Rebirth of a fishing village: starting from Hua Axiang in Jiehu Village

Zhao Dahai and Zhong Cuihua went into the yard and closed the door. It was late and they went into the kitchen to cook.

"The sea."

"This is specifically to remind you of this."

Zhong Cuihua lit hay, stuffed it into the stove, set up a small piece of firewood to burn, and then set up a larger piece of firewood, and the fire started to flourish after a while.

Zhao Dahai washed the rice, put water in the pot to cook the rice, and then cooked. Lei Dayou and Ma Hongyu did come here specifically to remind them about digging for sandworms. This was a good opportunity to make money. Regardless of whether they would forget it or not, it was a personal favor. Grandma Zhong Cuihua was telling them to remember this matter in the future. The opportunity to make money must be returned. It's not a big deal, but people in the village are particular about it.

Zhao Dahai finished his meal, took a rest, and began to prepare the things he needed to dig out sandworms. The first important thing was the tools for digging sandworms. Some people use a hoe, but a hoe is not the best to use. You need a shovel. Unlike ordinary shovels, the shovel used to dig up sandworms has a long and narrow head, about 60 centimeters long and 15 centimeters wide. The mouth of the shovel is not sharp but relatively thick and heavy. There are two feet on both sides of the shovel head. The place to pedal. The sandworms run very fast in the sand and cannot be dug out after two or three digs. The sandworms will dive very deep in one go and require a lot of effort to even dig out. This is a bit similar to blood eels. The heavy shovel plus The pedals can be used to dig deeper, which is convenient and quick to dig out.

Zhao Dahai found the shovel he used to dig up sandworms at home and checked it. It had not been used for several years and was a little rusty, but it was fine. It was shiny after digging in the sand a few times. The handle of the shovel was made of solid wood and was very comfortable to hold. The second one is a bamboo basket that can be carried on the back, a few plastic bags and mesh bags. I have to get up early tomorrow and go on the road. It is still dark, so I have to bring a flashlight.

Zhao Dahai packed up his things, checked them again, found nothing wrong, and went to bed early.

Zhao Dahai got up at three o'clock in the morning and walked into the kitchen. Breakfast was already cooked on the stove, and the stir-fried vegetables were heated in the cauldron.

After Zhao Dahai finished his breakfast, he took a lunch box to pack his lunch. The dish was fatty pork belly. Digging sandworms was a physical effort, and he couldn't carry his lunch without oil and water.

Zhao Dahai packed up his things, picked up a basket with a shovel, loaded a lunch box and a big kettle, and went out. When he arrived at the home of Lei Dayou and Ma Hongyu, he had been waiting for him. He shouted and came out every two minutes, and walked to the beach together. .

It was shortly after four in the morning.

The sky was pitch black.

Only a few stars twinkle.

Zhao Dahai walked to the pier and took a look. There were already a hundred or dozens of people around him, gathered in small and small groups. Everyone was carrying a shovel and a basket, waiting for the tide to recede to dig for sandworms.

"Why!"

"Why are there so many of them?"

"Looks like it won't be easy to dig up more sandworms today!"

Ma Hongyu saw more and more people around her. In the blink of an eye, there were dozens more people. There were many flashlights in the distance, and they were all walking towards the dock.

“Everyone wanted to dig more and earn more money, but it all happened at once!”

Zhao Dahai looked in the direction of the beach and mangroves. He could vaguely see a lot of lights in the distance. There were not only many people here in Langtou Village, but also many people on the beaches and bays of other seaside villages, all waiting. The tide goes out.

Zhao Dahai thought for a while and said that after a while the tide receded, everyone would go their separate ways after entering the sea. There were too many people to go together.

Lei Dayou and Ma Hongyu have rich experience. With so many people digging for sandworms, they will definitely have to fight. Whoever has quick hands and feet can dig more. It will definitely be inconvenient for three people to work together.

The water begins to recede.

People who had been waiting on the beach on the pier swarmed down.

Starting from Dahai, Lei Dayou and Ma Hongyu walked forward with the crowd. At the beginning, they all stayed together, but soon separated.

Zhao Dahai quickened his pace and rushed directly to the front of the crowd, riding on the waves of the ebbing tide. There were too many people, so he had to walk in front as much as possible.

The ebb of the sea water was slow at first, but became faster and faster. Within half an hour, large swaths of tidal flats were exposed, and the sea water disappeared in an instant.

As Zhao Dahai walked forward, he looked around. Many people stopped and started digging for sandworms.

Zhao Dahai was not in a hurry and continued to move forward at a faster pace. The farther and deeper the beach, the bigger the sandworms were and the more valuable they were.

Zhao Dahai walked very fast and kept walking at the front of the crowd. He walked for almost an hour at a stretch. The tide of the sandworms was a small tide. This was different from the high tide. The sea water would not recede particularly far. He could see not far away. A thin layer of sea water retreated slower and slower, stopping.

Zhao Dahai looked around and saw that he was alone. He looked back and saw that the nearest one was a hundred meters away. He looked down at the seabed at his feet. He saw that eight parts were sand and two parts mud. This is the place where the most sandworms are the largest. Start working right away, there are so many people that we have to race against time.

