Fu Ming looked at Fu Wan with hopeful eyes, but Fu Wan smiled mysteriously and said, "Brother, why don't you come with us and you'll find out?"
If he were to reveal it now, how could Fu Ming possibly keep it a secret?
In case you get so excited that you talk incoherently, and someone notices something amiss later.
"Hmph, let's see how long you can hide!"
Fu Ming snorted coldly, while Ye Xiaocui, who was standing to the side, was happy to watch the show.
She knew what Fu Wan and the others were going to do today, but before leaving, she couldn't help but grumble a few words.
"That's good enough. Remember to come back early for lunch."
"Oh, my good mother!"
Fu Wan readily agreed, and when the three of them appeared at the dock, Old Li and the others were a little surprised.
Didn't you just get back from going out to sea yesterday? Why is Boss Fu going out to sea again today?
"Doggy, going out to sea again?"
Boss Fu greeted him with a smile, then took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to him.
"Haha, what's the point of going out to sea? I threw a few fish traps into the sea before I came back yesterday, so I have to go and retrieve them."
Otherwise, it'll definitely rot later!
The men took the cigarettes and nodded hurriedly.
"That definitely needs to be taken back. Oh, we won't keep you any longer. Hurry up and go, you can still make it back in time for lunch!"
"Is that so? That makes sense!"
After exchanging a few words with them, Fu Ming started the diesel engine with the crank handle.
Hearing the commotion on the boat, Boss Fu waved goodbye to his old buddies before boarding.
Fu Wan took the lead and entered the cockpit. Having not sailed for a while, she suddenly missed the feeling of holding the helm and riding the waves at sea.
Fu Ming and Boss Fu naturally let her go. Since they hadn't actually cast a net today, the three of them simply leaned against the cabin door and chatted.
Although it was a cloudy day, the wind at sea wasn't particularly strong.
Fu Wan carefully turned the rudder; at this point, the boat's speed could not be too fast or too slow.
There weren't many boats going out to sea at that time, so it took Fu Wan more than half an hour to see a few boats in the distance.
"Hey, isn't that Swallow's Nest Island up ahead?"
Fu Ming pointed to the black dot in the distance, and Fu Wan glanced at it, "That's right!"
"Hehe, it's time to reveal the answer!"
Fu Ming was eager to get started, but his sister and father were acting strangely and refused to tell him what he was going out to do.
With Swallow's Nest Island right before his eyes, he would soon know the answer.
Seeing his smug look, Fu Wan shook her head speechlessly.
The ship soon stopped at Swallow's Nest Island. The island was still barren, and the banana trees on the island had all turned yellow and withered because of the previous snow.
It was frostbitten by the snow, but Fu Wan knew that the tree would come back to life when the weather warmed up.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, we might be able to harvest some sweet wild bananas here.
The commotion of the boat approaching the shore quickly startled the seabirds that were looking for food on the mudflats. A flurry of flapping wings filled the air, making it difficult for Fu Wan to hear what Fu Laoda was saying.
"Ah Wan, what did you say?"
"Hey Dad, did you bring your shovel?"
Boss Fu nodded and pulled over the snakeskin bag he had brought.
"Look, these shovels are leftovers from when you were building the house. I cleaned them all recently, so they'll be perfect for use later!"
Fu Wan opened the snakeskin bag and took a look. The shovel was indeed clean. In addition to the shovel, there was also a neatly rolled-up, clean bag inside the snakeskin bag, which was obviously used to store bird's nest.
Fu Ming looked at the shovel, feeling uneasy.
Fu Wan found a clean little bucket, filled it with some fresh water, and carried it up.
"Let's go, let's go to the island!"
Fu Ming hurriedly followed behind. Fu Wan remembered the location of the cave and led Fu Ming and Fu Laoda over several uneven rocks. After more than half an hour, they finally arrived at the entrance of the cave.
The swiftlets had gone south and hadn't returned yet. The cave was extremely quiet. Fu Ming sniffed and immediately asked, "Why does it smell so bad?"
"Haha, it's normal for it to smell bad."
Fu Wan smiled. The swiftlet's nest is just like a chicken coop at home. Swiftlets also need to eat, drink, and defecate. In addition to the swiftlet's nest, there must be a lot of excrement in this cave.
After entering the cave, the light gradually dimmed. Fu Wan turned on her flashlight first, and Fu Ming then noticed that his feet were sticky. He shone the flashlight on them and discovered that they were covered in bird droppings.
Huh...
Fu Ming lifted his foot and rubbed it against the side, looking disgusted.
"Ah Wan, where are we going? Why is there so much bird droppings here?"
Fu Wan glanced at the road beneath her feet as she casually answered him.
"What do you think, buddy? Can't you use your brain? Where are we standing on?"
A place to stand?
Fu Ming scratched his head, and the answer came out without hesitation.
"Of course, this is Swallow's Nest Island!"
Back then, they came up with this name together.
Fu Ming wasn't stupid; he immediately realized what was happening.
He immediately became excited, and even started to stutter.
"Ah... Wan, are we going to... get bird's nest now?"
Fu Wan chuckled, but it was Fu Laoda, who was walking at the back, who spoke up.
His words were laced with disdain: "If you're not here to collect bird's nests, do you think you'd come here to step in bird droppings for no reason?"
Fu Ming chuckled and turned around, shining his flashlight at Boss Fu's feet.
He thought he was the only one who stepped in bird poop, but it turned out his own father had done the same.
After passing through the long passageway, they finally arrived at the innermost part of the cave. Fu Wan and Boss Fu were fine since they had been here before, but Fu Ming was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.
Such a big hole, and the walls were covered with bird's nests!
He immediately thought of the sacks of bird's nest that Fu Wan and Boss Fu had brought back before, and suddenly realized what was going on.
Those bird's nests must have been brought back from here, right?
Fu Wan immediately took out the shovel from the snakeskin bag and then gave it to Boss Fu and Fu Ming.
This was Fu Ming's first time doing this, and he didn't even know how to hold the shovel.
But he wasn't stupid; he knew to follow suit. He saw Fu Wan dip a shovel in water and then gently scrape along the gap between the swiftlet and the wall.
In less than two minutes, a bird's nest the size of a dumpling was scooped off. Fu Ming thought it was easy, but while his brain had learned it, his hands hadn't.
He almost broke the first bird's nest he scooped up into several pieces, but luckily Fu Wan intervened in time, otherwise he would have had to eat the bird's nest himself.
"Brother, be gentler, don't be nervous."
"Okay, I'll try again!"
Fu Ming took a deep breath, then, as if facing a formidable enemy, began working on another bird's nest. These things require practice to master, and Fu Ming, being a young man from a farming background, soon mastered the skill of shoveling bird's nests.
The three worked quickly, but when shoveling the bird's nest, Fu Wan didn't forget to remind them that they had to leave a few for every one they shoveled.
Those bird's nests that look fresh are even more unsafe to eat. After another month or two, when the weather warms up, the swiftlets will have to return to the island to continue their lives.
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