Qi Laosan stood on the street waiting for Haizhu, and he looked at his fingers from the lantern hanging outside the restaurant, and the blood stains on his hands that were strangled by the fishing net had already scabbed.

A series of footsteps suddenly sounded in the dark, he looked up and saw two men running over with manta rays, he immediately stood up straight and asked, "Yo, you also encountered manta rays?" How many were caught? ”

"There are quite a few, and when I came back, I encountered a school of fish flying out of the water to court, and there were more than a dozen nets." The fishermen couldn't help but be overjoyed, and they carried the fish to the door of the restaurant and shouted to the shopkeeper.

"Brother, borrow your wooden cart for use, I still have a few fish on the boat." The man who ran over stopped in a hurry.

Qi Laosan lent him the car, he said hello to Haizhu and followed the people to the dock.

Haizhu bought vegetables and went back first, she came back after taking a bath, and when the family was eating, he said that the later people went to sell manta rays, and the shopkeeper of the restaurant only gave a price of 180 wen a catty.

"It's the season for manta rays to estrus and courtship, and it is estimated that there will be more manta rays ashore in the next few days, and the price will be cheap if there are more." Second Uncle Qi said, "If you meet again tomorrow, catch less and come back early, because more may not be able to sell out." ”

Haizhu and Qi Laosan both nodded obediently.

After the meal, Haizhu boiled the shark fins, and she lit the fire and asked, "Second uncle, did you kill sharks when you went to sea with my father?" ”

"Your father's intentions, he was bolder than me, I was almost stupid at that time." Speaking of the past, Second Uncle Qi had a smile on his face, "My three stone houses were built with the money from the sale of shark fins, and then I married your second aunt." Alas, you are as unlucky as your father, and you have a heavy burden on your shoulders. ”

"It's not unlucky, he took care of you and my third uncle, and now you and my third uncle are guarding us for him. I am now taking care of my younger siblings, and they also care for me. ”

Chapter 154: The Poison of the Manta Ray

After everyone in the family had finished bathing, Haizhu picked up the fins from the crockpot and put them in cold water, she scraped off the black skin on the fins with shells, and Grandma Qi also came out to help when she saw Chaoping sleeping.

"I'm going back, mother, you come to bolt the door." Qi Laosan came out of Second Uncle Qi's house.

"Third uncle, you wait." Haizhu scooped up the water, and she went into the house and took out fifty taels of silver and handed it to him, "Half of the silver for selling fish." ”

Qi Laosan had never touched so much silver, he felt hot and heavy in his hand, and he felt heavier than hundreds of catties of fish. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Give me twenty-five taels." ”

"My third aunt is about to give birth, you have more silver in your hands, you are steady." Haizhu pointed to the shark fin in the basin and said, "The money for the dried shark fin will not be given to you, and the fishing tax will be paid by me." ”

"That's the way it should be, the shark fin is sold and the money is yours. So, then I'm going back? Qi Lao San turned on his toes.

"Go back, don't forget to take the medicine on your hands." Haizhu walked to the door, and when he went out, she closed the door and dropped the bolt from the inside.

The footsteps outside the door walked away briskly and hurriedly, Qi Laosan knocked on his door with a bag of broken silver, Bei Niang wiped her hands and came over to open the door with her stomach propped up.

"Here you go." Qi Laosan closed the door, he excitedly hugged Bei Niang and walked into the house, "Haizhu divided my fifty taels of silver, you hide it, tomorrow I will tear two cloths to make clothes, and the business of selling pickled vegetables will stop first, there is no shortage of money at home, don't be burdened, and then make pickled vegetables and sell them when the child is born." ”

Bei Niang sells braised vegetables every day, and she can earn more than 200 yuan a day, and she also earns six or seven taels of silver a month. She is not short of money in her hands, but she is used to being poor and picking, except for being willing to eat, she doesn't pay much attention to dress. She held her belly and touched it, now her belly is big, she can't squat, and she walks bulkyly, she is also afraid of accidents, so she nodded along with Qi Laosan's words, planning to wait for a baby to continue to sell braised vegetables.

