The joy of opening blind boxes lasted until 11 p.m., and even after all the scallops in the yard had been opened, everyone was still a little reluctant to stop.
The large basin that was originally filled with scallops was now piled high with scallop shells. Ye Xiaocui and Boss Fu picked up the basin full of scallop adductors and skirts, washed them with some clean water, and then hung it in the well to prepare for processing the next day.
As for Fu Wan, she and Fu Ming and the others took stock of their gains over the past few hours.
After removing a small portion of flawed pearls of varying colors and sizes, Fu Ming found twenty-five pearls that met all the required specifications and shapes.
Fu Laoda and Ye Xiaocui opened a total of 42, Jack opened 28, and Tom and Robert opened 26 and 25 respectively.
Fu Wan didn't have many hauls at first, but almost every scallop she picked up later had beads in various colors, including pink, gold, white, and black, and they were also quite large.
In the end, she obtained a total of thirty-six pearls of good quality, and more than twenty pearls whose shapes were not up to standard, which Fu Wan put in a separate bowl.
So, the two batches of scallops yielded a total of 182 pearls. Fu Wan also counted the unshaped pearls, totaling 43 for everyone.
Everyone was very satisfied with the result. In their joy, Jack suddenly remembered something and pulled Robert and Tom aside to have a serious conversation in their native language.
Fu Wan was puzzled. After a moment of hesitation, Robert and Tom dejectedly pushed three bowls filled with pearls in front of Fu Wan.
"Wan, replace all of these with Manila!"
Fu Wan asked in surprise, "Give them all to me. Weren't you planning to take them back to your families?"
Jack shook his head. "We do have such a plan, but I suddenly realized that it won't be easy to implement."
"Not easy?"
Fu Wan didn't understand and thought they were just embarrassed.
She quickly pushed the three bowls back.
"Don't be so polite. If you like them, take them back with you. I don't need these pearls to exchange for money!"
Besides, the pearls that she, Fu Laoda, Ye Xiaocui, and Fu Ming themselves harvested should be enough to earn a large sum of money.
Fu Wan was so generous to Jack and his two companions not only because they were friends who had come from afar, but also because Robert and his friends had brought a lot of gifts from the Friendship Store when they came to Fu Family Village.
Fu Laoda received three fishing rods, while Ye Xiaocui received three different gifts.
Jack gave him a cashmere scarf, Tom gave him a set of high-end hand cream, and Robert, being the most extravagant, gave him a beautiful gold bracelet.
It's no exaggeration to say that Ye Xiaocui was startled when she opened the package.
Although people don't care about these things anymore, very few people wear gold jewelry, whether in rural or urban areas.
Firstly, we haven't yet emerged from the era of cracking down on capitalism; secondly, people have become accustomed to frugality; and thirdly, recent radio and television news reports have shown that many motorcycle gangs have appeared in the Guangzhou area, specifically targeting people's jewelry.
Whether you wear them on your ears or around your neck, they just snatch them and leave. Many people wearing gold earrings not only had their jewelry stolen, but their ears were also torn and bleeding. For a time, everyone was in a state of panic, and even those who had jewelry dared not wear it out in public.
Ye Xiaocui had heard of gold bracelets and necklaces before, but this was the first time she had seen such an exquisitely crafted gold bracelet.
It's beautiful, but it's too expensive.
Ye Xiaocui immediately pushed the things back, but Robert didn't care and ran off to play after dropping them.
Fu Wan also received gifts from the three of them: perfume, bracelets, and scarves. In addition to the dolls and toy guns that Jack and the others bought, Fu Ling and Qin Mingzhu also received three boxes of chocolates brought from America.
Since Robert and his two companions were so generous, how could Fu Wan be stingy? Even if she brought the scallops back herself, they were still opened by Robert and his two companions themselves.
Instead of giving each person one pearl, we could have them take all the pearls they harvested back with them.
However, when she offered it, Robert and the other two refused to accept it.
"Wan, we can't accept this."
Fu Wan asked curiously, "Robert, didn't you just say you were going to take it back to your grandma?"
"And Tom, aren't you going to help your mother pick out some pretty pearls?"
Tom and Robert looked heartbroken, but still waved their hands firmly.
"No, even if we wanted to take it back, it would be impossible."
"Why?"
Seeing Fu Wan's puzzled expression, Jack smiled wryly and explained, "Wan, we need to go through two customs checkpoints to get home. In fact, whether we're leaving China or entering the US, we're not allowed to bring the original pearl with us."
Raw pearls refer to pearls that have not undergone any processing, setting, or other treatments.
After Jack mentioned it, Fu Wan suddenly realized, oh dear, how could she have forgotten about going through customs!
Although we are about to enter the 1990s, China still maintains very strict control over foreign exchange and exports of important materials because it is still in a period of economic opening and growth.
As pearls are one of the nationally controlled resources, if you want to take pearls or pearl jewelry out of China, you must have an export permit, just like the food exported from Fu Wan's factory.
If these pearls are not discovered by customs, they will not only be confiscated, but the carrier will also face a huge fine.
Even if one were lucky enough to smuggle the pearls out of China, bringing them into America would not be easy.
Furthermore, if pearls arrive at the customs of the United States without export certificates, the consequences may be more severe than if they are inspected by customs in China.
According to relevant regulations in the United States, finished pearl necklaces are considered gifts or personal items, while unprocessed pearls may be used as goods or raw materials for commercial purposes.
The United States has particularly strict controls on the import of agricultural products and wild animals. Pearls are a type of shellfish product, and in their view, they may carry parasites or various bacteria.
Furthermore, if pearls are to be brought into the United States, the person carrying them must prove that the pearls do not belong to endangered mollusks.
This kind of proof is very difficult to obtain in China, and even if you do obtain it, the United States may not recognize it.
In addition, customs duties must be declared according to the value of the original pearl, and the declaration must be made through commercial procedures. Just thinking about the declaration gives Jack a headache.
Robert and Tom were a few years younger than Jack, and this was their first time visiting China, so they didn't know anything about these things.
Jack had visited China once before and had even learned about customs restrictions from Song Zhirong.
If he hadn't calmed down, suddenly remembered these things, and stopped them in time, Robert and Tom would have already picked out the pearls they wanted.
When they bring these things back to America, not only will they be fined by customs on both sides, but they might also be arrested and locked up in a dark room. Just thinking about all this is terrifying.
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