New Year
"Ring ring ring..." The alarm clock rang precisely at 5 o'clock.
Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and it's also the first high tide of the year.
Yan Shuting repeatedly reminded Chen Zhiyao last night to get up early and go beachcombing.
Fishermen rely on the weather for their livelihood and have no time to rest. Now that seafood prices are good during the Lunar New Year, they are even more determined not to miss this great tide.
However, the main reason is that Yan Shuting felt that today was the first big tide of the year and wanted to have a good start to the year.
However, they weren't the only ones with this idea. Chen Zhiyao had just turned off the alarm clock when she heard a series of firecrackers going off outside.
After eating the sweet rice balls that symbolize sweet reunion, the whole family set off for the beach.
Chen Weiqiang drove his family's minivan there, and on the way, Chen Zhiyao saw many people carrying tools who were going to go beachcombing.
A family of five arrived at the beach and found that there were quite a few people there to gather seafood.
Apart from a few familiar old fishermen, most of them were young people who had returned from big cities.
A group of people were laughing and joking, playing and gathering seafood, and discussing how they would make a barbecue with the seafood that afternoon. It looked quite lively.
Looking at that bucket full of crabs and various sea snails, they must have been beachcombing all night.
That makes sense. Nowadays, young people might not be able to get up at 5 a.m., but they can usually stay awake until 5 a.m.
The tide has receded considerably, and although there are fewer people gathering seafood on the beach than usual, there are still quite a few.
Many people stayed up all night yesterday to go beachcombing, but I guess all the good stuff has already been picked up.
Grandpa Chen, who had been silent all along, glanced at the people coming towards them to gather seafood in the distance, and suddenly suggested:
"There are too many people going to the beach in the village. Why don't we go to Seagull Island? There are fewer people there, and more good stuff."
"Let's go to Seagull Island and stop fighting with the villagers. If we go any later, all the villagers will be here, and there will probably be more people than seafood."
It was a rare opportunity to catch a high tide, so making money was the priority. Chen Weiqiang made the decision immediately and brought his whole family onto the fishing boat.
As soon as she boarded the ship, Chen Zhiyao hurriedly checked the fuel level. There wasn't much fuel left, but it was still more than enough to make the trip to Seagull Island.
Everyone is celebrating the holiday at home, so there are noticeably fewer fishing boats going out to sea today compared to before the Lunar New Year.
Captain Chen Zhiyao was quite happy; fewer people were going out to sea, so at least she didn't have to compete with others for territory.
When we arrived on the island, it was just dawn, and the tide had receded quite far, making it the perfect time for beachcombing.
Beach at low tide
Under the influence of gravity, the seawater receded back into the ocean, leaving behind a variety of delicious seafood on the beach.
Chen Zhiyao wasn't picky; she scooped up anything edible and put it into her bucket.
Sea Hare +3
Clam +3
Xi Shi Bei +4
Cat's Eye Snail +5
Moon Shell +3
screw +5
Shrimp +3
......
After walking on the beach for less than 5 minutes, the bucket in her hand became heavy.
Chen Zhiyao then pulled out a cat's eye snail from a small bulge.
Just then, Chen Weiqiang, who was walking at the front, suddenly shouted excitedly:
"Come quickly, there's a huge patch of Xi Shi Bei here."
Xi Shi Bei is quite expensive now, so Chen Zhiyao immediately ran over.
Before me lay a vast expanse of conch and seashells, the most numerous of which were pale purple clams.
In addition, there were also quite a few clams, cockles, snails, and other similar seafood, weighing about one or two hundred pounds.
Grandma Chen and Yan Shuting happened to bring sand rakes, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were responsible for gathering the small seafood together, while Chen Weiqiang frantically stuffed the sacks into them.
Seeing that so many people weren't needed, Chen Zhiyao pulled Grandpa Chen to the rocky beach.
"Mom, the seafood here on the beach is all cheap. Grandpa and I are going to check out the rocky beach."
After saying that, he grabbed the cart and ran straight towards the rocky beach.
Grandma Chen watched her granddaughter's joyful figure disappear into the distance and couldn't help but whisper a few words of advice:
"Slow down, slow down, be careful when you get to the rocky beach."
"Okay~"
As soon as they arrived at the rocky beach, Chen Zhiyao couldn't wait to turn on her X-ray glasses for beachcombing.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw a bright red octopus hiding in the gap between two large rocks in front of me.
This thing was well hidden. Chen Zhiyao bent over, almost lying on the rock, and finally managed to pull it out with tongs.
Giant Octopus
This octopus is quite large, weighing about two pounds. Chen Zhiyao happily put it into the bucket.
Giant Octopus +1
"As expected, we still have to come to the rocky beach. This one giant octopus is worth more than all the things we picked up on the beach earlier."
Soon, she came to a rock that was neither too big nor too small.
This rock looks ordinary, but there are several large conch shells hidden underneath.
With a forceful push of both hands, Chen Zhiyao overturned the hundred-pound boulder in front of her, revealing several panicked little ones.
Octopus +1
Flower snail +2
Spicy snails +3
Just as Chen Zhiyao put the little ones into the bucket, she looked up and saw a blue figure running past directly in front of her.
Its vibrant color immediately identifies it as a striking specimen among crabs, specifically the orchid crab.
Chen Zhiyao reacted quickly and immediately grabbed the multi-tool and chased after them.
In no time, they blocked it in front of two rocks.
It looks quite big, at least seven or eight ounces.
Orchid Crab: Don't come any closer!
Chen Zhiyao greatly admired its appearance, believing that the orchid crab must be the most beautiful crab of all.
"You're so pretty, come into my tub like a good girl."
Orchid Crab +1
After securing the orchid crab, Chen Zhiyao then discovered a nest of spicy snails hidden in the crevice between two rocks.
These snails are quite large, but there aren't many of them; they only weigh about a pound in total.
Chen Zhiyao was very sensible; she only picked up the larger ones and kept all the smaller ones.
There are indeed many good things here. She turned over the stones as she slowly walked into the depths of the sea.
Horseshoe snails +3
Flower snail +5
Piglet snail +6
Clam +3
Scallop +7
Octopus +2
...
In less than 10 minutes, the bucket in her hand was already half full of various kinds of fresh seafood.
Chen Zhiyao threw the large conch shell in her hand into the bucket, straightened up, and patted her back twice.
Just then, a particularly beautiful little crab passed by her.
Beautiful crabs
This little guy isn't very big, but its shell is a very beautiful blue.
Although it's not as vibrant as the orchid crab, it looks more refined.
Seeing that the little crab was quite good-looking, Chen Zhiyao was pleased and decided to let it go.
"Hurry up and leave. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll spare your life."
Although the little crab couldn't understand, it still sped up and ran into the crevice in front of it.
(Little crab: I'm outta here!)
I'd like to share with you all that I did a multi-book title test a few days ago and chose a new title and cover.
For existing readers, the cover and title remain the same. New readers will see the new title: "Tuna Fishing: The Fishing Bank is Booming Again".
After the New Year, I'll be going out to sea to fish for big fish; all sorts of giant creatures and strange marine life will appear!
The cover shown is on the left for those who bought in before September 7th; the cover shown is on the right for new readers.
(Just between you and me: which do you think looks better, the old cover or the new one?)
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