Chapter 55: A Bountiful Harvest on Typhoon Day

“Quick, quick, that clam’s going to roll back into the sea!”

Lin Xiuqing, her face beaming with joy, hurried to pick up the clam, her smile brighter than the sunlight reflecting off the water. Leaf Yao Dong couldn’t help but glance at her a few more times—he hadn’t seen her smile so freely and joyfully in years.

After retrieving the clam from the sea, she happily walked toward him, holding it up. “This is the biggest one I’ve found, it’s as big as my fist!”

“Alright, put it in the bag. Let’s head toward the rocky area. We can keep looking for more along the way. By the time we get there, the tide should have reached the rocks,” he said.

She nodded with a smile.

After walking just a few steps, Leaf Yao Dong couldn’t resist stopping. He crouched down and poked at the spot where there were small air bubbles on the sand. He dug out a sand clam.

“You’re really good at finding these!” Lin Xiuqing praised.

She then focused on another bubble hole, and, to her delight, she also dug out a clam.

Sand clams were scattered unevenly on the beach, and it usually took time to find them. However, they were easier to spot when the tide had just receded and left air bubble holes visible.

“Should we keep digging here, or move ahead?” Leaf Yao Dong asked, seeing her fully absorbed in the hunt.

She reluctantly stood up. “Let’s move on. Let’s see if there’s anything good near the rocks.”

“Alright.”

When they reached a small area with mud flats and rocky debris, they were pleasantly surprised.

“There’s a fish over there.”

“It’s a sea bream.”

The fish had already died and was stranded on the beach. Leaf Yao Dong checked its gills and found that they had turned dark red, which meant it had likely been dead for some time and had been washed ashore.

“It’s not fresh. Let’s not keep it. We’ll toss it back in the sea.”

“Okay,” Lin Xiuqing said, her face showing some disappointment. She had hoped for another catch, but it wasn’t fresh enough.

Sea breams, also known as black bream, lived in the sea, unlike regular breams, which were found in lakes and swamps.

She picked up the fish and walked back toward the waves to throw it back into the water. As soon as she did, a wave came up, and she quickly stepped back. But when the water receded, a large blue crab had appeared on the sand.

“Ah Dong! Ah Dong! Come quick, there’s a big blue crab! It’s going to crawl away!”

Hearing her, Leaf Yao Dong immediately ran over. He saw the large blue crab quickly scuttling across the sand, waving its pincers. He quickly stepped on it and grabbed it. The crab’s pincers were still flailing.

“Wow, this one’s about two pounds! Lucky we came out on typhoon day!” Leaf Yao Dong exclaimed.

Lin Xiuqing’s face lit up with a bright smile. “We really made the right decision coming out today.”

“Earlier when I asked you, you weren’t willing. This one crab’s worth more than two days of your net-weaving.”

“I didn’t know! Let’s go, let’s follow the waves and see what else we can find.”

Now it was Lin Xiuqing’s turn to eagerly pull him along.

Following the tide, they continued to walk and collect a variety of sea creatures—fish, shrimp, crabs, and clams—none of them particularly valuable, but still worth celebrating. Their beach wasn’t small, so they took their time, walking, stopping, sometimes heading back to check for stranded sea life. It took them over half an hour before they finally reached the rocky area.

Just as they stopped, Leaf Yao Dong spotted two Mei Tong fish swimming in a small tidal pool between two rocks, with a baby-sized sea snail the size of a fist stuck to the stone wall of the gap.

After catching the fish, he let Lin Xiuqing take the snail, as she requested.

Mei Tong fish were often mistaken for small yellow croakers by untrained eyes, as they looked quite similar and were priced similarly as well.

“It’s a shame there are only two, and they’re so small,” Leaf Yao Dong remarked.

Lin Xiuqing smiled and looked up, “It’s fine, we can steam them with the golden pomfret and the little bass we found earlier. A mixed fish platter!”

“Alright, let’s split up and search a bit more,” Leaf Yao Dong suggested.

With the tide receding further, they could search faster if they split up. Leaf Yao Dong hadn’t walked far when he suddenly heard Lin Xiuqing’s excited voice, “Sea eel! Ah Dong, there’s a sea eel here, it’s huge!”

He hurried over to her, finding a large eel, about 3-4 pounds, swimming in the shallow water, likely washed ashore by the waves.

This type of sea eel had sharp teeth, and a single bite would draw blood, so caution was needed when handling it. Leaf Yao Dong quickly stepped on its head and grabbed it, ignoring the frantic thrashing of its tail.

Despite its struggles, he managed to subdue the eel, squeezing its head and tossing it into the sack.

Lin Xiuqing, seeing that he had caught the eel, continued searching around the rocky area.

“Ah Dong, ah Dong! There’s a grouper here!” she called out again.

It seemed like Lin Xiuqing was on a lucky streak today, as she was the one calling all the finds.

“Whoa, it’s a bass! How did a bass end up here?” Leaf Yao Dong exclaimed, recognizing the fish immediately.

Lin Xiuqing wasn’t familiar with the different species of grouper, but she knew it was a type of grouper. Leaf Yao Dong, however, was more experienced and quickly identified it.

The fish was a bass grouper, characterized by its oval, flattened, and robust body. These fish typically lived in clear coral reef waters, with young ones found in reef flats or tidal pools. Adults usually stayed in deeper waters, so it was surprising to find one washed ashore during the storm.

What a day for catches! If he had known, he would have brought a bucket along.

“Do you want to run back home to get a bucket? I’ll watch over the fish here,” Leaf Yao Dong suggested.

This was no ordinary catch. While it might not fetch a high price in the current era, it was still a rare find. The fish was better kept alive, as it could be sold to high-end hotels for display, which would earn a good price.

“Is this fish really valuable?” Lin Xiuqing asked.

“Of course! Just look at the pattern. This bass grouper isn’t common around here, I have no idea how it ended up here,” Leaf Yao Dong confirmed.

Excited by his answer, Lin Xiuqing said, “You stay here and keep an eye on it, make sure it doesn’t get washed away by the waves or rain. I’ll go grab a bucket right now!”

It seemed like luck was on their side today, or maybe it was just Lin Xiuqing’s luck—most of the finds were from her calls. They say beginners in games of chance often have the best luck; perhaps the same could be said for beachcombing.

Though she wasn’t exactly a beginner, it was her first time out during a typhoon.

This fish was valuable, and he didn’t want to let it slip from his sight, so he stayed put, watching over it. Just as he stood there, a blue crab crawled out from between the rocks.

What a bonus! No need to pass up such a gift.

The blue crab had one missing claw, and the other claw was newly grown, much smaller than the original. Though it weighed a pound, its value had decreased significantly because of the missing claw and the underdeveloped one.

Normally, a blue crab with a missing claw would sell for at least one-third less, and this one, with the small claw, was hardly worth much. It would be better off being taken home and stewed with some dangshen to help nourish the children.