Chapter 180: Tracking
Chapter 180: Tracking
Jiang Xia extracted a golden pearl, large, round, and radiant, with not a single flaw!
The pearl lay in Jiang Xia's palm, emitting a dazzling golden glow as she gently moved it.
Zhou Mu leaned in with a smile, her heart filled with joy, "Is this considered a Pearl King?"
Jiang Xia smiled, "It should be."
It was undoubtedly a top-grade pearl among the golden ones, a collectible jewel!
Not every pearl could be called a jewel, and not every jewel was worth treasuring.
Jiang Xia believed this one was worth over a thousand and could be auctioned. She happily put it in her pocket.
Tian Caihua: "..."
She wanted to ask Jiang Xia to let her see it.
Tian Caihua felt stimulated again and couldn't help but pick up another pearl oyster to open herself.
This time, she finally got one!
Her heart raced, and she carefully picked it out.
But it was a deformed pearl, dull, with more blemishes than the spots on her face! Tian Caihua: "..."
Zhou Chengxin couldn't help but shout at her, "Can you please stop touching my pearl oysters!"
Tian Caihua didn't dare to touch them anymore.
She stepped back and quietly watched them opening the oysters.
Without Tian Caihua's hindrance, Zhou Chengxin consecutively extracted several pearls, some good, some average, and one exceeding 8mm in size, almost perfect.
Zhou Chengxin breathed a sigh of relief! Finally, there was a large one!
Tian Caihua also relaxed.
Zhou Chengxin finished opening the entire bag of oysters, and there were three pearls over 8mm, several at 5mm or 6mm, and the rest were all under 4mm.
Tian Caihua couldn't help but glance at Jiang Xia's pearls.
In truth, Jiang Xia didn't extract pearls from every oyster either. She had tried a few in a row without any pearls, but most of the pearls she extracted were large, over 7mm or 8mm, with fewer flaws and a beautiful luster.
Most importantly, Jiang Xia extracted not just one Pearl King; she had at least three that she put in her pocket, not letting Tian Caihua see them!
Out of the fifty or so oysters, Jiang Xia only extracted five or six flawed, small pearls, and six without any pearls.
Her luck was so good that others might think these oysters were the ones she had cultivated!
On Zhou Fu and Zhou Mu's side, the pearl extraction rate and quality were similar to Jiang Xia's, but generally not as large as hers.
With three bowls of pearls laid out, it was clear whose luck was better.
Tian Caihua felt jealous again!
Her family's bowl had so few pearls; it was pitiful!
She deeply doubted her life and wondered if their pearl oysters were the leftovers from their selection.
Zhou Fu smiled and examined everyone's pearls, "Not bad, Ah Xin should be able to sell these for a few hundred. Xia Xia, are you going out to sea tomorrow? If not, why don't you take the pearls to sell in the city?"
Zhou Mu nodded, "Yes, it's better to sell them quickly. It's not safe to keep them at home with so many people coming and going these days."
Jiang Xia: "I won't be going out to sea tomorrow. I'll go to the city in the afternoon to sell them and deliver a batch of fish fry to the railway station."
Zhou Chengxin: "Xia Xia, please help me sell my pearls too!"
Tian Caihua immediately said, "I'll go with Xia Xia! It'll be safer that way."
Jiang Xia: "Sure."
It was convenient for her, and she didn't want to help them sell the pearls, avoiding unnecessary trouble.
Additionally, going with Tian Caihua meant she could help pick the fish fry, as she had more strength.
She couldn't let Tian Caihua only think of her own benefits!
After opening the pearls, Tian Caihua took the pearls home, while Zhou Chengxin and Zhou Fu carried the pearl oysters back to the live cargo hold of the boat to keep them alive. Tomorrow, they would put them in the net cages in the sea.
Jiang Xia also taught Zhou Mu how to weave a special net for pearl cultivation, which would later be hung in the sea for cultivation.
The net was simple; it was a rectangular frame with a net woven inside, and on the net, small pockets were woven one by one.
Later, the pearl oysters with successful nucleation would be placed in these netted pockets and suspended in the seawater for cultivation.
However, pearl cultivation was a lengthy, complex, and troublesome process with many steps.
Pearl oysters could produce pearls because of the intrusion of foreign objects like sand, which stimulated the oysters to secrete a smooth, crystalline substance to cover the foreign object.
Moreover, the pearl oyster would continuously cover the foreign object with secretions, layer by layer, until thousands of layers formed a pearl.
