The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 189: Chapter 189: Foreign Trade Fair

Chen Yupeng was taken aback. ”Comrade Xiao Han, what made you think of starting an ornamental fish farm?”

Han Xiaorui smiled and took a sip of water. ”It was quite accidental at first. I caught a good-looking triggerfish and brought it home to put in a tank. Pingping and An’an loved it, and I figured other kids would too.”

”So I bought some freshwater ornamental fish, caught some more from the sea, and let them breed. I ended up with a lot of small fish. Then I opened an ornamental fish store, and business has been great.”

”Ornamental fish are genuinely beautiful and have a big market. Buying them from others is expensive, so I set up a farm. I’m also breeding smaller varieties that are better suited for home aquariums. I think the demand for ornamental fish abroad is probably even greater.”

Chen Yupeng jotted it down. ”I believe this could be as profitable as seafood. Alright, I’ll sign you up. You should prepare some photos and materials; they might come in handy.”

After the meal, Chen Yupeng made a point of driving Han Xiaorui to her ornamental fish store.

Seeing the vibrant, colorful ornamental fish inside, Chen Yupeng thought they were beautiful and was even more convinced it was a great project.

”Really nice,” Chen Yupeng commented, getting ready to pull out his money to buy some.

Han Xiaorui bagged a dozen or so small fish, filled the bag with oxygen, and sealed it.

She also got him a small fish tank and placed it in a styrofoam box. ”They should be fine until you get off work this afternoon!”

Chen Yupeng thought the fish were adorable and nodded. ”Thanks!”

After Chen Yupeng left, Han Xiaorui began to check the ledgers. Seeing no issues, she paid Wu Lingling and Xu Wenwen their wages and bonuses on the spot.

Wu Lingling had grown tired of being stuck in the small shop. ”Boss, when are we going to open a branch? Elementary school students have limited purchasing power. We need to find a way to sell ornamental fish and tanks to business owners.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”No rush. We’ll talk about it after I’ve scouted out a suitable storefront.”

Wu Lingling took out a notebook, eager to show her initiative. ”Boss, I don’t think we should open the new store on a regular street. We should open it in a spot near a shopping mall entrance.”

”Anyone who goes to the mall will pass by it back and forth and see our store. That way, people who might need something will remember us. Even if they don’t buy something that day, they’ll definitely come back when they do.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”You have a point. That’s exactly what I was thinking. I was just about to ask someone to look into relevant retail spaces for me. When the time comes, I’ll just buy one outright.”

Wu Lingling reminded her again, ”Boss, you really have to take this seriously! I have a feeling this business can get really good, really big.”

”I am taking it seriously! I always take a profitable business seriously!” Han Xiaorui said as she headed home. ”Besides, my ornamental fish farm is already up and running. It needs customers too!”

Wu Lingling nodded, in complete agreement. ”I’ll do more legwork when the time comes!”

Just then, Zhou Wei from the glass factory came by to deliver some fish tanks.

”Boss Han, Xiao Wu, Xiao Xu, hello!” Zhou Wei greeted them enthusiastically, personally helping to unload the tanks.

Han Xiaorui smiled and greeted him back, ”Business has been booming for you lately, Mr. Zhou!”

Zhou Wei was genuinely happy. ”I have you to thank for that, Boss Han, for suggesting I produce fish tanks. Otherwise, my glass factory would have gone bankrupt long ago!”

Wu Lingling chimed in with a smile, ”Mr. Zhou’s business is huge now. In a few days, he’s even participating in a foreign trade fair! He’s going to sell his tanks to people overseas!”

”He asked me to set aside a lot of our pretty ornamental fish for him. He’s going to ship them to the fair and put them in the tanks. It’ll be a very direct demonstration, making the tanks look even better and more practical.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui’s eyes lit up. ”Zhou Wei, you sell the tanks, I’ll sell the fish.”

Zhou Wei and Wu Lingling, standing nearby, were both stunned. ”Ornamental fish are live animals. Can they be exported?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Of course. We just need to handle the necessary quarantines and inspections!”

