Chapter 11: You weren't tired when you were fighting, so get a move on.

Ye Cheng shook his head. "There are only two of us. How much can we really dig? If they want to dig, let them. Besides, whether you find anything or not depends on luck. What are you worried about?"

"Hurry up and get to work."

The five of them crouched down and began to work.

Huang Hai and his group had been digging over there, but after half a day with nothing to show for it, the three of them had agreed to come over here to take a look.

They hadn't expected Ye Cheng and his companion to have dug up so much. They couldn't let him monopolize such a prime spot.

They had assumed that once they carved out their own patch near Ye Cheng, they would be rewarded with a bountiful harvest, but after a long while, the three of them had only managed to find two small sand worms.

In contrast, over at Ye Cheng's spot, he was tossing large fat sea worms into his bucket every so often, a sight that made the three of them green with envy.

"Hai, damn it, how is this so weird? How come they keep finding them and we don't?" Duan Yong threw his shovel down in frustration.

"Exactly. Hai, it makes me want to just go up there and rob them." Yuan Jiansheng stared fixedly at Ye Cheng and his companion, his eyes beginning to burn with a greedy, red-hot intensity.

"Yeah, Hai, let's rob them. This bucket is probably worth a few hundred yuan," Duan Yong added, clearly tempted.

Huang Hai frowned. He stood up and looked at the two of them. "Have you two lost your minds? We're here to forage for seafood, not to commit robbery."

Both men blushed and remained silent.

Huang Hai snorted coldly. "Forget it, let's go. It’ll save you from feeling miserable just watching them. We're all from the same village; what do you think you're doing? Why don't you go try robbing the village chief’s house instead?"

With that, Huang Hai grabbed his gear and walked straight toward the shore. Duan Yong and Yuan Jiansheng exchanged a look and followed him silently.

"Brother, they’re leaving," Xiao Hu said triumphantly.

"Mind your own business and keep digging. How many have you actually caught?"

At this, Xiao Hu’s face immediately fell. "Brother, it’s not that I’m not working hard. Look, I’ve dug up such a large area, but there’s just nothing here. Who is as lucky as you are?"

Ye Cheng looked up and saw that it was indeed the case.

"Fine, fine, you’ve worked hard. Why don't you go up and rest for a bit?"

"No way. If you aren't resting, how can I?"

Ye Cheng shook his head and buried himself back in his work. Foraging for seafood was truly not an easy task. After another half hour of digging, Ye Cheng had filled his bucket to the brim.

Exhausted, Ye Cheng called out to Xiao Hu, "Let's take a break."

The two found a large rock to sit on and drank some water. It was fortunate that it was still morning and not too hot, otherwise, the small amount of water they had would have been gone already.

As they were chatting, Xiao Hu pointed toward the village and said in a low voice, "Brother, they’re back."

"Who’s back?" Ye Cheng turned to look.

Duan Yong and Yuan Jiansheng were walking toward them, carrying a bucket. They were heading straight for them, looking nothing like people who were there to forage.

Ye Cheng picked up his shovel and watched them approach.

Duan Yong and Yuan Jiansheng walked right up to them, cast a glance at the pair, and said, "Ye Cheng, you stole chickens from our house before and smashed our windows. Don't you think you should compensate us?"

Ye Cheng sneered. "Who saw me steal chickens? Who saw me smash windows?"

"Don't give me that! You're the only two in the village who do this kind of thing. If it wasn't you, then who was it?" Duan Yong said, looking fierce.

"That's right. Give us half your bucket, and we'll call it even," Yuan Jiansheng said, pointing at Ye Cheng’s bucket.

"Damn! Why don't you go rob someone else? How much are your chickens worth? This bucket is worth hundreds of yuan. You're crazy!" Xiao Hu shouted.

Ye Cheng frowned. *This kid,* he thought, *admitting to stealing chickens like that—he has no tact at all.*

"I don't care. You have to pay up today," Duan Yong said, acting completely unreasonable.

The two stood in front of them, leaving Ye Cheng feeling puzzled. He had always been considered the local rogue, but he felt like these two were being even more shameless than he was.

"I’ve heard enough. You’re just jealous because we’re digging up more than you. If you’re so capable, do it yourselves," Ye Cheng said dismissively.

"Do it yourself, my ass! Today you’re paying up, whether you want to or not." Yuan Jiansheng grew impatient and reached out to grab Ye Cheng’s bucket.

Before he could touch it, Ye Cheng swung his shovel down without a moment's hesitation.

Yuan Jiansheng recoiled in fear, pulling his hand back just as the shovel struck the rock with a loud *clang*, splitting the stone in two.

Yuan Jiansheng gaped at Ye Cheng in disbelief. After a long moment, he stammered, "Damn! You actually dared to do that! If I hadn't pulled my hand back, would it have been chopped off?"

"Damn it, trying to play hard, are you? Get him!" Duan Yong roared and lunged at Ye Cheng.

"Don't you dare touch my brother!" Xiao Hu panicked. He threw himself forward, tackled Duan Yong into the mud, and delivered two heavy slaps that left Duan Yong stunned.

Seeing the fight break out, Yuan Jiansheng raised his fists, but Ye Cheng was faster. He delivered a swift kick to Yuan Jiansheng’s chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Yuan Jiansheng let out a miserable cry as he hit the mudflats, dirt splashing across his face.

"You dare hit me? I..."

Mid-sentence, Yuan Jiansheng’s voice died away. Ye Cheng’s shovel was hovering right over his head, the sharp edge pointing directly at him. The cold glint of the metal silenced him.

Ye Cheng looked at him with indifference and said calmly, "Yuan Jiansheng, I don't care about our past grievances. I rely on my own two hands to forage. If you dare try to rob us again, this shovel won't stop in the air next time. Do you understand?"

As he spoke, he pressed the shovel down slightly, scaring Yuan Jiansheng into closing his eyes and shouting, "I understand! I understand!"

"Xiao Hu," Ye Cheng called out, retracting the shovel.

Wang Xiao Hu glanced over, stood up from Duan Yong, and gave him one last hard kick. "If my brother hadn't called me, I’d have beaten you to death."

Duan Yong was completely cowed. Yuan Jiansheng scrambled up in a pathetic state, helped Duan Yong to his feet, and the two fled in a panic, forgetting to even take their bucket.

"Pah! Trying to rob us," Xiao Hu said, watching their retreating figures with disdain.

"Alright, wash yourself off. You're covered in mud."

"Yeah. Brother, those two are just cowards who thought we were easy targets. Next time they come back, I’ll break their legs." Xiao Hu scooped up some seawater and began washing the mud off his clothes.

"Enough, you’d end up in jail if you broke their legs."

Ye Cheng shook his head. These days, the village authorities were lax, and fights were common. It was a good thing Xiao Hu was there, or he might have truly been robbed today.

"Brother, should we keep digging?"

"Yes, let's get a bit more."

His luck stat for the day was 70, and he had caught about the same as yesterday. He wanted to see if he could do better.

"Still digging? I'm exhausted."

"You didn't seem tired when you were fighting. Get to it."

Xiao Hu grinned. "Fighting isn't tiring."

Ye Cheng rolled his eyes at him and went back to work.