https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-47-What-Does-This-Flame-Pattern-Look-Like-/12831735/
Chapter 48: Sour Regret
Chapter 48: Sour Regret
Zhou Chenglei took the pearl and glanced at it, pausing in surprise. The flame pattern inside the pearl had formed the shape of a deer, and the one small flaw was right where the deer’s eye would be. The flaw was so tiny that it was barely noticeable, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a flaw at all—it was the finishing touch, like the final brushstroke on a masterpiece.
The deer inside the pearl seemed to come to life, vivid and spirited.
It was a deer running uphill, about to reach the peak, lifting its head to call out, commanding the world below.
Zhou’s father, curious, leaned in. "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’s eyes lit up.
Zhou Chenglei handed the pearl to his father.
Zhou’s father took it, squinting to see it clearly. Due to his old age, he held the pearl at various distances, struggling to find the best angle.
Zhou’s mother grew impatient. "Are you blind or what? If you can’t see, don’t look! Let me see!"
Zhou’s father: "Don’t move, I’m finding the best angle!"
Zhou’s mother’s mouth twitched. "You’re always causing trouble!"
So, the two elders leaned in together, squinting.
Zhou’s father examined it carefully, then his hands began to shake with excitement. "It’s a deer! It really looks like one! Not just a deer, but like a painting!"
Zhou’s mother, excited, asked, "Let me see! What kind of painting?"
Zhou’s father placed the pearl in his palm and pointed it out to her. "Look, doesn’t this look like a deer? These patterns like mountains, this like a pine tree, and these like auspicious clouds."
Zhou’s mother, though she couldn’t see clearly due to her age, nodded vigorously. "Yes, it looks exactly like a deer! It’s the most realistic thing I’ve ever seen!"
Even if she couldn’t see it clearly, she had to say it looked like a deer—after all, the more it resembled something, the more valuable it would be!
She might not be well-educated, but she knew about auspicious creatures.
The deer was a symbol of good fortune, its name sounding like "official promotion."
The ancestral hall in their village had carvings of deer, bats, and pine trees.
Zhou’s mother was very pleased. "This is a pearl of good omen! It’s filled with auspicious energy, bringing good luck and prosperity."
Zhou Chenglei: "Auspicious energy."
"Yes, that’s right, auspicious energy! Ha ha!"
Tian Caihua also took a look. She couldn’t say it didn’t look like a deer, it was too realistic!
Even without much education, she knew that deer were auspicious creatures, symbols of good fortune.
A stone naturally forming the shape of a deer could fetch a sky-high price.
A pearl with a pattern resembling a deer would be priceless.
Tian Caihua felt a sour taste in her mouth, as if she had drunk a hundred pounds of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
What kind of luck did Jiang Xia have?
Most importantly, now that the family had split, any money from selling the pearl wouldn’t be her concern anymore.
Zhou’s father became even more delighted. "It looks like a deer, it really does! The deer is so beautifully formed! Ha ha!"
"Let me see!" Zhou’s mother still hadn’t seen it clearly.
Zhou’s father handed the pearl to her, letting her take a look.
Zhou’s mother took it and squinted, finally managing to see it clearly. "It’s a deer, it really does look like one, and it’s so beautiful! It’s a good omen! Whoever sees it will have good luck! Everything will go smoothly!"
Tian Caihua, hearing this, quickly said, "Mom, let me see, let me get some of that good luck too."
Zhou’s mother handed the pearl to Tian Caihua.
Tian Caihua took it and examined it closely, feeling even more sour, as if she had eaten a ton of lemons, the taste bitter and astringent.
The flame pattern not only resembled a deer but also a deer lifting its head and calling out on a grassy hill.
The flame pattern below the deer’s antlers was finer and denser, like the grass on a mountain!
The pattern was like a landscape painting grown inside the pearl.
Tian Caihua fiddled with the pearl, reluctant to let go, as if touching it could bring her some good luck.
Why didn’t she find such a lucky pearl?
"Big Sister, give me the pearl. Let me take another look," Jiang Xia said, noticing how Tian Caihua was almost rubbing the deer off the pearl. She was afraid that Tian Caihua’s rough nails and calloused hands might scratch the pearl. Where would she turn to if that happened?
The pearl was priceless, and it would be nearly impossible to find someone to compensate her for it!
"Let me have one more look, just to get some good luck. It’s your pearl, so when can’t you look at it?" Tian Caihua was still reluctant to give it up. When she saw Jiang Xia’s hand reaching out, she instinctively turned to avoid it. Unfortunately, her arm bumped into Zhou Mother, and the pearl fell from her grasp!
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei both reached out to catch it.
Zhou Chenglei managed to catch the pearl first.
Jiang Xia’s heart had been racing, but now she could finally relax.
If the pearl got scratched, she would demand compensation from Tian Caihua!
She wouldn’t show any mercy!
Tian Caihua was also shaken. She feared that if the pearl got scratched, she would have to pay for it. A few dozen dollars would be embarrassing, but a hundred would break her heart!
Zhou Mother was also startled. She quickly said, "Stop looking at it! Stop looking! Xia, put it away quickly! If it gets scratched, it won’t be worth much anymore."
While it wasn’t easy to scratch, who could guarantee it wouldn’t happen?
Jiang Xia nodded, "I’ll take it inside and put it away."
Zhou Mother added, "Remember to hide it well!"
Jiang Xia took the two pearls back to her room.
Zhou Mother was pleased. Seeing that it was getting late, she looked at Tian Caihua, "You should go back too! Have the boys gone to sleep? Remember to make them go to bed early so they can wake up early and help me weed the peanut field tomorrow."
Tian Caihua’s face fell. She mumbled a response and left, irritated. Why did Zhou Mother always make her sons do this and that? They didn’t even have time to do their homework!
What if they couldn’t get into college?
As Tian Caihua stepped out of the courtyard, she ran into her neighbor, Pan Daidi.
Pan Daidi, seeing Tian Caihua’s gloomy face, her curiosity piqued, "Why are you so unhappy, Ah Hua? I heard you all were having a lively discussion just now?"
Usually, Tian Caihua would spill the beans and describe everything in detail.
But today, she was in no mood. She snapped, "Why should I be unhappy? I’m very happy. My brother-in-law found a pearl in a sea snail, why shouldn’t I be happy?"
With that, she walked away.
Pan Daidi quickly grabbed her arm, "What did you say? A pearl in a sea snail?"
Tian Caihua shook off her hand, still irritable, "What kind of sea snail? Of course, it’s because he’s lucky. He found a sea snail on the beach that had a pearl inside."
Pan Daidi grabbed her hand again, "What? What did the sea snail look like? Was it covered in spines?"
Tian Caihua: "Yes, I guess."
Both sea snails she saw had spines, and one of them was indeed covered in them. However, she didn’t know which one had the pearl.
With that, she walked away, not in the mood to talk.
Why did they have to split up so early? It would have been better to wait until after the typhoon.
If only the radio had announced the typhoon a few days earlier.
Right? Pan Daidi stood there, her heart aching with regret.
So, the sea snail her son kicked away had a pearl inside?
A pearl, no matter how small, was still a pearl.
And she had missed it?
(End of Chapter)
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