After looking at their bellies, Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "Two males, weighing more than a kilogram in total. It's a good harvest today. It's just right to stew them for the children at home."
He looked around and casually found a hemp rope washed up by the sea on the rock.
He neatly tied up the two blue crabs and hung them on the basket, then happily continued to open oysters and dig clams on the stone wall.
He had to try his best to complete the tasks assigned by his mother, otherwise he would have to listen to her nagging again. Tomorrow the tide would recede further, and he could go out to catch seafood.
The closer to the rocks outside the tide, the bigger the clams on them. Ye Yaodong pried a few of them, took a look at the position of the tide, and simply pulled his trouser legs to his thighs, intending to walk a little further out, as there should be more clams outside.
Most of the people who came out to fish in the sea today went to pick up sand clams, but not many people were looking for them on the stone walls.
The yield is low, and some people start digging when the tide goes out on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. The growing period is only half a month, so few of them grow up, not as many as those dug for sand clams.
Ye Yaodong walked along the rocks until the water reached his knees. He stopped and then, with rare patience, slowly opened oysters on the stone wall.
The oysters that were pried open here were a bit bigger, and the snails attached to the rocks and the clams growing in groups were also relatively large in size.
There was only the Chinese cabbage, growing densely, but each one was only the size of a little fingernail and could not be dug up.
Everyone was working hard and no one noticed him coming out, so he could dig in peace for a while.
As the tide receded to the bottom little by little, he also moved out little by little. He hadn't gone sea fishing for decades, and his interest was completely aroused.
He was a little fascinated by the feeling of achievement, but the sun was too strong and he forgot to wear a straw hat when he went out.
At this time, because he didn't work much, his face looked very white, not as dark as people living by the sea.
However, being exposed to the sun for a long time made his face red and he sweated profusely. Only when his lower body was soaked in sea water did he feel a little cooler.
After the tide receded completely at half past ten, it began to rise slowly again after a long time. He could clearly feel the sea water rising up from his knees little by little as the waves rolled up.
When it rose to his thighs, he slowly moved forward and took a look at the ladle. It was one-third full, which was not bad, enough for two bowls of fried oysters and half a basket of spicy snails and clams.
Lin Xiuqing felt a little tired after squatting for a long time. Seeing that half of the basin was full, she stood up, massaged her waist, patted her back, and glanced at her second son.
The little one was sitting alone playing with sand. He was very excited. His head and face were covered with sand. His chest was wet with saliva. He was also grabbing handfuls of sand to play with.
They are very well behaved. Some of them don’t cry, make a fuss, or look for their mothers while playing.
She looked around again, but didn't see her man. She frowned and realized that she shouldn't have any expectations on this man!
When Ye's mother saw her stand up, she also felt a little tired, so she stood up and planned to take a rest. However, she looked over the rock and didn't see Ye Yaodong. She was annoyed, "Where has he been again? I told him to dig oysters for him, but he disappeared in the blink of an eye."
"Mom, how can you believe what Yaodong says? In all these years, when have you ever seen him work seriously? Every time he does something sneaky and pretends to do something, then runs away." Ye Ersao said with a pout.
Ye's mother was so disappointed with him, "Go back and ask his father to break his legs. He is so out of touch all day long!"
"Don't think about it, as long as Grandma is here."
Ye's mother was furious. She had such a good son, but he had become so lazy and gluttonous. When they were gone, he would really starve to death.
Mrs. Ye also said, "Mom, we really can't let Yaodong be idle like this forever. Who can support him for the rest of his life? Xiuqing? He is a grown man with hands and feet, but he does nothing but rely on his wife, and he doesn't feel ashamed."
Mrs. Ye continued, "Yes, it is so hard for Xiuqing to support her family in Hukou alone! Only Xiuqing has a good temper and can endure it. Which other woman can tolerate this from the man at home?"
Some women digging for sand clams nearby also echoed, "Dongzi is really too unreasonable. He has been married for so many years and he doesn't have a child anymore..."
"We should have a good talk. We can't let him stay like this..."
Ye Yaodong returned with a full load. As soon as he followed the tide back to the beach, he heard a group of women gossiping about him. He was so angry that his face turned black!
These gossipy ladies are always the ones who cause trouble!
His wife hasn't said anything yet, but they are the ones who talk too much!
"What are you talking about? Where have I been? I've always been here!"
Everyone turned to look at him in surprise, thinking that he had run away after a while, but they didn't expect him to still be there. Those who had been gossiping suddenly felt embarrassed.
I didn’t expect to be caught talking bad about people behind their backs!
However, some people felt that they were not wrong and said confidently: "Dongzi, we said that for your own good. A man should support his family. You have been idle like this. Do you still expect your parents to support your wife and children for the rest of their lives?"
Ye Yaodong looked at the person who was speaking coldly, "Aunt Zhu Hua, you are worrying too much, aren't you? Which eye of yours saw me idle? I was working. Are you talking with your eyes closed? No wonder your family is poor! I've treated your eyes!"
Anyway, he is used to being a jerk, so just fight back!
"What nonsense are you talking about? You have a problem with your eyes and your family is poor. You can't even afford to build a house and you can't divide the family property. You are a poor bastard, and you still have the nerve to say that my family is poor..." Aunt Zhu Hua couldn't stand it anymore. She stood up, put one hand on her waist, and pointed at him with a spatula in the other hand and yelled.
Now it was Ye's mother's turn to get angry. "What are you pointing at? Do you think it's your turn to scold my son? What's wrong with my family being poor? Does my family have to eat your rice? Your family is not poor, so why are you fishing in the sea?"
"Is this sea yours? Why don't you allow people to fish in it?"
"It's not mine, but it's from our village. How dare you, a person from the neighboring village, say that! My son is diligently collecting seafood, it's not your turn to make irresponsible remarks..."
Ye Yaodong stopped talking after he said that sentence and just stood there watching. He thought it would be more appropriate to leave the swearing to his mother, as it would be inappropriate for a grown man like him to argue with a woman.
Anyway, half of the village are relatives, and his mother has never lost in momentum when it comes to scolding people.
There were many people around, and after they had quarreled for a few words, a peacemaker came out and asked them to say less. It was not a big deal, just a few gossips.
Someone tried to smooth things over, and the two glared at each other and stopped talking.
Aunt Zhu Hua felt that there was no point in staying any longer, and since the tide was about to rise, she just carried her bucket and went home.
The atmosphere also relaxed.