By then the tide had already come in, and not many rocks were exposed on the shore.
The surging tide continuously crashed against the huge rocks on the shore, producing a series of enormous waves.
Chen Zhiyao was completely immersed in the fun of beachcombing and unknowingly walked to the place where the rocky beach met the sea.
The bright moonlight, like a silver veil, fell on the coastline, illuminating her path.
She lowered her head slightly, her gaze focused and expectant as she surveyed every inch of the ground and every stone beneath her feet.
She carefully navigated among the rocks, searching for fresh seafood hidden among them.
Persistence pays off, and before long, Chen Zhiyao discovered a great place.
Beneath a giant reef taller than himself, there are two wide crevices.
Deep within a crevice in the rocks, facing away from the sea, several plump orchid crabs are hiding.
There are six crabs in total, three large and three small. It seems to be a big family.
These orchid crabs also noticed Chen Zhiyao eyeing them menacingly from outside, and waved their large pincers aggressively, seemingly trying to scare away this uninvited guest.
But why would Chen Zhiyao be afraid?
She cheerfully and quickly took out the plump crabs one by one, then tied them up tightly.
Except for one that was pregnant and one that was too small, which Chen Zhiyao released back, she kept the remaining four.
Upon reaching the side facing the sea, we discovered two large blue crabs, each weighing about half a pound, nestled in a crevice in the rocks.
Having caught six large crabs in one go, Chen Zhiyao was so happy she couldn't stop smiling.
After taking two more steps forward, a medium-sized rock was quickly lifted up.
Now, the octopus hiding underneath was suddenly exposed.
Chen Zhiyao smiled slightly and easily put the octopus into her pocket.
Horseshoe snail +1
Octopus +2
Bluefin bream +1
Poached Fish +2
Spicy snail +9
Flower snail +8
...
As Chen Zhiyao turned over the stones, she happily picked up each of the treasures and placed them in the bucket in her hand.
At this moment, she had long forgotten the passage of time, completely immersed in the treasure trove bestowed upon her by the ocean, busy and happy.
Suddenly, she stopped in front of a smooth rock.
Chen Zhiyao quickly extended the all-purpose clip in her hand toward a large creature that was trying to escape.
The next second, a small green dragon was pulled out. The small green dragon was of average size, weighing only about half a pound.
However, Chen Zhiyao was still very happy to find such valuable seafood on the beach in the village.
She happily put it into the bucket and continued walking forward with light steps.
There are clearly more good things near the reefs by the sea.
A short while later, Chen Zhiyao discovered a large nest of whelks under a rock.
These whelks, some as big as her fist, others only the size of a fingernail, looked like newborn babies.
The number was enormous; it didn't look like a large family, but rather like an entire clan.
Although the whole family should be together, Chen Zhiyao still didn't touch the small whelks, since if they were all gone, there wouldn't be any seafood left to eat.
She picked up all the animals that were of medium size or larger, which added up to about two pounds.
The price of whelks has risen quite a bit recently. If you take them to a purchasing station, you can sell them for more than 50 yuan per kilogram.
Chen Zhiyao couldn't suppress the smile that appeared on her face after suddenly receiving another 100 yuan.
Just as she was carrying the bucket and preparing to continue walking forward, a large crab, bluish-orange in color, suddenly darted out from a rock to her left.
"Wow, this crab is quite big!" Upon seeing the large crab, Chen Zhiyao immediately took off after it.
The ground was covered with moss and sharp Gree cars, but she was quick and caught the big crab in front of her.
Looking at the large crab in her hand, which looked somewhat different from a blue crab, Chen Zhiyao muttered uncertainly:
"Why does this look a bit like a butter crab?" Butter crab is a unique species of crab that looks very similar to common mud crabs and roe crabs, but its value is actually far greater than that of the two.
Moreover, the number of butter crabs is extremely limited, and as the saying goes, scarcity makes things valuable, which makes them a sought-after item for many diners.
The formation of the butter crab is quite a legendary story.
Butter crabs are just ordinary mud crabs, but when they are in shallow waters, if they are exposed to strong sunlight for a long time, causing the water temperature to rise sharply, the mud crabs will be greatly stimulated.
In this process, the crab roe inside the crab undergoes a remarkable transformation, gradually breaking down and turning into a golden-yellow oil.
Over time, this oil slowly seeps into every corner of the crab's body, and the entire crab turns orange-yellow.
And so the vivid and distinctive name "butter crab" came into being.
Although the butter crab can essentially be considered a special type of roe crab, the two are almost identical in appearance.
However, with careful observation, some subtle differences can still be found.
Especially after the butter crab is steamed, its color will be between red and yellow.
In addition, yellow oil can be clearly seen seeping out from the crab shell and the joints of the crab claws.
The yield and quality of butter crabs are greatly affected by the farming environment and weather conditions, as well as the long growth cycle.
All these factors combined have contributed to the extremely precious status of the yellow oil crab, which is even hailed as the "King of Crabs". The yellow oil crab in Chen Zhiyao's hand is a behemoth among crabs, heavy in her hand, estimated to weigh around seven ounces.
Its condition is impeccable, and it looks extremely valuable.
She stared wide-eyed at the butter crabs, a surge of joy welling up inside her.
It's as if I can see countless adorable little coins waving their tiny hands and running happily toward me.
Chen Zhiyao carefully tied the yellow crabs tightly with rope.
After finishing, she stood up with satisfaction, her gaze once again falling on the rock where the yellow crab had scurried away.
Filled with anticipation, Chen Zhiyao tiptoed to the reef and began to carefully search the surroundings.
She practically turned the rock upside down, but unfortunately found nothing except a few small snails.
So she expanded the search area and checked all the surrounding rocks.
Persistence pays off. Before long, she was pleasantly surprised to find two more golden-yellow butter crabs hiding in a crevice in the rocks not far away.
Moreover, each one weighs six or seven ounces, making them the finest of the finest.
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