At the seafood market in Mindong, when Huo Sining first saw fresh abalone, she thought it was just a common sea shell. It was only after listening to Luo Jinzhi's explanation that she realized the creature hidden inside the shell was actually the legendary abalone.
On the outside of the abalone's body, there's a thick, calcareous shell that wraps around it, which is a dextral, ear-shaped spiral shell. Its scientific name is "Haliotis," which means "sea ear," due to the ear-like shape of its shell.
In ancient China, abalone was named "Nine-Holed Conch," based on this characteristic.
When in S City, Huo Sining also purchased abalone to cook, but because she bought dried abalone with the shells removed, she never knew that fresh abalone were actually shellfish living inside shells.
Perhaps because of its great reputation, many people on the Mainland only know that abalone is a rare sea delicacy, and are unaware that abalone is actually a type of shell.
