Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Unexpected Discovery
Actually, oyster fishing is very simple, they waited for Xia Liu as a way to show their respect for him.
"My suggestion is to fish in one spot first, then gradually spread out, and don't fish the small oysters for now," Xia Liu said amicably. Both suggestions were made for future convenience; scattered fishing would compromise efficiency later on.
The villagers understood Xia Liu's intentions and applauded in approval, already eager to start fishing.
"Everyone, pay attention to safety, and observe those around you closely. We can't afford any accidents," Xia Liu solemnly reminded them about safety before they got into the water.
"Hehe, don't worry, which one of us village folks can't hold our breath underwater for a minute or two?"
"Haha, that's right!"
After a while of commotion, the villagers started heading towards both ends of the beach in succession. They had allocated the positions before Xia Liu arrived.
Using the beach as their line, twenty people went to fish on each side; this way, it wouldn't seem too crowded.
In less than ten minutes, a villager brought the oysters he had fished back to shore. There were dozens of them, but they were still short of fifty pounds. After setting down the oysters, he went back into the water to fish for more.
Watching the villagers dive and resurface, Xia Liu wasn't idle either. He turned around to go home, planning to bring the weighing scale and notebook over. Later on, he would process everything right there, pack it up, and ship it out. It would be awkward and inconvenient to have so many people carrying fifty-pound oysters back to his place.
When Xia Liu got home, he saw that Zhang Xiaoxue hadn't rested and was still tidying up his room.
Xia Liu, whether faint with anger or not, slapped Zhang Xiaoxue's buttocks the moment he entered the room.
"Ouch! Brother Xia Liu, why did you hit me?" The slap made Zhang Xiaoxue tremble all over; when she turned around and saw Xia Liu, her eyes misted up, and she said weakly with a pout.
"Didn't I tell you to go to sleep? Why are you still up?" Xia Liu felt a pang of pity but still needed to be strict in his reprimand.
"I couldn't sleep..."
...
"Alright then, come with me to the beach to register the weights. But you must rest a bit after we get back," Xia Liu said helplessly.
"Yay, yay!" Zhang Xiaoxue exclaimed excitedly; she had wanted to go earlier but was afraid of upsetting Xia Liu.
So, the two of them took the digital scale and notebook and drove over.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhang Xiaoxue pondered over everything that had just happened, her face gradually blushing unnoticed.
On the way there, Xia Liu was feeling parched and restless, mainly because the road wasn't paved with cement and the ride was bumpy, causing Zhang Xiaoxue to jostle around. Xia Liu couldn't help but sneak peeks at the situation, struggling to control himself.
Fortunately, the distance wasn't too far; after five minutes of driving, they arrived.
By then, some villagers had already come up from the water and were sitting on the beach chatting leisurely.
Seeing Xia Liu arrive, they hurried over to ask how to proceed with the oysters.
Xia Liu explained the process to them, which was very simple: removing the small stones sticking to the oyster shells. It would be even more convenient if they had a brush.
But there were no brushes on-site, which didn't deter the villagers as they were used to hard work with calloused hands, capable of rubbing off those small stones directly with their hands.
Some villagers couldn't manage with their hands, so they used twigs and leaves, clumping them together and continuously rubbing the oysters.
By eleven in the morning, everyone was about done with their work, so they started weighing the cleaned oysters.
Zhang Xiaoxue was on the side, recording the weights and names. As for the payment, Xia Liu promised to distribute it immediately after delivering the goods.
This made the villagers somewhat dissatisfied; they knew running a business wasn't easy, and sometimes bosses had to borrow money to pay their employees, so they worried about adding to Xia Liu's burden and suggested delaying the payment.
Xia Liu wasn't willing to do that—the value of the oysters was significant—holding onto them for several days could cause discomfort among the villagers. It was cleaner and more straightforward to pay out daily.
With a truck full of oysters, Xia Liu drove towards the county city.
The truck carried a total of two thousand one hundred pounds. Some villagers had fished extra, but that was alright, the limit was only to maintain balance among everyone.
Arriving at Longteng Hotel, Xia Liu called Huang Xue to come down and check the goods.
To his surprise, Huang Xue told him to take the goods to the back door for the kitchen staff to weigh, then to bring the inventory list to her office.
A few minutes later, Xia Liu stood at the office door with the list in hand, knocking before entering upon receiving a response.
The office had a set of sofas, a bookcase, and many other things, covering a vast space, not to mention the lavish decorations.
However, all those decorations paled in comparison to Huang Xue, sitting behind the desk. The allure of the fairy Huang Xue, especially her big, captivating eyes, was enough to bewitch countless people.
"Put the list here, and I'll transfer the money," said Huang Xue, her eyes fixed on the computer screen, pointing to the table without even glancing at Xia Liu.
Xia Liu wasn't upset; after all, it was expected of a great beauty like her to be aloof. Fairies needed to maintain a distance from ordinary folk.
But as he approached the desk, or rather, as he grew nearer to Huang Xue, he suddenly heard a low humming sound.
Hum, hum, hum...
Yes! That was the sound.
At this thought, Xia Liu's pupils shrank slightly, his gaze rapidly sweeping over Huang Xue before he was shocked.
His senses were several times sharper than an average person's; he could see many subtle changes invisible to others.
For example, Huang Xue's cheeks, where nobody but he would notice—her lips were pursed, cheeks slightly protruding; one could be sure she was clenched teeth tightly, with slight changes between her bewitching brows.
"Go sit on the sofa over there. Once the money is in and everything checks out, you can go," Huang Xue looked up at Xia Liu and said expressionlessly.
To say she was expressionless, but to Xia Liu's eyes, Huang Xue was struggling to keep her emotions under control.
Scary, very scary.
Xia Liu couldn't understand how a fairy like Huang Xue with spectacular beauty and figure could be like this, leaving all the men in the world helpless.
It hadn't been five minutes since Xia Liu sat down when he received a text message: 126,000 yuan was in his account.
"Is it there?" Before Xia Liu could speak up, Huang Xue asked hastily.
"Yes, it's in the account. I..."
"Then you can leave now. I'll call you if there's any issue," Huang Xue cut off Xia Liu, speaking straightforwardly.
Xia Liu paused for a moment then bid farewell as he left the office. Just as he stepped out of the office...