"Acheng's here, please have a seat. I've almost finished preparing the oysters, they'll be ready soon." Jiang Yunxiang came out of the house.
"Cheng, are you feeling better today? How was it going in the sea?" Ye Guowei pulled Ye Cheng down to sit, looking him up and down with concern, making Ye Cheng feel very uncomfortable.
He was still worried about offending the Dragon King of the Sea.
"Brother, I've told you so many times, I'm fine, I'm fine. Look, I went into the sea today and I'm perfectly fine, and there are still so many oysters."
"The oysters are here!" Jiang Yunxiang announced loudly, bringing the steaming hot oysters to the table.
DouDou also sat down around. Although she grew up by the sea, she didn't get to eat seafood very often.
"Sister-in-law, do you have soy sauce and chili? Get me a condiment bowl." Ye Cheng was getting impatient looking at the pot of oysters, and he and Dou Dou, the two of them, were all staring into it.
"Yes, yes, I've prepared everything for you." Jiang Yunxiang brought over the condiment bowls, one for each person, containing scallions, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce.
"I'm starting!" Ye Cheng grabbed the condiment bowl and took one out of the pressure cooker with his bare hands.
Freshly steamed and still very hot, Ye Cheng blew on it several times before finally picking the meat out. The slightly discolored oyster meat wobbled heavily on the chopsticks. Ye Cheng dipped it in some sauce, took a small bite, and a burst of juice sprayed into his mouth—so tender!
"Mmm, delicious, really delicious, big brother, sister-in-law, eat up!" Ye Cheng said, already grabbing a second one. Dou Dou across from him wasn't going to be outdone, enduring the heat to make a smaller one.
"Don't rush, there's still half left over. This pot is too small to steam it all," Jiang Yunxiang said with a smile.
Ye Guowei also got one, took a bite, and nodded, "These oysters are good, just in time."
"That's right, look who brought it."
Ye Cheng picked up the second one and took a bite. Suddenly, he felt something hard. He initially thought it was an oyster shell.
To his surprise, when he spat it out, it turned out to be a small, irregularly shaped, white stone, about the size of his little finger.
"Brother, what is this?" Ye Cheng looked at the stone and had a feeling of déjà vu, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Ye Guowei picked it up and looked at it, his expression hardening. "It looks like an oyster pearl. Yunxiang, take a look."
"Oyster pearl? No way, such a rare thing." Jiang Yunxiang took the pearl and examined it carefully, her eyes filled with doubt.
Ye Cheng asked curiously, "Brother, what is an oyster pearl? Is it also a pearl?"
Ye Guowei nodded. "Yes, oyster pearls are pearls produced in oysters. It is said that only one in 200,000 oysters will have an oyster pearl, so they are quite rare."
This was the first time Ye Cheng had ever heard of this. He had only ever heard of pearls inside seashells before, and that in later generations there were even live streams of pearls being opened.
But I've never heard of oysters containing pearls. I've eaten so many grilled oysters at night markets, and I've never heard of anyone finding oyster pearls.
Jiang Yunxiang examined it for a while, nodded, and returned the bead to Ye Cheng. "It should be an oyster bead. I heard it's quite valuable."
Ye Cheng picked it up and examined it carefully. It was indeed made of pearl material, but its shape was not very regular, and its color was not as good as that of a pearl. From an aesthetic point of view, it was definitely not as good as a pearl.
But the older brother just said that there's only one for 200,000, so it's quite rare, and the price could go up.
"Brother, see if there are any left in here." Ye Cheng pointed to the oysters in the pot.
Just then, DouDou across from them exclaimed "Ah!" and spat out a white oyster bead from her mouth.
Ye Cheng picked it up and saw that it was indeed another oyster pearl.
Now, the group completely lost their appetite. They picked up oysters, cut them open with knives, and started searching for them.
However, only three were found in the whole pot, and they weren't very big or of average quality.
"Sister-in-law, what about those uncooked oysters?" Ye Cheng suddenly reminded her.
"Yes, it's in the kitchen. I'll go get it." Jiang Yunxiang nimbly got up and placed the remaining bowl of oysters directly on the table.
The three of them didn't care about cleanliness anymore, and grabbed three pairs of scissors to open the blind boxes right there on the table.
Ye Cheng chose the largest one to pry open, and as soon as he opened it, he noticed that the oyster meat was a bit different, with several protruding chunks of meat.
He gently pried open the protrusion, revealing a white, spherical oyster bead. This one was quite large, about the size of Ye Cheng's thumb, and it was well-shaped with a smooth surface.
Ye Cheng excitedly cut open the other pieces of meat as well, and sure enough, they were all oyster pearls. There were 10 oyster pearls in just this one oyster.
How much pain and pleasure must this child have endured before he died?
Ye Cheng found oyster pearls, Ye Guowei found 2, and Jiang Yunxiang found 2. In total, this pot of oysters yielded 17 oyster pearls.
Three of them were of better quality and larger in size, while the rest were long and narrow.
"Acheng, you can take these and sell them." Ye Guowei handed all the oysters to Ye Cheng.
"Okay, I'll find someone to try and sell it. I don't know how much it will fetch, but we'll split the money in half."
Ye Cheng planned to sell the goods and give half to his older brother, but Ye Guowei and Jiang Yunxiang disagreed.
"We have enough money, you can keep it for yourself."
"Yes, you got these oysters, you can sell them yourself."
Seeing that the two insisted, Ye Cheng didn't give up. He wasn't sure how much this thing could sell for. He decided to go ask Old Zhao tomorrow; that guy had connections.
The oysters were inedible; the meat had been mashed up. Jiang Yunxiang collected them and planned to make some oyster sauce.
Oyster sauce is made by simmering oysters; it has a very fresh flavor, and adding a little to stir-fries can enhance the taste.
After tidying up, Jiang Yunxiang fried an egg, otherwise the meal would be inedible.
After finishing his meal, Ye Cheng wrapped the oyster pearls in a piece of paper and went home.
After returning home, Ye Cheng found Lao Zhao's phone number and dialed it. The phone rang a few times before being answered. There was a loud and noisy background noise, clearly indicating that Lao Zhao was having a lively nightlife.
"Ah Cheng, what brings you to call me again? Want to hang out sometime? Hahahaha."
Ye Cheng checked the time; it was only a little past 8 o'clock, and Old Zhao was already quite drunk, his tongue was slurred.
"Your kind of nightlife isn't suitable for an old man like me. You young people can have fun on your own. I have something to ask you."
"Damn, you call yourself an old man? How old are you?" Old Zhao's side quieted down a bit. "So, are you here to sell fish again? I've noticed you only contact me to sell fish. Can't you just ask me for a drink or something?"
"I have to earn money to support my family, unlike you. I have a question for you: are there any people in Donghai City who buy oyster pearls?"
"What the heck?"
“Oyster pearls, the pearls inside oysters,” Ye Cheng repeated.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com