The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Bargaining, a Huge Payment

”Thanks, Boss Zhang,” Han Xiaorui said gratefully.

”Don’t mention it. We’re practically partners,” Boss Zhang said, then quickly ran to a nearby payphone to make a call.

When the other party heard there were over a thousand pounds of horseshoe crabs, Manager Wu didn’t hesitate, personally coming over with a truck driver.

Boss Zhang was being so helpful because he wanted to maintain a good relationship with Han Xiaorui.

The seafood he bought from Han Xiaorui was always a huge hit at his two restaurants.

Beaming, Boss Zhang walked over and asked, ”Xiao Han, what’s in the fish hold?”

Han Xiaorui gave a faint, mysterious smile. ”Why don’t you take a look for yourself, Boss Zhang?”

The moment he heard that, Boss Zhang knew she had something good—something new, even.

He strode over to the fish hold, and one look nearly blinded him. ”Holy cow! Yellowlip Fish!”

Some weighed a few pounds, others seventy or eighty, and some were even over a hundred pounds.

”Xiao Han, sell all of these Yellowlip Fish to me,” Boss Zhang said urgently. ”Especially the big ones! A catch like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”What’s your offer?”

Boss Zhang thought for a moment, then said, ”For the ones over a hundred pounds, I’ll give you 40,000 a piece. For those two smaller ones, I’ll give you 25,000 a piece.”

Han Xiaorui narrowed her eyes slightly, considering. She decided to press for more. ”Fifty thousand for the ones over a hundred pounds, and thirty-five thousand each for the two smaller ones.”

Boss Zhang gasped. ”Xiao Han, that price is way too high!”

Han Xiaorui considered it for a moment, then said, ”If you think it’s too expensive, you can buy a couple less. As it happens, a few bosses from the wholesale market told me to save any good fish I catch for them.”

Hearing this, Boss Zhang hesitated. ’The price is a bit high,’ he thought. ’My profit margin would be slim.’

’But these big fish have valuable swim bladders, which can be made into fish maw—a top-tier health supplement.’

’It’s the kind of thing money can’t always buy.’

’The tycoons on Hong Kong Island love this stuff.’

’To get those tycoons to dine at my restaurant, I need to have exceptional offerings.’

’Otherwise, with so many high-end seafood restaurants in Shencheng, why would they come to mine?’

’This is all about long-term relationship building, constantly supplying these tycoons with the best products!’

After weighing his options, Boss Zhang decided it was worth it to expand his network. He gritted his teeth and made a counteroffer. ”Xiao Han, how about 45,000 for the large ones and 30,000 for the small ones?”

Han Xiaorui felt she could push the price higher. She smiled. ”Boss Zhang, take a closer look. One of those four big ones is over 130 pounds. How long has it been since you’ve seen one that big around here?”

”It’s not like I don’t have other options. If you’re going to keep lowballing me, I’ll just take them back and have my former father-in-law sell them for me.”

’After working together for so long, Boss Zhang must have looked into my background.’

’My former father-in-law, Yang Zhigang, is very well-respected among the local fishermen.’

”I’m not afraid of airing my dirty laundry. If I didn’t want to avoid dealing with my shameless former mother-in-law, I wouldn’t be selling my seafood in town at all.”

Boss Zhang started to panic when he heard this.

’So Han Xiaorui really does have other sales channels; she just prefers not to use them,’ Boss Zhang thought. ’It’s one thing for her usual, smaller catches, but for a prize like this Yellowlip Fish, it’s no wonder she’s driving a hard bargain.’

Though it pained him financially, Boss Zhang gritted his teeth. ”Xiao Han, you’re not even leaving me scraps!”

Han Xiaorui smiled, offering a compliment. ”The fish and their maws are both premium items that will boost your restaurant’s reputation. Besides, a big boss like you needs rare goods to grease the wheels of your connections.”

”Those tycoons have plenty of money; their only fear is not being able to find exceptional products. If you have them, you’ll draw them in. The next time they want rare seafood, they’ll think of you first.”

Boss Zhang gave a wry smile. Han Xiaorui clearly understood the ins and outs of his business. No wonder she was so insistent on her price.

’Although he was a little annoyed, he was a businessman at heart. If he were in her shoes, he’d probably ask for an even higher price.’

”You’ve hit the nail on the head, Xiao Han. If I try to haggle any more, we won’t have a deal,” Boss Zhang sighed. ’This woman is incredible.’

’In all his years in the seafood business, he’d never met a fisher as skilled as her.’

’She earns as much with one small boat as some do with a massive vessel.’

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”You’re the one who’s going to make a fortune, Boss Zhang. If your clients want a specific type of fish, let me know in advance. I can prepare different kinds of bait and might just be able to catch it.”

”But for rare, live seafood—especially for special requests—you can’t shortchange me on the price, Boss Zhang.”

Boss Zhang’s eyes lit up. He remembered a tycoon from Singapore who had contacted him just yesterday. The man wanted to order a Moonfish for his father’s birthday—the bigger the better, and preferably live.

”Xiao Han, now that you mention it, I do have a request. A foreign client wants to order a Moonfish for a birthday celebration. If you can get one, the bigger, the better.”

Moonfish typically live at depths of around 1,000 meters. They are solitary creatures that don’t travel in schools, only moving about or foraging alone.

This makes catching a Moonfish extremely difficult.

The meat of the Moonfish is exceptionally thick and incredibly delicious. All these factors make it an extremely prized catch.

Han Xiaorui’s eyes sparkled for a moment, but then she shook her head. ”A Moonfish... that’s a deep-sea fish. My little boat can only handle the shallows. The chances of catching one are practically zero. It’s not something you can just go out and find.”

Boss Zhang was just mentioning it offhand. He had already spoken to fishermen with large boats capable of deep-sea fishing; they were the only ones who had a real chance of catching a Moonfish.

For Han Xiaorui, who stuck to shallow waters, catching Yellowlip Fish was already an incredible feat. Boss Zhang didn’t dare to get his hopes up about her catching a Moonfish.

”Haha, you’ve got good luck, Xiao Han. Maybe you’ll get one,” Boss Zhang chuckled. He didn’t actually believe it, but he kept his words encouraging.

Businessmen are all like that. You always say auspicious things, whether you believe them or not.

In the end, Boss Zhang agreed to Han Xiaorui’s price. He bought the four fish over one hundred pounds for 50,000 each, totaling 200,000, and the two weighing around eighty pounds for 35,000 each, totaling 70,000 yuan.

Just those six large Yellowlip Fish sold for 270,000 yuan—a considerable sum.

There was another 175 pounds of smaller Yellowlip Fish, which, priced according to their various sizes, sold for another 2,900 yuan.

The grand total came to 272,900 yuan.

Han Xiaorui set aside a few of the five- to six-pound Yellowlip Fish to take home for herself.

Boss Zhang had Xiao Liu and Xiao Zhao escort the Yellowlip Fish back to the restaurant, while he took Han Xiaorui to a nearby bank to transfer the money.

He bought fish here year-round and had regular suppliers among the fishermen, so he kept an account at a local bank to make transfers easier.

Han Xiaorui also had an account there.

Boss Zhang was a major client, so the bank’s president came down personally to greet them.

When President Li saw Han Xiaorui, his eyes lit up with admiration. ”I’ve often heard Boss Zhang talk about a ’Queen of the Sea’ who always brings in the best catches. I didn’t believe it before, but now I do.”

Han Xiaorui replied humbly, ”It’s all thanks to Mazu’s blessing!”