Ji Huai did not go back along the original road and drove to the dock.
The pier is full of fishing boats, both large and simple. The sea breeze blows over, bringing a salty smell to the air.
At this time, few fishing boats come back, so there are few people on the pier.
"Brother Huai."
A thin, dark young man on the small fishing boat nearby called him.
Ji Huai stopped the electric car and got out after hearing the voice, "Aren't you going to go to sea today?"
The young man's name is Sun Bin, who is also from the village. The two grew up together since childhood.
Many young men in the town make a living by fishing. Some go with big fishing boats and come back after a few days or more than ten days. Others drive small, dilapidated fishing boats. They usually don't go very far and can come back on the same day. If you are lucky, you can catch dozens of kilograms of fish and earn a decent income.
"Forget it, the engine is broken again. I'm too lazy to repair it. I won't go to sea recently." Sun Bin said, "I'm tired of it anyway. It's not an option to continue like this. I heard that there is a good job over there at the train station. My dad Mom has taken care of it and is going to have a look there in a few days."
Ji Huai raised his eyebrows: "Okay."
"Isn't this just to get a wife? How can I have a wife when I go to sea all day long? I even bought a car to show off my appearance, and maybe I can even trick a wife back into my life." Sun Bin chuckled.
He was a few years younger than Ji Huai, but he was considered an older bachelor in the village. His family was urging him to marry a wife, have children and carry on the family line. He didn't say that Ji Huai had a better life than him. He married such a beautiful wife and gave birth to a beautiful daughter.
Ji Huai also laughed and nodded, "Isn't this a simple matter? There are so many women."
Sun Bin is more diligent than him and knows how to go to sea, but he is also a man who spends his time and money. Like him, he has no skills but a lot of arrogance.
"I caught a lot of fish yesterday. I will make fish soup tonight. Come to my house for dinner tonight. We haven't had a drink together for a long time." Sun Bin was in a good mood after listening to his words. He actively invited him and reached out to pat his shoulder. "Remember to come."
"Okay, you have to drink with me." Ji Huai agreed immediately.
"See you in the evening, come early." Sun Bin emphasized again when he walked over.
"no problem."
…
Ji Huai looked away when he saw the other party walking away, and his eyes fell on Sun Bin's dilapidated boat parked on the shore.
The boat was quite rusty and looked shabby. Sun's father used to drive it, but later Sun's father got sick, so Sun Bin drove it out to sea for fishing.
noon.
Ji Ziqing finished her dance class and put her schoolbag back on her back. Her classmates were all greeting the teacher enthusiastically.
"goodbye teacher."
"goodbye teacher."
"Bye, teacher."
…
Ji Ziqing, like her classmates, raised her hand and waved, but her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat and the other party couldn't hear her at all, so she turned and walked out.
"Zi Qing." The teacher called her from behind.
When she heard the teacher calling her, she was startled for a moment, then looked at the teacher uneasily and confused, and grabbed the corner of her clothes.
The teacher came over and said to her with a smile, "They all signed up for the city's dance talent show. Have you gone back and told your parents?"
A dance audition for primary and secondary school students was held in China, and they had separate competition areas in the city.
"I don't want to go," she whispered.
"Let's go and have a look. They are all going. It's okay to go and have fun together." The teacher said with a smile.
The chance of promotion is small, but you can go to a bigger stage and practice your courage.
"I don't want to go, I don't like it." She lowered her head.
The teacher said it would cost hundreds of dollars to buy clothes, makeup and hair.
"... That's it." The teacher's smile gradually faded. He didn't know what to say, so he could only say, "If you don't want to go, don't go. It doesn't matter. There will be a model show next time."
Ji Ziqing has a dull temperament and is not lively. She may not like such occasions. As a teacher, she cannot force it.
"Goodbye, teacher." She waved her hand, lowered her head and carried her schoolbag downstairs.
The dance teacher sighed softly.
Ji Ziqing walked forward. Not far away was her school. There were many stationery stores around the school. Thinking of having a painting class in the afternoon, she walked into the stationery store.
She wanted to buy crayons, and after searching around she found them. There were crayons in a row on the shelf, all kinds of crayons, eight colors, twelve colors, twenty-four colors...
The first thing Ji Ziqing looked at was the price.
