Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Selling Abalones
The boat arrived at the pier.
Yun Linhe immediately ran to find Ah Wang and ask for a large tub.
Ah Wang came along with him.
"Brother, you guys went out to sea today, huh? Catch anything good?"
They say beginners have good luck when they go out to sea. While this wasn’t their first time, it was their first time taking a boat out on their own.
Yun Linhe laughed heartily. "We really did find something good."
Ah Wang’s eyes instantly lit up. "What is it? Let me see!"
Yun Linhe boarded the boat, and the two brothers carried out the Du’s Buri together.
The massive fish was nearly a meter long and had to weigh fifty or sixty pounds.
"Good heavens! Oh my god! What a huge fish!!!"
There were quite a few people on the pier, as many other boats were also returning.
When they saw the two of them emerge carrying such a massive fish, everyone immediately crowded around to join the excitement.
"What kind of fish is that? It’s so big, how much must it weigh?"
"That’s got to be fifty or sixty pounds! They’ve struck it rich!"
"Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe, you guys are something else! Having your own boat is amazing. You caught such a huge fish on your first trip out."
"That’s a Du’s Buri, right?"
Ah Wang was beaming from ear to ear as he stared at the enormous Du’s Buri.
"Quick, quick! Toss it in the tub."
It would take two people to carry it back.
But just then, Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe turned around and got back on the boat.
Ah Wang’s eyes shone even brighter. "Brother, is there more? There’s more, right?!"
Yun Linhe came out carrying a bucket.
"Look. We got lucky and caught some sand shrimp."
"That’s so many!"
"And sea centipedes!"
"So many sea centipedes! Good heavens, what kind of luck is this?!"
The crowd was stunned once again at the sight of the sand shrimp and sea centipedes.
Neither of those sold cheaply. Sand shrimp went for over a yuan per pound, and sea centipedes fetched a similar price.
Watching the two of them get back on the boat, the onlookers craned their necks in anticipation.
"There’s more? What is it this time?"
Many people were envious. ’Why don’t we ever find this much good stuff when we go out to sea?’
However, everyone’s interest in the Du’s Buri was mostly due to its novelty and immense size.
The fish itself wasn’t very expensive, only worth a few dozen cents per pound.
"What is it?"
When they saw the brothers carrying out a burlap sack, the crowd was disappointed.
They couldn’t see what was inside.
Yun Linhai wore a simple, honest smile. "This sack is just some snails and oysters we pried off the rocks on an island. Nothing valuable, just for us to eat at home."
Whether the crowd believed him or not, that was his story.
Just then, the members of the Yun family, who had heard the news, arrived in a hurry.
Granny Yun pushed through the crowd and rushed forward.
"Sons, you’re finally back! This sack is for home, right? Here, let Mom take it."
Yun Linhai kept it on his shoulder. "It’s fine, Mom. I’ll carry it."
Seeing this, the others felt it was no longer their place to watch.
Yun Linhe, Mr. Yun, and Wang Mei took the fish and shrimp to Ah Wang’s purchasing point, while the rest of the family headed home.
Yun Jiao piped up, "Third Brother, the sea urchins! Bring the sea urchins home."
She loved eating sea urchins, especially the steamed egg with sea urchin that her grandma and mother made. It was absolutely delicious.
Lao San, Yun Chen Nan, nodded. "Okay, I’ll go get them."
Shen Yunlian held Yun Jiao in her arms. The big sea turtle was also carried back by a few of the Yun brothers, who chatted as they walked.
"I can’t believe the sea turtle actually followed us back."
"It’s a good one. A good turtle that knows its family."
The family headed home, talking and laughing. When they spoke of the day’s haul, everyone was smiling so much their eyes crinkled.
Once they were home with the door shut, Yun Linhai spoke in a hushed, mysterious tone.
"Mom, the real prize from today is in here."
As he spoke, he opened the sack under the watchful eyes of the entire family.