Qi Laosan lay on her stomach and listened for a while, got up and went into the house to take a change of clothes to take a bath, Bei Niang went into the house to take his dirty clothes out to wash, he said loudly: "Don't you wash, I'll just take a shower and rub two handfuls." ”

Bei Niang ignored him, and when she was eating, she noticed that his hands were covered with blood scabs on his palms and palms.

When he bathed his second brother before, the blood scab on his hand bubbled open, Qi Laosan came out of the shower, the wound on his hand soaked white, he sat under the lamp and candle to pick up the medicine powder and apply it to the wound, and then wrapped it in a fine linen cloth. Gold sore medicine is expensive but the effect is good, and if you put it on overnight, you can get better tomorrow morning.

Bei Niang dried her clothes and came in, her lips moved when she saw his injury, she wanted him to rest at home for a day tomorrow, but knowing his temperament, she was also worried that Haizhu was not safe to go to sea alone, so she simply didn't say anything and took off her clothes quietly.

Qi Laosan saw her sit on the bed, he blew out the oil candle, and fell on the bed only a moment before a snoring sounded.

The lantern in the next yard was also blown out, and Haizhu hung the shark fin in the bamboo basket, washed her hands and went into the house to close the door and sleep.

The fat cat sleeping under the eaves yawned and turned over to continue sleeping, and in the middle of the night the moon disappeared into the clouds, and the two white cats woke up and jumped on the wall to catch mice in the yard next door, while the gray cat pricked up its ears to patrol the house.

When the rooster crows in the village outside the town, two white cats came in over the wall, and the gray cat and the white fat cat were playing in the yard.

"Meow—"

"Meow~"

"Whew-"

"Alright, alright, don't scream." Grandma Qi went to open the door first, and when she washed her face, she changed the cat's bowl with clean water, she went into the kitchen to burn the stove in the dark, and when the flames were rising, she cut two pieces of Ejiao into a crockpot to boil water.

The crockpot was smoking, Qi Laosan yawned and came over to carry the bucket and cart out to fetch water, and the gray cat pounced on his leg, but he ignored it.

When the man who picks firewood and sells water walks into the alley, the three Haizhu sisters and brothers get up one after another, at this time the sky is already bright, they wash their faces and eat Ejiao stewed eggs, carry the crockpot and take the bowl out to go out to the beach to pry oysters, the three cats follow upside down, and run back and forth familiarly.

The tide had not yet receded, and when the three of them had pried enough oysters for this morning, the orange sun rose on the sea, and in a few moments, the tide receded, revealing the beach that had been soaked all night.

Haizhu tread water to pick up fish, and carried two fish back to feed the turtles that had made their home in the yard.

The three cats rolled on the soft beach, and the wisps of cat hair were blown up into hedgehogs, and the people who drove the sea came, and they soaked their and buried them in the sand, shook their fur and ran home.

"The medicine is boiled, I'll put it in a crockpot for you, remember to take it away when you leave." When Grandma Qi saw Haizhu come in, she went out with a clay pot and put it on the dinner table.

Haizhu sighed, and she had a headache when she smelled the medicine.

"I'm back." Qi Laosan pushed the wooden cart into the door.

Haizhu looked at his hand, her fingers were still wrapped in sackcloth, and she said, "Third uncle, don't go to sea with me today, you have an injury on your hand, and it is estimated that it will affect you when you climb the cliff." ”

"It's okay, I can't climb up, so I'll wait for you on the boat." Qi Laosan carried a bucket and poured water into the tank, the tank was full, he ate three baked eggs, and when he got his second brother out of the house, he brought the crockpot and signaled Haizhu to go out.

"We're leaving." Haizhu put down the kitchen knife that cut leeks, smelled the smell of leeks and wanted to eat squid, fried squid with leeks was delicious. She pondered that when she came back early in the afternoon, she would go to the sea to catch squid, and when she went out, she remembered that it was almost the season of octopus estrus, and then she would die again.

