Chapter 41 - 50

Jiang Xia had no idea he was being targeted by the female lead.

At this moment, Zhou's mother, the eldest son's family, and his great-grandmother's family also rushed over.

Tian Caihua's eyes turned red when she saw Jiang Xia had already collected a basket of shrimp and half a basket of fish, while Zhou's father was still collecting piles of shrimp. She couldn't help but blurt out, "You've picked up all the fish and shrimp on this beach! Why didn't you call us earlier?"Full novel: After transmigrating into the book, she became wealthy in the 1980s. — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠

Besides shrimp, there were also some fish swept ashore by the tornado. A fish was worth more than a shrimp, so Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia would pick them up first.

Jiang Xia didn't even bother to acknowledge Tian Caihua, not even glancing at her.

The more she paid attention to this kind of person, the more smug she became. She'd rather spend her time picking up a few more shrimp and making more money.

Let her talk to herself and suffer in silence!

Zhou Chenglei also remained silent.

Father Zhou: "Didn't Xia say she wanted to come even though it's raining heavily? Hurry up and pick them up! Pick as many as possible before the others arrive. Xia and A-Lei came in the rain."

Tian Caihua pursed her lips, forgetting her sourness, and quickly ran to a densely populated area to pick shrimp.

She used a small iron shovel to pile the shrimp together, but seeing Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei use rakes to quickly gather the shrimp from the surrounding area together!

She was filled with regret! She

should have brought a rake too.

She even suspected that Jiang Xia had known there were so many shrimp on the beach all along.

But how could that be?

It could only be said that she was lucky by accident.

Some people are born with exceptionally good luck, like Jiang Xia, whose father is a high-ranking official and mother is a factory manager. It is said that she always rode in a jeep to school since she was a child.

God is so unfair. She was almost abandoned because she was born a girl, and going to school was out of the question .

Mother Zhou and Great-Grandma were together, and they also noticed that the improved rakes in Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei's hands were very useful.

Great-Grandma asked, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​weaving the rake like this?"

Zhou's mother laughed, "Xia did it."

Great-Grandma exclaimed, "Oh my, Xia is so clever! Cultured people really do have sharp minds!"

Zhou's mother wholeheartedly agreed, beaming as she looked at the basket full of shrimp.

Jiangxia's sea transport was truly excellent. After typhoons, where would you find so many shrimp? It was a once-in-a-century event! While

others were gathering seafood, she was gathering seafood, and on her first visit, the beach was overflowing with fish and shrimp waiting for her to collect.

Zhou's mother regretted not coming along earlier.

She excitedly picked up shrimp from the beach.

As the rain lessened, more villagers arrived to gather seafood, and the beach grew increasingly crowded.

In less than half an hour, the entire beach was packed with people.

Zhou Chenglei called to his father to collect the shrimp from the net.

With so many people on the beach, and since they had already collected quite a few shrimp, Jiang Xia decided to head towards the rocks.

Zhou Chenglei saw her walk away and called out, "Jiang Xia, where are you going?"

Jiang Xia pointed towards the rocks, "I'm going to check over there."

Zhou Chenglei cautioned her, "Be careful, the surface of the rocks might be slippery."

Jiang Xia nodded, indicating she understood, and then carried her bucket towards the rocks.

Wen Wan heard Zhou Chenglei calling Jiang Xia's name, looked over, and saw Jiang Xia heading towards the rocks. Her heart pounded!

She had searched the beach thoroughly but couldn't find the two pearl conches from her dream; they must be among the rocks. She

couldn't let Jiang Xia find them first!

She still needed to earn money for her tuition.

Wen Wan also hurriedly walked towards the rocks.

Jiang Xia saw Wen Wan walk past her quickly towards the rocks but didn't pay any attention.

The beach wasn't hers; whoever wanted to go where they wanted was free, it wasn't her business.

Jiang Xia walked at a leisurely pace, occasionally digging with a small shovel at bubbling vents to see if there were any shellfish.

Jiang Xia slowly made his way towards the pile of rocks while digging an air hole.

Suddenly, something large flew over and hit Jiang Xia's calf.

Jiang Xia glanced at the large creature that had landed at her feet—a conch shell covered in thorns. It

was enormous, and the thorns were incredibly long!

Jiang Xia felt a wave of fear wash over her; thankfully, she was wearing tall water boots, otherwise her calves would have been riddled with bloody holes!

But one spot on her calf still stung!

Jiang Xia lifted her trouser leg to look, and sure enough, she had been pricked!

A drop of blood quickly formed and trickled down her fair skin into her water boot.

Jiang Xia quickly pressed the wound.

Zhou Junjie had almost stepped on a thorny conch shell; if he had, even with his boots on, his foot would probably be ruined!

In a fit of anger, he kicked it away, but it hit Jiang Xia instead.

It must have hit Jiang Xia's foot!

Jiang Xia's skin was so white and delicate; only a small part of her leg was visible, making it appear almost glowing from a distance.

He was about to walk over, to take the opportunity to check on her, to touch her...

but Pan Daidi grabbed him, "Where are you going?"

"Someone got hit, I'm going to check if they're hurt."

Pan Daidi had also seen that Jiang Xia had been hit and was bleeding.

Jiang Xia's skin was so fair that the bleeding was particularly noticeable.

She quickly pulled Zhou Junjie away, exasperated, "Are you stupid? Going up there now, are you trying to pay for medical expenses? Of course, you'll deny it! There are so many people on the beach, who knows who hit them! Don't admit it!"

At this moment, Jiang Xia also looked up to see who had kicked such a dangerous object.

In that direction, she saw Pan Daidi and her son, and several villagers bending down to pick things up.

She thought it was Pan Daidi and her son who had kicked it, but she hadn't seen them.

"Who kicked that conch shell! It hurt someone!"

Pan Daidi shouted back, "We didn't see it, it wasn't us!"

In the distance, Zhou Chenglei saw Jiang Xia roll up her trousers and see that her calf was bleeding.

The shrimp in the net had all been collected, and he handed the remaining net to Zhou's father to put away before rushing over.

Wen Wan also happened to see Jiang Xia being hit, and she even saw the big thing that had hit Jiang Xia!

Wen Wan's breath caught in her throat!

The conch shell that had opened to reveal a pearl in her dream!

Because it was covered in thorns, she remembered it very clearly.

Wen Wan rushed over.

She hoped Jiang Xia wouldn't pick it up, wouldn't pick it up!

She wasn't from the seaside, she probably wouldn't know, right?

Zhou Chenglei ran over, and Jiang Xia was bending over, pressing on the bleeding spot.

He squatted down: "How did you get hurt? Let me see."

"It's nothing, I don't know who kicked this thing, it hit my calf. Luckily I was wearing rubber boots, which protected me, and I only got pricked by one long thorn, otherwise my leg would be ruined."

"Let me see how deep the wound is." Zhou Chenglei was worried.

If such a sharp wound is too deep, a tetanus shot is necessary as a precaution.

Jiang Xia released her grip: "It wasn't very deep. The bone blocked it, and the water shoes absorbed most of the force."

Zhou Chenglei glanced at it; thankfully, the wound wasn't very deep. He looked up at her, "Does your bone hurt? I'll take you to the clinic."

Being hit by such a large sea snail, he wondered if it had broken any bones.

Another trip to the clinic? Jiang Xia quickly shook her head: "No, it didn't hit me with much force. No need to go to the clinic, it's not that serious. If we go, the doctor will laugh at us; look, the blood isn't even flowing."

Zhou Chenglei also remembered taking her to the doctor when she had a fever: "It's normal to see a doctor when you're injured."

Wen Wan walked over at this moment, glanced at the sea snail, and said gently, "Sister Jiang Xia, are you hurt? Are you alright?"

Jiang Xia was surprised that she would take the initiative to help, and replied, "I'm fine, I was hit by this thing. I don't know who kicked it."

Jiang Xia gently kicked the sea snail with her foot. The

sea snail rolled to Wen Wan's feet.

Wen Wan's heart skipped a beat, then she casually bent down to pick it up.

Wen Wan's hand almost touched the giant sea clam when a delicate white hand grabbed the longest spine and picked it up. Wen Wan's

pupils contracted sharply, and she abruptly looked up at Jiang Xia, realizing something. She tried to keep her tone calm and said softly, "Jiang Xia, this thing has so many spines; it's not good to leave it on the beach and hurt people. Should I throw it away?"

Jiang Xia carefully examined the giant sea clam. She remembered the scene in the book; she had even looked up pictures, but she wasn't sure. She asked Zhou Chenglei, "Do you recognize this thing?"

"Giant sea clam," Zhou Chenglei replied.

Even if Jiang Xia didn't pick it up, he was prepared to. This big thing had a chance of yielding pearls, although the chance was very slim.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia put it in the bucket: "This thing is quite pretty, I'll take it home as a decoration."

Wen Wan: "..."

She said unwillingly, "With so many thorns, aren't you afraid of getting pricked if you take it home? I think you should just throw it away! Sister Jiang Xia, don't you have a child at home? The child is playful, it wouldn't be good if they took it to play with."

Jiang Xia: "Don't worry, I'll put it on the wall, to keep out thieves and protect the house."

Wen Wan: "..."

Ah!

She was so angry!

Just a little bit!

