Just as he reeled in another squid, the two men surfaced together.
They had dived here many times and knew the seabed well. In those two or three minutes, they had worked quickly and gathered half a sack, which looked to be three or four jin.
Ye Yaodong took the scallops they handed him. The moment he felt the weight, he knew exactly how much the sack held. He tipped them all into the basket with a clatter, together with the ones they had gathered earlier.
"Impressive. You gathered quite a lot in such a short time."
"Now we have enough for tonight. Without gathering a bit more, there wouldn't even be enough to share. Now we can give some to your two brothers next door, too. Two each should do."
A-San stripped off his shirt and trousers, wrung them out, and hung them over the gunwale in the sun as he spoke.
Xiao Gaozi did the same, both men baring their lean, muscular bodies. "If you like eating them, we can dive again tomorrow. Two or three dives a day won't be a problem."
"Sure, I'll be counting on you, then."
With that, Ye Yaodong prepared to pick up his father and head back. He wasn't earning any money anyway, and he had already chased away several boats over the course of the day.
There was no need to work so diligently. Doing enough would do. They could finish early, go home early to rest, and come back to fish tomorrow.
Father Ye and the others had done quite well, too. Each had pried loose two or three full sacks. Once they hauled them home, they would have plenty to keep them busy.
Looking at the sacks of shellfish piled aboard, A-San and Xiao Gaozi couldn't help asking, "Did