Shen Yanming sighed: "My home is too far from here, so it's unlikely I'll be able to come back again."
He didn't want to reveal that he was from out of town, but faced with the other person's eager gaze, Shen Yanming had no choice but to tell them everything.
Luo Tongzhi was indeed somewhat disappointed, but it was good to be able to exchange for mountain products. They lived by the sea but not by mountains, so they had no shortage of fish and shrimp, but they were quite lacking in mushrooms.
"Alright, I'll trade you however much you have. But we have a deal: it's all dried goods, so it'll be one pound for one pound."
Shen Yanming had no objection to this. He nodded and asked, "How will you transport it back? When I came here, I went through countless hardships and almost fell into a pit and couldn't get out."
Luo Tongzhi took a closer look and saw that he looked a bit disheveled, so he smiled and said, "Once they transport the seafood to a flat area, someone will come to pick it up."
Shen Yanming didn't know what kind of car they were talking about, and didn't ask further, but he had some concerns: "My things are in a nearby village, how are we going to make the transaction later?"
Luo Tongzhi laughed, "You mean Xianshui Village, right? We're all from there. When Xiao Zhao gets off work, you can go with him to his house to make the deal."
Shen Yanming nodded. "Around what time do you think we'll finish work?"
"We have about half an hour left. Once we've sorted out the goods, we can leave."
Seeing that others were still busy, Shen Yanming said goodbye. However, before leaving, he asked Luo Tongzhi, "Can I stay on the deck for a while, just to enjoy the scenery, about ten minutes?"
Luo Tongzhi nodded, "Okay, but don't touch anything on the ship."
Shen Yanming was granted permission to tour the ship from the deck. It was his first time aboard such a cargo ship, and he was deeply impressed by the sheer volume of cargo.
I snapped a few photos, said goodbye to everyone, and got off the boat.
Instead of waiting by the ship, they wandered around the area to see if there was anything interesting to do.
He wasn't worried about losing people, since it was just the two of them; they could just catch up with the main group later.
Shen Yanming stood on the shore and noticed that there were quite a few shellfish here. They were densely packed on the rocks, looking rather disgusting.
As an inlander, he didn't recognize these seafood items, so he didn't go down to collect them.
As the tide rose little by little, Shen Yanming listened to the increasingly loud crashing sound and slowly retreated. But the tide seemed to be chasing after him; every time he retreated a little, the tide rose a little more, relentlessly pursuing him and refusing to separate.
Shen Yanming was stunned and quickly turned to run towards the shore. It wasn't until he had run more than a hundred meters that he shook off the waves that were chasing him.
When the crew members who were finishing their work saw this, they all looked at it with expressions of surprise and said with a smile, "Brother, it's okay, the sea level can't rise that much."
Shen Yanming wasn't afraid of losing face. He patted his chest and said, "This is the first time I've been chased by waves. I'm a little scared."
Xiao Zhao patted him on the shoulder: "People from out of town are all like this, but it's only right to be careful."
Shen Yanming nodded: "You're off work?"
"Yes, we've been on the boat for a week, and finally we can go ashore. But in the past, we would go out to sea for several months. It's only since last year that we haven't dared to go into the deep sea. We just fish nearby, which is why the trips are so short." Xiao Zhao said calmly.
Shen Yanming didn't press for the reason, because he knew the answer just by thinking about it. However, he did ask, "Was your fishing trip smooth?"
Xiao Zhao nodded, "Apart from the fact that the variety and quantity of the catch are not as good as before, it's pretty good. We haven't encountered any big storms in all this time. If it weren't for the continuous drop in sea level, I would have thought that the Goddess Mazu had appeared to us."
Shen Yanming was somewhat surprised, "So calm and peaceful?"
“Of course, sometimes the sea is calmer than the shore,” Xiao Zhao said proudly. “But they always feel that something is amiss when things are not normal.”
"What do you think?"
"Me?" Xiao Zhao pointed to himself and shook his head. "Live one day at a time, why think so much?"
Shen Yanming thought the other person lived a carefree life, so he gave them a thumbs up.
The two talked and chatted, and soon they reached a relatively flat stone path.
Xiao Zhao asked curiously, "Dude, when did you get here?"
Shen Yanming didn't hide anything: "Last night."
"You walked over here?"
"Um."
"That's really not easy."
"Don't you also travel back and forth on foot?"
"Yes, but we've gotten used to it, and we're used to these few-hour journeys. But for a tourist like you to be able to persevere is really impressive."
Shen Yanming smiled and said, "I also think I'm very capable."
He readily shared his experience, but still held back: "I set off at dawn, and then it got darker and darker as I walked. I was also cold, hungry and tired. In the end, it was pitch black all around, and I was almost scared to death."
Fortunately, we were well-prepared beforehand and replenished our energy twice along the way. With just a flashlight, we successfully reached the beach.
"Brother, you've got guts!" Xiao Zhao genuinely admired him, because very few people dared to walk this way at night. If they weren't careful, they could fall into one of those deep pits and lose their lives.
Shen Yanming scratched his head shyly, "I'm not from out of town, so I don't know the truth."
Xiao Zhao laughed heartily, "That's why there's the saying 'foolish courage.' You better not be so reckless next time."
"Yes, I know."
The two walked and talked, and the temperature by the sea was slowly rising. Shen Yanming felt a wave of stuffiness, so he took off his jacket and stuffed it into his backpack.
"Would you like some water?" Shen Yanming asked.
The two walked for more than two hours, their foreheads covered in large beads of sweat.
Xiao Zhao nodded, "Have some if it's convenient."
Shen Yanming took out a bottle of mineral water and handed it to him: "There's nothing inconvenient about it."
Xiao Zhao unscrewed the cap, took two sips, and said with a smile, "You're really well-prepared. Your life skills are top-notch."
Shen Yanming chuckled sheepishly, “It’s all a coincidence. When we go on a trip, how can we not prepare everything properly?”
"Yes, there are very few people as free as you," Xiao Zhao remarked.
Shen Yanming pretended to be mysterious and whispered in Xiao Zhao's ear: "Actually, I didn't come here specifically for tourism. As you know, there's a shortage of supplies everywhere right now, so I'm taking this opportunity to travel around and see if I can smuggle some things."
This time it was Xiao Zhao's turn to give a thumbs up: "You're awesome, your courage is commendable!"
"If you want, that's fine too. Actually, there's still a good market for fish inland."
Xiao Zhao nodded, "I know, but every time we go out to sea, the spoils we get are just enough for our own family to eat. It's not worth it to bring them inland. If we could meet more people like you who come to resell goods, we could cooperate."
Xiao Zhao looked at Shen Yanming with a hint of eagerness, as if to say, "What a great opportunity! Would you like to consider it?"
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