Beachcombing: The beach is full of amazing seafood, but my wife won't let me get out of bed!

I waited for about twenty minutes.

The sound of car wheels could be heard from the flood control dike.

Wu Sui peeked out.

Wu Gang pushed the cart and ran over, sweating profusely, with his sister-in-law Wang Feng following beside him, clutching several snakeskin bags in her hands.

The three of them quickly carried the six heavy snakeskin bags containing abalone onto the cart.

Wu Sui deliberately poured out half of the two bags of bitter snails and spread them evenly on top of the abalone bag as a disguise.

Wang Feng stood on the reef, her eyes gleaming as she looked at the remaining bitter snails scattered all over the ground.

"Oh my goodness, so many snails, and they're so big!" Wang Feng rolled up her sleeves and jumped straight into the puddle.

"Second brother, this one can sell for 2 yuan a pound, why don't you pick them all?"

Wu Sui quickly stopped her, "Sister-in-law, it's getting light. If someone sees the abalone in this car, we'll be in trouble. Let's go."

Wang Feng pushed Wu Sui's hand away.

"What are you afraid of? You two grown men push the cart back, I'll take care of these bitter snails."

Wang Feng quickly started shoveling things into the woven bag, her movements even faster than Wu Gang's.

"Sister-in-law, it's too late..."

"You all go back now, don't worry about me, I'll just stay here picking snails," Wang Feng said without looking up, muttering curses under her breath.

"A hundred yuan could buy so many kilograms of meat! You don't care about the cost, but I do! You spendthrifts!"

Seeing Wang Feng's desperate, relentless attitude, Wu Sui knew he couldn't persuade her otherwise.

This woman is usually very stingy; she treats money like her own father.

Wu Gang rubbed his hands together beside him, "Ah Sui, let your sister-in-law pick them up. She's more efficient than me. Let's hurry up and get the goods back; the abalone will die if we leave them too long."

Wu Sui had no choice but to let her do as she pleased.

The two had just left along the path when there was movement on the flood control embankment.

Old Zhao, who got up early to go to the beach, carried a tattered bucket and swayed as he walked along the dike.

Peeking out, I saw Wang Feng bent over, frantically picking up snails from the pile of rocks, using both hands to fill the fertilizer bag almost halfway.

"Hey, Da Gang's wife, when did so many bitter snails sprout up under this flood control embankment?"

Zhao Laosi's eyes darted around, and he immediately shouted at the top of his lungs towards the embankment.

"Old woman, come down quickly, the ground is covered with bitter snails."

Wang Feng straightened up, rubbed her sore lower back, and glared at Zhao Laosi.

"What are you shouting for, like you're wailing at a funeral?"

Zhao Laosi wasn't annoyed. He waded down into the water and started shoveling water into his bucket without saying a word.

"Da Gang's wife, this ocean isn't yours to own. Whoever sees it, it's theirs."

Before long, several elderly women from the village who were out gathering seafood arrived, and the area under the flood control dike instantly became lively.

Wang Feng felt her heart bleed as she watched the bitter snails that rightfully belonged to her being snatched away.

Two spendthrift brats!

Why didn't you call me sooner? This is a huge loss in earnings!

Just as he was feeling distressed, Zhao Laosi's wife came over and asked him suspiciously.

"I just saw your eldest son and second son pushing a cart back home. The wheels were stuck so deep in the mud. What good stuff did they bring?"

Wang Feng's heart tightened.

broken.

I was so focused on picking up the bitter snails that I forgot about the things the two brothers had pushed back.

Those were several burlap sacks!

The weight of the cart caused it to press two deep grooves into the mud.

How can a bitter snail be that heavy?

If these people knew that the fish underneath were all wild abalone...

Wang Fenghou's back was covered in a layer of white sweat.

If those envious villagers found out, Old Wu's doorstep would be trampled flat today!

Who knows what kind of trouble might arise then?

She subtly moved aside, blocking the half-full bag of bitter snails she had just filled.

"What else could it be? Bitter snails, of course!" Wang Feng shouted, waving her hand impatiently.

"These two idiots came out in the middle of the night to collect bitter snails, and they got over two hundred pounds of them, they're so heavy, but they insist on hauling them back. These wretches are worth more than a dollar a pound, why bother with all that effort!"

Old Zhao's wife pursed her lips, but her hands didn't stop moving.

"More than two hundred kilograms? That's worth two or three hundred yuan." There was a hint of sourness in her voice.

Two or three hundred yuan is a lot of money, but in the eyes of these villagers, it is not enough to make them so envious that they would block the door.

After all, there are still quite a few bitter snails on the ground, so picking them up is the most important thing.

Wang Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief; her palms were sweaty.

By going along with what the villagers were saying, they managed to smooth things over and avoid revealing the truth.

She quickened her pace, picked up the remaining large whelks around her, put them in a bag, hoisted it onto her shoulder, and climbed up the embankment.

