!”

“I want to go to the sea and catch shrimp!”

To be honest, after what happened with Xiaojun, Song Shiwei really didn’t dare to let the children get too close to the sea anymore.

It was fine for Zhou Lin since he was older, but Zhou Wei and Xinxin were still young. If they weren’t careful and got caught in a rip current, it would be too late for regrets.

The dangers of the seaside weren’t just the rip currents. There were also hidden dangers among the reefs, not to mention some poisonous marine creatures!

If they accidentally touched one and got poisoned, it could be fatal.

“You two can’t go. Just stay home and wait for Mom.”

Although Zhou Wei and Xinxin were a little disappointed, when Song Shiwei reminded them about what happened to their brother Xiaojun, they both became a little scared.

Zhou Wei pursed his lips and asked pitifully, “Then… when I grow as big as Second Brother, can I go?”

Song Shiwei smiled and rubbed their heads. “When you grow up a little more and learn how to stay away from danger, then you can go!”

After saying that, she picked up her things and was about to call Zhou Lin to leave.

But Zhou Cheng still insisted on coming along.

“Mom, just let me go! I want to learn more skills from you! I’m really fine. Dad didn’t mean to hit me too hard. These are just flesh wounds, they’ll heal in a few days!”

Seeing how determined he was, Song Shiwei thought about it for a moment and finally decided to let him come along.

When they arrived at the beach, Xiao Cui was already waiting.

Seeing them approach, she waved happily. “Sister Weiwei!! You’re here!”

As Song Shiwei walked closer, she noticed that besides a bucket, Xiao Cui was also carrying a large backpack.

On the top layer of the backpack, there was a bunch of fresh leeks.

Xiao Cui pointed at the basket and smiled. “Sister Weiwei, I found a big patch of wild leeks when I went to the mountains this morning, so I thought I’d bring some for you!”

“There are also peaches from my peach tree underneath. There are so many this year that my brother and I can’t finish them. It would be a shame if they went bad. I remembered that Xinxin and the others loved the peaches I brought last time, so I brought some for you!”

As she spoke, she pulled aside the leeks on top, revealing the juicy peaches underneath.

Hearing what Xiao Cui said, Song Shiwei immediately thought of the canned fruit that Xinxin had asked for earlier. It seemed like she could now fulfill her promise to the little girl.

“Then I’ll thank you on behalf of Xinxin and the others! Just today, Xinxin said she wanted to eat canned fruit. I can use these peaches to make some. Once it’s ready, I’ll give you and Xiaojun some to try.”

“Canned fruit?”  

Xiao Cui’s eyes instantly lit up. That was something precious! People said it was only sold in the county town. She and Xiaojun had only heard of it but had never actually seen it, let alone tasted it!

Now, hearing that Song Shiwei could use peaches something every household had to make canned fruit, she couldn’t help but feel amazed.

“Can we really make canned fruit with these peaches?”  

Song Shiwei smiled and nodded.  

“Canned fruit is made from fruit, right? And peaches are the best for it!”  

In modern times, canned yellow peaches were a top-selling product. Although there were no yellow peaches available now, these nectarines were just as good especially when freshly picked from the tree, crisp and sweet!  

Xiao Cui was overjoyed.  

“Sister Weiwei, I’ll pick some more peaches for you later! Xiaojun and I can’t eat that many anyway, so we often give them to the villagers. But almost every household in the village has fruit trees, so no one really cares much about these fruits, and they’re not worth much.”  

Hearing this, Song Shiwei smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll make more and find some bottles to store them in so they can last longer!”  

As they talked about making canned fruit, Zhou Cheng and Zhou Lin also looked excited.  

After all, they were only twelve or thirteen years old still children. And what child wouldn’t love canned fruit?  

Zhou Cheng handed an old notebook to Xiao Cui.  

“Sister Cui, these are some old books and notebooks we used in school. You and Xiaojun can use them!”  

Xiao Cui was thrilled when she looked inside. There were books for first and second graders, just right for Xiaojun!  

Although Xiaojun was already twelve years old, he had never been to school and had no foundation in reading or writing, so he had to start from the very beginning.  

“Thank you, thank you so much!”  

Zhou Cheng’s ears turned slightly red, and he seemed a little embarrassed.  

“Sister Cui, you don’t need to be so polite!”  

It was getting late, and the tide along the coast had receded significantly. Many villagers nearby were starting to collect seafood with their buckets.  

Song Shiwei initially wanted Zhou Cheng to sit and rest while observing.  

But he firmly refused.  

“I came here today to learn how to catch fish from you! I want to learn new skills!”  

To help share the burden at home.  

He didn’t say that last part out loud, but as the eldest child in the family, he had been thinking about it for a long time. He wanted to be more responsible, like Xiao Cui and Xiaojun, and help ease the family’s burdens.  

Song Shiwei smiled helplessly.  

“You’re still young, what skills do you need to learn? Right now, your main job is to study… The rest can wait. Just eat well, have fun, and grow up healthy!”  

Zhou Cheng pursed his lips and whispered, “I… I’m not very good at studying. Maybe I’m just not cut out for it…”  

Feeling a little embarrassed, he looked up at Song Shiwei and said, “Mom, let me learn how to catch fish from you! That’s still learning something, right?”  

Thinking about it, Song Shiwei realized he had a point. Fishing wouldn’t be too physically exhausting, and he could also gain some knowledge about the ocean.  

“Alright, but you have to stick close to me. Ask before you touch anything. There are all kinds of creatures in the sea, and many of them are poisonous. If you’re not careful, it could be dangerous!”  

Seeing her agree, Zhou Cheng didn’t hesitate. He quickly nodded.  

“Got it!”  

Although Xiao Cui didn’t go to the sea often, she had grown up by the coast and knew a little about it. At the very least, she could recognize many types of seafood.  

The three of them carried their belongings and started searching.  

As they moved along the beach, Song Shiwei noticed quite a few mantis shrimp burrows, these shrimp were also called “shrimp crawlers” here.  

Mantis shrimp were fast and could dig holes in the sand to escape.  

As soon as she dug the shovel into the sand, the mantis shrimp sensed the disturbance and quickly darted out from the other side.  

This reminded her of the shrimp-catching tools used by coastal fishermen in her previous life. It seemed she needed to find a way to make one for herself when she got back.  

Just as she was thinking about it, she suddenly heard Xiao Cui scream—  

“Ahhh!!!”