Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 312 - 313: Home Is Where the Heart Finds Peace, Begonias Bloom Untroubled
The sea breeze gently brushed by, and the salty, moist air carried the essence of the ocean. Everyone, adults and children, men and women, old and young, were all excitedly carrying buckets and shovels, rushing towards the beach.
On the sandy beach where the sand and mud piled up, the receding tide left small puddles, with tiny crabs the size of fingernails and small fish not even as long as a pinky finger left behind, dashing around like headless flies.
At this moment, everyone on the beach was already busy. Some were gently digging into the sand with shovels, while others were directly feeling around by hand. Every time a clam was discovered, a shout of excitement would arise.
A group of children was even more excited, gathering together to tirelessly dig a pit. If it weren’t for the adults stopping them, they might have dug a pit deep enough to trap a horse.
"Charge!"
Zhuo Qianqian yelled and then pulled Wang Fan into the retreating seawater, which barely covered their feet, giving a refreshing and cool feeling.
Even though it was her first time, the well-prepared strategy paid off. She used a small iron scoop to dig into the sand, and after rinsing it with seawater, it revealed several clams. Some were as small as a fingernail, but there were a few that were of decent size.
"Hahaha, the guide didn’t deceive me. Let’s have a contest to see who can dig up more!"
Wang Fan used a rake to dig the sand, clearly feeling something was obstructing the path of his rake. With a slight upward lift, he found several decent-sized clams, which excited him even more.
Although these little things weren’t worth much, with a few dozen yuan, you could buy several kilos. However, the thrill of digging up treasures like opening a blind box is something you can never experience just by buying them.
Whether it was due to some kind of beginner’s luck, or their particularly good fortune, almost every scoop yielded several or even dozens of clams. After just half an hour, their buckets were already half full.
Zhuo Qianqian was thoroughly enjoying herself, digging enthusiastically here and there. Wang Fan had to slow down, fearing she would absentmindedly walk into deeper waters.
Looking up, Wang Fan saw that the vast beach was already packed with people. Some were holding signs and shouting through microphones.
"Boat trip to the sea, dining on the sea, freshly caught seafood, six dishes and a soup for free."
Hearing this made Wang Fan a bit tempted. He tugged on Zhuo Qianqian, who was still busy digging, and asked, "Want to go for that boat trip?"
Zhuo Qianqian shook her head like a rattle drum: "No, no. When I was doing research, I saw many warnings against those boat trips. Although it’s not expensive at 100 per person, you’ll be packed into a small fishing boat with twenty or thirty people, and those six dishes and a soup aren’t per person but shared among a dozen people. It’s quite a rip-off!"
Wang Fan couldn’t help but twitch his mouth, thinking if it was truly as Zhuo Qianqian described, then it was indeed a rip-off.
"Amazing, as expected of a straight-A student. If it were just me, I’d definitely get ripped off."
"Absolutely, from now on, whenever we travel, I’ll take charge of planning to ensure we avoid any pitfalls."
Zhuo Qianqian looked proud, her face still speckled with mud like a mischievous girl next door.
After digging for over an hour, the sea began to gradually rise. Despite the reluctance, it was time to head back to shore; it’s never wise to challenge the might of nature lightly.
Carrying the heavy buckets, estimating them to weigh at least 10 kilograms as a baseline, Zhuo Qianqian took a small empty bottle from Wang Fan’s backpack and filled it with seawater.
"Why are you filling that?"
Zhuo Qianqian smirked, "It’s for soaking in the original water to get the clams to release their sand more effectively."
Original water? Is that really how that phrase is supposed to be used?
Wang Fan looked at her bottle, then at his bucket, thinking that amount of water likely wouldn’t be sufficient for these clams, let alone make them release any sand.
However, he had methods in his culinary repertoire to encourage clams to release sand, which he could try once they returned.
By the shore, there was a pipe specifically for washing off the mud, and they took the opportunity to rinse the muddy clams in their bucket, fully satisfied with their haul as they headed back to their campervan.
The first thing they did upon returning was to clean the clams.
The best way for clams to release sand was indeed as Zhuo Qianqian described, by soaking in original water, but the seawater here was far too muddy. He highly doubted that anything released would match what was ingested.
Still, he wasn’t stumped.
There were plenty of tips online about making clams release sand: saltwater, saltwater with chili, saltwater with edible oil and a shake. He didn’t know if those were effective, but he knew the method from his recipe collection definitely would work.
Add 18 grams of salt to 550 milliliters of water and shake until evenly mixed to simulate the salinity of seawater, a simple phrase with simple ingredients.
With most bottles of mineral water being 550 milliliters, adding two and a half caps of salt, Wang Fan quickly made saltwater and poured it into the bucket containing the clams.
They left the bucket in the bathroom, aware that these small creatures might splash water as they released sand, and keeping it there would avoid a mess.
After all the work was done, he changed his clothes and landed heavily onto the bed, feeling an indescribable comfort.
Sometimes, Wang Fan felt people had a strange tendency. Only after being tired do they realize the pleasure of rest; only after hardship do they realize the sweetness of ease, thriving on a sense of discomfort without adversity.
The little foodie lay sideways on the bed motionlessly, clearly catching up on sleep.
He gently moved closer, gradually threading his arm under the little foodie’s neck and the pillow, hugging her soft and fragrant body from behind.
If Wang Fan had to describe his current feeling with a word, it would definitely be "satisfaction."
The noise outside was thoroughly blocked by the campervan, making it almost silent. Wang Fan held Zhuo Qianqian gently from behind, feeling her warmth, as her hair brushed against his cheek with a slight itch, carrying a light and sweet scent.
Her breathing was calm and soothing, and Wang Fan’s hand slowly extended, intertwining with Zhuo Qianqian’s fingers. This contact gave Wang Fan indescribable peace, feeling the force and warmth from his fingertips, adding another sense of belonging to his heart.
Sometimes in his midnight dreams, he would feel like a piece of drifting duckweed, floating in a completely unfamiliar water, with no home to return to and no path to follow, living on a day-to-day basis.
Advancing his culinary skills and unlocking more cuisines became his interest, and Zhuo Qianqian’s presence provided him the sense of belonging of a floating object, creating a bond with the world.
He was no longer a guest here but a part of this world.
There I find my peace, where the crabapples bloom unharmed.
