After eating at the military mess hall, Song Wei eagerly led everyone to the seaside.
Anything in the sea that wasn’t poisonous was fair game, and she was thrilled at the prospect.
Having spent a long time here, Song Jing knew exactly what was needed for gathering seafood. Buckets and tongs were a must.
It was Heidan’s first visit to the beach, and with the two wolf cubs in tow, they were all ecstatic.
At this time, there weren’t many people coming to the shore. As they walked, they encountered a few individuals—some unfamiliar to Song Jing, while others, such as an auntie or fellow soldier, exchanged quick greetings with him.
“Clams!”
Song Wei immediately spotted a small bump in the sand and crouched down to dig.
She uncovered a large clam, nearly the size of her palm. Her radiant smile was hard to miss—she was visibly delighted.
Heidan’s eyes widened in surprise. “There are things under the sand? I want to find some too!”
Song Jing explained, “Clams have more shell than meat, and there’s usually sand inside. But they’re plentiful here; just look for those raised bumps.”
Heidan found a bump and began digging enthusiastically. Soon, he unearthed a large clam of his own.
For a first-timer on the beach, finding edible treasures like this brought immense satisfaction and joy.
The wolf cubs watched for a while before sniffing the sand with their black noses. Finding a bump, they began pawing at the sand and unearthed a clam. Excited, they carried it to Song Wei, wagging their tails and letting out happy little whines.
Song Wei took the clam and patted their paws.
“Well done!”
She pried open one of the clams and offered it to see if the cubs would eat it. Being a sea creature, it carried a bit of a fishy smell, but Song Wei found it tolerable.
The cubs sniffed the clam’s soft, white flesh before taking a tentative bite. After two mouthfuls, they spat it out in disgust and began burying the meat in the sand.
Song Wei laughed heartily. “Looks like you don’t like this. Let’s find something else for you to try.”
“Sister Song, what’s this?”
Heidan had grown addicted to digging for clams. While searching, he stumbled upon something new and immediately called out to Song Wei.
Song Wei came over and inspected it. “It’s a cat’s eye snail.”
The snail’s flesh was large and vibrant. When she picked it up, the meat retracted into the shell, spurting water that splashed onto Heidan’s face.
“It sprays water too!”
“Hahaha, how fun!”
“I’m going to find more!”
Heidan’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he eagerly resumed his search for more cat’s eye snails.
For Song Wei, exploring the shore felt like discovering a treasure trove. She was utterly delighted.
“Heidan, be careful. If you see something unfamiliar, call me or my brother. Some creatures can be poisonous.”
“Okay!”
The wolf cubs stuck close to Song Wei. Being more familiar with her scent, they were particularly attached to her.
Song Wei tossed anything edible into the bucket. Moving closer to the waterline, she warned the cubs not to stray. Soon, she found several white octopuses near the shallow water.
The spot Song Jing had brought them to was a favorite for military wives who came to gather seafood. But Song Wei decided to venture further, to a less frequented area.
Lin Zhen and Heidan had no objections, and the group headed toward a more dangerous area filled with jagged rocks.
In the crevices between the rocks, they spotted crabs scuttling about. Using a pair of tongs, Lin Zhen pulled a large crab from one of the cracks.
“Wow! That’s a huge crab!” Heidan shouted in excitement, his eyes wide with amazement. He was itching to grab the crab himself.
“I’ve never seen one this big!”
“This must weigh at least half a pound,” Song Wei exclaimed with excitement. “It’s a blue swimmer crab. Quick, see if there are more!”
Heidan was practically crawling into the cracks between rocks in search of more crabs.
Even Song Jing, caught up in their enthusiasm, eagerly joined the hunt among the rocky crevices.
“Woo-woo!”
While Song Wei was busy prying snails from the rocks, one of the wolf cubs grabbed her pants leg and tugged, as if trying to lead her somewhere.
She followed the cub to find a large fish trapped in a tide pool. It must have been carried in during high tide and left stranded when the water receded.
“Well, isn’t this my lucky day?” Song Wei thought gleefully.
The fish was almost as big as Heidan. Song Wei jumped into the shallow pool, raised her fist, and knocked the fish squarely on the head. Stunned, the fish stopped thrashing, allowing her to drag it ashore.
The fish was roughly 24 to 25 pounds and looked a bit ugly, but Song Wei didn’t mind as long as it was edible.
She wasn’t sure what kind of fish it was, though it resembled some type of grouper. Curious, she carried it to her brother.
“Brother! Brother! What kind of fish is this? It’s huge!”
Soaking wet from head to toe, Song Wei’s excitement shone through as she ran over, dripping water everywhere.
Hearing her voice, everyone turned to look, gasping in astonishment.
Song Jing’s eyes widened. “Where did you find that?”
Lin Zhen frowned. “You went into the water?!”
Heidan marveled, “Wow! That’s such a big fish!”
“Aren’t you cold? Why would you jump into the water in this weather?”
Lin Zhen touched her hand, quickly taking off his coat to wrap around her.
Bundled in the oversized jacket, Song Wei looked even smaller, though she still held onto the massive fish.
“I left my jacket over there before jumping in. I couldn’t just let the fish go, could I?”
Lin Zhen: …
Song Jing took the fish from her. “Since you’re already wet, we’d better head back. Summer is one thing, but in winter, you could catch a cold.”
Song Wei reluctantly agreed. “Fine. But next time, I’m coming back in the summer!”
She had clearly fallen in love with the experience.
By the time they left, their buckets were nearly full with a variety of seafood: clams, snails, crabs, sea urchins, and even some small fish.
The sheer abundance delighted both Song Wei and Heidan, who loved stocking up on food.
“There’s so much to eat! Living by the sea is amazing.”
“It might seem great now,” Song Jing said, “but only those who live here understand how dangerous the sea can be.”
He continued, “This might seem like plenty, but it’s all low-value. People here rarely go hungry, but they’re often very poor. Worse still, the sea can be unpredictable. A sudden wave can sweep people away in the blink of an eye, and once you’re caught in the current, there’s no coming back.”
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