Clam shells are a very common marine organism, but because the growth limit of clam shells is fixed, clam shells longer than thirty centimeters are very rare.
Xiang Yang swam over quickly and grabbed the clam shell. Even if there was no pearl in such a big clam shell, it would definitely be delicious to eat.
After catching the clam shell, Xiang Yang signaled He Mingde and the others to wait underwater, while he swam towards the surface of the sea.
When they reached the surface, Fang Youqun, who was lying on the side of the boat counting water drops out of boredom, immediately saw Xiang Yang. He quickly shouted, "Brother Yang, why did you come out of the water so quickly? Is this area of the sea completely bare with no fish to catch?"
Xiang Yang smiled. From Fang Youqun's perspective, he must be expecting that there is nothing under the sea, because Fang Youqun had a bye this time.
However, the result was obviously disappointing to Fang Youqun.
Xiang Yang took off his net bag from his waist, and then shouted to Fang Youqun: "The net bag is full, help me pull it up."
"What?" Fang Youqun suspected that he had misheard. "Brother Yang, what did you just say? You've only been down there for a few minutes, and the net bag is already full?"
The other crew members who stayed behind also stretched their necks to look under the side of the ship, and as they looked, they underestimated and said, "Could it be that a net bag of sand came up on the boat?"
Because Xiang Yang's diving time was too short, the crew members left on the ship were not prepared to pick him up. Xiang Yang waited in the sea for more than a minute before a crew member on the deck threw a thick hemp rope with a hook over the side of the ship.
Xiang Yang hung the net bag on the hook at the end of the hemp rope and pulled it hard, then shouted to the deck: "Okay, you can pull it now."
Fang Youqun on the deck immediately pulled the hemp rope hard.
When the net was pulled onto the deck and Fang Youqun was cleaning the fish inside, he screamed again, "Oh my God, is this river clam a spirit?"
Master Xu, who was smoking nearby, also took a deep breath. "The clam shells we usually see are very small, and the largest ones are only as big as the palm of your hand. What the hell is this clam shell? I don't know how to deal with such a big river clam."
Every time Xiang Yang went out to sea, there would always be an old crew member left on the boat. This old crew member did not need to work, but he needed to sort out the catches brought up by the crew members who went out to sea. This time it was Master Xu's turn.
Clam shells are originally a relatively cheap marine life. If there are a large number of them, they will be thrown into the live water tank and taken back to Wu Shiwen. If there are a small number of them, they will be directly cut open and the clam meat will be refrigerated. However, the clam shell that Xiang Yang handed over now obviously cannot be treated as an ordinary clam shell.
Fang Youqun wanted to pry open the clam shell, but failed after trying several times.
At this time, Xu Fang said, "Don't use too much force. A clam shell this big can only be opened with the help of tools. Besides, whether or not to open this clam shell depends on the captain's instructions. Are you trying to get scolded by opening it now?"
"Impossible. Even if a clam shell grows this big, it can only be sold for a few hundred dollars at most. Brother Yang will definitely not sell this clam shell. You know, if there is a pearl inside the clam shell after it is opened, the price will be at least several thousand dollars." Fang Youqun said firmly.
Xu Fang also felt that what Fang Youqun said made sense, but he still said, "Let's wait a little longer. What if the captain makes another decision?"
"Look, the captain is coming up."
Xiang Yang climbed onto the deck, and Fang Youqun immediately asked, "Brother Yang, what should we do with this clam shell?"
"Cut it open and see if there are any pearls inside. If there are, take them out. If not, cut the clam meat into cubes and we'll make a pot of clam soup tonight."
Fang Youqun immediately looked at Xu Fang with pride.
Xu Fang took the clam shell and used a screwdriver to pry it hard on the edge of the shell.
“Pah.”
The clam shell opened with a sound, and the clam meat inside was bulging. With a cut with a knife, a dozen round pearls immediately rolled out.
"this... ... "
Everyone was stunned. Although these pearls were the most common milky white pearls, one of them was almost the size of a ping-pong ball. It was also round and full, exuding a rich luster and was obviously very valuable.
"Brother Yang." Fang Youqun swallowed his saliva and said excitedly, "This pearl should be more valuable than ordinary black pearls and gold pearls, right?"
Xiang Yang shook his head. "I'm lucky this time. I didn't expect to get a pearl of such high quality. But if you compare it with a rare treasure like black pearl, it's still far inferior."
Fang Youqun held the pearl in his hand, with deep admiration in his eyes.
"Milky white pearls are very common and generally not very valuable, but the one I opened now is big enough and the luster is rich enough, so it should be no problem to sell it for 20,000 yuan." Xu Fang said after putting away the screwdriver.
"As for these small pearls, the purchase price should be a few to dozens of yuan each. It's not a loss to pry open the clam shell."
"It's more than a break-even." Fang Youqun said with envy, "A pearl worth 20,000 yuan was found in a clam shell worth a few hundred yuan. This deal is a real win."
Xiang Yang took the big pearl with a smile, "I want this big one. The small ones are for everyone who sees them. You can each take two."
"What's the use of the small ones? They only cost a few dollars each." Fang Youqun said with a look of disdain.
"Don't give them to me." Xu Fang picked up four milky white pearls from the deck. "I'm going to take them back and make a pair of earrings for my wife and my mother."
"No, I want it." Fang Youqun said quickly, "I need a lot of pearls to make a pearl bracelet. These two are mine."
Xu Fang smiled and handed the two milky white pearls back to Fang Youqun.
"Okay, Master Xu." Xiang Yang said, "I'll have to trouble you to clean the clam meat and cut it into dices, then stew it in a pot of soup. This clam needs to be stewed until it's soft to be delicious."
Xu Fang nodded. He also liked to eat stewed clams.
There is a certain difference between the way fishermen eat seafood and the way bosses outside eat seafood.
Some people who are very picky about food will not cook seafood in order to enjoy the most delicious taste of seafood.
For example, many hotels will directly chop the clam meat into pieces and place it on a plate, which looks particularly appetizing. Even if it is cooked, it will not be overcooked and no seasonings will be added.
Fishermen are different. They deal with the ocean every day and eat a variety of seafood every day. In the eyes of fishermen, a bottle of Lao Gan Ma may be more delicious than lobster and abalone. Therefore, fishermen are accustomed to using a variety of cooking methods when eating seafood.