Goldfield
Chapter 57: Disaster

With great difficulty, they managed to ‘hold it’ until early spring. As soon as spring begins, the snow finally stops. The sun that had been gone for about two months finally appeared on its own. The snow covering the mountains was melting slowly. However, the short burst of wind from the sea still felt a piercing chill. Above the expanse of mud and coral reefs that surround the beach, a fisherman appears in the cold wind, shivering in the cold but still collecting seafood in the sea.

‘Summer nights, white winter’ are authentic sentences of what people who collect seafood say. Due to the influence of tides and temperature changes, the best time to collect seafood is on summer evenings and winter mornings. During winter, the temperature is best suited for collecting oysters. Oysters are very fat in this season, and they can harvest a lot. They only need to collect oysters once, and they will be able to eat oysters for days.

For the villagers of Dongshan Village, who had just experienced a shortage of food due to the winter, this was aid from the sea. The number of oysters from the sea is no different from sending charcoal in snowy weather. The people who came to collect seafood in the sea each carried a wicker basket or small bamboo basket. The basket can be hung on the neck or hung on the arm. They held a small shovel in their hands as they searched their ‘mangsa’ on the reef. There are even villagers who, although the sea water is very cold, will enter the shallow waters with fishing nets and try to catch fish. It was a crowded sight to see.

“Xiaocao, your shoes look very warm. Are they waterproof? ” Zhou Shanhu, who had invited the Yu brothers to gather seafood on the mud plains, enviously looked at Xiaocao's deer skin boots. Although he did not recognize from what material the shoe was made from, he knew that it was not something an ordinary family could afford.

Yu Xiaocao looked at everyone wearing tattered and worn cotton shoes. Some people even fear that their pair of shoes are wet because of the sea, so they only wear straw sandals with bare feet. The cold air of the cold spring combined with the ice-cold sea water froze their tiny feet. Their feet will become red and some will even experience frostbite.

He was a little embarrassed by this as he reverted his legs back. In a small voice, he said, “A few years ago, my father killed a deer and sold it to a restaurant in the city. My body was not good at the time. My father took less money for deer skin and asked the restaurant owner to use some deer skin to make boots. So, when I went out to collect seafood today, my father insisted that I wear it. ”.

Zhou Linglong quietly tugged at his sister's clothes. He smiled at Xiaocao and said, “Year-old, your serious illness almost scared Aunt Liu to death. You should wear warmer clothes otherwise your family members will be worried. Shanhu, don't look at the other person's feet. Once dad gets home, we can ask him to buy you a pair of boots too. ”

Zhou Linglong and his younger sister were the daughters of Lady Liu's best friend, Aunt Fang. Aunt Fang's husband, Zhou Danian, began his career as a seller and their family raised dozens of chickens. So, their family's financial situation was considered quite outstanding in Dongshan Village.

Zhou Shanhu was only one year older than Xiaocao, but he was a very wise boy, “Sister, I only saw his shoes. Boots are very expensive. After all, cotton shoes at home are warm enough and a pair of boots can buy a lot of food! ”

“They are catching fish there, let's go and see!” Yu Xiaocao did not want to talk anymore about those boots, so he changed the topic of their conversation.

As he walked closer, he realized that his Third Uncle, Yu Jiang, and the expert fisherman from Dongshan Village, Uncle Shuanzhu, were catching fish. They hold cold, bone-piercing water as they pull fishing nets to catch fish. Others were responsible for pulling a portion of the fishing nets on the beach while Yu Jiang and Shuanzhu took turns holding the other end of the fishing nets as they slowly walked into the water. Once the water line reached their chest, they would walk in a semicircular arc as they returned to the shore. Others will take over the net as they work together to pull it to shore.

There is not much harvest to be had in this one fishing net. Other than a few fish that each cost roughly a tael, there were only a few palm-sized fish stuck in the net rope. As soon as the two men reached the beach, their wives gave them boiling hot ginger soup. They also wrapped themselves in thick cotton-coated clothes and drank some mouthfuls of ginger soup before they entered the sea to pull the net again.

“I know the hidden places of coral reefs. Let's go over there and see. But when we go there, we have to be careful. ” This is the first spring tide since early spring. Too many people come to collect seafood today. Some people came all the way from the city with their equipment to try their luck. There are more people on the reef collecting seafood than there is seafood available. The children had been looking for seafood for half a day, but they had not harvested much.

Yu Xiaolian knew the place her sister was talking about. Last year, when they were collecting seafood there, they even saved someone. The children chatted and laughed as they walked towards the precipitous cliff. Sure enough, there's plenty of seafood.

“Oyster shells are very sharp. Sometimes, with just a little contact with the skin, the skin will be scratched by it. You should be careful when collecting oysters. Xiaocao, you and Shitou don't have much power so why don't the two of you collect other seafood products? ” Zhou Linglong is a young woman now; she knows how to care for smaller children.

They lowered their heads and opened the shells of the oysters. In a short period of time, their baskets and small buckets were all full. Zhou Shanhu happily said, “We harvested a lot today. If we could harvest this much every day, then we would not have to worry about making ends meet or starving during the spring! ”

“Kata Dad, coral reefs will only be visible if the tide recedes. Every month, there will only be tides twice. So how can we come every day? After all, aren't you afraid of vomiting after eating seafood every day? ” Yu Xiaolian is also very happy. He pondered what delicious dishes his little sister would make with this oyster.

After experiencing a shortage of food and vegetables in the winter, Yu Xiaocao used various means to prepare food, saving food but still making it delicious. Everyone in the family praised the food. He can turn regular radishes and white cabbage into different dishes. So, he could definitely make something nice using oysters. Xiaolian was full of hope towards Xiaocao's cooking.