Just a little bit!

Who kicked it? Why didn't they kick this orangutan clam at her?

Jiang Xia ignored the female lead and said to Zhou Chenglei, "I'll go back to the reef to check."

Zhou Chenglei was worried about her going alone.

"I'll go check too."

Wen Wan then came to her senses: Right, there's also a pearl conch!

She quickly ran back to the reef to look for it.

This time, she absolutely couldn't let Jiang Xia find it first.

Neither of the couple noticed Wen Wan, who had inexplicably come and then left so carelessly.

After the typhoon, the sky remained overcast, and the waves were large, but the tide was gradually receding, revealing more and more reefs.

The couple walked together towards the reef, occasionally bending down to pick up a shrimp or dig out a shellfish from a vent and toss it into the bucket.

White clams and mantis shrimp were quite delicious, and Jiang Xia loved them too.

They would collect some to keep in the seawater; the next day, the shellfish would purge all the mud, though they were a little worried they wouldn't survive.

The beach was now full of people collecting shrimp and shellfish, but there were few people near the reef because the waves were still large there, constantly crashing against the rocks.

The waves were very high, and Zhou Chenglei instructed Jiang Xia not to go where the waves were hitting, but to search among the exposed reefs.

Jiang Xia agreed.

The two searched at a distance, neither too close nor too far.

Jiang Xia quickly found a crab larger than her palm in a crevice, and immediately picked it up with her pliers.

Seeing the iron pincers reach out, the crab raised its two pincers and clamped them between the iron pincers' legs, making Jiang Xia's grip even stronger.

She put the crab directly into the bucket and continued searching, finding another flower crab. The locals didn't like to eat these, but Jiang Xia loved them.

After searching for a while, she still hadn't found anything good as she'd hoped.

Suddenly, Jiang Xia saw a very large white conch shell, almost the size of a watermelon, in a crevice in the rocks not far away.

She wasn't sure if it was edible, but she went over anyway.

Wen Wan kept glancing at Jiang Xia, and when she saw Jiang Xia's gaze fall in a certain direction, she looked over and her pupils contracted!

A conch shell!

A huge conch shell!

The conch shell that produced pearls in her dream!

Wen Wan ran straight over.

Seeing her run, Jiang Xia immediately jumped up.

Damn it!

Where's her sportsmanship?

This is clearly trying to steal it!

Zhou Chenglei saw Jiang Xia jumping and running across the rocks with her bucket, her body swaying like the bucket in her hands.

His heart was in his throat; if he slipped and fell, it would be a serious matter!

He rushed over.

Jiang Xia leaped to the conch shell and picked it up—goodness, it was heavy!

Holding the conch shell, she looked at Wen Wan defiantly.

Wen Wan wasn't as fast as Jiang Xia; she was a step slower. Seeing Jiang Xia pick up the conch shell, she panicked, slipped, and fell.

Wen Wan's knee was scraped, and a burning pain spread throughout her body, but she didn't bother to check it.

She quickly got up and shouted, "Jiang Xia, that Emperor Tang Crown Conch is mine! I saw it first!"

Jiang Xia, such a civilized, well-mannered, gentle, and beautiful person, couldn't help but swear: "You're talking nonsense! You found nothing!" Wen

Wan: "..."

Zhou Chenglei: "..."

His lips twitched, but his eyes were filled with laughter.

Wen Wan was always gentle and would never say such vulgar things; she was also not one to argue with people.

But thinking of the two pearls she had missed, her eyes reddened with heartache. She looked at Zhou Chenglei: "I just found this conch shell, but it was too heavy to pick it up. I'll pick it up when I leave. Brother Zhou, this conch shell is mine! Jiang Xia picked up my conch shell."

Jiang Xia: "Don't call me Brother Zhou, even if you call him husband, it won't work! Even if the Heavenly King himself came, this conch shell would still be mine!"

Zhou Chenglei strode over to Jiang Xia's side, ignoring Wen Wan, and said to Jiang Xia with a dark face: "What nonsense are you talking about? Why are you running? Don't you know it's dangerous?"

What do you mean by calling him husband? Can you just say that like that? Whose husband is he? Doesn't she know?

Jiang Xia: "This white lotus wanted to steal my conch shell, how could I not run?" If

she didn't run, she'd be a fool!

Zhou Chenglei didn't understand why Jiang Xia called Wen Wan a white lotus, but he wisely didn't point out her mistake. Wen Wan

was furious. Having been reborn, she naturally understood what "white lotus" meant.

She wasn't good at arguing, but Jiang Xia's words made her blush. She hated sarcastic remarks, so she said to Zhou Chenglei, "Brother Zhou, I really saw this conch first, so it should be mine."

Jiang Xia: "You saw it first, so it's yours? According to you, I was the first to arrive at this beach, so all the seafood on the beach is mine? Why are you picking it up?" Zhou Chenglei

: "You saw it first, so it's yours? Jiang Xia was the first to arrive, so everything on the beach is hers?"

Wen Wan: "..."

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei spoke in unison, leaving Wen Wan speechless.

After Jiang Xia finished speaking, she couldn't help but glance at Zhou Chenglei, not expecting him to say almost the same thing as her.

After Zhou Chenglei finished speaking, he ignored Wen Wan, took the conch from Jiang Xia's hand and put it in the bucket, helping her up: "Let's go! Don't run next time, it's just a conch, it's not worth falling."

Jiang Xia ignored him.

Zhou Chenglei added, "Nothing is more important than your health..."

Wen Wan watched as Jiang Xia was helped away by Zhou Chenglei, his words filled with concern. She looked down and rolled up her trouser leg; her knee was indeed scraped, a large gash the size of a fist, bleeding. A wave of injustice, resentment, and grievance surged through her, and her eyes reddened.

She had been reborn, possessing a cheat ability to dream of the future and gain an advantage.

She had even dreamt of two pearl conches.

And she had arrived at this reef first, so why was she still a step behind Jiang Xia?

She and Jiang Xia discovered the conches at the same time, yet she was further away from them.

Heaven was always so unfair to her!

The first pearl conch was presented to Jiang Xia, and the second one was also spotted by Jiang Xia at a glance, closer, giving her the advantage.

Wen Wan watched Zhou Chenglei carrying a bucket in one hand and supporting Jiang Xia with the other, her resentment growing even stronger.

One day, Zhou Chenglei would become her husband.

She would call him "husband" openly and naturally.

Wen Wan thought of how Zhou Chenglei had saved her from being swept away by the waves in her dream. Looking at the churning sea, she walked towards it.

He had been a soldier; he wouldn't stand idly by and watch someone die.

Jiang Xia stopped paying attention to what the female lead was doing and continued searching among the rocks for anything to pick up. She even moved some of the movable stones, but found nothing.

Zhou Chenglei followed beside her with a bucket.

Jiang Xia shooed him away, "Why are you following me? Split up and pick them up! Hurry up and finish so we can go home; it's almost dark. See if there are any crabs left; it'd be good to pick up a couple more."

"Crabs are cold in nature; eating too many isn't good." Zhou Chenglei was following her because he was worried she'd fall, but being disliked by her, he had to leave to find the crabs she loved.

Jiang Xia carefully moved forward, picking up small mussels, oysters, and other shellfish. Even a few mosquitoes were still meat; she wouldn't let anything edible go to waste.

Not far along, she found a blue-green fish, a wrasse, already dead. Jiang Xia lifted the gill cover and saw it was still bright red, meaning it was still fresh, so she picked it up and put it in the bucket.

Slowly walking forward, the reef was almost at its end, leading to a beach with many people.

Jiang Xia initially thought there was nothing to buy, but unexpectedly, she saw a red shell protruding from the rocks in a small puddle.

Judging by the shell, Jiang Xia thought it was a shrimp.

Her heart leaped!

Jiang Xia put the bucket aside, squatted down, and realizing her arms weren't long enough, she simply lay down on the rocks, waiting for her chance.

Zhou Chenglei kept an eye on Jiang Xia's movements, and when he turned his head, he saw her with her rear end sticking out, lying on the rocks.

Zhou Chenglei: "..."

He didn't know what she had discovered, but he walked towards her.

After Jiang Xia lay down, more of the shell gradually emerged, and when half of its body was exposed, Jiang Xia decisively grabbed it and pulled it up!

She held a red mantis shrimp in her hand!

Zhou Chenglei raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Xia turned to Zhou Chenglei, her smile radiant: "I caught a mantis shrimp!"

Zhou Chenglei continued to approach, noticing the excitement in her voice, and glanced at it: "It's a mantis shrimp, these are delicious."

The mantis shrimp's meat is firm yet tender, with a rich and delicious flavor, similar to lobster, but its texture is even smoother and more delicate.

"Expensive, right?"

"Yeah." But these shrimp aren't often caught, and thinking that Jiang Xia probably hadn't eaten them before, he said, "We've collected so many shrimp today, you can keep this big one to try."

Jiang Xia: "Sure."

Money can't be earned forever, so you should enjoy yourself when you can.

Zhou Chenglei placed the bucket in front of her: "Put it in the bucket."

Zhou Chenglei didn't just pick up anything. Jiang Xia saw a sea bass, a moray eel, and several crabs in his bucket. The crabs were alive, but the fish were dead.