It's so expensive, some cost more than 20 yuan.
She took out the thirty-five dollars her father had given her in her pocket, looked at the money, and then at the crayons. The largest box of crayons cost twenty-eight yuan and had twenty-four colors. She picked it up, and finally put it down again, choosing the smallest box with only twelve colors and a very small crayon.
When she gave the money to the proprietress, the other party gave her change. She carefully put it away and walked to the feed store where her mother worked.
Yin Cai was counting the feed in the truck. When he saw her coming, he hurriedly said, "The food is not ready yet. We can eat it after a while. Go back to the room and do some homework first."
"Okay." She took the crayons and went upstairs.
The shop owner is a big boss, and this building belongs to their family. It has three and a half floors. There is a feed store on the first floor, and no one lives on the second and third floors. Because he sympathized with Yin Cai's experience and Ji Ziqing came often, he gave it to her. A room was arranged.
When Ji Ziqing walked to the stairs, a very big mouse rushed towards her. She was startled and almost fell down the stairs. She clung to the railing and turned pale in an instant.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak." The big mouse was still very arrogant. He stopped in the corner for a while before running to other rooms.
Downstairs is the feed store, and there are rats everywhere. It's impossible to get rid of them, and you'll get bitten if you're not careful. The owner's daughter came to stay for a few days and was bitten. Since then, the family has never stayed here again.
Ji Ziqing's eyes turned red. She silently stretched out her hand to wipe her tears. She stood up and glanced at the corner several times before mustering up the courage to walk to the other side of the room.
After going back to her room and putting down her schoolbag, she began to carefully take out the newly bought crayons and started drawing seriously.
A princess slowly appeared on the drawing paper. She was wearing a crown, beautiful clothes, and a happy smile.
"Zi Qing, it's time to eat!"
Yin Cai's voice came from below.
"Um."
Yin Cai couldn't hear her answer at all downstairs, so she could only shout again:
"time to eat."
Ji Ziqing didn't answer and trotted down.
The meal was cooked by the landlady's mother, and the landlady is here too. Today there is sea fish on the table, as well as sea-white winter melon soup and two plates of green vegetables.
"Would you like some soup?" Yin Cai asked her daughter.
"Yeah." Ji Ziqing nodded lightly.
Yin Cai served her daughter a bowl of soup and some food for her daughter.
"Zi Qing, eat more, don't be like your mother, look how thin she is." The landlady said to Ji Ziqing, constantly urging her to eat more.
She has a round figure and a round face. She has the legendary appearance of a prosperous husband.
"Yeah." Ji Ziqing buried her head in eating.
"Yeah, it's the time when you're growing, so you need to eat more." Yin Cai also smiled.
"Your daughter is quiet and worry-free. Look at my daughter. She goes to the house for three days without being beaten. She has no girlish qualities and is not obedient at all." The boss's wife began to talk about her daughter and cursed, But there was a smile on his face.
Yin Cai felt bad after hearing this. Seeing that Ji Ziqing had finished the food in her bowl, she took some more food for him.
If she doesn't pinch it, Ji Ziqing won't eat more. No matter how hungry she is, she will only eat a little. It seems to be well-behaved, but in fact it is not daring.
Ji Ziqing once told her that she didn't want to come to the store to eat, because that would be eating other people's food. But where can you go if you don’t want to eat? Let her go out to eat alone? There was no one to take care of her.
The landlady also felt pity for her plight. She saw that she was so good-looking, but she married a husband who couldn't help her and was still good for nothing. That's why she let her daughter rest here and have some food. She only comes here two days a week, so it doesn't matter.
A table of people was eating, and a neighbor came to visit and was chatting with the landlady.
The neighbor's old lady complained about the girl her son had just brought back. She covered her mouth with her hand and lowered her voice, "I've been here for a month. I stay in the room after eating. The air conditioner is on all day long. I'm going to pay the electricity bill this month. How much does it cost?" Four or five hundred yuan!"
As she spoke, she held out five fingers, her words filled with dissatisfaction.
"So many?" The proprietress was also surprised, and then said, "On a hot day, it's normal to turn on the air conditioner."
The old man felt sorry for money, and immediately his face darkened, "How can money be so pretentious? It takes an hour to take a shower, and the hot water is turned on. Tell me..."
