150: Sea-hunting

That evening, the young people made a plan: if the wind died down a bit, they would go for a night hunt. Since the adults were worried, they decided to all go together.

Because there would be a big low tide around 12 AM tonight, the best time for a night hunt was from 11 PM tonight to 2 AM tomorrow morning.

After dinner, Bai Dahai drove his tricycle to buy the necessary tools for everyone. He was the most professional and knew exactly what tools were needed.

After agreeing on the time, everyone went home and went to bed early.

At 10:30 PM, Yang Qi was woken up by Uncle. His mother had already cooked a large pot of seafood porridge. Just then, Bai Dahai and his family also arrived.

Everyone quickly devoured the meal, then grabbed their hunting tools, several buckets, and a few snakeskin bags, and headed to the beach.

There was still a sporadic drizzle and the wind was quite strong. Upon arriving at the hunting spot, aside from the faint streetlights visible in the distance, there were no stars or moon in the sky, and the surroundings were pitch black.

There was no one else around, just their group. The light from their headlamps could only illuminate about a meter around them before being swallowed by the inky darkness.

The group split into twos and threes, each going their separate ways. Yang Qi led Bai Xue in one direction.

His parents and Uncle had no experience with night hunting, so Bai Dahai and his wife were there to teach them.

Yang Qi carried a bucket in one hand and held Bai Xue's hand in the other as they walked to a rocky area.

Bai Xue, in her sweet mood, was sharp-eyed and immediately spotted a Crab.

“Yang Qi (Uncle), there’s a Crab there!” Following the direction of Bai Xue's pointing hand, Yang Qi indeed saw a Crab hiding in a crevice under a rock.

“There’s no way I’m letting you get away!”

Yang Qi released Bai Xue’s small hand, took two quick steps, used his tongs to grab the Crab, and pulled it out of the rock crevice. Bai Xue came over, held down the Crab with her hand, pulled out a rope, and expertly tied it up.

“Hehehe, Yang Qi (Uncle), a good start!”

“Hmm, a good start indeed! Be careful, okay! Watch your step, don’t trip or bump into anything!” Yang Qi reminded Bai Xue to be careful.

“Hmm, I will be careful. You should also be careful. Or how about we split up? That way we can catch more.”

Bai Xue looked up at Yang Qi and asked.

“Oh my, this girl really is something.” Just as Bai Xue looked up, her headlamp shone into Yang Qi’s eyes. He patted Bai Xue’s head, actually just to block the light.

“Alright, just be careful, okay? Stay near me, don’t wander off. Watch your step!”

The rocky beach was still very slippery from the waves, and every step had to be taken with extreme caution.

“Xiao Xue, you stay around here. I’ll go a little further in!”

“Okay, Yang Qi (Uncle), you be careful too!”

The two people in love were saying repetitive things, and it was fortunate that no one else was around to hear, or they would surely have been disgusted.

Yang Qi had just tested it; his ability was ineffective on land. However, in places with water, he could see creatures in the water.

He began to try walking further in, and soon he discovered a tide pool where two rocks were closely nestled together.

The water was not deep, only up to his ankles, about a meter square, and inside was a patterned something. If he hadn't paid close attention, he wouldn't have seen it, as it was perfectly hidden by a large rock.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a Sea Eel.

“Oh my, I’m lucky! The first tide pool, and I found something good. Braised Sea Eel for lunch is settled.”

Yang Qi was very satisfied with this Sea Eel, not only because it was his first catch of the night, but also because it was a big one.

Although the Sea Eel was coiled up, its length couldn't be determined, but its size and thickness were visible. It was as thick as his forearm. This was definitely a large Sea Eel!

Sure enough, when he used his tongs to pull it out, it was visually estimated to be a little over a meter long.

The reason it was coiled in the tide pool was also found: the tide pool was too small, and it couldn't stretch out, so it could only stay coiled in the water.

“Perfect!”

Yang Qi put the Sea Eel into the snakeskin bag, thinking to himself that valuable catches were much more satisfying. If it were shellfish or small conchs, he would probably spend half a day collecting them and they still wouldn't be as valuable as this Sea Eel.

“Hey! Look, isn’t there another one!” He then saw a green Crab hiding under a rock. Indeed, the rocky areas had better resources!

Yang Qi, holding his tongs, bent down to grab the Crab, supporting himself with one hand on a rock. Instantly, he instinctively recoiled a few steps, narrowly avoiding a fall.

He had just felt the rock he was leaning on move slightly, and it moved in his palm. That sensation sent shivers down his spine, and his hairs stood on end instantly.

“Holy cow, you scared me! These are abalones, and a whole patch of wild abalones!”

It was only after Yang Qi was startled that he shone his headlamp and discovered that what he had just leaned on was an abalone, and not just one, but eight or nine more nearby.

The abalone's shell was very similar to the rock. Without a close look, it was hard to tell if it was an abalone or a rock.

Yang Qi was just lucky; his hand happened to be resting on it, and under the heavy pressure of his body, the abalone couldn't withstand the pressure and moved slightly.

To be precise, it didn't really move; rather, the abalone's flesh was compressed, which gave Yang Qi the sensation that it had moved.

The final result was this: seven or eight abalones were picked into his snakeskin bag, and as for the “culprit” green Crab, it was also caught by him, tied up, and thrown into the bag.

Next, Yang Qi began to sweep through this rocky beach as if he had activated a cheat.

It couldn't be said that he was like he had activated a cheat, because he already had one.

In a short amount of time, his bucket was full, and the snakeskin bag was also filled with many Crabs, conchs, and other catches. Hanging from his waistband, it was a bit uncomfortable.

With each step, the snakeskin bag pulled his pants down, making every step very difficult. He was afraid that if he took too big a step, his waistband would snap.

Yang Qi placed the snakeskin bag on a nearby rock, poured the contents of the bucket into it, and then went to catch another bucketful of Crabs and various conchs.

“I’m leaving, I can’t carry any more.” Yang Qi carried a bucket in one hand and a snakeskin bag in the other, walking with some difficulty.

He placed his catches on the shore and walked towards Bai Xue. Not far away, he found Bai Xue with her pant legs rolled up, revealing her small legs, like mutton-fat jade. She was bending down, picking up some catches, which didn't seem very large.

Yang Qi was afraid of startling Bai Xue by suddenly speaking out, so he deliberately made splashing sounds from a distance.

Sure enough, Bai Xue heard the sound, stood up, turned around, and seeing it was Yang Qi, she smiled sweetly and said,

“Yang Qi (Uncle), come quickly, look what I found.”

“Oh wow, Sea Cucumber! I want Sea Cucumber fried noodles, not Sea Cucumber stir-fry. Hahahaha.”

Yang Qi saw the Sea Cucumber and remembered the skit about Sea Cucumber fried noodles.

“Alright, then I’ll fry it for you, and we’ll call it Bai Xue Fried Noodles, hahahaha.”

It was clear that Bai Xue must have also remembered that skit, and the joke was perfectly received.