The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Harsh Words Upfront

Han Xiaorui remained silent, and Yang Zhigang assumed she was scared.

”Xiao Rui, don’t be afraid,” Yang Zhigang said comfortingly. ”I’ve already spoken to the patrolmen and asked them to make more rounds near your house.”

He was too embarrassed to mention that he also got up two or three times every night just to check.

After all, she was his former daughter-in-law. Some things could be done quietly, but not spoken of.

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Uncle Yang, I’m not afraid. The dog, chickens, ducks, and geese we’re raising at home are all grown now. If anyone were to come in, they’d surely make a commotion.”

”Wu Jiao and Wu Yao may be girls, but they’re very skilled in martial arts. They can protect Pingping and An’an.”

”We also have a phone at home, so I can call the police or for help immediately.”

Seeing that Han Xiaorui wasn’t frightened, Yang Zhigang breathed a sigh of relief. ”That’s good. The main thing is to be careful. Nothing to be afraid of.”

”Mhm!” Han Xiaorui smiled. ”We had a big haul this time. Uncle Yang, congratulations on the profits.”

Yang Zhigang had heard from Old Qi that this trip was another full haul.

He had just gone to take a look. Most of the fish they’d brought up were mid-to-low-grade. However, the sea cucumbers and scallops they’d gathered, as well as the oysters they’d pried off the rocks, were all premium quality.

The quality of these items was excellent, and their value was absolutely high.

”I heard from Old Qi that this trip was all thanks to you. From now on, when I’m not out at sea, Old Qi will take his orders from you.” Yang Zhigang’s face lit up with a smile; he hadn’t even gone out on the boat, yet he was earning more than before.

If it was like this every time, he wouldn’t need to go out on every trip.

After all, with both the old and the young at home, there was always something that needed his attention.

Han Xiaorui nodded with a smile. ”Okay!”

Just as they were speaking, two huge refrigerated trucks pulled up at the wharf.

Zhang Guangnan quickly got out of the passenger seat and ran over to Han Xiaorui’s boat. ”Ms. Han, you’ve worked hard.”

Han Xiaorui gave a small laugh. ”It’s no trouble. You can go with our Captain Chen and Accountant Liang to tally the seafood and settle the accounts.”

By hiring so many people, Han Xiaorui had extracted herself from the heavy labor, delegating the work among her crew.

Worried Han Xiaorui might misunderstand, Zhang Guangnan quickly assured her, ”I only have 30,000 yuan on me right now, which isn’t enough for today’s goods, but I guarantee I’ll transfer the full payment to you tomorrow morning.”

”I trust you, Boss Xiao Zhang,” Han Xiaorui replied. ”Let’s make it three in the afternoon. I haven’t slept all night and need to get some sleep this morning. We can meet at the entrance of the bank where we usually do the wire transfers. I also need to withdraw money to pay wages, so it works out.”

Zhang Guangnan breathed a sigh of relief. ”Thank you.”

He had reviewed the previous invoices from when his father, Zhang Fa Cai, purchased seafood, including the one for the large Yellowlip Fish from Han Xiaorui.

The ones over one hundred pounds were forty thousand per fish.

He knew that the last large Yellowlip Fish had been resold for a hundred thousand yuan each.

These two were both over 150 pounds, so Zhang Guangnan, wanting to be generous, offered a hundred thousand yuan for the pair.

Yang Zhigang was also quite surprised. He nodded at Han Xiaorui, signaling that it was a very good price.

When Han Xiaorui saw the price, she looked surprised. ”Mr. Zhang, you really know how to do business!”

Zhang Guangnan said with feeling, ”Good product is hard to find. Ms. Han, if you have good stock in the future, you must sell it to me!”

”Since you’re so straightforward, I won’t be one to mince words either.” Han Xiaorui nodded. Although Zhang Fa Cai had been a poor excuse for a man, he had been quite capable in business.

Zhang Guangnan relaxed slightly; using money to secure a supplier was highly effective.

Remembering the pair of Nephrite Jade Bracelets he’d brought, Zhang Guangnan took a red velvet box out of his bag. ”Ms. Han, a small gift, just a token of my appreciation.”

