Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Sea Snake
Sea snakes are extremely venomous; one bite can be fatal.
To be safe, Yun Chendong kept Yun Jiao with him.
"Big Brother, sea urchins! So many!"
Yun Chendong didn’t hesitate to pick them up. There were indeed quite a few—over twenty of them.
Yun Jiao had sharp eyes. She always spotted things in places Yun Chendong overlooked and could see very far into the distance.
"There are scallops over there."
She would point her little finger, and Yun Chendong would follow her direction to search.
He never came back empty-handed!
Yun Chendong couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at his little sister. ’With eyes like these,’ he thought, ’she’d have to be a sniper if she joined the army.’
"Moon Clams."
"Shrimp."
"A fish. It’s dead."
She carried the dead fish over to the sea eagle and tossed it down. "Here, an extra snack for you."
The sea eagle: ’I can’t eat another bite.’
But the food was right in front of it. ’Maybe I can squeeze a little more in?’
After hesitating for two seconds, it pecked at the fish twice before tossing it aside for good and preening its feathers, refusing to eat more.
’This stuff isn’t as good as fresh food.’
Yun Jiao muttered, "What a waste of food."
Then she went back to her treasure hunt.
There was a lot of stuff around the seaweed. When the tide went out, these creatures must have gotten tangled in the seaweed and couldn’t return to the sea.
Many of the fish and shrimp were dead and had started to stink. The smell was far from pleasant.
But in their search for treasures, Yun Linhai and the others could tolerate it.
The haul was much more abundant than foraging on the beaches of Bailong Village.
They had already collected a good number of Cat Eye Snails, crabs, and octopuses alone.
Having finished preening its feathers, the sea eagle flapped its wings and glided over to Yun Jiao’s side, standing a short distance away and tilting its head to watch them.
It was a curious little sea eagle.
And a silly one at that.
It copied Yun Chendong and the others, using its talons to flip over a piece of seaweed.
Seeing the wiggling thing underneath, the sea eagle let out a cry, then struck down with its beak, immediately punching a hole in the creature’s head.
Yun Jiao looked over, her soft, sweet voice tinged with excitement.
"Wow, a sea snake!"
Yun Chendong looked over as well. ’!!!’
’Good thing we didn’t go over there!’
’That was a close call.’
"Is it dead?"
The sea snake’s head had a large hole pecked into it. Although it wasn’t dead yet and was still writhing, it wasn’t as dangerous anymore.
Yun Chendong used a pair of fire tongs to pick up the sea snake. To be extra safe, he used shears to cut off its head.
He tossed the sea snake’s body into a bucket.
Yun Jiao asked happily, "Big Brother, are we taking this back to eat as a snack?"
Back when she lived in the sea, she used to eat sea snakes as snacks.
Yun Chendong: ...
’Who on earth eats sea snakes as a snack?’
Yun Chendong shook his head. "No. Although sea snakes are venomous, they’re also highly restorative and used to make medicinal wine. It can dispel wind and dampness, invigorate blood circulation, and relieve pain. It even helps with rheumatism. People like us who live by the sea often have some symptoms of rheumatism or gout, so wine steeped with sea snakes is good for the body."
Yun Jiao understood.
"Then let’s catch a few more."
She knew about rheumatism; her grandma and grandpa’s legs often ached because of it.
She grabbed the sea eagle’s wing and started to walk forward.
"Come on, let’s go find more sea snakes."
The sea eagle: ’???’
Yun Chendong quickly scooped her up. "Don’t take the risk! That thing is extremely venomous. You can’t get bitten!"
Yun Jiao said with immense confidence, "I’m not afraid."
’You might not be, but I am!’
Yun Chendong kept an even tighter watch on this fearless little daredevil, terrified she would actually go looking for sea snakes.
But sometimes, the very thing you weren’t looking for just happens to appear.
Yun Chendong flipped over a piece of seaweed, and underneath were three sea snakes.
He quickly backed away, holding Yun Jiao.
These uninjured sea snakes were fast and agile; he didn’t dare try to catch them.
Being held, Yun Jiao couldn’t go catch the snakes herself, so she could only shout to the nearby sea eagle, "Big bird, come quick! Peck them!"
"Hurry, hurry, they’re getting away!"
The sea eagle cried out and swooped over. With the two little ones making a ruckus, Yun Chendong could only watch, stunned, as the sea eagle obediently went to peck the three sea snakes.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.
"It... it can really understand her?"
Yun Chendong’s voice was very soft, and Yun Jiao didn’t hear him.
Seeing the three sea snakes pecked and brought over, Yun Jiao stroked the sea eagle’s head.
"Good job! You get an extra snack!"
Yun Chendong snapped back to his senses. Though his feelings were complicated, he swiftly tossed all three snakes into the bucket.
Seeing that it was about time, they went back to shuck the mussels.
The three adults had worked hard and shucked a large pile.
Meanwhile, Yun Jiao was off to the side, playing with the sea eagle.
Whenever she found a small fish or shrimp, she would toss it into the sea eagle’s mouth.
The eagle followed beside Yun Jiao, opening its beak wide to catch them.
"Our Jiaojiao has something magical about her."
She was already extraordinary when she first came to the Yun family, not to mention her incredible luck. It seemed she could communicate with sea turtles and killer whales, and now she could even command a sea eagle.
But as her family, all they could do was protect her.
They had seen so many strange things happen around Yun Jiao that they had now learned to remain calm.
Yun Linhe said, "I took a look around. Besides this patch of seaweed, there’s nothing else on this island."
"Let’s shuck a few more mussels, and then we should go fishing. This island isn’t big to begin with; getting a haul like this is already a blessing from Mazu."
"I’m hungry, I’m hungry."
Yun Jiao had made herself hungry by feeding the sea eagle.
She immediately ran back to them.
The sea eagle waddled happily behind her, looking like a large free-range chicken.
In the sky, a sea eagle is a bird of prey; on the ground, it’s a total goofball. Its walking posture was especially comical.
"Can I eat this raw?"
She crouched in front of the mussel meat and asked in a serious tone.
Seeing her like this, Yun Linhai and the others knew exactly what the little girl was thinking.
"Eat what? Food tastes better when it’s cooked. And this stuff needs to be washed back home."
Yun Jiao let out a disappointed "Oh."
"Want me to open a sea urchin for you?"
Yun Jiao nodded vigorously, leaning obediently against her big brother.
’Big Brother is the best.’
Yun Chendong had tan skin and rugged features. When he was quiet, he looked very serious, but he gave off a very reliable feeling.
Yun Jiao loved it when her big brother held her because his embrace was so steady.
When her Fifth Brother held her, it felt like she could be dropped at any moment.
Yun Chendong’s hands were nimble, and he quickly opened a sea urchin for her.
Yun Linhe stood up and stretched. "This is enough. Let’s go get something to eat, too."
They still had the dry rations they brought, which were on the boat.
Naturally, they had to head back.
As they gathered and packed everything up, ready to leave, the sea eagle spread its wings and flew away.
After finishing her sea urchin, Yun Jiao glanced up at it but paid it no mind.
Yun Linhai and the others had been worried she would be sad that the sea eagle left, but they had clearly overthought it.
"Jiaojiao, are you still going to catch bristle worms?"
Yun Jiao nodded. "Catch!"
After all, plenty of bristle worms had gotten away earlier because she had been too timid.
They had so many bags, big and small, that they couldn’t carry everything in one trip.
Yun Jiao was taken to the side to catch bristle worms by herself while Yun Chendong heated up their food. The two older family members made trips back and forth, carrying all their things to the boat.
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