Beachcombing: The beach is full of amazing seafood, but my wife won't let me get out of bed!

Wu Gang jogged all the way back to the old house.

Pushing open the door, Wu Sui was sitting in the courtyard drinking water.

"Second brother, it's settled!"

Panting heavily, Wu Gang plopped down on a small stool, picked up Wu Sui's water jug, and took a big gulp.

"Cheng Kaixuan's twelve-meter wooden-clad iron bar costs fifty yuan a day for three days. We'll cover the fuel costs ourselves. The price is fair."

Wu Sui nodded. Fifty a day, one hundred and fifty for three days, plus gas money, at most three or four hundred yuan.

You can recoup your investment by simply going to a deserted island and gathering some random items.

"Okay, it's settled then. Let's go to bed early tonight and leave before dawn tomorrow."

As they were talking, the curtain to the main room was lifted, and Li Cuihua came out carrying a winnowing basket.

The old lady had sharp ears and heard the brothers' conversation clearly.

"Going out to sea?" Li Cuihua placed the winnowing basket on the stone mill, her brows furrowing deeply.

"Ah Sui, you've never been on a boat before? It's the fishing ban season now, the sea is rough, what are you doing getting involved?"

"Mom, we're just going to visit a few nearby deserted islands and fish, we won't go into the deep sea," Wu Sui quickly explained.

Wu Jianguo also came out of the house with his hands behind his back, puffing on his pipe.

"Alright, the village's been making a fuss these past few days. What are they going to do if they don't go out to sea? They grew up by the sea, what are they afraid of?"

Li Cuihua was somewhat resentful, but she still felt sorry for her sons and didn't want them to go out to sea and take risks.

But the old man was right. People live off the sea. My son has no diploma or skills. What can he do if he doesn't go to sea in the future?

"Alright, go to town now and buy incense, candles and joss paper. Tomorrow morning, go with your older brother to worship Mazu, or none of you will get on the ship."

The older generation of fishermen have a deep-seated reverence for Mazu.

Wu Sui didn't argue back, and obediently went to town to buy incense, candles, and paper money.

The next day, before dawn.

The village was shrouded in a layer of gray mist.

The two brothers went to the Mazu Temple by the sea without even having breakfast.

The temple was filled with the constant burning of incense. Wu Gang pulled Wu Sui along and obediently kowtowed three times before inserting the incense sticks into the incense burner.

"Goddess Mazu, please bless my brother and me so that we may sail safely and find plenty of good goods." Wu Gang clasped his arms together and chanted.

Wu Sui also bowed in prayer.

Seeking wealth comes second, and preserving one's life comes first; one must not be careless when trading at sea.

After paying their respects to Mazu, the two carried buckets, nets, fishing rods, and a plastic jug of diesel fuel, heading straight for the dock.

Cheng Kaixuan was already waiting on the ship.

This is a twelve-meter-long wooden-hulled boat with a layer of sheet metal lining the bottom to protect it from being scratched by reefs.

Seeing the two brothers approach, Cheng Kaixuan handed the iron crank handle to Wu Gang.

"Brother Gang, I've already extracted all the oil during the fishing ban period, you guys can add some yourselves."

"This ship is quite old, and the engine is still working fairly well, but please remember to stay in the nearshore waters and don't go into the deep sea."

"If you encounter storms, turn back immediately and don't be greedy."

Wu Gang took the crank handle and skillfully jumped onto the boat.

"Don't worry, Triumphant, I know what I'm doing."

Wu Gang has been working hard at sea with fishing boats for many years, so he is very familiar with this old-fashioned diesel engine.

He first checked the water tank, then felt the tightness of the belt, and finally poured the diesel into the fuel tank.

"Second brother, untie the rope."

Wu Sui untied the thick cable tied to the iron stake and threw it back onto the deck.

Wu Gang plugged in the crank handle, bent over, and used all his strength to crank it several times.

"Rat-a-tat-tat..."

The old diesel engine spewed out a plume of black smoke, vibrated violently, and made a deafening noise.

The bow of the ship broke through the seawater and slowly sailed out of the harbor.

The morning sea breeze carried a salty, fishy smell.

Wu Sui stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the dock that was getting further and further away.

