Chapter 84: Sea Hunting
Lin Xiaotong and Xie Yi waved goodbye and walked back.
I got down safely with the help of the flashlight. When I was about to reach the next intersection, I heard Gao Xiulan's voice.
"Xiaotong, why did you come back just now? It's almost dark."
"Is that kid Xie Yi eating so slowly? Otherwise, I'll go and take him to school tomorrow and see if he still dares to eat so slowly."
Gao Xiulan waited and waited at home, until it was dark and Lin Xiaotong still hadn't come back. She was afraid that something had happened, so she walked to the intersection in the dark and waited for Lin Xiaotong.
"Mom, no, I was having a conversation with Xie Yi, so that's why I got delayed."
Lin Xiaotong ran over and happily put her arm around Gao Xiulan's arm, and the two walked side by side towards the small courtyard.
"I'm not saying anything, but Xie Yi has always been a talkative kid. I still remember when he was little..."
Gao Xiulan kept chattering on and on, and Lin Xiaotong listened patiently, nodding from time to time.
Two figures walked towards the small courtyard with orange lights in the night.
…
The next morning, after Lin Xiaotong got up, she stretched herself, opened the wooden window, and looked out at the sea in the distance. She felt in a very good mood.
"Xiaotong, are you up? I'm going to the supply and marketing cooperative on the island later. Do you want to come?"
Gao Xiulan saw Lin Xiaotong sleeping soundly early in the morning, so she didn't call her and went to deliver breakfast to Xie Yi by herself.
After delivering breakfast, she came back and sat on the small chair at the door with the bowl in her hand. She heard the noise in the room and talked while eating.
"Mom, I'm going too."
Lin Xiaotong hurriedly got dressed, washed up, and dragged a small chair to eat breakfast next to Gao Xiulan.
In the morning I had multi-grain porridge with pickles, one mouthful of pickles and another of porridge.
After eating, Lin Xiaotong and Gao Xiulan locked the door and set off for the supply and marketing cooperative on the island. They were going to buy some things today and treat Xiong Chuan and others to dinner in the afternoon.
The supply and marketing cooperative on the island is also located on higher ground, with two bungalows and a yard at the back.
There are several basins filled with fresh fish piled up at the door. There are a lot of seafood here, and there are special people who catch them every day and sell them in the supply and marketing cooperative.
There was a counter inside the supply and marketing cooperative, on which were placed needles and thread, miscellaneous daily necessities, potatoes, radishes, dried vegetables, etc. Meat was placed on a separate stall.
Lin Xiaotong also saw fruits for sale here, such as mangoes and rambutans, which are rarely seen in the north in winter.
"Mom, let's buy some fruit. We haven't eaten yet."
Lin Xiaotong tugged at the corner of Gao Xiulan's clothes, her eyes glued to the fruit.
"Yes, comrade, please give me some of this, and this as well."
Gao Xiulan waved her hand and pointed at the two fruits.
"Sister, you are new here, right? I haven't seen you on this island before."
The saleswoman was a chubby older lady with two dimples on her face when she smiled. She must be a blessed person.
"Sister, you have such a good eye. We are here to see my son."
Gao Xiulan squatted down and picked the mangoes. The mangoes were quite big and heavy, so she took three to weigh first.
The three of them shared it, just enough for each of them to taste it, but her family member Mr. Xie didn't have the chance to enjoy it.
Lin Xiaotong looked at the fruit on the right that looked like a hairy lychee. She had tasted it before when she was a tutor in a wealthy family, and she liked the taste very much.
Rambutan tastes sweet and has white flesh inside when peeled.
Gao Xiulan weighed two kilograms of rambutan and three large mangoes.
After paying the bill, Gao Xiulan took Lin Xiaotong to the stalls outside to browse around. She also wanted to buy some food for lunch.
"Comrade, give me three swordfish and two cutlassfish."
Gao Xiulan thought that the pan-fried mackerel that Lin Xiaotong brought back from the cafeteria last time tasted really good, so she bought some to try this time.
