As the sun reached its zenith, Qi Zhenzhen's stomach rumbled. Lin's eldest uncle had already set up the stove, lit a fire, and was boiling various shellfish in a pot. Flatbreads were being baked on stones beside the stove. In no time, a pot of seafood was ready.
"You must have never eaten like this before," Lin Lin said with a hint of boastfulness, quite pleased with himself. "We often do this when we go to the beach. Some people from out of town even come here specifically to buy our cooked shellfish."
Qi Zhenzhen and Song Mingyue were engrossed in eating. The natural, unseasoned taste was so delicious that they couldn't find words to describe it. As Qi Zhenzhen ate, she thought about how many families by the sea in later generations made a living this way. Tourists who went to the beach would pick up shellfish or buy fresh seafood from fishing boats, then take it to these families, pay a processing fee, and the families would prepare it into a delicacy. They were essentially doing the same thing now.
After eating, Lin's eldest uncle had someone he knew take the stove back, and he led Qi Zhenzhen and the others further away.
"See that black dot in the sea? That's a small island, not very large, about the same size as our village. That place produces a type of small silver fish that is tender and delicious, and very popular," Lin's eldest uncle said, pointing into the distance. "Unfortunately, those small silver fish are difficult to catch. Even if you go there specifically, you might not catch many."
Hearing Lin's eldest uncle say this, Song Mingyue almost drooled. "Uncle, can we go to that small island?"
Lin Ruichun paused. "You can go, but you can't fish. You can only look at the scenery. Those small silver fish only appear in autumn!"
Song Mingyue was not interested in scenery. Since she couldn't catch the small silver fish, she lost interest in the island.
The group continued walking and encountered a group of children, each carrying a large cloth bag. Seeing Qi Zhenzhen and the others, they gathered around.
Each child held a conch shell of various colors. "Uncle, buy a few for the older sister and brother. You can put them in your room when you get back. When you have free time, you can hold them to your ear and hear the sound of the sea."
The children looked at Qi Zhenzhen and her companions with bright, expectant eyes. "They're not expensive, two wen for one conch, and six for ten wen."
Lin Ruichun frowned. These things were everywhere, why would anyone buy them? Did these children see their fine clothes today and think they were outsiders? He was about to refuse, but Song Mingyue and Qi Zhenzhen had already begun to select them carefully.
The words he was about to say had to be swallowed. Lin Ruichun touched the money pouch in his怀. Fortunately, his wife had given him the money pouch when they went out today, otherwise, how embarrassing would it have been? He usually didn't carry a money pouch when he went out.
As if they were free, Qi Zhenzhen and Song Mingyue picked two large bags, almost clearing out all the conch shells in the children's hands.
"Do you have any more beautiful ones? Shells are fine too. If you do, I'll take them," Qi Zhenzhen said. "I live at..."
"Lin's family at the east end of Tuandao Village. If you ask in the village, you'll know," Lin Ruichun finished.
The children were a bit stunned. "Sister, is what you said true? Then how many do you want?"
"Yes, as many as you have," Qi Zhenzhen said. "Just one thing, they must be exquisite and beautiful. No broken ones."
"Then we won't charge you for these, consider them a gift for you, sister," said the eldest child in charge. "Tomorrow, we'll bring you shells and conch shells, lots and lots of them."
The little boy hesitated.
Qi Zhenzhen smiled. "Don't worry, I'll take what I say I want, but give me a discount on the price."
"May I ask, sister, what do you want the shells and conch shells for?" the leading child asked again.
"To make decorations," Qi Zhenzhen replied.
The child's eyes were full of confusion, but he didn't press further, only nodding vigorously. "Sister, we'll deliver them to you on time tomorrow."
On the way back, Lin Mu asked Qi Zhenzhen, "Sister, how will you make decorations with those shells?"
"My sister is building a manor, and she doesn't want it to be monotonous. She wants to inlay some shells into the walls, following the patterns and textures of the shells to create suitable designs," Qi Zhenzhen explained. "My sister hadn't thought of what to use before, but seeing the conch shells these children were holding just now reminded her of shells."
Lin Mu and Lin Lin were very curious. They had never seen walls built with shells before. "When your sister's manor is built, can we come and see it?"
"Of course. Not only can you see it, but you can also stay there," Qi Zhenzhen said with a smile.
"Why would those children sell conch shells? Aren't the people around here all from the seaside? If so, they can just pick them up themselves, why would anyone buy them?" Song Mingyue asked.
Qi Zhenzhen couldn't answer this question.
Lin Ruichun took over. "Most of these children come from difficult families, their fathers went out to sea and never returned. Some wealthy families often come here to buy seafood. These conch shells look nice, and they buy them as trinkets. To coax children, or to give as gifts, they are quite novel."
"These children are truly not easy," Song Mingyue sighed.
Children from poor families grow up early, they are always like this.
In the afternoon, the group walked back in a grand procession. From a distance, they saw a ox cart parked at the entrance of the Lin family's house.
Qi Zhenzhen noticed Lin Ruichun frown, and his steps quickened, soon leaving them behind.
Lin Lin, standing beside her, was quite excited. "That's my maternal uncle's ox cart. They must have come."
Little Zhang Shi had only been sent back last night, and the Zhang family had already sent people today. They were here to stand up for Little Zhang Shi, and it was likely to cause trouble.
In the main hall of the Lin family, a man and a woman were seated, looking quite young. Beside them sat Lin's maternal grandfather and grandmother. Madam Zhang stood, and Lin Ruixia squatted at the threshold, head bowed.
The woman, upon seeing Qi Zhenzhen and the others enter, glanced at them but did not acknowledge them.
She had fair skin, long, narrow eyes, thin lips, and a shrewd, stern expression, clearly someone difficult to deal with.
"In-laws, Elder Uncle, Elder Aunt, am I making sense with what I said? It's common for couples to bicker and argue. Which family, like my brother-in-law, sent someone back in the middle of the night! My parents at home are sighing, they haven't eaten breakfast or lunch..." the woman chattered incessantly.
Lin's grandmother turned her head away, not responding to the Zhang family's daughter-in-law. Lin's grandfather forced a smile. "Let the second son go and bring her back."
"In-laws, what you said is not right. A couple arguing and returning to their mother's home is not a small matter. My brother-in-law hasn't said anything, nor has he expressed any opinion, and he's already preparing to bring her back? If outsiders see this, will our Zhang family still have any dignity?" the young woman directly blocked Lin's grandfather's words.