At the beginning of autumn, the coastal area near He'an experienced a significant high tide. The kindergarten teacher notified the parents in the group chat that, the morning after the tide receded, they would organize a beachcombing activity for the children and their families.
Before dawn, the lights in Unit 2030 of Fuding Residential Complex gradually turned on.
Zhong Jin woke up in the rainbow-colored children's room, went to the secondary bedroom to wake up the mother and daughter who were sleeping in a tangled mess, and then, with his messy hair, headed to the guest bathroom to wash up.
By the time he finished brushing his teeth, the mother and daughter still hadn’t gotten up.
Qiu Sheng’s face was buried under the pillow, while Little Tong was sprawled on top of it, her chubby foot resting on Qiu Sheng’s shoulder. Zhong Jin was amazed—how could they sleep like that?
He walked over, picked Little Tong up, and nudged Qiu Sheng’s arm. “Hurry up, or we’ll be late.”
Zhong Jin carried Little Tong into the master bedroom’s bathroom, which was designed with children in mind. The toilet had a child-friendly smart seat, and a small step stool was installed in front of the sink.
Although Little Tong usually slept in the secondary bedroom with her mother, the master bathroom was still her designated space.
Zhong Jin wrung out a towel to wipe Little Tong’s face, and finally, Qiu Sheng emerged from the secondary bedroom, yawning.
Outside, a light drizzle was falling. Zhong Jin went to the walk-in closet to find clothes for Little Tong and pulled out her rain boots and a small raincoat.
Qiu Sheng walked in, yawning again. “Zhong Jin, have you seen my ‘rotten tomato’ lipstick?”
Zhong Jin pointed toward the living room. “I don’t know what a ‘rotten tomato’ color is, but you might want to check the dog’s bed.”
Qiu Sheng knelt on the floor and rummaged through the dog’s bed. Besides the lipstick, she also found a doll’s head and a palette of eyeshadow that had mysteriously disappeared.
The doll’s face was smeared with colorful eyeshadow.
Qiu Sheng felt a pang of frustration.
She remembered Zhong Jin’s earlier advice: “You should keep your things out of Little Tong’s reach.” At the time, she hadn’t taken it seriously. Now she understood—when the police officer gives advice, you’d better listen.
Finally, they were ready. Little Tong, wearing her little yellow duck raincoat, leaned sleepily against Zhong Jin’s chest, one rain boot resting on his forearm.
Qiu Sheng was also yawning nonstop.
Outside, it was still dark. The SUV’s headlights illuminated the path as it pulled out of the garage, and raindrops quickly covered the windshield.
Aunt Liang, carrying a bucket, stood at the entrance of the residential complex and waved at the car.
Zhong Jin pulled over, and Aunt Liang, wearing a raincoat and dripping with rainwater, climbed into the car.
The night before, when Aunt Liang learned they were going to the beach that morning, she insisted on joining them to buy freshly caught seafood from the pier.
Qiu Sheng had suggested they could pick up the seafood on their way back, so Aunt Liang wouldn’t have to wake up early.
But Aunt Liang disagreed, insisting on going herself, worried that the inlanders wouldn’t know how to pick good seafood.
They couldn’t convince her, so they let her come along.
It’s strange how people like Aunt Liang, in their fifties or sixties, seem to have boundless energy, waking up at four or five in the morning and still full of vigor.
Meanwhile, young people like Qiu Sheng, not even thirty yet, are like fragile porcelain—unable to wake up in the morning, unable to sleep at night, and out of breath after just a few steps.
By the time they reached the beach, the sun had risen, but the thick clouds and light rain obscured the sunrise. The sky and the sea seemed to blend into a gray, misty expanse.
They dropped Aunt Liang off at the pier, and Zhong Jin slowed the car as they drove along the coastal road. When they spotted a group of children, they pulled over and parked.
Teacher Luo was already waiting on the beach. Seeing Zhong Jin’s car stop, she waved and called out, “Little Tong!”
Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng, each holding one of Little Tong’s hands, trudged through the wet sand toward the teacher.
Teacher Luo handed them a small bucket, a shovel, and some salt, briefly explained the basics of beachcombing, and then left them to explore on their own.
Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng, both raised inland, were at a loss.
Meanwhile, Little Tong flopped onto the ground, sniffing the sand. “Let me sniff out where the little seafood guys are hiding.”
Zhong Jin grabbed the hood of her raincoat and lifted her up. Her clothes were already covered in sand and mud.
Qiu Sheng said, “Just let her play. We can wash her when we get back.”
Zhong Jin set her back down.
Little Tong dug holes all over the beach and, by sheer luck, unearthed a cat’s eye snail.
The child squealed with delight, picking up the snail and squeezing its soft flesh. Water squirted out, spraying her face.
