Chapter 61 Bidding
Betty's parents trusted Jennifer very much and agreed. When they met up at the airport the next day, Jennifer discovered that Declan had also come along. He said with a big smile, "My uncle was worried Betty would cause you trouble, and I happen to be free lately, so he asked me to go with you guys."
Jennifer's expression showed some hesitation, so Declan casually mentioned, "I'm going to make a phone call. My new girlfriend is a bit clingy - if we don't see each other for a day, she gets upset."
Only then did Jennifer relax, smiling as she urged him, "Go ahead, women in love are like that." Previously, Declan had been especially attentive to her, so she guessed he had feelings for her. That's why, after getting together with Francis, she wanted to keep her distance from Declan. Since he now had a new girlfriend, he must have moved on from her, and she didn't need to worry about any misunderstandings.
Betty blinked rapidly at Declan, as if asking, "When did you get a girlfriend? How come I don't know about it?" Declan winked at her, warning her not to say anything. Betty made a face and gave an "OK" gesture. Declan went aside to pretend to make a call - he didn't actually have a girlfriend. He only said that to put Jennifer at ease. Last night, when he heard that Francis had canceled on Jennifer and wouldn't be going to Bluebay City with her, he first noticed the disappointment in her voice, then felt secretly pleased. Francis might feel comfortable letting Jennifer go to such a distant place alone, but he certainly didn't. With the perfect excuse of looking after Betty, he naturally wanted to go with her.
Originally, there was only one first-class ticket left, which Declan gave to Betty. But since Francis didn't come, the seat next to Jennifer was empty, so Declan immediately upgraded and sat beside her. Before the plane took off, Jennifer wanted to call Francis, but he was in a meeting and didn't answer.
Throughout the journey, Declan looked after both Betty and Jennifer. He was thoughtful and considerate toward Jennifer, just as a caring male friend should be. He also mentioned that the hotel they'd be staying at today had a famous dish - tuna soaked and cooked in coconut milk and lemon juice, then mixed with various vegetables. The taste was sweet and sour with a coconut fragrance, very unique.
Jennifer watched him attentively as he described it, which secretly pleased him - his late-night research hadn't been in vain!
Betty clapped her hands and said, "That sounds delicious, we have to try it!"
Jennifer nodded too, saying, "Declan, you know so much. I only knew to go there to buy pearls; I never paid attention to all these fun places and good food."
Declan waved his hand and said, "You're going there for business, I'm going to have fun, so of course we'd focus on different things."
At noon, the three arrived at Taryen Isle. This place had Bluebay City's largest pearl center, where you could tour the pearl cultivation process and buy pearls on site. They first went to the hotel to drop off their luggage and have a meal, then headed to the cultivation farm for a tour. When ordering, the server recommended, "Our couple's set meal is very popular, you two could try it."
Jennifer looked a bit awkward. Before she could speak, Declan was already politely smiling and explaining, "You've misunderstood, we're just friends." Actually, he quite liked this kind of misunderstanding - at least it meant that in strangers' eyes, he and Jennifer looked good together. But he couldn't bear to make Jennifer feel awkward, so he took the initiative to clarify.
The server apologized repeatedly. Just then, Betty, who had gone to get fruit, came back. Carrying a plate of cut fruit, she said, "There are so many strange fruits here, but this pineapple is really sweet. What's wrong with you guys?"
Declan said, "Nothing, the server mistook us for a couple. Now that you're here, the misunderstanding is naturally cleared up - we couldn't possibly have a daughter your age."
Betty clutched her stomach laughing, almost unable to hold the fruit plate steady. Jennifer quickly got up to take it from her. The server couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh softly too, and the tense atmosphere completely cleared. Declan ordered several signature dishes and also let Betty and Jennifer choose the desserts and juices they liked. The meal was relaxed and satisfying - the delicious and exotic food didn't disappoint. Only after finishing the meal did Jennifer receive Francis's reply: "I was just in a meeting; you should be at the hotel by now."
Jennifer replied, "Having a meal at the hotel, the food here is really good, too bad I'm not tasting it with you." She included a photo of a table full of colorful food that looked mouth-watering.
After lunch, Jennifer changed into a casual dress, and they headed to the scheduled cultivation farm. During the tour, Betty asked many questions, which the staff answered one by one. The last stop was the pearl extraction site, where some tourists had already gathered. The pearl harvester first visually assessed the health of the oyster, then used an opening tool to pry the shell open slightly and fixed it with a support frame. Then his fingers felt along the soft oyster meat and precisely located the pearl. He made a small cut, and the pearl was slowly squeezed out from the soft flesh. Young oysters would immediately have new nuclei implanted, waiting for the next pearl to mature.
Betty sighed, "So that's how pearls are extracted. Does it hurt them?"
Jennifer sighed and said, "Probably. Growing a pearl takes two years. The nucleus rubs against the soft oyster meat every day, and this pain causes it to secrete nacre to coat the nucleus, making it smooth and round, eventually forming a beautiful, lustrous pearl. Every kind of beauty comes through polishing and pain." As she said this, she seemed to be reminded of something and became somewhat melancholy.
Declan stared at her in a daze. Was she talking about pearls or about herself? After going through hardships and setbacks, she had also become stronger and more beautiful. Her temperament was more serene than before, with a touch of gentle compassion.
At that moment, there was suddenly an excited cry from the crowd: "Top quality! This pearl is collector's grade!"
Jennifer's attention was also drawn over. It was a pearl harvester not far from her, holding a black pearl about 14 millimeters in diameter and perfectly round. The freshly extracted pearl had some mucus on it, but you could still see that this pearl had an extremely rich peacock green overtone. Just based on this color alone, as long as there were no obvious flaws, this pearl could be classified as collector's grade. The pearl worker gently washed it with seawater, and its brilliance was fully revealed. This pearl had a mirror-like luster, flawless to the naked eye, with a perfect appearance! Jennifer's heart raced with excitement as she clutched her handbag tightly. "How much is this pearl? I want to buy it!"
However, she wasn't the only one who wanted to buy it - three or four people at the scene started bidding at the same time.
The pearl worker measured it with calipers, then held up the pearl and announced loudly, "Diameter 14.3 millimeters, perfectly round, flawless collector's grade black pearl, with overtones richer than a peacock's tail feathers. Market price over eight thousand dollars, please bid."
"Eight thousand eight hundred dollars!"
"Ten thousand dollars!"
...
The price climbed all the way to twelve thousand dollars. At this point, only Jennifer and a middle-aged man were still bidding. Jennifer knew clearly that although this pearl was of good quality, it was from a black pearl production area. Paying over twelve thousand dollars for this pearl would be somewhat of a loss. She began to hesitate.