Eating melons

Chapter 792: Going to the Island Again

When it comes to catching seafood, you’ll get addicted to it once you do it.

Xiao Xuemu and Li Zhibin were fine, but Wei Wei, Jiang Qi, Xiaotuanzi and Xiaoyuanzi couldn't stop.

I had a good sleep during the day and got up to go fishing at night.

However, Xiao Yang was not invited this time. After all, Xiao Yang still had work, and Ning Xuan also had work.

The six of them came to the beach together and had fun here for three days before they stopped.

The reason for only playing for three days was not because he was too addicted, but because it was time for Li Zhibin to go back.

Happy times always pass quickly, and Li Zhibin's vacation arrived first.

They were about to leave, and Xiao Yang was quite reluctant to let them go. They were stationed here, and their families were one in the south and the other in the north, which were very far away. More than half of his vacation time when he went back to visit his family would be spent on the road.

His family members have special jobs and may not be at home when he returns, so he has not been reunited with his family for many years.

The last time I was with my family was when Ning Xuan gave birth to her third child. Cheng Yan came to take care of her during the confinement period, but now the third child is almost nine years old.

In the past, he could have kept them for a few more days, but everyone had work to do and it was the Chinese New Year, so he couldn't keep them there as they also wanted to go home and reunite with their families.

They felt much more relaxed when they left than when they came. Although Xiao Yang and Ning Xuan prepared a lot of local specialties for them, they were still not as much as what they brought with them.

Xiaotuanzi and Xiaoyuanzi knew they had to leave and were very reluctant to leave. They were kind to others, but they were mainly reluctant to go to the beach, which they were very excited about.

It was Xiao Xuemu who coaxed the two of them by saying that they could also go sea catching on the mainland, and only then did the two of them reluctantly board the boat leaving the island.

The roar of planes taking off and landing echoed in his ears from time to time. In the international departure hall of Haikou Airport, Li Zhibin dragged his suitcase helplessly, with a look of reluctance on his face.

"I've only been playing for a few days, and my annual leave is already used up. And I'm the only one going back. What a miserable life this is!"

He sighed and patted Xiao Xuemu on the shoulder, "Brother, you have to play for a while longer and enjoy this sunny beach for me.

Also, I'm counting on you to take care of Xiao Yuanzi."

Li Zhibin originally wanted to take Xiao Yuanzi back with him because he was worried that Jiang Qi would not be able to handle taking care of the child alone.

You have to know that Xiaoyuanzi and Xiaotuanzi are already four years old, but Jiang Qi and Wei Wei have never taken care of children alone, let alone outside.

But Xiao Yuanzi didn't want to go back. Besides, Xiao Xuemu was here, so Xiao Yuanzi had company. Jiang Qi didn't force Xiao Yuanzi and let him stay and play.

Xiao Xuemu patted Li Zhibin's shoulder and said, "I won't talk about anything else, but you don't need to worry about safety."

I wonder how many people are protecting them in the dark.

Little Tuanzi held onto Li Zhibin's legs and refused to let go. "Uncle Li, please don't leave. If you leave, who will build sandcastles with me?"

Li Zhibin bent down, picked up the little boy, and pinched his little nose.

"Little naughty boy, don't you still have Xiao Yuanzi to play with? When your uncle returns to Beijing, I'll buy you some candied haws."

"Really?" Little Dumpling's eyes lit up, then he pouted, "But Hainan's coconut cake is delicious too..."

Everyone laughed when they heard this.

As for Xiao Yuanzi, he didn't feel sad at all about his father leaving.

He was very reluctant at first, but after knowing that his father was going to take him back with him, he no longer felt reluctant at all.

Not to mention that he also knew that they would be going back in a few days.

Now I just hope Li Zhibin leaves soon, because once he leaves I won’t think about taking him back.

Jiang Qi looked at the time and gently pushed Li Zhibin.

"Okay, go through security quickly so you don't miss your flight. And remember to share some of the local specialties I packed with your parents. Don't eat them all yourself."

Li Zhibin put the little girl down and hugged Jiang Qi tightly. "I know. Have fun and don't worry about me."

He whispered in Jiang Qi's ear, "Take good care of yourself and Xiao Yuanzi."

Watching Li Zhibin's figure disappear at the security checkpoint, the little dumpling even waved his two little arms exaggeratedly, like a bird wanting to take off, just wanting to be able to see it when Li Zhibin turned around.

Li Zhibin reluctantly returned to Beijing first, while Wei Wei and the others continued to enjoy the warm winter sun in Hainan until the end of the winter vacation.

Coming out of the airport, the unique humid and hot air of Hainan hits you in the face.