The three cats followed her to the dock again, and when the boat left, they played on the beach for a while before going home, jumped on the table and let Second Uncle Qi comb their hair, and slept in the sun until noon. I woke up from a nap and went to the fishing market to eat fish, and when I was full, I found a bush to hide in the shade, and slept until sunset.

"Cats are blessed." Those who passed by and recognized them muttered enviously, and when the sun set, they carried buckets and iron rakes to the beach to catch the sea.

"Mother, what do you see in the water?" The kid who climbed the reef shouted.

"It's a manta ray! Oh my God, it's my turn to get rich. "The people of the coast rejoice.

Manta rays follow the waves up the shallows, and they swim in knee-deep waters, which are covered with black shadows, and people step into the water, hook their waists and tie them with iron rakes.

"Don't run far, be careful of the rip current." Someone shouted a reminder.

As soon as the words fell, the half-sized man in the water snorted, and the people on the shallows raised their heads in unison and asked what was wrong.

"I got stabbed by the tail of a manta ray."

"Whew-" A fat boy of eight or nine years old screamed, he screamed and laughed, dragged the tail of the manta ray to the shore, and excitedly said, "Can I sell this one for ten taels of silver?" ”

"Hurry up to the hospital,, whose child is this? The tail spines of manta rays are poisonous, and if they are poked, they will rot the meat. An old man yelled in a thick voice, "Get out of here, fucking want money?" What do you think is expensive? Take your child to the doctor's office. ”

On the way back, Haizhu also met a fisherman who was pierced by the tail thorn of the manta ray, she was stopped from the boat, her boat was faster than the fishing boat, and the fisherman who was pierced had to go back as soon as possible.

His hand was already swollen, except for an extra wound on the back of his hand, which was swollen thicker than a crab. Haizhu tore his sleeve, she didn't know if she could save it, so she could only tie it tightly with a strip of cloth on her upper arm, and at the same time shouted Qi Laosan to take a kitchen knife, the kitchen knife was sterilized with the tip of the knife with fire, and she cut and squeezed blood along the swollen wound.

"Does it hurt?" Qi Laosan asked.

The man shook his head, he was so frightened that his face was cold sweat, his lips were pale and bloodless, and he said in a dumb voice: "I don't feel it in my hands, it's numb, it's numb and swollen, will I die?" As he spoke, he cried, "My daughter-in-law just gave birth to a child, and my son doesn't know how to recognize people, I don't want to die-"

"Don't get excited, the more excited you are, the worse it gets, exhale-" Haizhu glanced at him and soothed: "Look at the sea, don't look at me, don't look at the hands, yes, look at the sea, look at the birds, take a deep breath, exhale, don't get excited, I'll try to help you." ”

Dark red blood dripped down her fingers and fell on the board, she knew the poison of the manta ray, and the tail spine on the whole body was the most poisonous, and it was difficult to treat if it was stabbed.

"I can feel the pain, hiss—it hurts so much." The man twisted his face, he shook his hands and screamed, "What did you do with my hands?" ”

He turned his head, his hand was still bleeding, but the wound was still so big, and his hand was still like that.

"Don't get excited, listen to my eldest niece." Qi Laosan shook his head, "It's almost time to get to the dock, and you can go to the hospital right away." ”

When the boat arrived at the pier, Haizhu untied the cloth strip on his arm, and she told the guards that he had been pierced by the thorns of the manta ray, and the two guards immediately came over and carried people to the hospital.

Chapter 155: Life and Death at Sea

Before entering the hospital, I heard the howl inside, and the man with swollen hands on the guard went in, and Haizhu followed up and stood inside the door against the wall to watch.

"Why another one?" The gray-haired old man frowned, and the medicine boy took off the man's clothes, and he twisted the silver needle into his chest, and someone brought warm medicine to the man.

"How long have you been poisoned?" The old doctor asked.

"About half a pillar of incense, doctor, I'm not going to die, am I?"

