"Boss Zhuang is right. The coconut volute has always had a notorious reputation. I wonder which number Boss Zhuang has chosen?"
Hearing the others asking about his choice, Zhuang Zhoushan stood upright and confidently pointed at Number 17.
"I've chosen Number 17."
Xu Qingqing, who had been called a fool, stood angrily on the second floor, looking like a chubby pufferfish covered in thorns.
This Zhuang Zhoushan was really overbearing. Just because he had won the championship one year, he called others fools.
However, the Number 17 chosen by Zhuang Zhoushan was exactly the pearl oyster with the largest pearl that Xu Qingqing had seen through the system. This old guy still had some skills.
After all the participants had made their selections, the host tapped the microphone, making a noise to signal the travelers below to stop.
"Everyone, please be quiet. Now our professional oyster - opening staff will open the oysters. Please wait for the good news."
As he said this, five staff members wearing waterproof suits and holding professional oyster - opening tools stepped forward and began to open the oyster shells one by one.
As the pearl oysters were opened one by one, some were happy while others were sad. Some pearls were as tiny as sand grains and were hardly worth anything.
Some pearls were as round as a thumb, with a gentle and beautiful color and a faint luster.
When the staff picked up the Number 14 volute, many people stared at the big screen and saw that only one person had chosen it. They let out sneers.
"Who chose this volute? It's obvious that there can't be a big pearl inside."
"The coconut volute is like a unfinished building. Once you choose it, you're in for a loss."
Xu Qingqing gradually calmed down in the face of the mocking voices of the crowd. She stared intently at the master who was opening the volute.
As the shell of the volute broke bit by bit, the fat meat inside the volute was revealed.
The coconut volute had a lot of meat, and there were many tiger - skin patterns on the meat.
As the oyster - opening master tore the meat bit by bit, an orange and round bead was revealed. It had rings of flame patterns and glowed a fiery red luster.
Zhu Lulu's eyes widened when she saw the Melo pearl, which was as big as a pigeon egg and had such a perfect shape. Her red lips opened wide, forming an "O".
"I didn't expect a Melo pearl to really appear!"
Zhu Lulu, with an expression of disbelief on her face, explained the value of the Melo pearl to Xu Qingqing in more detail.
"The Melo pearl is also known as the Dragon Pearl because it's extremely rare and can't be artificially cultured. Moreover, the Melo pearl you've chosen is a standard round shape, which makes it even more valuable."
The participants were stunned when they saw this Melo pearl. They didn't expect that there really was a Melo pearl in the coconut volute, which they regarded as a waste!
Zhuang Zhoushan, who had just insulted the person who chose Number 14 as a fool, was immediately dumbfounded. He didn't expect that the coconut volute he had discarded actually contained a precious treasure.
Moreover, it didn't end there. Although the oyster - opening master was surprised to have opened a valuable Melo pearl, he continued to peel the remaining oyster meat.
Apart from the biggest Melo pearl, the oyster - opening master also opened two small Melo pearls the size of mung beans one after another.
The pearl competition was basically over at this point. After all, the price of the Melo pearl was enough to crush the prices of all the other pearls on the scene.
With the precious Melo pearl in sight, the pearls opened later lost their initial surprise.
Even Zhuang Zhoushan felt uninterested when he saw the big pearl in the No. 17 oyster shell. He stared enviously at the Melo pearl in the No. 14 water tank and felt extremely regretful.
"I'm so stupid! I missed such a big Melo pearl for nothing!"
After all the pearl oysters were opened, the staff began to calculate the money everyone had earned.
Since only Xu Qingqing had chosen the No. 14 coconut volute, no one would share the Melo pearl with her. This Melo pearl belonged to Xu Qingqing alone.
When the staff put the Melo pearl in a treasure box and brought it in front of Xu Qingqing, she saw the beauty of the Melo pearl up close.
It emitted a pale yellow luster, and Xu Qingqing could almost feel its warmth.
"It's really so beautiful."
Xu Qingqing stroked the pearl happily with her hand and then carefully put it into her bag.
Zhu Lulu beside her exclaimed in admiration. She had been a tour guide for so many years, and this was the first time she had seen someone open a Melo pearl.
The pearl competition was divided into two rounds. The first round was over, and more people participated in the second round, all attracted by the Melo pearl.
After a 10 - minute intermission, a staff member brought Xu Qingqing some coconut juice.
A middle - aged man wearing square - framed glasses and looking gentle and refined followed the staff in. As soon as he saw Xu Qingqing, he couldn't wait to hand over his business card.
"Hello, Miss Xu. I'm Wei Guofu, a pearl buyer. I'd like to buy the Melo pearl in your hand."
Wei Guofu got straight to the point. Xu Qingqing's beautiful peach - blossom eyes swept over him coldly.
Noticing Xu Qingqing's gaze, Wei Guofu's smile widened, showing exactly eight teeth.
"Sorry, I won't sell this Melo pearl."
Xu Qingqing's attitude was neither warm nor cold. She waved her hand to signal Wei Guofu to leave.
"I'm willing to pay 500,000 yuan!" Wei Guofu quickly reported his price.
Hearing this, a sneer appeared on Xu Qingqing's lips.
Just now, she had learned the value of the Melo pearl from the system. This pearl could be sold for more than 1 million yuan, but Wei Guofu only wanted to buy it for 500,000 yuan.
Did he think she was a fool!
Seeing that Xu Qingqing didn't agree, Wei Guofu quickly offered a higher price.
"Seven hundred thousand yuan. This is the highest price I can offer!"
Xu Qingqing remained unmoved and even felt a bit like laughing.
"I won't sell. Please leave quickly."
Wei Guofu was about to say something else when Lu Chuanbai's cold gaze fell on him. Wei Guofu was intimidated by the cold aura.
He could only follow the staff out. Just as the glass door was about to close, Wei Guofu gritted his teeth and offered a price.
"One million yuan. I'm willing to pay one million yuan!"
The Melo pearl was a rare item with no fixed market price. As long as he could buy this pearl, with a little processing to make it into a necklace, its value might multiply several times.
Xu Qingqing liked this Melo pearl very much and wouldn't sell it for money. She refused without even looking at Wei Guofu.
Wei Guofu had no choice but to leave regretfully.
The second round of the competition began. The host solemnly introduced this batch of seawater pearls.
"The most famous seawater pearls in our country are the Hepu pearls from Guangxi. In ancient times, they were specially supplied to the royal family."
"For this competition, we're fortunate to have bought a batch of pearl oysters from Hepu, Guangxi. The freshwater pearls are Dongzhu. Everyone can choose the ones that suit them."
Hearing the host say that the freshwater pearls were from Dongzhu, Zhuang Zhoushan showed an arrogant and mocking expression again, deliberately showing off his knowledge.
"Although freshwater pearls were highly valued by the emperors in the Qing Dynasty, in order to make tributes, the common people dug and fished wantonly in the rivers in the Northeast."
"Until the resources were exhausted, the Dongzhu pearls became smaller and smaller."