Niu Qingshan followed her the whole time, mainly because he was worried that Pei Yao, a young girl, might fall on the rocks.
Falling on the rocks is not a good thing; there are many sharp pieces of oyster shells on the rocks, and it hurts a lot when you fall on them.
Seeing how happy Pei Yao was to find the shrimp and octopus, he figured she must really like eating shrimp.
After all, shrimp and octopus are large, meaty, and very delicious, which is much better than clams and oysters with shells.
He then gave Pei Yao all the shrimp and octopus he had collected.
Niu Qingshan's beachcombing skills were much better than Pei Yao's. When he gave Pei Yao all the shrimp and octopus he had carried on his back, she was overjoyed.
Pei Yao raised her hand to shield her eyes, the blinding sunlight on the beach making her squint. She looked up and gave Niu Qingshan, who was a head taller than her, a big smile.
Then, with a sincere and hearty exclamation, he exclaimed, "Wow, you..."
After saying that, he reached out with his empty hand to pat Niu Qingshan on the shoulder, but because the other man was too tall, he couldn't reach him. So he could only pat him on the arm and say cheerfully, "Dude, you're awesome."
"......."
Niu Qingshan's heart couldn't help but race as he looked at the girl's unpretentious behavior and bright smile.
This girl always seems carefree and easygoing, but she's incredibly reliable when it comes to getting things done.
Niu Qingshan: "No...no...it's not that exaggerated. Children from the seaside learn from a young age..."
Seeing his stammering, Pei Yao's wheat-colored face flushed red, even the base of her ears turned red. Her whole body was a dark reddish-brown, whether from the sun or the wind, it was hard to tell.
It can't be that they became famous because they praised themselves.
"......"
Pei Yao checked the time and estimated that it was still early, so she carried her basket and wandered around the reef for a while.
She looked up at the shady side of the reef, the back of the cave where she had last made salt.
She had never had the chance to go and see that place before.
Because the seawater there was dark and looked scary.
Pei Yao had wanted to go see it before; he always felt that there was such a large, dark area in that bay, which seemed a bit abnormal.
Maybe there's a big shipment.
But Pei Yichen absolutely refused to let her go, saying that it was dark and scary there.
Pei Yao, on the other hand, had no taboos and never believed in ghosts or gods.
After her younger cousin persuaded her to stay nearby and not go down into the rocks, she was assured that she would be fine.
But Pei Yichen stubbornly refused to budge and wouldn't let her go.
However, she didn't want to explore blindly. If there were whirlpools or other uncontrollable reasons causing the seawater to turn black, it would be dangerous.
Right next to him is a local young man who knows this beach as well as his own home.
Pei Yao decided to ask him first, rather than act on her own.
"Brother Qingshan, have you been to that black bay over there?" Pei Yao asked, pointing to the dark bay.
Niu Qingshan glanced at it and then looked away, explaining in a flat tone, "I've been there before, a few times, but there's nothing there. The black color is just because the seawater in that bay is full of black seaweed."
Pei Yao was puzzled after hearing this, wondering what kind of seaweed was growing so much that the entire bay was black.
"What kind of seaweed is it? Is it delicious?" Pei Yao asked with sparkling eyes.
"It's just big, black patches of leaves that are thick and large. You can eat a piece several times. It's usually used to cook in fish soup. It's crunchy and nothing special. It just tastes like ordinary seaweed."
They grow too fast, and the villagers are tired of eating them and don't really like them anymore, so few people pick them. However, there are people selling them in town, but for just a penny less, you can buy a whole bunch.
The more Niu Qingshan spoke, the more puzzled Pei Yao became. Why did what Niu Qingshan was talking about sound so familiar?
There's a sense of déjà vu.
Of course, this feeling was only confirmed when Pei Yao and Niu Qingshan reached that black bay.
Pei Yao looked at the dark coastline, scratched her head, and was somewhat shocked and puzzled.
"Huh? So much seaweed?"
"Is nobody going to eat this?"
"So seaweed is this long! Wow!"
Pei Yao uttered a series of sighs.
"Is this what you call seaweed? We all call it seaweed." Niu Qingshan didn't delve into why Pei Yao knew it was called seaweed.
I just thought that maybe this kind of seaweed also exists in Kyoto, maybe they call it seaweed there, or maybe it's because Pei Yao is a well-traveled young lady from a wealthy family, so it's not surprising that she knows about it.
Pei Yao nodded: "Yes, we call it seaweed where we're from, but it's also fine for you to call it sea vegetable."
She had never seen so much seaweed before; she had only bought it at supermarkets or farmers' markets.
The entire bay was filled with seaweed, even the rocks were covered in it.
Looking around, all you could see was seaweed, so densely packed that Pei Yao wondered if people could stand on it and not fall off.
Somewhat incredulously, she picked up the nearest leaf, examined it carefully several times, and finally pinched the leaf with her hand.
It has a slippery, sticky texture, and it's a little crunchy when you pinch it. Its appearance and feel are both fine.
It was confirmed that these large patches of black seaweed were indeed the same kind of kelp she had eaten before.
Pei Yao was shocked and felt a little unreal, but dozens of ways to eat kelp flashed through her mind in an instant.
Spicy and sour cold kelp salad, kelp and tofu soup, kelp, winter melon, and pork rib soup...
The most delicious part is the kelp sprouts; they're absolutely amazing when used in hot pot.
If you can't finish them, you can dry them and preserve them for a long time. Whenever you want to eat them, just soak them in water, and the taste will be no different from fresh ones.
"You're saying you don't like to eat this?"
Pei Yao was somewhat incredulous. How could such delicious food be uneaten?
Niu Qingshan nodded.
This stuff isn't even as tasty as the oysters and clams from next door.
At least the other one had meat in it when cooked, but this seaweed didn't have much flavor when cooked in the soup.
Moreover, it's not easy to preserve; it becomes inedible after only a couple of days in water, unlike seafood which can be kept alive for several days before dying.
Pei Yao felt a pang of regret upon hearing Niu Qingshan's answer.
Good heavens, how can you not like such delicious food? What a waste!
She couldn't even imagine how much money this huge patch of seaweed would make if it were turned into a delicious dish!
......
"These scallops can sell for a lot of money!"
Pei Yichen finally found a large cluster of scallops, and after a moment of admiration, he frantically started picking them up.
In no time, he had filled a large basket with scallops. He wiped the sweat from his brow, straightened his back, and rested for a while.
Only then did he raise his head and look in the direction of the reef where Pei Yao was.
"......"
No, where are they?!
He was just there not long ago, picking up a bunch of scallops. How come he's disappeared now?
Pei Yichen remembered his mother's instructions before he left that morning: "You must take good care of your cousin. The beach is dangerous, and she's a girl; her injuries haven't fully healed yet..."
At this moment, Pei Yichen felt cold sweat breaking out on his thin body.
He quickly took the basket off his back and tossed it to Liu Yu beside him: "Big guy, keep an eye on this for me, I'm going to find my sister."
Without waiting for Liu Yu's reply, she turned and ran towards the rocky area where Pei Yao had just been.
He felt uneasy, afraid that his cousin might accidentally fall into the sea.
The sea was boundless and unfathomably deep, with waves that were both rapid and large. If his cousin, with her frail body, were to fall into the sea, she probably wouldn't even be able to climb back up.
Pei Yichen dared not think about what would happen next.
However, their pace quickened considerably.
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