The moray eel looked a bit like a snake, and Jiang Xia's heart skipped a beat. She quickly put the shrimp in.

Zhou Chenglei picked up the bucket she had placed on the ground: "Let's go!"

"Okay," Jiang Xia replied, but couldn't help glancing around unconsciously.

In that glance, she saw waves crashing against the rocks, a flash of white.

Jiang Xia immediately exclaimed, "There's something there!"

and strode over.

"Don't go! The waves are big!" Zhou Chenglei shouted, quickly following.

"I won't go near," Jiang Xia replied, but as she approached, the waves crashed down, filling her water boots.

She saw a very long, very flat fish writhing in a crevice between the rocks, almost dead.

It must have only recently come ashore; its abdomen was swollen.

"It's a ribbonfish."

The ribbonfish had sharp teeth, and thankfully, it looked almost dead and probably didn't have much strength left.

"I'll handle this. You stay away." Zhou Chenglei jumped in, grabbing its head with one hand and its body with the other.

The moment he grabbed it, the ribbonfish struggled,

splashing water all over Jiang Xia's face.

Jiang Xia, carrying a snakeskin bag, had already opened it and was waiting.

Zhou Chenglei pierced its abdomen and threw the ribbonfish inside.

The ribbonfish was huge and long, probably weighing over ten kilograms.

Because they'd found another ribbonfish, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia looked around the reef area again, but finding nothing else, they left.

Zhou Chenglei carried the two buckets and the ribbonfish, leaving Jiang Xia to carry nothing.

Jiang Xia only had a pair of pliers and a small shovel.

They walked back.

Jiang Xia, still not giving up, kept looking around.

Suddenly, a cry of alarm came from afar: "Someone's been swept away by the waves!"

Jiang Xia was startled and looked over, seeing a white figure bobbing up and down in the waves.

The woman was wearing white.

Zhou Chenglei quickly dropped what he was carrying and ran over.

Jiang Xia followed.

But inexplicably, her foot slipped on the reef, and she fell face-first onto it. A

sharp pain shot through her knee!

Her shoes were soaked from the waves, and her trousers were rolled up, revealing beads of blood welling up from her knee.

Jiang Xia tried to get up, but the pain made her gasp, "Ouch!"

Zhou Chenglei seemed to sense something, turning around and glancing at the beach: several people were rushing forward to rescue her.

They were all excellent swimmers.

Zhou Chenglei turned back to Jiang Xia and looked her over; her knees and ankles were scraped and bleeding profusely.

He frowned, "Let me check if you've sprained anything."

Zhou Chenglei gently grasped her ankles and calves, gently moving them.

No sprained joints.

Zhou Chenglei relaxed and glanced at the beach again.

Jiang Xia looked over as well.

Just then, a large wave crashed in, carrying the white figure back to the sand.

Several people rushed forward and quickly pulled the person onto the beach.

She was alright.

Zhou Chenglei felt relieved and looked away from Jiang Xia, saying, "I'll carry you back."

Jiang Xia shook her head and stood up, "It's nothing, just a scrape. I can walk by myself. You carry the things."

This little injury was nothing. She had fallen off her electric bike and hurt herself much worse when she was rushing to work before, scraping half of her arm and thigh, but she still got up by herself and went to work.

Zhou Chenglei watched her knee bleeding, yet she walked forward as if nothing had happened, and his heart inexplicably clenched.

He picked up two buckets and a snakeskin bag with one hand, then came to Jiang Xia, and without saying a word, he scooped her up in his long arm and carried her forward!

Jiang Xia was startled when he carried her like a child with one arm, and she hugged his neck, her face turning bright red, "What are you doing? I can walk by myself, put me down."

"Don't move." Zhou Chenglei didn't put her down, carrying her towards the shore.

Jiang Xia didn't dare to move, and she subconsciously looked around.

The beach was packed with people, but thankfully, since someone had just been swept away by the waves, everyone was watching the spectacle and no one paid them any attention.

In the distance, Wen Wan was dragged onto the sand, a wave of fear washing over her.

She instinctively glanced at the people who had rescued her, but none of them were Zhou Chenglei.

She frantically searched for Zhou Chenglei, and then saw him carrying two buckets in one hand and Jiang Xia in the other, walking towards the shore.

Wen Wan: "..."

He actually just stood by and watched her die?

Zhou Chenglei carried Jiang Xia away from the beach before putting her down, then took her home and took out Yunnan Baiyao to apply medicine to her wounds.

Jiang Xia said, "Just use mercurochrome. This powder is almost gone, don't waste it. You still need to apply medicine to your arm."

Her arm wound was deeper.

Zhou Chenglei didn't say anything, and sprinkled the powder on the wounds on her knees and ankles as if it were free.

After finishing, he stood up: "I'm going to the beach to sell those shrimp. You stay at home and don't wander around."

Jiang Xia couldn't help but say, "When did I wander around?"

Zhou Chenglei didn't say anything. She didn't seem to be wandering around, but...

he didn't know how to put it, but he just felt that she was quite disobedient.

Jiang Xia didn't argue with him: "Sell that shrimp, that blue-skinned fish, and anything else valuable in the bucket. Sell whatever you think is worthwhile. Don't sell the giant sea clam."

Zhou Chenglei agreed and went out, collecting the shrimp and blue-skinned fish that Jiang Xia had caught from her bucket and putting them in his own. He didn't plan to sell the giant sea clam, though; it was a giant conch, so big, he didn't know if it had any pearls inside.

He also didn't sell the crabs Jiang Xia had collected. She liked to eat them, so he collected a few too. Since they had eaten dinner early, he'd steam them for her with the shrimp as a late-night snack.

The rest were some white clams, blood clams, oysters, and mantis shrimp—these weren't valuable, so he wouldn't sell them. He'd collect some seawater to raise them for their own consumption.

After sorting everything, Zhou Chenglei picked up the bucket and the large ribbonfish in the snakeskin bag, pushed the cart, and went out.

It was already getting dark, and Jiang Xia guessed they wouldn't be back anytime soon.

She went out to boil water, intending to wash her hair and take a bath.

Jiang Xia went out and saw the mantis shrimp and several crabs in the bucket, obviously saved for her, since only she liked crabs.

Oysters, mussels, and other shellfish were placed on the ground, piled up in a small heap; the oysters weren't very big.

The large conch and the orangutan clam weren't for sale either.

Jiang Xia felt a little hungry; she had eaten dinner before four in the afternoon, and it was already past seven.

White porridge was simmering on the coal stove, cooked by Zhou's mother; she didn't know if it was saved for dinner or for breakfast tomorrow.

Jiang Xia figured they would be hungry when they got back from their work, so she decided to shuck some oysters and make an oyster, shrimp, and crab seafood porridge.

Mr. Jiang Xia boiled water before shucking the oysters. Just

as they had shucked a small plate of oysters and prepared the mantis shrimp and crabs, Zhou Chenglei and his father brought back two baskets of shrimp.

Jiang Xia asked in surprise, "Why aren't you selling?"

Zhou's mother replied, "There were too many people selling shrimp today, and the purchasing center said it's too late and they won't be fresh by tomorrow, so the price they offered was too low. A-Lei said he'd bring them back to dry and sell them."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia added, "There aren't many dried shrimp here. Why don't we buy shrimp from everyone else in the village?"

Zhou Chenglei, who was unloading shrimp from his cart, glanced at her.

Zhou's father smiled and said, "Xia's idea coincides with A-Lei's."

Zhou's mother said with some pain, "A-Lei, your older brother, Great-Grandma, and a few other families said they'd buy their shrimp. They'll pay five cents a pound more than the purchasing center." They

hadn't even made any money, and they were paying five cents a pound more than the purchasing center.

This spendthrift son was really generous; Zhou's mother's heart ached.

Jiang Xia said, "It's okay, we can earn it back once they're dried."

Zhou's mother said, "You and Lei are right. But if we dry them, we have to take them to the market in the city to sell them. It's hard to sell them in town, it's too much trouble."

Zhou's mother felt that if she didn't sell her shrimp, at least she wouldn't lose money. Even if she dried them and couldn't sell them, she could eat them slowly and it wouldn't go to waste. But paying other people to buy shrimp wasn't worthwhile; if she couldn't sell them, she would lose money.

Besides, the weather was bad, who knew if the sun would come out tomorrow? If the shrimp didn't dry and went bad, it would be a huge loss.

Zhou's father said, "We can dry some fish later, and sell them together when we don't have to go out to sea. Why are you worrying so much?"

Jiang Xia agreed. She didn't say anything more and changed the subject: "The water's boiled, Mom, go take a shower. I'll make some oyster and shrimp porridge for later."

Since she wasn't selling the shrimp, she would add a few more shrimp to the porridge to make it sweeter.

Zhou's mother said, "Don't wash them yet. The hot water will be ready soon. I'll blanch the shrimp in the hot water and then dry them."

She got right to work; with so many shrimp, she was worried they'd smell bad.

Jiang Xia also took a pound of shrimp, washed them, blanched them in boiling water, and added them to the porridge. More shrimp would make the porridge sweeter.

Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia's knees, but she had already lowered her trousers and couldn't see them, so he didn't say anything more. He carried the two baskets of shrimp into the kitchen and poured them into two large iron pots in batches.

