Chapter 15: Fish Fall from the Sky

Gu Yi’s brows twitched sharply. “Mother, Dalang, let’s bring the outdoor clay pot inside!”

Her spring onions and bean sprouts couldn’t be damaged.

So, the three of them worked together to move the bean sprouts and onions inside.

“Aiya, my clothes!” Wang Yulan hurried outside to gather the clothes.

At the same time, the wind and rain grew stronger, the sound of rain pounding grew louder, and the thunder roared, reminding everyone of the coming disaster.

The family quickly closed the doors and windows, listening to the sounds from outside through the windows.

Even through the walls, they could hear how strong the wind was, with heavy objects crashing to the ground.

Gu Yi even felt that their small stone house was slightly swaying, as if it could collapse at any moment.

Jia Yue was tightly held in Wang Yulan’s arms. It was the first time Wang Yulan had witnessed such a large storm, and she was temporarily in a state of shock.

Dalang and Second Brother were also a little frightened.

Wang Yulan pulled them close to her. The two brothers were somewhat reluctant.

After the initial shock, Dalang became more interested in the danger, even wondering if the strong wind could blow him away.

Gu Yi, having grown up by the sea in her past life, was much more composed. As long as the stone house was sturdy, they had no reason to fear the storm. And clearly, the house’s safety seemed reliable.

They continued to listen to the storm, waiting for the aftermath of the typhoon.

The typhoon lasted for a long time.

When the wind and rain finally began to subside, Gu Yi opened the door and looked outside. She couldn’t help but be amazed by the view. The few scattered clouds were pure white like snow, arranged in various shapes.

On the deep blue ocean, which had risen significantly, a rainbow appeared, glowing softly with bright colors.

“Wow!” Her family behind her exclaimed in awe.

At the same time, many villagers were rushing toward the seaside, as if they were running for their lives.

Gu Yi couldn’t help but make a strange association, thinking of how it felt to sprint in high school to get to the cafeteria first.

Rushing for food.

Gu Yi suddenly had an idea and couldn’t help but widen her eyes.

At just that moment, Wang Yulan asked, “What are they doing? The typhoon just passed, and they’re in such a hurry?”

Fish suddenly leaped up at her feet, catching Gu Yi’s attention.

The fish had been swept up by the strong wind, rain, and rising water.

The power of the typhoon was truly no joke.

She shouted, “Let’s go pick up the fish!”

“Grab the tools!”

Gu Yi grabbed a bucket and a fish spear, then ran toward the coast.

On the way, many panicked fish were jumping around, hopping from place to place.

These were fish from the deep sea, not the kind that could be easily gathered by ordinary beachcombers.

Shrimp and crabs the size of palms were easy to catch, and large fish weighing several pounds were abundant.

She bypassed the smaller ones and kept the bigger catches.

When she reached a group of rocks by the sea, she ran wildly. In the shallow grooves, there were countless stranded fish and shrimp, stuck in small water channels, waiting for Gu Yi to catch them.

She spotted an East Star Grouper, its color still beautiful, though a few of its scales had been scraped off. It was no big deal.

Just then, someone suddenly cried out.

Behind a rock, about the height of a person, was a large fish, so big it couldn’t be hidden.

Gu Yi looked back at her family following her, then dropped her bucket and ran towards it.

She got a better look and saw that it was a nearly two-meter-long small shark, weakly flapping its body, unable to touch the water, and on the verge of death.

By now, two or three people had gathered around.

The first to spot the shark wanted to take it home, but others objected.

“I saw it first!”

“Whoever sees it gets a share!”

The group argued, their faces turning red, and more people began to join the fray.

Some tried to mediate, “Stop fighting. We’ll all share. Everyone gets a part!”

With more people running over, it was clear that “sharing” would be a distant dream. If they all fought over it, there would barely be enough for one person.

Moreover, the fishers weren’t just from Gu Yi’s village; several neighboring villages had joined in, which made it even harder to ensure fair distribution.

One person, growing desperate, took a knife and cut a chunk of meat from the shark.

Once one person did it, others followed suit, cutting pieces of meat from the shark.