At the sight, every single member of the Yun family stared with wide eyes.
"Is... is that abalone?!"
"So much abalone?!!"
Yun Linhai nodded.
"We were worried it would attract too much attention, so we agreed to keep the abalone out of sight for now. We’ll take it over to Ah Wang’s place secretly later."
Granny Yun nodded repeatedly. "You did the right thing. You absolutely did the right thing."
The Du’s Buri, sand shrimp, and sea centipedes had already drawn enough stares. If they had revealed this sack of abalone, their family would likely become the talk of the entire village for a long time to come.
Everyone would know they had come into money, and the number of people coming to borrow would surely increase.
When relatives came asking for loans, it was awkward whether you lent them the money or not.
"Quick, sort them out. The price for abalone changes with the size."
With the door shut, everyone immediately got busy.
Granny Yun, worried they were hungry, hurried off to cook.
Yun Jiao followed behind her, dragging the sea urchins.
Behind her, the sea turtle crawled slowly, pushing itself along the ground with its flippers.
On land, the sea turtle was as slow as a snail.
"Grandma! Sea urchins, Grandma!"
Her childish, soft voice was urgent, making it clear just how badly she wanted to eat.
Yun Xiao Liu also followed, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Grandma, steamed eggs! Steamed eggs with sea urchin are yummy!"
Granny Yun said, "Go on, you two. You’re such picky eaters. You think your grandma doesn’t know steamed eggs are delicious? We only have five eggs left."
Yun Jiao looked at her with pleading eyes. "Grandma, eat."
Granny Yun sighed in resignation. "You two really are something. These sea urchins could be sold for money, you know."
Yun Jiao’s little eyes immediately grew wary. "Don’t sell. For us to eat."
"Alright, alright, we won’t sell them."
"Eggs?"
In the end, Granny Yun’s heart softened. "We’ll steam them. Our family had good luck on our first trip out to sea today, so we should celebrate."
Yun Jiao and Yun Xiao Liu were so happy they hugged each other.
"Grandma’s the best!"
So she could eat more eggs in the future, Yun Jiao suggested, "Grandma, we should buy some chicks. When they grow up, they’ll lay lots of eggs."
"Aren’t we already incubating some?"
Yun Jiao shook her head. "Not enough. We need lots and lots."
Yun Xiao Liu nodded in agreement. "Grandma, let’s buy chicks to raise. I’ll dig up earthworms for them every day."
’I can just sleep a little less if it means I get to eat eggs,’ he thought.
Granny Yun smiled and nodded. "Alright. When it’s market day, we’ll go see if we can buy some."
That satisfied both Yun Jiao and Yun Xiao Liu.
Just as they were finishing up sorting the abalone, Mr. Yun and the others returned.
Ah Wang was with them.
He shut the door as soon as he came inside.
When Ah Wang saw the abalone, his face flushed with excitement.
"So much abalone! And they’re huge! That one’s a two-head abalone!"
He scrambled over in a couple of strides and snatched up the three largest ones.
They were two-head abalones. Three of them!
Each one weighed about half a pound.
An abalone this large was worth a small fortune on its own.
"Brothers, your luck at sea is insane! To find something this good on your first trip out."
Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe smiled. "Beginner’s luck. Besides, we had Jiaojiao on board, and she’s a total rookie."
Ah Wang was filled with envy.
"With all this abalone, plus the other things from before... I can’t pay you in cash right now. Let me write up a slip for you. I’ll bring you the money once I sell the goods."
Mr. Yun nodded. "Fine. We’re all family. I trust you not to cheat us."
Ah Wang smiled. "Of course. I, Yun Wang, would never cheat my own family. I’ll give you an absolutely fair price."
After all the abalone was weighed, the three largest, the two-head ones, fetched the highest price. Ah Wang offered them a premium of 18 yuan apiece.
He wasn’t worried about finding a buyer. The big restaurants in the city would be fighting over abalones like these.
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