Haizhu was curious, she approached to observe, and the other two half-sized children had a swollen leg, a swollen hand, and without exception, they both had needles in their chests.

The old doctor didn't speak, and Haizhu waited for him to drop the last needle before asking, "Is this to protect the heart?" ”

"Have you read too much of the book? But it's pretty much the same. The old doctor said casually, he wiped his sweat and sat down to clean the wound, and when he saw a knife mark on the back of his hand, he asked, "Have you squeezed the poisonous blood?" ”

"It's squeezed, I squeezed it, and the blood that comes out is dark red." Haizhu said.

"Then there is hope for salvation." When the words fell, the man lying down suddenly spasmed, he shouted in a panic, his voice trembled, and the old doctor hurriedly asked people to hold him down, and brought a pack of silver needles to his head.

Haizhu walked out with her teeth bared, and she felt a pain in her scalp when she looked at it.

Qi Laosan pulled the wooden cart over, Haizhu went to the dock with him, on the way he asked about the man's situation, Haizhu shook his head and said, "I don't know if I can save it, it looks very serious." ”

On the way back, they netted four more manta rays, the bone spurs had been cut off and thrown away, and they moved to the car and went to Haizhu to pay yesterday's tax silver, the shark fins had not been sold, she asked the sailor to remember first, and then come to make up the tax when the money was sold.

The uncle and nephew pulled a wooden cart to sell manta fish on the street, and last night they could sell it for 200 wen a catty, but it dropped by 50 wen a day later. Haizhu didn't say a word, and the four manta rays totaled 338 catties, and they got 50 taels of silver.

Pay five taels of fishing tax, Qi Laosan gets ten taels, and the rest are Haizhu's.

"Third uncle, you go back first, I'll go to the beach to have a look, I want to eat squid." Haizhu handed him the money, and the man went to the sea.

"It's almost low tide, don't go into the sea, you want to eat squid and spend money to buy it." Qi Laosan grabbed her, pushed her back, and said with a smile: "Dip your light, I have made a fortune in the past two days, and I want to eat squid The third uncle invites you." ”

The two went home, the family was there, and Pingsheng was also there, Qi Laosan pushed up the wooden cart against the wall, he waved his hand haughtily, and said, "Let's go, the third uncle invites you to go shopping, what you want to eat and buy." ”

"Really?" Dongzhu ran out.

"Absolutely true, come with me, Bei Niang, you can also follow, let's go out for a walk, and send Pingsheng home by the way."

Haizhu didn't go, she was tired, and when she came back, she collapsed on the chair, and she didn't care about the fat cat jumping on her lap.

When he got to the street, Qi Laosan first took his four nephews and nieces to the hospital to find a young doctor to take Bei Niang's pulse. Taking advantage of this time, he led the four children to see the three men who had been pricked by the tail spines of the manta rays, and warned them not to lose their vigilance about what was in the sea.

"My third aunt is out, let's go quickly." Dongzhu ran out of the hospital first, she couldn't see this scene, the swollen and shiny leg reminded her of her sister being bitten by a sea snake and lying on the bed and falling asleep, like a dream of pain and sobbing, she felt uncomfortable when she heard it.

Qi Laosan went to the fishing market and weighed three catties of squid for Bei Niang to carry back, he led his four nephews and nieces to buy food and play, and then sent Pingsheng all the way back to Hongshi Village.

"Sister, will you and your third uncle catch manta rays tomorrow?" Dongzhu asked after the meal.

"If you encounter it, you will be arrested, what? Do you want to eat manta rays? Then leave one tomorrow and don't sell it. ”

"No, you and the third uncle should be careful, don't be pricked by its stinger." Dongzhu said softly.

Haizhu was stunned and touched her sister's head, the little girl has a lot of things to worry about.

"The water is boiling, you come and scoop up the water and bathe." Grandma Qi shouted in the kitchen, she boiled the medicine and brought it out, and said to Haizhu: "Drink it while it's hot, drink it and go into the house to sleep, and I'm tired day by day." ”

……