Gu Yi, with a knife in hand, also squeezed in and managed to cut off a small piece.

Afterward, she lost interest in the commotion.

Dalang seemed to enjoy the excitement and wanted to join in, but Gu Yi quickly pulled him away, placing the shark meat in his hand. “We can’t eat that much. It’s a waste to take too much.”

“Let’s continue picking up fish!”

The whole family, except for Second Brother, each grabbed a bucket and collected the stranded fish. This time, they weren’t picky; they took everything they could get.

Second Brother, feeling a bit impulsive, had followed them out but quickly regretted it. He wanted to go back, so he stuck close behind Wang Yulan, his lips pursed in silence.

Dalang noticed and, without a word, shoved Second Brother into the shallow seawater up to his ankles.

Second Brother plopped down into the water, quickly scrambling to stand, angrily brushing off his clothes. “Gu Jia’an, what are you doing?”

He shoved Dalang back.

Dalang let himself fall, got up, and walked into deeper water, scooping it up and splashing it onto Second Brother.

Soon, Second Brother was completely soaked.

Second Brother fought back fiercely until he was exhausted, leaning on his knees and gasping for breath.

Wang Yulan couldn’t help but ask, “Second, aren’t you disgusted?”

Second Brother suddenly realized what had happened. In his focus on fighting with his annoying brother, he had forgotten they were in the sea.

He stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

“You’re here already, might as well keep going. Get up and help catch fish and crabs!”

Second Brother stood motionless, staring vacantly at the deep blue sea.

Suddenly, a wave crashed over him, and in his dazed state, he fell backward and ended up lying in the water.

Gu Yi quickly helped him up, barely able to hold back her laughter.

Jia Yue, the little troublemaker, couldn’t keep her giggles in. “Second Brother got tripped by the wave! Second Brother got tripped by the wave!”

The whole family burst into laughter.

Second Brother, mortified, had a flushed face, trying to maintain a stern expression.

Gu Yi continued fishing, her sharp eyes spotting a dark shape. She quickly ran over and threw her net over it—another stingray. Her eyes lit up.

She quickly scooped it into her bucket.

She also found a red longevity fish, its color alone worth a decent price at the market.

Meanwhile, the shark continued to be fought over.

Gu Yi raised an eyebrow, overhearing a fisherman nearby saying, “Ugh, we only got its intestines. Didn’t get any meat. It’s not even worth eating!”

Gu Yi looked at the intestines in the fisherman’s hand and couldn’t help but notice them. Shark liver.

Shark liver was most famous for being used to make cod liver oil, a rich, nutritious health supplement.

Unfortunately, although she had shark liver, she didn’t have the means to make cod liver oil. However, it could be put to other uses.

“Uncle, I’ll trade you shark meat for that shark liver. Would you?”

The fisherman’s eyes lit up. “Sure! Just don’t regret it!”

Gu Yi shook her head and handed over the shark meat.

He quickly tossed the shark liver to her.

Ancient medical texts had long stated that shark liver was a detoxifying medicine, something medicine shops would buy, and it was rare, so it wouldn’t be cheap.

The most important thing was to salt it for preservation, to prevent it from spoiling in the heat.

With this weather, it wouldn’t take a day for fresh meat to rot.

After gathering nearly all the fish, the family returned home.

They added fresh seawater to separate the fish and shrimp, planning to keep them for tomorrow when the wind would settle. They would take them to the dock then.

At that moment, Aunt Cao called out, “Wang Niangzi, are you going to the dock? We’re worried the fish won’t be fresh. We’re leaving now!”

Wang Yulan seemed tempted and was about to answer.

Gu Yi stopped her. “Mother, we don’t know if the typhoon will come back. Let’s go tomorrow. If we get a little less money, so be it.”

Wang Yulan, understanding this logic, talked to Aunt Cao for a while, trying to persuade her to wait until tomorrow.

“The typhoon is over. It won’t return anytime soon!”

Aunt Cao waved her hand and left, carrying the fish.

Gu Yi sighed, realizing that everyone’s perspective was different. She would respect their choices.

The family continued to pick up fish and divide the catch, making sure to preserve the shark liver properly.