That evening, Wang Xiulian cooked the meal, using the clams that Li Suisui had gathered.
Although the clams weren’t very large, there were plenty of them. Wang Xiulian stir-fried them into two big bowls.
The clams already carried their natural freshness, and when cooked with pork, scallions, garlic, and ginger, the aroma intensified even more.
Li Suisui ate clam after clam, feeling utterly satisfied.
Li Niannian also ate with gusto, occasionally commenting:
“Sister, yesterday Mom scolded you for buying unnecessary things like the scallions, garlic, and ginger. Look, today she’s not complaining at all!”
Wang Xiulian playfully pinched Li Niannian’s ear. “You’re still so young, yet you’re making stories about me?”
“Mom, I’m just telling the truth!”
Wang Xiulian picked up a clam and quickly fed it to Li Niannian. “Eat more, and shut that mouth of yours!”
“Mmm… Mom, it’s so delicious!”
Li Erzhu watched the scene happily. Life was still harder than before, but now there was a new joy—the happiness of the family being together.
That night, he and Wang Xiulian lay on the bed that Li Suisui had bought, turning and tossing.
“Xiulian, do you think Suisui is really our daughter now?”
“She’s not anyone else’s daughter, is she?”
“Then why has she changed so much?”
“She’s been pushed to it. Now the house is empty, we can’t manage, so she has no choice but to stand up for herself!”
Wang Xiulian wiped her tears as she spoke. “She’s really suffered so much!”
Li Erzhu sighed in agreement.
The next morning, Li Suisui woke up to Li Niannian’s calls.
Perhaps because she was so exhausted yesterday, she had overslept.
After quickly tidying up, she went with Wang Xiulian and Li Niannian toward the beach.
On the way, they encountered Lin Guiying and Zhang Chunge.
Lin Guiying had heard from Li Laotou that Suisui had found good catches at the beach these past two days, so she brought Zhang Chunge early to see for herself.
“Mom, sister-in-law!”
Lin Guiying gave Wang Xiulian a sharp look. “You’re pregnant and still coming here? What if my grandson gets hurt?”
“Mom, we’re too poor at home. I just want to help a little. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful!”
Zhang Chunge interjected smoothly: “Mom, don’t worry about the second daughter-in-law. Right now, besides Suisui and Niannian, she’s the only one able to help. If she doesn’t, who will cook and gather food?”
Lin Guiying knew this, of course. She just wanted to make things difficult for Wang Xiulian. Wang Xiulian had no support from her family and had borne two daughters, and now her son was injured—so Lin Guiying resented her.
“Be careful. If my grandson gets hurt, you won’t stay in Shigang Village!”
Wang Xiulian was shocked. “Mom, are you saying…”
Lin Guiying ignored her, snorted coldly, and walked away.
Wang Xiulian’s eyes welled up.
“Mom, don’t worry. The baby in my belly will be fine. You can’t kick me out anyway. Just ignore her words—they don’t matter.”
Hearing this, Li Suisui reproached lightly: “Mom, that’s Grandma. But if anyone tries to hurt us or our parents, I’ll speak up. Even if the baby isn’t a boy, it doesn’t matter. We still have each other and Niannian. We can make life work—maybe even better than a boy.”
Wang Xiulian was moved again. She wiped her tears. “I believe in you, my girl. You’re stronger than any boy.”
“Alright, it’s almost sunrise. We haven’t collected our catches yet. Let’s split up. Niannian, stay with Mom and be careful!”
“I know, sister.”
Li Suisui set off toward the area she had chosen. The rocks there were dense, so it wasn’t suitable for Wang Xiulian.
Suddenly, Wang Xiulian called from behind: “Suisui, be careful!”
Li Suisui waved back with a smile.
Yesterday, she had discovered a large yellow croaker at the rocks, and today she hoped for more luck.
Along the way, she spotted some clams like yesterday, but ignored them and went straight to the rocks.
The rocky area stretched more than twenty meters, with many footprints already on the surface—many people had been there early.
Despite this, she didn’t give up, activating her spiritual sight, scanning inch by inch.
She saw tiny crabs crawling, little fish swimming, and some seaweed swaying with the waves.
“Huh, what’s that dark thing on the seabed? Could it be abalone?”
She adjusted her position. Indeed, three bowl-sized abalones were firmly attached to the rock.
She placed her bucket on the rocks, grabbed a small shovel, and waded into the water.
The water grew deeper: first reaching her calves, then thighs, then waist.
The waves rocked her body, but she steadied herself against the rocks, avoiding being knocked down.
The three large abalones clung to the bottom, but the water was too deep—she had to dive to reach them.
She could swim, but she was a landlubber at heart and felt a tinge of fear toward the sea.
Deep breath… steady…
After a mental struggle, she decided to try.
She inhaled deeply, gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and submerged her head, reaching toward the abalones.