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Chapter 39: The Beach After the Typhoon
Chapter 39: The Beach After the Typhoon
Tian Caihua said, "Don't go! The typhoon just passed, the rain hasn't stopped, and the waves are still huge. Going to the beach now is like courting death!"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "No rush. We can go once the rain stops."
In truth, he had planned to go to the beach in the rain, but he didn't want to take Jiang Xia. The rain and the waves made it too dangerous.
Zhou Chengxin also chimed in, "Xia wants to go tide pooling. Wait for the rain to stop, and A-Lei can take you. There's no point going now. The waves are still too big, and you won't find much. Getting drenched could also give you a cold."
Jiang Xia glanced at the rain outside. It was still moderate, like a steady downpour, but the wind had died down.
However, she hadn't finished modifying her rakes yet, and it was still raining. So, she decided to wait a bit longer.
"Once I finish modifying these rakes and the rain eases up, we can go to the beach. Big Brother, you and the others should also head there early."
"Why the rush? It's not like the beach is teeming with fish and shrimp waiting for us to collect. We'll go once the rain stops. Getting sick from the rain isn't free, you know?" Tian Caihua glanced at the rakes Jiang Xia had modified and pursed her lips in disdain. She suspected Jiang Xia was just bored and wanted to play in the sand and water.
Afraid the rain would intensify, Zhou Chengxin saw that his parents were fine and called for Tian Caihua to leave.
Fifteen minutes later, the rain was still falling, but Jiang Xia had finished modifying the second rake. She decided to start cooking so they could eat early and head to the beach to collect shrimp.
Jiang Xia steamed some fish, stir-fried some vegetables, and made a plate of pickled vegetables. The family had a simple meal together.
After the meal, the rain had lessened but was still falling.
Jiang Xia gathered a few plastic bags, two baskets, four buckets, several nets, some bamboo poles, a new broom, and a sieve. She put on a bamboo hat and draped a plastic sheet over her shoulders as a raincoat. She told Zhou Chenglei, "Let's go. The rain has eased up, and we can check out the beach."
Jiang Xia had noticed how Zhou's mother dressed when she moved between the kitchen and the living room. She found it quite convenient. The wide brim of the bamboo hat almost covered her shoulders, and the plastic sheet kept her dry without needing an umbrella, freeing up her hands!
Zhou Chenglei: "..."
Zhou Father: "..."
Zhou Mother: "..."
Is this daughter-in-law really in love with rural life?
Or is she just treating it as a fun activity?
Zhou Father looked at the baskets, buckets, and plastic bags Jiang Xia had gathered and found it quite absurd!
He couldn't help but say, "Xia, two buckets are enough. No need to bring the baskets."
Zhou Mother nodded vigorously, "Right, even after a typhoon, there won't be that much to collect on the beach."
Taking so much stuff out would definitely make them a laughingstock among the villagers!
Does she think it's like her family's fish pond, where there are lots of fish to catch?
Is she planning to use all this to collect sand?
Does she really think the whole beach will be covered in fish after a typhoon?
"Better safe than sorry. Who knows, it might come in handy! Don't they say the bigger the waves, the more fish there are? Mom, remind Big Brother and the others to bring more stuff to carry. They should also push the cart over later."
After saying this, Jiang Xia urged Zhou Chenglei, "Are you done eating? If not, I'll go to the beach first and won't wait for you."
Jiang Xia was genuinely in a hurry!
Every second earlier could mean an extra pound of shrimp!
Zhou Chenglei didn't understand why she was so anxious. It was still raining, and few people would go tide pooling in such weather. He guessed they'd have to wait until evening. But he still shoveled the remaining rice in his bowl into his mouth, put down his bowl, stood up, and walked over to her. He picked up the baskets, buckets, plastic bags, fishing nets, and the two iron shovels, broom, and the two modified bamboo rakes she had prepared.
Although he thought these things might not be useful, he didn't argue when she wanted to bring them. Whatever she liked, he would comply with.
Jiang Xia had packed everything into two baskets. He could simply carry them out with a shoulder pole.
The couple left the courtyard. Jiang Xia saw smoke rising from her great-grandmother's chimney and ran over to call out, "Great-Grandma, hurry up and go to the beach!"
Great-Grandma replied, "So early? It's still raining! You two go ahead, I'll go after I finish my meal."
Jiang Xia didn't wait for them, reminding them to bring more plastic bags and baskets. Then, she and Zhou Chenglei quickly headed towards the beach.
Jiang Xia's pace was faster than ever, almost running!
No, she was already jogging and kept urging Zhou Chenglei, "Hurry up! You have such long legs, why are you walking so slowly?"
Zhou Chenglei: "..."
When they were a few dozen meters from the beach, Jiang Xia saw the sea surface dotted with countless creatures. As the waves crashed in, they carried a wave of these creatures ashore. She started running!
Zhou Chenglei, with his sharp eyesight, also started running!
Shrimp!
Everywhere were shrimp! And quite a few fish too.
The book mentioned that a tornado had swept the shrimp from the bottom of the sea up into the air and dropped them here.
Fortunately, the tornado didn't make landfall, or the consequences would have been dire.
The two ran to the beach, where the waves were still quite strong, but they stayed away from the water's edge.
The part of the beach the waves couldn't reach was enough for them to collect from.
"Set up the net so the waves don't carry the shrimp away," Jiang Xia instructed.
"Okay!" Zhou Chenglei was already setting up the net.
He understood the purpose of the things she had prepared, but he was curious how she knew there would be shrimp on the beach, as if she had known all along.
He was curious, but he didn't press for answers.
The couple set up a nearly ten-meter-long net to block the shrimp. Zhou Chenglei kept an eye on Jiang Xia, afraid she might be swept into the sea by the waves.
"Give me that rake!" Jiang Xia said excitedly.
Zhou Chenglei glanced at her and immediately handed her the rake.
They found a spot where the shrimp were densely packed and used Jiang Xia's improved bamboo rake. With a light sweep, they gathered a small pile of shrimp, and with another sweep, another pile!
This required skill; too much force would stir up mud and sand, making it more troublesome.
A light sweep along the surface, just touching the shrimp without disturbing the sand, was best.
Both were skilled at manual labor and quickly mastered the technique. In a few minutes, they had gathered a pile of shrimp, about five or six pounds!
They moved on to the next dense spot, leaving the scattered shrimp for later.
Of course, they also collected some fish and shellfish, raking them into a pile as well.
Wen Wan, carrying a load of tools, braved the rain and rushed to the beach. From a distance, she saw people on the beach and was surprised!
Then she recognized Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia.
She had only learned from her rebirth that the beach would be filled with shrimp after this typhoon.
She thought she would be the first to arrive.
But Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei were already there.
These past two days, she had been wondering if Jiang Xia had also been reborn.
Now, she could confirm it.
Wen Wan suddenly felt a surge of anger. Jiang Xia had returned to life, refused to divorce, and was now monopolizing Zhou Chenglei.
But why should she also come to take the shrimp from the beach? These shrimp were her way to earn money for tuition. How dare Jiang Xia take that away from her?
This was leaving her no way to survive!
(End of Chapter)
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