Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 490: Even Skilled Swimmers Drown

"Shall I open one for you?!"

Wen Shi, carrying a coconut back, asked with a smile. Yi Chichi glanced at him up and down and shook her head, "I’ll drink it at home. You don’t have the tools to open a coconut here."

She didn’t think Wen Shi could break open a coconut with his bare hands either.

The shell of this thing is really thick. Without some skill and strength, it’s tough to manage to open.

However, unexpectedly, Wen Shi did open a coconut for her.

Of course, not with his bare hands, but with a dagger.

Looking at the coconut handed to her and then at the sharp dagger in his hand, Yi Chichi’s mouth twitched, "You’ve been hiding that dagger around your waist the whole time?"

"Not really."

Today was a special case. After training, he had something on his mind and didn’t bother to take it down.

After finishing everything, he rushed home and kept it with him.

"Hurry and drink."

He handed over the coconut, and Yi Chichi took it, holding it up and taking a sip. The fresh coconut just picked from the tree had clear and transparent juice, with a refreshing taste and a faint fragrance.

It was really good and quite thirst-quenching.

However, being six months pregnant, her belly was quite big, and she dared not drink too much water, fearing the urgency.

So, after a few sips, she handed the coconut to Wen Shi, "Finish it and don’t throw it away, bring it back."

"Why?"

A hollow shell wouldn’t be of any use, right?

Wen Shi held the coconut, bewildered.

"To eat the coconut meat, throwing it away would be such a waste."

If there was butter, she could even use the coconut meat to make coconut shreds.

Wen Shi let out an ’oh’, and after finishing the rest of the coconut water, he saved the shell.

Then he instructed her, "Stay here, I’ll go check on mom and the others."

The tide was almost about to rise, and they should call it a day.

Otherwise, if the tide rose and trapped people on the reefs, it would be problematic.

"Okay."

Yi Chichi nodded and watched Wen Shi head towards the reef groups to join He Yunsong and the others.

The distance was quite far, and the sea breeze was strong. Unless shouting at the top of their lungs, they couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Seeing Wen Shi take something like a shovel and start squatting to pry oysters off the reefs, she retracted her gaze and began scanning around like a spotlight.

Then, she found a small water pit at the edge of the reef groups and went over to take a look. There was a big and beautifully colored purple scallop, which caught her interest, and she picked it up.

She also spotted a sea urchin, hiding like a spiked ball in the crevice between rocks.

This was a good find.

Unfortunately, it was a bit far, and her arm couldn’t reach it, so she decided to wait for Wen Shi to come back and ask him to pick it up.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Wen Shi and the others finally returned.

Wen’s mother, empty-handed but full of smiles, approached Yi Chichi, "Daughter, we picked up a lot of abalone today. Tomorrow I’ll make abalone braised meat for you."

"Great."

She responded with a smile, pointing to that sea urchin, "Mom, there’s a big sea urchin over there."

Wen’s mother disliked sea urchins; she didn’t enjoy eating them.

But Wen Shi loved them, so she waved a hand and said, "Xiao Shi, go fetch that sea urchin."

Wen Shi let out an ’oh’, carried the basket over, and picked up the sea urchin.

By this time, the tide had started to rise, and the group, not wanting to linger over the seafood on the beach, prepared to head home.

Along the way, they would shout to people who were unaware of the dangers of the rising tide, urging them to hurry up and leave.

Don’t think you can race against the tide; you won’t win.

Most people listened and left with a shout.

But there’s always the odd one out, and indeed, there was a woman who refused to come ashore, claiming she could swim.

"It’s the swimmers who drown."

Madam Lei retorted unkindly, "Old Chen’s family, you better get over here, or if the sea takes you, nobody can save you."

Everyone started persuading, yet she hesitated.

Seeing this, Old Lei couldn’t stand it and shouted, "If you don’t come up now, I’ll have Old Chen write a report to the entire army!"

This threat was quite strong, and Sister-in-law Chen was frightened.

She grabbed her basket and ran over, shouting that she was coming up and pleading not to let Old Chen write a report.

He Yunsong found it both funny and exasperating, whispering to Wen Shi, "She really cares about Old Chen."

Yi Chichi and Ji Jian exchanged knowing glances, smiling without a word.

How could she not care?

The whole family depends on Deputy Battalion Commander Chen for a living. If they messed up his job, the whole family would starve.

Sister-in-law Chen was just after some free seafood, not ignorant.

She understands the difference between one big meal and having regular meals.

That’s why she immediately came running when threatened.

Once she got over, she sighed, "I didn’t even catch much."

Madam Lei found it funny but couldn’t help commenting, "That’s what happens when you come late."

People had been picking for a while, and by the time she arrived, the good stuff had already been taken, so it’s hard to get much.

"Come early during the next high tide, and you’ll make a good haul."

Saying so, she glanced at Sister-in-law Chen’s basket, which was filled with various shellfish and two medium-sized fish, "Are these fish fresh?"

If they’re not fresh, they can’t be eaten, as it could cause issues.

"They’re fresh."

Understanding her concerns, Sister-in-law Chen smiled, "When I found them, they were still alive and quite active."

They probably aren’t dead yet, but it’s hard to say once home.

However, it doesn’t matter much, as this short time won’t make a difference.

Also, the temperature isn’t as high as in summer now, so spoilage isn’t as quick.

"Xiao Yi, why did you come here?"

Yi Chichi replied with a smile, "I was bored at home and wanted to take a walk."

"It’s good to get out for a walk. Staying indoors while carrying a child isn’t good for your health."

With that, she began to complain about her own husband, "When I was pregnant, Old Chen didn’t let me and the child join the army because we didn’t meet the requirements, and I didn’t have a mother-in-law. I had to do everything at home. It was tough."

Her words resonated with Madam Lei and the others.

They all began reminiscing about the hardships they endured during their pregnancies.

Yi Chichi dared not join in the conversation, as compared to most sisters-in-law in the family compound, she hadn’t suffered much or endured much hardship, and with a loving husband and mother-in-law, it was easy to break down defenses.

So, keeping quiet and avoiding comparing her happiness to others’ hardships was the best course of action.

As the ones being complained about, Old Li and the others similarly dared not say anything.

They had significant debts to both family and their wives and children.

As sons, they were inadequate, and as fathers and husbands, they were no better.

Honestly, what the ladies said were facts, and during such times, lying flat and letting them vent their dissatisfaction and complaints was actually a good thing.

And so, listening to Sister-in-law Chen and the others’ complaints and grievances, everyone reached home.

Once inside, Wen’s mother poured herself a glass of water, drank it, and then directed Wen Shi to bring out a big wooden basin.

Yi Chichi, sitting on a chair and watching them pour the abalone from the baskets into the basin, was stunned.

"Such big abalones?"

She thought Wen’s mother and the others had found those insignificant small abalones, but to her surprise, they were actually these large, three- and two-head abalones.

"We don’t even bother picking small ones."

Wen’s mother said while selecting abalones, "No idea where this nest of abalones drifted from. When we previously went over there to pry oysters, we never found any abalones, but today, we discovered them, and we thought we were seeing things."