Sour Regret

Zhou Chenglei took it and glanced at it, then froze. The Flame Pattern inside the pearl had actually formed the shape of a deer, and that tiny flaw happened to be right above the deer's eye. It was so small that it was invisible without close inspection, but under scrutiny, it was no longer a flaw. Instead, it brought the whole image to life, like a dragon receiving its finishing touch, like a tiger growing wings.

The deer inside the pearl seemed to come alive, nimble and full of spirit.

It was a deer running uphill through the mountains, about to reach the summit. It raised its head and cried out, commanding all living things.

Father Zhou leaned over curiously. "What does it look like?"

Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua also leaned over, their heads coming together. "What does it look like?"

"A deer."

"A deer? Let me see!" Father Zhou was delighted.

Zhou Chenglei handed the pearl to Father Zhou.

Father Zhou took it, narrowed his eyes, and examined it. Because of his presbyopia, he held the pearl between his fingers and raised his hand, moving it near and far. After a long while, he still could not find the clearest angle.

Mother Zhou grew impatient. "Are you blind or what? If you can't see it, then stop looking! Let me see!"

Father Zhou said, "Don't move. I've found the best viewing angle!"

Mother Zhou's mouth twitched. "You just have to meddle!"

The two elders then huddled together, squinting at it.

Father Zhou examined it carefully, then became so excited that his hands trembled. "It's a deer! It really looks like one! It doesn't just look like a deer—it looks like a painting!"

Mother Zhou asked excitedly, "Let me see! What kind of painting?"

Father Zhou placed the pearl in his palm and pointed at it with one finger as he explained to Mother Zhou, "Look, doesn't this look like a deer? Don't these patterns look like mountains? Doesn't this look like a pine tree? And this is an auspicious cloud."

Mother Zhou had not even seen it clearly yet. Old people's eyes grew dim with age, but she nodded vigorously anyway. "It does! It looks exactly like one! It looks more like it than anything!"

Even if she could not see it clearly, she had to say it looked like one. The more it resembled a deer, the more valuable it would be! She did not have much education, but she still knew a little about auspicious beasts.

The deer was an auspicious beast of the mortal world. Deer and "official emolument" were homophones, symbolizing promotion and prosperity in officialdom.

The patterns on the pillars of their village's Ancestral Hall included deer, bats, pine trees, and the like.

Mother Zhou was overjoyed. "This is a pearl of great auspicious omen! It has that... auspicious energy or whatever. Good fortune and everything going your way."

Zhou Chenglei said, "An Auspicious Omen."

"That's right, an Auspicious Omen! Hahaha!"

Tian Caihua also took a look. It was impossible to say it did not look like one—it looked far too much like a deer! Even without an education, she knew that deer were auspicious beasts and symbolized auspiciousness.

A stone that naturally formed the shape of a deer would become priceless.

If the patterns in a pearl formed the shape of a deer, would it not become a priceless treasure?

Tian Caihua felt sour, as if she had drunk a hundred pounds of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

What kind of luck did Jiang Xia have? Most importantly, they had separated from the family now. No matter how much money this pearl sold for, it had nothing to do with her anymore.

Father Zhou grew happier the longer he looked. "It looks like one! It looks exactly like one! This deer is beautifully formed! Hahaha!"

"Let me see!" Mother Zhou actually still had not seen it clearly.

Father Zhou gave the pearl to Mother Zhou and let her examine it.

Mother Zhou took it and fiddled with it while squinting, only barely managing to see it clearly. "It's a deer. It looks exactly like one—it's so beautiful! Such a good omen! Anyone who sees it will have good luck! Fortune is right at the door!"

When Tian Caihua heard that, she hurriedly said, "Mom, let me see it too. Let me get a little of that good luck."

Mother Zhou handed the pearl to Tian Caihua.

Tian Caihua took it and examined it carefully. Her heart grew even sourer, as if she had eaten ten thousand pounds of lemons—sour and bitter.

