Da Si Nong: I really don’t want to farm

Chapter 331 A Clam Hatches a Pearl
Fishponds are never without river clams.

The water in the fishpond has been almost completely drained, and the shallow water area is now dry, exposing many river mussels.

"A clam shell?"

Liu Feifei looked at Wang Yun with some surprise.

"A clam! There it is, a clam!"

When Wang Yun saw Liu Feifei looking at her, she pointed to the river mussels in the fishpond and said...

Are there pearls in there?

Liu Feifei couldn't help but ask a question.

"I don't know about that," Wang Yun shook her head and said, "You can pick some up and pry them open to take a look later."

Upon hearing this, Liu Feifei was eager to try.

"Let's go!"

Mu Xiaoyan smiled and said something to Liu Feifei, then pulled her across the reservoir.

The clearing of fishponds naturally attracts a lot of onlookers.

Now that another big star has arrived, even more people are watching.

However, Xu Yue and his group exuded a powerful aura, so no one came to disturb them.

Of course, the main reason is that most of the onlookers are villagers. Even if they recognize Liu Feifei as a big star, they don't have any intention of following her. At most, they just take a few more glances.

As for Wang Yun, this big star?

Her public profile is far lower than Liu Feifei's.

In the city, it would be difficult to even go shopping.

But if you put it in the countryside, not many people would recognize it.

Those who recognize it will probably think: "Isn't this... isn't this singing... singing something else?"
This is thanks to Wang Yun's appearance on the Spring Festival Gala; otherwise, even fewer people in the countryside would probably recognize her.

However, some of the onlookers were young people taking pictures with their phones.

Hu Hai and his group had previously contracted fishponds and recorded videos of them, all of which were posted on the same account.

That's Xiong Yan's short video account.

Although Xiong Yan is now somewhat inconsistent in her work, she can still be considered an internet celebrity to some extent.

Her account already has over a million followers.

"Isn't Xiong Yan coming?"

Zhang Ruoxi asked a question: Xiong Yan used to be there when they contracted the fishpond, and she even acted as the photographer.

"We're waiting for Lu Zhenyu, otherwise he would have arrived long ago," Wang Haolin said. "We usually notify her when we contract the fishpond. Although the videos of catching fish aren't very popular. However, we haven't told Liu Feifei yet. If we had, I doubt we would have waited for that guy Lu Zhenyu."

Zhang Ruoxi also smiled.

"Let's ask for their opinion," Tie Wei said. "Would it have any impact if we included her in the video?"

Zhang Ruoxi didn't say anything, but looked at Wang Yun.

They don't understand these things, but Wang Yun does.

"It should be fine, as long as we don't just film her alone," Wang Yun said after thinking for a moment. "However, I'll still ask for her opinion."

What's your opinion?
"Go ahead and take the picture!" Liu Feifei said casually. "Just remember to ask her to make me look pretty in it."

“With you like that, it’s hard to take an ugly picture!” Zhang Ruoxi said with a smile. “I don’t think she has the skill.”

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

Just as they were about to go down into the pond, Lu Zhenyu's car arrived.

"Cousin, Sister Ruoxi! Oh, Uncle, Sister Wang Yun, you're here too!"

Xiong Yan was somewhat surprised to see Xu Yue and Zhang Ruoxi when she got out of the car.

Of course, what surprised them even more was seeing Xu Jianghe and Wang Yun.

Wang Yun is actually alright, but Xu Jianghe and the others really have a hard time fitting in.

Although they are not much different in age, Xu Jianghe is, after all, an elder.

"That's what we called them before we got married, and we didn't make them change it after we got married."

Wang Yun noticed Liu Feifei looking at her with a puzzled expression.

Sister Wang Yun?
What is this name.

Although she knew that Wang Yun was Wang Yurou's real name, shouldn't she call her aunt?
That's Xu Jianghe's own niece!
"as long as you are happy!"

Liu Feifei said with a smile.

However, I understand.

Aunt?

It does feel strange to be called "aunt" by someone who isn't much younger than you.

It feels a bit strange to call her "sister".

"Catch fish! Catch fish!"

Liu Feifei, fully equipped, couldn't wait any longer.

"go!"

Mu Xiaoyan had caught it several times before, so she naturally had experience.

She was also one of only two girls who caught fish.

Although Xiong Yan also goes down into the fishpond, she doesn't catch fish; instead, she acts as a photographer.

After so much training, her skills in this area are quite good.

"Brother Yue, aren't you going downstairs to have some fun?"

Lu Zhenyu tidied up Xiong Yan's reservoir outfit, then put on a set for himself, before smiling at Xu Yue.

Xu Jianghe remained silent, which she could imagine, but Xu Yue was still quite capable of playing along.

After all, they're about the same age.

