Several women were sitting in front of the thatched cottage mending fishing nets. When they saw the two approaching, they greeted them warmly, "Granny Sun, is this your relative?"
Granny Sun briefly told them about Li Ying's situation. After hearing this, the women got so angry that they threw down the shuttles in their hands and started shouting in indignation.
"That's just too bullying!"
"Don't be afraid, girl. It's a good thing you managed to escape with your daughter! Those heartless people will surely get their comeuppance someday!"
Although these fisherwomen were tanned and looked rather rough from years of exposure to the sun and wind, they were clearly kind - hearted, much better than the scoundrels in the Qin family.
Li Ying let out a sigh of relief.
Under the scorching sun, the fisherwomen's skin was dark and shiny. When they grinned and talked, all that could be seen were their bright white teeth.
She wasn't stingy either. Under the cover of her loose - sleeved dress, she quietly took out several coconuts from her space and distributed them to everyone.
"I don't have anything valuable on me. I only brought some coconuts, a specialty from my hometown, to help you relieve the heat. They can also help alleviate the symptoms of gout."
There were no coconuts on this beach. The fisherwomen, who were all dizzy from the harsh seaside sun, didn't bother to figure out how she managed to hide so many round and strange things in her skirt. They simply took them and drank the coconut water in one gulp.
So sweet!
The so - called "coconut" that looked as plain as water was actually so sweet! It also had an indescribable strange fragrance. One sip was like a huge wave washing over the rocks under the scorching sun. Every dry crack in the rocks was instantly moistened.
Having accepted the gift, the fisherwomen immediately patted their chests and promised.
"Girl, you can settle down in our Stone Village with peace of mind. If that evil mother - in - law of yours dares to cause trouble again, we'll protect you. We guarantee that you and your daughter won't suffer any losses!"
Granny Sun also said, "That's right. Although our village is poor, we rely on the sea for a living. By helping each other, we can surely help you raise your child."
Li Ying was flattered and nodded repeatedly, "Thank you, sisters and aunts! Our mother and daughter are really lucky to have met such kind people!"
The people in Stone Village were simple and honest. Most of the fishermen suffered from gout and needed her coconuts for treatment. A little belief in the inherent goodness of human nature, combined with her irreplaceable value and the resulting interests, were enough for her to settle down here safely.
Granny Sun's husband died at sea when he was young. She only had a daughter who had married into another village and rarely came back.
She cleaned up the bedroom her daughter used to live in before marriage to accommodate Li Ying and her daughter.
Granny Sun was also very good at taking care of children. She quickly changed the diaper for Xiaotuanzi and sang to amuse her slowly. Xiaotuanzi babbled and waved her little fists, and the old and the young were enjoying themselves.
Li Ying had little experience in being a mother. With Granny Sun's help, she felt relieved. She simply took this opportunity to go to the kitchen.
The so - called kitchen was actually just a cooking stove with a bowl of damp, black self - dried sea salt. As for cooking oil and other seasonings, there was none.
It was really difficult for even the most skillful housewife to cook without ingredients.
Li Ying sighed resignedly. Seeing a stone mill in the backyard, she carried several coconuts and walked straight over.
She split the slightly older coconuts in half with a firewood knife, dug out the hardened coconut meat and cut it into small pieces. Then she mixed it with coconut juice and slowly pushed the stone mill. Soon, white coconut milk was ground out.
Granny Sun also heard the noise. She came over with the baby in her arms, looking concerned, "Girl, you've just given birth. Your body is still weak. Why are you doing such strenuous work? Go back and lie down quickly!"
Although Li Ying's arms were very sore, she still smiled indifferently.
"Auntie, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
She asked for a piece of gauze and carefully filtered out the coconut meat residue. Then she poured it into a large pot and slowly fried it dry over a low fire. It became delicate coconut shreds like snowflakes, which she stored in a cool and ventilated place for making snacks later.
By this time, the remaining coconut milk had also settled and separated into layers.
The white solid on the upper layer was boiled, and the whole thatched cottage was immediately filled with a sweet and happy fragrance.
After a busy half - day, she finally got a small jar of coconut oil.
Granny Sun was stunned.
Seeing that the clams and conchs raised in the water basin had spit out all the sand, Li Ying rolled up her sleeves.
Fortunately, these fishermen already knew that adding some scallions and garlic when boiling seafood could sterilize and remove the fishy smell, and there were some planted in Granny Sun's small yard.
Perhaps because the soil was alkaline near the sea, all the scallions and garlic were growing crookedly and looked half - dead.
Li Ying didn't have time to be picky. She selected some relatively green scallion leaves and cut them into sections, and crushed the garlic cloves for later use.
She cracked open the conch shells, dug out the conch meat, removed the internal organs, and sliced it into almost transparent slices.
She heated a spoonful of coconut oil in the pot, stir - fried the scallions until fragrant, then poured in the conch slices and quickly stir - fried them until they curled slightly. The timing was just right, and the conch slices were smooth, elastic and crispy.
As soon as the scallion - oil conch slices were out of the pot, she stir - fried the garlic in coconut oil until golden. The strong garlic fragrance mixed with the unique sweet fragrance of coconut oil, strongly assailing one's nose.
The drained clams "hissed" as they slid into the pot. Soon they were all opened by the heat, revealing their tender white meat.
There were still some clams left. Together with the dried laver that Granny Sun had sun - dried, they only needed to be boiled slightly to make a pot of delicious soup.
It was a pity that the sea salt here was only roughly sun - dried and inevitably had a bit of a bitter taste.
She must purify this black, coarse sea salt when her body recovered a bit.
Li Ying took a bite of the conch slices. Although there were few seasonings, the freshness of the ingredients made the taste still quite delicious.
She then took a bite of the spicy - fried clams and only then noticed that Granny Sun was staring at her blankly, as if she were looking at something from outer space.
"Girl, how did you cook these dishes so deliciously!"
Clams and conchs were things that the fishermen were tired of eating.
Especially the conchs. If they were cooked for too short a time, they not only lacked flavor but also made people dizzy if eaten.
If they were cooked for too long, they were too hard to chew. Granny Sun, with her bad teeth due to old age, was reluctant to eat them unless she was really hungry.
But how did this girl, A Ying, manage to stir - fry the conchs so deliciously!
Goodness, she almost swallowed her own tongue!
Although Granny Sun couldn't stop eating, Li Ying didn't feel at ease at all.
Although coconut juice could reduce swelling and promote urination and relieve gout, it was not a medicine after all.
If they didn't buy some meat, eggs and vegetables to replace seafood as the main source of food, Granny Sun's gout would probably be out of control.
When she said she wanted to go to the market in the town, Granny Sun didn't think it was a big deal.
"No problem. The women in our village go beach - combing in groups every night. The surplus seafood is sold in the town the next morning. Since you want to go, I'll take you with me tomorrow."
Li Ying quickly said, "Auntie, take me with you for beach - combing too! I learn very quickly!"
Granny Sun readily agreed. After dinner, in the middle of the night, she gently came to wake Li Ying up.
Xiaotuanzi, who was sleeping beside them, was woken up. Seemingly realizing that her mother was about to leave, she burst into tears with a "wow".