Zhou's mother had already divided the water from one large iron pot into two.

They blanched the shrimp in the hot water and spread them out to dry. Jiang Xia also finished making the porridge and told them to eat first before continuing.

The family was indeed hungry, and they all picked up bowls of porridge and began to eat.

Jiang Xia handed Zhou Zhou a bowl of porridge brimming with shrimp, oysters, and crab, and asked Zhou Chenglei, "Why didn't you sell the remaining giant conch?"

Zhou Chenglei replied, "That conch is a King Conch, and like the Orangutan Clam, it has a chance of yielding pearls."

Jiang Xia stopped eating her porridge and immediately went out to retrieve the giant conch and clam back to her room.

Someone was coming to sell shrimp soon.

Although she didn't know if there were any pearls, she would feel a pang of regret if someone stole them.

Just then, Zhou's mother called from the yard, "A-Lei, someone's brought shrimp! Come out quickly."

Zhou Chenglei responded, hurriedly finished his porridge, and went back to his room. He took out a stack of loose change from a metal box and gave it to Jiang Xia: "You'll be in charge of settling accounts with the villagers later. Here's 150 yuan. If you need more, come back in and get more from the box."

"Okay," Jiang Xia accepted.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei quickly went out.

Jiang Xia first found a plastic woven basket to carry the change, which she conveniently draped over her arm.

Several villagers came to the courtyard, each carrying a bucket half-full of shrimp.

Wen Wan stood behind them, carrying two burlap sacks.

After falling into the water, she went home to change her clothes and came to sell shrimp.

She glanced at the bowl of porridge Zhou's mother was holding, filled with shrimp, oysters, and crab, and unconsciously swallowed.

The Zhou family was really rich; their food was so good.

No wonder Jiang Xia stayed after her rebirth and even arranged for a division of the family property.

Zhou's father had already prepared the scales, and he and Zhou Chenglei were in charge of weighing the shrimp.

Pan Daidi was the first to rush out carrying a bucket: "Weigh mine first!"

Zhou Chenglei weighed hers first; it wasn't even half a bucket of shrimp. After weighing it, he subtracted the weight of the bucket: "One jin and six liang."

Pan Daidi: "Why is it so little? Is your scale accurate?"

Zhou Chenglei: "If you think it's inaccurate, you can sell it at the purchasing center."

Pan Daidi: "Never mind, never mind, I'm too lazy to bother. Just pay! How much? Can someone help me calculate?"

A gentle, sweet voice rang out: "35 cents a jin, one jin and six liang is 56 cents."

The villagers were still calculating, but they didn't expect Wen Wan to figure it out so quickly.

Someone praised, "Xiao Wan is really good at math."

Zhou Min, a girl from the village who was Wen Wan's classmate and friend, said, "Wan is the best student in our school, always ranking first in the whole school in exams, of course she's good at math."

She then glanced at Jiang Xia, "But Jiang Xia's wife must be even better at math! After all, she's from the city, she should be more educated."

Pan Daidi, remembering Jiang Xia's previous refusal to talk to her, immediately said, "That's right, isn't Lei's wife from the city? Isn't she supposed to be very educated? She couldn't even do such a small number?"

Upon hearing Pan Daidi's words, everyone else, eager for a good show, watched to see how Jiang Xia would respond.

Jiang Xia's reaction was that her expression didn't change at all; she handed over the fifty-six cents she had already counted.

Seeing that Jiang Xia ignored her completely, showing no reaction whatsoever, and maintaining her arrogant attitude of not taking her seriously, Pan Daidi felt even more aggrieved. She snatched the money.

Wen Wan hadn't expected Jiang Xia to be so composed, remaining silent even after being mocked so sarcastically.

Wasn't she supposed to be spoiled?

But someone who failed the college entrance exam three times probably wasn't very good at math; she was probably afraid of embarrassing herself!

Wen Wan decided to show off; she was incredibly fast at math.

Before Jiang Xia entered, Zhou's mother had told everyone that Jiang Xia was from the city and cultured.

Well, let Zhou's mother see who was truly cultured.

One by one, the villagers took turns weighing the shrimp. Each time, Wen Wan could announce the amount three or four seconds after Zhou Chenglei announced the weight.

The villagers had little or no education, and before they could even react, Wen Wan had already calculated it.

Everyone was full of admiration and couldn't help but praise her.

"Wen Wan, you're so fast!"

"She's amazing! Lei just finished speaking, and she'd already calculated it."

"She's definitely a future college student; Wen Wan will be the first college student in our town!"

...

While praising Wen Wan, everyone took the money Jiang Xia handed them. No one noticed that Jiang Xia immediately started counting the money after Zhou Chenglei announced the amount.

Everyone assumed Jiang Xia counted the money only after hearing the amount Wen Wan had given.

Every time Wen Wan announced the amount of money, everyone praised her:

"Wen Wan is amazing! You'll be taking the college entrance exam next year, right? You'll definitely get into university. Which university do you want to go to?"

"Peking University? That's the best university in the country! Amazing, amazing!"

"Of course you can get in! You'll definitely get in!"

...

Wen Wan stood there in her only white dress, surrounded by admirers.

This was a feeling she had never experienced before.

But in her dreams, she had experienced it—marrying Zhou Chenglei and becoming the wife of a billionaire, returning to the village with him.

Back then, everyone fawned over her, respected her, and their envious eyes followed her.

Just like now, as long as she stood next to Zhou Chenglei, she would attract attention.

Zhou's mother glanced at Wen Wan.

Wen Wan was also the daughter-in-law Zhou's mother had initially chosen. If her son hadn't been unwilling to get married a couple of years ago, they might already have a child together.

She then glanced at Jiang Xia, but Jiang Xia was doing well now too. She hoped to have a grandson soon.

People continued to bring shrimp over, and hearing everyone praising Wen Wan's quick math skills, they all stayed to watch the excitement.

Wenwan lived up to expectations, calculating quickly each time.

At this moment, Zhou Chenglei and his father weighed the shrimp from his great-grandmother's house.

His great-grandmother's family was large and strong, and they arrived relatively early, so they collected more than others.

The Zhou family's scale could only weigh a maximum of twenty jin at a time, requiring two weighings, which took some time.

Seeing how capable Wen Wan was, Tian Caihua wanted her to give her sons some pointers on math, so she praised her, "Wan, you're really good at math! You must always be number one, right?"

Wen Wan modestly replied, "No, I'm not that good. Sister Jiang Xia goes to the city's top high school, which is much better than mine. She must be much better at math than me."

Zhou Min exclaimed, "Wan, you're too modest! You're number one in the school! And after a year of high school, you had to drop out because you couldn't afford the tuition. You had to earn the money to go back to school, and you came back first in the exams!" "How can those who failed the college entrance exam three times compare to you?"

Tian Caihua said upon hearing Wen Wan's impressive performance, "Wen Wan, my sons aren't good at studying, they can't even do math. Could you teach them when you have time?"

Wen Wan smiled slightly, "Sister-in-law Tian, ​​Yingying is exaggerating. I only got first place overall, and I don't always get first place in math, just occasionally. Some boys are much better at math than me. I think Sister Jiang Xia is definitely better than me, Sister Tian, ​​it would be better if she taught her."

After saying that, Wen Wan couldn't help but glance at Jiang Xia.

Tian Caihua had gone to such lengths to ask her to tutor her son in math, what did Jiang Xia, her proper aunt, think?

Actually, she didn't understand why Jiang Xia had the courage to take the college entrance exam three times. She really didn't have the courage; she felt so ashamed.

She also admired Jiang Xia for being able to remain calm even when people talked about her like that.

No wonder she could still stay even after being caught red-handed by Zhou Chenglei for eloping with Wu Qizhi.

She was shameless.

“She can’t teach them!” Tian Caihua pursed her lips. She didn’t think Jiang Xia was capable; she was just good at pretending.

But remembering her earlier harsh tone, she added, “Children who don’t listen to their own family are born to be taught by outsiders. They won’t listen to Jiang Xia.”

At this moment, Zhou’s father and Zhou Chenglei weighed the shrimp from Great-Grandma’s house. After deducting the weight of the bucket, Zhou Chenglei said, “A total of thirty-two jin and three liang.”

Thirty-odd jin was the heaviest so far; previously, they were only one or two jin.

Great-Grandma’s family, thanks to Jiang Xia’s reminder, had arrived early and collected a lot.

Everyone subconsciously looked at Wen Wan, waiting for her to calculate the price.

Jiang Xia handed a stack of money to her great-grandmother: "It's eleven yuan, thirty cents, and five fen in total. Rounding up, the five fen will be counted as one fen. Great-grandmother, here's eleven yuan, thirty cents, and one fen. Please count it."

Her great-grandmother took the money, smiling broadly, "No need to count, I trust your calculations."

Zhou Min: "Great-grandmother, wait! Sister Jiang Xia, Wen Wan hasn't even finished calculating yet? Why are you giving me the money so quickly?"

Jiang Xia, head down, writing down the accounts, said calmly, "She hasn't finished calculating yet, what does that have to do with me? The money I'm giving isn't her money, nor is it your money. Why should you care?"

Zhou Min: "..." She

was furious!

No good deed went unrewarded; all that effort from Xiao Wan in helping her calculate was wasted!

