No matter how cold the weather is, it can't stop the children's enthusiasm for going out to play.
Upon hearing Ye Xiaocui say they were going to go beachcombing, Fu Ling pulled Qin Mingzhu into the house, and soon the two of them changed into rubber shoes and ran out.
Not only that, they also had small bamboo rakes that Fu Ming had helped them customize, which they were also holding in their hands at the moment.
It was windy outside, and Ye Xiaocui wanted to persuade the two children to stay home and watch TV, but seeing how excited they were, she swallowed her words.
She turned to Fu Wan and Qin Anning and said, "You two need to keep a close eye on the two children. The snow on the beach has just melted, and it's wet and slippery."
"Okay, I understand."
Fu Wan and Qin Anning nodded in unison, then each of them led a child and carried tools towards the seaside.
Ye Xiaocui carried her things out the door, then thought for a moment and asked Fu Ming to run and call Jiang Chunlan.
With a bit of wind at sea these past few days and fearing snow at any moment, most of the villagers in Fujia Village have stayed home and hibernated instead of going out to sea.
People who are used to being busy find it hard to stop all at once, so many people take advantage of low tide to come to the beach and try their luck.
Of course, there are also many people who take their fishing rods and brave the wind and rain to stay by the sea to fish.
Fu Wan hadn't seen the sea in Fu Family Village for quite some time, and now that she was here, she felt a sense of familiarity.
Because the snow had just melted, the beach still made a crunching sound when you stepped on it.
"Ah Wan, Xiao Cui, you're here to go beachcombing too!"
Fu Wan looked over upon hearing the voice and saw that it was Wang Xiuer, who had come looking for Fu Qing and the others.
"Yes, Auntie, how was it? Did you find anything?"
"Hey, what can you expect in the dead of winter? It's good enough if you can add some dishes to the table."
"Come quick, there's a lot of seaweed in my trench. We can collect it and make soup tonight!"
Normally, beachcombers wouldn't invite others to pick up what they've found. Only Fu Wan's family was on good terms with her, otherwise Wang Xiuer wouldn't have been willing to give up the seaweed in the ditch.
Fu Wan wasn't very interested in seaweed; it was okay to eat immediately, but it didn't taste good after a meal.
Ye Xiaocui, however, became interested and went over with her bucket and rake.
"This is good, Ah Qing's mother. Pick it up, dry it, and it'll be great for making soup later!"
"Hey sister-in-law, that's exactly what I was thinking! Let's hurry up and pick them up, otherwise there won't be anything left when there are more people!"
Both were efficient workers, and soon they were together, their rakes moving so fast they were practically invisible. The seaweed had all come ashore with the tide, and a single swipe of the rake would yield a handful.
While Ye Xiaocui was making some progress, Fu Wan wasn't idle either. She carried her small bucket and walked a short distance towards the rocks, and soon she discovered several small holes in the sand.
"Ah Wan, is there something in these holes?"
"Yes, it should be clams."
Fu Wan squatted down, and Qin Anning, who was next to her, hurriedly handed her the small rake from the bucket.
With one, two, three digs, the mud and sand were forcefully dug away, and Fu Wan pulled out a clam the size of an egg.
"Haha, we can have an extra meal tonight!"
Fu Wan laughed heartily, turned around and threw the clams into the bucket. It was still the fresh seafood at home that was so satisfying. If it were in America, she would have to worry about whether these things met the regulations.
Seeing that Fu Wan had found seafood, Qin Anning was filled with envy.
She followed Fu Wan blankly with a rake in hand, helpless, as she didn't know how to find clams hidden in the mud and sand.
Seeing this, Fu Wan began to share her experience with her.
The presence of small holes in the mud, with water droplets inside, indicates that clams may be breathing beneath the mud.
Not only clams, but almost all the holes have hidden secrets underneath.
Razor clams have relatively long and narrow breathing holes; if there is a particularly round hole, that's where clams hide.
In addition, if you look closely, you will find shallow crawling marks on the mud and sand, which were left by octopuses or crabs when they passed by.
These were all experiences that Fu Wan had learned from the elders at the beach since she was a child. Qin Anning, on the other hand, was a researcher and quickly mastered the skills of beachcombing.
In just three or four minutes, she found a hole the size of a coin, and then dug around for a while. In no time, she dug out a clam that was even bigger than the one Fu Wan had just found.
This delighted Qin Anning, a novice beachcomber.
"Wan, look what I dug!"
"Wow, that's amazing, Anning! You're almost as good as the Clam King!"
Fu Wan gave Qin Anning a thumbs up. She wasn't exaggerating; the clam Qin Anning dug out was almost the size of her palm.
This doesn't look like a clam; it looks more like a mussel.
Qin Anning became even more enthusiastic after being praised. Just then, Fu Ming arrived with Fu Liang and Jiang Chunlan.
Upon seeing Fu Wan and Qin Anning digging for clams, Fu Ming and Fu Liang quickly walked over to them. As for Jiang Chunlan, she naturally went to find her old friend.
Hehe, there's seaweed, she likes it!
When Fu Ming and Fu Liang arrived, Fu Wan and Qin Anning had already dug up several clams. Fu Ling and Qin Mingzhu, who were picking up seashells nearby, felt it wasn't enough and joined in.
"Mom, I want to dig up some edible seashells too!"
"Okay, I'll find you a place."
Fu Ling looked at Fu Wan with bright eyes. Fu Wan rummaged through the bucket on the side for a bit. Oh, she remembered that she had secretly brought a small bag of salt with her.
After removing the tools from the bucket, Fu Wan found the salt she had brought with her at the very bottom.
"Come on, follow me!"
She took her two children to a shallow beach with some small holes and then sprinkled salt on it.
Before long, razor clams as thick as a finger emerged.
Wow, there are razor clams!
Fu Ling and Qin Mingzhu immediately ran over and pulled them out one by one, and soon their little hands were full.
Qin Anning stared in disbelief at the scene, muttering to herself, "Life is indeed full of lessons; how could one do something like this?"
"Haha, Anning, you learned something new today, didn't you!"
Fu Wan smiled. Just then, Fu Ming and Fu Liang also made their discovery.
The two brothers had been going to the beach together since they were little and had developed a tacit understanding. Seeing everyone digging for clams and picking seaweed, they simply started digging through the rocks to look for crabs.
Crabs caught in winter are mostly stone crabs, with little roe, and mostly meaty crabs.
Stone crabs are also very cheap, selling for only 50 cents a pound, mainly because it's close to the end of the year.
However, they didn't plan to sell any seafood today. Even though the stone crabs didn't have much roe, they were still very delicious when used to make porridge.
Fu Ming and Fu Liang each carried stones and searched for crabs. The two brothers didn't even need fire tongs; they just wore gloves and went into the mud to catch crabs.
Seeing that there was no danger and the two children were having fun, Fu Wan began to look for seafood nearby with Qin Anning.
The marine resources in Fujia Village are quite good. Not long after, she discovered a collapsed mud pit.
Oh dear, it's an octopus cave! Stone crab, also called flower crab (image from the internet, please delete if infringing).
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