Once the water in the fish ponds dried up, it was clear to see that there was a wooden fence in the middle of the ponds.

The pond on the right side of the fence belonged to Qinglin Bay Brigade, while the one on the left belonged to Xu Jia Village.

Lin Guodong came over carrying San Bao and handed him to Ning Shu.

Rolling up his pants and taking off his shoes, he put on several pairs of socks, all of which were torn with little holes here and there.

After putting on the socks, he wrapped them tightly with strips of cloth. “I’m going down.”

“Okay,” Ning Shu nodded as she watched Lin Guodong descend.

Compared to Lin Guodong, there were more people going down barefoot, as some found it troublesome to wear torn socks.

While the men went into the fish ponds, the women weren’t idle either.

In order to catch more fish, they went to the lower part of the riverbank to pick.

It had to be said that after the water was drained, there were indeed a lot of fish revealed in the fish ponds.

Once this batch of fish was picked, there would be new ones coming in after the tide rose again.

Ning Shu watched everyone busy with their tasks and then searched for her two kids among the crowd.

The children were easy to find since they were small.

At this moment, Yibao and Erbao were picking shells and small fish on the riverbank.

“Brother… Bao Bao…” San Bao also wanted to go and pulled his mom over.

“Alright, let’s go then.” Ning Shu let San Bao pull her along as she walked towards the Yibao and Erbao.

She couldn’t help but wonder how San Bao managed to find Yibao and Erbao amidst the crowd?

“Mom… Mom…” Having found his two brothers, San Bao wanted to pick things up on the shore just like them.

But that wouldn’t do; both kids would come back covered in mud, not to mention San Bao.

“You can’t go. I’ll just carry you over to take a look.” Ning Shu held San Bao carefully and made her way to where the two kids were.

Because the riverbank was still slippery from the receding water, she had already seen several people slipping in just a short while.

However, the fish ponds were still clean, with no stones or anything, so even if one slipped and sat in the mud, their bottom wouldn’t hurt.

“Bao Bao…” San Bao was held by his mother and loudly called out to the two older brothers ahead.

Yi Bao and Er Bao were in high spirits as they picked up items.

With the water just drained, there were plenty of seafood on the riverbank, and everyone was scrambling to get their share.

The small items they picked up were all for their own families, so everyone was very focused.

“Mom, San Bao…”

The two older brothers turned their heads.

Pfft… Ning Shu laughed out loud when she saw that their little faces were all smeared with mud, most of which was splashed by small fish jumping in the fish ponds.

“Look, are there any small shrimps?” Ning Shu asked.

“Yes, look, Mom.” Yi Bao picked up a shrimp from his little basket.

Ning Shu hurriedly said, “Yes, yes, Yi Bao, Er Bao, don’t pick up small fish, pick up these shrimps instead. We’ll eat shrimp tonight.” Fish can jump, making it difficult for children to catch, but shrimps are different.

With such small shrimps, it’s very convenient to pick them up one by one.

However, the shrimp picked up by Yibao and Erbao wouldn’t be many, so they would buy some more shrimp later.

Whether it’s making dried shrimp or shrimp meat, it’s all good.

These shrimps were small white shrimps, about the size of an adult woman’s little finger.

Because they were small, many people didn’t like them.

But Ning Shu liked them; besides using them for shrimp meat and dried shrimp, they could also be made into drunken shrimp, small and delicious, one bite at a time.

“I know, Mom.” Yi Bao listened to his mother’s words and began to focus on picking up the small white shrimps.

Er Bao was confident, “Mom, I’ll definitely pick up a lot of small white shrimps for you to eat.”

“Then I’ll be waiting eagerly.”

Ning Shu didn’t stand behind them for long because San Bao was clamoring to go and pick things with his older brothers.

So she had to carry San Bao and walk to other places.

Feeling bored, Ning Shu walked around the riverbank with San Bao.

From half of the fish ponds in Qinglin Bay Brigade to half of the fish ponds in Xu’s village, after twenty minutes of walking, they arrived at the gate between the fish ponds and the sea.

Ning Shu didn’t go to see the gate because she was worried it might be dangerous.

It wouldn’t be good if she slipped on the gate.

However, Ning Shu’s gaze stopped at the open sea.

At low tide, there was a long stone path extending two to three hundred meters into the sea.

What’s more, the path was smooth.

She knew that under the stones on the path, there would be clams and conches.

Clam soup made from these clams was incredibly delicious, and conches, when used as snacks, were fantastic to enjoy under the sun.

This kind of life was somewhat similar to modern life.

So, Ning Shu immediately decided to go back.

She planned to have Yi Bao and Er Bao take care of San Bao while she went home to fetch some tools and walk along the stone path.

Feeling a bit rushed on the way back, Ning Shu walked faster.

When she arrived at the spot where Yi Bao and Er Bao were picking seafood, she called out, “Yi Bao, Er Bao, stop picking. Come help me take care of San Bao. I have something to do.”

Yi Bao immediately responded, “Mom, I’m coming.” He never resisted his mother’s words.

As soon as his mother said so, he went up.

Er Bao hesitated for a moment, “Mom, can I stay here and pick while Big Brother takes care of San Bao?”

In theory, it should be fine since there were people around, and Lin Guodong was also in the fish pond.

But Ning Shu also wanted to respect Yi Bao’s thoughts, “Yi Bao, do you think it’s okay?”