How could someone as arrogant and disdainful as her be so lucky as to marry Zhou Chenglei?

Zhou Min looked at Wen Wan: "Xiao Wan, is this the correct amount? Did she make a mistake?"

Everyone also looked at Wen Wan.

Wen Wan had also calculated it, her feelings a little complicated.

Jiang Xia hadn't made a mistake, but how could she have calculated it so quickly?

As soon as Brother Zhou announced the number, she started calculating too, but Jiang Xia finished before her.

Wen Wan smiled and said, "I was talking to Sister-in-law Tian, ​​so I didn't calculate. Sister Jiang Xia wouldn't have made a mistake."

Tian Caihua nodded, "Yes, yes, yes, Xiao Wan was talking to me, so she didn't calculate."

Otherwise, how could Jiang Xia be faster than Xiao Wan?

Then it was the next woman's turn. She didn't trust Jiang Xia and said to Wen Wan, "Xiao Wan, can you help me calculate? I'm illiterate and can't do math."

Wen Wan glanced at Jiang Xia

and smiled, "Okay." But this time, the amount Jiang Xia gave was different from the amount Wen Wan had given.

The woman counted the money in her hand and said to Jiang Xia, "Wait, why is it only three yuan and thirty-six cents? It's two cents short. Wen Wan just said it was three yuan and fifty-five cents and five fen. Even if we don't count the five fen, it should be three yuan and forty-five cents. You gave me too little."

Zhou Min: "You can even miscount such a small amount? Wen Wan even calculated it for you, how can you miscount like that?"

Jiang Xia lowered his head and counted in his notebook, without looking up: "Can you shut up? I've put up with you for a long time. Whether I miscounted or not is none of your business. It's your money I'm spending!"

The air suddenly became quiet, and everyone stared at Jiang Xia in astonishment.

Zhou Min's face turned pale and then red from being rebuked.

After a long pause, she finally managed to stammer, "No good deed goes unpunished!"

Wen Wan's face fell, and she couldn't help but say, "Sorry, I was just being nosy."

Jiang Xia didn't even look up, "Good to know."

Wen Wan: "..."

Upon hearing this, the woman immediately said, "How is that being nosy? Wen Wan was helping me calculate. You can't calculate, and you won't let someone who knows speak up. Are you trying to cheat us out of our money? Give me back the two mao right now, or I won't sell it!"

Jiang Xia: "Fine, give me my money back!"

The woman: "..."

Zhou Chenglei was also very good at mental arithmetic. He knew that Jiang Xia had never made a mistake: "Aunt He, Jiang Xia didn't calculate wrong. If you don't believe me, find someone else to calculate it for you."

Someone had already calculated it, and the number wasn't large: "Jiang Xia didn't calculate wrong."

"Ah Lei's wife calculated correctly."

"Wen Wan miscalculated, Xia Xia got it right."

Wen Wan had already recalculated, blushing as she said, "Sorry, I miscalculated, Sister Jiang Xia, your math is amazing!"

Zhou Min's expression changed slightly: "Even the best-laid plans can go wrong, it's normal to make a mistake."

Jiang Xia twitched the corner of her mouth.

Zhou Min: "..."

What kind of expression is that? She's furious! Can't she even make a mistake?

Great-Grandma chuckled, "Actually, Xia Xia has always been very fast at calculating, much faster than Wen Wan! When Wen Wan announced the number, Xia Xia had already counted the money, didn't everyone notice?"

Just then, Zhou Chenglei finished weighing the money for a villager and announced the number.

Then everyone saw clearly that Jiang Xia started counting the money as soon as Zhou Chenglei announced the number, meaning she calculated the amount as soon as she heard the weight.

Her mental arithmetic speed is incredible!

Everyone praised her:

"I saw it just now, Lei's wife was already counting money in the basket before Wen Wan even spoke."

"Really? That's amazing."

"Isn't she even more amazing than Wen Wan? Why didn't she get into university?"

"Nonsense, she's in the city's top high school, the best high school in the city. Can Wen Wan's high school compare? Exams are all about luck, like fishing at sea. Everyone casts their nets, so why do they earn different amounts of money?"

"Sometimes luck really does play a role. Lei was doing so well in the army, even becoming a regimental commander, wasn't he that capable? Didn't he still come back injured? When you're down on your luck, even drinking water brings bad luck!"

"That makes sense, everyone has their ups and downs."

...

Wen Wan found it hilarious.

Jiang Xia wasn't lucky? She was born into a good family and married Zhou Chenglei.

If she had Jiang Xia's family background, she would have gotten into Peking University long ago.

Jiang Xia asked Aunt He, "Are you still selling shrimp? If not, give me my money back and I'll return the shrimp to you."

Aunt He hurriedly stuffed the money into her pocket and said, "Sell! Of course I'm selling!"

After saying that, she glared at Wen Wan before walking away, muttering, "You even got such a small number wrong, don't come here and cause trouble! You're such a busybody!"

Tian Caihua, always shallow and outspoken, said, "Well, Xiao Wan! My son is naughty, so you don't need to teach him. His aunt can teach him."

Wen Wan was so angry she laughed!

Suddenly, she felt like a joke!

It was humiliating!

All her good mood was gone!

She had worked hard all day, only to receive a cold word and be looked down upon.

These villagers were unbelievable; no wonder they were fishermen their whole lives!

Wen Wan felt ashamed and wanted to leave quickly. She handed over a small half-sack of shrimp: "Brother Zhou, please weigh it for me!"

After weighing it, Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia: "Ten catties and two ounces."

Jiang Xia handed the money to Wen Wan. Ten catties and two ounces

was only three yuan and fifty-seven cents, which rounded up to three yuan and sixty cents.

Wen Wan took the money and left dejectedly.

It was too little money. After paying her tuition, she would have no money left. She still had to find a way to earn living expenses and travel expenses to university.

She had originally thought that this time, with the pearls, she could at least earn one or two hundred yuan.

But when she arrived, Jiang Xia had almost picked up all the shrimp, and even the two pearl snails.

Life had always been so unfair to her!

Luck never seemed to smile upon her.

Wen Wan left with red eyes. The

shrimp

harvest was quickly completed, totaling 73.6 jin (approximately 36.8 kg), amounting to 25.76 yuan. Exactly 26 yuan was given out, as fractions of a li (cent) were rounded up or down.

Jiang Xia handed the ledger to Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei noticed that Jiang Xia's accounting was neat, clear, and easy to understand.

Moreover, her handwriting was elegant, flowing, and artistic.

Zhou Chenglei felt he was holding not an ledger, but a calligraphy copybook.

He had seen Jiang Xia's signature before; her handwriting was delicate and upright, somewhat different from modern handwriting, but still pleasing to the eye. He didn't think much of it, as a signature didn't necessarily indicate anything.

For work, he had practiced several different handwriting styles.

After the shrimp harvest, the family began cooking and drying them.

Jiang Xia was in charge of tending the fire, while Zhou Chenglei, his parents, and he took on the heavier tasks of cooking and drying the shrimp.

However, in the sweltering heat, tending the fire was no easy task, but fortunately, the two iron pots were large enough, and the fire was quickly lit.

Including their own shrimp, there were a total of 196 jin of shrimp. Jiang Xia asked, "Approximately how much dried shrimp can these shrimp make?"

Zhou's father replied, "Ten jin of large shrimp will yield about two jin of dried shrimp. You can do the math."

Jiang Xia calculated that after drying, it would only be about 39 jin.

Each jin of shrimp was sold for 35 cents, so ten jin would only yield two jin of dried shrimp. This was after factoring in the costs of firewood, labor, time, and transportation.

“A pound of dried shrimp costs three yuan and fifty cents,”

said Zhou’s father, who had sold them before. “It’s about the same. A mix of large and small dried shrimp sells for around three yuan and fifty cents. If they’re all large shrimp, they can sell for four or five yuan a pound if they’re fully dried. Small shrimp are even cheaper, less than a yuan. Some people sell dried shrimp that aren’t dried very thoroughly for a little less, but they can’t store them all. They shrink after drying them at home, so it’s all about the same.”

The yard

and roof were full of shrimp. Zhou’s mother worried, “The typhoon just passed. I don’t know if the sun will come out tomorrow.” Jiang Xia said, “Don’t worry. If the sun doesn’t come out, we can dry them in the big iron pot and on the stove. When the sun comes out, they’ll be dry in a day.”

Jiang Xia was worried that mice and cats would steal them at night.

Zhou’s mother grumbled, “Too much trouble.”

Jiang Xia didn’t say anything.

How can you make money if you’re afraid of trouble?

In fact, the more profitable something is, the more troublesome it is.

Because every bit of trouble you deal with will cost you money from the consumer.

At this moment, Zhou Chenglei came out of the house, holding the two conch shells in his hand, and called out to Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia saw this and instantly perked up!

Jiang Xia quickly walked to Zhou Chenglei's side: "Opening conch shells?"

"Yes." Zhou Chenglei carefully placed the two conch shells on the ground and went to the storage room to find tools.

Zhou's mother saw the two large creatures on the ground and exclaimed in surprise: "Oh my, what kind of conch shells are these? They're so big! These two big things are quite beautiful. Why didn't you sell them earlier? Such beautiful conch shells are worth some money."