Jiang Qi took a deep breath and took Wei Wei's arm. "It's still early. How about going to the pier to buy some seafood today? I heard the seafood at the morning market is cheap and fresh."

Wei Wei checked the time and said, “There shouldn’t be much left now, because it’s already late for the morning market.

But you can go check it out today and come back tomorrow.”

The five people here didn't feel sad about parting at all, because they would be back in a few days anyway.

When we arrived at the dock, there were indeed not many people there, only a few, and the seafood was not that fresh.

However, compared to the frozen goods sold in Beijing, these are still relatively fresh, so a few people only picked out the good ones and bought a small amount.

However, because it is not fresh, the price is very cheap.

I just bought some and found a shop to process them into brunch.

Because the hotel was quite far from the pier, several people got up before daybreak.

Originally, Xiaotuanzi and Xiaoyuanzi were reluctant to get out of bed, but when they heard that they were going to the pier to buy things and there were a lot of treasures there, they got up immediately.

The Haikou fishing port is bustling in the early morning. The whistles of fishing boats docking, the shouts of fishermen, and the bargaining of customers are intertwined, full of the breath of life.

The air is filled with the salty smell of sea water and the freshness of fish and shrimp.

"Look, Mom! What a big fish!"

Dumpling excitedly pointed at a sea bass that was longer than his arm.

Xiao Yuanzi also imitated him, "Big fish! Such a big fish! Let's eat big fish."

Xiao Xuemu held the two children, fearing that they would run away.

Wei Wei and Jiang Qi were responsible for selection and bargaining.

"How much are these shrimps?" Wei Wei asked in Mandarin.

The fisherman held up five fingers and said, "50 cents a pound. Very fresh. Just caught this morning."

Even though they saw that some of the people were from outside the area, the fishermen did not cheat them.

Because there are a lot of local people buying here, especially those from restaurants and the like, and there are also many people who come here to purchase goods wholesale.

They just need to take a quick look around to know the price. There is no need to ruin their reputation for that little bit of money.

Jiang Qi blinked in surprise. "So cheap? It would cost two or three yuan in Beijing!"

Wei Wei also came over to take a look. The lively shrimps in the basket were shining green in the sunlight.

"Let's buy more," Wei Wei whispered, "We both like to eat it, along with Xiaotuanzi and Xiaoyuanzi. We'll have some boiled or braised."

In the end, they bought three pounds of prawns, two groupers, a bunch of crabs, and various shellfish that they couldn't name, spending less than ten yuan in total.

When they went back, Wei Wei and Jiang Qi led the group, while Xiao Xuemu carried the basket.

At noon, they found a small shop and processed the fresh seafood they bought on the spot.

The hot seafood is served on the table. The simple steaming retains the original flavor. The local specialties are most authentic when made by the local people. The delicious taste makes everyone enjoy it.

Little Dumpling grabbed a shrimp and peeled the shell clumsily, with juice all over his face.

Xiao Yuanzi is very similar to Li Zhibin in terms of eating habits and taste. He uses his little baby teeth to chew the crab legs hard, getting his hands covered in oil.

"Eat slowly, no one is going to snatch it from you."

Wei Wei smiled and used tissues to wipe the two people's faces.

After dinner, a few of them took a walk near the pier, watching the fishermen mending their nets and sorting out their fishing tools.

Little Tuanzi and Little Yuanzi were curious about everything and kept asking questions.

"Dad, why doesn't the boat sink?"

"Auntie, that net is so big, can it catch a shark?"

……

The three of them took turns answering the questions, and if they really couldn't answer them, they would just make a fuss.

"Sometimes I think it's pretty good to live here." Jiang Qi said suddenly.

“The pace is slow, the pressure is low, and I can see the sea every day.”

It is said that people in the south are obsessed with seeing snow, while people in the north are obsessed with seeing the sea. In later generations, in their Hunan Province, there was no snow and no sea.

However, they have seen snow a lot over the years and are a little tired of it, but this is the first time they have seen the sea.

Wei Wei nodded, “Yes, but we still have to go back, and we can just come here occasionally.

The UV rays here are still too strong, and if you stay here all the time, the humidity will be very high.

For example, I've been living in the north for so many years that I'm a little tired of seeing snow. If I stay here all the time, I'll get tired of seeing the sea too."

Jiang Qi agreed with this very much. Regardless of whether she was tired of watching it or not, the ultraviolet rays and humidity were enough to persuade her to quit.

It's okay to play occasionally, but she can't bear it for a long time.

As time goes by, the end of the year is getting closer.

The Spring Festival atmosphere in Hainan is very different from that in the north. There is no ice and snow, but there is warm sunshine.

There is no fragrant dumplings, but there are various seafood and special rice cakes.

The day before New Year's Eve, the five of them went to the busiest market in Haikou to buy New Year's goods.