When digging for sandworms, you have to look for sandworm eyes. After the tide goes out, the sandworms burrow into the sand, leaving a small round hole on the surface of the sand.

Zhao Dahai saw a sandworm eye at a glance. He walked over lightly, held the shovel with both hands, and stabbed it into the sand. The shovel iron weighing several kilograms and the strength of his hand made the shovel 60 centimeters long in less than a second. The shovel pierced the sand directly and lifted it up with force. A whole piece of sand was picked up and thrown aside, with a sandworm sandwiched in the middle.

Zhao Dahai bent down to pick it up and shook the sand. It was almost twenty centimeters long, round and extremely fat.

big!

All big ones!

The sandworms are so long that they dig out a large area that is at least the size of a football field.

There will be more and more people, so you have to seize the time to dig more before others.

Zhao Dahai took a deep breath and threw the sandworm in his hand into the bamboo basket. He took two steps forward and saw another sandworm eye. He poked it with the shovel and found another one.

One!

Two!

Three!

…

Zhao Dahai did not stay where he was. He kept digging forward following the tide. The sandworms dug bigger and bigger.

Sun rise.

Sand, especially the reflection of sea water on the surface of sand, is very dazzling and very hot.

Zhao Dahai was sweating profusely, and the clothes on his body were dry and wet, wet and dry again, and were covered with a layer of white salt frost.

"Yo!"

"Which village is this young man from?"

…

"The man is tall and the horse is big!"

"This body is so powerful!"

…

"The hands and feet that dig up sandworms are so fast!"

…

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

"This waist is incredible!"

…

More and more people are digging for sandworms. The older girls, especially the younger daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law who had given birth to children, stared at Zhao Dahai for a few times while digging, and spoke boldly and without restraint.

Zhao Dahai worked hard and ignored the comments around him. The young daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law who gave birth to a baby were both powerful people. Three or five people dared to say anything together. If they couldn't resist it, it was better to dig up a few more sandworms.

One o'clock at noon.

Cloudless.

The seabed exposed by the receding water was scalding hot in the sun.

Zhao Dahai dug a pit, seawater seeped out, stepped in with his feet, cooled down, and put the bamboo basket with sandworms in the water. The weather was too hot, so from time to time he had to soak in cold seawater, mix in some sand, or cover it. It must be so hot.

Zhao Dahai opened the lunch box and kept digging for sandworms all morning. He was as tired as an old cow and so hungry that his chest was pressed against his back. He ate in big gulps. Pork belly three fingers wide and half a palm long was stuffed into his mouth and eaten in one gulp. Chewing hard makes the corners of your mouth full of oil.

"Yo!"

"The sea!"

"Dig so much?!"

Lei Dayou carried the lunch box and walked to Zhao Dahai. He lowered his head and looked at the bamboo basket soaked in the pit. There was no need to weigh it. It weighed fifteen or six kilograms. Fresh sandworms cost fifty or sixty yuan per kilogram. This is Thousands of children and eight hundred.

"If you have enough strength in the morning, you can dig faster. If you dig a little more, you will have enough strength in the afternoon."

Zhao Dahai looked around. There must be a thousand or hundreds of people on the entire beach. Some were still digging for sandworms, and most of them were eating.

"Can this body not be dug out a lot?"

Ma Hongyu put down the bamboo basket she was carrying and squatted down to rest and eat.

The work in the sea is the same as the work in the earth. Only when you are in good health can you do much more.

Zhao Dahai is about 1.8 meters tall, tall and strong, like a bull. The seven-eight-pound shovel in his hand is like a matchstick. He pokes it down and picks it up to dig out a sandworm. He, Lei Da, and other people around him are not like this. My body is not capable of this, and it only takes three or five strokes to dig one. Sometimes it is not fast enough and the sandworms run away, which is incomparable. Three or five people could dig out more sandworms than Zhao Dahai could dig alone.

Lei Dayou looked at the lunch box in Zhao Dayou's hand. One was as big as three of his own, and he could only work if he could eat it.

Zhao Dahai finished his meal in twos and twos, drank some water and rested for ten minutes. He picked up the bamboo basket and shovel and continued digging for sandworms.

Lei Dayou had to be convinced. Not many people who go to sea are lazy, but they can do the work without being diligent. He dug all morning by himself and was very tired. It was not that he was lazy, but that he couldn't dig even if he wanted to. He had to rest for an hour. , I was able to continue. Fortunately, I was not the only one like this. The other sandworm diggers around me were all similar to myself, and they would have to find a rock to hit them to death.

"Ma Hongyu."

"Why are you here?!"

Ma Hongyu looked back and saw Jiang Shiyan calling her.

"Yo!"

"Why can't I be here? Is it possible that only you can come here to dig for sandworms, so I can't come here?"

"This beach is not owned by your family!"

Ma Hongyu blurted out a few words. Jiang Shiyan is from Dashi Village. People who dig clams or pick snails on the islands and reefs often meet her and have known her for a long time.