“Why does this coconut snail only have a shell? Where is the meat?” Ye’s mother also helped to pick it out.
"Look in the basin. Slice and fry it for lunch."
"I've opened it before, but there's nothing?" Ye's mother just asked casually. The probability was too low, and she didn't believe that she could get Melo Pearls just by opening it casually.
"Um!"
He lied without thinking, and Lin Xiuqing glanced at him guiltily.
He winked at her and said, "Go take a shower first, or you'll catch a cold. Mom and the others are here."
She understood what he meant and nodded. She went back to the house to hide the Melo Pearls. Otherwise, she was always worried that they would fall. She kept covering her pockets all the way back, fearing that they would run away.
She kept a crab without big legs and a blue crab with little meat, as well as some miscellaneous fish, small fish, shrimps and stone crabs. The rest of the crabs that were worth some money were picked out by Ye's mother and put in a bucket for him.
"While it's not raining, go quickly and come back quickly. Remember to wear your raincoat."
Ye Yaodong immediately spotted the antique straw raincoat hanging under the corridor, but he did not dislike it. It was much more convenient than an umbrella and would not be blown over.
While he was carrying the two buckets out, the women in the house started to kill fish and cook. They also added water to the clams and sprinkled some coarse salt on them.
Normally the village is filled with the breath of life, with women sitting at the front or back door of every household weaving nets. But today, all the doors and windows of each household are closed, and there is no one on the streets.
When Ye Yaodong arrived at Acai's house, he was standing shirtless at the back door sharpening a knife to kill fish. When he heard someone calling him, he came out with the knife in hand.
"What are you doing, Brother Cai? I'm delivering the goods to you, not here to rob you. Do you think you're coming out with a knife in such a menacing manner?"
"Ah? Haha~" Ah Cai looked at the knife in his hand awkwardly and explained, "I was just killing fish, how come a typhoon came over? Your father wouldn't go out to sea on a typhoon, would he? Are you trying to save your life?"
"No, no, I picked these up on the beach when the tide just went out."
"Hey? You are smart. You know that there are big waves during a typhoon. If there is anything you can pick up, let me see if there is anything good." He put the kitchen knife on the waistband behind him and stretched his head to look at the bucket.
"Not bad, there are five or six blue crabs here, right? They are quite big. Is that a conger eel underneath? What else? Shit...what is this? A sea bass? Is it a sea bass?" Ah Cai was so surprised by the patterns on the fish's body that he squatted down to take a closer look.
Ye Yaodong felt somewhat proud. It was just a small perch, but he was so surprised. If he knew that he also got a Melo pearl with a diameter of more than 2 centimeters, wouldn't he be shocked
"Give me a price! How much do you want?"
He kicked the bucket, and the grouper inside was frightened. It swung its tail and splashed sea water all over Acai's face. Acai was not angry, but reached out and wiped his face.
"This fish is rare here. We may catch it occasionally at Yujing Wharf. Let's weigh it first."
Ye Yaodong nodded, carrying the bucket and followed him into the house.
It is not easy to weigh live fish, but luckily he had a basket at home. He put the fish on the basket, weighed it quickly, and then quickly put it back into the bucket.
"It's 8 taels per pound. How about I charge you 8 yuan?"
"Not even five yuan per pound? Just add a little more. You can double the price if you sell it to a rich boss. We are from the same village. Do you have the nerve to rip me off?"
"Nonsense, who is ripping you off? Who would buy it if it's double the price? Do you think it's so easy to make money?"
"Tsk, there are many bosses in our town who know what's good. For rich people, a few dozen dollars is not enough for a meal. They just want good things, and money is secondary. I've seen people spend hundreds of dollars on a bottle of red wine at the Hongsheng Hotel in town, and spend thousands of dollars in one night. Don't mess with me!"
Ah Cai glared and said unhappily, "That's also what the hotel makes. Isn't it normal for the hotel to make several times the profit when it's cooked? How much can a fishmonger like me make?"
"I won't argue with you. Just charge me twelve bucks and I'll sell it to you!"
"What? You're asking for too much! I'm going to lose money..."
"Then I'll take Agui's house..." Another purchasing point at the dock.
"Hey, hey, hey~ wait~ wait~ you young people are so impulsive. You want to leave before you even finish your words. Ten dollars, at most ten dollars... OK, OK... then twelve... twelve..."
Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes and hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he still did what he said. He knew that Ah Cai was cunning and made a lot of money.
This fish would be priced at several dozen dollars if it were put in a hotel, so how could he lose money
The prices of the remaining blue crabs are also reasonable, and are settled based on the daily purchase price.
This time it was only twenty or so dollars, and Acai didn't say how many days he would pay him. He just counted out the money and gave it to him.
"It's all settled now."
"Thank you very much!"
"You're welcome. Please bring me some good stuff next time. It's really troublesome during this typhoon. I have to send it to the pier to keep it..."
Ye Yaodong unbuttoned his raincoat, put the money away, then buttoned it up and hurried home. There was still a faint sun in the morning, but now a strong wind was blowing. The raindrops hitting his face were so painful. It was really horrible weather.
When we got home, the house was already filled with the aroma of food. It was a rare opportunity for the whole family to have some free time and get together.
When Father Ye saw him coming back, he quickly put down the tobacco in his hand and asked, "How much is that perch?"
"Twelve!"
"so tall?"
"Well, I made a random offer and blew him away, but I didn't expect him to accept it."
Father Ye was also speechless. How could this be possible
Ye's mother waved the spatula to stir the food, and asked with concern, "How much did all the goods sell for in total?"
"Twenty-five dollars and eighty cents!"
"Not bad, not bad. I made so much money just by going out for a walk. It's equivalent to what others would make in a whole day at sea."
Mrs. Ye couldn't help but say, "Yaodong has been really lucky recently. Every time he goes out for a walk, he gets a lot of rewards. He must have earned several hundred, right?"
The sour taste made him want to roll his eyes.
"Well, I've been lucky lately. I'm going to take a shower first."
"Dongzi, wash with hot water. You've been caught in the rain, so you can't take a cold shower or you will catch a cold." The old lady was sitting in front of the stove and lighting a fire. She handed him the thermos with a smile.
"OK."
Although he preferred cold showers, he still had to listen to the old lady.
It was raining outside, so he could only bring the water into the house to wash and give the money to his wife. As a result, as soon as he entered the house, he saw her sitting in front of the window, picking her palm with a needle.
"What happened? Did the sand get in?"
"Oh, yes."
"Let me pick it for you!"
"Take a shower first, don't catch a cold."
"Oh, this is the money from the sale. You can keep it. I'll keep the remaining 80 cents."
Lin Xiuqing took it and counted it, then said in surprise, "So many sold?"
"It's mainly because the grouper is expensive, and the blue crabs are fat, one weighs two kilograms, and the other fish are much cheaper."
"That's great. We were only out for half a morning and we gained so much. We made a lot of money."
"Well, did you collect the Melo Pearl?"
"Don't worry, I'm well hidden."