"What, cod?!"
Upon hearing this, Fu Liang splashed around several times, not even noticing the water splashing on him.
"Amin, let me see!"
"Thank God Mazu, it really is cod! Oh my, no wonder it slapped me so hard, leaving a face full of water!"
Fu Liang laughed loudly. Hearing the noise, Qin Anning came over and helped Fu Ming carry the bucket down.
The rocks are rugged and uneven; if you don't step firmly while carrying a bucket, you can easily fall flat on your face.
Seeing that the fish had been brought up, Fu Wan also climbed up using the rocks. Luckily, she had changed into wet pants when she went out today, otherwise she would have been soaked in the trench just now.
It's so cold outside, and the seawater is cold too. If you catch a cold, it will be awful.
This was the first time Qin Anning had ever seen a live cod. When she saw Fu Wan climb onto the reef, she went over and helped her up.
"Ah Wan, is this fish valuable?"
"It's valuable; this might be the most valuable fish this winter!"
Fu Wan looked around but couldn't find an empty bucket. The water in this bucket was a bit low, and she was worried that the fish might die later.
Seeing her looking left and right, Fu Ming knew what she was looking for. "Wait here, I'll go borrow a basin over there!"
Fu Qing and Fang Min were still cracking oysters not far away. If he wasn't mistaken, there was an empty basin next to them.
Upon hearing this, Fu Wan then called Qin Anning and Fu Liang to go to the side and get the crabs.
While she was busy, she didn't forget to introduce the cod to Qin Anning.
Cod is also called "big-headed fish" locally, although it doesn't have a head as large as the male freshwater cod. Cod generally has a white belly, and its entire body, except for the belly, is covered with brownish spots.
This fish can grow very large, easily weighing over 100 pounds. The reason we say it's blessed by the goddess Mazu is because this fish generally lives in deep-sea areas, only migrating to warmer, shallower waters during winter.
This cod must have been swept ashore by the tide while swimming to another sea area, hid in the trench for a day, and was then brought back by Fu Wan and Fu Liang. (Image of cod from a net, please delete if infringing copyright) Hearing this, Qin Anning still only vaguely understood.
"Is this fish delicious?"
"It's delicious."
Fu Wan smiled mysteriously. The cod meat is delicious and has few bones. This fish is still a bit small. If it were a bit bigger, the cod liver would be a very good thing.
After all, much of what is called fish oil is made from cod liver.
As for the cod, Fu Wan had already figured out how to prepare it: cut it in two, and share it equally between Fu Liang and her family.
Cut your own fish into chunks, steam a few pieces and pan-fry a few pieces. This type of fish is extremely high in protein and is especially nutritious for children and the elderly.
Before they could finish speaking, Fu Ming had already run back with the empty basin.
He quickly scooped up most of a basin of seawater from the trench and poured it into a bucket.
The cod perked up again, slapping the bucket with its tail.
If Fu Liang hadn't been strong enough to hold the bucket between his legs, it would have tipped over.
Seeing such a big fish, Fu Ming was overjoyed and immediately wanted to return the basin and go home.
Seeing this, Fu Wan called out to him, "Big brother, wait!"
"What's wrong?"
Fu Wan took the empty basin from his hand and then poured half of the crabs from her bucket into it.
It filled the entire basin.
"Give this pot of crabs to Aqing, and let them cook it for dinner tonight."
"Okay, sure!"
Fu Ming didn't say much. He immediately picked up a basin of crabs and ran to Fu Qing. Fu Wan then mixed the crabs from the two buckets next to her into her own bucket to prevent them from crawling out.
After finishing all that, she called out to Ye Xiaocui, "Mother, Aunt, it's time to go back!"
Hearing her daughter's call, Ye Xiaocui straightened up and responded.
She rubbed her aching lower back and sighed, "It's so refreshing to pick seaweed, but my back can't take it after a while."
"Chunlan, Xiuer, let's head back now. The tide has already risen."
"Okay, I'll finish this job!"
Jiang Chunlan readily agreed and then scooped up the clump of seaweed in front of her. Wang Xiuer, on the other hand, got up with her basket full; she had arrived earlier than Ye Xiaocui and Jiang Chunlan.
Hey, I'll wash them all clean and dry them tomorrow, perfect for taking back to my parents' home for Chinese New Year!
Her niece from her maternal family loves cold seaweed salad!
After finally finishing packing, the three of them picked up their baskets and headed towards the main road.
As Wang Xiuer walked, she didn't forget to call out to Fu Qing and Fang Min.
"Aqing, Amin, let's go home! Stop digging!"
After saying that, she saw Fu Wan and the others carrying buckets in the distance, especially Fu Liang and Fu Ming, who were carrying buckets and baskets, looking like they were returning home with a full load.
So she turned to Ye Xiaocui and Jiang Chunlan and teased, "Sisters-in-law, I had to say your family's shipping business is doing well. Look at your Awan, Aming, and Aliang, oh my, I wonder what good things they've found!"
"Xiuer, don't just envy Awan and the others. Look at Aqing and Comrade Fang, haven't they also gained a lot?"
Jiang Chunlan pointed in Fu Qing's direction. Fang Min and Fu Qing were also carrying a lot of things, including baskets and basins.
Even from a distance, they could tell that the basin was quite heavy!
Before long, several young people arrived at the coconut tree with their harvest. Wang Xiuer, worried that her daughter would have trouble walking while carrying the things, took the basin from her hands first.
This basin was bought for her by her brother when she got married, but who would have thought that Fu Qing would take it out to hold crabs today.
Hey, a crab?!
"Ah Qing, how did you catch so many crabs?"
Wang Xiuer immediately smiled. Oh my, she hadn't seen such a big crab for more than half a month.
Upon hearing this, Fu Qing pointed and said, "Ah Wan asked Ah Ming to give this to me. Mother, shall we have crabs tonight?"
"Okay, okay, how about you share some of your oysters with Awan and the others?"
"good!"
As the mother and daughter went back and forth, Ye Xiaocui noticed the haul her daughters were carrying.
"Heavenly Bodhisattva, where did you catch so many crabs?"
Fu Wan gestured towards the distant pile of rocks, "Over there. Mom, Auntie, let's hurry back, or the crabs will die and we can't eat them."
"Alright, alright, let's go back quickly!"
What to do? The children's harvest is so good that she doesn't even have enough seaweed to go around.
But it was still the result of her hard work for more than an hour. Ye Xiaocui gritted her teeth, carried her seaweed basket, and tried to help Fu Wan carry the crabs with her left hand.
"Here, get me some."
"No need, I can carry it. Mother, you go first. Lingling, Mingzhu, hurry and go with Grandma to open the courtyard gate."
Upon hearing this, Fu Ling and Qin Mingzhu immediately ran ahead. Even though they walked very fast, they still encountered several villagers along the way.
Upon seeing Fu Wan and her friends' haul, everyone was filled with envy and kept asking them where they had caught the animals.
Fu Wan didn't hide anything and pointed in the direction of the pile of rocks, but by then the tide had already risen, and only the tips of the rocks could be seen on the mudflats.
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