Yu Xiaocao thought about how his business with Third Young Master Zhou would improve after the beginning of spring, so he turned to Sister Linglong and said, “I heard that the Zhou Family from the city intends to build a production house on the dock. They will receive large quantities of oysters. In the future, if you have free time, you can go collect and gouge Oysters and sell them. You will be able to get money to buy needles and threads. ”

When Zhou Linglong heard that, his eyes instantly brightened. He asked, “Is this news to be trusted? Usually, people who receive seafood are very unwilling to accept oysters. They will continue to lower the price of oysters. Therefore, the villagers do not particularly like to collect oysters. I hope that the production price of the Zhou Family will not set a very low price for oysters. ”

Xiaocao and Shitou baskets were also full for collecting other types of seafood. Xiaocao was very satisfied with the harvest today. In addition to small seafood such as goose barnacles, clams, and water snails, she also collects dozens of sea urchins. He's ready to make a stew out of urchins. It will be delicious and nutritious. To his surprise, he had actually managed to gather sea cucumbers today. ‘Four Seafood Treasures’ is a type of exotic delicacy that requires abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish belly. The sea cucumber is definitely a good invention.

They had not even entered the village when they saw Aunt Shuanzhu rushing towards the beach. When he saw Xiaocao and his brothers, he sped up his speed more, rushing towards them. He said, “Xiaolian, Xiaocao, something happened to your father. You should go home quickly! ”

“My dad? What happened to him?” Yu Xiaocao's grip on his basket grew tighter and tighter. His heart was thrown into chaos.

The family struggled through the winter. In the past few days, the snow in the mountain forest had finally begun to melt. Madam Zhang urged Yu Hai to hunt in the mountains. Early in the morning, Yu Hai invited Hunter Zhao to hunt. Everyone says that the beginning of spring is not a good time to hunt. This is because when wild animals enter the breeding season, they are very cruel. Could it…

“Your father was bitten by a bear. His whole body was covered in blood. One of her legs was almost bitten to the point of missing. You should hurry home and see her! ” Thinking of Yu Hai's condition, Shuanzhu's wife shivered.

As soon as Shitou heard that, she immediately shouted and cried. He threw his basket down and ran back home. Yu Xiaocao and his sister tried to suppress their panic-stricken hearts as they left behind a basket full of seafood and rushed home side by side.

The Zhou brothers took Yu's sibling basket with free hands. They carried baskets as they hurriedly walked towards the Yu Family home.

Shuanzhu's wife followed the Yu brothers. She can't help but comfort the kids, “Don't worry. Third uncle and Uncle Shuanzhu had already borrowed a donkey cart from a neighboring village. They went to town to get a doctor. Maybe your father's injury isn't as serious as it looks! ”

Yu Xiaocao suppressed the fear and sadness in his heart. His steps grew bigger as he ran. In the past six months, Yu Hai's affection and tolerance were still clear in his mind. Despite their bitter days, the love and affection of his parents gave him the courage to continue living in this strange world.

Although Yu Hai had a lot of piety and was not good at speech, he subconsciously became Xiaocao's backbone. He was also a pillar of the second branch. He really could not imagine how the second branch rates in the Yu Family once his father left.

Dad, don't let anything happen to you! Wait for me to save you! Yu Xiaocao firmly held his only life-saving straw in his hands —— colorful stone. Since he was able to use the rest of his magic power to bring his soul from another world into this world and allow it to reincarnate, then it definitely had a method to save his father.

[Master don't worry! If your father still has one breath left, this Divine Stone can pull him back from the gates of hell!] The little Divine Stone seemed to detect his wavering state of mind, so it put away his usual arrogance and arrogance. It was full of confidence because it promised her that it would save her father.

Due to the heavy snow, the mountain was tightly sealed. During the winter, the small sacred stone did not have time to soak in the mountain springs. However, the snow felt also contained spiritual energy. The spiritual energy within the snow was no less than the energy in the spring. Every day, the god stone would make Xiaocao collect snow from bamboo leaves and melt it to bathe. After nurturing his spirit for half a year, he stored enough spiritual energy to save a dying person.

With the promise of that little holy stone, Xiaocao's agitated heart finally calmed down. Xiaocao prayed to the gods for blessings. He prayed that his father would hold on until he returned home!

The way home was slow and long. As a result of running hard, Xiaocao's chest felt like it was about to explode. He opened his mouth and tried to breathe fresh air. However, in the eyes of others, it seemed like he could not breathe.

Yu Xiaolian sobbed, “Adik, slowly. Something happened to dad. I don't want anything to happen to you. I will go home first to see it; you can walk slowly .... ”.

“No... hu hu... no need! I... That's because I'm not used to exercising.. hu hu hu! Don't worry.. I know my body best.. hu hu.... ”Yu Xiaocao gasped for breath. Both of his legs felt as heavy as lead. But he had no intention of stopping to rest.

With great difficulty, he finally arrived at his own family's doorstep. He used the rest of his strength to open the heavy door. Their courtyard was filled with villagers who had come to help. When they saw Yu Xiaocao and his brothers, they acted on their own initiative and made room for them to enter.

“Dad!” Yu Xiaocao rushed through the door of the western room. He put away the plump body of Oldest Aunt and dropped himself to the side of the bed.

There was no trace of blood on Yu Hai's pale face. His body was covered with blood-soaked cotton patches. Cotton patches harden into small pieces after being stained with blood. Only a few strands of bandage were left on his right leg which revealed his badly damaged right leg.