Ye Yaodong looked at their abdomens and said with a beaming smile, “Two males, adding up to over a jin. The harvest is good today, perfect for stewing to nourish the children at home.”
He looked around and casually found a hemp rope on a rock that had been washed ashore by the sea.
He quickly tied up the two Green Crabs, hung them from his basket, and joyfully continued to pry open oysters and dig for Sea Snails on the rock wall.
He had to try his best to complete the task Mother Ye had given him, otherwise, he would have to listen to her nagging again. The tide would recede even further tomorrow, so he could go clamming.
The closer he got to the rocks outside the tide line, the larger the Sea Snails were. Ye Yaodong pried a few open, glanced at the tide's position, and simply pulled his pant legs up to his thighs, planning to go a bit further out, where there should be even more.
Most of the people who came out to gather seafood today were looking for Sand Clams, so there weren't many people searching on the rock walls.
The harvest here was low, and people would dig during the big low tide on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month. There was only half a month of growth in between, so fewer of them grew large, making it less worthwhile than digging for Sand Clams.
Ye Yaodong walked along the rocks until the water reached his knees, then he stopped and, for once, patiently began prying open oysters on the rock wall.
The oysters pried open here were a bit larger, and the periwinkles attached to the rocks, along with the Sea Snails growing in clusters, were also relatively larger.
Only the mussels, growing in dense patches, were only the size of a pinky fingernail and couldn't be dug.
Everyone was working hard with their heads down, and no one noticed how far out he had gone, allowing him to dig in peace for a while.
As the tide gradually receded to its lowest point, he also moved further out little by little. He hadn't gathered seafood in decades, and his interest was thoroughly piqued.
This feeling of harvest was somewhat captivating to him, but the sun was too strong, and he had forgotten to bring a straw hat.
At this time, because he hadn't done much labor, his complexion still looked very fair, unlike the dark tan of people by the sea.
However, prolonged exposure to the sun also made his face flushed and sweat poured down. Only when his lower body was submerged in the seawater did he feel a bit cooler.
After the tide completely receded at 10:30, it slowly began to rise again after a long while. He could clearly feel the seawater rising little by little from his knees as the waves rolled in.
When the water reached his thighs, he slowly moved forward, and by the way, checked his dipper. It was 1/3 full, which was not bad, enough for two bowls of oyster omelets, and he had half a basket of periwinkles and Sea Snails.
Lin Xiuqing had been squatting for a long time and felt a bit tired. Seeing that the basin was already half full, she stood up, kneaded her waist, tapped her back, and glanced at her second son.
The little one was sitting alone, playing in the sand, very excited, with sand all over his head and face. His drool had soaked a large area of his chest, and he was still grabbing handfuls of sand to play with.
He was very well-behaved, not crying or making a fuss when he had something to play with, and not looking for Mother.
She looked around again and didn't see her man. Her brows furrowed. As expected, she couldn't have expectations for this man!
Mother Ye saw her stand up and also felt a bit tired, so she straightened up to rest. But when she looked towards the rocks, she didn't see Ye Yaodong anywhere. She became annoyed, “Where did he disappear to again? He told me he would dig oysters, and in a blink of an eye, he's gone.”
“Mother, how can you trust what Yao Dong says? It's been so many years, when have you ever seen him work seriously? When has he not been lazy and sly, doing a fake two-step, fooling us and then running off?” Second Sister-in-law said disdainfully, pouting her lips.
Mother Ye was exasperated, “When he gets back, I'll have Ye's father break his dog legs. He's always so unreliable!”
“With Grandma around, forget it.”
Mother Ye was out of breath. A perfectly good son had been raised to be so gluttonous and lazy. If they were gone in the future, he would truly starve to death.
Ye Dasao also said, “Mother, we really can't let Yao Dong continue to be so idle. Who can support him for a lifetime? Lin Xiuqing? He's a big man with hands and feet, doing nothing and relying on his wife. Doesn't he feel ashamed?”
Second Sister-in-law continued, “Yes, how difficult it must be for Lin Xiuqing, a woman, to support the family! Only Lin Xiuqing has such a good temper and can endure it. Which other woman could tolerate her man being like this?”
Some of the women digging Sand Clams nearby also chimed in, “Dongzi is indeed too outrageous. He's been married for so many years, and he's not a child anymore…”
“He should be properly talked to, he can't keep going on like this…”
Ye Yaodong returned with a full load. As he stepped back onto the Beach with the tide, he heard a group of women gossiping about him, and his face turned black with anger!
These busybodies, they're always causing trouble!
His wife hadn't even said anything, but they were the ones talking so much!
“What are you talking about? Did I go somewhere? Wasn't I here all along?!”
Everyone turned to look at him in surprise, having thought he had run off after only a short while. They hadn't expected him to still be there, and those who had been gossiping suddenly looked sheepish.
They hadn't expected to be caught red-handed badmouthing someone!
However, a few individuals felt they hadn't said anything wrong and spoke up righteously, “Dongzi, what we said was for your own good. A man should support his family. If you keep being so idle, are you still expecting your parents to support your wife and children forever?”
Ye Yaodong looked coldly at the speaker, “Auntie Zhu Hua, aren't you worrying too much? Which eye of yours saw me idling? Am I not working right now? Are you speaking with your eyes closed? No wonder your family is poor! They must have spent all their money on treating your eyes!”
Anyway, he was used to being a scoundrel, so he just retorted directly!
“What nonsense are you talking about? Your eyes are the ones with problems, your family is the one that's poor! Your family can't even afford to build a house or split up the family, you're a pauper, and you still have the nerve to say my family is poor…” Auntie Zhu Hua was not having it. She stood up, one hand on her hip, the other pointing a spatula at him and shouting.
Now it was Mother Ye's turn to get angry, “Pointing at what? Is my son for you to scold? So what if my family is poor? Did my family eat your rice because we're poor? If your family isn't poor, why are you out here gathering seafood?!”
“Is this sea yours? You're not letting people gather seafood now.”
“It's not mine, but it belongs to our village! You, from the Neighboring village, have the nerve to say anything! My son is diligently gathering seafood, and it's not for you to criticize…”
Ye Yaodong had stopped speaking after his initial retort and simply stood there watching. It was more appropriate to leave the scolding to Mother Ye; it would be unseemly for a grown man like him to argue with a woman.
Anyway, half the village were relatives, and Mother Ye had never lost in terms of verbal aggression.
With many people around, they had only argued for a few sentences before peacemakers stepped in, telling them to each say less. It wasn't a big deal to begin with, just a few words of gossip.
With someone mediating, the two glared at each other and stopped.
Auntie Zhu Hua felt it was pointless to stay any longer anyway, as the tide was almost rising, so she simply picked up her bucket and went home.
The atmosphere also eased.