The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Selecting Ornamental Fish

While the police were investigating, Han Xiaorui took the opportunity to go into the city and set up her shop.

Chen Nanyang had already finished painting it, and Han Xiaorui bought some tables and shelves.

The sample for the fish tanks she ordered from a private glass factory was excellent. After both sides gave their approval, they began mass production.

But without a boat, she couldn’t catch ornamental fish and had to buy them from the flower-and-bird market instead.

Saltwater fish were too expensive, so she bought some common freshwater ornamental fish.

Common Goldfish: golden yellow all over, with juveniles showing a touch of green, making them quite beautiful.

Their dorsal and anal fins were quite long. Goldfish were first bred in Hua Country.

Zhu Wenjin, also known as Zhu Wenjin or Five-Flower Goldfish.

Lionhead goldfish. Abnormal tissue development and cell enlargement create a fleshy growth on their heads. With their full-bodied shape and regal presence, they are also known as the ”King of Goldfish.”

Black Eye Bulge, also known as the Black Swamp Fish. Their eyes protrude outwards like a telescope. Their bodies are black as ink, and their long, flowing fins are very mesmerizing.

The ones with completely black bodies are considered to have the highest ornamental value. In many coastal regions, it’s believed that the Black Eye Bulge can ward off evil spirits and protect a family’s health and safety.

Red Hat Goldfish.

Pearl Scale Goldfish.

Golden Thread Fish.

Zebra fish, also known as striped fish, are highly resistant to changes in water temperature.

...

Han Xiaorui was surprised that the ornamental fish market had so many varieties of cold-water fish.

Most attractive saltwater ornamental fish are tropical. They have high tank requirements and are difficult to keep, so very few people buy them.

She bought four fish from nineteen different species, making sure to get both males and females, to take back and breed.

’During their growth, I can use my Water Ability to control their size and breed miniaturized versions.’

’Not only will this save on feed, but it will also make them easier to raise.’

’Most importantly, smaller fish are cuter. Some ornamental fish get too big and can even look intimidating.’

Han Xiaorui brought the fish to her two-story shop, placing them in large glass tanks measuring one meter long, half a meter wide, and half a meter deep.

She put one species in each tank to make managing them easier.

Several dozen other glass tanks were placed on shelves, ready to be used for saltwater ornamental fish in the future.

Right now, her only saltwater ornamental fish were triggerfish. There were already many fry, the largest of which was only three to four centimeters long. They were a beautiful, solid blue.

Liang Xiaoyu was constantly bustling about, helping Han Xiaorui clean and move the glass tanks.

”Xiao Rui, I thought you were just saying it for the sake of it. I didn’t expect you to actually start raising goldfish! They’re not easy to keep, are they?”

Han Xiaorui replied as she tidied up, ”You just have to read and research. It doesn’t cost that much, anyway, so it’s worth a shot.”

Liang Xiaoyu’s admiration for her grew. Having not finished elementary school herself, she deeply respected educated people. ”It really makes a difference when you’re educated.”

”Oh, right, Xiao Rui, if you’re selling ornamental fish, does this mean we’re not going fishing anymore?” Liang Xiaoyu actually enjoyed fishing—it paid ten yuan a day, and she could bring home small, miscellaneous fish in the evening.

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Of course we’ll still go fishing. That’s a better earner, and who knows how the ornamental fish business will go! I’m actually planning to find someone to help watch the shop in the next few days.”

”You’re looking for someone?” Liang Xiaoyu paused. ”Could I recommend someone? You can rest assured, my younger cousin is a wonderful person, and very honest.”

Han Xiaorui had been wondering where to find a reliable person to mind the shop, and her eyes lit up at the offer. ”Sister-in-law Yu, if you can recommend someone you know well, I’d be delighted. How old is your cousin?”

”Sixteen!” Liang Xiaoyu replied, her heart eager to secure this job opportunity for her cousin.

’Watching a shop is much better than working under the table in a factory.’

’Since she’s not an adult yet, they only pay her half the wages, even for doing the same work.’

”Sixteen? Shouldn’t she be in school?” Han Xiaorui asked, looking puzzled. ”Here in Shencheng, compulsory education is still guaranteed.”