The shell of the orangutan clam is similar in color to that of a coconut, but it is covered with white spikes of varying lengths, making it look formidable.

The emperor crown conch is white with some brown spots. It also has spikes, but those spikes are not as sharp as those of the star clam, nor are they completely impossible to cut with like those of the orangutan clam. They have spikes, but they feel somewhat blunt.

Just as Zhou's father finished showering and came out, he glanced at the two and immediately put down the bucket and went over: "What are you selling?! These snails are Emperor Tang Crown Snails, and these are Orangutan Sea Clams. They're so big, they might even contain pearls! Which of you picked them up?"

Zhou Chenglei: "Jiang Xia picked them up."

Zhou's father: "..."

Jiang Xia again?

"Xia, your sea freight is amazing!"

Jiang Xia smiled: "I just stumbled upon it by sheer luck."

Upon hearing that there might be pearls, Zhou's mother urged: "Then hurry up and open them!"

At this moment, Tian Caihua came in carrying a basket of vegetables and casually asked: "What do you mean by stumbling upon it by sheer luck? Open what?"

She had gone to the vegetable garden to pick cucumbers for the children to eat as fruit. This year's cucumbers were growing well and plentiful, and they would get old if they weren't eaten soon, so she brought a basket over.

Then Tian Caihua saw the two big creatures on the ground, and she widened her eyes: "What kind of snails are these? Fourth sister-in-law, did you pick them up?"

Jiang Xia couldn't hide it anymore, who knew that she would come back as soon as she left.

Zhou's mother said smugly, "Besides Xia, who else in our family has that kind of sea snail? Your father said it's a king conch and some kind of star clam, which might have pearls. Lei, hurry up and open it to see if there are any pearls."

Tian Caihua was jealous again. What kind of sea snail did Jiang Xia have?

She couldn't help but say, "This conch does look big, but I saw the one that Da Hai's family picked up before that had a pearl inside. It was even bigger than this one. This one is so small, I wonder if it has any?"

Zhou's mother glared at her, "Pah, pah, pah... You jinx! If you can't speak properly, then don't speak!"

The orangutan clam was covered in thorns. Zhou Chenglei, wearing gloves, finally managed to pry open its shell. A white, UFO-shaped pearl was revealed inside the clam meat!

Tian Caihua: "..."

What kind of luck is this?

Picking up a thorny thing and finding a pearl inside?

Although Jiang Xia already knew there were pearls, she still couldn't help but feel surprised, "This pearl is quite big."

Zhou Chenglei picked up the pearl, washed it in the salt water in the bowl, and then handed it to Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia took it and looked at it.

The pearl from the orangutan sea clam is white, lacking luster and roundness, possessing only a slight sheen. Its luster is far inferior to ordinary white pearls, yet this pearl is larger than a suit button, and most importantly, its patterns resemble a camellia!

Lying in the palm of your hand, it looks like a blooming white camellia, elegant and understated.

Even without a bit of luster, its unique appearance makes it valuable!

If it were to appear at an international auction, it would likely be snapped up by a prestigious brand at a high price!

Tian Caihua glanced at it: "It is a pearl, and quite large, but it has too many flaws and no luster at all. It's probably not worth much. What a pity!"

Not all pearls are valuable.

Zhou's mother was also a little disappointed. How could such a large pearl lack luster? Otherwise, it would be incredibly valuable!

Jiang Xia: "If it won't fetch much, then keep it. It's a natural pearl, a gift from nature. It's not expensive, but it'll bring good fortune!"

Zhou's father also disapproved of his eldest daughter-in-law's unlucky words. Regardless, finding a pearl was considered very lucky.

He said, "Jiang Xia is right. The elders used to say that a flawless pearl can ward off evil spirits. If you can't sell it for money, you can keep it at home to protect the house. This one is so big, it can keep the whole family safe."

Tian Caihua's lips twitched. She thought to herself, "A pearl can protect the house and keep everyone safe? Then everyone in the world will be safe and sound." But she didn't say it in the end, so as not to displease her in-laws.

Tian Caihua said, "Fourth sister-in-law has such good luck, maybe this conch shell has a pearl too. Fourth brother, hurry up and open it to see."

Zhou Chenglei wanted to crack the conch shell, but Jiang Xia thought such a large conch shell could be made into an art piece, and quite beautiful at that, so she quickly stopped him: "Is there a way to get the conch meat out without cracking the shell?"

Zhou's father immediately took out an iron hook. Zhou

Chenglei struggled a bit before finally hooking out a large chunk of conch meat.

Zhou's mother said, "Look carefully for a pearl." Zhou Chenglei

carefully searched through the conch meat.

The whole family surrounded him, watching his movements without blinking.   Tian Caihua's heart was pounding.

She had just opened one; could she be that lucky?

Suddenly, Zhou Chenglei stopped. Tian Caihua's heart skipped a beat.

No way?

Zhou Chenglei pinched the conch meat, and a golden, round, fingernail-sized pearl was extracted from it.

Mr. Zhou's eyes lit up: "This pearl looks valuable."

Tian Caihua: "!!!"

Mrs. Zhou said excitedly: "This pearl is beautiful! It looks like a golden pearl, and it looks so smooth, as if it has no flaws?"

Ninety-nine percent of natural wild pearls have flaws. To find a pearl without any flaws is truly a blessing from heaven, bringing you wealth.

Zhou Chenglei washed the pearl in salt water before handing it to Jiang Xia: "It doesn't have any flaws, that little bit doesn't even count as a flaw."

Jiang Xia reached out to take it, but Tian Caihua couldn't help but reach out to snatch it: "Let me see!"

Zhou Chenglei avoided her hand and handed it to Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia reached out and took it.

Tian Caihua pursed her lips and silently withdrew her hand: What's so great about it? It's not like I haven't seen it before!

A few years ago, she also found a pearl oyster and found two pearls.

Jiang Xia ignored her and looked down at the pearl in her hand.

It was a golden pearl with some orange flame patterns. The pearl was perfectly round, with a soft and full luster, full of pearly brilliance.

“This pearl is much better than the previous one. It’s rounder and bigger. If it weren’t flawed, it would be worth at least a hundred or so yuan.” Zhou’s mother looked at it with delight.

Jiang Xia turned the pearl in her hand: “There’s a slight flaw.”

Tian Caihua also noticed the small black spot on it. “It’s so beautiful, how come it has such a small flaw? Otherwise, it would be worth so much more!”

Jiang Xia didn’t speak, carefully examining the texture of the pearl. Suddenly, she tugged at Zhou Chenglei’s clothes: “Zhou Chenglei, look at the flame pattern on this pearl, what does it look like?”

Jiang Xia’s voice couldn’t help but be a little excited.

Zhou Chenglei took the pearl, glanced at it, and was stunned: the flame pattern inside the pearl had formed the shape of a deer, and this flaw was precisely above the deer's eye. It was a very small flaw, almost invisible without close inspection, but upon closer inspection, it was no longer a flaw, but rather the finishing touch, adding wings to a dragon.

The deer inside the pearl seemed to come alive, lively and spirited.

It was a deer running upwards in the mountains, about to reach the summit, raising its head and calling out, commanding all living beings.

Zhou's father curiously leaned closer: "What does it look like?"

Zhou's mother and Tian Caihua also leaned in: "What does it look like?"

"A deer."

"A deer? Let me see!" Zhou's father was overjoyed.

Zhou Chenglei then handed the pearl to Zhou's father.

Zhou's father took it, squinting as he examined it. Due to his presbyopia, he held the pearl, raising his hand, sometimes close, sometimes far, unable to find the clearest angle for a long time.

Mrs. Zhou grew impatient: "Are you blind or something? If you can't see, then don't look! Let me see!"

Mr. Zhou: "Don't move, I've found the best vantage point!"

Mrs. Zhou's lips twitched, "You're so nosy!"

So the two elders huddled together, squinting to look.

Mr. Zhou examined it closely, then his hands trembled with excitement: "It's a deer! It really looks like one! Not only like a deer, but also like a painting!"

Mrs. Zhou asked excitedly: "Let me see! What kind of painting does it look like?"

Mr. Zhou placed the pearl in his palm, pointing with one finger to explain to Mrs. Zhou: "Look, doesn't this look like a deer? Don't these patterns look like mountains? Doesn't this look like a pine tree? These are auspicious clouds." Mrs. Zhou

hadn't even seen it clearly yet; old age makes eyesight blurry, but she nodded vigorously: "It looks like one, it looks exactly like one! More like one than anything else!"

Even if she couldn't see clearly, she had to say it looked like one; the more it looked like one, the more valuable it was!

She wasn't very educated, but she knew some auspicious animals.

The deer was an auspicious animal, and the word for deer was a homophone for "prosperity," symbolizing promotion and wealth.

The pillars of their village's ancestral hall were decorated with patterns of deer, bats, and pine trees.

Zhou's mother was overjoyed: "This is a pearl with auspicious omens! It has all sorts of auspicious signs, good fortune and happiness."

Zhou Chenglei: "An auspicious omen."

"Yes, an auspicious omen, haha!"

Tian Caihua also looked at it, and couldn't help but agree—it was too similar!

Even without much education, she knew that deer were auspicious animals, symbolizing good fortune.

A stone naturally shaped like a deer would become incredibly valuable.

