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

Chapter 425, Episode 0463: What did you do wrong, kid?
"My God, so many?"

"Did we bring too few sacks? Are there any more on those rocks over there?"

The cheers of soldiers' families, filled with joy, came from not far away, disturbing the melon field and waking up an old man and a young boy who were jumping around in the melon field.

It turned out that the people who went to the reef had returned. Each of them was holding a thick hemp rope, some with two or three large sacks tied to them, and some with a string of sacks tied to them.

Most of the sacks were submerged in the sea, and the soldiers who had already come ashore were struggling to drag them. It was clear that they had reaped a considerable harvest, and the military dependents on the shore all excitedly rushed over to help.

The old man and Lin Yuexi also went over to join in the fun.

"What are all these? Are they all abalone?" a military wife asked curiously as she pulled hard on the rope.

A young, dark-skinned soldier grinned and loudly replied, "Yes, there are abalone and oysters everywhere underwater, and there are some on the surface too, but there aren't as many or as big as those underwater. We didn't bring enough bags this time, so we only picked out the big abalone."

We didn't even touch the oysters; there were so many that you could easily get several hundred pounds of meat from them.

After saying that, he looked at the middle-aged man next to him with embarrassment, "Commander Liu, should we hand over everyone's haul today?"

As soon as the question was raised, everyone looked at Liu Tuan with either reluctance or anticipation.

The catch from individual beachcombing is supposed to belong to the individual, but today their catch was unusually large. The smallest abalone weighed at least six or seven ounces, and the smallest one had two large sacks full.

Things are very different now than they were a few years ago. Back when seafood was cheap, an abalone this size could fetch 10 or 20 yuan per pound. Now, it's even more expensive; an abalone this size can cost 100 or 200 yuan.

They certainly won't refuse to hand it over, but they'll definitely feel bad about it.

Everyone has their own selfish motives; everyone has a large family to support.

Liu Tuanhu glared at the burly man, then sternly surveyed the surroundings: "What, do you think I'm that heartless? Whoever picks up these abalones today keeps them, but this is only for this one time. I'll report it immediately when we get back."

This report was certainly not about the discovery of a large number of abalone and oysters on that reef. The higher-ups already knew about that. It was just that the "large number" that many of the women were referring to was not the same as what they understood as a large number. That's why the higher-ups arranged for these few people who were off today to confirm the situation.

Everyone was relieved and cheered before hurriedly dragging the sack ashore.

This time we had a really good haul. After pulling all the sacks up, we counted them and there were a total of forty-two sacks. And each of them was one of those super big sacks that were made by taking two urea bags apart and sewing them together.

Then came the problem.

Abalone are quite heavy; a bag weighs nearly 300 pounds. It's not difficult to get them to shore using the buoyancy of the seawater, but getting them back from there is not so easy.

Liu Tuan made a decisive move and called for reinforcements.

While waiting, everyone continued digging in the sand and turning over stones.

About half an hour later, a great commotion of running sounds came from the air.

The old man and Lin Yuexi, who were sitting under the tree each munching on a large steamed bun, looked up and their pupils both dilated slightly in surprise.

Goodness, they've mobilized a whole regiment, haven't they?

Wang Datou handed the man he brought over to Liu Tuan, then leisurely walked to the tree and, without any politeness, took one of the large steamed buns from the pile next to the old man, taking a big bite and devouring a third of it.

He chewed and swallowed, saying, "The sauerkraut and lean pork filling is delicious. The taste is somewhat familiar. This must be Wang Tuan's cooking." He then took another third of a bite.

The old man looked disgusted: "You didn't have breakfast? I don't know if it's from Wang Tuan's family, but these buns were given to us by a woman named Li San Niang."

Wang Datou: "Li Sanniang is Wang Tuan's wife. Her cooking skills are famous in our military region. Do you remember when I told you that we didn't even know how to cook seafood when we first came here? Back then, the canteen only knew how to make a clear soup with clams, add some salt and MSG, and boil everything else. For a long time, we were afraid of seafood. Later, it was Wang Tuan's wife who taught the kitchen how to cook seafood well."

It is said that Wang Tuan's family learned their culinary skills in the Northwest Military Region, and one of their military dependents is a descendant of the imperial chef.

Wang Datou finished the bun in a few bites, then reached for another one: "An inspection team came. They landed on the island yesterday afternoon and stayed at the Friendship Hotel last night. They were looking me up and down, thinking they were planning a surprise attack."

The old man paused, "Investigate you?"

What did you do wrong, kid?

When Wang Datou saw that his old superior had misunderstood, he hurriedly shook his head and denied it: "No, no, how could they be investigating me? They're here to investigate Mayor Feng. Someone reported him, but I don't know what exactly they reported. Those people came to find me early this morning without even having breakfast, saying they were here to find out what was going on, but actually they've dug a pit for me to fall into."

Do they really think we soldiers are brainless? They were subtly leading me into a trap. If I hadn't improved my temper over the years, I would have slapped them across the face.

After he finished cursing, he leaned close to the old man's ear and whispered, "I recognize one of the people who came. I saw him at the Cui family's house years ago."

The old man's eyes gradually darkened: "Are you sure?"

"determine."

A hint of doubt crossed Wang Datou's face: "His name is Ding You. He doesn't hold a high position. He's standing at the very back, and he's dressed very plainly. It seems like everyone is both ostracizing him and somewhat afraid of him. It feels very strange to me."

Back when he was keeping an eye on the Cui family, he had investigated that person. At that time, he already held a high position and looked respectable in a sharp suit. This time, putting aside everything else, his appearance alone was completely different. It was as if he had suffered too much hardship and had lost his wits.

He paused for a moment, then added, "I've already sent someone to keep an eye on him."

People like them trust their intuition. It wasn't just because he recognized that person as being related to the Cui family; he had a gut feeling that there was something wrong with the person as soon as he saw him, even before he recognized who he was. Naturally, he couldn't help but care.

The old man nodded, tossed the last bit of the bun into his mouth and chewed, his gaze meeting Xu Shan's not far away.

A sense of crisis arose in both of them.

The Cui family has some kind of purpose towards Lin Yuexi, something they've always known. As long as Lin Yuexi is around, it will be difficult for them not to link the two together once the Cui family is involved.

Grandpa Xu Shan nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, they will increase vigilance."

Over there, people are already busy carrying sacks or going to sea; they're all working hard.

More than 400 people worked for over two hours before everyone was able to get ashore, where sacks were piled up like mountains.

Wang Datou and his men brought a truck, but it couldn't get through to the Moon Bay area. The truck had to be parked on the sand a few hundred meters away, and the sacks had to be carried there by hand.

The joy of a bountiful harvest is irresistible, and physical exhaustion can be easily overlooked. Two people work together to carry a sack, shouting and yelling, their voices filled with happiness.

Someone started it, and a military song rang out loudly.

The atmosphere is contagious; even Lin Yuexi, who went back with them, couldn't help but hum along.