Therefore, artificial pearl cultivation had higher yields due to the nucleation process.
The nucleation process also needed preparation, and Jiang Xia planned to grind some small round nuclei from shells, which would be a tedious task.
There was no time for it today, but later, they could use the shells of the pearls that didn't survive to create the nuclei.
Zhou Zhou had been watching them open the pearls by the side, and after her shower, she returned to her room. Jiang Xia, now free, went to find her.
Zhou Zhou was about to sleep, and when she saw Jiang Xia enter, she sat up, "Auntie."
Jiang Xia smiled, "Is Zhou Zhou getting used to school?"
Zhou Zhou nodded, "Yes."
"Are the teachers strict? Do they scold students?"
Zhou Zhou shook her head, "No."
"Are the classmates kind? Has Zhou Zhou met any bullies?"
Zhou Zhou glanced at Jiang Xia and shook her head again, "No."
Jiang Xia understood and patted her head, "Go to bed early!"
The next day, Jiang Xia woke up at six o'clock, intending to secretly accompany Zhou Zhou to school.
During breakfast, Zhou Zhou ate slowly, and Zhou Mu had to urge her twice, "Zhou Zhou, eat faster, it's seven o'clock! Is it Friday today? Do you have labor class? What do you need to bring?"
"A winnowing basket."
"Then remember to take it."
"Okay," Zhou Zhou finished the last mouthful of congee and went back to her room to get her school bag.
It took her ten minutes to get her school bag, and it was already 7:10 am when she left the courtyard with a winnowing basket.
During the first few days of school, Zhou Zhou was afraid of being late, so she always left before seven o'clock.
The Guang Zong Yao Zu brothers left even earlier. They didn't eat breakfast at home, and Tea Caihua gave them money to buy things at school.
School started at 7:45 am with morning reading, but most students arrived before 7:30 am.
After watching Zhou Zhou leave for a couple of minutes, Jiang Xia told Zhou Mu that she was going to check on Zhou Zhou at school, and then she followed.
There were many students walking to school with their backpacks, and Jiang Xia quickly spotted Zhou Zhou because she was walking slowly.
Jiang Xia followed from a distance.
The school was in the neighboring village, so they walked along the village path, with houses on both sides. People from several nearby villages were part of the same production team and knew each other, making the walk to school quite safe.
Jiang Xia didn't see any other students until she checked her watch, and it was 7:43 am.
Then, she saw Zhou Zhou rushing towards the school.
Jiang Xia started running too.
Zhou Zhou entered the school just as the bell rang.
Jiang Xia reached the school gate, panting as she watched Zhou Zhou dash into the classroom.
Jiang Xia had run an estimated eight hundred meters, nearly exhausting her!
Panting, Jiang Xia entered the school, which had more relaxed management during this era, especially in village schools where people came and went freely.
The school buildings were made of mud bricks, and grass grew in the corners.
The playground was a dirt field, surrounded by overgrown grass.
That's why there was a labor class every week, where students had to bring brooms, hoes, and winnowing baskets from home to regularly clean the school's grass.
Jiang Xia didn't notice anything unusual and decided to stay at the school that morning.
She went to the gatekeeper's room, informed the gatekeeper, and stayed there, chatting with the gatekeeper while keeping an eye on the classroom.
The school was small, with only one L-shaped teaching building. Each grade had one class, totaling eight classrooms, one of which was the office, and another the principal's office.
Even during the last class, Jiang Xia didn't notice anything unusual, and Zhou Zhou remained in the classroom, not even going to the bathroom.
During the labor class, all the students went out to clear the grass.
Each class was responsible for a specific area.
Zhou Zhou carried a winnowing basket, and her classmates put the grass they cleared into it for her to dispose of.
Zhou Zhou held the basket of grass and walked towards the garbage heap in a corner behind the teaching building.
From the gatekeeper's room, Jiang Xia couldn't see that corner, so she walked out.
As Zhou Zhou turned the corner of the teaching building, she saw those male classmates.
Instinctively, she stepped back.
"Where's the money you were supposed to bring?"
"I don't have any money, really!"
"Isn't your family rich? Your uncle has a large ship! Ask him for money, or take it secretly; no one will know."
Zhou Zhou shook her head.
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In the new month, continue to vote!
I'll add more later!
The kids at home will start school tomorrow, so my morning updates might be a bit later.
(End of Chapter)
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