novelraw Chapter 266: Foraging During a Typhoon
Chapter 266: Foraging During a Typhoon
Chapter 266: Foraging During a TyphoonArriving at the entrance of Chen Yang's shop, they were about to close up for the day, just waiting for the courier to pick up the packages.
So, with nothing much to do, when they saw a new, unlicensed truck pull up, they all came over.
Since the windows were tinted, they couldn't see inside and didn't make a move at first. But when the two people got out, Zhang Wei immediately said, "It really is you guys. This truck is nice, pretty damn domineering. Compared to sports cars and whatnot, I've always been a fan of bigger models."
Chu Mingcheng and Chen Yang froze for a moment, then the three men shared a knowing grin.
Seeing this, Jiang Luoluo looked at them suspiciously. "Why are you guys smiling so weirdly?"
Chu Mingcheng quickly waved his hands. "It's nothing, nothing. Men, you know, we like all kinds of cars, especially the big ones!"
Seeing Jiang Luoluo looking thoughtful, he quickly changed the subject out of guilt. "Ah-Yang, when are you guys closing up?"
Chen Yang also quickly replied, "Soon, soon. I just called the courier. He should be here in about ten minutes."
"Alright, we'll wait for you in the car then!" Chu Mingcheng nodded, pulling the distracted Jiang Luoluo back toward the truck.
"Hehe, let me check out the inside of your new ride first." Zhang Wei came over, opened the back door, sat inside, and started looking around, asking about the various features.A little while later, the courier arrived and took all the packages. After helping Chen Yang close up the shop, he came over too, clearly a man who preferred the new over the old.
Chu Mingcheng paid him no mind and drove to a buffet restaurant. Eating at a buffet was a way of saving Zhang Wei money; if they ate somewhere else, with Chu Mingcheng's appetite, tonight's dinner bill would probably be three times as much.
The four of them walked in, and after Zhang Wei paid, they found a table by the window.
They chatted while they ate. After a little while, Chu Mingcheng brought up the topic of going out to sea.
After all, the boat was bought. He would go get the high seas fishing permit tomorrow, and after the typhoon passed the day after, he would start preparing for his trip.
"Luoluo and I are planning to head out two days after the typhoon passes. When are you guys planning to go? Want to come with us?"
Chen Yang and Zhang Wei were going to the deep sea for the first time. Chu Mingcheng was a little worried and planned to show them the ropes.
"We can't go just yet. We need to stabilize the business at the shop first, and we need to hire at least one person."
"How about we join you on your next trip after you get back?"
Hearing that they were about to head out, Chen Yang could only refuse for now.
He didn't have much to do; hiring someone was mostly for customer service and packing products.
It was just that Zhang Wei wanted to find a pretty young lady and was currently trying to sweet-talk her.
The girl was from Sichuan province. Coming all the way to Xiamen was a big move, so she was naturally hesitant and needed to think it over.
Chu Mingcheng didn't know about this and immediately asked, puzzled, "Speaking of which, I'm a bit surprised. Hiring someone shouldn't be that hard, right? You've been here for over a month, how come you haven't found anyone yet?"
Hearing this, Zhang Wei explained with a grin, "I've found a suitable one, but she's still considering it, so it's taking a bit of time."
Jiang Luoluo knew what he was like. Seeing his expression, she couldn't help but tease, "Is it another pretty girl you've sweet-talked?"
Zhang Wei immediately gave a thumbs-up. "As expected of Sister-in-law, you hit the nail on the head."
Hearing this, Chu Mingcheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He looked at Chen Yang. "You just let Zhang Wei mess around like this? Are you hiring an employee or setting him up on a blind date?"
Chen Yang shrugged. "This guy was crying and begging me for warmth. You're no longer single, and I'm almost there. Considering he's the only one left all alone, I just let him do his thing."
"Bullshit, what do you mean I was crying and begging..." Zhang Wei protested. "Didn't we agree that I'd wash your socks for a week, and you'd help me pick up girls?"
"So that's the kind of person you are, Zhang Wei. Willing to wash socks for Chen Yang just to pick up a girl. Speaking of which, there are plenty of rich ladies in Xiamen. You're not going to try your luck?" Chu Mingcheng teased.
Zhang Wei glanced at Jiang Luoluo and sighed. "I used to think rich ladies were great, but after Sister-in-law appeared, I understood something."
Jiang Luoluo's curiosity was piqued. "What's that?"
"We can pursue wealth, but we can't pursue old age. It's better to change 'old' to 'beautiful.' If we can't have both, I'd rather have beautiful now."
After saying that, Zhang Wei subtly rubbed his lower back... Rich ladies were great, but they were too hard on the kidneys!
…...
In the blink of an eye, the day the fishing ban was lifted arrived.
Xiamen was shrouded in dark clouds. The boats at the pier were packed together, and no one would go out in this kind of weather.
Jiang Luoluo was at home today; the studio was forced to take a holiday.
But she wasn't idle, practicing her dance in the studio.
Once the typhoon passed, she would start filming.
This time, she was shooting five videos in total and had to finish them in two days, so it was clearly going to be very busy.
While she was practicing her dance, Chu Mingcheng seemed to have nothing to do.
At least yesterday, before the typhoon arrived, he had specifically driven out to catch some plecos.
The speed at which these things multiplied was truly fast. Some of the waters he had cleared before were now full of them again.
He had already used all the remaining Life Conversions from his Australia trip. He currently had fifteen charges saved up, in case of emergencies.
