She left four small potatoes for Grandma—in case they returned late, the elderly woman could use them to fill her stomach. The octopus was kept alive in a bucket for the time being.
Why not sell it? Because even if she took it to town, it wouldn't be very fresh anymore, and seafood was priced according to its freshness.
Since it wouldn't fetch a good price, it was better to keep it for her own enjoyment.
The so-called "town" was the one that extended from the port where she had landed previously. Traveling from Huagang Village to the town required an hour or two, round trip about four hours, eight hours, and any delay would make it a whole day's trip, probably returning only by evening.
Precisely because the mountain roads here were rugged and difficult, it was hard to transport seafood, leading to the fishermen's impoverished life.
Those with boats at home could go around the sea to the port, but life was not easy for those without boats.
