In the past, pearl diving was usually carried out at night, with a bamboo pole inserted into the bottom of the water, and the pearl divers would dive to find river mussels.

At that time, pearl diving was a high-risk industry. In April, the rivers in Northeast China had just thawed, and the water was cold and the temperature was low. With few protective measures, pearl divers could be said to have a life-or-death situation. Even if they did not freeze to death, they would suffer from a lot of injuries.

At the same time, because they are natural wild pearls, their production is extremely rare. Often, even with several boatloads of river mussels, not a single pearl that meets the standard can be harvested. Hence the saying, "Even with several rivers, you can't find a single mussel; even with a boatload of mussels, you can't find a single pearl."

Because of the extreme rarity of pearls, their price is exorbitant, with one pearl costing ten taels of gold!

The necklace Mrs. Wang wore around her neck was made of sixty-one pearls, each one crystal clear and round, shimmering with a pale yellow halo under the light, dreamlike and ethereal, exuding a particularly noble and luxurious air.

Bathed in the glow of the pearls, Mrs. Wang's face appeared gentle and serene, her demeanor as graceful as a chrysanthemum.

Her beauty lies not in appearance but in her heart; she embodies the ancient saying that true beauty lies in the bone structure, not just the skin!

"So you're Chen Hong. I've heard my husband mention you before. He said you're very independent and capable, a role model for women. I've been wanting to meet you for a long time."

But Lao Wang is always busy with social engagements and hasn't had time to introduce us.

Seeing you today, I realize he misled me. I thought you were a strong, beautiful black woman because you're out at sea every day!

I never expected you to be so young and beautiful. You are so different from the fishermen I had in mind.

With your talent, why bother fishing? You could easily be a brand ambassador for the company, even if you do nothing else!

Chen Hongjian smiled awkwardly: "Mrs. Wang, you're too kind. I just have an average face. If you walk down the street in Jinan, at least half of the ten women you meet will have a similar face shape to mine."

"Forget about being a corporate spokesperson, even if someone like me were to work as a greeter at our hotel, Mr. Wang definitely wouldn't look favorably upon me."

Mrs. Wang laughed heartily, and her demeanor changed instantly. It turned out that deep down she was still a cheerful and outgoing girl from Jinan.

"Then his eyes are all wasted. They're big but lifeless. He wouldn't even look down on a millionaire who'd be his greeter. He should just close down and retire."

"Where does Mrs. Wang work? You have such a refined air about you! You exude a scholarly air, you're clearly a cultured person."

He's so different from us fishermen! Mr. Wang is really impressive; not only does he run such a big business, but he also finds highly educated women to marry!

"Oh my, you're so good at talking! Don't even mention that I'm old now with wrinkles all over my face. Even when I was young, I wasn't ugly, but I was pretty ordinary-looking."

When you say I have a good temperament, you mean I'm just average-looking! I know!

When the two women met for the first time, they couldn't help but compliment and flatter each other, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

Mr. Wang invited Chen Hong to sit down and, quite bluntly, asked her for tea.

"Chen Hong, don't be so polite with your sister-in-law. Don't call her Mrs. Wang or Mrs. Li. Just call her sister-in-law!"

We're from the same hometown, and now you're living in Jinan. Since we're closer now, our two families can visit each other more often. You and your sister-in-law can go out together more often.

She doesn't work anymore. At home, she just picks up and drops off the kids, goes shopping, and plays cards. She doesn't have much to do and has plenty of time to herself.

Since you're just taking care of the kids and cooking anyway, you can ask your sister-in-law to take you out to socialize more often. She has a lot of girlfriends, and they're always at parties here and there. They don't seem to have much to do, but it's always fun to hang out together.

By the way, Lao Zhang called me and said that the pre-Qingming tea harvest is in season this year. Could you bring me a few pounds?

"Let me tell you, you'd better give me more this year, or there won't be enough to go around. There are a lot of people watching me; after all, there are too many wolves and not enough meat. If things go wrong, I might not even have any to drink myself."

Chen Hong didn't hesitate; she went straight to the locker, took out her handbag, and handed him two pounds of tea.

"Mr. Wang, let's not mince words. To be honest, we only produced six jin of pre-Qingming tea this year."

I kept one pound for myself, some for my partner, and a portion for my parents, elders, and friends. I managed to squeeze out two pounds for you.

Mr. Wang was very disappointed: "Is the tea production this year so low? With so little tea, I'm afraid I won't even be able to get enough to drink myself."

Wow! The business network has expanded, and I've made so many friends. Two friends have been eagerly awaiting your tea shipment this year, wanting to give it to their elders!

Chen Hong, can you think of another way? If it doesn't work out, don't keep it for yourself. If you want tea, I'll trade you some other tea leaves!

Don't worry, I asked someone to buy some good tea from the south; it's still palatable for me.

Chen Hong smiled: "President Wang, to be honest, I buy quite a lot of tea every year. I've tried all kinds of tea from the South, including green tea, black tea, and flower tea."

I don't know why, but after drinking the wild tea from the mountains in my hometown, any tea I buy outside, no matter how expensive or cheap, just doesn't taste right.

Of course, it's also possible that the tea available to ordinary people in the market isn't the best quality tea.

It could also be a matter of the local environment; we northerners just find the tea from our local area to be more palatable.

The little tea leaves we harvest each year have never been sold before; they've all been given to relatives and friends.

I've never taken it seriously, but in the last two years, relatives and friends have all been eyeing this little bit of tea. Is it really true that the less available something is, the rarer it becomes?

Mrs. Wang chimed in from the side, "Sister Chen Hong, I've also tried the tea you gave me, and it tastes really good!"

Leaving aside the shape of the tea leaves and the tea-frying techniques, the variety of this tea is quite extraordinary.

I have an elder in my family who, while not exactly a worldly-wise person, has traveled all over the country and has been drinking tea his whole life, so he has a certain understanding of tea.

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