But his current physical fitness had already surpassed the peak of human potential. Although it wasn't by much, continuing to improve had become very difficult.
At least thirty-some Life Conversions had only given him a tiny boost.
To raise his physical fitness to Aquaman's level would probably take a very long time.
Chu Mingcheng didn't dwell on this. At least now, when he fished for large tuna, he didn't need two or three people taking turns like others; he could handle it all by himself.
"Whoosh, whoosh~!"
The howling wind outside his window broke his train of thought. He got up and went to the window to check the situation by the sea.
Jiang Luoluo's house also had a side facing the sea, from which he could see the situation on the coast from a distance.
The dark clouds in the sky had already condensed, but it hadn't started raining yet.
He could see fierce waves on the coastline, crashing against the reefs one after another, sending up splashes at least three or four meters high.
"Huh~!"
The next moment, Chu Mingcheng let out a soft sound of surprise. He saw a few people in raincoats carrying buckets on a small public beach to his right.
The typhoon had blown all the way from the sea to the coastal city, bringing with it countless sea creatures that couldn't escape.
Every time a typhoon passed, a walk along the coastline would yield a good harvest.
But by then, it was actually a bit late. Many of the sea creatures would have been dead for at least two or three days and were no longer fresh.
Now, just as the typhoon was arriving, was indeed the best time for foraging.
However, foraging in this kind of weather was for people with a death wish. Plus, the wind force affecting Xiamen this time reached level fifteen, which was very dangerous.
Chu Mingcheng couldn't care less about whether these people wanted to live or die.
But as long as it wasn't a tornado, he really wasn't afraid. Even if he were swept away by the waves, it wouldn't kill him. So, bored and idle, he decided to go foraging.
He'd been eating meat for this period back in Xiamen; he was craving seafood.
Plus, it was currently the calm period of the receding tide, which was relatively safe. This was also why those people were out foraging. After the tide came in, there probably wouldn't be anyone left. Today was the fifteenth of the lunar calendar, a spring tide.
"Luoluo, I'm going to Chen Yang's to play some games. I'll be back before dinner."
Jiang Luoluo stopped her dance practice and looked at him, a little amused. "You're going out in this typhoon? I think I'll skip practice and keep you company!"
"It's fine, you should focus on your dance. After the typhoon passes today, you'll have to shoot five videos in a row. I can't hold up your work."
"Alright then, you be careful."
Jiang Luoluo didn't insist. The Ford Raptor wasn't going to be blown away by the typhoon; she had nothing to worry about.
Chu Mingcheng closed the dance studio door, then took out a raincoat, put on waterproof shoes, and also brought gloves, a bucket, and foraging tongs before setting out.
On the road, he called Chen Yang. "Ah-Yang, the typhoon's blowing a lot of good stuff onto the shore today. Want to come foraging? If you do, I'll come pick you up."
Chen Yang was a bit shocked. "Foraging during a typhoon? Aren't you afraid of being swept away by a wave?"
"It's the calm period of the receding tide right now. What's there to be afraid of on the beach?"
"Alright, Zhang Wei said he wants to go too. Come and get us then!"
Chu Mingcheng hung up with a grin.
He hadn't lied to Jiang Luoluo; he really was going to play with Chen Yang and the others. Foraging was a game, right?
Arriving at Chen Yang's complex, he picked them up.
They were also fully equipped, dressed no differently from Chu Mingcheng.
Then he started the truck and drove toward that small public beach.
Just as they reached the coast, it began to pour. Driven by the typhoon, the rain pelted their raincoats with a crackling sound.
But they didn't mind, their attention drawn to the mantis shrimp constantly jumping on the beach.
Occasionally, they could also see some sea fish and wild shrimp.
Zhang Wei was surprised. "Whoa, there really is this much seafood! After a few months of the fishing ban, I'm really craving it."
But before taking action, Chu Mingcheng reminded them, "Be careful when you're picking stuff up. When a wave comes in, forget the seafood and retreat immediately. I don't want to have to save you guys if you get swept away."
"Also, we'll leave when the tide starts to come in."
The two nodded at the same time. "Don't worry, our lives are important. We know."
Then the three of them split up, each finding a spot to start picking up seafood.
Chu Mingcheng had sharp eyes. He noticed some Black Tiger Prawns hidden among the mantis shrimp and immediately understood.
No wonder some people had come out to forage. The number of mantis shrimp wasn't enough to attract people, but Black Tiger Prawns were expensive and delicious. He believed that in a little while, even more people would come.
These mantis shrimp weren't large, at most fifteen centimeters long. But some of the Black Tiger Prawns were quite big. He used his foraging tongs to flip some over and caught two that were the length of his palm.
And these two shrimp still had some life in them, which meant they were very fresh.
Of course, he also picked up some of the larger mantis shrimp. Although they weren't as big as Regal Mantis Shrimp, they were still delicious.
Chu Mingcheng picked his way along. He didn't mind the waves crashing against him—they could sweep others away but would have a hard time sweeping him away. But after a short while, his pants were completely soaked.
Just then, another wave rushed in fiercely. A Black Tiger Prawn the size of his forearm was rolling over and over in the wave right in front of him.
Chu Mingcheng's eyes were sharp and his hands were quick. He immediately reached into the water, and with a single grab, he caught the massive Black Tiger Prawn.
This Black Tiger Prawn was still very lively, jumping and twitching in his hand.