Pearl oysters are small in size and are known as the milk of the sea. They are more popular than ordinary oysters because of their tender and sweet meat. They can also produce pearls, although the chances are very small.
Mingjing excitedly pried open the oyster with a shovel.
The flesh is white and tender, but there are no pearls inside.
Mingjing was somewhat disappointed. The flashlight beam behind her flickered, and Mingdahai called out from behind, "Mingjing!"
"Dad, over here." Mingjing stood up and waved, lowering her voice as if afraid that others would hear.
Ming Dahai and his family stepped forward, crossed the rocks, and craned their necks to look at the rocks by the sea. Overjoyed, they exclaimed, "My God, such huge oysters!"
"Sister, is this the Pearl?" Mingyue asked in surprise.
Mingjing lowered her head and said in a low voice, "Okay, let's get to work. I just dug one up, but there were no pearls inside. It'll be good to sell the meat."
"Hurry up and get to work, or we'll lose to them when they arrive."
Ming Dahai looked at the oysters on the rock and couldn't help but laugh out loud. He bent down, picked up a shovel, and began to work on the rock.
Pearl oysters are a few dollars more expensive than regular oysters, so a bunch of pearl oysters would cost over a thousand dollars. Thinking about the money, Ming Dahai was full of energy.
"If you ask me, this shovel is not as good as an iron hook. Sister, you should have let us bring two iron hooks."
Mingjing paused for a moment, then realized that it was true. The iron hook could easily catch the oyster shell and remove it, much better than an iron shovel. Why hadn't she thought of that?
"Let's get to work. The oysters here are big. If we wait until people come, we won't get anything," Ming Dahai said, forcefully breaking off an oyster and throwing it into the wooden bucket.
Peeling oysters is hard work; squatting for a long time makes your legs numb and your back sore, so you have to stand up and straighten your back every now and then.
The group pried their way from east to west. There were many rocks in this area, densely packed together. They not only had to be careful of the rocks under their feet, but also had to watch out for sea snakes.
Peeling oysters is boring, Mingyue said in a low voice, "Sister, I want to go to the city again next time. I didn't see anything yesterday, I just slept."
"Besides, the prices in the city are better than in the town, and you haven't given the blue shrimp you promised the boss lady yet."
"Let's talk about it later, don't go around hunting them to extinction," Mingjing said, turning her head as she dug. "Dad, can you drive?"
"What are you doing?" Ming Dahai asked, puzzled. "I'm not very good with four-wheeled vehicles, does that bicycle count?"
"No, Dad. I want to buy a car. It's not good to keep bothering Uncle Huang. Besides, Uncle Huang knows how much money we make. What if someone with ulterior motives takes advantage of us?"
“Mingjing is right. When everyone knows that our family makes money, then there will be no shortage of people following Mingjing around, let alone asking for loans. In the end, we won’t get anything.”
Sun Yunmei thought Mingjing's words made sense, but then she felt sad again. "Mingjing, I heard that a car isn't cheap. Is our family's money enough?"
Mingjing thought for a moment and said, "I remember the Qian family has an old motorcycle. My brother has already moved to the Qian family. Mom and Dad, why don't we ask for that old motorcycle back, but forget about the bride price?"
"Motorcycles are fast too. We can ride them to the city without taking any time. Oysters can live without water. If we encounter fish or shrimp, we can hire a vehicle in town. It's convenient and saves time."
"Mingjing, did you know your brother went to the Qian family?" Sun Yunmei hesitated, stopping what she was doing.
Mingjing lowered her head. "I know. My brother has moved all his things to the Qian family's house and is planning to live there. I think he's going to be someone else's son."
Sun Yunmei felt bitter and sighed, blaming, "We only have one son. If he becomes the son of the Qian family, what will become of our family? This is ridiculous."
“I think that’s fine. I’ll go get that motorcycle back tomorrow and pretend I never had this son.”
Ming Dahai kept a straight face, and didn't seem to be saying anything out of anger.
"Mom and Dad, we can't buy these oysters now that they've been opened," Mingyue said, changing the subject as she squatted down to look at the oysters in front of her, feeling a little regretful.
"Pearl oysters are now 15 yuan per catty, and not every oyster has a pearl inside. Let's dig them up first."
Ouch!
Sun Yunmei saw a pearl oyster and got up to dig it up, but her foot slipped and a sharp rock cut her ankle, causing blood to gush out.
"Mom, sit down and rest. If you're not feeling well, go home and take care of it."
"It's nothing, just a scrape. Everyone gets scrapes when going beachcombing. It's nothing serious," Sun Yunmei said, wiping the blood off her ankle. Luckily, it was just a small cut.
“There’s an oyster over there,” Sun Yunmei said, pointing to the rock.
"It's okay, I'll do it."
Mingjing got up to dig for oysters, and after resting for a while, Sun Yunmei got up to help, saying, "I'll go take a look over here."
The group worked on the rocky beach until midnight, when Ming Dahai straightened his back from exhaustion.
"The tide is coming in soon, and there are no more pearl oysters left here. Let's go back."
The pearl oysters couldn't all be put in the bucket, so most of them were dumped into the fishing net, which satisfied Mingjing.
"Mom and Dad, let's go back. I think it's definitely gone now; the tide has come in."
Mingjing noticed that the tide was rising rapidly and urged the family to turn back.
"Why is the tide rising so fast today?" Sun Yunmei was just standing on a high rock, but in a short while the water was up to her ankles.
"Let's go quickly," Ming Dahai and Ming Yue said, carrying the fishing nets on either side as they walked back.
Mingjing yawned. Lately, she'd been going to the beach at night, and she'd been doing it for several days in a row. If this continued, she'd end up looking like an old American.
People become ugly when they stay up late. Mingjing is thinking that she should go out to the beach during the day, otherwise she will really become a yellow-faced woman.
Before leaving, Mingjing made a special trip to the place where he had caught the blue shrimp last time, wanting to see if the blue shrimp were still there.
She squatted down by the stream and looked around, discovering many shrimp holes, exactly the same as last time, so there should still be some.
However, she doesn't plan to continue. Blue shrimp are too conspicuous. If she digs too many, not only will the villagers covet them, but even outsiders will. If they are really extinct, she won't get a penny.
"Sister, what are you doing? Let's go!" Mingyue turned around and urged.
"They're here!"
Mingjing quickly followed.
When I got home, I poured the oysters into a large wooden basin and left them overnight without adding water.
The next morning, Mingjing slept until noon, when he was woken up by noises at the door.
"Ming Dahai, we've returned all your things. Our Qian family doesn't need your trinkets. Besides, Mingliang came to our house on his own. We didn't force him. Tell your Mingjing to stop talking nonsense!"
Old Man Qian held a palm-leaf fan in his hand and shouted at the top of his lungs, while piles of rice, flour, and cooking oil were stacked at the door.
Because of his loud voice, and because it was midday, he attracted many neighbors who came to watch the spectacle.
"Who is it?" Mingjing stretched, rubbed her eyes, and came out. Seeing Old Man Qian, she smiled and said, "Grandpa Qian!"
“We gave you everything, we didn’t touch a thing!” Old Man Qian said, raising his head.
Mingjing stepped forward and counted them, then frowned. "Where are the fir dragons? We kept quite a few fir dragons, how come none of them are gone?"
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