The tide recedes
The tide receded quickly, and by the time Chen Zhiyao and her family of four arrived on the island with their beachcombing tools, the water on the beach had already receded considerably.
This time, Chen Zhiyao and the others were smarter. Each of them carried a small cart with buckets and other beachcombing tools on it.
Yan Shuting knew that there was a large white sand beach on Dolphin Island, so she brought a sand rake with her when she went out.
This small sand rake is specifically used to dig up small seashells; it's a common tool for beachcombing.
Chen Zhiyao originally thought that she wouldn't need this thing, but she didn't expect that after walking a few steps, she would see a large area of snails where the seawater had just receded.
(Images below; those with trypophobia should take note.)
Besides the surface layer, with the help of X-ray glasses, she also saw a lot of snails underneath the sand.
The sand rake that my mom brought came in handy.
Oncomelania
Although snails are not expensive, they are available in large quantities.
The four people quickly put down their trolleys, each carrying a bucket, and swiftly collected all the delicious snails.
Besides snails, there were also a small number of clams and white shellfish mixed in.
With many hands making light work, in less than 10 minutes, the four of them had collected all the snails in the bucket.
Although the surface sand has been picked up, there is still a lot of sand underneath, which is where a sand rake comes in handy.
rake
A quick raking of the sand with a sand rake can yield several long, thin snails.
Yan Shuting used a sand rake to rake the sand, while Chen Weiqiang stood aside picking up snails. The two worked together very well and soon collected a large handful.
"Tangtang, these snails are taking up too much space. Let's put them here for now."
As he spoke, Grandpa Chen took out a burlap sack and poured all the snails into it.
Seeing this, Chen Zhiyao also poured in most of the bucket of snails, filling exactly half a sack.
The grandfather and grandson soaked the sack of snails in the seawater, then continued walking forward, dragging the cart.
Chen Weiqiang and his wife continued digging for snails here.
After walking for a while, the grandfather and grandson found another small patch of Xi Shi Bei (a type of fruit).
Calling them Xi Shi shells isn't quite accurate, as there are also quite a few plump, white moon shells mixed in.
The tide had just receded, and these little seashells hadn't even had a chance to settle on the sand before they unfortunately ran into the grandfather and grandson.
Grandpa Chen walked forward with a big smile, just about to pick up seashells, when his granddaughter pulled him forward.
"Grandpa, the tide is out today. There must be lots of good stuff over there on the rocky beach. Don't waste your time here."
"Let my parents pick these clams later. They have sand rakes, so it will be easier for them to dig them up."
"You're such a clever little girl."
As he spoke, Grandpa Chen turned around and called out to his son and daughter-in-law:
"Qiangzi, Shuting, there's a patch of razor clams and moon clams over here. After you finish digging for snails, pick them up too. Tangtang and I will go to the rocky beach ahead first."
Chen Weiqiang raised his head and replied, "Okay, let's split up and meet up at the rocky beach later."
"Be careful, the tide will come before it completely recedes."
The group had agreed to go to the mysterious cave they had visited before, and Grandpa Chen, worried that his son might forget the time, reminded him of it again.
"I know, your son has a good memory."
Today, the tide went out, and a lot of small seafood was washed ashore on the beach by the rapidly receding tide.
When they reached the rocky beach, Chen Zhiyao found several octopuses and various other small seafood in her bucket.
The stroller couldn't get across the rocky beach ahead, so the grandfather and grandson put it in a spot where the tide wouldn't reach it.
When we get back, we can use it to cook seafood.
Then the two of them, carrying buckets, walked enthusiastically toward the rocky beach.
Chen Zhiyao walked about 10 meters and saw some small, round stones that looked like flower rain stones in a small area of coral reef.
However, these round little stones are not real stones, but a type of sea snail called a piglet snail.
Piglet snail
The piglet snail, scientifically known as *Cypripedium purpureus*, is also a traditional Chinese medicine with the effects of calming the liver and improving eyesight, as well as relieving anxiety and soothing the nerves.
These piglet snails are excellent at hiding, almost all of them hiding in the crevices of coral reefs or rocks, and you can easily miss them if you're not paying attention.
However, she had X-ray vision glasses, so she could spot them accurately in no time, and soon she found a large bunch of baby snails.
Piglet snail +10
Besides the pufferfish, she also found two red flower crabs having breakfast in this coral reef.
These two bright red creatures are quite large, each weighing about a pound.
Giant red flower crabs like these can sell for over 80 yuan per pound.
Besides this big guy, Chen Zhiyao also snatched two small fish from the crab's mouth.
These two small black sea bream weighed about half a pound each. Although they had already passed away, their gills were still bright red, indicating that they had just died.
Red Flower Crab +2
Black sea bream +2
Sea fish that have already died generally don't fetch a good price, and people usually keep them for their own consumption.
Having just caught two giant red flower crabs, Chen Zhiyao, in a good mood, continued walking forward.
Soon, they came across a nest of yellow-mouthed giant snails on a large rock.
The meat inside this type of spicy snail is yellow, and its texture and flavor are better than those of ordinary spicy snails, making it more expensive.
The giant rock was covered with giant snails, each larger than a thumb.
Chen Zhiyao patiently picked up all the larger ones, while keeping the smaller ones to continue breeding.
Besides the snails, there were also many yellow snail eggs on the boulder. These eggs will hatch into baby snails in about two or three weeks.
These small snails reproduce very quickly, so they are never lacking on the beach.
However, spicy snails are quite cooling, and eating too many can easily cause diarrhea.
Therefore, many people in the village do not like to eat these sea snails, and they usually sell them for money when they find them.
After walking a few steps, Chen Zhiyao discovered a pink red sea bream in a crevice in the rocks.
This guy was quite alert; as soon as he heard a noise, he immediately darted into the depths of the crevice.
Even with the multi-tool, Chen Zhiyao still couldn't reach it, so she had to let it go for now.
However, to my surprise, I found several long whiskers under a coral reef as soon as I turned around.
Seeing those long beards, Chen Zhiyao couldn't help but let her lips curl into a wide smile:
"The tide is really something else; I ran into the little green dragon as soon as I arrived."
Beneath the coral reef were two small, brightly colored dragons.
Chen Zhiyao, with one in each hand, quickly collected both little green dragons into her pocket.
Little Green Dragon +2
Besides the baby lobsters, there were many other small seafood items nearby. She was like a shopper, constantly shoveling all sorts of good stuff into the bucket.
Octopus +3
Orchid Crab +2
Blue crab +3
Piglet snail +6
...
There was plenty of seafood on the coral reef, and before long, the bucket in her hand had become quite heavy.
After passing through the coral reef, Chen Zhiyao came to a large puddle where the tide had just receded.
"So many sea urchins."
On the left side of the puddle, there were many small black balls, probably at least 20, and each one was very plump.
sea urchin
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