When Zhang Lu and the others saw the small conch in her hand, there was not a trace of joy in their eyes.
"A Ying, did you come all this way just for this thing?"
The coconut conch is difficult to cook. When opening the shell to get the meat, it's easy to hurt your hands. Even tough - skinned men like them found it a headache.
It's only because of its large shell and bright patterns, looking rather exotic, that it can barely attract a few customers.
But the small conch in Zhu'er's hand didn't even have this last advantage. It was really puzzling why Li Ying was so determined to come here.
Li Ying just smiled slightly and whispered a few instructions to the villagers. The fishermen in the village were used to following her, so they didn't say anything. They took off their clothes one after another. Soon, they all pitched in and fished out the small conches that were dwelling on the seabed one by one.
"Zhu'er, is the new conch farm you were ordered to prepare in advance ready?"
Zhu'er nodded, but there was an involuntary tinge of regret in her eyes.
In her hands, she was holding the biggest coconut conch, presumably the mother conch that had bred these small conches and eggs.
Seeing Li Ying turn her head, she turned the coconut conch over, showing a deep knock on the back of the shell.
"What a pity for such a prominent big conch. If we could keep the shell intact and display it in the souvenir shop to attract tourists, it would be great."
This girl was quite intelligent. Without much guidance from Li Ying, she had already learned to think creatively about these "cultural and creative souvenirs".
She had already arranged for the village women to make bracelets, wind - chimes, jewelry trays and such with the readily available shells during their spare time. Now she could immediately spot the uniqueness of the conch shell. She was truly a rare talent.
Li Ying secretly admired her in her heart, but when she followed Zhu'er's gaze, she couldn't help but shake her head.
She wondered if the mother conch had been attacked. The crack in the shell was extremely deep, even exposing the tender conch meat. It was obvious that it couldn't survive.
Zhang Lu and the others had been busy all night and were hungry. Seeing the faint dawn in the sky, they started to plan to have a quick meal before setting out to fish again.
"Sister, shall we return to shore?"
A Man looked at Li Ying tentatively. Mianmian in her arms was sleeping soundly, hugging Mao Mao's fluffy body.
Seeing that these two little lucky stars seemed ready to call it a day, Li Ying felt a bit more confident. She reached out to take the coconut conch and nodded.
If her prediction was correct, the whereabouts of another conch pearl should be here.
She washed her hands, borrowed a sharp dagger from Zhang Lu, smashed the crack on the shell a bit wider, and carefully dug out the conch meat.
Although the coconut conch was big, it had a lot of inedible internal organs that must be removed.
Li Ying kept the conch's dense and fragrant liver, and washed the mucus on the conch meat repeatedly with salt and starch. Then she carefully felt along the conch meat with her fingers.
But the conch pearl she had been longing for never showed up.
A faint sense of disappointment welled up in Li Ying's heart.
Could it be that she was wrong?
Even with the help of her two little lucky stars, were they still going to return empty - handed?
She had been mentally prepared. After all, the conch pearl was a rare thing. It was already a stroke of great luck for Zhang Lu to find one.
She sighed and secretly comforted herself not to rely too much on the so - called "lucky charm luck".
However, these small conches could at least be used as bait to attract Imperial Envoy Lin. With her eloquence, as long as she built the conch farm, she should be able to draw him in.
Having made up her mind, she felt a bit more relaxed. She didn't waste any more time, rolled up her sleeves, and started to cook the coconut conch.
The conch meat was more chewy than ordinary red conches. When cooking, one had to be more careful about the heat. If one was a bit careless, it would become as tough as old leather that was hard to chew.
Li Ying sharpened the knife on the bottom of the pottery bowl. With a swift movement, she sliced the conch meat into pieces as thin as cicada wings.
Just pair it with some savory soy sauce and squeeze some refreshing young tangerines on it. As sashimi, it would have a very crispy texture.
For those who were not used to eating raw food, pour the conch meat into boiling water and blanch it quickly for a few seconds. Before the meat curled up, take it out, layer it with sliced cucumbers, roll them up, and sprinkle with sesame seeds, crushed peanuts and red oil.
The shredded scallions rolled inside not only got rid of the slight fishy smell but also added a touch of sweetness to the light conch meat rolls. When the tooth bit through the dotted perilla seeds, the rich flavor of the spices instantly spread across the tongue. Only then was the taste of the perilla, cucumber and conch meat roll perfect.
The coconut conch liver had a strong fishy smell, but as long as it was pickled with vinegar and wine to make the soft liver firm, and paired with raw scallions, the taste would be very rich.
Sand a small red chili pepper between a split radish until it was finely crushed. The snow - white radish would immediately be dyed with a rosy glow, which was called "red - leaf radish puree".
It was not only refreshing but also had a hint of spiciness, like a noble and unyielding beauty, not only beautiful in appearance but also in character.
With the accompaniment of the red - leaf radish puree, the rich vinegar - pickled conch liver became fresh and elegant.
As for the last bits and pieces, simply chop them finely and fry them over low heat until they were crispy and fragrant. Mix them into the chewy fried rice. Although it looked unassuming, every bite would reveal the hidden mystery, bringing endless surprises.
Li Ying was concentrating on her cooking, her kitchen knife moving deftly, but suddenly she paused.
The hand that was pressing on the end of the conch meat seemed to touch something.
Li Ying's heart skipped a beat. She suddenly stopped what she was doing.
"I found it."
Her breath caught in her throat. She looked at the object in her palm in disbelief.
A one - in - fifty - thousand chance of luck.
It had actually fallen on her.
The fishermen in the village were used to seeing her calm and composed. Now seeing her so rarely stunned and out of sorts, they all stopped joking around and stared at her in disbelief.
In the palm of her hand, the conch pearl was lying quietly.
It was huge, round, with a vibrant flame pattern, dyed in a glowing red like rosy clouds, full of vitality, and openly exuding its soul - stirring charm.
"Sister, is this..."
A Man rushed over when she heard the news. She stammered for a long time before finally speaking.
Li Ying nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that behind A Man, Qing Liu and a few other women were stretching their necks to take a look at the conch pearl.
Li Ying snorted coldly in her heart. She pretended not to notice and took two more steps forward so that they could see it clearly.
"By the way, A Man, this is the Dragon Pearl I once told you about."