Chapter 37 Conch, Crab, and Oysters.

Chapter 37. Conches, Crabs, and Oysters.

Not far from where Yu Xin and the others were, there was a rocky area with jagged, interlocking rocks and many winding little gullies. After the tide receded, numerous marine creatures were left trapped in the pools between the crevices of the rocks, waiting for the next tide to carry them back to the ocean. This was the perfect time for their tide pooling.

The Wilderness Adventure guests were fully equipped—long knives, short daggers, shovels, crowbars, the works. The containers they carried were even more varied: aside from small buckets, there were water bottles, tote bags, and plastic boxes. Sheng Xingyao even brought their cooking pot along.

The tide had receded far into the distance, almost reduced to a white line on the horizon. There was no need to worry about danger, so the group made their way confidently toward the rocky area.

The beach before them was more like the fine white sand found in scenic spots, with low mud content. If the mud content had been higher, they could have looked for creatures like razor clams and cat's eye snails that liked to burrow in the sand.

Fortunately, there was also a rocky area teeming with marine life.

Though the light was already dim, they had flashlights. As they reached the rocky area, Yu Xin warned, "The terrain here is complex, and it’s easy to trip if you’re not careful. Watch your step while moving around. Also, be careful not to get hurt by any marine creatures…"

Sheng Xingyao couldn’t wait any longer. He rolled up his pants and waded into the water, urging, "Yeah, yeah. Let’s get started!"

He was a devoted viewer of tide pooling livestreams and, though lacking practical experience, was well-versed in theory.

"Alright, we’ll meet back here later," Yu Xin said, seeing how eager he was.

"Let’s go!" Sheng Xingyao exclaimed, carrying his bucket and tools as he made his way through the water. Shen Tong and Ruan Qing followed closely behind.

"Never thought I’d see a tide pooling livestream in a variety show…"

"Aww, I want to go tide pooling too!! Can I come too?!"

"I wonder if they’ll actually catch anything?"

"Hard to say. Plenty of those foraging streams are staged—they get seafood from the market in advance and pretend to catch it in the water. Otherwise, how would there be so much to pick?"

"Not necessarily. Don’t forget, this place has never been developed. There could be tons of marine life here."

"Why is Sheng Xingyao so excited? LOL"

"Give him a break. He even watches tide pooling livestreams while waiting for the aircraft. It’s a miracle he hasn’t lost his mind with excitement now that he’s doing it himself."

"Hahahaha, who can resist a tide pooling livestream? Certainly not me!"

Watching the three of them, Qin Shizhen was itching to join. He said to Yu Xin and Ji Yixing, "Let’s go down and give it a try too."

"Alright," Yu Xin replied, making his way into the water over the rocks. The sun had just set, and the seawater, warmed by the daytime sun, wasn’t chilly at all—it was even somewhat comfortable.

He flipped over a rock with practiced ease, and a group of small crabs whose home had been disrupted scattered in all directions.

They were too small to be worth catching, so Yu Xin let them be and continued searching through the crevices.

Marine life are experts at camouflage, blending seamlessly into their surroundings. But nothing escaped Yu Xin’s keen eyes. With a light flick of his machete, a pretty big conch landed in his bucket.

This type of sea snail has plump, tender meat and a delicious flavor—it’s tasty even just boiled in clear water. If possible, slicing it and stir-frying it with chili peppers results in crispy, juicy meat that goes great with drinks.

"He’s already got something? As expected of Yu Xin!"

"That’s a huge snail!"

"Keep going, keep going!!"

"Nice spot," a voice beside him said.

Yu Xin looked up and realized only Ji Yixing remained with him—the others were already lost in their own searching.

Ji Yixing seems to be the slow-to-warm-up type, having spoken little with the other guests. Perhaps because they’d met once before, he appears somewhat familiar with Yu Xin.

"Is this your first time beachcombing, Mr. Ji?"

"Yes, I’ve been to the coastal star Haixing before for vacations, but I’ve never tried beachcombing," Ji Yixing said.

Yu Xin wasn’t surprised. Ji Yixing looked like the type who would only enjoy seafood dishes with wine in upscale restaurants. Beachcombing was an entirely different world to him.

Yet now, the tall man had rolled up his pants just like him, holding a brightly colored small bucket in his hand, which looked somewhat mismatched and amusing.

"Besides, I was very busy with work before and didn’t have time to watch the beachcombing livestreams you mentioned," the man frowned, pretending to be troubled. "I really have no experience with beachcombing at all. I don’t even know what’s worth picking up. I’m afraid I might hold everyone back."

"It’s alright," Yu Xin volunteered. "You can stick by my side. I’ll tell you which seafood is worth collecting."

"Alright, thanks in advance then." Ji Yixing’s crystal-like eyes once again brimmed with laughter. "Good thing you’re here."

"There’s no need to be so polite, Mr. Ji." Under the gaze of those unfairly beautiful eyes, Yu Xin pursed his lip slightly, feeling a bit uneasy.

"If we’re talking about being polite, I can’t accept that. Who’s the one still calling me 'Mr. Ji' every time?" Ji Yixing said teasingly. "After all, we’ve known each other for quite a while…"

Bai Yizhou, watching the livestream from his projection, nearly spat out his water. Who is this man speaking in such a whiny tone?

This was definitely not the iron-blooded, ruthless General Ji he knew!

What kind of monster are you? Return their admiral’s body at once!!

"……" Yu Xin remained silent. He thought Ji Yixing was slow to warm up, but so was he. Interpersonal relationships had always been his weakness, unchanged from his past life to this one.

"How about you just call me Brother Ji from now on?" Ji Yixing coaxed.

"…Brother Ji." The young man lowered his head and obediently uttered the somewhat unfamiliar address.