“She’s not going down to catch fish, she’s just picking them up, so it’s not fun for her,” Shen Yu said with a smile. “Catching rice paddy fish is easy, but the fish in this pond, whether in terms of vitality or density, can’t compare to the rice paddy fish. Going down there is just like picking them up.”

“Catching fish is fun, but picking them up isn’t,” Iron Guard said. “Let’s play by ourselves.”

Lu Zhenyu didn't say anything more. Seeing Xiong Yan go down into the fishpond, he quickly followed.

Xu Yue and the others watched from the sidelines, and Wang Yun and Zhang Ruoxi even took out their phones to record videos.

Are those aunties going down to catch fish too?

Liu Feifei looked at the villagers carrying buckets by the fishpond and asked Mu Xiaoyan about her.

“They’ll come down and collect some snails to take back and eat after we’ve finished catching them,” Mu Xiaoyan said. “Of course, they’ll also go into the water to feel for them.”

"Slacking off?" Liu Feifei said, "There are still some left after everyone else has caught them? You left them on purpose, didn't you?"

"I'll leave some on purpose." Mu Xiaoyan nodded and said, "However, even if I don't intentionally leave some crucian carp or something, there will inevitably be some that slip through the net, and I can't catch them all. By the way, if you can't catch them, you can use a dip net to scoop them up."

Don't underestimate me!

"oops!"

As Liu Feifei spoke, she walked towards the middle of the pond, but she sank in after only two steps.

"Ha ha!"

Mu Xiaoyan laughed without any sympathy.

"You'd better be careful!" Mu Xiaoyan said with a smile. "Don't fall down, or you'll be in big trouble if you land face down."

"Why is this mud so deep?"

Liu Feifei complained as she struggled to pull her leg out.

"What's this?" Mu Xiaoyan said. "The silt in the fishpond we cleaned last time was waist-deep."

"Then how are we supposed to catch fish?"

"Use bamboo poles. Put two bamboo poles in the fishpond, then stand on the bamboo poles and you're done."

As they talked, they reached the depths of the fishpond. The mud wasn't actually that deep, but the water was up to their thighs when they stood in the pond.

"oops!"

When Liu Feifei saw a silver carp in front of her, she immediately reached out to grab it with both hands. Although half of the fish's body was out of the water, it darted out with a flick of its tail, splashing water all over Liu Feifei.

"You have to be quick, accurate and forceful when catching fish. These fish are not very active and there is a high density of them, so they are much easier to catch than the fish in the rice paddies."

Mu Xiaoyan began teaching Liu Feifei how to catch fish.

Meanwhile, Xiong Yan was taking pictures not far away.

Shen Yu and the others had already gone down into the pond to catch fish.

Their technique is pretty good; they're not exactly accurate with every single one of their shots, but they're close enough.

This is so much better than their first time catching fish in the fields.

"Just sit and watch!"

Xu Jianghe found two plastic chairs from somewhere and handed them to Wang Yun and Zhang Ruoxi.

The two of them didn't stand on ceremony.

The weather was kind to us today; the sun didn't come out.

Otherwise, Xu Jianghe could have gotten Wang Yun a parasol to sit next to him.

It must be said that Xu Yue is not as good as Xu Jianghe in this respect.

"Where did you find it?" Xu Yue couldn't help but ask.

"I gave them fifty yuan to have some villagers from the neighborhood carry it over," Xu Jianghe said. "You probably don't need it, right?"

"Need not."

Xu Yue shook his head; as a grown man, he naturally didn't need a chair.

Zhang Ruoxi and Wang Yun aren't actually that delicate, but they are pregnant now.

Fifty yuan is quite a good deal.

The fishpond isn't big, only a few acres, but there are quite a few fish.

How many kilograms of fish do you think there are in this fishpond?

Xu Yue started a conversation by asking a question.

"Around two to three thousand catties."

Xu Jianghe offered his speculation, and Zhang Ruoxi and Wang Yun nodded in agreement.

"Be more precise," Xu Yue laughed, "your range of one thousand jin is a bit too broad!"

“Around 2,400 jin,” Wang Yun said. “Before, Hu Hai said the pond owner estimated it to be 2,500 jin, and that’s how they calculated it. Now it seems that the pond owner is quite honest.”

The difference of about 100 pounds is normal in Wang Yun's opinion.

"Compared to the previous pond owner, this one is indeed much more honest," Zhang Ruoxi said with a smile. "Last time they estimated 800 jin, but they caught less than 300 jin, not even half of that."

Wang Yun smiled upon hearing this.

She had mentioned this matter to both Mu Xiaoyan and Xiong Yan.

Got cheated!
This is normal.

However, Shen Yu and the others didn't care.

“They’ve never made any money leasing fishponds,” Xu Yue said, shaking his head. “But they’re not exactly short of money.”

It wasn't about making money in the first place.

Of course, if you make money, then you'll be happy too.

