Chapter 11 Mud snails and sea melon seeds in the mangrove
The sun rises.
The yard is getting hot.
Zhong Cuihua held her knees with both hands, with deep wrinkles layer upon layer.
Zhao Shi frowned tightly, lit the hookah, and smoked one after another.
Zhao Dahai sat silently. He wanted to repair the boat and go fishing, but this was not something he could decide alone.
"Zhao Shi."
"Someday the ship will be repaired in the sea, please help me, you are a good hand."
Zhong Cuihua patted her knee.
“Huh?”
"Old sister-in-law!"
"How about going out to the sea to fish?"
Zhao Shi's eyes widened and he didn't even bother to smoke the hookah.
“Dahai is right.”
“You have to make money to feed yourself, you have to marry a wife, have a few children and raise them, etc. If you don’t need money, you have to do it in the sea. ”
"This is the fate of the people in our fishing village."
"There is no way!"
Zhong Cuihua waved her hand.
Zhao Shi moved his lips a few times, wanting to say something, but then he closed his mouth tightly. Isn't that the truth? In every village on the seaside, there are people who go fishing and die. People who have died dare not go out to sea. The village has already dispersed. After sitting for a while, he sighed, stood up with his hands on his knees, and said that he would come to see him when the ship is being repaired. , turned around and walked out of the yard slowly.
“Grandma.”
"Let's wander around on the sea in front of the village. Don't run far."
Zhao Dahai took Zhong Cuihua's hand.
“Yeah.”
“Don’t run far.”
“Catch some fish. Make some money.” “As long as you can get a wife and raise a child.”
>
Zhong Cuihua patted Zhao Dahai's hand, stood up and walked into the main room, pulled up a low stool and sat down to continue weaving a fishing net.
Zhao Dahai shook his head. If something happens to my father and mother, this is a big deal for an old man. Even if he relaxes and lets himself repair the boat and go fishing, this is a last resort and he must be extremely worried. In fact, regardless of whether he has a father or not. As long as I go out to sea, people at home will worry about my mother's affairs day and night. Without saying anything, there is no comfort. The people in the fishing village have to face the reality and can only bear it silently.
Zhao Dahai cooked a pot of white porridge. This was breakfast. There was no food. He poured some soy sauce and stirred it for a few times. He brought a bowl to Zhong Cuihua who was weaving a fishing net. He filled a bowl for himself and said it would be red later. Let’s see if the trees can make money. It won’t be a problem to get some small fish and shrimps, but the pot on the table must be a bit fishy.
Zhong Cuihua thought for a while and nodded.
Zhao Dahai divided two by three, finished two bowls of porridge, packed a few mesh bags, picked up a pole, and picked up a small iron hoe. Today, the tide is low at three o'clock in the afternoon to enter the mangroves, and the tide is only high at nine o'clock in the evening. Bring a flashlight. , filled the bottle with cold water, put on Jiefang shoes, said that he would go home later tonight, and strode out.
Zhong Cuihua walked slowly to the courtyard door, watched Zhao Dahai go around the corner and disappeared, then turned back to the main room, held the net shuttle and was lost in thought for more than ten minutes, wiped the corners of her eyes, and then started. Then continue to weave fishing nets.
Zhao Dahai strode to the pier in front of the village, turned to the west under the sun, and east across the beach was the reef zone for fishing crab and tiger fish, and the mangroves were at the west end of the village.
Zhao Dahai kept walking for almost an hour when a mangrove forest with no end in sight appeared. This is a kind of shrub and small tree that can grow in seawater. Generally speaking, it appears on the tidal flats at the junction of land and ocean on the seashore, which can prevent wind and fix sand. Decades ago, when the typhoon season came, fishing boats from the village would come here to take shelter from the wind. In recent years, there has been a special fishing port to take shelter from the wind, and gradually no fishing boats come anymore.