Yi Bao said, “Mom, it’s fine. You go and do your thing. I’ll take care of San Bao here with Er Bao. If Er Bao gets tired of picking, I’ll come and switch with him.”

Ning Shu thought this was good, “Yi Bao is really smart. I’ll go back home to fetch some stuff. If anything happens, just call your dad, okay?”

Er Bao nodded, “Okay, Mom, don’t worry.”

Ning Shu smiled and took out some grass paper from her pocket to wipe off the dirt from Yi Bao’s face.

In this era, there was no soft toilet paper, only rough grass paper.

But after all, it was paper, so wiping it on the face wouldn’t hurt.

Yi Bao enjoyed his mother’s unique tenderness and smiled like a little fool.

Ning Shu gently pinched his little cheek again before hurrying back home.

Yi Bao held his younger brother’s hand, watching his mother’s departing figure, feeling very happy.

Ning Shu ran back home.

Although the tide had just receded and there were several hours left, the stone path was so long that she was afraid there wouldn’t be enough time.

When she arrived home, she carried a large basket.

Then she thought about the possibility of finding oysters in the sea, so she also took a burlap bag and a kitchen knife.

When Ning Shu arrived at the riverside with these things, Yi Bao was puzzled.

Didn’t his mother leave because she had something to do? Why did she come back? “Mom, why did you come back?”

Ning Shu said, “I’m going to the other side of the sea to take a look. You stay here and play nearby with San Bao, where your dad can see you.”

Yi Bao obediently replied, “I know, Mom.”

In the fish pond, although Lin Guodong was picking fish, he also paid attention to the movements of his son and wife.

When he saw his wife carrying a basket and walking downstream, although he didn’t understand what she was doing, he noticed that the two children were no longer in her sight, so he paid more attention.

Ning Shu ran all the way to the side of the gate, then climbed over the stone wall of the gate and walked along the mountain road to the open sea.

This stone path was really long.

Ning Shu looked at the stone path. In the modern era, when she went to the seaside, she had never seen such a long stone path.

Moreover, this stone path was smooth and concentrated. She didn’t know if it was man-made or naturally formed.

Ning Shu didn’t have time to think too much.

She started flipping over the stones from the top, one by one.

As soon as she flipped the first stone, she saw the stone snails and clams, especially the clams, which were very large.

It seemed that no one had come to search for them in a long time.

Not only were there stone snails and clams, but there were also the oysters she had anticipated.

So, Ning Shu used the kitchen knife to pry the oysters loose.

During the process of prying the oysters, some broke, so she just ate them directly.

Ning Shu worked vigorously by herself, picking stone snails, digging clams, and prying oysters.

She didn’t know how much time had passed until she heard someone calling her name. “Ning Shu…”

Ning Shu looked up and saw Lin Guodong approaching.

“Why did you come?” Ning Shu rubbed her waist.

Her young waist was already sore and swollen.

“The fish in the fish pond has been collected. Hong Fa Bo and the others are picking out the largest ones to sell to the commune. Since I had nothing to do there, I came to see what you were up to,” Lin Guodong explained.

He noticed the contents of her basket and asked, “Did you pick a lot of stone snails and clams? Do you like eating these?”

“Yes, I like them. Don’t you?” Ning Shu handed him the kitchen knife. “You can pry the oysters and put them in the burlap bag.”

“I’ve eaten them before when I was young,” Lin Guodong replied, taking the knife and inspecting the burlap bag.

It was already half full, and with the shells included, it weighed about 50 catties.

If you subtracted the shells, it would still be about four or five catties, quite a lot.

“It’s probably been a long time since anyone came here. During the busy farming season, everyone was too lazy to come. And because people used to come here often, over time, the harvest decreased, so people didn’t want to come anymore. I didn’t expect to find so much today,” Lin Guodong said, also becoming interested.

“I guess I lucked out,” Ning Shu remarked.

She was already thinking about the nearby coastline.

If they dug along the way, they would probably find a lot.

“By the way, was this stone path formed naturally, or was it built by the villagers later?”

“I don’t know about that,” Lin Guodong replied. “But it’s been here since I was little.”

The couple chatted as they worked, especially since Lin Guodong was strong and could shovel oysters quickly.

In just half an hour, he had cleared the remaining area.

Then, he joined Ning Shu in digging clams and picking stone snails.

As the sun began to set, they finally finished cleaning up the area.

However, they had only searched the main part of the path, leaving the sides mostly untouched due to the muddy soil, which would easily dirty their shoes.

“Let’s go back and steam the oysters first. Steaming them until they open makes them really delicious,” Ning Shu suggested, unable to resist reminiscing about the taste.

To be honest, she hadn’t eaten them like this in a long time.

Without a screwdriver, it wasn’t easy to pry open each oyster individually, so steaming them until they opened was quick and enjoyable.

Seeing Ning Shu’s mouthwatering expression, Lin Guodong smiled.

He picked up the burlap bag and the basket. “Let’s go.”

Seeing how effortlessly he carried them, Ning Shu didn’t hesitate to accept his help. She couldn’t lift the burlap bag filled with seventy to eighty catties of oysters by herself, not to mention the twenty or so catties of stone snails and clams she had dug up in the afternoon.

“You’re here. Where are the three children?” Ning Shu suddenly remembered her sons.

“They’re playing at the entrance of the village gate. We’ll have to distribute the fish to everyone later,” Lin Guodong replied.

Thinking about having sour fish soup for dinner, Ning Shu asked, “How much fish can we get today?”