“Ah! This guy just peed on me!”
Little Tong, clutching the snail nearly as big as her fist, ran back to Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng, tossing it into the red bucket with a clatter.
Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng found a small hole in the sand and crouched down to examine it. After some deliberation, they concluded it must be the breathing hole of a razor clam, as Teacher Luo had mentioned.
They carefully sprinkled a bit of salt into the hole.
Then, like two big kids, they crouched motionless, staring intently at the hole. Qiu Sheng whispered,
“Why isn’t it coming out?”
Zhong Jin replied, “Maybe we didn’t use enough salt? Let’s add a bit more.”
“But we already used about 5 grams of salt. Should we add another 2 grams or so? What do you think?”
Zhong Jin said, “No need to be so precise. I looked it up online—just go by feel.”
So they added a bit more salt and resumed their long wait. While they waited, Little Tong ran back and tossed a hermit crab into the bucket.
“It’s long gone,” a voice said behind them.
They turned to see Xiang Ruicheng, wearing professional waders and carrying a large bucket, striding toward them.
With Xiang Ruicheng, an avid beachcomber, leading the way, things went much smoother. The inlanders learned how to catch razor clams and even managed to snag a cat’s eye snail and an octopus.
Although Xiang Ruicheng kept grumbling about being slowed down by these rookies, he didn’t abandon them. Whenever he spotted something, he’d call them over.
Every time they caught something, Qiu Sheng, who had never seen such things before, would laugh happily, and Zhong Jin’s dark eyes would crinkle with a smile.
Near the road, a few parents who didn’t want to get their feet wet sat on the curb, chatting.
A woman in a straw hat nodded toward Qiu Sheng and her family. “Didn’t they get divorced? They seem to be getting along just fine.”
“Divorce doesn’t always mean becoming enemies,” someone else said.
The straw-hatted woman added, “True, but have you ever seen divorced couples get along this well? It’s probably all for show, to get attention. That woman’s always wearing sunglasses and a mask, acting like some big celebrity. She’s only been in a few bad movies, and the internet tore her apart for it.”
The others exchanged glances but didn’t respond.
The straw-hatted woman was Tang Rongzong’s mother. A while back, during a school trip to the police station, Tang Rongzong had confessed to lifting girls’ skirts at school.
The police had informed the school principal, and the school took it seriously, launching a campus-wide education campaign on appropriate behavior. They also issued winter uniforms early, allowing the girls to wear pants instead of skirts.
Teacher Luo hadn’t named names in the group chat, only mentioning that some boys in the class had exhibited such behavior and asking parents to address it. She might have privately messaged Tang Rongzong’s parents.
The matter had seemed resolved, especially since the parents of girls were satisfied with how the school and police handled it. They even agreed to fund new summer uniforms with shorts for the following year.
However, Tang Rongzong's mother had always harbored resentment over this matter. She often brought it up privately, saying that the police station chief was somewhat abusing his authority.
Was it really necessary to make such a big fuss over such a trivial matter?
Now the whole school knew that her son had lifted a little girl's skirt.
Some parents who couldn't stand it anymore said, "The police station and the school didn't mention Tang Rongzong by name."
Although the authorities hadn't directly named Tang Rongzong, when he was questioned that day, the children were all present. When the parents went home and asked, the children naturally chattered away, revealing who it was.
In truth, most parents didn't think the incident was all that serious. At that age, children are still naive and probably didn't have any real malicious intent. With proper education from the school and guidance from the parents, everything would be fine.
But Tang Rongzong's mother still refused to let it go, convinced that her son was being singled out and bullied.
She didn't dare to confront Zhong Jin directly, so she spent her days gossiping behind her back, and her words grew increasingly harsh, even bordering on slander.
She insinuated vaguely, saying things like, "I heard Zhong Jin is quite close to Vice Director Mao."
The other parents didn't want to get involved, after all, he was the director, and no one wanted to stir up trouble.
When she said something, most people remained silent, not responding, though a few who didn't know better would chime in, which only encouraged her to speak even more.
Behind these parents was a bus stop facing the road, where Aunt Liang sat on a bench under the shelter. Beside her feet was a small bucket of seafood she had just bought from the pier.
Aunt Liang wasn't intentionally eavesdropping on their conversation. She was just afraid that if she stood by the roadside, Zhong Jin and the others might see her waiting and not enjoy themselves as much. So, she sat there to rest while she waited.
The woman in the straw hat continued to speak animatedly, and behind the metal partition separating them, Aunt Liang's frown deepened.
When the woman in the straw hat said, "I really can't stand this family. Acting all high and mighty just because they're from the city,"
Aunt Liang finally stood up, walked around the bus stop, and approached the woman.
Frowning, with one hand on her waist, she calmly asked, "Do you believe I could tear your mouth apart?"
