Essay on catching turtles

Shahe Bay, because the Dasha River in front of the village has been dry for many years, and the fields are full of ditches and ponds, covered with all kinds of aquatic plants, so there are not only many fish and shrimps, but also many turtles.

At that time, turtles were not as expensive and cheap as they are now, and the price was similar to that of fish. But because turtles are fatter than fish, and they don't sting people, they are delicious, so many people in Shahe Bay like to catch turtles to eat or sell them for money.

People in Shahewan can catch turtles with their bare hands without any tools such as hooks, cards, forks, guns and nets. It may be hard to believe, but the tortoise is naturally clever and unpredictable. He hides in the water or mud all day. How can he catch them empty-handed? But as the saying goes, "water can distinguish fish, and mountains can distinguish birds." People in Shahe Bay have lived by the water for a long time, and the fish in the water can be divided into males and females when swimming in front of them, so they naturally know the habits of turtles like the back of their hands. I'm not bluffing. Sometimes it's really easy to catch them.

There are many doorways for people in Shahewan to catch turtles empty-handed, such as "digging a hole" and "touching the stars", but I am afraid it is "picking the beach" that best reflects the ability of people in Shahewan to catch turtles empty-handed. Throughout the year, beach pickers can carry turtle baskets at any time, and they can directly dig turtles out of the sand and put them in the baskets at the edge of the river beach or pond ridge without even taking off their shoes. In fact, this is not surprising. Trionyx sinensis is an amphibian. If it stays in the water for a certain time, it will go ashore to breathe the air. After landing, I am afraid of being seen or disturbed by other carnivores and birds. It is of course the most appropriate to hide in the sediment near the water and breathe. In addition, when it is cold, it is warm and breathable to bask in the sun on the beach or in the sand beside the pond ridge. How beautiful! This gives beach scavengers a chance to show their skills.

But this beach picking has many secrets that not everyone can master. There are many talents in the vast Shahe Bay, but few of them can really meet the beach.

As far as I can remember, Changshui is the only person in Shahe Bay who can meet the beach best. The old man is not tall, thin, and his back is a little camel, which is very inconspicuous, but his eyes are bright and impressive. Mr. Changshui is childless and single. He drinks tea in the teahouse on the river bank every day. I don't have tea money on me, so I pick up the beach. When others pick up the beach, they carry a turtle basket and wander around the beach or pond weir. Sometimes after a busy day, they can't find many turtles. They also deliberately hide, mysteriously, for fear that others will learn their skills. Uncle Changshui meets the beach, and every time he is followed by a turtle basket, he always comes back with dozens of pounds. He sold all these soft-shelled turtles cheaply, exchanged some tea money and went to the teahouse on the river dam for tea every day. Unlike some people who are insatiable, they sell turtles and catch them immediately.

Master Changshui can run a life for many days once he meets the beach. Who doesn't want to learn this cheap business? But no matter who uses what method and how polite he is to Master Changshui, you can't expect him to have anything. Some people want to learn the skills of picking up beaches, and they are very diligent in picking up turtles for Changshui, but they just can't see any doorways all day. Someone followed him all the time when he was picking up the beach in the long water. He only saw the old man digging out turtles in the sand, but he couldn't see why. There is a public official who eats the imperial salary. He once took Uncle Changshui to have a good wine and a good meal and waited on him for several days. Finally, he wants to get the secret of picking up the beach from him. Uncle Changshui wiped his mouth and smiled and said to the man: The state pays you, so you don't have to worry about food and clothing. Why do you want to learn that stupid thing? I have to rely on it for my old age. The man blushed, and it was difficult to attack, so he had to knock out his teeth and swallow it in his stomach.

However, there is no windtight wall in the world, and people still smell some secrets of catching turtles on the beach. Some people say that when turtles breathe on the beach or the sand beside the pond ridge, in order to cover up the traces of their climbing, after landing from the water, they should shrink their paws into their stomachs, stick out their heads and keep rolling, making a mess of the sand beside the beach or the pond ridge, and then choose a place to drill in. Sometimes, after destroying a beach, they will return to the water and go ashore again to find a hiding place. So, at that time, the beach beside the Dasha River was full of traces left by turtles, but most people didn't know where they were hiding. It is also said that after the turtle hides in the sand on the shore, its nose should reach out to the surface of the sand layer to breathe. On a calm morning, you can see a faint fog in the place where the tortoise is hiding. But it's easier said than done. If you really catch a turtle in this way, only God knows whether you can get anything.

Or the official who eats the official's salary above. He bought a chinemys reevesii, tied one of its hind legs with a long thin hemp rope and nailed it to the beach by the river. People hide in the distance, trying to see how the tortoise got into the mud and what traces it would leave. At first, he saw the tortoise crawling around the stake, then he really rolled for a while, and finally he jumped up one by one. At the moment of his surprise, the tortoise fell to the ground and disappeared. The man rushed over and saw a sand bank where the turtle landed. He thinks he has discovered a big secret. Reaching for it excitedly, there is nothing under the sand. The man turned and searched again along the rope on the stake, and found that the end of the rope had been bitten off by the tortoise. The popularity turned the beach where the turtle was tied upside down, and there was no sign of the turtle. I just don't know where it escaped from under my nose, don't you think it's strange?

Uncle Changshui is old, he can't see anything at all, he can't catch turtles on the beach, he has no savings and no descendants at home, and his life is very hard. Thanks to the mother of a teenager in the village, who often helps and guides the teenager to do some housework for the elderly from time to time, Master Changshui barely makes a living. Before he died, the old man took the young man by the hand and told him all the secrets of catching turtles on the beach in detail. After only half a year, the boy left Shahewan and went to study in the city. Later, he stayed in the city to work and never came back. At this point, there is no successor in Shahe Bay. Some people may say that if you find that boy, you can get the true story of catching the beach! But this is no longer necessary. Nowadays, the turtles on people's dining tables are all artificially raised, and it is difficult to see wild turtles even in places like Shahewan, my hometown. Even if you find the boy and get the true story, where will you go to catch turtles on the beach?