The fishermen did not expect the girl to know the market price. The man next to the girl had looked personable. Whether it was his dressing style or his temperament, they were absolutely extraordinary. They could tell that the man was rich and had an outstanding background with just one glance. Why would he even bother to bargain when he shopped?
“Young lady, have you ever been to the market? How do you know about the market price? Was it just hearsay?” The fisherman did not want to give up easily.
“My goose barnacles are different. They were all freshly captured from the island. Look at how fresh they are. How could you compare them to those in the market?”
“All goose barnacles are freshly caught. Who would want to buy them if they are dead?”
Elena was reluctant to give in. She put her hands on her hips and bargained like an auntie at the market.
“Why don’t you look at the size of your goose barnacles? The ones in the market for 150 dollars per pound were much bigger than yours.”
“It is not exactly the season yet. The goose barnacles have not fully matured yet.”
“It doesn’t matter what season it is. Anyway, the current market price is just as I said. I’ll take all of this for 500 dollars.”
“That won’t work. 500 dollars is too cheap. It’s worth at least 1000 dollars.”
“That’s a no, then!” Elena glared at the fisherman and then turned to leave.
Henry frowned. He would not bargain when he shopped as it did fit his identity.
“If you like…”
“I don’t want to eat it anymore!” Elena took his hand and pulled him away.
She was not afraid of powerful enemies, but she was terrified of lousy teammates! She had worked so hard, yet he held her back! Henry was not used to bodily contact with women and was about to push her away.
The fisherman behind them yelled, “Young lady, what about 800 dollars for you?”
“500 dollars, and no more than that!” Elena forcefully dragged Henry with her.
The fisherman was furious when he finally said, “Alright, 500 dollars for you, then!”
Before Henry could respond, Elena had let go of him and swiftly went back to the fisherman. Even though it was a successful transaction, Henry thought that the fisherman would not be happy with them. However, he did not expect to see Elena and the fisherman chatted away so happily.
“These goose barnacles would taste really good if you steam them, but since you youngsters like to hangout on the beach, it would taste delicious when grilled.”
The fisherman was eager to teach her new ways to eat the goose barnacles. “Prepare some garlic juice and dip this in it after you’ve grilled them. It would be very delicious.”
“Mmm, what is this fish?” Elena pointed to a fish in another bucket.
“That’s a flounder fish. It is delicious if fried.”
“No, thanks. I’m doing a grill.”
“Then you can grill these. These are sea shrimps, and they are very sweet.”
“How much is it?”
“100 dollars.”
“60 dollars. No more!”
“Young lady, your boyfriend is so rich. What’s wrong with paying a little more? Don’t be so stingy.”
“You don’t need to care if my boyfriend is rich. Even if he is wealthy, it was his hard-earned money. It is not easy to make money.”
“Yes, you’re right. You have such witty lips. Here you go, you can take this sea crab for 100 dollars.”
“Great!”
In the end, Henry had spent less than 1000 dollars for a large bag of seafood. He was still in a daze when he walked on the beach with the bag of seafood in his hand. When had he become a family man who bought food from the market? However, it was an eye-opening experience for him to see Elena act as if she was bargaining in the market. Was the girl in front of him really his big brother’s fiancée, the future Young Madam Mu?
She had argued with the fishermen like a shrew over a couple of hundred dollars. Had his big brother seen that ugly side of hers yet?
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Elena asked when she peeked at him. She had rented a griller, and they had sat down on the beach.
“Start working. Don’t you want to eat these?”
Henry wanted to say that he had no intention to try those weird-looking stuff that they had bought.
Of all the seafood in the bag, he was only familiar with the sea shrimps. As for the claw-like seashells and the weird-looking crabs, he wondered if they could even be eaten.
Elena had not expected him to do much. She got the boss to help them to light up the charcoal in the griller. Then, she used some small bamboo sticks to make shrimp skewers and put them on the griller. Next, she wrapped up the goose barnacles and sea crabs in foil and placed them on the griller as well. It did not take long for a burst of fragrance to hit their noses. Within a few minutes, the shrimps were ready. She pulled the shrimps off the bamboo sticks, peeled off the burnt skin, blew it to cool it down before she dipped it in the garlic juice. Then she put it in her mouth.
Perfect! What a delicious flavor!
“Don’t you want to try it?” Elena gave him one shrimp.
Henry looked at her dirty hands and nails. His brows knitted in confusion and disgust. The girls he knew loved nail arts, and most of them would have a mess on their nails. However, the girl in front of him was different. Her fingers were elegant, like the luster green of jade. Her nails were clean without any paint. She was a strange girl who was not afraid of a little dirt, not a fan of looking pretty, and she even bargained like an auntie at the market for a few hundred dollars discount…
“Why? Don’t you want to eat? You don’t want to dirty your hands?”
“Don’t want to get my hands dirty.” He thought that she would peel one for him, and he would consider if he would eat it. After all, it looked really unhygienic and unsightly. He might take a bite if she insisted, but he was surprised to see Elena peeled another shrimp before she dipped it in the garlic sauce and threw it into her mouth. Henry glared at her furiously.
“What? You have to do it on your own if you want to eat it. I am not your maid.”
Their deal was only for her to accompany him until midnight. They did not agree on what she would have to do within that period. Henry sulked. He did not like what Elena had said at all. Women who wanted to get close to him had tried all means to do so, but she was not one of them. In fact, she had often complained about him!
For example, she called him lazy when he was not willing to help her. She also wanted him to light up the fire, but he had refused. When he stared at her as he ignored her request, she jeered at him again. In short, that woman was not cute at all!
The pleasant aroma of the grilled seafood attacked them again. Elena took the goose barnacles out from the foil. As she opened it up, the scent was simply too tempting!
“Would you like to try it?” She picked up the bamboo stick and pried the shell of the goose barnacles open.
Henry had not wanted to bother her, but the sky had turned dark, and it was dinner time.
When he saw that she had peeled the flesh off the shells and all he had to do was put it in his mouth, he pursed his lips tight before he put his disposable plate in front of her. A goose barnacle was thrown onto his plate, but it was not the one that Elena had pried open. It was an unopened one!
“Look, just do like what I did just now. Remove the shell and suck the flesh out.”
Henry was so angry that he wanted to throw the plate and the barnacle at her face! It was unacceptable! She did not even want to serve him!
“What’s the matter? Still don’t know how to do it? Watch me do it again.”
Elena picked up another goose barnacle and showed him again.
At the same time, she mumbled, “So stupid. You don’t even know how to do such a simple thing.”
Henry felt like he wanted to break her neck! Was she scolding him? Elena had just finished eating the first one when her phone suddenly rang.
She answered the call, and Levi’s anxious voice came from the other end of the line. “Young Madam, Ava… tried to commit suicide. The eldest young master wants you to come home now.”