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

Three o'clock in the morning.

Zhao Dahai woke up from sleep, walked into the kitchen, and saw his grandma Zhong Cuihua frying salted fish. She was preparing lunch for herself. Shangdao Gouluo would not come back until three or four in the afternoon, so she had to bring her own food.

"grandmother!"

"You don't need to get up early! I can just prepare it myself."

Zhao Dahai took the shovel and fried the salted fish.

"Can't you just get married as soon as possible? I don't need to get up early, your own wife will do these things for you."

Zhong Cuihua smiled.

Zhao Dahai thought to himself that Ding Xiaoxiang, whom he fell in love with, was only fifteen or sixteen years old, still just a child, and he didn't even know what to do about it.

After breakfast, Zhao Dahai took a lunch box and packed rice, pork belly and two pieces of salted fish. He picked up a plastic bucket with mesh bags, lunch boxes and other things on a pole. He then put on a flashlight and walked out of the courtyard wearing a straw hat. We arrived at the small pier in front of the village and waited for less than five minutes before a boat happened to take people out to the island.

"How is the repair of the ship going?"

"When are you going to go fishing?"

…

"Yo!"

"The sea. Are you going to the island to hook up with a snail?"

…

"This is a job for old ladies like us. Are you here?"

…

Some of the people on the boat were from Langtou Village and some from other surrounding villages. Zhao Dahai was young and the only male, so he suddenly became the center of fire. At first, he asked about repairing the fishing boat, and then the topic quickly went off the rails. It is said that hooking up snails is something women do, and men have to find other jobs.

Zhao Dahai responded to every word he said. The unmarried girls in the village, especially the married girls, were very talkative and could not be taken seriously. When they got anxious, they became even more energetic. Is hooking up a snail something that women do? No such thing. It’s just that it’s mostly women who do it. A job that makes money is a good job. There is no shame in making money.

The diesel engine made a "chugging" sound. The fishing boat moved forward, cutting through the water and turning up white waves. The wind blew in the face, and the nose was filled with the smell of salty water.

The dark sky slowly brightened.

The sky is white enough to see clearly, and several large islands appear.

The fishing boat slowed down and moved closer.

"Slow down! Don't rush!"

…

"Get your stuff!"

…

"Four p.m."

"Remember the time. Don't wait for anyone. If you don't get picked up, I'll spend the night on the island and wait for tomorrow!"

…

The boat boss shouted loudly.

Zhao Dahai held a pole in one hand and a bucket filled with mesh bags and lunch boxes in the other. He stood on the bow of the boat, looked at the location, and stepped forward to the island without stopping.

There are many snails in some places on the island and few in others. To pick up more, you have to occupy a favorable position. From the moment you step on the island, you have to work hard and pick a good direction to grab a good place.

Zhao Dahai walked forward. He had come here with his parents a few times when he was a child, but he was always playing. Today is the first time he has visited Gouluo Island. He is not familiar with the situation here and does not know where it is. There are many snails.

Chen Fang looked back at Zhao Dahai, who was walking a few meters behind her, and wondered whether she should take Zhao Dahai with her. Choosing the right place to go to the island was very important. People who were inexperienced and unfamiliar would not be able to do much at the end of the day.

"The sea!"

"How about you follow me?"

Chen Fang hesitated for a while and decided to take Zhao Dahai with him. This was not the gangster he used to be. It didn't take him long to scrape together enough money for repairs. The fishing village was not an easy place to make money. This was a capable person. It doesn’t matter if there are more snails or less snails, it’s very cost-effective depending on personal circumstances.

"Auntie."

"You go about your business!"

"I'll go to a more remote place later. It's my first time on the island. I'll get to know the situation by visiting some places. It doesn't matter whether I gain something or not."

Zhao Dahai shook his head. Chen Fang married Liu Qishan from Langtou Village. Going out to the island at three or four in the morning is not just for a picnic, but to make money. One more person means one less income. Don't look at the snails that only cost a hundred or dozens of yuan, but it is not easy to make money in a fishing village. One hundred and tens of dollars is not a small amount of money. It is often the income of a whole day of hard work. As long as what others earn is money to support their families, no matter how much it is, it is a big deal. Chen Fang is willing to take it, but he can't do it without any discernment. Not to mention that everyone who often goes to the island to catch snails has his own nest and his own route. I followed it and found out that it was very troublesome. Chen Fang is not his father and mother, he is just from the same village. He still has to pay attention to what should be paid attention to and cannot be careless.

Chen Fang knew at first glance that Zhao Dahai was not willing to follow, so without saying anything, she reminded him to pay attention to safety and turned around to walk to a familiar place.

Zhao Dahai waited for the people who were on the same boat to disperse to the island, and picked a direction and location where there was no one there before speeding up and not climbing to higher places. The higher the island, the drier it is, and the snails would only go up a little above the waterline. A place like this is relatively humid, so the snails will crawl up, especially if the tide is right, one nest after another.

Zhao Dahai used his hands and feet. He looked at the position clearly before taking each step before moving his legs. The island, especially the place near the waterline, has been soaked in sea water for many years and the waves are beating. It is very wet and slippery. If you accidentally slip and fall, it is not a big deal. Just kidding, it can range from a head injury to a bloody head or a severe case of severed hands and feet. Once you fall into the sea, your life will almost be lost.

Some people think that it’s okay to fall into the sea, as long as they can swim, they can climb up, not to mention whether the reefs of the island can be climbed, not to mention the oyster shells growing on these reefs, just slapping the reefs one after another Looking at humans and animals harmlessly, the beautiful waves can kill people invisible, and if they fall into the open sea, they might not be able to survive someone begging them, so there is a slight chance of survival.

Once there are waves falling off the island, the probability of death is very high. These waves will roll people and hit the rocks when they are shooting, and they will suck people into the sea when they retreat. After a few back and forth, the strength is exhausted. Watch yourself sink into the water and die.

Zhao Dahai was sweating profusely. Not only were the reefs on the island more difficult to climb, but more importantly, he had to concentrate all the time and his physical strength was exhausted very quickly.

Zhao Dahai was not in a hurry to continue to climb forward, stopped to take a few sips of water from the water cup, looked around while resting, there were no other hookers around, only a few black spots could be seen from a distance from the direction he came from, and decided to Just look for it in this place now to see if there is any.

Zhao Dahai searched carefully, focusing on the position of the reef half a meter above the waterline beaten by sea waves. In a few minutes, he saw five or six snails in a place half exposed to the sea and back to the sun. Yes, the size of a child's fist, one can recognize it as a sea oyster snail.

Sea oyster snails are a kind of sea snails. They are relatively common. They usually grow on the reefs by the sea. They can grow larger, have a lot of meat, and are not expensive but taste very good. Restaurants and restaurants, including food stalls, are very popular.

Zhao Dahai picked it up with the tongs and put it in a net bag. This was the first harvest of the day.

Zhao Dahai didn't leave right away. No matter what kind of conch, they usually appear in groups. If you find five or six of them on one stone, there must be more of them nearby.

Zhao Dahai quickly found a dozen sea oyster snails of about the same size on several other rocks within a range of less than two or three meters, and collected them all.

"Thirty dollars in hand!"

Zhao Dahai was in a very good mood. Fishing boats have to dry for a few days before they can be loaded with tung oil. Isn’t it good to spend some time at home to hook snails on the island and work harder? Where did the money come from? That's how you accumulate bit by bit.

Zhao Dahai continued to walk forward, looking for snails with wide eyes.

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