Big Catch

Xiaoguo was an adult, Yu Ling, and Xiao Zhu were considered as two older children. Zhuang Zhuang was considered as half a child.

“Sister Xiaoguo, don’t worry. I’ll hold onto Zhuang Zhuang tightly.”

Yu Ling hugged Zhuang Zhuang from behind and locked him tightly in her arms.

Among the three of them, she was the only one who didn’t know how to row a boat. Therefore, she was the only one without an oar. Naturally, the task of taking care of Zhuang Zhuang fell on her.

“Alright, thank you, Yu Ling.”

“Hehe, not at all.” Yu Ling chuckled foolishly. Then, she quietly tightened her grip.

“Zhuang Zhuang, hold on tight to Sister Yu Ling.”

Xiaoguo did not hear Zhuang Zhuang’s voice, so she reminded him.

“Oh…” Zhuang Zhuang replied unhurriedly. Then, he looked behind him helplessly. It didn’t matter if he held on to Sister Yu Ling or not. In any case, there was no way he was going to fall.

The main reason was that she had used an extraordinary amount of strength to wrap her arms around him. He was guessing that if the boat capsized at that moment, he wouldn’t get separated from Yu Ling, who was hugging him in her arms.

He wondered if Sister Yu Ling was protecting him or herself.

Yu Ling felt the hull under her butt moving forward. She was so excited that her entire body was trembling.

If Zhuang Zhuang knew what she was thinking, he would definitely roll his eyes at her. “Are you sure you’re feeling excited? Or are you afraid?”

Yu Ling sensed Zhuang Zhuang’s gaze on her and she smiled brightly at him. In the next instant, the boat started swaying slightly. It scared her so much that she immediately tightened her arms around Zhuang Zhuang. Only then did she feel a sense of security with him in her arms.

She was secretly delighted. Zhuang Zhuang’s body was really strong. It was indeed the right choice to hold onto him.

Xiaoguo didn’t dare to row too far. When she reached the desired spot, she threw down the fishing net.

With the fishing net thrown into the waters, they would wait for the catch tomorrow. This was the most they could do.

At night, before going to bed, Xiaoguo summoned everyone to sit around the table. As they were leaving the next day, she had something to tell them.

She was the one who brought them here, so she should take on full responsibility for them.

First, Xiaoguo placed a bag of loose silver on the table.

“There’s about fifty taels of silver here. Keep them well.”

As expected, none of them wanted it and kept stuffing it back into her hands. Xiaoguo dodged left and right, refusing to take it back.

Xiaoguo was very amused by this scene. In the end, she stuffed the money into Zhao Yuyan’s arms. Seeing that she was about to return it, she immediately said solemnly, “This money is for your living expenses. Keep it well.”

“The old village chief should have prepared some food supplies for you. You don’t have to worry about your daily meals for now. When you’re more settled, you can use this money to buy food for yourself. In the future, contact me if you need anything, understand?”

“Got it.”

Xiaoguo was looking at the three of them with a very serious look on her face. The three of them nodded in unison.

“In the future, if you need anything, you can go to the old village chief. He will send someone to inform me. Remember, I’m talking about anything. If you miss me, that’s fine too. I’ll come when I get the news.”

Xiaoguo smiled and told them to go back and rest early.

They were going to comb the beach tomorrow, so it was better to rest early.

No one moved at all. Seeing this, Xiaoguo had no choice but to sit down. “What’s wrong?”

“Sister Xiaoguo, is Peach Blossom Village far from here?”

Yu Ling asked the question that she was curious about.

“Not far.”

Xiaoguo smiled. She thought that something was wrong, but it turned out to be about this matter.

“Using the mountain as a reference point, Peach Blossom Village is on one end while you are right on the opposite end. If we follow the mountain route, it will be slightly further. Even if we set off as soon as the sun rises, the fastest we can reach the village is when the sun is almost setting.”

“That’s not close. I was thinking about going to visit you when I miss you.”

Yu Ling sighed in disappointment. If only the distance to the village was the same as on the island. This way, she could visit Sister Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang at any time.

The others were having the same thought. They did not expect Peach Blossom Village to be so remote. Everyone was feeling quite disappointed.