Xiao Yang knew that they had not returned yet, so he specially invited them to celebrate the New Year.

It’s not that convenient to buy things on the island, so they bring more with them.

The market was crowded with people and filled with all kinds of New Year goods and decorations.

Bright red spring couplets, lanterns of various shapes, sweet and delicious rice cakes, and flowers rarely seen in the north.

Hainanese people like to buy orange trees and peach blossoms during the Chinese New Year, which symbolizes good luck.

"Mom, should we buy that?" Little Dumpling asked, pointing to a pot of kumquats.

Wei Wei bent down to explain, "This is a kumquat. People in the south put it in their homes during the New Year to symbolize good luck and prosperity. But we're staying in a hotel, so we don't have anywhere to put it."

Little Tuanzi was a little confused, "Aren't we going to Uncle's house to celebrate the New Year? Let's put it at Uncle's house!"

Xiao Xuemu had already paid for a small pot, "It's not easy to bring the big one over there, so I bought a small one to give it a bit of a New Year's atmosphere."

Xiao Yuanzi was interested in fireworks and pulled Jiang Qi's hand to insist on buying them.

In the end, I bought a few strings of firecrackers and some small fireworks to set off on New Year's Eve.

At noon, the few of them continued to find a restaurant nearby to process seafood.

In the afternoon, the five people took their luggage and purchased seafood and boarded a small passenger ferry to the island.

The sea breeze blew on my face, the waves gently hit the hull, and seagulls circled overhead.

This was their third time on the ship, and little Tuanzi and little Yuanzi were not afraid at all. They ran around on the deck excitedly.

"Look! Dolphins!" someone suddenly shouted when the boat was halfway there.

Everyone looked in the direction the man pointed, and sure enough, they saw several dolphins jumping out of the water not far from the boat, drawing graceful arcs.

“It’s so beautiful…”

Jiang Qi murmured, then immediately took out the camera from her bag. Wei Wei did the same. Anyway, the two of them carried their cameras wherever they went.

After more than an hour, the outline of the island gradually became clear. Xiaotuanzi and Xiaoyuanzi were very excited to return to the familiar island.

The island is shaded by green trees, and the white sand beach surrounds the island like a ribbon, with a few red-roofed houses dotted among the greenery.

When the boat docked, they saw from afar a tall man in military uniform waiting with his family.

You can tell it's Xiao Yang by looking at the shadow, and the person standing next to him must be Ning Xuan, but there are three other children, two boys and one girl. I guess they are Xiao Yang's children who have returned from their grandmother's house.

"Uncle~"

"Uncle~"

When they saw the uncle who took them to the sea, Xiaotuanzi and Xiaoyuanzi excitedly greeted him before they even got ashore.

As soon as they got ashore, the two ran towards Xiao Yang. Xiao Yang held them in each hand and spun around twice.

Ning Xuan stepped forward with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work along the way. These are our three naughty kids: Xiao Ming, twelve years old; Xiao Liang, ten years old; and Xiao Yu, nine years old."

Ning Xuan pointed at three children whom she hadn't seen last time and introduced them one by one.

The three children greeted everyone politely, but their eyes were curiously staring at Xiaotuanzi and Xiaoyuanzi who were of the same age as them.

Seeing that Xiaotuanzi and Xiaoyuanzi didn't have time to deal with them, Xiao Yu happily thanked Wei Wei and Jiang Qi.

"Thank you uncle and aunt for the gift. I really like it."

Wei Wei and Jiang Qi actually recognized each other at first sight. The little girl was wearing clothes that Wei Wei bought.

Wei Wei smiled and said, "As long as Xiaoyu likes it."

Xiao Yu was very excited when talking about this, "I like it very much. I also liked the one my aunt sent me before."

Xiao Yu and his two siblings were very fond of this aunt whom they had never met.

Because many things in the house were sent by this uncle and aunt, including food and daily necessities.

For example, most of Xiao Yu's beautiful dresses were sent by her uncle and aunt, and her friends envied her a lot.

Xiao Yang helped carry the luggage and led everyone home: "It's great that you can come. Our family always spends the New Year's Eve alone on the island. Now it's really lively!"

"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve," Ning Xuan said with a smile, "It's a lively New Year's Eve on the island. There's a military and civilian gala, and a bonfire party."

During the meal, Xiaotuanzi and Xiaoyuanzi quickly became friends with the three children of the Xiao family.

After dinner, the twelve-year-old Xiao Ming acted like an older brother, holding the little boy's hand and saying:

"Come on, I'll take you to pick up shells. There are so many beautiful shells on the beach!"

The five children cheered and ran towards the beach. Wei Wei and others followed behind them. Looking at their laughing figures, they couldn't help laughing.