The next morning, the sun rose as expected, but the clouds in the sky grew thicker and hung in layers, as if you could reach out and touch them.
The sunlight was completely blocked, with only occasional glimpses breaking through the thin clouds onto the ground.
"Oh dear, so many fish and shrimp have died on the beach, the smell is awful!"
Ye Xiaocui just went to Fu San's place to get some apples. She asked Fu San to buy them last night when he delivered the fish this morning.
It was specifically meant to be brought to the Mazu Temple for worshipping Mazu.
In the past, when my family was poor, we would just burn incense and kowtow a few times when worshipping ancestors, and at most we would donate some money for incense.
With the family's finances booming lately, Ye Xiaocui has naturally put in a lot of effort. Look at these big, round apples; Fu Wan can't take her eyes off them.
However, she still took Ye Xiaocui's two muttered words to heart.
"Mom, do you mean the seaside near our village?"
Ye Xiaocui nodded emphatically, "Yes, speaking of which, it's the place where we saw that blue light last night."
"Oh dear, could it really be like you said, it's that... well, it's all because of *Noctiluca scintillans*!"
Ye Xiaocui suddenly realized what Fu Wan had said last night and immediately guessed the truth.
This is the effect of the red tide. The Noctiluca scintillans reproduces too quickly; it probably absorbed a large amount of oxygen from that area last night, causing the fish and shrimp to die from lack of oxygen.
Seeing that there was still some time before breakfast and leaving the house, Fu Wan quickly walked towards the beach.
There are a lot of people at the beach. Everyone relies on the sea for survival. So many fish and shrimp have suddenly died on the beach, so of course everyone has to come and see what's going on.
Before she even reached the crowd, Fu Wan could smell a strong, fishy stench.
Seafood tastes sweet when it's fresh, but if it dies and isn't kept warm with ice, it will rot much faster and smell much worse than freshwater seafood.
"Oh dear, what happened to the sea?!"
Liu Sanniang sighed, and Fu Wan pushed through the crowd to look out at the sea.
The once pristine, azure sea is now murky and polluted.
You can even see a lot of red debris with the naked eye. These things look like red seaweed and are constantly being pushed onto the beach by the waves.
To the unsuspecting, the scene might appear somewhat beautiful, but to Fu Wan and her fellow seafarers, that crimson tide was like a ghost, devouring life in the ocean. "Hey, so many fish and shrimp! Can't we collect some fresh ones to take home and eat?"
Fu Gou Dan felt a pang of heartache as he watched the fish and shrimp constantly washing ashore.
He usually only buys tiny fish, no bigger than a finger, once every ten days or half a month when he's drinking, but now, piled up on the beach, he even saw several groupers weighing a pound each.
"What are you eating, Fu Gou Dan? Are you out of your mind?!"
Liu San Niang couldn't help but curse angrily, "These fish are all covered in that red stuff. If you pick them up and eat them, you'll end up like Old Lady Shen, eating yourself to death!"
Although she spoke roughly, Liu San Niang was afraid that Fu Gou Dan would actually go and pick up those things.
Once he sets the precedent, there will definitely be many villagers in the village who will try to pick up bargains. If they find out the quality of the food, won't it be their own husbands who will suffer the consequences?
After being scolded by Liu San Niang, Fu Gou Dan shrank back a few steps.
If he doesn't want to eat, he doesn't want to eat. It's not that he's just worried about it!
Although Fu Gou Dan was poor, he was also willing to listen to advice. After all, with the example of Old Lady Shen, everyone was now very concerned about their lives.
Just then, Village Chief Fu and Boss Fu walked over from not far away.
Looking at the scene at the seaside, the two of them frowned deeply.
"Ah Wan, you're here too?"
Boss Fu spotted his daughter immediately, and Fu Wan nodded, "Yes, I came to take a look."
Old Fu sighed, "This red tide is really powerful. In just one night, the beach has become like this. I guess no one will want to go beachcombing for at least a few days now."
Fu Wan nodded heavily, "Yes, this red tide is very dangerous. Before the red tide recedes, you can't touch anything on the beach."
Village Chief Fu frowned deeply, then turned to the villagers behind him and said, "Everyone, please don't come to the beach recently, especially to places with red tides."
A typhoon is expected to hit in the next couple of days, so everyone should go to the fields to harvest vegetables and rest at home for a few days until the red tide recedes.
Someone in the crowd immediately asked, "Village chief, will this red tide recede in two days?"
Their family relies on seafood caught at the beach for their meat dishes.
Upon hearing this, Village Chief Fu shook his head, "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I'd rather it just step down right now!"
I told you guys before not to throw trash into the sea. If I see anyone throwing anything into the sea again, I'll make them clean the village's outhouses for a month!
Village Chief Fu was furious. He had lived by the sea for most of his life, and the red tide phenomenon had only become more frequent in recent years.
Ultimately, it's caused by pollution. There are a few disobedient villagers who like to throw their unwanted things into the sea.
Fu Wan was the first to agree with Village Chief Fu's decision, saying, "We all depend on the sea for our livelihood. If even we don't protect the sea, there will be no seafood left in the sea in the future."
"These red tides will not only kill fish and shrimp, but will also contaminate the fish and shrimp that are not dead. Whether you sell these seafood or eat them yourself, you will easily get sick."
These words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the crowd. "So, those of us who went out to sea can't go out during this period?"
I thought only beachcombers were affected, but I didn't expect that even fishermen at sea would be affected.
Village Chief Fu's eyes widened, becoming as round as copper bells.
"What are you doing going out to sea? The ocean is like this, why would you go out to sea! You all better stay home and wait until these things are gone before you talk about it!"
"If anyone can't find work, just tell me, and I guarantee I'll arrange a full schedule for you."
After these words were spoken, no one dared to utter a sound. Besides fishing, every household owned land. If they couldn't go out to sea, they couldn't go to land either; if the old village chief caught them, they might end up cleaning the latrines.
"That's it, everyone, let's not gather here anymore, hurry back. Can't you see how low the clouds are overhead and how strong the wind is? The typhoon is coming in the next couple of days, have you finished harvesting your crops?"
"Once this typhoon passes, none of the men in your families are going to run away. They're all going to line up and come to the beach to clean up all these dead fish and shrimp!"
"I'll say it again, if anyone throws any of their junk into the sea again, I'll kick you down and make you retrieve it!"
Village Chief Fu's words were like firecrackers, a series of rapid-fire pronouncements, and the villagers gradually dispersed, each heading home.
Fu Wan gazed deeply at the still reddened seawater one last time, and could only sigh.
This phenomenon is caused by water pollution, and there's nothing she can do about it. She just hopes that these bioluminescent algae won't affect her friends in the sea.
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