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A group of people, led by Lin Jiayou, got into the car and rushed over there. There was no helping it; there were five of them, and with the driver, that made for an overloaded vehicle, so Lin Jiayou had to drive. Fortunately, he knew how to.
The old man entered the restaurant and quickly ordered a bunch of items. The four people behind him didn’t need to say anything, as what was ordered was already more than enough for them to eat.
"Yo, Jiayou, what brings you here?" Someone immediately recognized Lin Jiayou and came over to greet him.
Lin Jiayou chuckled and went over to chat with the man like old friends, "Just accompanying the elders to grab some food. Make sure you pick out some nice ones for us, those are my sisters, so don’t make the flavors too strong."
"You all go find a place to sit first." Jimo Cheng smiled at Luo Qianqian and stayed beside the old man. Luo Qianqian nodded and looked at Lin Jiayou.
"Alright then, you just relax." The man took Lin Jiayou and the others into a private room. "Is this spot okay? I’ll go keep an eye on your dishes for you."
As he spoke, he even winked at Lin Jiayou who nodded in understanding and uttered a word of thanks.
While the Master and Jimo Cheng were still picking out fish, shrimp, and crab, the rest of them started chatting in the private room.
"Brother Jiayou, what are you looking at? Won’t the dishes be served when they’re ready?" Luo Qianqian asked, looking puzzled, and He Wenyu also had a confused expression as he turned to Lin Jiayou.
Lin Jiayou spoke with an air of experience, "You see, you just don’t understand." He then lowered his voice, "Without being vigilant, you could be given inferior products as premium, dead seafood as live, or even shortchanged in weight. It happens all the time."
"Different trades, different tricks..." Luo Qianqian couldn’t help but sigh, then with a flattering face, she asked, "Brother Jiayou, what kind of store are you going to work at next? How about trying an ice cream or bubble tea shop?"
"Didn’t you use to dislike ice cream?" He Wenyu asked, puzzled.
"Did I dislike it? It was more like I didn’t dare eat it, okay?" Luo Qianqian pouted. She had originally restricted herself to avoid stomach pains during her menstrual period, but seeing as her period had not come to visit her yet, she had let go and become carefree.
"You’re too young to worry about dieting." Lin Jiayou said, then hesitantly looked at Luo Qianqian, "Are you really okay now? I saw the Master just sprayed some medicine on you and then removed the stitches, does it really not hurt anymore?"
He Wenyu hadn’t dared to look at the time, so his face was also full of concerned expressions as he looked at Luo Qianqian.
"I don’t feel anything." Luo Qianqian moved her shoulder around, "I’m fine."
Only then did Lin Jiayou let out a sigh of relief, "The Mo Family has a big business, be extra careful."
Luo Qianqian looked at Lin Jiayou with surprise. Lin Jiayou just smiled, "He’s even more mature than I am in dealing with things. Do you think such a careful way of handling affairs comes from a simple family?"
Luo Qianqian tilted her head, clearly disagreeing, but seeing the Master and Jimo Cheng approaching their room, she kept her mouth shut.
"The owner mentioned that there’s pearl picking from clams over there. Do you want to go play?" Jimo Cheng looked at Luo Qianqian with a gentle face, full of tenderness. Lin Jiayou shivered. Was that an expression for a man? Men should be wild, domineering, and sunny. What was with this gentle and tranquil demeanor?
"Yes, yes, yes!" He Wenyu immediately agreed, having only seen it before but never having played.
Luo Qianqian also nodded her head. Usually, when they went to the beach, they just picked up seashells. They would never come here to get sunburned; it would undo a year’s work in just an afternoon, in terms of skin whitening.
"Hey, what’s this about picking pearls? Let’s go check it out together," the old man said, his face full of curiosity.
Once there, they saw a large basin filled with many clams, surrounded by others that had already been opened.
Luo Qianqian looked at Lin Jiayou, "Brother Jiayou, you’ve worked here before, do you know which one has pearls inside?" Her starry eyes blinked as she looked at Lin Jiayou, and He Wenyu wore the same expectant expression.
Lin Jiayou had a bitter look on his face—how would he know that?
It was then that the Master spoke up, "Come on, each of us will pick one, and whoever picks well, I’ll reward with a gift."
"There’s no shortage of good stuff at Ninth Grandpa’s," Jimo Cheng winked at Luo Qianqian.
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Luo Qianqian paused for a moment, then nodded with a smile, directing her gaze into the basin. She looked left and right, left and right, but couldn’t tell which clam seemed more valuable.
He Wenyu picked the biggest one, "No matter how you put it, the bigger ones have a slightly higher chance, right?"
Lin Jiayou squatted by the basin, eyeing this one and touching that one, and finally chose the one that felt the smoothest on the surface, claiming, "It’s like a pebble, the smooth surface indicates it’s been through more friction, so, hehe..."
However, the owner said that was pure nonsense.
Luo Qianqian was squatting down, taking a clam in her hands, shaking it a little. She didn’t hear any sound and, with a bitter face, set it down again.
Jimo Cheng chuckled, then casually picked one.
The old master closed his eyes, looking every bit the wise man, and then... yawned before carelessly pointing to the one that looked darkest in color.
Luo Qianqian still hadn’t chosen one, so she picked the one closest to herself.
Opening a clam requires using a small knife to insert into the gap between the clam shells. At this stage, the clam is still alive. You have to separate one side of the muscle from the shell to pry it open, thus completing the first step. The next part is left to the customer to look for themselves.
After all, the first step is somewhat dangerous. In case you cut your hand, severe consequences could follow.
The first to open was He Wenyu’s, under the pretext of ’ladies first.’
He Wenyu, holding the opened clam, walked to the side, squatting like those others on the ground, using chopsticks to part the clamshell while looking for pearls, while the clam flesh was still moving.
Second was Lin Jiayou, who Luo Qianqian pushed forward with the argument of Kong Rong giving away pears.
Third was the old master, out of respect for the elderly and love for the young.
Fourth was Luo Qianqian, as Jimo Cheng said, having only shown respect for the elderly just a moment ago, it was time to show love for the young.
Finally, it was Jimo Cheng’s turn.
Although there were chairs nearby, the five of them all chose not to sit but instead squat on the ground, searching with stern faces.
"Haha, I found one!!" He Wenyu, feeling something hard, directly started prying it open.
A beautiful white pearl appeared in her hand. Although it wasn’t very pretty in shape, it was nevertheless the first one.
The stall owner passed over a small bowl filled with clear water, asking He Wenyu to wash the pearl in it, and then pack it to take home.
"I have some too." Lin Jiayou was filled with pride. In his hand were some rotten clam meat and two pearls.
After searching through his clam, the old master stood up disheartened, without finding any.
Luo Qianqian had already searched twice without feeling the slightest trace of a pearl, and stood up with a look of disappointment.
At this moment, Jimo Cheng placed his clamshell in front of Luo Qianqian, flashing her a light smile, "Help me have a look."
Though he said that, Luo Qianqian had already seen the pearl. This clamshell obviously had one, and she looked at Jimo Cheng with a touched expression.
Then they heard He Wenyu exclaim, "Hahaha, I have four!!!"
Not caring whose clam it was anymore, Luo Qianqian immediately reached out, but the next second, her face turned very strange: "Did this clam get kidney stones?"