It doesn't matter if we lose money.

"I think I stepped on something!"

Shen Yu's voice rang out, attracting everyone's attention.

He then bent down, his face almost touching the water's surface, and pulled a large turtle out from under his feet.

That turtle must weigh at least three pounds.

Although this turtle is large, it is clearly not as delicious as the turtles in Xu Yue's fishpond.

But Shen Yu was just as happy.

Iron Guard and the others were filled with envy.

Then, Tiewei stopped catching fish, went ashore, grabbed a hoe and a bucket, and started digging for turtles and eels by the pond.

They didn't find any soft-shelled turtles, but they did find several eels.

"Huh, I think I stepped on something too. Could it be a turtle as well?"

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Feifei suddenly said something.

"Touch it and let me see!" Mu Xiaoyan said. "Can I touch it? Be careful, turtles bite."

"Let's try it. The mud isn't deep here. I'm wearing gloves, so I shouldn't get bitten, right?"

As Liu Feifei spoke, she reached out and touched it, and with great effort, she pulled out a large river clam.

"A clam? Not a soft-shelled turtle!"

Looking at the small, basin-sized clam in her hand, Liu Feifei was a little annoyed; she had thought it was a large soft-shelled turtle.

It's bigger than the previous one.

"This clam is quite big!" Mu Xiaoyan said. "It might even contain a pearl."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Feifei's eyes lit up.

Then she stopped fishing, grabbed the large river clam, and walked towards the edge of the pond.

She was clearly eager to open it and take a look.

"How to open this?"

Liu Feifei brought the clam to Wang Yun and the others, and then asked.

At this moment, she was covered in mud, both on her face and in her hair.

However, her good looks make her a pleasure to look at.

Xu Yue and Xu Jianghe had no interest in appreciating her beauty.

In truth, Zhang Ruoxi and Wang Yun are no less than her; they just have different temperaments.

"Let's break it open!"

Xu Yue said something subconsciously.

Liu Feifei looked at the large river clam in her hand, then at Xu Yue, as if to say: Do I look like someone who can be broken open?
"You can pry it open, but Feifei can just pry it open for free?" Zhang Ruoxi said. "It's more fun to open this yourself. Why don't you find a knife and pry it open from the seam?"

Should Xu Yue pry it open?

Liu Feifei did indeed have such a thought.

However, listening to Zhang Ruoxi, I felt it would be more interesting to pry it open myself.

The clam I picked up myself opened itself!

Finding a knife for opening river clams was easy; the pond owner quickly brought over a kitchen knife.

"Be careful!"

Wang Yun spoke up to remind him.

Liu Feifei nodded; she wasn't exactly petite or frail.

However, it still took a lot of effort to pry open the clam.

The reason is simple: I'm not skilled enough.

"Hey, there really are! Two of them, and they're purple, so pretty."

Liu Feifei held the two beads in her hands and looked at them, finding them more and more beautiful the more she looked at them.

"I guess this counts as big?"

Liu Feifei handed the pearls to Wang Yun and the others, and couldn't help but ask a question.

"big!"

Wang Yun nodded.

Women should know a little about jewelry.

“It is indeed considered large,” Zhang Ruoxi nodded and said. “Generally, anything larger than a centimeter in diameter, about the size of a little finger, is considered large.”

The pearl in Liu Feifei's hand should be a little over one centimeter long.

However, this is also very difficult.

The key is that it's purple.

How much is this worth?

The person who asked this question was the owner of the pond.

"Pond owner, everything in this fishpond is expensive for us. You're not going to back out, are you?"

Mu Xiaoyan looked at the pond owner, but her brows furrowed.

"How could that be?" The pond owner quickly waved his hand and said, "I was just curious on Thursday. These river clams are very common around here. I've seen plenty of river clams this big."

"This"

After the pond owner said that, Liu Feifei didn't know what to do with the pearl.

“If you picked up a clam and it produced a pearl, then you can keep it,” Zhang Ruoxi said. “They don’t need your pearls.”

"It's worthless!"

Upon hearing this, the pond owner lost much of his interest.

The same was true for the other villagers who were watching.

“Usually, river mussel pearls cost a few or tens of yuan each. If they are larger and rounder, the price will be higher.” Lu Zhenyu said, appearing beside them at some point. “If the pond owner can find river mussel pearls of this size, round and purple, I can offer them for a thousand yuan each.”

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, the pond owner's eyes lit up immediately.

“Of course,” Lu Zhenyu said. “You can take the beads to Lu’s Jewelry in the city to find me. My name is Lu Zhenyu.”

"Should we accept smaller ones?"

A villager nearby asked.

The small ones cost a few dollars each?
That's money too.

Some freshwater clams contain several eggs.

“I’ll take them!” Lu Zhenyu said. “However, the really ugly ones aren’t worth much.”

(End of this chapter)