After packing up the bird's nests they had picked, Yu Yao and the others walked down the pebble path through the cracks in the rocks.
There are many caves under the cliff, enough for one person to collect them all.
Grandma Miao and Grandpa Lei had never been to the sea and didn't recognize seafood, so Su Meihua led the elderly couple into the nearest cave.
Yu Yao looked at the caves of various sizes at the bottom of the cliff and suggested, "Mom, brother, let's split up and see who collects the most."
"Can."
Yu Yao looked around at the caves and chose one that had just been drenched in water before crawling inside.
The cave was full of stones. Yu Yao, wearing rain boots, used pliers to search everywhere.
Turning over the first stone, I found a mantis shrimp. It was quite big, with bright and beautiful colors, and had black and red stripes around its body. The legs on its head were bright red, and it looked very appealing.
I bought these shrimp at the dock before. They were cooked and had a springy and refreshing texture with a good taste.
Yu Yao picked up the mantis shrimp that kept jumping around when touched and compared it to her palm, then smiled and said, "Lucky you, we got something on the first stone! Open the door!"
After putting the mantis shrimp into the bucket, Yu Yao continued to examine the stones.
As soon as the tide recedes, the small fish and shrimp that haven't had time to leave like to burrow under the rocks. Sometimes, as soon as their pincers reach out, they frantically dart away, muddying the water and making it difficult to find other fish.
Yu Yao has become smarter. She has good eyesight and observes the stone first, only using pliers to poke it if she can't confirm the situation.
She then found several stone crabs in the crevices of the rocks.
Stone crabs have a unique appearance, resembling stones with thick shells in a variety of colors, ranging from brownish-red to bright red. They also have spots on their shells and like to hide under rocks.
This type of crab is not as valuable as mud crabs or king crabs, but its meat is quite delicious and suitable for steaming or stir-frying.
Catching these crabs is easy. Local fishermen on the island like to set their nets under the rocks before setting off in the morning, and when they return, they can easily scoop them up and find a catch.
Even without fishing nets, you can come to the beach at night to catch these crabs. They come out to forage at night, and you can find them easily by looking near the rocks.
After catching three or four stone crabs, Yu Yao finally found a blue crab.
The mud crab has a grayish-blue exterior, while its legs and claws are light yellow. The crab roe and meat are very nutritious and are loved by the local people on the island.
During the Lunar New Year, if you visit a family on an island, you'll always find a dish of steamed blue crab.
Blue crabs taste better and are more valuable than stone crabs.
The blue crab that Yu Yao found was of medium size, not too big or too small, not bad.
After catching the blue crab, she didn't encounter any good seafood. The further she went into the cave, the more puddles there were. Yu Yao was not disappointed at all; on the contrary, she was looking forward to it.
At low tide, seafood that couldn't escape back to the sea in time would like to hide in these puddles, waiting to return to the ocean with the next high tide.
Experienced beachcombers know that once the tide goes out, they should look for these puddles, where the chances of finding a large catch are quite high.
She seemed to hear the sound of water; there must be a big fish.
Yu Yao quickened her pace and hurried toward the puddle from which the sound came. She encountered a few conches and mudskippers along the way, but she didn't have time to pick them up and simply walked past them.
I had only taken a few steps when I saw two or three people walking in from the other side of the cave, carrying buckets and pliers. They were obviously from the compound and had come to collect seafood.
This sea area is remote, and usually only families living near the small beach come here.
Yu Yao and her group had been here twice, but this was the first time they had encountered people from the family compound.
Not recognizing a single person, Yu Yao glanced at the crowd and then lowered her head to continue searching.
The three people opposite them didn't expect there to be other people in the cave, and they frowned.
"What should we do about Sister Qin? Should we look for her in other caves?"
Qin Lamei glanced at Yu Yao and said, "This cave is so big, let's all find our own way and not worry about her."
The remaining two looked at each other, then picked up the pliers and started searching.
Thinking about the sound of water she had just heard, Yu Yao rushed to the puddle from which the sound came and immediately saw a long shadow in the puddle under the rocks.
It looks like an electric eel, but not quite.
But it's definitely not the fish that made the splashing sound just now.
Yu Yao planned to find the puddle that made the sound first, catch the fish, and then come back to check.
She had just lifted her foot when a pair of pincers blocked her way. Qin Lamei looked at her arrogantly and said, "I saw this electric eel first. Go to the other puddles."
Yu Yao frowned. It was just a fish; she hadn't thought of catching it now. If she left, she wouldn't say anything even if the other party caught it.
But before I even left, they came over to kick me out, which is a bit like bullying me.
"The rule for beachcombing is that whoever sees it first gets to keep it. Are you sure you saw it first? If I remember correctly, I got to this puddle before you," Yu Yao replied directly.
The two people next to Qin Lamei came over when they heard the argument.
"Sister Qin, we all live in the same compound. We've already caught a few eels, so let her have this one."
These words somehow struck a nerve with Qin Lamei. Her eyes widened, her chin practically pointing to the sky, and she looked down at Yu Yao with her nostrils scorn.
"Give it to her? Why should we give it to her?"
Her aunt, who had been traveling with her, looked a little embarrassed and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Qin Lamei continued, "So what if you stood on this puddle first? You were about to leave anyway, and you didn't even see the electric eel. I saw it first, so it's mine."
Since she knew she was leaving, and she left on her own, no one said anything when she caught the electric eel again.
But the other party insisted on kicking them out, and that's no longer just about an eel.
This person is clearly deliberately looking for trouble.
"Do you know me?" Yu Yao asked.
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