Mingjing rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the fish with both hands, and waited until the seawater reached her knees before she finally collected all the fish and stored them at the fishing tackle shop.
Smoke rose from a nearby chimney, and Mingjing knew that Ming Dashan and his group were cooking seafood they had found.
Mingjing swallowed hard and looked up at the sky.
The sky was a clear, cloudless blue, and the bright sun shone so hard that everything drooped its head in the heat.
Mingjing opened the system screen and counted the seafood inside.
Twenty abalone, one swimming crab, eighty-six yellowfin tuna, one hundred and one sardines, and a pile of moon clams and conches.
Taking a few out for lunch wouldn't be bad.
Mingjing found an open space, took out the abalone and yellowfin tuna, and washed them twice in the seawater not far away.
They gathered a pile of firewood and a few flat stones, and set up a makeshift seafood barbecue stall.
Abalone, yellowfin tuna, and sardines were heated on stones, but finding it too monotonous, Mingjing picked up yellowfin tuna, prepared it simply, and ate it raw.
Yellowfin tuna has tender, extremely delicious flesh with a slightly sweet taste.
After the seafood is grilled, Mingjing tears large chunks of fish meat, which are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The snail meat is fresh and delicious. The only downside is that there is no chili, so it tastes a bit bland.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Mingjing packed up the barbecue stall and walked towards the direction of the boat.
On the beach, Ming Dashan and a group of fishermen were eating seafood barbecue and drinking beer. When they saw Ming Jing walking over from afar, they waved to each other.
"Mingjing, where have you been? Your second uncle said he was looking for you. Come and eat."
As Mingjing approached, several finger-thin shrimps were stuck in the campfire. Sea snails, shellfish, octopus, crabs, and other food had already been divided up, leaving a pile of scraps on the ground.
"You know what, the island is really rich in fish and shrimp, especially these shrimp, which are not afraid of people at all, some of them are as thick as a wrist."
Ming Dashan was eating fish when he glanced at Ming Jing and asked, "Ming Jing, what are you holding in your hand?"
He went to find Mingjing as soon as he got off the boat, but the girl ran away quickly. He seriously suspected that she had gone to touch Baozhu.
"It's nothing, I just found some abalone."
Mingjing wrapped the abalone in a huge banana leaf and showed it to everyone.
When everyone heard that abalone had been found, they all gathered around.
"Wow, such big abalone? And so many, there must be more than a dozen!"
The things they found weren't small either, but they had never seen an abalone bigger than a fist before. They never expected that Mingjing could find such a big treasure.
"Abalone? Do you have abalone pearls?" Ming Dashan's interest was piqued, and the fish in his hand no longer tasted good.
Mingjing chuckled, "Second Uncle is obsessed. You can't just pick up Bao Zhu anywhere. I've never seen one. Even if you did, it would belong to Ming Dahai's family."
The Ming family had long since split up, and Ming Dashan would never share the good stuff with his brother. In fact, he would usually skimp on things, so she naturally had to make her stance clear at this time.
Ming Dashan chuckled, staring intently at the abalone, "Look at what you're saying, as if I'm some kind of bad guy. Good things should be shared."
"Mingjing, this abalone is so big and of good quality. Why don't you give it to me and I'll help you sell it?"
"Don't listen to him, Mingjing. When has Uncle Wang ever lied to you? Sell the abalone to Uncle Wang, and I guarantee you won't lose a single penny."
"Stop talking nonsense. This abalone is so big, Mingjing, let us have a taste first."
Song Laosan grinned and reached out to grab the abalone.
“I appreciate your kindness, uncles and elders. Since you’re selling, I’ll sell it to you directly. This is wild abalone. Name your price.”
Wild abalone is quite different from farmed abalone; it tastes much better and is much larger. It is an extremely rare and precious commodity, and Ming Dashan has often ripped them off.
She has to make up for it today.
Mingjing scanned everyone with his eyes, and Ming Dashan pondered for a moment, "Now, ordinary wild abalone is about eighty yuan per catty, and it is rare to find one this big."
I'll take them all; they're practically family, 100 yuan per jin.
Ming Dashan's eyes flickered, and he lowered his eyes guiltily. Ming Jing could tell at a glance that this old man was trying to deceive her.
"And you guys?" Mingjing glanced at the others.
The group exchanged glances, and Old Song mustered his courage, "Mingjing, let's be honest, it's 120 per jin."
Mingjing hadn't expected the unreliable Song Laosan to quote such a high price; even wild abalone in later generations cost over a hundred yuan per catty.
"Do you have anything even higher?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Ming Laoda's face turned greenish-blue as he glared at Song Laosan.
"Okay, Uncle Song, these abalones are yours. We'll settle the payment when we get back."
Old Song is a bachelor who is usually very stingy. He always says he's saving his money to get married, and Mingjing isn't sure if he can eat that many abalone.
No, she can sell it to a seafood shop in town later.
“Okay! Mingjing, I’ve heard you often come across big catches. I know a seafood dealer. If you have anything to sell, come to me. We can negotiate the price.”
At this moment, Song Laosan changed his usual carefree attitude and became serious when money was mentioned.
"Okay, thank you, Uncle Song. Let's keep in touch."
"It's getting late, let's pack up and head home."
Ming Dashan snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and left.
"Old Song, don't bully Mingjing. Isn't that money meant for your wedding?" a fisherman nearby teased.
"Go away, go away! If I sell this seafood, I can not only break even but also make a profit. What do you know? Hurry up and pack it up."
Song Laosan and the fishermen cleaned up the remaining seafood.
After counting the abalone and throwing them into the water tank, Mingjing returned to her cabin to lie down.
The fishing boat drifted at sea for two days, braving the sea breeze. The fishermen fished whenever they were hungry, and it wasn't until 1 p.m. that they finally saw the island's pier.
Mingjing didn't go home after going ashore; instead, she took the abalone and followed Song Laosan home to get money.
There were twelve abalone in total, each weighing about one pound. Mingjing deliberately left seven or eight abalone unsold, having his own plans.
“Mingjing, it’s thirteen catties and eight taels in total. If you count fourteen catties, the total is one thousand six hundred and eighty.”
After saying that, Song Laosan went inside and lingered for a long time before coming out. He took out a piece of red cloth, folded it left and right to reveal a stack of small bills, and spit on his fingers.
I counted three times and handed it to her.
"Mingjing, count again. If you find anything good in the future, think of me. Old Zhao's place is too shady. I know a seafood vendor who offers fair prices."
"good."
Mingjing counted them again to make sure they were correct, then put them in her pocket.
Mingjing also had a bunch of seafood hidden in the star-rated fishing tackle shop. She thought she would keep some to make food and exchange for points, and send the rest to town to sell, to see if Song Laosan was lying.
Just then, a group of people ran towards us.
"A clear mirror!"
Sun Yunmei ran over and hugged Mingjing, looking her up and down to make sure she was alright before letting out a sigh of relief.
"Sister, you both went missing during the torrential rain a few days ago. Mom and Dad were so worried. Where did you go?" Mingyue, who was 1.6 meters tall, grabbed Mingjing and cried.
"I'm back now, aren't I?"
A warm feeling washed over Mingjing. In her past life, as an orphan, few people cared about her life or death like this.
It's so good to have a home.
"What are you doing here?" Sun Yunmei frowned.
Old Man Song is a bachelor who likes to flirt with young girls, so she dares not let her daughter get involved with him.
Mingjing stuffed the money into Sun Yunmei's hand and told the others what had happened in the past few days, making Sun Yunmei both nervous and excited.
Upon seeing the abalone, his eyes widened. "Wow, it's so big! It must cost a lot of money!"
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