A pearl with a deer-like pattern—wouldn't that be priceless?

Tian Caihua felt a pang of envy, like she'd drunk a hundred pounds of freshly squeezed lemonade.

What kind of shipping was this in Jiangxia?

Most importantly, now that the family had separated, the pearl's value was no longer their concern.

Zhou's father grew increasingly pleased: "It's so similar, so incredibly similar! This deer is so beautifully shaped! Haha!"

"Let me see!" Zhou's mother hadn't actually seen it clearly yet.

Zhou's father gave the pearl to his mother so she could examine it.

Zhou's mother took it and squinted at it for a while before she could barely see it clearly: "It's a deer, it looks so much like one, it's so beautiful! It's a good omen! Good luck to those who see it! Great fortune is coming!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Caihua hurriedly said: "Mom, let me see it, so I can get some of the good luck too."

Zhou's mother then gave the pearl to Tian Caihua.

Tian Caihua took it and examined it closely, her heart aching even more, like she'd eaten a thousand pounds of lemons—a bittersweet feeling.

The flame-like patterns not only resembled a deer, but also a deer raising its head and calling out in the grass.

The flame-like patterns under the antlers were noticeably finer, like grass on a mountain!

The texture was practically a landscape painting growing inside the pearl.

Tian Caihua twirled the pearl back and forth, reluctant to let go, as if she could absorb some of its auspicious energy.

Why hadn't she found such a beautiful pearl?

"Sister-in-law, give me the pearl, let me look at it again," Jiang Xia said, seeing how much she wanted to rub off the deer pattern. She was also worried that her fingernails and calluses would damage the pearl; who could she complain to then?

This pearl was worth who-knows-how-many before it was sold; it would be difficult to get compensation from her!

"Let me take another look, to share in the good fortune. This is your pearl, you can look at it anytime, right?" Tian Caihua was reluctant to give it away. Seeing Jiang Xia reach out, she instinctively turned to dodge, but her arm bumped into Zhou's mother beside her, and the pearl fell from her hand!

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei reached out to catch it at the same time.

Zhou Chenglei caught the pearl first.

Jiang Xia's heart had been in her throat, but now she relaxed.

If it was ruined, she would definitely make Tian Caihua pay for it!

She wouldn't be lenient!

Tian Caihua was also still shaken. She was afraid of ruining it and having to pay for it. She would feel embarrassed to pay a few dozen yuan, but if it was a hundred yuan, wouldn't that break her heart?

Zhou's mother was also startled. She hurriedly said, "Don't look, don't look! Xia, you should put it away quickly! If it's ruined, it won't be worth anything."

Although it wasn't that easy to ruin, who could guarantee it wouldn't?

Jiang Xia nodded, "Then I'll take them inside and put them away."

Zhou's mother quickly added, "Remember to hide them well!"

Jiang Xia then took the two pearls back to her room.

Zhou's mother was pleased. Seeing that it was getting late, she looked at Tian Caihua: "You should go back too! Are your brothers asleep? Remember to tell them to go to bed early so they can get up early tomorrow and weed the peanut field with me."

Tian Caihua, with a long face, agreed and left. Always making her son do this and that? He doesn't even have time to do his homework!

What if he doesn't get into university?

As Tian Caihua walked out of the courtyard gate, she ran into Pan Daidi from next door.

Seeing Tian Caihua's dark face, Pan Daidi's gossip-loving heart burned brightly: "Why does Ahua look so unhappy? I just heard you two talking so animatedly!"

Usually, when she asked this, Tian Caihua would spill the beans and tell the whole story vividly.

Today, Tian Caihua was in no mood for conversation. She snapped, "Why am I unhappy? I'm overjoyed! My brother-in-law found a pearl in a seashell!"

With that, she turned to leave.

Pan Daidi grabbed her arm. "What did you just say? What seashell found a pearl?"

Tian Caihua shook off her hand. "What seashell could it be? Of course, he's lucky. He found a pearl in a seashell on the beach."

Pan Daidi gripped her hand tightly again. "What?! What does that seashell look like? Is it covered in thorns?"

Tian Caihua: "Probably!"

She had seen two seashells on the ground with thorns, one of which was indeed covered in thorns, but she didn't know which seashell had produced the pearl.

Tian Caihua left, too disgruntled to speak.

Why did they separate so soon? It would have been so much better if they had waited until after the typhoon!

If only the broadcast had announced the typhoon a few days earlier!

Pan Daidi stood there, stunned, filled with bitter regret!

So the conch shell her son kicked away turned into a pearl?

A pearl!

Even the smallest pearl is still a pearl.

And she just missed out?

Pan Daidi finished using the outhouse, the thought of missing out on the pearl made her heart ache. She clutched her chest as she walked back to her own courtyard.

Although the village had electricity in the last two years, nine o'clock was still considered night in the countryside,

especially for those who had to get up very early to go out to sea the next day.

Pan Daidi's family didn't have a boat, so they didn't need to go out to sea, but they didn't have a TV or radio, so they went to bed early to save on electricity.

She went back to her room and lay alone on the bed, feeling heartbroken and resentful all night, as if she had missed out on a fortune.

She barely slept all night and only fell asleep just before dawn the next day. She woke up when the sun was high in the sky and found that she was the only one up in the house. She started making breakfast, making a lot of noise, which woke up the whole family.

Zhou Junjie yawned as he came out of the house and asked Pan Daidi, "Mom, what's there to eat? I'm hungry."

Pan Daidi was furious and couldn't help but step forward to hit him: "Eat, eat, eat! All you ever do is eat! You spendthrift!"

Zhou Junjie dodged the blows and hid behind his burly wife: "Mom, what's wrong?"

Pan Daidi's second daughter-in-law quickly used her large body to block Pan Daidi: "Mom, what happened?"

Her husband had been sleeping since returning from the beach and hadn't gone out to do anything outrageous last night!

Pan Daidi's eldest daughter-in-law and eldest son also came out of the house to see what was going on.

They wondered what the second son had done this time. Had he lost money again?

Pan Daidi said irritably, "That spendthrift kicked that conch shell yesterday and the Zhou family found a pearl! Do you think he deserved to be hit?! I'm so angry!"

He didn't even pick up the conch shell with a pearl in it, and he even kicked it away.

Pan Daidi's second daughter-in-law's eyes widened: "Mom, what did you say? That spiky conch shell opened into a pearl?"

Pan Daidi's eldest daughter-in-law also perked up: "Really opened into a pearl? Mom, how did you know?"

Pan Daidi said irritably, "Tian Caihua said so, how could it be false? That spendthrift, if you hadn't kicked the conch shell away, we would have found a pearl!"

Pan Daidi's second daughter-in-law hurriedly said, "Mom! A-Jie found the conch shell first, that conch shell should be ours! We have to go ask... " Zhou Chenglei's family wants the pearl back.

Pan Daidi paused, then slapped her thigh: "You're right! How come I didn't think of that? A-Jie found the conch shell first, so it should be ours!"

Pan Daidi's eldest son, Zhou Junwen, thought the two were simply being unreasonable: "Mom, that conch shell is someone else's now that they've picked it up. Don't go over there and embarrass yourselves."

Pan Daidi: "How can it be someone else's? A-Jie found it first."

Her second daughter-in-law: "That's right, whoever finds it first owns it."

"Come on, let's go get our pearl back!"

The mother and daughter-in-law stormed out.

Zhou Junjie followed, mainly because he wanted to see Jiang Xia.

Her arms and legs were so slender and white, it was enough to make one's blood boil.

Zhou Junwen wanted to follow, but his wife stopped him: "Don't go, it'll be embarrassing!"

After speaking, she pursed her lips, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

*

Pan Daidi and her second daughter-in-law went out the door, turned a corner, and arrived at Jiangxia's house.

The sun was shining today, but the sea was still a bit rough, so Zhou Chenglei and his father didn't go out to sea.

After breakfast, Zhou's mother went out to water the vegetables, while Zhou's father and Zhou Chenglei went out to cut bamboo. They didn't have enough drying mats, so they needed to cut some more bamboo to make more mats for drying shrimp. Only Jiangxia was home.

The courtyard gate was open, and in rural areas, it's common to leave the gate open during the day when someone is home, making it convenient for neighbors to visit.

As soon as Pan Daidi entered, she glanced around. Seeing no one inside and only Jiang Xia watering the grapevines in the yard, she immediately put her hands on her hips and launched a preemptive strike: "Jiang Xia, bring back the conch shell and pearl that my son kicked in front of you yesterday!"

Her second daughter-in-law chimed in, "That's right, my husband found them first! Why did you take them?"

Jiang Xia poured half a spoonful of water into the base of the grapevines before straightening up and glancing calmly at the three men who were behaving aggressively. "Where's the imperial decree?"

Pan Daidi was bewildered: "What imperial decree?"

"Without an imperial decree, what right do you have to come here and interrogate me about the conch shell and pearl? Who do you think you are? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a eunuch delivering an imperial edict! The Qing Dynasty is long gone, go back to where you came from!" Jiang Xia looked at Pan Daidi, who was leading the way, and her two protectors on either side of her with sarcasm.

After speaking, she picked up the bucket and continued watering the strawberries and the flowers in the corner.

