There were seven of them and two flashlights, so they simply split into two teams.
Cicada nymphs were easy to catch at night. A sweep of the flashlight over a tree trunk revealed them everywhere, though they were low down, very close to the ground.
Perhaps because it had only just gotten dark, they had only just crawled out of the soil and onto the tree trunks.
All seven squatted there catching them. It could hardly have been easier, and they moved to a new spot every little while.
"Fuck, killed another damn mosquito!"
"Shit, I should've worn long sleeves and long pants!"
Listening to their complaints, Ye Yaodong and A-Guang were glad they hadn't showered yet and were still wearing their long-sleeved work shirts and long pants.
Only when their legs had gone numb from squatting and the mosquito bites became unbearable did they give up catching more.
"I can't take this anymore. Too many mosquitoes. Let's go. We've got enough to go with our drinks."
"Come on, let's go. My head's practically covered in bites already."
"We need to come prepared next time."
"I'd already showered and put on a tank top, yet I still came out here to mess around with you lot. I really had nothing better to do!"
Ye Yaodong hefted the sack, gauging its weight. "Should be four or five jin. Once we're back, everyone can take some home. A-Guang can have a bit more, with some saved to go with drinks tomorrow. We can catch a little something from the river too and save ourselves a trip to the wharf for seafood. River catch makes a nice change once in a while."
"Sounds good. I've eaten so much shellfish lately I could puke. Dug up too much, so we've had to eat it