Chapter 183: Oyster Farming

Hearing Sixth Uncle’s complaints, Xu hurriedly interrupted. "Sixth Uncle, if you keep talking like this, this Chapter is going to get censored again. When the government made you tear down the concrete pillars, didn’t they give you subsidies? I still remember back then, they gave over thirty bucks for dismantling a single pillar!

"Plus, when they made you buy new buoys, they provided interest-free loans. More importantly, when you first started farming a few years ago, didn’t the government send experts from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences to guide you through the whole process?

"And while the current cultivation speed is slower than before, the quality of the oysters is much better than when they were raised along the shore. In the past, the water near the shore was indeed rich in nutrients, but the pollution was also heavy. If you weren’t careful, the heavy metals would exceed standard limits. Now, farming them in the harbor means a slower growth rate and a slightly more troublesome harvest.

"However, today’s oysters are far sweeter, plumper, and boast much better meat quality than the old ones. The unit price of oysters is also higher now. Last New Year, when we were drinking, didn’t you say yourself that you’ve been earning more these past few years than before?"

Hearing his own junior call him out, a hint of red crept onto Sixth Uncle’s dark, sun-tanned face. "HAHAHA, look at you! I was just casually venting a bit. I never said things were bad now, did I?"

Wenchu People smiled and smoothed things over. "By the way, Sixth Uncle, how come the oysters up here look so small? Is it because of the breed?"

Sixth Uncle crouched down and reached beneath the surface of the sea once more. Without any visible exertion, he simply twisted his wrist, and a small oyster—only half the size of a palm—appeared in his hand. He gave it a gentle shake. Only after flinging off the excess water did he hand the oyster to Zhou Shishi.

"Everything we farm around here is the same breed: the South Australia oyster," Sixth Uncle explained. "This type of oyster is exclusively farmed near our South Australia.

"According to the experts from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, these oysters were originally introduced from abroad. I think they were called Pacific oyster spat or something like that. It was only after some genetic modification or whatever that they became the current South Australia oysters. I’m not too clear on the exact details. Anyway, by the time we started farming them, they were already like this.

"As for why they’re so small, it’s because the seedlings in this particular area were just dropped in this summer. Normally, we sort our oysters into four sizes: small, medium, large, and extra-large.

"The one in your hand barely qualifies as a small oyster. Standard medium and large oysters need to be cultivated for one to two years or more. As for the extra-large oysters—which aren’t commonly seen on the market—they usually require at least three years of cultivation."

This piqued Li Xiao’s interest. "Do you have extra-large oysters here too, Sixth Uncle?"

Sixth Uncle didn’t hide it and nodded. "Extra-large oysters... practically every household keeps a few around.

"Even though their growth rate slows down significantly once they reach a certain size, the price for extra-large oysters remains consistently high. Plus, their flavor and texture are fantastic. Because of this, most farmers set aside a batch during every harvest to serve as seeds for extra-large oysters."

Seeing Li Xiao’s obvious interest, Xu quickly chimed in from the side. "Sixth Uncle, since we’re already here, why don’t you take Mr. Li and the others to see the extra-large oysters?"

Sixth Uncle hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright. A guest is a guest. Since you want to see them, I’ll take you over for a look at something novel."

The small fishing boat started up again, slowly advancing through the sea of orange buoys. Two minutes later, the boat reached the center of the farming area. Sixth Uncle dropped the speed to a crawl. As he steered forward, he inspected the codes printed on the buoys. Only after spotting the specific code he was looking for did he bring the boat to a halt.

He bent over once more and grabbed a buoy, but this time, it wasn’t nearly as effortless as before. Bulging blue veins popped out on his callused hands. Seeing this, Xu and Li Xiao immediately rushed to his left and right to help. Together, they finally managed to haul up a massive bundle of nylon rope netting.

When everyone got a clear look at the oysters clinging to the nylon net, they collectively gasped in amazement. If the palm-sized oyster in Zhou Shishi’s hand was an oyster grandson, then the extra-large specimens on this nylon net were the oyster grandfathers.

Li Xiao reached out his hand to compare it against the oysters, and the astonishment on his face only deepened. Before the comparison, he merely thought they looked quite big, but now, he could intuitively grasp their true, monstrous size. Most of the oysters on the nylon net were larger than Li Xiao’s entire hand.

Looking at such colossal oysters, Li Xiao immediately felt his mouth water.

He ate his fair share of oysters on a regular basis, but ones this big were truly a rare sight on the market. More importantly, the ones sitting right in front of him were freshly hauled straight out of the sea. Most seafood had to endure long transportation times from its place of origin to the dining table. During this transit, harsh conditions would often severely compromise the seafood’s freshness and amplify its fishy smell. Now faced with such exceptional oysters, Li Xiao naturally wanted to have a taste.

"Sixth Uncle, how much are these oysters? I’d like to buy some to try," he said.

Hearing Li Xiao’s request, Sixth Uncle didn’t object in his heart, but he deliberately feigned a hesitant expression. He knew very well that his nephew worked as a guest room manager in a high-end bed-and-breakfast on the island, catering exclusively to wealthy guests. These oversized oysters were destined to be sold eventually anyway. Since he was going to sell them regardless, he might as well do his nephew a favor in the process.

"This... I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Someone already reserved these oysters..."

How could Xu not know his uncle’s true nature? Even if these massive oysters were truly reserved, as long as the price was right, he would definitely sell them. Thus, Xu hurriedly began to persuade him. "Sixth Uncle, it’s rare for Mr. Li and his group to visit. You said it yourself, a guest is a guest! Since they’re guests, just sell some of the extra-large oysters to Mr. Li!"

After a lot of coaxing and pleading, Sixth Uncle finally relented with feigned reluctance. "Alright, alright, I’m only selling them because of you, kid. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t be willing to break a contract.

"Tell you what, I usually sell these to wholesalers by the piece. The wholesale price is thirty-five bucks each. Since you’re Xu’s friends, I’ll give you the wholesale rate. Thirty-five bucks a piece. What do you say?"

At thirty-five bucks per oyster, it would certainly be considered expensive if one ignored the size. However, for oysters larger than a palm, thirty-five was actually quite a steal.

Li Xiao didn’t hesitate. "Thank you, Sixth Uncle. Then please give us sixty of them. There are five of us here, so that’s exactly a dozen for each person."