Chapter 19
After walking around the street twice, Hailey pointed to the seaside and said, “Let’s go to the fishing village. I lived there for six months when I was a child.”
The seaside looked close, but it was actually quite far.
The fishing village was more than 12 miles away from the city, and it took more than ten minutes to drive.
The houses in the fishing village remained predominantly old, with only a handful being newer constructions. The younger generation showed little interest in continuing the traditional occupation of fishing passed down by their elders, resulting in a majority of them seeking employment opportunities in the city.
Most of the people who stayed in the fishing village were elderly, and there were fewer and fewer real fishermen.
Hailey pointed to an old house and said, “I lived here when I was a child. It is my grandma’s sister’s home. But my grandma’s sister passed away several years ago. Most of her descendants have since relocated to the city.”
A rusty iron lock dangled from the gate, preventing entry into the house.
Oliver walked around the old dwelling, observing its windows. Thick layers of dust covered the glass, a testament to its abandonment for several years at the very least.
Oliver went back to the gate and didn’t see Hailey. After looking for her, he found that Hailey was heading to the beach along a small path.
There was an old fishing port at the one around. The place was quiet.
entrance of the fishing village. Several old boats were tied to the port, and there was no
Hailey strolled leisurely toward the beach on the left side. After a few dozen feet, she stopped and took off her shoes, allowing her bare feet to sink into the wet sand. Moments later, she bent down to collect seashells scattered along the shore.
After more than two years working in True Treasure second-hand store, Oliver saw Hailey as an elegant glacier beauty. When he talked to her on normal days, she always remained a composed expression on her face. No one could tell whether she was depressed or calm.
But now she was like a teenage girl, hopping along the sealine and picking up shells.
quickly took off his shoes and followed her,
tide on the
Hailey’s footprints gradually vanished, erased by the advancing waves.
sand. With an unpleasant odor wafting up, he realized
the beach? Or it could be dog shit,”
patch of brownish-yellow sand emerged in the seawater, giving the
shoes and was barefoot. If he stepped on such a ball in his shoes, it would
stared at the brown cow dung, an identification message suddenly appeared in
ounces and has been soaked in seawater for 144 years. A prized traditional herbal medicine
[Grade: high-grade.]
17
Oliver cursed in
almost fell into the sea. He was shocked to know that such a smelly thing was
and quickly bent down to dig out the brown dung-like thing from the sand.
mass that was still
submerged the ambergris in seawater. He then proceeded to wash the object thoroughly with the seawater.
to reveal itself. The dirt-like appearance
strong odor for a while, Oliver was surprised to discover
17 million dollars?” he
here. This conch is so beautiful and I
go over and waved to Hailey.
“Is it a shell or a snail? Yours must be
Oliver was neither holding a shell nor a snail
a frown and said, “It smells bad. I
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