Chapter 31

Chapter 31

After leaving the supply cooperative, Ji Yunshu went directly to the post office next door.

The post office was small—a single-room bungalow with a green mailbox by the door and a small potted flower on the windowsill that Ji Yunshu couldn't identify. She handed the package and two letters to the clerk, who weighed them, asked for the addresses and recipients, and after registering everything said, "To Beijing and Suzhou, both should take about half a month."

Ji Yunshu thanked her, tucked the mailing receipts into her pocket, and had just stepped out of the post office when she saw Pei Yufeng coming back from the direction of the barracks.

He was in his military uniform, carrying a large canvas bag in his left hand—she couldn't tell what was inside—and two folding camp stools in his right.

"Letters sent?" Pei Yufeng asked.

"Sent. I bought some of the seafood we had yesterday for both parents, and wrote to Grandma to let her know I'm safe." Ji Yunshu walked over. "You're done with training?"

"Yeah, tomorrow's a rest day, so I didn't need to keep an eye on them tonight—dismissed them early." Pei Yufeng lifted the things in his hands. "I told you I'd take you beachcombing tonight. Let's go home, change, eat, and then head out."

"What's all this?" Ji Yunshu poked curiously at the canvas bag, discovering a pair of black rubber rain boots, several wooden and iron spades, and two bamboo baskets, one large and one small.

"Everything we need for beachcombing. The boots were issued by the military—I never wore this pair. There are lots of broken shells and sharp bits on the beach, so your everyday shoes won't cut it. Wear these instead." Pei Yufeng said.

In this era, rubber rain boots were scarce goods that required ration coupons—only the military had them. Ordinary fishermen wore wooden clogs or straw sandals.

"They'll probably be too big for me." Ji Yunshu looked a little troubled. "Well, as long as they fit well enough, they'll do."

Pei Yufeng: "Next time new ones are issued, I'll put in your size."

"Sounds good." Ji Yunshu didn't stand on ceremony with him. "What should I change into? A shirt and long pants, with the hems rolled up?"

"That's fine." Pei Yufeng nodded. "The baskets clip onto your belt. The tidal flats the military has designated aren't large—what we gather usually lasts us about a week—so no need for a big basket. You can hunt for shells you like."

"Then you handle the seafood, and I'll handle the shells." Ji Yunshu wanted to make a wind chime out of shells and hang it by the bed—the sea breeze would make it chime beautifully.

"Alright." A smile tugged at the corner of Pei Yufeng's mouth.

Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng went home and both changed. Ji Yunshu wore a light yellow women's blouse with dark blue straight-leg pants. Pei Yufeng changed into a white shirt but kept his military trousers.

Since they'd be eating at the dining hall first, wearing rubber boots would be inconvenient, so Ji Yunshu kept her little black cloth shoes on and would switch at the beach.

On the way from home to the officers' dining hall, Ji Yunshu kept firing questions at Pei Yufeng about beachcombing.

"The military has rules: we can only forage in the marked-off safe tidal zone—the reefs and sandbars near the base. Officers and family members aren't allowed into the fishermen's harvesting areas, and we're not allowed to compete with the local fishermen for seafood. Far reefs and deep channels are off-limits to family members to avoid rip currents and cuts from sharp rocks." Pei Yufeng said.

Ji Yunshu nodded, memorizing the rules.

"Another rule is that family members can't go into the water alone. Husbands have to go with them on rest days, or a few families can go as a group." Pei Yufeng continued. "I talked to Regiment Commander Liu next door—he agreed to join us. Also Commander Lin, another regiment commander from my unit. His family's coming too, and their daughter will be there. Safety in numbers."

Ji Yunshu was curious: "What's Commander Lin's family like?"

"Commander Lin and his wife are both from southern Hunan province. They're both super friendly and laid-back. They have one daughter named Niuniu, eight years old—the same age as Commander Liu's second boy. The two are classmates and good friends." Pei Yufeng thought for a moment, then added, "Commander Lin's family lives near the small parade ground in the compound. I'll take you to visit when we have time. He loves liquor and betel nut—when we go, we'll grab him a bottle from the supply store."

"Alright, whatever you say." Ji Yunshu looped her arm through his, beaming up at him.

