After resting for more than an hour, the four of them put on their diving equipment again and dived into the sea.
This time, Feng Ye didn't catch any more ornamental fish. The few he had caught earlier were enough; there was no need to catch more.
He did want to find a few more Tang Guan snails.
It's unclear whether there are no more Triton's snails in the coral reef, or if they're hiding in some obscure corner.
In conclusion, no further traces of the Triton's snail were found.
The four of them returned to the ship and began preparing lunch.
Two elderly people were cleaning up the snails and shellfish they had caught along the way.
Feng Ye and A-Can lit a coal stove to boil water, preparing to cook A-Can's tuna.
The other three cannot be opened on the boat; they must be taken back for Du Guilan to choose first, to avoid any misunderstandings.
Before the water even boiled, Ah-Can nervously held the conch shell and muttered something, seemingly asking Mazu for blessings...
Seeing Ah-Can's anxious expression, Feng Ye chuckled and said, "Ah-Can, if you're worried about not getting any pearls, you might as well just sell them."
"I'd like to, but what if there are pearls inside? That would be a huge loss."
"Then you have to be mentally prepared. The probability of finding a pearl in a conch shell is not high, just as low as the probability of getting a bomb in Texas Hold'em."
"I know, I know."
Ah-chan nodded vigorously, but his eyes were still full of anticipation.
Finally, the water boiled.
Ah-chan carefully placed the conch shell into the boiling water, then squatted down and watched eagerly.
Before long, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead due to nervousness.
"Don't be so nervous, just take it easy."
Feng Ye smiled and shook his head.
"It's easy to say, and I know I should keep a calm mind, but I just can't help it."
Ah-chan answered with a wry smile.
"In the end, you still have too high expectations. You should know that the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment."
"Brother Ye, don't discourage me. This isn't my first time."
When it was almost cooked, Ah-Can used tongs to scoop the piping hot snails out of the pot and placed them on the cutting board.
Feng Ye handed over a piece of cloth: "Here, use this to insulate against the heat."
Ah-Can took it, folded it up, and placed it on the back of the conch. He then took a chopstick, inserted it into the conch's opening, and twisted it to pick out the meat.
Immediately, he eagerly reached for the snail meat, and as soon as he pinched the yellow lump at the tail, he let out a loud "Aww!" and kept shaking his hand.
"Damn it, this is scalding hot..."
"Why are you in such a hurry? Can't you let it cool down a bit?"
Feng Ye shook his head speechlessly.
He hadn't expected Ah-chan to be so impatient; he didn't even have time to remind him.
"Ah-Can, what's wrong?"
Feng Jialing, who was processing seafood at the stern of the boat, heard Ah Can's scream and quickly asked what was wrong.
"It's nothing, I just accidentally got burned."
Ah-Can responded loudly to his father, then laughed awkwardly, "I was just too excited, too eager to know the result, wasn't I?"
Feng Ye sighed, "Never mind, let it air dry for a while, don't burn your hands. Anyway, the snail meat is there and won't run away, what difference does it make if it's a little later or sooner?"
Ah-Can nodded and put the snail meat into a bowl to cool.
A moment later, he cautiously reached out again.
This time he learned his lesson and touched it gently to make sure it had cooled down before using it.
Ah-Can held his breath and slowly probed his fingers into the snail meat, exploring it little by little.
Finally, his fingers touched something hard, and his eyes lit up instantly.
"I touched something hard."
"That must be a pearl, take it out and let me see."
Ah-Can's fingers trembled slightly as he carefully peeled the hard object out of the snail meat.
With his movement, a round pearl appeared in his hand. This conch pearl was pale pink, with a smooth, mirror-like surface, distinct flame-like patterns, and a subtle luster.
Moreover, it is quite large, with a diameter of about 20 millimeters.
The only flaw is that it's not a perfect circle, but rather an oval shape.
"Such big and beautiful pearls! Haha, I'm rich, I'm rich..."
Ah-chan was so overjoyed that he shouted and yelled.
"Ah Chan, what's wrong with you now?"
Feng Jialing's voice came through again.
"Father, come quickly and see! I've unearthed a pearl!"
Feng Jialing and Feng Jiaqing both heard A-Can's excited voice and hurriedly put down their work and walked over.
When they saw the pearl in Ah-chan's palm, their eyes widened.
"You really found a pearl!" Feng Jialing exclaimed in amazement.
Feng Jiaqing nodded repeatedly: "Such a large pearl is truly a rare sight, a real treasure."
"While this pearl may not be considered the finest, it is still of high quality and quite valuable."
Feng Ye was somewhat envious, but not jealous, and did not regret it.
He also had equally valuable pearls at home: a conch pearl, a Merlot pearl, and several less valuable oyster pearls.
What's more, there are two more tuna shells waiting to be opened when we get back.
Perhaps pearls can be found there as well.
The probability is small, but it's not impossible.
"Brother Ye, do you know how much it can sell for?"
Ah-chan was so excited that he danced with joy.
"I only know it's very valuable, but I don't know the exact amount."
Feng Ye shook his head and continued, "However, I suggest you don't sell them. Keep them with the shells for now; they might appreciate in value later. Anyway, you're not short of money right now."
"Yes, yes, yes, what A-Ye said makes sense. Let's keep it for now."
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