Chapter 8: Digging for Sand Clams

Their house was not far from the beach, only a ten-minute walk away. However, when they arrived at the beach, instead of going straight down to the sand, everyone continued walking along the shore towards the outer part of the dock.

There were sand clams to be dug up on the beach, but they had to be searched for. Their beach was quite large, and not every spot had sand clams. It wasn’t as simple as digging randomly.

Sand clams are a type of clam, also called flower clams, but the villagers were used to calling them sand clams since they were dug out from the beach.

Despite being dug from the beach, most of them were sand-free. In rare cases where there was sand, soaking them overnight would make them ready to eat.

Cooking them in soup or adding them to noodles made for an incredibly fresh dish.

In later years, the clams sold in markets didn’t appeal to the villagers, as they weren’t as fresh as the ones they dug up themselves. The meat wasn’t as tender and elastic as their sand clams either.

Additionally, the sand clams on their beach were different from the ones in the market. Sand clams varied in size from as small as a fingernail to as big as market clams. Even the small ones were very meaty.

There were two high tides and two low tides each day. Children often dug for fun during the regular low tides, but on the new and full moons, the low tides were more pronounced, and more people came to dig.

The villagers preferred to dig outside the dock because only during the new and full moons did the tide recede enough to expose the sand at the dock. Normally, it was always covered, whether at high or low tide.

Whenever the tide receded, the sand beneath revealed numerous sand clams ready for digging. The exposed rocks on the shore also had sea cucumbers, oysters, and whelks to collect.

Living by the sea meant making the most of its resources. As long as one was diligent, they wouldn’t go hungry.

After reaching the dock, they carefully made their way down the rocky slope. By now, the tide had receded, revealing a small stretch of sand where several women were already digging.

Generally, scavenging was a job for the women and children of the family. Since getting married, Ye Yaodong hadn’t played on the beach. As an adult, the beach had lost its novelty for him.

But now, being reborn seemed to give him a nostalgic feeling. His mindset had changed, and he found the beach more interesting.

He was the first to approach the village women’s buckets. “Did you find anything? Wow, you really did. How long have you been digging?”

The women, heads down, were busily digging with spatulas, not sparing him a glance.

A man who idled away his days should know better than to waste time with small talk when he could be digging.

Unfazed by their silence, Ye Yaodong noticed his son playing in the sand alone. He went back to his wife’s side and saw that, in the short time since they started, she had already gathered six or seven sand clams in her basin.

Hearing two more clink into the basin, he squatted down. “You’re pretty fast at this.”

A spatula was the best tool for digging sand clams, no contest!

Some people didn’t even have the wooden handle attached, just scraping with the spatula blade.

Lin Xiuqing, using a spatula blade, didn’t look up. “Practice makes perfect, and it doesn’t take much skill. Just dig the sand.”

Yes, he had done this often as a child. Growing up by the sea, digging sand was a favorite pastime.

Now that he was here, he couldn’t just watch. Without a spatula, he used his hands.

Seeing the small bubbles in the sand, Ye Yaodong scooped out a sand clam with each grab, hitting the mark every time.

The clinking of clams in the basin drew Lin Xiuqing’s curious glance. “How are you so quick?”

Ye Yaodong, noticing her look, raised his eyebrows. “Why? Impressed? Want me to teach you?”

Demonstrating, he dug out two more clams. “These are easy to dig up. I did this a lot as a kid.”

“How do you hit the mark every time?” She was genuinely curious.

Although her family lived in a nearby town, it wasn’t by the sea. They lived in the mountains.

Since marrying into the seaside village, she had followed her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, mimicking their actions when beachcombing. Each time, they used spatulas to scrape small patches, unlike him who dug directly.

Ye Yaodong pointed at the small holes in the sand. “See these? Sand clams need to breathe. They use these holes to breathe. Wherever there’s a hole, there’s a clam.”

As he explained, he demonstrated again, scooping out two more.

He was skilled at spotting the holes.

It was easier now because the tide had just receded, making the bubbles visible. The middle part of the beach was harder to dig.

Lin Xiuqing tried it and found a clam herself.

“Why bother with spatulas? Just dig with your hands!” she said, finding the spatula effortful and tiring.

“You still need the spatula. It’s convenient. I’m using my hands because I don’t have one. Some clams are closer to the surface and don’t need holes to breathe. Once the beach gets trampled, the holes disappear. It’s easier now because the tide just went out.”

Lin Xiuqing watched him intently. In all these years, they rarely had normal conversations except right after their marriage. He was always in and out, only home for meals and sleep, usually in a lazy manner. Seeing him so earnest and instructive felt strange.

“What are you staring at? Dig!”

“Oh!”

Soon, more people joined in digging for clams. People were generally very diligent, except for Ye Yaodong.

After a while of digging, his legs felt numb, so he stood up to stretch and look at the distant sea.

He dug for a bit, showing off a little, but didn’t want to overdo it.

The tide was still receding, and many small boats were stranded on the beach near the dock due to the tide. They had to wait for the next high tide to get back to the sea.

It was now 9:30 AM, and today’s low tide would be at 10:30 AM, followed by the high tide at around 4:30 PM, and then another low tide at around 11:30 PM, with high tide at about 7 AM.

Each day, the tides shifted about 50 minutes later. Despite just being reborn today, Ye Yaodong could tell the tide times by looking at the water.

No wonder his older brothers wanted to check the tides for the boats. With the new moon approaching, the tide would be at its lowest around midnight. They would need to head out to sea around 1-2 AM, by which time the tide would not have risen much.

Without enough tide, the boats wouldn’t be able to set out.

End of Chapter 8