They soon arrived at the dining hall. Perhaps because it was a rest day and everyone was cooking at home, there were very few people there tonight.

Naturally, fewer serving windows were open than the night before.

Tonight's dinner was mostly seafood, with only some leftover duck trimmings from lunch stewed with soybeans into a soup.

Ji Yunshu picked a few dishes made from seafood she hadn't tried before: a plate of spicy stir-fried conch slices and a plate of jellyfish salad with smashed cucumber.

The conch was sliced thin and flash-fried with dried chilies, minced garlic, and scallion segments. The meat was chewy but tender, with that smoky wok flavor from high-heat stir-frying—absolutely delicious. The jellyfish was translucent, tossed with smashed cucumber, topped with crushed peanuts and chilies, and dressed with vinegar—perfect over rice.

It was Ji Yunshu's first time eating jellyfish. The texture was cool and slippery, like a jelly noodle but not quite—refreshingly unique. She was so delighted her eyes went wide.

Pei Yufeng got himself a plate of steamed scallops and a plate of stir-fried thunder bamboo shoots. The scallops weren't large, but the meat was plump, each one topped with garlic paste and fine ginger shreds, with a drizzle of chili oil. Thunder bamboo shoots were a common wild vegetable on Hainan Island—mild in flavor but with a distinctive texture.

Ji Yunshu sampled everything from Pei Yufeng's plate too and reached a verdict: the conch slices were the best, scallops second, and the jellyfish was decent—just a bit spicy.

But her favorite of the night was the complimentary soybean duck soup. There weren't many pieces of duck in it, but the flavor was incredibly savory—she couldn't resist drinking two big bowls.

After dinner, it was still light out. The sun hung over the sea, half already sunk below the horizon, the rest of it setting the sky ablaze with orange and scattering a layer of crushed gold across the water.

Pei Yufeng led Ji Yunshu toward the beach, which was on the outer edge near the base—about a ten-minute walk from the dining hall. When they reached the meeting point, Ji Yunshu spotted Commander Liu's family and Commander Lin's family in the distance.

Commander Liu and Huang Paimei had already arrived. Commander Liu held a crowbar, Huang Paimei had a bamboo basket at her waist, and beside them stood two round-faced little boys and a shy-looking little girl.

The girl, about five years old, was the spitting image of Huang Paimei—same face, same timid way of looking at people. She clutched a small bamboo spade in one hand and gripped Huang Paimei's pant leg tightly with the other.

Huang Paimei was listening to another woman speak, and Ji Yunshu guessed this was Commander Lin's wife. She was a bit taller than Huang Paimei, with a large bamboo basket strapped to her back. Though Ji Yunshu couldn't understand her dialect, she could feel the rapid pace of her speech and her brisk, no-nonsense demeanor.

Both families spotted Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng and paused to greet them with smiles.

"Xiaoshu, this is Commander Lin and his wife Comrade Li Shu, and their daughter Niuniu. Niuniu's full name is Lin Wangshu—just call her Niuniu." Pei Yufeng introduced. "Brother Lin, sister-in-law, this is my wife Ji Yunshu. She just arrived to live with me on base. If she ever needs help when I'm out at sea, I hope you can look out for her."

"Of course, of course—we've been brothers for years, don't be so formal. Your business is my business. Sister-in-law, rest easy settling into the compound. If there's anything you don't know, just ask our Li Shu—she's been through it herself and knows the ropes." Commander Lin patted his chest in assurance.

Li Shu also nodded with a smile, speaking in accented Mandarin: "Sister, do you eat spicy? If you do, come by our place sometime—I'll make you stir-fried pork with chilies."

Niuniu chimed in: "Yeah! My mom's stir-fried pork is so good! It's just that a lot of the kids in the compound can't handle the spice... ah, poor kids..."

"I love spicy food—then I'll definitely be troubling Sister Li often." Ji Yunshu was amused by Niuniu's comment. She liked this kid.

After that, Pei Yufeng introduced Commander Liu's three children. The eldest son was Liu Cheng, nicknamed Xiaocheng; the second son was Liu Gong, nicknamed Xiaogong—together their names meant "success." Their only daughter was Liu Hailan, nicknamed Duoduo.

