Chapter 9: Unexpected Harvest

Ye Yaodong shifted his gaze from the boats back to the surrounding rocks, which were covered with clusters of small clams, tiny sea snails, and shells of sea oysters that had already been stripped of their meat.

These rocks had been visited too many times, and the slightly larger clams and sea snails had long been picked clean. Only the very small ones, about the size of a fingernail, remained growing on the rocks.

Such tiny ones had little meat—probably not even as big as a booger—so they were inedible. However, every time the tide receded, there would inevitably be some larger ones mixed in.

At that moment, someone was searching on the stone wall, and it was his mother.

He stepped closer to take a look. His mother held a ladle in one hand and had a small basket hanging from her wrist.

The ladle already contained a few small oysters, while the basket had some slightly larger sea snails and clams.

“Mom, with so many of us digging, why aren’t you just looking for sand clams?”

While prying open the oyster shells with a screwdriver, his mother replied, “There are enough of us digging at home; I’m just getting a few oysters to make oyster omelets for the kids. It’s been a while since they’ve had any.”

“This isn’t going to yield much. Didn’t our boat get fixed? Let Dad take you all to the deserted island to dig instead. Right now, we should be looking for sand clams. In two hours, the tide will cover this area of sand again.”

“You make it sound easy! The rocks on the deserted island are slippery; it’s not easy to stand there. If a wave hits, I could get swept back into the sea to meet the sea goddess!”

“Come on, that won’t happen. Just choose a calm day when the tide is low.”

Ye Mother raised an eyebrow and shot him a sidelong glance. “Then tell me, what date is it calm, with the tide conveniently low, and when will your father and brothers be free?”

“Uh! How would I know?”

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

Besides, how was he supposed to know when his father and brothers would be available?

Ye Mother rolled her eyes at him. “If you don’t know, just keep quiet. Go find a cool spot and don’t interrupt my work!”

Ye Yaodong rubbed his nose, feeling somewhat annoyed. Was he really that bothersome?

“Why don’t I help you dig? You can look for sand clams?”

After squatting for a while, his legs felt sore. It wouldn’t be bad to dig for oysters on the rock face; after all, he didn’t have a fear of crowds.

“You want to help?”

“Yes, I’ll do it. Opening oysters and digging for clams is easy; I’ve got this.”

He might not excel at many things, but he had plenty of experience with this from his youth, and the skills he learned wouldn’t fade with time.

Ye Mother sized him up, recalling how he had just insisted in the house that he would work harder and be more diligent after their family split…

Could it be that he was serious? Had he really changed?

“Well, let’s see you try. But when we get back, if you don’t bring me back a bowl’s worth, I’ll make sure to give you a beating!”

“Come on, how much can I dig? It all depends on luck. How can I guarantee I’ll find a full bowl before we leave? These oysters are so small…”

Ye Mother unceremoniously hung the basket on his wrist and shoved the ladle and screwdriver into his hands. “Dig carefully. I want a bowl of oysters, a bowl of clams, and don’t forget to bring me a bowl of snails!”

Ye Yaodong stared wide-eyed. How could he change so quickly, and now he had to find three bowls’ worth?

“Dongzi, why aren’t you out playing today? Why are you here at the beach?” His aunt, also searching the rock face with a ladle, asked curiously upon seeing him.

“Um, it’s too hot outside; I didn’t want to go out!”

“Huh? Coming to the beach isn’t hot? It’s such a bright sun out!”

With a poor excuse, Ye Yaodong felt a bit awkward. “Ah, right. Just came out for a look.”

He decided it was better to focus on digging rather than chatting. After a bit of digging, he could head home for lunch before the tide came back in.

Oysters, also known as mǔlì (牡蛎), grow on rock faces and are actually a type of plankton. During the breeding season, mature oysters release sperm and eggs into the sea. Once fertilized, they spend some time drifting in the water before attaching themselves to other objects, solidifying into juvenile oysters, and slowly growing until they can be pried open.

When boats are docked in the sea for a long time, juvenile oysters will also grow on the bottom of the boat. Typically, people lift the boat to pry off the oysters underneath to reduce the weight and can take the oysters home to eat.

The juvenile oysters on these rocks were quite small, yielding tiny oysters about the size of a pea, yellow-green in color and resembling mucus; only the larger ones would show the white belly underneath.

“What a hassle! They’re so tiny, when will I fill a bowl?” Ye Yaodong muttered after prying one open.

“Can’t help it; with so many mouths to feed at home, every bit counts. They aren’t sand clams, and you can’t dig them up every day,” his aunt replied.

She then added with a serious tone, “Dongzi, you’re already a father of two; you can’t keep being so idle. You should find a proper job. You need to support your wife and children; your parents can’t support you forever!”

“I am working, Aunt!”

“It’s good to work, but you need to earn money, and you can’t just work for one day. Supporting a family takes long-term effort. As a man, you need to take responsibility and have a sense of duty…”

She rambled on, giving him a lengthy lecture.

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

He didn’t want to argue back; after all, she was older, and what she said was for his own good. Still, her relentless lecturing gave him a headache. He might as well be digging for sand clams instead; he had no idea his aunt could go on for so long!

“Aunt, you keep digging here; I’ll go check further out.”

As the tide had receded a bit, he decided to start looking from the farthest rock.

However, it seemed like luck was on his side!

Just as he reached the rocky area nearest to the receding tide, he spotted two small crabs in a pile of stones in the shallow water, instantly brightening his eyes. This was a good find!

Quickly, he set the ladle and basket aside, hurried a few steps toward the pile of stones. The two crabs were still unaware of the danger, busy fighting each other with their large pincers!

Ye Yaodong grabbed one crab in each hand, carefully separating them to avoid their claws getting tangled and breaking off.

A crab with a broken leg loses a lot of its value, but it wouldn’t matter much if he was just going to eat it himself.

The two separated crabs waved their pincers around wildly. If he got pinched, it would be no joke; it would feel like a nail breaking.