Chapter 1619 - 1582: Catching Crabs and Gathering Chestnuts

Crab is considered a highly cooling food. Marcus Quinn tightly controlled the amount of crab Athena could eat, but she simply couldn’t get enough. So she eagerly watched Marcus, hoping to take advantage of the Holiday Village getting on track to visit the scenic area and see if she could catch some crabs.

Marcus naturally couldn’t refuse her. The next day, he put aside all matters and took Athena to the scenic area for some fun. They woke up early and arrived before the staff at the scenic area started work. There was no need for tickets to go up the mountain, and once inside, they encountered Wally and Calvin Zamora, who were also heading up the mountain to catch crabs.

These two were known as the leaders of the kids in Anfield Village and had just started eighth grade. As children of poor families, they were already taking charge, skilled in planting seedlings in the fields and catching fish in the rivers.

"Brother Marcus, Sister Athena, are you going up the mountain to pray at the temple?" Wally, Calvin, and another ten-year-old kid from the village, carrying baskets, greeted Marcus and Athena with bright smiles.

"We came for a morning stroll. Are you heading to catch crabs?" Athena noticed the three kids were all barefoot, running wildly up the mountain, and her eyes lit up.

"Yes, Sister, would you like to join us to catch crabs? There are plenty of crabs in the river, plump and big. The monks on the mountain don’t eat meat, so no one is catching these crabs." The three kids surrounded Athena, youthful faces beaming as they playfully tugged at her clothes.

Since the beautiful sister arrived at the village, life at home has become better. Their dads stopped leaving for work away from home, their moms always smiling, and they even earned some pocket money. The three kids saw Athena as a fairy who had descended from the heavens.

Marcus watched as the three little rascals pushed him aside, all gathering around Athena and pulling her along to catch crabs, feeling slightly sidelined as he followed behind.

Soon, the group reached the riverbanks of the scenic area. The river was over a meter wide, meandering along the mountain’s contour deep into the mountains. Being autumn, the water level had dropped, exposing the riverbed. Athena saw the riverbank filled with smooth, colorful pebbles and bent down to pick a few she liked.

Over there, Wally, Calvin, and the other kids had already skillfully rolled up their pants and waded into the river to catch crabs. The water was crystal clear, and the green-shelled crabs were all plump and large, swimming around, looking much prettier than lake crabs. The young boys quickly grabbed the crabs and tossed them into their baskets, soon catching five or six of them.

Athena watched, wide-eyed in admiration, thinking these kids were incredible. At their age, she hadn’t even dared to go into the river, let alone catch crabs.

"Marcus, come on, let’s catch crabs too. These crabs all have green shells, they’re wild autumn crabs, so plump and tasty." Athena beckoned sweetly to Marcus, who stood by like a guardian, unmoving. "If we catch enough, the Holiday Village could add a dish of autumn crab for lunch today."

"Brother Marcus, let’s compete to see who catches more crabs." The three precocious little boys eagerly challenged Marcus to a contest.

Marcus saw Athena had already taken off her shoes, rolled up her pants, revealing her pristine toes, ready to wade into the river. His gaze deepened as he noted the mountain river’s clarity, the bottom filled with pebbles. He didn’t stop her, lightly responding before putting on a basket and heading into the river to catch crabs.

In his childhood, he lived in the countryside, where his grandfather took him to catch loaches in the mud, fish in the river, and ginseng on the mountain. Catching these slow-moving crabs was almost second nature to him.

The man walked along the river, swiftly catching one crab after another. The three young boys watched in awe of his speed, shouting in excitement, filling the river with laughter.

This region was abundant with snails and crabs growing large. Since no one was catching them, only a few playful kids would come before school to catch a basketful. Athena observed the long stretch of river, and just this shallowest section had yielded half a basket of crabs for Marcus and the boys. They also occasionally caught a few carp. Thoughts of the elementary school textbooks about the abundant natural resources era, catching fish in winter through ice holes, and hurling rolling pins at birds came to her mind. Reading those lessons was intriguing to her back then, and now, in Anfield Village, life felt just as engaging as described in those texts.

"Marcus, I’ll help you catch fish." Athena’s voice was bright and sweet. She dared not catch crabs, only chasing after carp swimming along the river. Despite her efforts, she was splashed by the fish and they slipped through her hands, causing the three boys to burst into laughter.