Sanmao squatted on the beach, holding the Shellmaker card I gave him in his hand, turning it over and over.
"Brother Shao, can this thing... Really be enough to feed you?"
I ignored him and continued to carve marks on the coconut shell with the knife. I have already designed the assessment wall. I use four wooden stakes to hold up a piece of tattered canvas, and draw five grids on it with charcoal - fishing volume, bean sprout production, waste recycling, tool maintenance, and attendance rate. A bamboo stick is inserted behind each grid, and small shells are hung on the bamboo stick. Each shell represents a point.
Points are money.
"Sanmao, how much waste did you pick up today?"
"Ah? I... I just picked up two iron cans..."
"Two iron cans will be worth 0.5 Points. At the end of the month, one point will be exchanged for one dollar."
Sanmao's eyes suddenly widened. He opened his mouth, as if to make sure he heard correctly, but in the end he just nodded vigorously, and then rushed out as if he had been given a shot of blood, rummaging through the trash on the beach.
The other four people - Shouhou, Tiezhu, Awang, and Da Liu - initially stood aside to watch the excitement. But seeing Sanmao really starting to "work", they looked at each other, and finally came over one by one, imitating Sanmao's behavior, and stretched out their hands to get their work badges from me.
"Brother Shao, I... I can do it too." Shouhou's voice was very low, his eyes were evasive, but his fingers were clenched tightly.
I handed him my work badge and asked in passing: "Aren't you going to the Sharks?"
The thin monkey trembled and did not answer.