Xiaogong seemed more outgoing than Xiaocheng. When he saw Pei Yufeng, he called out a crisp "Uncle Pei," then spotted Ji Yunshu and grinned wide, showing a gap-toothed smile. "Is this the new auntie?"

Commander Liu said from the side: "Xiaogong, this is Uncle Pei's wife—call her Aunt Ji."

Xiaogong craned his neck and immediately shouted at the top of his lungs: "Hello, Aunt Ji!"

Ji Yunshu bent down and ruffled his hair: "Hello there."

Just then, Niuniu came over too. Niuniu had two pigtails, was a bit taller than Xiaogong, wore a pink short-sleeved shirt, and carried a small bamboo basket. Her pigtails swung as she approached, and she said with great sincerity and poise: "Auntie, you're really pretty."

Ji Yunshu laughed: "You're pretty too."

Xiaogong protested from the side: "Aunt Ji, you didn't say I was handsome!"

"Liu Gong, mind your manners with Aunt Ji!" Commander Liu patted Xiaogong on the back. "Be polite to your elders."

"Exactly! The pretty auntie only complimented me and not you, which means I'm better-looking than you!" Niuniu shot back without missing a beat, then turned to Ji Yunshu and puffed out her little chest like a little leader. "Aunt Ji, Niuniu will take you beachcombing. Niuniu is great at catching crabs, and my mom makes delicious crab too—come to my house and eat crab!"

"Alright, alright, I'll definitely come sometime." Ji Yunshu tousled Niuniu's head, then Xiaogong's too: "Xiaogong is handsome too, but in a different way from Niuniu."

Xiaogong was satisfied, made a face at Niuniu, and ran off to play.

Duoduo watched the two lively kids with envy. She wanted to go talk to the pretty auntie too, but she didn't dare.

Ji Yunshu noticed Duoduo's shy, hopeful look repeatedly landing on her. She walked over, crouched down, and went up to say hi: "Duoduo, hello."

Ji Yunshu's eyes had a slight upward tilt at the corners, a classic pair of beautiful eyes. Her lashes were thick and long, fluttering like little fans when she blinked. Her pupils were large and clear, making it hard for anyone to look away from her face.

Duoduo was no exception.

When Ji Yunshu's face leaned close to Duoduo's, Duoduo's face flushed bright red in an instant. She froze for a moment before stammering out: "Aunt... Aunt Ji, hello."

Hearing Duoduo's response, Ji Yunshu's smile grew even brighter as she ruffled the girl's head and took the initiative to invite her along: "Wanna look for seashells with me?"

Duoduo's heart leaped at the offer. But she didn't answer right away—she instinctively looked up at her mother, as if waiting for her mom's permission.

"Go on, but watch out for the tide," Huang Paimei said softly.

Duoduo was introverted by nature. She didn't start talking until she was three, and when nervous, she stumbled over her words. She rarely spoke up like this, so she must really like Deputy Commander Pei's wife. And Deputy Commander Pei's wife was kind too—a lot of kids in the compound wouldn't play with Duoduo because she talked slow, but she didn't just not mind—she even invited Duoduo along. Huang Paimei warmed up to Ji Yunshu.

But Deputy Commander Pei's wife didn't seem like the spoiled, wasteful person the compound rumors made her out to be. Her clothes were like Huang Paimei's—both plain cotton—and she'd come to the beach like the other army wives to gather seafood for dinner. Frugal and down-to-earth. Where was the waste?

Some rumors you just can't believe. Huang Paimei watched Ji Yunshu walk off, holding Niuniu's hand in one and Duoduo's in the other, and thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Ji Yunshu had a little girl on each side, so Pei Yufeng trailed behind her, carrying her shoes.

Ji Yunshu had traded her cloth shoes for rubber boots, while Pei Yufeng walked barefoot along the shore, keeping an eye out for anything worth grabbing.

The tide was going out, leaving the mudflat wet and squishy underfoot. Little holes dotted the sand, and every now and then a crab would flash by and dart back into its hole.

Liu Xiaogong charged ahead, all excited, while Liu Xiaocheng, the fastest, ran straight into a puddle and splashed water all over his pants. Commander Liu yelled "Slow down!" from behind, but the two boys, wild as monkeys, didn't listen.