"Young man."
…
"Mom, I'm full." Ji Ziqing looked at Yin Cai, her voice thin.
"Eat some more." Yin Cai looked at the half bowl of rice left in the bowl and frowned.
"I'm full." Ji Ziqing put down her chopsticks and went upstairs.
Yin Cai looked at the other person's small figure and suddenly lost much appetite for food.
Summer is very hot. Ji Ziqing used to sweat all over her body while sleeping upstairs, and she didn't dare to turn on other people's air conditioners because she was afraid that the electricity bill would increase and she would be disliked by others.
The landlady's mother bought two bunches of grapes when she went shopping today and asked Yin Cai to wash some for Ji Ziqing.
She washed the grapes and sent them to them. Ji Ziqing sat at the table and drew. Sure enough, she didn't turn on the air conditioner. She knew her daughter's temperament well, so she bought a fan online and told her that the fan used very little electricity. At this time, the other party turned on the fan.
"Mother."
Seeing her come in, her eyes lit up.
Yin Cai walked up to her and looked at the painting she had drawn, showing a hint of relief, "Is this a princess? It's so beautiful."
Hearing her mother praising her, Ji Ziqing showed a rare childlike smile. Yin Cai couldn't help but touch her daughter's soft hair, "Eat some grapes, and then go to sleep for a while. I have to go to class in the afternoon."
"Yes." She nodded vigorously, washed her hands obediently, and fed her a grape before eating.
The grapes were very sweet, and Ji Ziqing ate them in small bites.
This kind of grape is not cheap. When it is expensive, it costs more than 20 pounds per catty. She will never buy it.
Yin Cai looked at his daughter's satisfied look, and her eyes were still sore after shedding tears. She quickly stood up and said, "Mom, I'm going down to check out the store. I'll take a nap after eating."
Ji Ziqing nodded obediently.
evening.
Yin Cai got off work, rolled out his small electric car, and took Ji Ziqing home with him.
It was getting dark, the dim street lights were on, Yin Cai was cautious, and the car was driving a little slowly. Ji Ziqing put her arms around her mother's slender waist and put her face intimately on her mother's back.
"You said you wanted to buy crayons last week, but mom forgot about it. Can I take you to buy them tomorrow?" Yin Cai turned a corner and drove onto the village road.
"I bought it." The person behind him replied.
"How much? Mommy will give it to you later." She knew that her daughter was very frugal, so she probably got it from her own pocket money, and she was afraid it would be all the money.
"Dad gave it to me," Ji Ziqing said.
Yin Cai was surprised, "Did dad give you money?"
"Well, I gave you thirty-five yuan, bought eight yuan, and still have twenty-seven yuan left."
Yin Cai thought Ji Huai might be in a good mood today, "Just keep the rest of the money. If you need anything, buy it yourself. If it's not enough, ask mom to get it."
Ji Ziqing nodded and continued to hug her tightly.
Yin Cai thought for a moment and then asked, "Next time you can ask dad to get money. Dad will give it to you if he has money."
She asked Ji Huai to get money, but he always said that he had no money, and refused to listen to him when asked to go to work. He didn't even have the money to pay, and he was hopeless anyway.
If Ji Ziqing could get some money from Ji Huai, it would also relieve her a little pressure. She would have to quickly save for her daughter's noble junior high school tuition.
"I don't want to." Ji Ziqing muttered.
"What?" Yin Cai didn't hear clearly.
Ji Ziqing said no more and lowered her head.
When the two returned home, Ji Huai was about to go out after taking a shower.
"Where are you going again?" Yin Cai asked.
"Sun Bin asked me to go drink, you can eat by yourself." Ji Huai said, carrying a bunch of wine he bought, wearing flip-flops, and walked out without looking back.
Yin Cai had lost his temper with him and didn't ask another question.
Ji Huai went out to eat and drink seven or eight days out of ten, or used the money to treat others to food and drink, without caring about mother and daughter at all.
Other people's homes were brightly lit, but their home didn't even have the light bulbs that bright. The light bulbs in the yard were even smaller. Not only did she have to cook, but she also had to use firewood to boil water to bathe her daughter.
