After the frail beauty went to the countryside, she went crazy with scientific research.

Chapter 419, Episode 0455: Changes Between the Past and Present
Sometimes people are just perverse; the more forbidden a place is, the more curious they become, and the more they want to take a look.

Even the usually calm and rational Lin Yuexi couldn't resist doing something so cheeky.

There were quite a few people going to the beach today, even the old man came to join in the fun. Yes, join in the fun. It wasn't just the old man and his family who thought they were there to have fun; the military dependents who came along were also having fun.

In the past, going to the beach was an extra help for their survival. But at some point, there was more land on the island, food was plentiful, fishermen built boats to go out to sea to fish, some people used nets as walls to raise fish along the coast, and markets sprang up everywhere. Seafood was not only available everywhere but also cheap. On the contrary, the harvest from going to the beach became less and less, and fewer and fewer people went to the beach.

It seems that in just a few years, many things have changed. Now, beachcombing has become a form of entertainment. Almost none of the islanders, even those from the villages, make a living from beachcombing anymore. Usually, when people come to the island for fun, the islanders will take them to experience beachcombing.

Yang Chunhua explained from the side: "In recent years, Chongyang Island has become somewhat famous, and more people are coming to the island to visit relatives or simply to have fun. The beach is usually quite lively."

Lin Yuexi helped the old man walk slowly along the pebble path. The beach was just outside the pebble path. It was only a little past six o'clock, but there were already quite a few people on the beach.

Although almost everyone had tools in their hands, it was obvious that they weren't there to seriously go beachcombing; they were all just having fun, and you couldn't find a single person who was truly serious.

He shouted excitedly, "I found a snail!"

That guy who found a clam could jump three meters high.

There are even people who would chase each other for two miles just to snatch a crab the size of two fingers.

Zhang Hongying: "Looking at it now, I can't even imagine how hard you suffered back then."

All I see is happiness.

A military wife standing nearby smiled and sighed, "It was really tough back then. When we came to the island with our husbands, there were no houses, let alone land. We had to take a boat to get here, so there were rules in advance that we couldn't bring too much or too heavy stuff. We had no experience back then, so we brought as many daily necessities as we could, but very little food. We all thought that once we got to the island, we definitely wouldn't lack food."

Another chimed in, "You guys are lucky. I didn't bring any food with me when I came. My family had stored up food, but when we heard the notice that the whole family could come to the island, they specifically told us that we had to take a boat and that we couldn't bring heavy things. My father-in-law also said that there would definitely be no shortage of food on the island, so he decided to keep only a little of the food at home for dry rations and sell the rest."

Once someone started talking, the military dependents began recounting their experiences when they first came to the island.

In short, none of them brought any food.

"When we got to the island, we found out that there was no place to stay. We had to build our own or live in tents. We wouldn't go hungry, but we couldn't expect to get enough to eat. The military dependents also ate in the mess hall, only two meals a day. Even the soldiers were the same. The army couldn't afford to feed them any more."

"So we would run to the beach every day, and everything we picked up was a treasure. If we picked up a lot, we could take it to the canteen to exchange for food or money."

“The first batch of military dependents who came here had never seen the sea before. The head chef in the canteen was from Northeast China and didn’t know how to cook seafood properly. He just cooked it until it was done. Back then, if we weren’t afraid of starving to death, we wouldn’t have wanted to go to the canteen.”

It wasn't until two years later, when the second batch of soldiers and their families arrived—this group came from the south, many of whom were originally from the coast—that everyone's buds were able to stop suffering.

"Later, the island city began to be built, and people could earn money by working there, so fewer people went beachcombing. Before the city was even finished, the first batch of people who had moved there had already arrived on the island, and the island became more and more populated. By the time everyone had nothing else to do and had time to go beachcombing, there was very little left on the beach."

The majority of people present were military dependents who were among the first to arrive on the island. Back then, beachcombing was truly exhilarating; you could find something anywhere on the beach. During peak crayfish season, it was like a crayfish plague, with the beach teeming with them—it was frightening to look at. The military had to send troops to clean it up. Now, if you go to the beach during peak crayfish season, you have to use a fishing hook to catch them; you can hardly see a single crayfish with the naked eye.

A young married woman glanced at the bamboo baskets that everyone was carrying or slinging over their shoulders, and asked with serious confusion, "So, are we going to be able to find anything today?"

"Come on, have some fun. You really want to get a bowl of food? You're dreaming."

Another person added with a smile, "You can pick up a little bit, but it's unlikely you'll find a lot. You'll have to wait until August or September when the waves are bigger and they wash fish from far away to this area. If you're lucky, you can find some pretty big fish after the tide goes out."

As for finding a big catch on the beach, that was already unlikely a few years ago.

Many of the people who migrated to the island city were in similar situations to when they first came to the island. After arriving on the island, they had a great need for things that were readily available and free on the beach. Otherwise, how could they have no beach to go to after the city was built?
It's just that there are too many monks and not enough food.

In addition, since most people have some extra money and seafood is readily available, there's no need for them to go through the trouble of beachcombing anymore. It's fine to come occasionally for fun.

Everyone chatted amongst themselves, reminiscing about the past and looking forward to the future, moving forward in a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

The old man and Lin Yuexi listened in silence without saying anything. The military dependents did not know their true identities and all thought they were relatives of Wang Datou who came to the island for fun, so they were particularly relaxed and said whatever they wanted.

Xu Shan and his companions weren't dressed as bodyguards today; they were all in civilian clothes and didn't get too close to the two of them. To perfectly conceal the identities of the old man and Lin Yuexi, several husbands of military dependents also came, and Xu Shan and his companions walked with them.

After walking for another half hour, we arrived at the place Zhang Hongying had mentioned the night before.

This place is quite remote, both for the military region and for the island city; there are no other people to be seen nearby.

Yang Chunyu chatted with the military families, while Zhang Hongying walked over to the old man and Lin Yuexi and pointed in a direction: "It's over there. Do you see that rock? It seems the tide is coming in. Now, not much of the rock is visible above the water. When I saw it yesterday, it was more than two meters above the water and wider than this."

A burly, dark-skinned man not far from them quietly corrected her: "It's not high tide now, it's low tide."

Zhang Hongying: "..."

She just doesn't understand.

A middle-aged man next to the man nudged him with his elbow and changed the subject by looking at the rocks standing in the sea in the distance: "Comrade Zhang, how could you have thought of going out there yesterday, at such a far distance?"

The spot where they were standing was no longer a beach, but rather a collection of rocks of all sizes. Normally, people wouldn't come to a place like this to go beachcombing, especially since it was so remote. Not to mention that the rock opposite them was thousands of meters away. It just seemed a bit abnormal to swim that far to go beachcombing.

And things are indeed not normal.

There was nothing to hide, and since we didn't say anything last night, no one asked.