Chapter 44

“Grandma, let’s skip gathering clams after the tide goes out today and get some sea snails instead. Master Yin said we don’t need to pay any tuition; just bringing some sea snails daily will be enough.”

“Huh? Sea snails aren’t worth much—will that seem too cheap?” Grandma was so pleased that she was already planning to butcher a duck to take as a gift. Hearing this from her grandson, she paused in surprise.

“No worries, just the sea snails. Remember that bowl of snail meat I brought back yesterday? That was from Dr. Yin’s family; they’re in the business of selling sea snail dishes and need quite a lot of snails. And now that Dr. Yin is injured and short on manpower, he’ll actually appreciate us bringing them.”

“Alright, I’ll go gather sea snails then.” Grandma released the duck’s neck, set the knife down in the kitchen, and headed out. She remembered something on the way.

“Oh, right, Lian Yue, your cousin-grandmother came by yesterday when you weren’t home. She said she’d be back this afternoon.”

Lian Yue: “…”

His cousin-grandmother was a well-known matchmaker in the area, and he doubted she was coming over for anything other than to discuss a marriage proposal.

“Grandma… didn’t I already tell you I’m not in any rush to get married?”

“How is it early? You’re already eighteen! Look around—how many boys your age aren’t married yet? Even Ah Hong, who’s a year younger, already has a kid!”

Grandma’s anxious sigh showed her impatience—she dreamed of seeing her eldest grandson married, but he didn’t seem to share her urgency.

Knowing that arguing was pointless, Lian Yue dropped it. After all, without his consent, no marriage would happen.

*Grandma, always bringing up Ah Hong.* She never seemed to notice what Ah Hong’s life was like now that he was married. Just a couple of days ago, Lian Yue overheard a shouting match between Ah Hong’s wife and sister-in-law when he was coming back from the shore. Ah Hong’s feeble attempts at mediation were barely audible amidst the heated argument. That kind of chaotic household was not the life he wanted after marriage. He was determined to wait for a girl he truly liked, and with his family’s current circumstances, he didn’t want to burden anyone else.

Lian Yue slung the fishing net over his shoulder, picked up two large buckets, and headed out. His grandmother could handle gathering sea snails on her own; his main work was to take the raft out and catch octopus and other seafood.

Without a fishing boat, which they’d sold long ago, he had to rely on the bamboo raft for their livelihood.

Soon, as the tide went out, the village elders and children headed to the shore to scavenge the beach.

Yin Huaixi headed to town alone, carrying snail meat, while Yin Huaishan stayed to watch the house. Jiang Wan went with her cousin and aunt to gather spicy snails. They’d bring back any other seafood they found as well.

As Jiang Wan neared the rocks, she heard a soft, pattering noise. Upon closer look, she spotted about a dozen fresh shrimp flopping around. Their translucent bodies jumped with surprising force.

This shrimp tasted just as good as snail meat, so she quickly gathered them into her basket.

Her aunt and cousin wanted to help, but when they reached for the shrimp, one leapt up, waving its legs and claws, startling them so much that they shrieked and backed away.

“Auntie, Cousin, you two can stick to gathering sea snails,” Jiang Wan suggested. She often saw tourists panic at the sight of the sea’s little creatures during her old livestreams. Her aunt and cousin were showing more courage than most.

It seemed like many girls were afraid of these squirming sea creatures.

“Hey, Ah Yue, look, I caught another octopus!” came a loud voice nearby. Jiang Wan looked up to see two figures about fifty meters to her right. The girl’s loud voice and hefty figure—she seemed around 160 pounds—were unusual in the village. Next to her was a thin, fair-skinned woman with her hair tied in a married woman’s style.

The large girl dropped the octopus into the smaller woman’s basket before resuming her search in the rocks. As soon as she turned her back, the thin woman’s smile faltered, and she shot a look of irritation before noticing Jiang Wan watching. She forced a smile, but it was more awkward than friendly.

Jiang Wan didn’t think much of it, nor did she try to make conversation. The rocks were full of spicy snails; getting them home was her priority.

While the three of them eagerly gathered snails, the two women nearby didn’t seem to have any luck.

“Ah Yue, let’s try somewhere else. Hey, what are you looking at?”

“I’m watching those three—they’re all gathering snails. I wonder what they’re using them for.”

“What else would you use sea snails for? Either feeding chickens or ducks, I suppose. Come on, let’s go.”

Lian Baozhu reached out to tug her friend along, but Qian Yue sidestepped her.

“Baozhu, your hands are covered in sand; you’ll dirty my clothes. You know I only have two outfits, and my mother-in-law will scold me if they’re soiled.”

Qian Yue covered her complaint well, and Lian Baozhu only felt she’d made a mistake. She quickly apologized and coaxed Qian Yue to come along.

They hadn’t gone far when they met two women coming towards them—Lin Wanrong and Xu Mingwei, who were sisters-in-law.

Since Lian Baozhu’s family lived next door to the Zhou family, the two groups had become acquainted over the past two weeks, so Baozhu greeted them first.

Lin Wanrong returned the greeting and was about to move on when her younger sister-in-law stopped.

“Baozhu, did you tell your family you’d be scavenging by the shore? And who’s this with you?”

“This is my good friend, Qian Yue. Aunt Xu, please don’t tell my mother that I went out to scavenge at the shore, or I’ll definitely get scolded when I get home.”

After saying that, Lian Baozhu grabbed Qian Yue’s hand and ran off, quickly disappearing among the rocks.

“Sister-in-law, did that young woman just now look familiar to you?”

“Huh? You mean Qian Yue?”

Lin Wanrong understood her sister-in-law’s implication but instinctively thought it unlikely.

“Sure, she’s just as thin as that other woman, but it can’t be her. We’ve both heard about Qian Yue. Her husband passed away, and she hasn’t remarried; she stayed with her in-laws to care for her mother-in-law. She’s considered one of the best daughters-in-law in the village.”

Why would someone with such a good reputation want to harm their family?

Would it really be over her own husband? The thought seemed ridiculous. She’d sooner believe she’d inadvertently offended someone, causing them to seek revenge.

“Oh, my dear sister-in-law, don’t worry about what’s possible or not. Just think about whether she resembles that woman.”

“This…”

Lin Wanrong took a moment to carefully compare Qian Yue’s figure and, without realizing, made a mental note. She did resemble her—a bit too much, with similarly fair skin.

Seeing her sister-in-law’s expression, Xu Mingwei understood.

“Don’t worry, sister-in-law. We always seek evidence in everything we do. If it’s truly her trying to harm us, then she deserves to be punished. But if it’s not her, I wouldn’t go after her for no reason. Don’t you know me well enough by now?”

Lin Wanrong nodded. She knew her sister-in-law to be a fair and kind-hearted person.