Ji Yixing held back the word "good boy" that nearly slipped out and curved the corners of his lips slightly where Yu Xin couldn’t see.

"Everyone, look!!"

In the distance, Sheng Xingyao suddenly shouted excitedly, holding something high in his hand proudly. "Look what I caught!"

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a crab with a shell as large as an adult man’s palm!

"Such a huge crab!"

"Sheng Xingyao’s luck is pretty good!"

"Our Yao Bao is now the Beachcombing Prince! I hereby declare it!"

"Lmao, his expression is even more excited than when he won the Best Newcomer Award."

"Impressive, Xingyao!" Qin Shizhen, being the closest to him, saw it most clearly and praised.

"It was hiding in a crevice and thought I wouldn’t notice, but I caught it in one swift move, hahahaha." Sheng Xingyao said triumphantly.

Now he was the son of the sea! Chest out!

By now, the moon had risen, making the beach bright. The rocky tide pool area was indeed rich with marine life. In no time, the small bucket Yu Xin was carrying was so full you couldn't see the bottom.

Every crevice between the rocks was a tiny world, home to countless creatures. Sea anemones retracted when poked, their delicate tentacles swaying in the water. Tiny transparent fish no longer than a finger appeared and vanished suddenly, as if just curious about the unfamiliar visitors on this beach.

But most numerous were small crabs—hundreds hiding under every rock, though too small and with too little meat to be of any value for eating.

If it were sand crabs, we could catch some. Sand crabs are small crabs that live on the beach, usually appearing in groups on the sand surface after dark. Although they are small and don’t have much meat, the fermented crab paste made from them is extremely flavorful.

Yu Xin casually picked one up. The little crab waved its claws stubbornly, trying to pinch him. Yu Xin watched with interest for a while, then tossed it back into the sea: "Go on, I’ll eat you when you’re bigger."

"Go call your grown-up over (lol) (dog head emoji)."

"Hahahahahahahaha."

"Hahaha... Wait, someone look in the crevice over there! Is there something?"

"It’s a crab, right? Looks pretty big. Yu Xin, quick, hurry up and catch it! Don’t let it get away!"

"I’m so anxious! I wish I could catch it myself, can anyone relate?"

"Hurry! Ahhh, it’s about to escape!"

Yu Xin saw it too. Just as his knife reached out, a large crab scurried out in a panic, and Yu Xin caught it right away.

It was a large green crab. Yu Xin pinched the back of its shell with two fingers, lifted it, and weighed it in his hand, giving it a heft, raising an eyebrow: "Wow, this one must be at least eight liang (about 400g)."

The big crab waved its claws angrily but was knocked out by the back of Yu Xin’s knife and tossed into the small bucket.

"Looks like we’re in for a treat," Ji Yixing said with a laugh.

"Yeah," Yu Xin replied seriously. "This kind of green crab can be cut into pieces, pan-fried, and stir-fried with rice cakes. It can also be made into a crab hot pot, but since we have limited conditions now, steaming it will be just as good."

When he talked about food, his expression was completely different from usual, his eyes even seemed to light up.

Perhaps it was because they had been active all afternoon and had been in the sea breeze for so long, but as Ji Yixing listened to him describe the cooking methods, he really started craving crab.

Especially wanting Yu Xin to personally cook those dishes for him to try.

It seemed he really needed to find a way to recruit this black-haired young man back to the base. Then he could have a whole crate of crabs delivered to him—he could cook them however he wanted.

On the other side, Shen Tong suddenly shouted excitedly: "Come here, quick!!"

"What did you find?" Sheng Xingyao shouted back.

"Just come over, you’ll see! Come quick!"

Yu Xin and Ji Yixing exchanged a glance and waded over together.

The group gathered around Shen Tong and Ruan Qing, who were standing in front of a large, tall reef. Shen Tong could hardly contain her excitement: "Look!"

On the reef, there was a large patch of oysters growing!

Oysters are a delicacy. Yu Xin pried one open with his knife—the meat inside was plump and full, almost filling the entire shell. It was white and tender, and the juice dripped down the blade.

Ruan Qing was practically drooling: "Oysters are delicious eaten raw..."

Indeed, fresh oyster meat is tender and juicy. Adding a bit of lemon juice to remove the fishy taste and then slurping it straight from the shell is the purest way to enjoy it—extremely fresh and tender.

This method reminded Yu Xin of a text he had read as a child.

The way oysters are prepared that dominate China's night markets is even more delicious—grilled over fire with vermicelli and garlic. The aroma alone made Yu Xin’s mouth water just thinking about it.

Moreover, oysters are highly nourishing. As the saying goes, "They’re 'a gas station for men and a beauty salon for women.'" This shows just how beneficial this food is for the body.

"There are so many oysters here, let's pry some off to take back," Shen Tong said, rubbing her hands together eagerly.

Of course, no one objected. The group crowded around the reef, using whatever knives, daggers, and shovels they had, and diligently started prying off the oysters.

The oysters were hard to pry open, but they couldn’t dampen their food-loving enthusiasm. They managed to collect almost a full plastic box of oysters, and along with the decent haul of crabs and conches everyone had caught, the containers they brought were nearly full and heavy to carry.

It had been almost two hours, and everyone was so engrossed in beachcombing that they didn’t feel tired. Yu Xin, worried they might have more than they could handle, suggested they call it a day and head back to the camp.

Under the moonlight, the guests returned with their hands full with large boxes and small buckets, fully loaded!

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Author's note: Xin Xin: Who hasn't been tempted by the delicious food described in Chinese textbooks?

P.S. I passed my subject one test, hehehe

Thank you all for your support, I'll keep working hard!