Wu Huaiqing shook his head, "We haven't even acknowledged Yu Yao yet, it would be too abrupt to have her come over like this. Let's go to the hospital to check on Uncle's condition before making a decision."
If her uncle is out of danger, there's no need for Yu Yao to make the trip.
They can wait until their uncle recovers from his injuries, and then they can go together to reunite with their relatives.
If my uncle doesn't make it, it will be too late to apply now.
Lu Ze understood his thoughts and nodded in acknowledgment.
Not long after they left the island, a conspiracy was unfolding in a cowshed of a production team on the island.
"These are photos. Remember to keep them safe and don't give anything away."
"Please rest assured, the news of the family reunion will spread throughout the military compound within a day."
That night, Lu Ze did not call the island to look for Yu Yao.
Before dawn the next day, a loud reveille rang out in the military family compound.
Accompanied by the song "How warm, how kind... Hey Bazhahei" playing on the radio, the military dependents in the family compound got up earlier than usual.
Along the way, family members carrying buckets and wearing rain boots could be seen walking enthusiastically towards the military base.
"Yu Yao! Yu Yao! Are you awake? It's the second day of the Lunar New Year, and the high tide on the beach has gone out! We'll take you to go beachcombing!"
It was Sun Yu who spoke.
Just now, someone from the family building said they saw Yu Yao return last night, so she quickly pulled Ge Jinhua over to look for her.
Fearing that Yu Yao was still asleep, she spoke loudly and clearly, even drowning out the broadcast from the kapok tree.
Yu Yao was having breakfast in the main room when she heard the noise and immediately replied, "Get up, I'll be right there."
Lu Ze once said that there are high tides on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar calendar on the island.
For the next three days, it was a good time to go beachcombing before 6 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
At this time, during the spring tide, the seawater recedes quickly and far.
Shellfish and other seafood that couldn't escape with the tide will be left on the beach for people to collect.
She returned yesterday on the first day of the lunar calendar.
She quickly stuffed the remaining steamed buns into her mouth, put on her rubber rain boots, straw hat, grabbed her bucket and shovel, and hurriedly went out.
She didn't have all the tools she needed for beachcombing, so she had to make do with what she had for now. She planned to get the rest when she went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a bicycle.
As Yu Yao stepped out of the main room, she saw Sun Yu and Ge Jinhua waiting at the courtyard gate.
"Good morning, Sister-in-law Sun Yu, Aunt Ge!"
Yu Yao greeted them as she walked outside.
"Sister-in-law Sun Yu, Aunt Ge, do you think what I brought is alright? Is there anything I forgot?"
Sun Yu and Ge Jinhua looked her up and down.
“Your outfit is fine, it protects you from the sun and sea breeze, but you don’t have enough tools for beachcombing. But that’s okay, we brought extras, you can use them.”
As she spoke, Ge Jinhua took out a rake, a small net, and long tongs from Sun Yu's backpack.
"These few things are enough for when you first start beachcombing. I'll put them in the bucket for you."
"Okay, thank you Aunt Ge and Sister-in-law Sun."
As more and more people came out, Sun Yu quickly called out, "There's only so much stuff on the beach. Everyone's going today, so if you're late, there won't be any good stuff left. Let's go!"
The three of them had only taken a few steps when they heard footsteps behind them.
The group didn't pay much attention until they saw Song Yufeng jogging alongside them.
"Sister-in-law Sun, Sister Yuyao, may I join you on your beachcombing trip today?"
She was a little nervous and cautious, afraid of being rejected.
Sun Yu and Aunt Ge both spoke in their loud voices: "What's the big deal? We're all military wives from the family compound, let's go together. Let's go."
Yu Yao and Ge Jinhua smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Song, let's go together!"
"Okay!"
Song Yufeng gripped the small shovel in her hand excitedly.
Not long after leaving the military base, the four of them walked hand in hand like a well-trained women's army, hurrying towards the nearest beach.
The main reason is that both Sun Yu and Aunt Ge are impatient.
Yu Yao and Song Yufeng couldn't walk fast, so the two of them simply led them along, one on each side.
The four men stood tall and proud in a row, their faces beaming with smiles, making them stand out among the many people gathering seafood.
Zhou Yinhua scoffed, "Look at how capable they are. It's just going to the beach. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were reincarnated starving ghosts. They're really just country bumpkins. They've never even eaten seafood before."
She stubbornly took Zhou Yuju's hand and said, "Cousin, let's go, let's walk faster, we must get ahead of them and make them only pick up what we don't want."
"Don't hold my arm."
Zhou Yuju frowned and pulled her hand away. "You don't even know you have body odor. It's so hot, and you're so close to me. I'm going to be suffocated by the smell."
Zhou Yinhua wasn't embarrassed at all by her cousin's criticism. Instead, she held her head high and looked at the stares from those around her with a hint of smugness.
"Cousin, what do you know? This isn't body odor, it's a woman's scent. My husband, Lao Zhao, loves this scent."
Although the two were talking, they were walking as fast as they could on fire.
They completely forgot who had just said that walking too fast meant you were a starving ghost reincarnated.
The Zhou sisters quickly caught up with Yu Yao and the others.
He deliberately walked alongside them, making sarcastic remarks.
"What's so great about walking fast? It's useless if you don't have real skills in beachcombing. Some people have no experience and might not find anything."
"No, we can still find them, and we can bring a duck egg back with us!"
After Zhou Yinhua finished speaking, she and Zhou Yuju burst into laughter.
When Sun Yu saw that they dared to speak ill of Yu Yao in front of her, she immediately became furious.
"Yu Yao, don't pay attention to some people who spew nonsense. Let me tell you a joke."
"I remember about five or six years ago, someone went beachcombing for the first time. Not only did she not find any valuable seafood, she also mistook the seaweed in the puddle for a water ghost. She splashed around in the puddle for a long time, saying that the water ghost had come to take her life and that she would never do anything wrong again."
Song Yufeng mustered her courage and continued, "I remember that the division commander even had the women's director open a literacy class specifically for this matter, to clear up any ignorance about seafood and kelp, so that no one would mistake kelp for a water ghost and make a fool of themselves again."
Sun Yu was very satisfied with Song Yufeng's supporting role.
“Yu Feng is right. Some people don’t even bring back duck eggs on their first trip to the beach. They only bring back a bunch of jokes.”
Zhou Yinhua's face stiffened, and she suddenly fell silent.
Those around him couldn't help but burst out laughing when they heard the story.
Some people deliberately make a fool of themselves and enjoy losing face.
Yu Yao, of course, had to grant her wish.
She pretended not to understand and asked Sun Yu in a affected tone, "Sister-in-law Sun, who is this person you're talking about? I've never heard such a funny joke before, it's really hilarious!"
Zhou Yinhua's face turned ashen.
This was a stupid thing she did herself, and she can't refute it yet. She just hopes everyone is on their way and doesn't notice it.
There were military wives who had just arrived on the island, just like Yu Yao. When they heard Yu Yao ask this question, they curiously asked the people around them as well.
Sun Yu glanced at Zhou Yinhua provocatively and answered Yu Yao's question with a smile.
“Yu Yao, this is the person in front of you. This matter is brought up every year. You just arrived this year, so you haven't heard it yet, but you will when we have the meeting later.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