A bitter look crossed Liang Xiaoyu’s face, and she sighed. ”She just graduated from junior high, but my uncle won’t let her continue. My aunt passed away last year, and he immediately remarried a woman who already has a child.”

”They say that once there’s a stepmom, the dad becomes a stepdad too, and it’s absolutely true. My cousin’s grades weren’t great, so not letting her continue school after graduation isn’t the end of the world. But to send her to a factory at such a young age, to work twelve hours a day...”

”Her own father and her stepmother collect her wages directly. I went to the factory to see my cousin last month, and it broke my heart so much I cried. It’s just that we’re all farmers and don’t have any good opportunities to offer her.”

Upon hearing this, Han Xiaorui’s sense of justice surged. ”Fine. Have your cousin come watch the shop for me. As long as she works hard with me, I won’t treat her unfairly.”

Liang Xiaoyu felt her nose tingle, on the verge of tears. Han Xiaorui was truly a righteous and kind-hearted person.

”Now that I have your word, tonight I’ll go with my grandma, grandpa, uncle, and aunt to my other uncle’s house. We’ll confront him, stand up for my cousin, and get her out of there.”

Han Xiaorui agreed. ’My ways of making money will only increase in the future,’ she thought. ’I’m going to need more trustworthy and reliable people.’

”Okay, and don’t worry if she has nowhere to live. She can stay here on the second floor. I’ll find someone a bit older from our village to help your cousin watch the store.”

Liang Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up. ”Xiao Rui, if you’re looking for someone from our village, why not ask Wu Cuicui’s cousin, Wu Lingling? We watched her grow up too. She’s hardworking and has a sweet way with words. She’s selling clothes for someone now, but I heard her complain last time that her boss is a cheapskate, always finding excuses to dock her pay.”

The Wu Family also lived in Jinshan Bay, and their elder daughter, Wu Cuicui, had married into the village.

An image of Wu Lingling flashed in Han Xiaorui’s mind. Her husband had died just three days after their wedding, crashing his motorcycle into a tree.

The husband’s family had taken their anger out on Wu Lingling. So Uncle Wu, along with his elder daughter and son-in-law, went to his younger daughter’s in-laws’ home, moved her dowry back out, and finalized the divorce.

Wu Lingling was working at a clothing store in the county town. She was pretty and had a way with words.

”Okay, I’ll go home tonight and ask Sister Cuicui. I can offer a base salary of one hundred yuan, plus commission.”

’The base salary alone is higher than the local average,’ she thought. ’Wu Lingling should be willing to come work for me.’

Seeing it was getting late, they started to make a meal.

In the space under the stairs, there was a stove and a small table for a cutting board, allowing them to cook there.

They had brought a lot of shrimp from the refrigerator that morning, so Liang Xiaoyu made shrimp noodle soup.

It took two full pots to feed the three adults and three children until they were full.

They didn’t take Liu Sihai’s ”turtle car” back at midday; they had arranged for him to come in the evening instead, and he had agreed.

Liang Xiaoyu took her kids home, then hurried off to her parents’ house.

Han Xiaoqing was at home cooking, while Han Xiaorui went to Wu Cuicui’s house.

At that very moment, Yang Zhigang was handing one thousand yuan to Wu Cuicui. ”Cuicui, this one thousand yuan is for Xiao Rui and Pingping An’an’s living expenses. And could you please ask Xiao Rui for me if she’s having any trouble?”

Wu Cuicui accepted the money, looking at her husband’s uncle with pity. ’Such an upright man,’ she thought. ’How did his son find a wife like that? And how did he end up with a son like Yang Jianming, who’s nothing but a burden to his father!’

”Don’t worry, Uncle, I’ll give this money to Xiao Rui in a little while. As for her troubles... well, Song the Second smashed her boat. Now he’s dead, and Yu Lanlan has been detained.”

”She’ll probably have a hard time getting the money to repair the boat and compensation for the peach trees that were killed with weed killer. After all, one of the main culprits is dead, and the other’s been arrested. After the five Song Family brothers buried Song the Second, they immediately started fighting over his stall at the seafood market. They’re about to bash each other’s brains out over it!”