Now, those villagers with contempt for him can finally catch up.

After driving for about an hour, a dark island silhouette appeared on the sea.

This is Snake Island. There is no fresh water on the island; it is all bare reefs and a rocky beach.

The villagers usually don't even glance at it, let alone waste money on gas to come here.

"Second brother, Snake Island is just ahead. Where should we anchor?" Wu Gang shouted at the top of his lungs.

I had to shout; the engine was too loud and gave me a headache.

This is also why most people at the beach speak loudly.

"Go around to the sheltered south beach."

Wu Gang turned the helm, and the fishing boat circled the reef, stopping a dozen meters from the beach.

"anchor!"

Wu Sui threw the heavy iron anchor, weighing several dozen kilograms, into the water, and the iron chain rattled loudly.

The water wasn't deep, just up to my thighs.

The two men took off their clothes and pants, leaving only their underwear, grabbed their tools, and waded ashore.

Anyway, there's no one here, and it's even more uncomfortable to wear wet clothes.

As soon as his feet touched the sand, Wu Sui was about to activate the system radar to scan the area.

Wu Gang suddenly stopped, grabbed Wu Sui's arm, and pointed to the air directly in front of him.

"Second brother, look over there!"

Wu Sui looked in the direction his older brother was pointing.

A large flock of seabirds circled overhead over the beach a few hundred meters away.

White wings fluttered wildly in mid-air, chirping incessantly.

Some birds would occasionally swoop down, peck at something on the beach, tilt their heads back, and swallow it.

"If there are birds gathering, there must be something good down there!" Wu Gang exclaimed excitedly, slapping his thigh.

"Hurry up and go check it out, or these hairy beasts will ruin everything."

The two men, carrying buckets, trudged across the sand, sometimes sinking deep into the mud, sometimes sinking into the mud.

As they got closer, the flock of seabirds were startled and all flew into the air.

Wu Sui looked down and was stunned.

The beach after the tide recedes is covered with shallow puddles.

The puddle was teeming with octopuses the size of a little finger.

These little creatures are slowly crawling on the beach. Some of them, when they hear any noise, burrow directly into the sand, leaving only their round heads sticking out.

Wu Sui subconsciously turned on the system radar.

On the radar interface, all the dots representing these octopuses lit up.

A uniform white light.

We couldn't even find a single green light.

Wu Sui pouted, utterly disappointed.

I thought I could find some valuable, top-quality goods on this sea voyage, but after traveling so far and spending all my money on fuel, all I got was a bunch of junk.

"Brother, this thing is too small, it's not even enough to fill a gap between your teeth, nobody would want it even if it were given away for free, right?"

"Let's not waste any more time, let's go check over by the rocks for abalone and sea cucumbers."

Wu Sui turned to leave, but Wu Gang grabbed him, staring at him anxiously.

"You don't know anything! This is good stuff!"

Wu Gang put the bucket on the ground, squatted down, and grabbed several small octopuses with both hands, throwing them into the bucket.

"This is called a bell, or sometimes a tide watcher. It only grows to this size; it's not one of those giant octopuses that can weigh several kilograms."

While frantically picking up the items, Wu Gang explained some scientific concepts to Wu Sui.

"Don't let its small size fool you, this thing has incredibly tender meat."

"The big hotels in town love to take this."

"Just blanch them, and you can eat them one bite at a time—fresh, sweet, and crisp. Big bosses love these as a snack with their drinks!"

Wu Sui was taken aback: "This thing can fetch a good price?"

"Nonsense!" Wu Gang wiped the sweat from his face.

"There are plenty of large octopuses on the market; they only sell for a few dollars per pound at most."

"These little creatures are rare finds; you can't even find a place to catch them normally."

"As long as they're alive, they can sell for at least thirty yuan per pound!"

Thirty yuan per pound?

Wu Sui's eyes lit up.

There are so many of them on the ground, they must weigh at least several hundred kilograms, right?

Even if it's all white light, the sheer number of them is terrifying!

If all of this were swept into the bucket, it would amount to a huge sum of money.

The white light in the system only indicates low unit value, but it doesn't mean it can't be sold in large quantities!

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Wu Sui immediately changed his attitude, grabbed the bucket he had brought, and pounced onto the beach.