Gao Xiulan finally bought another two kilograms of meat. There was no other way, as there was a limit on the amount of meat available and she couldn't buy more. If she bought too much, the rest of the people would have nothing to buy.
The meat on the island has to be transported from outside, which is very troublesome.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were carrying their things as they walked back. On the way, they met many half-grown children who were carrying buckets and digging for seafood on the beach with their butts sticking out.
"Xiaotong, after we put the things back, we'll try our luck."
Gao Xiulan had never been to the beach since she came here, so she did it right away. After they returned home, they put the fish in a basin of water in the kitchen.
Gao Xiulan picked up two bamboo backpacks from the kitchen. They were left behind when Xiong Chuan delivered something yesterday.
It just came in handy. Gao Xiulan and Lin Xiaotong each carried a bamboo basket and went to the beach in flip-flops.
The beach was full of little kids with their butts sticking out, and adults gathered in groups of three or four, picking up seafood and chatting.
Gao Xiulan and Lin Xiaotong rolled up their trouser legs, rolled up their sleeves, and plunged into the sea.
The sea water is warm in the morning, and there is soft sand under your feet. The sea water is colorless from the shore and blue from a distance.
Lin Xiaotong couldn't help but reach out and scoop up a handful of sea water, throwing it into the air, creating splashes of water.
"Mom, the water here is still warm."
"It's not cold at all. This place is really beautiful."
"Hiss~"
After Gao Xiulan finished speaking, something pinched her foot. She picked it up with her big hand and found it was a small crab.
"Hmph, since you've fallen into my hands, I'm going to eat you today."
The two men lowered their heads to fish for seafood in the water. After two hours of hard work, they filled two baskets with seafood.
Most of them were small crabs, small fish and shrimps, clams, razor clams, and scallops. Gao Xiulan also caught a few large shrimps and swimming crabs.
But don’t miss out on free things. Only children who don’t go to school love to play on the beach here. They can pick up shells and play in the sand.
But you can't play too wildly. If you get your clothes all wet, you will have to eat stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat when you get home.
"Xiaotong, are you back?"
Gao Xiulan called out to Lin Xiaotong who was still picking and choosing nearby.
"Mom, I'm here. Look, there are so many conchs and strange shells here."
After picking up a basket, Lin Xiaotong went to the shallow shore to touch the conches and shells.
When she heard Gao Xiulan calling her, she immediately turned around and answered.
She put the big conchs in her backpack and the small ones in her pockets.
Lin Xiaotong handed the large conch on the backpack to Gao Xiulan to see.
This time she also found shells of many shapes, some of which looked like hearts.
"Oh, it's quite pretty. Each little thing looks quite unique."
Gao Xiulan looked at these little things, nodded, and said with a smile.
"Xiaotong, let's go back and make a big meal for lunch."
"Okay, Mom, I want to eat the pan-fried fish fillets you made."
"Of course, my cooking skills guarantee that you will want to eat more after eating it today."
The two men returned to the courtyard carrying their backpacks and started to smoke.
…
Xiong Chuan and his team had an urgent mission at noon and couldn't make it, so they asked someone to tell Gao Xiulan to come in the evening.
In the evening, Xiong Chuan and his team finished their training. After taking a shower, they came to the small courtyard carrying their things.
"Auntie, we are here. This smells so good. Your cooking skills are really amazing."
Xiong Chuan brought his brothers who were familiar with Xie Yi to come and have a free meal. None of them came empty-handed. They all had something in their hands, some frozen goods, dry goods and the like.
"That's right, Auntie. I really envy Xie Yi for being able to eat so many delicious foods."
Xiong Chuan smelled the fragrance of food at the door, and as soon as he entered, he rushed forward to pay as if it were free.
"You guys are here now, what else are you bringing?"
Gao Xiulan couldn't stop smiling and hurried to meet him.
The food and dishes have been placed on the table in the main hall.
Today we have some delicious dishes: pan-fried swordfish, braised hairtail, vermicelli stewed with pickled cabbage, steamed swimming crab, pork with mushrooms, cabbage with vinegar, and seaweed fish balls and shrimp soup.
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