The Flame Pattern did not merely resemble a deer. It also looked like a deer on a meadow, raising its head and crying out.

The Flame Pattern beneath the antlers was visibly finer and denser, just like the grass on a mountain! The pattern looked exactly like a landscape painting growing inside the pearl.

Tian Caihua rolled the pearl back and forth between her fingers, reluctant to let go, as if she could absorb some auspicious energy that way.

Why had she not been the one to find such a meaningful pearl? "Eldest Sister-in-Law, give me the pearl. I want to look at it again." Seeing that Tian Caihua seemed ready to rub the deer right off it, Jiang Xia feared that her fingernails and thick calluses might wear down the pearl. If that happened, who would she even complain to? Before the pearl was sold, no one even knew how much it was worth. It would be difficult to make her pay! "Let me look a little longer and soak up some good fortune. It's your pearl—when would I not let you look?" Tian Caihua was still unwilling to hand it over. When she saw Jiang Xia reaching out, she instinctively turned away, but her arm happened to strike Mother Zhou beside her, and the pearl fell from her hand!

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei reached out at the same time.

Zhou Chenglei caught the pearl first.

Jiang Xia's heart had leaped into her throat, and only now did it settle back down.

If it got damaged, she would absolutely make Tian Caihua pay!

She would show no mercy!

Tian Caihua was shaken as well. She had been afraid of damaging it too. If she had to pay a few dozen yuan, she would feel embarrassed, but if she had to pay a hundred yuan, would that not break her heart? Mother Zhou had also been badly frightened. She hurriedly said, "Stop looking, stop looking! Xiao Xia, put it away quickly! If it gets damaged, it won't be worth anything."

It was not that easy to damage, but who could guarantee it would not happen? Jiang Xia nodded. "Then I'll take it inside and put it away."

Mother Zhou still remembered to add, "Make sure you hide it well!"

Jiang Xia took the two pearls back to her room.

Mother Zhou was very pleased. Seeing that it was getting late, she looked at Tian Caihua. "You should go home too! Have the boys gone to sleep? Remember to make them go to bed early and get up early tomorrow to weed the Peanut Field with me."

Tian Caihua pulled a long face, answered with a sound, and left. Why did they always make her sons do this and that? They did not even have time to do their homework! What would they do if they failed to get into college in the future? Tian Caihua walked out through the Courtyard Gate and happened to run into Pan Daidi from next door.

Seeing Tian Caihua's dark expression, Pan Daidi's gossiping spirit blazed. "A'Hua, why do you look so unhappy? I heard you all talking so animatedly just now."

Usually, whenever she asked this, Tian Caihua would spill everything in vivid detail, like beans pouring from a tipped basket.

Today, Tian Caihua was in no mood. She said irritably, "Why am I unhappy? I'm very happy. My Little Uncle picked up a conch and found a pearl inside it—why wouldn't I be happy?"

Tian Caihua dropped those words and left! Pan Daidi grabbed her at once. "What did you just say? What do you mean, a conch had a pearl inside it?"

Tian Caihua shook off her hand and said grumpily, "What kind of conch could it be? Obviously, someone was lucky. They picked up a conch on the beach, and it had a pearl inside."

Pan Daidi seized her hand again. "What?! What did that conch look like? Was it covered in spikes?"

Tian Caihua said, "I guess so!"

In any case, both conches she had seen on the ground had spikes. One of them really was covered in spikes, but she did not know which conch had produced the pearl.

Tian Caihua dropped those words and left. She was in no mood to talk.

Why had they separated from the family so early? Would it not have been better to wait until after the typhoon? If only the radio had announced the typhoon a few days earlier.

"What?" Pan Daidi stood rooted to the spot, her heart filled with a bitter, gut-wrenching regret. So the conch her son had kicked away had produced a pearl?

A pearl! Even the smallest pearl was still a pearl.

And she had just missed it?