“Fang Muyu! Fang Muyu! Get up now!”
Lin Xiaoxiao’s voice exploded from outside the courtyard, louder than any wake-up call.
Fang Muyu was jolted awake by the shout, springing upright in bed.
Ever since the cafeteria incident, the two had grown closer, chatting more and more freely, and their relationship had naturally deepened.
As soon as Fang Muyu opened the door, Lin Xiaoxiao swept in like a gust of wind, carrying two metal buckets, her eyes shining bright enough to light up the room.
“The tide’s out! Let’s hurry to the beach. If we’re lucky, we might even find crabs and prawns!”
Beachcombing?
She’d seen the ocean before, but she’d never gone beachcombing.
It sounded pretty interesting.
“Wait for me, I’ll just change my shoes.”
“Hurry up, or all the good stuff will be gone.”
Lin Xiaoxiao was practically itching to rush to the shore and haul the entire sea back home.
When Fang Muyu emerged, all set with a mesh bag in hand, Lin Xiaoxiao was stunned.
“Don’t you have a bucket at home?”
“I do, but they’re both in use.”
Fang Muyu had bought two buckets from the supply and marketing cooperative—one for storing water in the kitchen, the other for bathing in the bathroom.
Use them for seafood?
No way. She’d rather go without eating it, especially since she didn’t know how to cook it anyway.
“What can you even carry in that mesh bag? Take this bucket.”
Lin Xiaoxiao shoved one of the buckets into Fang Muyu’s hands and pulled her along.
…
The beach after the tide receded was indeed a spectacular sight.
The usually turbulent sea had retreated far into the distance, revealing vast stretches of mudflats and rocky outcrops. Shallow pools of water collected in the crevices between stones, and the air was thick with the briny scent of the sea.
The mudflats were already bustling with families gathering seafood, lively as a market day.
Lin Xiaoxiao charged ahead with her bucket. “Fang Muyu, take your time. I’ll go check out the front first.”
Before the words even finished, she was already darting far ahead.
Fang Muyu shook her head with a smile, carrying her bucket at a leisurely pace.
Everyone was hard at work—digging for clams, prying oysters, catching crabs…
Beachcombing time was short, only one or two hours, so everyone was racing against the clock.
Only Fang Muyu was the most relaxed, strolling along as if on a spring outing.
…
“Kid, at this rate, it’ll take you forever to fill that bucket!”
Fang Muyu had been standing behind Jiang Zhuangzhuang for a while, watching him fail to dig up a single clam. She couldn’t help but feel anxious for him.
“I… I have at least two,” Jiang Zhuangzhuang retorted, his little face flushed red. “You’re a grown-up and don’t have any. You’re even worse than me.”
Fang Muyu was momentarily speechless. “It’s not that I don’t have any—I just can’t be bothered to dig.”
“Liar,” Jiang Zhuangzhuang said, completely unconvinced. “Grown-ups are the best at lying.”
Fang Muyu’s lips twitched.
This little brat, daring to doubt her, huh?
Watch her show off and drop his jaw.
“See this spot? Dig here, and I guarantee you’ll find something.”
Jiang Zhuangzhuang didn’t believe her and continued squatting in his usual spot, waving his little shovel.
“Stop bothering me. I’m in a competition with them! If I lose and have to bark like a dog, it’ll be your fault.”
Fang Muyu glanced around. About a dozen kids, all around Jiang Zhuangzhuang’s age, were swinging their shovels with all their might.
Not a single adult was in sight.
A flicker of understanding crossed Fang Muyu’s mind.
“Just dig. If there’s nothing there, I’ll give you candy.”
“Deal.”
The promise of candy successfully lured Jiang Zhuangzhuang into digging where Fang Muyu pointed.
After just two shovelfuls, Jiang Zhuangzhuang’s face lit up as he discovered a plump, round clam. He instantly broke into a grin, showing all eight of his teeth.
“I found it! I found it!”
“Now do you believe me?” Fang Muyu teased.