Ji Yunshu followed with the two little girls in tow. Niuniu kept stopping to check the little holes around her, saying, "There might be crabs and razor clams in there!"

Ji Yunshu copied Niuniu and crouched down, staring at a fist-sized hole, not sure where to start. Niuniu squatted beside her, little shovel in hand, and said very seriously: "Aunt Ji, you have to do it like this—use the shovel to dig along the slanted edge of the hole. Don't poke straight down, or you'll kill it."

Ji Yunshu did what she said and dug a few times, and sure enough, she hit something hard in the mud. She carefully pried it out—a green crab a little smaller than her palm. It scuttled sideways across her palm, claws waving like it wanted to pinch her.

Ji Yunshu was quick—she grabbed the crab from behind.

Xiaogong clapped beside her: "Auntie, you're so cool!"

Duoduo also whispered, "Auntie's amazing."

"I think I'm pretty awesome too!" Ji Yunshu didn't hold back on praising herself. She held the little crab up to Pei Yufeng. "I dug up a crab on my first try! Pretty impressive, right?"

"Not bad." Pei Yufeng watched Ji Yunshu's excited, flailing gestures and couldn't help the corner of his mouth curling up. "You can put it in the basket and take it home."

"Sweet, we'll boil it and eat it!" Ji Yunshu tossed the crab into the basket. The moment it landed, it scurried into the corner, all eight legs scrabbling at the sand at the bottom like it was digging itself a new burrow. Ji Yunshu watched the tiny thing, smaller than her palm, frantically digging in the bottom of the basket, and a smile tugged at her lips—this was her very first beachcombing prize.

After that, Ji Yunshu completely forgot her original plan of collecting seashells and conches to make wind chimes, and instead kept digging holes with Niuniu and Duoduo.

Ji Yunshu dug up two small razor clams and two cat's-eye snails. Niuniu was in charge of finding holes, while Duoduo was in charge of praising Ji Yunshu's skill.

After a while, Niuniu dug up some razor clams and crabs for herself and encouraged Duoduo to try digging too.

But children's interests came and went quickly. Niuniu soon lost interest in the daily routine of beachcombing and focused on flipping over crabs on the side. Duoduo didn't want to be away from her mother for too long and soon went back to find Huang Paimei.

With the two little girls gone, Ji Yunshu continued foraging alongside Pei Yufeng. There were quite a few dependents and officers on the beach, many in small groups with kids, and some fishermen seriously collecting seafood. Laughter and chatter drifted across the shore.

Ji Yunshu was crouching on the sand studying a heavy conch, about to ask Pei Yufeng, when he spoke up directly: "That one might not have meat inside. Give it a weigh—if it's heavy, it's got something."

Ji Yunshu turned around. Pei Yufeng stood behind her, holding two long razor clams—twice the size of the ones she'd dug up, clearly hard to pull from the sand. His canteen hung at his waist, still filled with the cool boiled water he'd prepared for Ji Yunshu.

He crouched down, pulled another razor clam from the sand, and dropped it into Ji Yunshu's basket: "Razor clams burrow deep. Spot the little bubble hole, and you'll hit one every time."

Ji Yunshu studied seriously and started scanning the beach for those sesame-sized holes. Sure enough, Pei Yufeng was exactly right. Following his instructions, she dug up five or six in one go, and the bottom of her basket was now covered with a layer.

After that, Ji Yunshu kept digging holes and gradually got the hang of it. She discovered that the size and shape of the holes mattered too. Round little holes were mostly razor clams, oval holes usually hid cat's-eye snails, and holes with crab tracks nearby almost always yielded a crab. She added two more small razor clams and two cat's-eye snails to her haul. The cat's-eye snail shells were beautiful—spiral-shaped with a ring of dark brown patterns like a cat's eye, heavy in the palm, with a small white sliver of snail meat visible at the opening.

Xiaogong and Niuniu came over to see her catch for the day. The two little heads bumped together as they counted: "Auntie, you caught three cat's-eye snails, ten razor clams, and six little crabs!"

"And one white conch!" Niuniu added. She noticed one of the cat's-eye snails was still open and reached out to poke its shell, only to get squirted with a small jet of water. Niuniu wasn't annoyed—she giggled instead. "It spat at me!"