Seeing that the fire at the end of the water pot is still burning, did Ji Huai take a hot bath today? She walked over and opened the pot. It was full of hot water and had already boiled.
Yin Cai's eyes were even more confused. Even if this person boiled water, he would not add water after taking a bath, let alone add fire to continue burning. The sun really came out in the west.
She couldn't care less and said to her daughter, "Xiao Qing, go inside to get clothes and take a shower."
Ji Ziqing ran back to the house to look for clothes.
Yin Cai carried the bucket over, poured half of the hot water in the pot into it, then carried it to the kitchen to fill up with cold water, tested the water temperature, and then carried it to the simple shed. The lights inside were still dim, but fortunately the place was also dark. It is small and can also provide lighting.
Ji Ziqing came in with her own towel.
She was taking a shower, and Yin Cai had to rush to cook. There was a place in the yard where she planted vegetables, so she went to grab a handful, then took out yesterday's leftover meat from the refrigerator and put it in to stir-fry together.
The rice was cooked when she left today. It would be too late to cook it when she came back, so she had to cook it and then heat it up.
After Ji Ziqing took a shower, mother and daughter sat in the slightly dim kitchen, eating a plate of food. The food was not good or rich, but Ji Ziqing ate two bowls of rice and found it delicious. She had a smile on her face and told Yin Cai some interesting things about class today.
the other side.
Ji Huai arrived at Sun Bin's house with a bunch of beer. He found out fifteen yuan after rummaging through the cabinets. He had no money, but he was too proud to go empty-handed.
Because of this, although he is lazy and poor, everyone likes to call him when drinking and dining, and there are many dinner parties.
"Brother Huai is here, sit down and sit down."
"Sit here."
A group of friends greeted him.
Ji Huai leaned forward to look into the pot and said with a smile, "Hey, the food is good. There are also some yellow croakers and crabs, not bad."
"Isn't that right? I sold half of it." Sun Bin also came over with a few bottles of beer, "Eat more, you're welcome."
"Why are you so polite?" Ji Huai sat down and looked at a table of shirtless greasy men. He was the least greasy one. The others were either bald or had big bellies.
As soon as the water boiled, the big guy couldn't wait to put fish in it, opened a beer and started eating and drinking. Then he started bragging and talking nonsense.
Clink glasses from time to time and continue to laugh and brag.
When Ji Huai heard that Sun Bin said he could no longer go to sea, he asked, "Are you going to sell the fishing boat?"
"The engine is broken and it's a pile of scrap metal. How much can it be sold for? Who wants it?" Sun Bin laughed.
It's just a little broken ship.
"Sell it to me. I'll also go out to sea for fun." Ji Huai took a sip of beer and was about to drink fish soup, but stopped abruptly when he thought it would cause gout.
"Why are you going out to sea?" Several men next to him laughed.
"Let's go and have a look. We're bored at home. If you don't have any fishing nets or anything else, just give them to me. I'll spend a few hundred yuan to repair the engine, and you can go out and have a look." After Ji Huai finished speaking, he volunteered, "In this case, I'll give it to you You give me one thousand yuan and sell it all to me.”
Those things are not worth a thousand at all, but who wouldn’t be tempted by money? Sun Bin lost his temper and said, "It costs two to three hundred to repair the engine. Just give me seven hundred, but don't go too far."
He felt that Ji Huai just wanted to have fun on a whim. It would be a discarded fishing boat if he kept it anyway. Someone would be better off.
"Are you still worried about this? When I was a child, I went fishing with Uncle Chen every day." Ji Huai drank wine and began to talk nonsense, "How old was I then? No child in the village was more diligent than me, but just counting on that Order fish.”
Everyone laughed and brought up things from their childhood.
"There was nothing to eat at that time, so I went out to sea if I couldn't go out. Even in the middle of the night, I could catch a lot of delicious food."
"Hey, speaking of low tide today, when I came back just now, I encountered a wave of out-of-towners coming to catch the sea."
"Are you here to play?"
…
Ji Huai didn't listen to what he said next. He drank three bottles of beer, didn't eat much fish, let alone much fish soup, but he ate a lot of peanuts.
After the sea recedes, many fish, shrimps and shellfish will stay in the shallow water due to their slow movement. Therefore, every time the tide recedes, fishermen will go to the beach to pick up seafood.