Han Xiaorui was taken aback. ”What’s this? Why are you giving me a gift?”

Zhang Guangnan smiled. ”I usually pay in cash on the spot, but since the banks aren’t open at night, I don’t have enough on me today.”

”You were so gracious, Ms. Han, allowing me to postpone the payment until tomorrow morning. I felt bad about it, so I brought this gift.”

Upon hearing this, Han Xiaorui refused. ”Let’s not. I only want to do business with you. I don’t want to get entangled in other matters.”

”I don’t like to dredge up old wounds or make people uncomfortable, but since we’re partners, I need to lay out the harsh truths upfront. I don’t want a situation where someone comes to slap me again.”

”I don’t want to get involved in your family matters, and they’re none of my business, but they cannot affect my life. Aside from timely payments, that is my only requirement.”

Zhang Guangnan gave a bitter smile. ’Ms. Han was really scared by that incident.’

But it was hardly surprising. His family’s issues had caused trouble for her.

Since taking over the family business, Zhang Guangnan had gotten to know it inside and out.

Ms. Han’s request was not unreasonable.

”On that point, I can give you my word,” Zhang Guangnan said, his expression serious. ”Boss Yang, you can be my witness. I will absolutely not go back on my promise.”

Yang Zhigang smiled and patted Zhang Guangnan’s shoulder. ”Young man, you have to have integrity in business. What you do is always more important, and more effective, than what you say.”

”Though we haven’t met often, I’ve heard you’re a down-to-earth, hardworking man. Keep at it, and the student will surpass the master.”

Zhang Guangnan knew the major boat owners nearby and had sourced goods from Yang Zhigang before. ”Thank you for your encouragement, Uncle Yang.”

Unlike Zhang Fa Cai, who only wanted the mid-to-high-end product from Han Xiaorui’s boat and nothing else.

This time, Zhang Guangnan wanted to buy everything from Han Xiaorui’s fishing boat.

Thanks to Han Xiaorui’s excellent reputation, he directly accepted her crew’s sorting and weighing.

He already knew about the large Yellowlip Fish, so he wasn’t surprised when they were loaded onto the truck.

The red groupers brought over next were all over three pounds each. Even in the dim light of night, they looked exceptionally fresh.

The condition of the hairtail fish was superb; they were stacked neatly in baskets, each one as wide as a palm and especially thick-fleshed.

The large lobsters were almost all alive and very lively. According to Xiao Liu and Xiao Zhao’s descriptions, these lobsters could survive for a long time without much effort.

Live lobsters are a signature attraction for seafood restaurants.

After that, the Big Yellow Fish made Zhang Guangnan even more excited.

The scallops—my God, they were bigger than his palm! Plated up, they would be both beautiful and delicious, an extremely popular dish.

And the oysters and sea cucumbers—wow, a man’s personal refueling station. Any man who ate seafood couldn’t possibly refuse those two.

The rest of the seafood was also in excellent condition. Zhang Guangnan finally understood why his father had been willing to pay a ten-percent premium to buy seafood from Han Xiaorui.

The superior condition of her seafood compared to that from other boats was alone worth the price.

With seafood, it’s all about one word: fresh.

The fresher it is, the more of its natural flavor it retains, and the better it tastes.

The people willing to spend money on this kind of product were all connoisseurs; they knew how to eat, had discerning palates, and could tell the good from the bad.

With such high-quality stock, the seafood restaurant’s business was absolutely guaranteed.

Since the economic reforms began, the first people to get rich had also become willing to spend their money.

Shencheng was attracting investment, and whether they were wealthy Chinese or foreigners, everyone loved to eat good food.

Although they started selling their catch a bit later than Yang Zhigang’s boat, they finished selling out before he did.

Three hectic hours passed.

It was already 4:30 in the morning; dawn was not far off.

The two large Yellowlip Fish: 100,000 yuan.

Then there were the several hundred pounds of smaller Yellowlip Fish, the Big Yellow Fish, and the other seafood.

This time, the total sales actually came to 392,000 yuan.

After deducting various costs, she was left with 351,300 yuan in pure profit.