Xiaoguo was amused to hear that. If she tried to walk, her feet would definitely suffer.

“Alright, rest early.”

They got up and returned to their rooms with candles in hand. As usual, Xiaoguo brought Zhuang Zhuang and Xiao Zhu to the attic to rest.

—-

The next morning, Xiaoguo packed her bags and the others got out of bed.

Everyone was all geared up. Holding on to the wooden boat, they headed out to sea.

Based on Xiao Zhu’s experience, it was better to go early. Otherwise, all the good stuff at sea would be picked up by other women.

After her previous experience while beachcombing, Xiaoguo knew very well how skillful those women were. Xiao Zhu was right. They were quite amazing. One had to be quick and alert in order to catch the good stuff.

When they arrived at the beach, there were already people waiting for the tide to subside.

The few of them took a look and decided to bring in the fishing net. They had nothing to do anyway.

In for a penny, in for a pound. They pushed the boat out and got themselves seated. Rowing with their oars, they arrived at the place where the net was thrown over the last time.

At this moment, there were a few fishing nets markers floating on the sea. They were all planted by the villagers themselves. The full-time fishermen would not cast their nets here. They usually venture further towards the center of the sea because the catch would be more plentiful there. Those who cast their nets here were villagers who were catching seafood for their own consumption.

Among the few floating markers, theirs were the most recognizable. It was bright red and was easily spotted at a glance.

Although Xiaoguo and the others didn’t have high hopes, they couldn’t help but wish for a bigger catch.

Feeling apprehensive, Xiaoguo and Xiao Zhu each grabbed one end and tried to lift the net, but to no avail. The two of them looked at each other and were overjoyed. Wasn’t this the weight of a big catch?

“No way!”

Yu Ling saw their expressions and her mouth fell open. She was obviously thinking the same thing.

“Is our boat big enough?”

Just as the few of them were feeling excited, Zhuang Zhuang said something to dampen their spirits. In that instant, the atmosphere became much quieter.

“We won’t pull it up. We’ll just row the boat back.”

“I think it’ll work!”

Yu Ling’s suggestion was endorsed by Xiao Zhu. Xiaoguo had to make the final decision. If this big bundle was brought onto the small boat, it would definitely sink.

Xiaoguo had no other choice. So be it. Either way, it was tedious. It didn’t matter if they pulled up the net or not. At the very least, the fishing net in the water could prevent the boat from capsizing.

“Okay! Go!”

All Xiaoguo could think about was how big a share everyone can get from this catch. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She picked up the paddle and rowed with all her might.

But the boat did not move at all.

She turned around strangely and saw two extremely calm faces filled with question marks.

In the entire boat, only Zhuang Zhuang was helping her row the boat when he heard her order.

He had no choice. He really wanted to stick his hands into the water to row, but his arms were too short. He could barely reach the surface of the water.

Zhuang Zhuang was exhausted and drenched in sweat from the paddling, but it seemed that no one was even rowing. He called out to Xiaoguo aggrievedly before the others were jolted back to their senses.

“Sister Xiaoguo, let’s go!”

Xiao Zhu said to her. Xiaoguo tried her best to close her mouth and nodded silently. She said calmly, “Let’s go.”

Looking at the energetic Xiao Zhu, Xiaoguo was a little confused. What had she just said?

Zhao Yuyan watched from the shore as the tide receded. They were not here yet, so she decided to start first.

If she didn’t start moving, the other aunties and young ladies would clear out the beach in no time. Before the tide subsided, there were already some people who couldn’t wait to go into the water. When the tide subsided, those people waiting by the shore immediately moved towards the sea from all directions.

This was Zhao Yuyan’s first time combing the beach. She stepped on the fine sand left behind by the seawater. Her legs were feeling weak so she had difficulty exerting strength. After a while, she managed to find her momentum. The more she picked, the more excited she became. She even managed to snatch a lot of good stuff from a few aunties. She was so focused that she didn’t even realize that Xiaoguo and the others had returned.

In any case, when she looked up, she saw that they had caused a commotion. The women had stopped what they were doing and were gathering around to whisper among themselves.