Chapter 291 - 175: This Luck Is Something Else

Chapter 291: Chapter 175: This Luck Is Something Else

When Su Chen saw his dad’s bucket overflowing with fish, he knew Lady Luck wasn’t on his side tonight.

"A bet’s a bet!" Su Zhuyun said, draping an arm over Su Chen’s shoulder with a smug look.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Su Chen sighed, letting his head hang in defeat.

"Xiaochen, why do you only have crabs? Is there nothing else?" Chen Shufen came over and peered into his bucket, noticing it was full of crabs of all different kinds.

That reminded Su Chen of the coconut snail he had placed at the very bottom.

He lifted his bucket and poured the crabs on top into his mom, Chen Shufen’s, bucket. A flash of bright yellow was revealed to everyone.

"Whoa, is that a coconut snail? Xiaochen, you’re so lucky! I’d only ever heard stories about people beachcombing on West Island and finding one. I can’t believe you found one this big! It has to be worth at least several hundred!" a surprised Du Furong exclaimed from the side.

Having lived on West Island for so many years, Du Furong knew a thing or two about marine life. She understood that finding a coconut snail while beachcombing was as lucky as winning ten thousand on a scratch-off ticket.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime find!

Now it was Su Zhuyun’s turn to be stunned. Du Furong had seen his catch, and his whole bucket combined was only worth three to five hundred. It seemed his haul was worth quite a bit less than Su Chen’s.

It seemed his earlier gloating was a bit like celebrating at halftime. Su Zhuyun’s face flushed, but he was thankful it was dark enough that no one noticed.

"Ahem... It’s getting late. We should head back," Su Zhuyun said quickly, eager to change the subject.

No one objected. They had all gotten a taste of beachcombing, and the novelty had worn off a bit. Besides, it was already past ten o’clock, and the sea breeze was getting a little chilly.

After returning to the guesthouse’s courtyard, Chen Shufen took their catches to the small sink in the kitchen, planning to cook a sumptuous feast the next day.

As for Su Chen and Su Zhuyun, they returned to their respective rooms, took a quick shower, and immediately fell asleep.

Beachcombing sounded like a lot of fun, but after bending down and standing up for one or two hours straight, even the fittest person would be exhausted.

.......

Early the next morning, while Su Chen was still deep in sleep, he was jolted awake by Chen Shufen’s frantic knocking and shouting.

"What’s wrong, Mom?" Su Chen asked, his eyes still heavy with sleep as he opened the door.

"It’s something great! Quick, come with me to the kitchen!" Chen Shufen said excitedly, grabbing Su Chen’s hand and pulling him downstairs.

The short jog downstairs woke Su Chen up considerably. When he got to the kitchen, he saw his dad pointing his phone’s flashlight at something, while Auntie Furong stood beside him, her face flush with excitement.

"Mom, what’s going on with you guys? You’re all beaming this early in the morning," Su Chen asked, scratching his messy hair.

"Xiaochen, look at this!" In Su Zhuyun’s palm lay a small, vibrantly colored pearl, about the size of a toy marble.

Su Chen took the pearl and observed it in his hand. It was quite large, he noted, about one to two centimeters in diameter.

The pearl was perfectly round with a flame-like pattern on its surface. Its bright yellow color was almost identical to the coconut snail’s shell.

"Dad, don’t keep me in suspense. What is this pearl? Hurry up and tell me!" ’For Mom to drag me out of bed this urgently, it must be a big deal.’

Su Zhuyun and Chen Shufen were now worth several million, so they’d seen a thing or two. They weren’t the type to make a fuss over small things anymore. For them to be this excited, the pearl must be something extraordinary.

"Xiaochen, this is a Melo pearl, which is unique to coconut snails. Looking at its quality and size, it could sell for at least a million!" Du Furong stepped forward to explain.

"A Melo pearl? It can sell for over a million?" It wasn’t Su Chen’s fault for being uninformed; most people have no idea that coconut snails can produce pearls like oysters do.

Du Furong nodded emphatically. "This thing is incredibly rare. You might not find a single one in ten thousand coconut snails. It’s exceptionally scarce, and because of its unique color and quality, the price has always been sky-high."

"A few years ago, a tourist bought a coconut snail and found a 4.25-gram Melo pearl inside. Someone immediately offered over a hundred thousand for it."

At this, Du Furong looked at the Melo pearl in Su Chen’s hand with envy. "The one you’re holding is nearly twenty grams, and its diameter is a full two centimeters. It’s the cream of the crop. If you were to sell it at a major jewelry store, you’d definitely get an even higher price."

Du Furong had never seen a Melo pearl this large herself; she was just making an estimate based on past sales. She had no idea of the exact price, but she was certain of one thing: this Melo pearl was worth at least a million.

Hearing this, Su Chen shot a smug look at his dad. "Who would’ve thought? Just a simple trip to the beach, and I stumble upon something this valuable. Looks like my luck is pretty good after all!"

Blindsided by the comment, Su Zhuyun saw Su Chen’s triumphant expression and immediately turned his head away, pretending he hadn’t seen a thing.

After toying with the Melo pearl in his hand for a moment, Su Chen casually handed it to Su Zhuyun. "Here, Dad, you hold onto this. When we get back, we can find a jewelry store and have them make a custom necklace or something for Mom with it."