Then Xiaogong and Niuniu insisted on competing over who had gathered more.

Xiaogong shouted: "I got way more than you this time—I dug up ten cat's-eye snails!"

Niuniu: "I wonder who only got three razor clams last time. You lost to me by ten!"

Xiaogong retorted: "That's because I caught the giant razor clam king! Do you even know what the razor clam king is? It's better than all ten of your razor clams!"

"Pfft, you're just a sore loser making excuses!"

"Who's making excuses? You've never caught a razor clam king!"

...

The two bickered heatedly beside her, and Ji Yunshu nudged her basket aside to avoid accidentally knocking it over.

The two kids were like that—bickering the moment they met, then insisting on talking to each other, then making up...

Ji Yunshu watched them and thought how nice it was to be young. She turned around and saw Pei Yufeng approaching with his basket. His was more than half full of razor clams, clams, and crabs—several times more than hers and bigger too. When their baskets sat side by side, the difference was obvious.

"Brother Pei, you caught so many!" Ji Yunshu praised him. "And you're a great teacher—I learned beachcombing so fast."

Pei Yufeng didn't turn around: "You're a fast learner."

Hearing that, the curve of Ji Yunshu's lips rose even higher. She kept her head down, searching the sand for those fine holes. Occasionally she'd dig up a big one and couldn't help letting out an "Oh!" before proudly showing it to Pei Yufeng, lively and full of joy.

The setting sun hung over the sea, setting the entire ocean ablaze in flowing shades of orange and gold. The tide had receded further, exposing larger stretches of dark brown rocks and seaweed. In the distance, children's shouts drifted over, broken by the wind, mingling with the rhythm of the waves.

Ji Yunshu crouched in the shallows, pants rolled up, clutching a handful of clams she'd just dug from the sand, muddy water trickling between her fingers. She bent over, back to the sun, her shadow falling on the damp sand and blending into the bay in a single color.

Pei Yufeng stayed close behind her, occasionally bending down to dig up some seafood and toss it into the basket before continuing to keep her company.

When the sun fully set, the tide began to creep back in. Commander Liu called out from afar: "Wrap it up, wrap it up—the tide's coming in!"

Ji Yunshu stood up with her heavy basket, her back a little sore. She looked back at the stretch of beach she'd walked today, where a row of shallow footprints remained, some quickly fading as the rising tide washed over them.

Huang Paimei was crouching nearby and also stood up, steadying her basket. The weight pressed down on her belt, so she simply undid it and carried the basket by hand. The rim tilted slightly, and Ji Yunshu could see it was more than half full of dark brown clams and a few gray-green crabs—about the same as her own haul. Her silver hairpin glinted in the dusk, like the last ray of sunlight caught in her hair.

Niuniu ran over and held something out to her: "Aunt Ji, this is for you! It's really pretty."

Ji Yunshu opened her palm, and Niuniu placed a thumb-sized white shell into it.

The pattern on this white conch was unusual. Most conch shells had yellowish-brown patterns, but this one's were a pale blue, resembling the blue sea under a clear sky.

Ji Yunshu closed her hand, holding the tiny shell in her palm: "Thank you, Niuniu."

"You're welcome! Wash it when you get back and you can string it into a necklace!" Niuniu said, then skipped off, her pigtails bouncing with each hop.

Xiaogong chased after her, shouting, "Wait for me!" The two kids ran ahead toward their parents, and the sea breeze scattered their laughter everywhere.

Regiment Commander Liu and his family walked ahead of Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng, with Regiment Commander Liu now carrying Huang Paimei's bamboo basket. When she spotted Ji Yunshu, she turned her head and smiled at her.

Just then, Li Shu caught up from behind Ji Yunshu and asked her, "Comrade Ji, did you have fun foraging on the beach?"

"It was really fun," Ji Yunshu said sincerely. "If the tide hadn't come in, I feel like I could've kept going and picked up another round along this stretch."

Li Shu laughed. "Hahaha, there will be plenty more chances. If you and Xiao Pei don't know how to cook, you can always come ask me. I used to hate the seafood on the island, but I'm a good cook, so now I cook it up so it's delicious."

"Alright, if I ever need help, I'll be sure to ask you, Sister Li, for help," Ji Yunshu thanked her.

Author's note:

None