Ji Huai sat and ate with them until half past ten, then made an excuse and went back.
Just as Yin Cai fell asleep, there were sounds one after another outside, and she felt wary in her heart, "Who is it?"
"Me." Ji Huai's voice came.
Hearing that it was him, Yin Cai felt relieved. After checking the door to make sure it was locked, he went back to bed and continued to sleep.
Drowsily, she felt as if Ji Huai had gone out again.
Where have you gone? Go for what? She didn't know, and she didn't want to know.
Half past eleven in the evening.
There was no one on the beach. The sound of waves rising and falling could be heard in the distance. Occasionally, a bright light not far away could be seen, which was a fishing boat in the distance.
Ji Huai had a light tied to his head, wearing waders and water shoes, and gloves on his hands. He was also carrying a white bucket with a long clamp inside.
Foreigners who come to catch the sea will naturally not stay on the beach in the middle of the night. Most of them come during the day or evening to finish their fun. Some hard-working locals will also come to catch the sea to see if they can pick up some seafood.
But there weren't many people, and when Ji Huai looked over, there were only a few lights. Nowadays, people's living standards have improved and they don't bother to look for seafood at night. They can buy it if they want to eat it.
We were lucky today, as we hit a strong tide, and the tide receded quickly, leaving a lot of seafood behind.
There were many mosquitoes at night, and the lights surrounding his head were buzzing. He wasted no time and walked down quickly.
Crabs like to hide around rocks. If they see a rock, they will open it and take a look. If there is a puddle, they will reach in and fish it out.
I fished it out several times, but found nothing.
He continued to walk forward and broke open another stone. As soon as he put it in, he hit the crab shell. He reached in with his big hand and grabbed an orchid crab.
Crabs have to be caught from behind so they don't get bitten.
The orchid crab has patterns on its body and is light blue, which is quite beautiful. This orchid crab is quite fat. Ji Huai curled his lips and said, "Run."
After saying that, he threw it into the bucket.
Continue walking forward and reach shallow water, where fish will appear. No, he saw the mud fish.
It's easy to catch fish at night. They don't move very much. If you shine it with a light, they will stay more stable.
Ji Huai leaned down, slowly put his hand in, lifted the fish's tail, and threw it into the bucket. The fish was thrashing violently in the barrel.
The fish has no scales and its meat is delicious. However, the stingers on the dorsal fin, tail fin and pelvic fin have venom glands and cannot be stung, otherwise it will cause severe pain.
After catching the fish, he put some water into the bucket, but he couldn't let them die, because they were worthless.
Ji Huai walked forward, and from time to time he bent down and fished under the stone. The crabs were quite good at running. He was holding a stone crab's leg. Fortunately, he was wearing gloves, otherwise he would have been pinched.
Occasionally, he would come across some shellfish, but they were all worthless shellfish, costing only a few yuan a pound. Ji Huai didn't let them go, picked them up and put them in the bucket.
Crabs were the ones he picked up the most. In just twenty minutes, he caught five or six crabs. Some of them were too small, so he let them go.
I also caught a few mud fish, but they were not very big. Fortunately, there were many people who liked to eat them, and the price could be more than thirty per catty. Ji Huai walked to the shallow water area just to catch more.
In fact, it is difficult to encounter big fish when going to the sea. He just wanted to catch some mud fish and more crabs, but unexpectedly, when he walked in, he actually saw a manta ray.
This thing looks weird, resembling a bat. It tastes good when braised in braised sauce, but it costs sixty or seventy per kilogram.
Ji Huai's eyes lit up when he saw it, and there were RMB in his eyes. He didn't care that the water was a little deep, he was just afraid that it would run away, so he put down the bucket and walked over quietly.
The other party was swimming in the shallow water, trying to use the waves to return to the sea. When Ji Huai stepped in, he noticed that his wings were flapping.
He gritted his teeth, pointed the light at the fish, squatted down and slowly moved over.
The manta ray shook its tail, but there were rocks next to it. It was hit a few times and started spinning again.
Ji Huai found the right moment and rushed over to grab him. The opponent dodged and was about to escape toward the exit. He turned over, rushed over, grabbed hold of him, and immediately picked him up.
"You weigh at least two pounds. You want to run?!"