“Yes, yes,” Jiang Zhuangzhuang nodded vigorously, his head bobbing like a rattle-drum.
“Sister, pretty sister, how did you know there were clams hidden here?” Jiang Zhuangzhuang’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Fang Muyu with admiration. “Teach me, please, I beg you, pretty please.”
“Watch carefully,” Fang Muyu casually pointed to a few spots. “What do they have in common?”
Jiang Zhuangzhuang was momentarily confused but then began observing intently.
Fang Muyu didn’t rush him, patiently waiting nearby.
“I know! These spots all have small holes, and they’re bubbling,” Jiang Zhuangzhuang exclaimed excitedly.
“Exactly,” Fang Muyu nodded approvingly. “If you don’t want to waste your effort, look for holes with bubbles. Dig there, and you’ll find one every time.”
“I understand,” Jiang Zhuangzhuang said happily.
The other children nearby immediately followed Fang Muyu’s method and soon found clams.
A mischievous glint flashed in Fang Muyu’s eyes. “Want to know an even faster way to find clams?”
“Yes!” Jiang Zhuangzhuang gave her a pleading look. “Sister, please tell me!”
If Jiang Zhuangzhuang had a tail, it would surely be wagging happily right now.
Fang Muyu didn’t keep him in suspense. “First, find the small bubbling holes like we just talked about. Then, stand and use your heel to slide forward in the sand. When you feel something hard and round, just bend down and pick it up—no need to dig.”
“Okay, I’ll try it,” Jiang Zhuangzhuang nodded.
Following Fang Muyu’s method, Jiang Zhuangzhuang and the other children quickly found clams with half the effort.
Everyone was overjoyed.
“This method is great! You can find a clam right away.”
“At this rate, I can fill two buckets.”
“I’m faster than you—I can fill three.”
…
Fang Muyu wasn’t the least bit interested in these tiny clams.
They were not only hard to gather but also small, yielding very little meat when cooked.
She walked along the direction of the receding tide.
Seeing this, Jiang Zhuangzhuang quickly followed.
“Kid, why are you following me?” Fang Muyu raised an eyebrow. “I’m not digging for clams.”
“It’s fine. Whatever sister digs for, I’ll dig for too,” Jiang Zhuangzhuang grinned slyly.
Fang Muyu curled her lips. “Clever little devil.”
“Brother Zhuangzhuang, I want to come with you too,” a thin boy ran up.
Soon, the remaining children swarmed over.
“Me too!”
“And me!”
“Wait for me, I’m coming too!”
In no time, Fang Muyu had a group of little kids trailing behind her.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Looking at their happy little faces, Fang Muyu’s smile widened.
“Alright, follow me. I’ll take you to find something bigger.”
The area where the tide had first receded was already crowded with people. Everyone was squatting and scrambling for what they could get—how much could they really find?
It was better to follow the tide line forward, where you could always dig in untouched spots.
And those little pools of water were treasures.
The reefs acted like low walls, trapping the seawater.
When the tide receded, some fish and shrimp were left behind, caught by the reefs.
These pools weren’t ordinary puddles—they were natural treasure troves, teeming with fish and shrimp.
Leading her little troop, Fang Muyu marched about two to three hundred meters until they reached a large, semi-circular pool enclosed by reefs.
The puddle wasn’t deep, only reaching calf height, but it was quite large—about half the size of a basketball court.
The water was murky, making it impossible to see what lay beneath, but ripples occasionally stirred on the surface, indicating something moving within.
“Kid, lend me your bamboo pole.”
“Sure, sis.”
Fang Muyu pulled a thin bamboo pole from Jiang Zhuangzhuang’s bucket and smashed a few clams against the rocks.
She threaded the clam meat onto the front end of the bamboo pole, wedging it securely at one of the joints.
Once she was sure the clam meat wouldn’t fall off, Fang Muyu lowered the bamboo pole into a crevice between the rocks.
The moment of truth had arrived.
Something was biting.
With a flick of her wrist, Fang Muyu lifted the bamboo pole out of the water.
Everyone’s jaws dropped in astonishment.
…