Pan Daidi was furious. This bitch, relying on her slightly educated nature, insulted people without using any vulgar language. Seeing that no one from the Zhou family was around, and that Jiang Xia looked so delicate, and that there were three of them, she became emboldened and grabbed Jiang Xia's hair: "Will you give it back or not! Give me back that pearl right now!"

Caught off guard, Jiang Xia was grabbed from behind, her hair pulled so hard it almost brought tears to her eyes!

She immediately smashed a bucket of water against the other woman's foot, then grabbed her hair and yanked hard!

Pan Daidi, hurt from the bucket, let go, and Jiang Xia grabbed her hair and pulled, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.

Pan Daidi's second daughter-in-law rushed to help, taking the opportunity to grab Jiang Xia's hair as well.

Jiang Xia's other braid was grabbed again. She turned and grabbed Pan Daidi's second daughter-in-law's hair with her other hand, pulling hard. The two women's heads collided, causing them to see stars in pain!

But Pan Daidi's second daughter-in-law reacted quickly, holding onto Jiang Xia's hair tightly and using her large body to ram into her.

Pan Daidi, equally large, joined forces, using their combined strength to ram into Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia gripped their hair tightly with both hands, then swept her foot across, tripping Pan Daidi's second daughter-in-law.

A clump of Jiang Xia's hair was pulled out, and the pain in her scalp fueled her rage!

With a final, powerful pull, she had two large clumps of hair in her hands!

Pan Daidi was also pulled down onto her second daughter-in-law by Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia kicked them viciously!

The ferocity terrified the mother and daughter-in-law!

Three people came to attack her; how could she not be ruthless? She knew she had to be!

The second daughter-in-law, pinned beneath Pan Daidi, couldn't get up. Terrified, she yelled at the dumbfounded man standing nearby, "Are you dead? What are you standing there for? Can't you help? Are you trying to collect my body?"

Pan Daidi, also in excruciating pain from Jiang Xia's kicks, was too stunned to get up: "Help!"

Zhou Junjie, also stunned, quickly stepped forward, pretending to mediate: "Stop fighting! Stop fighting! Let's talk this out, stop fighting..."

Zhou Junjie reached out and grabbed Jiang Xia's slender, fair wrist, then released it. His inherently wicked nature kicked in, and he took the opportunity to reach for her waist...

Just as Zhou Junjie's hand reached out, Jiang Xia felt a movement of his clothes at his waist. Reacting swiftly, he grabbed Zhou Junjie's hand and twisted it forcefully—"crack!"

Then, Jiang Xia spun around and kicked him in the lower abdomen.

Without holding back!

Zhou Junjie's entire hand twisted, and the pain in his lower body made him bend over, unable to straighten up.

That wasn't enough!

His clothes were grabbed from behind, and then a punch landed squarely on his face!

One punch sent him sprawling to the ground.

Then, punch after punch landed heavily on him.

Pan Daidi and her second daughter-in-law, unable to get up after being kicked by Jiang Xia, were now frozen in fear on the ground.

Zhou Chenglei's fists struck him solidly.

Each punch hit to the bone, the pain penetrating to the marrow.

He was forced to curl up on the ground, unable to get up, in so much pain he couldn't even utter a sound.

Zhou Chenglei returned with Zhou Yongguo. Seeing him acting like a madman, Zhou Yongguo quickly pulled him back, saying, "That's enough! That's enough!"

Zhou Chenglei was finally restrained.

Only after he withdrew his hand did Pan Daidi come to her senses and shout, "They're hitting people! Help!..."

Her second daughter-in-law also shouted, "Soldiers hitting people? Is there no law anymore? Help!"

Jiang Xia, still furious, slapped one of them, saying, "They came to my door to beat me up, broke into my house to rob me, two fat women hit me, and another one took the opportunity to sexually assault me! You fucking dare to talk about the law? This is self-defense! Zhou Chenglei, I'm calling the police!"

The matter eventually reached the production team. It happened to be during a period of institutional reform, and at that time, the Public Security Bureau only had one policeman, while the production team's militia was still active.

Pan Daidi and her family of three were taken to the whole village for a reprimand and education.

They were also ordered to pay Jiang Xia twenty yuan for medical expenses and compensation for emotional distress.

It was Jiang Xia who suggested the compensation for emotional distress.

She felt twenty yuan was too little, but the team thought it was enough; any more than that, and Pan Daidi's family couldn't afford.

Pan Daidi and her second daughter-in-law had large clumps of hair pulled out by Jiang Xia, their scalps exposed and bleeding. Even their faces were swollen, the five fingers on their faces clearly visible. As for the injuries from the punches and kicks, that was unknown; they wouldn't show until the next day, and no one would see them then.

Zhou Junjie's hand was twisted so badly by Jiang Xia that it hung limply at his sides. His whole body ached terribly, especially his groin; it hurt terribly. He suspected he was crippled. After being reprimanded, he shouted for Zhou Junwen to take him to the clinic.

Jiang Xia, on the other hand, only had her hair a mess, her scalp looked fine, and she had no injuries, just some wrinkled clothes.

Zhou Chenglei, ignoring everyone's stares, helped her tidy her hair, checked her scalp for injuries, and smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes. Then he pulled her along, saying, "Go home and check if you have any more injuries. If you are, I'll settle accounts with them!"

The villagers were speechless.

Injured?

They saw that Jiang Xia was alright, just a little disheveled and her clothes were wrinkled!

On the other hand, Pan Daidi and her family of three looked terrible!

Jiang Xia had only had a small clump of hair pulled out, but since she had a lot of hair, it wasn't noticeable at all; her scalp was still a little sore.

Zhou Chenglei took Jiang Xia away.

And this fight of hers was now famous throughout the village!

Pan Daidi and her second daughter-in-law were incredibly strong fighters. In the past, when fighting with villagers, even the men couldn't beat Pan Daidi; she was practically invincible. Later, during the special period, they were criticized and became afraid, so they restrained themselves.

Now she's relapsed, and someone should teach her a lesson.

No one could have imagined that Jiang Xia, so delicate, could defeat two strong, burly women who were used to farm work.

The villagers gathered together and discussed it animatedly.

"I can't believe she's so petite and yet so fierce in a fight. She took on three people and didn't lose!"

"Given Pan Daidi and her mother-in-law's builds, Jiang Xia could take on five! And not only did she not lose, but Zhou Junjie's hands, Pan Daidi's, and her daughter-in-law's scalps were all bald."

"Haven't you heard that Jiang Xia's father was a soldier? He probably trained her."

A woman who had been taken advantage of by Zhou Junjie but had no evidence and couldn't speak up couldn't help but say, "Zhou Junjie deserved it! Everyone knows what kind of person he is. I hate the look in his eyes. This is truly gratifying!!"

"Pan Daidi's family has really messed with them this time!"

A woman whose family's fields had almost been leveled by Pan Daidi said, "Serves them right. None of them are good people. They're always greedy for small gains, stealing chickens and dogs all the time. They bullied Jiang Xia because she was home alone, thinking everyone was afraid of her?"

"She's always been wicked! You all know that! Who in the village hasn't argued or fought with her?"

"Three men coming to her door to bully a young woman is just too awful..."

...

Zhou

Chenglei pulled Jiang Xia back to the room and looked at her, asking, "Are you hurt?"

Jiang Xia shook her head, "No."

Zhou Chenglei was afraid she was holding back, and he wanted to check her, but he couldn't. He could only worry inwardly. "If you're hurt, tell me, and I'll have my mom put some medicine on you."

Jiang Xia rubbed her scalp, "Really, I'm not hurting, but my scalp still hurts a little. You saw it when you came back; I was the one who held them down and beat them."

Zhou Chenglei was still scared when he thought about what he saw when he came back, but he couldn't help but pull her into his arms, cupping her head in his large hand and gently rubbing her scalp. "Next time something like this happens, run. There are too many of them; don't fight them. It's not worth getting hurt. Come find me, or go next door. I'll come back and beat them up for you. If anything happens to you, I..."

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he couldn't speak for a moment.

When he saw her disheveled hair and clothes, his mind went blank! Even though she was the one who forced the other to hit him, all he knew was that she was being bullied, and his heart ached terribly; he only wanted to kill the other person!

He couldn't imagine what he would do if anything happened to her! What he would do!

Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Jiang Xia was stunned.

Then she felt his body tremble slightly. She only reached his chest, her ear was right next to his heart, and his heart was beating rapidly.

He was afraid, he was heartbroken—that was her perception at that moment.

Jiang Xia couldn't help but think of the night of the typhoon when he unhesitatingly shielded her from falling tiles, his arm still injured. Remembering his fall yesterday, he seemed to sense it and turned around, then without hesitation, carried her away from the rocks. Thinking back to when he first transmigrated…

Zhou Chenglei had lived for nearly thirty years; he was always rational and never lost control. He always knew what he wanted, so he knew his own heart perfectly well. He held Jiang Xia for a while before finding his voice, his large hand still gently rubbing her scalp: “Does it still hurt?”

Jiang Xia came to her senses: “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Zhou Chenglei released her, placing his hands on her shoulders, looking at her.

Jiang Xia looked up at him.

Zhou Chenglei looked into her beautiful eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. His grip on her shoulders tightened unconsciously, a little nervous: “Jiang Xia, we…”