Zhao Dahai looked at it and saw that the tide had just begun to recede. He rested for half an hour until the sand and beach mud were exposed on the edge of the mangrove forest before he strode in. When he reached the edge, there was still some water on the beach. There was a crackle on the mud surface.
Zhao Dahai took a look and found that it was a jumping fish. In some places, they are called mudskippers and jumpers. They have large heads with protruding eyes and wide mouths. They are grey-brown in color and have suckers on their abdomens. They can attach themselves to rocks or treetops in mangroves. They have very strong jumping ability and can often be seen on beaches after the tide recedes. Once disturbed, a group of them jump forward.
Zhao Dahai shook his head. The jumping fish may not grow very big, but the meat is tender and delicious. This is not what I came here for today. I continued walking in. Some of the mangroves can grow four or five meters long. They are tall, but relatively few, generally only over one meter high. In addition, the root system is very developed and grows criss-crossing into one piece, making it very difficult to walk. There are few people coming into the mangrove forest. One is that walking is difficult and all you catch in half a day are worthless small fish and shrimps, which is not cost-effective. The other is that this place is like a maze, and ordinary people may not be able to get out.
Zhao Dahai bent over, one foot deep and one foot shallow. The sun hanging in the sky was shining like a steamer. He walked for only five or six minutes. There were beads of sweat the size of soybeans on his forehead. He looked left and right with wide eyes. Look, there is no way to go out to sea without a fishing boat. There is no way to be picky. The mangroves are a good place for me. I have gone to the mangroves to catch fish and snails since I was a child. I am very familiar with this place. After walking for half an hour, I arrived at a small area. In the open space, I stood up straight, my clothes all soaked. I came here often when I was a child. Sea melon seeds and very large mud snails grow here.
Zhao Dahai took a look and saw that the sea water had receded and the mud snails were half exposed. He picked it up with his fist as big as his fist. He didn’t know how many years no one had come here. They were all densely packed. He took out the net he brought. The bag was filled to the brim in half an hour. After carrying it, it weighed no less than twenty kilograms. Then I took out another mesh bag. The sea melon seeds were as big as my fingernails. I dug out one piece at a time and filled it with almost twenty kilograms. I dug a hole with my hoe. After a while, half the pit of sea water seeped out, and the mud snails and sea melon seeds in the two mesh bags were washed clean. There is no need to wash them too hard when going back, and the mud will not be mixed. It will be easier to pick them back later.
Zhao Dahai rested for a while and drank some water. He didn’t bring any mud snails or sea claw poles with him. Not many people came in the mangrove. Even if someone came, they would know at a glance that they had the owner’s belongings. No. It was worth a few dollars, but no one would take it. I took a mesh bag, picked up a small hoe, and went into the mangroves. I continued walking forward. Another hour passed. When I was going through the mangroves again, a small ditch appeared in front of me.
Zhao Dahai wiped the sweat from his forehead. He hadn't been here for several years. It was not easy to find the direction in the mangrove forest and many places had changed. He almost couldn't find it.
There are open spaces and small ditches in the mangroves. There are not many open spaces, but there are many small ditches. The sea water rises and falls, and small ditches appear in the loose soil. Most of them are not deep, about one or two meters. The ditches are larger than The surrounding area is low, and there is water at low tide, and the sea water flows like a small river.
Zhao Dahai walked down the ditch and waded forward in the sea. There were many small fish and shrimps. This was not the goal today. He stared at the soil with grass and vines exposed on both sides of the ditch. dam. Some people may think that grass and vines do not grow where the sea water is soaked. In fact, they not only grow but grow very well.
Zhao Dahai walked and looked. Half an hour later, he finally saw a fist-sized and slightly flat hole in the earthen dam twenty centimeters away from the water surface of the ditch. He walked quickly over and observed it carefully for a while. A smile appeared on his face.
The new book needs everyone’s recommendation votes to support it. Thanks.
(End of this chapter)