Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

Lin Xiuqing also squatted down to take a look, staring at it for a while before speaking up, "Is the meat going to come out like this? How long does it need to hang? If I had known, I would have borrowed the weights as well. Then we could have weighed how heavy this snail is."

"It's alright; whether we weigh it or not doesn't matter. The most important thing is whether there's a treasure inside, right? This coconut snail is probably around 3-4 jin. Let's hang it for a while!"

She could only wait patiently, wondering what treasures might be inside the snail. Her man was surprisingly secretive about it.

Ye Yaodong lowered the weighing hook, and after a while, the shell of the coconut snail finally fell off onto the beach, while the tender and chewy meat remained hanging on the hook.

But at this moment, no one cared about the size or texture of the snail meat. The instant the coconut snail shell fell onto the sandy beach, Lin Xiuqing's eyes lit up as she immediately picked it up. Then, with one eye open and one eye closed, she stared at the spiral part of the shell.

Ye Yaodong also asked anxiously, "Is there anything inside?"

"It's orange! There really is something inside!"

Lin Xiuqing widened her eyes, filled with joy. Initially, when she saw the waves crashing onto the shore, she thought there was only a shell without any meat inside.

“Damn!”

He became instantly excited, took the snail shell from her hand, and tapped it lightly. A round and smooth orange-red bead with a ceramic-like luster dropped directly into his hand!

"Hahaha~ We've struck it rich~"

Looking at his joyful expression, Lin Xiuqing also knew that it must be very valuable. She asked with excitement, "What kind of bead is this? Why haven't I seen it before?"

Ye Yaodong held up the bead, his smile stretching from ear to ear. "It's a Meile bead! Have you heard of it? This snail has a one-in-thousand chance of producing a Meile bead."

"What is a Meile bead? Is it a type of pearl?"

"It's more valuable than pearls. If a bead is produced inside this snail, it is called a Meile bead, also known as 'Dragon Balls' or 'Flame Pearls.' The colors can range from orange-red, orange-yellow, yellow, to nearly white. Some Meile beads even have flame-like patterns on them. They come in irregular shapes, oval shapes, and round shapes, with the round ones being the most valuable."

"Our bead here has flame-like patterns on it!"

"Yes," Ye Yaodong chuckled with narrowed-eye smiles, "This bead can be considered a top-quality Meile bead. It looks even larger than a two-cent coin!"

In this era, a two-cent coin should have a diameter of around 21 millimeters. From his estimation, the bead appeared larger than a two-cent coin but slightly smaller than a five-cent coin, which has a diameter of 24 millimeters.

Really made a fortune!

Lin Xiuqing was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Let's compare it with the coins when we get back. Today has truly been a lucky day!"

This was already the second time she said this, indicating just how happy she was.

He was full of pride and said, "Now you know that listening to me was the right thing to do!"

"Yeah, yeah, it's only you who dares to come to the beach during a typhoon. Who else in the village would dare? Everyone is afraid of being swept away by the waves!"

"They're just scaredy-cats. Typhoon days are when surprises happen. As long as there are big waves, the beach is more rewarding than during high tide."

"How much can we sell this bead for? Where should we go to sell it?"

Um... This question stumped him a bit. He doesn't really know how much this pearl is worth at this time...

Influenced by the country's traditional dragon culture, the collecting industry has always regarded the Meile bead as the "Dragon Balls", imbuing it with a sacred symbolic meaning. It is also considered a rare imperial jewel.

In his understanding of the future, he had heard that it was valued at tens of thousands of US dollars. However, in the present context, he couldn't be sure anymore. After all, productivity is lagging behind, and the issue of people's livelihoods has just been resolved.

He furrowed his brow and said, "All I know is that this pearl is very valuable, but I can't say for sure how much it can be sold for. The jewelry stores in our town and county won't be able to appraise it properly, and even if they can, they won't offer a high price. As for the city... I don't think it's a viable option either. We may have to go to the provincial capital!"

"Ah? Do we have to go to the provincial capital? So far away?" Lin Xiuqing was taken aback when she heard this. Was this bead really that extraordinary?

Ye Yaodong also found it a bit troublesome too, and after giving it some thought, he suggested, "We don't really lack money at the moment, and our lives are still manageable. How about we keep this bead and hold onto this stroke of luck? After all, it's a 'Dragon Ball,' and keeping it in our home might bring us blessings and good fortune, ensuring smooth sailing and great prosperity!"

After giving it some thought, Lin Xiuqing also found it reasonable. Their current lives were still manageable. If the bead was indeed worth a lot of money and word got out to their relatives and friends, they would be bombarded with requests for loans from various distant relatives and acquaintances. They wouldn't have a moment of peace.

In their rural area, half of the village consisted of relatives and friends. When the time came and they heard about their child lacking money for education or their family being unable to afford medical expenses, would they lend a helping hand or not?

Refusing to lend would result in accusations of lacking a conscience. After all, they were all relatives and friends. If someone faced difficulties and you had become wealthy, why wouldn't you extend a helping hand?

Fine, let's lend it then. People might not necessarily feel grateful, and those who didn't get to borrow might hold grudges.

Feeling torn and unable to please everyone!

Let's keep it to themselves for now. After all, it's the ‘Dragon Ball’. They can keep it to bring blessings to their family. If they ever face real difficulties and can't make ends meet, they can still sell it for money.

And besides... she secretly glanced at her man. What if he becomes even worse than before, lazier and more indulgent after they become rich? What should she do then?

Men become bad when they have money; she has heard too many gossips about it. After all, he has shown some improvement in the past few days, so it's better not to sell the bead.

In just a short while, Lin Xiuqing's mind was spinning with countless thoughts and considerations.

"Mmm, you're right," she nodded. "We're still living a decent life for now, and finding this 'Dragon Bead’ is also a stroke of luck for us. Let's hold onto this bit of good fortune and pray for smooth sailing and abundant harvests for our family at sea."

"Let's keep this pearl a secret between us and not tell anyone else."

"I know!"

Ye Yaodong handed the Meile Bead to her and said, "You keep it, and once we take it home, make sure to lock it away securely."

Lin Xiuqing took the pearl, her face beaming with a gentle smile. She felt a sense of satisfaction and trust as he entrusted her with something so valuable without any hesitation. Unable to resist, she glanced at him a little longer.

"Why? Suddenly find your man handsome?"

She chuckled and pushed him lightly. "Stop teasing. Let's go around and see if there's anything else to find."

As she pushed him, Ye Yaodong plopped down on the beach, but he didn't get upset. He stood up with a smile and followed her. "After acquiring such a rare bead, don't you think about rewarding me a little?"

Lin Xiuqing cast a sidelong glance at him. "As a married couple, is there any problem with me keeping it? Besides, you seem to have forgotten that I was the one who found this snail... Oh, right! Don't forget to take the coconut snail shell. Keep it as a memento."

"I've picked it up and put the shell in the sack. The meat is still hanging on the hook. You can carry the hook along. We'll stir-fry it when we get back in the evening, adding a meal and some luck."

"Um."

He shamelessly moved closer to her and said, "Since you picked up the snail, how about I reward you instead?"

"No, thank you. I decline. I'm more practical. Just reward me with some more seafood."

"Even if you didn't mention it, I would still work hard to gather more seafood. This can't be considered a reward... Here, let me give you my reward..."

"Go away... You’re so annoying…"

(end of this chapter)

***

Finally! The big reveal! And oh damn ain't that a treasure ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆

Ooo, and I'm finally going to an interview today. Kinda nerve racking since spa therapist is a field that I never actually thought of doing. ༼ : ౦ ‸ ౦ : ༽

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