We need to hurry back and check if those two brothers have hidden the goods properly.

The dilapidated wooden door was kicked open.

Wu Gang pushed the cart into the yard, and before the cart had even come to a complete stop, Wu Sui slammed the gate shut.

"What's wrong?"

Li Cuihua was carrying a basin of swill to feed the pigs when she was startled.

Wu Jianguo came out of the main room wearing a jacket and holding a pipe in his hand, looking at his two sons who were covered in sweat.

"Dad, Mom, lend a hand, quick!" Wu Sui said in a low voice, pointing to the snakeskin bag on the cart.

Several people hurriedly carried the six fertilizer bags into the main room.

Once the doors and windows were closed, Wu Sui untied one of the bags and ripped it open forcefully.

"Splash..."

Most of the bag of abalone spilled onto the ground.

The smallest ones are the size of a duck egg, while the largest are as big as half a palm.

There wasn't even a sound of breathing inside.

The slop bucket in Li Cuihua's hand fell to the ground with a "clang," splashing dirty water all over the soles of her shoes.

Wu Jianguo's pipe fell directly onto the table, burning his hand.

"Dad, they're all wild-caught, and there's a big one down there weighing half a pound."

Wu Gang took the giant bean from another bag and held it in his hands.

The thick abalone meat was still wriggling and contracting, and its shell was covered with seaweed.

Li Cuihua's legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the bench.

"Good heavens, how much would this cost...?"

Wu Sui had no time for sentimentality and turned to walk away.

"Brother, go to the ice factory at the dock and get some ice. Be quick, this stuff dies easily out of water. In this hot weather, if it's not fresh, we can't sell it."

"Dad, Mom, hurry up and sort them. I'll go to the dock to buy some breakfast and call Chen Xue over to help."

Without saying a word, Wu Gang took the money and ran out.

Half an hour later.

Wu Sui pushed open the courtyard gate carrying steamed buns and fried dough sticks, with Chen Xue following behind, holding several clean plastic basins in her hands.

As soon as Chen Xue entered the main room, she was stunned.

Abalone everywhere.

Wu Jianguo and Li Cuihua were squatting on the ground, sorting the abalone into different basins according to their size.

Wu Jianguo has been a fisherman all his life, and he has a very sharp eye. He can tell the difference between different classes with just a few glances.

"Ah Sui, this..." Chen Xue swallowed.

"Eat first, then get back to work."

Wu Sui put breakfast on the table and casually picked up a steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth.

No one in the family had time to eat; they just grabbed a few bites and then scrambled to eat the abalone.

Wild abalone are very resilient, but they cannot survive long periods out of water.

Wu Sui squatted by the basin, holding a small sharp knife in his hand.

While Li Cuihua turned around to get the basin, he flipped his wrist and the tip of his knife accurately pierced the shell of a double-headed abalone that weighed about three ounces, and pried it open with force.

"oops!"

Wu Sui let out an exaggerated shout.

The thick abalone meat popped out of its shell, fell to the ground, and got covered in dust.

"What happened to you?" Li Cuihua slapped her thigh in distress, quickly picked it up, and washed it in the basin of water.

"This is a large quantity; it could sell for a lot of money. If the shell breaks and the meat spills out, will the boss even want it?"

Wu Sui scratched his head, seemingly unconcerned.

"My hand slipped, I didn't hold the knife properly, it's okay, the meat that fell out won't survive anyway, we'll just stew it ourselves for lunch."

Li Cuihua was so angry that she poked Wu Sui's forehead with her finger.

"All you do is eat! You swallow hundreds of dollars in one gulp, aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan!"

Wu Sui chuckled and didn't argue back.

He then did the same thing again.

"Ouch, this shell is too brittle, it broke."

A backhand slash.

"This one is sucking too tightly, it's torn the flesh."

In just over ten minutes, Wu Sui ruined six abalones of excellent quality, all of which were top-grade and weighed over three ounces.

Chen Xue noticed something amiss, tugged at Wu Sui's sleeve, and suppressed a laugh.

Li Cuihua finally understood, and she was so angry that she trembled. She picked up the broom next to her and was about to hit him.

"You little brat, you did this on purpose."

"Your parents ate coarse food their whole lives, how could they deserve such fine food?"

"You spendthrift, get out of here and stop wasting my money!"

While dodging, Wu Sui put the six abalone pieces into a bowl and handed it to Chen Xue.

"Mom, money is meant to be spent. You and Dad have bad backs and legs, what's wrong with eating something good to nourish ourselves? These few are on me, deduct them from my share, okay?"

Wu Jianguo tapped his pipe, sighed, but couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, alright, the second son is just being filial, so stop scolding him and get back to work."

Li Cuihua glared at Wu Sui, muttering "spendthrift son," but her movements became much gentler.