They had lunch at the home of Grandpa Zheng, whom they had just spoken to. Grandpa Zheng's granddaughter-in-law cooked a seafood feast for them.

Loofah and clam soup, stir-fried scallops with pickled cabbage, cold kelp salad, braised pomfret, boiled shrimp, stir-fried crab—He Caiwei didn't even need to eat; just smelling the aroma brought tears to her eyes.

For someone who loves seafood, this was practically made for her. There weren't many seasonings, just some scallions and salt. In fact, simplicity brings out the original flavor of the seafood better.

Throughout the entire meal, He Caiwei ate without even looking up. The old man found it somewhat amusing; why did this little girl like this food so much? It looked prickly to the mouth.

The people by the sea were already tired of these things, so they just watched as the little girl devoured a whole plate of stir-fried crab and a whole plate of boiled shrimp all by herself.

Seeing how much the little girl was enjoying her food, everyone couldn't resist picking up their chopsticks. But after just one bite, they realized it was just the kind of food they usually made. The little girl must have never tasted anything like it before, which was why she was eating it so heartily.

Seeing that his granddaughter liked it, the old man had an idea for the seafood. Since he had money, he would keep all the dried goods that they wanted to exchange for, so that his granddaughter could grab them whenever she wanted to eat them.

When the time comes, we can use all the money we get to buy grain and then have them bring it back.

"Old Zheng, look how much my granddaughter loves these things. Whatever you have here, fresh or dried, give me whatever you can. Other people's stuff is fine too. I'll keep what I want, and you can sell the rest. Have the village lads come over in two days to pick up the grain. I'll make sure everything is taken care of." The old man took a sip of the loofah and clam soup; only the soup and the pickled cabbage on the table weren't prickly.

This is all the old man can eat; he's never really been good at eating things that prick his mouth, from his youth to his old age.

"Alright, I'll tidy it up this afternoon. I'll have to trouble you to help me exchange the goods." Old Master Zheng didn't stand on ceremony and prepared to greet the villagers. Anyone who wanted to exchange for grain could bring money or goods.

Mr. He is a good person; he is upright, kind, and helpful, and he is not one to take advantage of others. Ever since we met, the two have had a very good relationship.

"Are you even a brother if you say things like that? Alright, alright, go gather your villagers and pack your things. My little darling wants to go to the beach to play. I'll take her for a walk. When it's time to go beachcombing, your kids can take my granddaughter along." Old Master He glared at Old Master Zheng with feigned anger before taking his granddaughter and shuffling out. The courtyard here was made of stone, very sturdy, and not afraid of typhoons.

Grandpa Zheng is the village chief of this village, and the house he built is the most spacious and largest in the village. From Grandpa Zheng's yard, you can see the entire sea.

The old man had a large lychee tree in his yard, with lush branches that could also be used as a sun umbrella.

Stepping out of the courtyard, the lychee tree blocked most of the road outside, allowing you to stand here and enjoy the sea view without being exposed to the sun.

A gentle sea breeze blew by, carrying a faint smell of fish and salt—a scent He Caiwei had never encountered before.

"Why are the houses here made of piled stones, Grandpa?" He Caiwei reached out and touched the courtyard wall next to her. The stones were stuck together very firmly, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't push a single stone off.

After finishing her meal, He Yuping went to help clear the table. The old man entrusted his daughter with the task of keeping accounts for the things the villagers would bring over, and then he took his granddaughter to go for a walk on the beach.

The grandfather and grandson, in a very disloyal way, abandoned their daughter (their mother).

Without her mother's supervision, He Caiwei took off her shoes and socks as soon as she arrived at the beach and started hopping around in the icy seawater.

"Grandpa, this water is so cool, you should try it too."

"Grandpa, the crabs here are so tiny!"

"Grandpa, I found a seashell. Is there anything inside?"

...

The entire beach was filled with He Caiwei's laughter. So this is what seawater feels like, and this is what beachcombing feels like.

Just as He Caiwei was having a great time, the tide suddenly receded. The children who had been eating lunch with He Caiwei that day each took a small bamboo basket and a pair of fire tongs and started picking and choosing on the beach like they were collecting trash.

A little girl, about the same age as He Caiwei, handed him a tightly packed little basket and a pair of pliers, which were specially used for beachcombing.

It won't hold water, and the holes won't cause you to drop any seafood you find.

He Caiwei carried her small basket and dug into the cracks in the rocks. She could indeed find things, but most of them were crabs.

After the tide receded, oysters were found on the exposed rocks. Before long, He Caiwei had run far away with the other children.

When he returned next time, his little basket was full. Besides seashells and oysters, there were also many small crabs and hermit crabs, and he also found a few small fish. After the tide receded, the fish were trapped in the shallow water between the rocks, and the top was full of seaweed.

Having finally fulfilled her wish to express her feelings, He Caiwei looked dejectedly at her full glass, which contained nothing of value, and felt a little disappointed.

She watched videos on the app, and the seafood people were harvesting was all good stuff—big fish, sea cucumbers, sea anemones, or big crabs. All she found were small shrimp.

Although she was a little disappointed, she really had a lot of fun this afternoon; it was a completely new experience for her.

Looking at her daughter, who was soaking wet, He Yuping wanted to hit her. This brat was so sick, yet she dared to get her clothes wet. If she caught a cold and fever tonight, it would be terrible.

Under the cover of the donkey cart, He Yuping and her daughter took a set of clothes from the space and changed her into them. Then, taking advantage of the time difference in the space, they cooked a large bowl of brown sugar ginger soup for her to drink.

He Caiwei disliked the taste of ginger soup the most; it was spicy and pungent, like drinking strong liquor. But her mother was so insistent that she had no choice but to drink it, so she could only pinch her nose and gulp down a few mouthfuls of brown sugar ginger tea in one go.

Seeing her daughter obediently drink the brown sugar ginger tea, He Yuping finally felt a little relieved. Her daughter's health was rather poor, and every time she caught a cold, it would last for ten days or half a month, which was really worrying.

He didn't want his daughter to fall ill so soon after arriving in this place. He had originally wanted her to rest, but as soon as she heard that they were collecting dried goods in the yard, she immediately dropped the tissues and ran after them.