Returning with a full haul

Ye Yaodong carried the bucket back down toward the shallows. As he approached, he called out to the others, "Found anything?"

"Does one Cat's Eye Snail count?" A-Guang looked thoroughly dejected.

"Better than nothing." He walked over to A-Guang and returned his bucket.

"It's so empty, I'm embarrassed to be carrying such a big bucket."

"Hahaha!" He found it pretty funny too. "It's fine. Just give yourself a new name when you get back!"

"Ah, we'll see. Burning firewood just to cook one snail would be a waste. Here, add it to your haul!" As he spoke, he tossed it into Ye Yaodong's bucket with a clink.

"Keep looking. The tide's only just gone out. It won't come back in that quickly, so you might still find something."

"Whatever. You guys carry on. I'll look around the Reef Wall and see if there's anything to pick up." A-Guang shrugged and headed straight toward the Reef Wall at the far edge.

"I went over that rock face yesterday. I picked all the slightly bigger Sea Melon Seeds and snails, and pried out every oyster I could. You probably won't find much over there now."

"Doesn't matter. I'll just have a look around. If there's nothing, I'll head home for lunch."

"All right, suit yourself. With the sun this strong, you might as well go home early and rest if you don't find anything."

"Yeah."

Ye Yaodong figured his friends had already searched the surrounding area, so he headed toward the rocks near the shore instead.

Unexpectedly, after just a few steps, he felt something hard beneath his foot. He crouched for a look and found a Cat's Eye Snail barely poking out of the sand.

He picked it up and scraped and squeezed the exposed flesh with his thumb. It was full of seawater and hadn't managed to retract in time.

Squirt! Several jets of water shot out.

He chuckled and called to A-Guang, who was walking ahead of him, "Hey, A-Guang, look! Even walking right behind you, I still found a Cat's Eye Snail. A pretty big one, too."

"Fuck!" A-Guang turned to look and swore. "I only just walked past there."

Ye Yaodong dropped it into his bucket and said with a grin, "Guess I've been pretty lucky these past couple of days!"

"I shouldn't have come out today. Sleeping at home would've been so much more comfortable. Must've had nothing better to do than come out and roast in the sun." As he spoke, A-Guang headed toward the rocks.

Under the blazing sun, Ye Yaodong continued his treasure hunt along the beach. He didn't find any more big catches after that. Beachcombing at low tide really was all down to luck.

Forty years later, even during spring tides, there wouldn't be nearly as much to gather on the beach. There might only be a few Mudskippers, Stone Crabs, and Giant Clams.

He didn't know why. Perhaps it was overfishing, or perhaps pollution. There was less seafood around, and only on some uninhabited islands could people still gather a decent haul.

As they watched the tide creep back in, everyone began wanting to head home. It was already past one, and they were starving.

"Let's head back. There probably isn't much left to find, and the tide's coming in." Xiao Xiao shook his bucket and called to the others.

"All right, all right. Let's go. It's roasting out here."

"There was hardly anything to pick up. Dong picked it all clean."

Ye Yaodong glanced into his half-full bucket, feeling quite satisfied. "I didn't find much toward the end either. Just Stone Crabs and Mudskippers. Those two should make a bowlful between them."

"That Tiger Grouper alone was enough to make your trip worthwhile. You didn't come out here for nothing today."

"And that whole cluster of Blood Clams! You've done well. All the odds and ends should make another two or three bowls."

He smiled. His haul really was pretty good today. There would be a spring tide tomorrow, so he could come back and see whether his luck really was that good.

"Let's go home. I'm starving." He casually kicked a large rock beside his foot and was about to head back.

But just as he began to turn, a tentacle reached out from under the rock. His eyes widened in delighted surprise. "An Octopus?"

"Huh? You found another Octopus?" A-Zheng, who wasn't far away, eagerly hurried over.

"It really hid itself well. If I hadn't kicked the rock, it probably wouldn't have stuck a tentacle out."

"Pull it out and see whether it's a Red Octopus, Black Octopus, or White Octopus. That tentacle looks pretty small, so it probably isn't a big one."

Three kinds of octopus were common in their local waters. White Octopus, also known as Tidewatch Octopus, were very small, but they fetched the highest price and tasted the best. Red Octopus came next. Black Octopus were the cheapest, and their flesh wasn't as good. Often, it was too tough to chew.

He reached in along the tentacle, felt around, and pulled it free with a firm tug. "It was really clinging on tight. It's a Black Octopus. Junk."

"It's still something. Better than us not finding a single one."

"Dong, you're pretty lucky today! Even as we're leaving, you still manage to find a Black Octopus."

"Look at your bucket. You've got quite a haul today."

Ye Yaodong looked at the Octopus wrapped tightly around his wrist. He couldn't toss it into the bucket, so he had to peel it off with his other hand and drop it in. But once inside, it latched its tentacles onto the bucket and tried to climb out.

"Damn, this thing can climb. I'll have to hold it. Help me move that rock, will you? Let's see if there are any more underneath."

"You think there's another whole bunch?"

Despite saying that, they still worked together to tip the rock onto its side.

"Holy shit, there really is another one!" he said delightedly. "Shame it's a bit small."

"Another Black Octopus. Still, it's something. Any catch is a good catch!"

Xiao Xiao crouched beside him and helped pull it off, then put it into Ye Yaodong's hand. "There. Now we can go home. You really are heading back with a full haul today."

He grinned. There would certainly be extra dishes for dinner tonight. His efforts hadn't been wasted today-he had food to eat and money coming in.

"Your hauls look all right too. Nothing especially valuable, but the little stuff should make a bowl or two."

A-Zheng hefted his bucket. "Not bad, I suppose. Could be better, could be worse. Huh? Where's A-Guang?"

He'd been about to tease A-Guang, only to realize he was nowhere in sight.

Only after he pointed it out did everyone notice that A-Guang seemed to have disappeared.

"A-Guang had a look around the rocks earlier and didn't find much. He was annoyed, so he headed home first." Of course he hadn't found much. Ye Yaodong had already gone over the place yesterday. It would've been strange if there were anything left.

"He came out and baked in the sun for nothing." A-Wei sounded a little gleeful at his misfortune.

"It's fine. Why don't we pool our catches and take them to his place for drinks tonight?" Ye Yaodong suggested.

Among friends, eating each other's food was perfectly normal. He'd mooched a free meal himself just yesterday.

"Sure. Put everything together and we'll have quite a spread. Enough for a proper tableful."

"Let's invite Fatty too. Rat's not home, so we'll leave him out."

"That damn Fatty wouldn't come out in the sun, but he'll definitely show up for drinks!"

"Have him bring a couple of pounds of his family's homemade rice wine. That'll be just right."

"Now that sounds good."

With everyone chipping in, they soon had the evening's food and drinks all planned out.