When Wu Lingling heard this, her heart leaped with excitement. ”Boss, let me go!”

”Do you know English?” Han Xiaorui asked.

Wu Lingling shook her head. ”No.”

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment, then asked Zhou Wei, ”So, Mr. Zhou, is it possible?”

Zhou Wei looked troubled. ”Boss Han, it’s not that I don’t want to take you! It’s just that I only have two slots for the event. Besides me, there’s my translator.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui was taken aback for a second, but then she smiled. ”My apologies, that was presumptuous of me. We won’t go this time. How about this: I’ll prepare some materials, and you can mention our ornamental fish when you’re presenting your tanks. I can give you some of our business cards.”

Zhou Wei breathed a sigh of relief. ”Yes, that works. In the future, when your ornamental fish farm participates in similar fairs, you can help us promote our tanks. We can have a mutually beneficial relationship.”

They sold different things; not only did they not compete, but they complemented each other.

”Great, it’s a deal then,” Han Xiaorui said with a smile, her mind already hatching more plans.

Zhou Wei agreed readily, but whether he could actually help sell any ornamental fish was another matter entirely.

At that moment, Zhou Wei had no idea that Jinshan Bay Ornamental Fish would one day carry him to new heights.

After dealing with everything, Han Xiaorui took a taxi straight home, stopping by the bank on the way to withdraw money to pay the boat hands tomorrow.

She saw on her account that Zhang Guangnan had already transferred payment for today’s shipment, right on time.

She hadn’t slept much last night and had been running around busily all day; she was exhausted.

After getting home and playing with the children for a little while, Han Xiaorui took a shower and went to bed.

That night, Han Xiaoqing had Pingping and An’an sleep in her room, letting her sister continue to rest.

By the time Han Xiaorui woke up, it was already seven o’clock the next morning.

Wu Jiao and Wu Yao were in the courtyard practicing martial arts with Pingping and An’an, so Han Xiaorui joined in for a few moves.

”Mama, I want to eat steamed eggs with shrimp,” Pingping said, leaning against her mother as soon as she saw her.

She wanted to find her mother yesterday, but her auntie said Mama was very tired and she shouldn’t disturb her sleep.

An’an squeezed in too. ”Mama, I want scallion pancakes.”

Han Xiaorui crouched down, hugging one of her little treasures in each arm and kissing them. ”Mama will go make you scallion pancakes and steamed eggs with shrimp right now.”

The little treasures kissed Han Xiaorui back and clustered around their mother as they all went to the kitchen together.

Wu Jiao was in the kitchen making rice porridge and steaming buns. ”Sister Xiao Rui, you rest for a bit. I know how to make steamed eggs with shrimp and scallion pancakes. Everything will be ready to eat in another twenty minutes.”

”Thanks for your hard work. You were hired as a bodyguard, and now you’re a part-time chef too. I’ll add a bonus for you later,” Han Xiaorui said with a laugh. ”Oh, and steam an extra bun for me. I love the ones you make.”

Wu Jiao was especially proud that Han Xiaorui liked the large steamed buns from her hometown. ”Sure! I steamed these yesterday. They’re delicious.”

Han Xiaorui went outside and took the children to see the little chicks, ducklings, and goslings.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Han Xiaorui opened the door and saw it was the mailman. ”Comrade Zhao, you’re delivering the mail early today!”

Comrade Zhao smiled. ”Actually, this is leftover from yesterday. It got too late, so I’m delivering it this morning. This is a letter for Wu Jiao and Wu Yao.”

Wu Yao quickly put down the broom in her hands, rushed to the door, took her letter, signed for it, and took it back.

Wu Yao couldn’t wait to tear open the letter. Her mother was illiterate, so the letter had been written by her younger sister and brother.

It said that their family had received the money and things they had sent, that life at home was better now, and that they shouldn’t worry.

Watching the two sisters laugh one moment and cry the next, Han Xiaorui came to understand the true meaning of the saying, ”a letter from home is worth ten thousand pieces of gold.”