The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: An Unexpected Result

Some Hua Country people, whether to make money or to import technology, were extremely deferential toward them, even fawning.

Of course, there was also a suppressed hatred.

But they didn’t care. In a few more decades, given the temperament of the Hua Country people, they would have forgotten all about it.

’It was only natural, given their country’s power and advanced technology. The backward Hua Country was begging them for help, so of course they wouldn’t dare to offend them.’

”If the feed contains any banned substances and can’t be imported, then we won’t be able to do business.”

Yamamoto Ichiro was well aware of the importance of key technologies. By leveraging their technological superiority, they had earned enormous profits in Hua Country.

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Rest assured, Mr. Yamamoto. Our feed is made from grains, traditional Chinese medicine, and other ingredients. It contains no banned substances.”

”Our feed has been tested by government departments and fully meets all requirements. It was specially developed and customized to meet the needs of ornamental fish.”

”Different fish require different feed. We will provide a variety of combinations, and for certain species, the same type of feed can be used.”

Hearing Han Xiaorui say this, Yamamoto Ichiro knew he wouldn’t be able to see how the feed was made.

Still, the ornamental fish here were truly stunning.

He couldn’t wait to go back and tell his father-in-law, so he could come and see for himself.

Previously, his father-in-law’s ornamental fish business couldn’t grow because it was limited by the scale of his breeding operation.

Now, by relying on imports, he would have a sufficient supply of ornamental fish. This way, he could expand the business.

Yamamoto Ichiro took all the documents, photos of the various fish, and their corresponding prices.

Another customer, an ethnic Chinese man from Malaysia, signed a contract on the spot.

He wasn’t in this line of business himself, but his father sold ornamental fish.

With a source of supply like this, he was guaranteed to make more money.

Chen Zhipeng, the director of Eastern Import and Export Trade, saw the $20,000 US Dollar order for ornamental fish and the $12,000 US Dollar order for fish tanks.

He hadn’t expected Han Xiaorui to actually secure orders, and there were some prospective ones as well.

After all, these foreign businessmen weren’t the direct buyers; they still needed to explain the situation to their friends and relatives.

Three other clients thought this was a great business opportunity and planned to go back, set up their own companies, and then come back to import and sell the ornamental fish.

”Xiao Rui, Zhou Wei, you two did well. You really got orders,” Chen Zhipeng said with a smile. Although the amount wasn’t large, the future prospects were very promising.

Han Xiaorui handed the organized client information to Chen Zhipeng. ”Uncle Chen, this is the relevant client information. As you know, besides me, no one at our ornamental fish farm speaks English.”

”I’ll have to leave this client information for you to handle. Please assign a staff member to be our point of contact, to exclusively handle all matters related to the import and export of ornamental fish. We’ll settle accounts with the trading company in domestic RMB.”

Chen Zhipeng took the notebook and carefully examined the information Han Xiaorui had compiled. On each page, she had stapled a business card and noted down what that client was interested in.

”Alright. A few university graduates were just assigned to our unit. I’ll assign a capable one to you,” Chen Zhipeng replied. If this went well, it would be a credit to him too.

Han Xiaorui thanked him. ”Thank you so much, Uncle Chen. If anything comes up, just contact Brother Jianguo. I sometimes go out to sea, so you might not be able to reach me.”

Chen Zhipeng nodded in agreement. ”Don’t worry, I’ll handle it for you. You just need to ensure there are no problems with the ornamental fish.”

Yu Zhenxing was the foreign trade agent Chen Zhipeng assigned to liaise with the Jinshan Bay Ornamental Fish Farm.

After the trade show ended, he finished organizing the materials and waited until most of the clients had returned to their home countries before sending faxes to the prospective foreign customers.

Initially, Yu Zhenxing didn’t think much of the ornamental fish business. After sending the faxes, he moved on to other product matters.

At that time, he had no idea that the Jinshan Bay Ornamental Fish Farm would bring him a huge surprise.

「But that is a story for later.」

When the trade show was over, Yang Jianguo pointed to the fish tanks at the booth. ”Xiao Rui, should we sell these tanks on the cheap, or haul them back?”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Haul them over to the newly opened Fuli Mall! I bought a shop space there and plan to open an ornamental fish store right near the entrance!”

Hearing this, Yang Jianguo was slightly taken aback. ”Is that other ornamental fish store you opened making money?”

Han Xiaorui said, quite pleased with herself, ”Didn’t Lingling tell you and Sister Cuicui?”

Yang Jianguo shook his head. ”Cuicui asked Lingling, but Lingling said it was a trade secret and she couldn’t disclose it.”

Han Xiaorui looked surprised to hear that. ”It seems Lingling is a good candidate for a management position! That little ornamental fish store of mine might not look like much, but it earns me at least 3,000 RMB a month!”

Hearing this, Yang Jianguo started rubbing his hands together excitedly. ”Wow, that’s tens of thousands a year! That’s a lot!”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Yup! That store only serves its local area. Fuli Mall, on the other hand, is in a prime location.”

”Many major international brands have set up shop there, and the foot traffic is huge. With so many people coming and going, business is sure to be good.”

Yang Jianguo nodded. ”You gave us a new-model fish tank and an oval one before, with lots of cute little fish inside.”

”My Minmin absolutely treasures them. She’d rather skip her own meals than forget to feed the fish. But she fed them too often and too much, and some of the little fish often died from overeating.”

”HAHA!” Han Xiaorui laughed heartily. ”She probably thinks that tiny bit of feed isn’t enough to fill them up! But how big can a fish’s stomach be? You can’t compare a human’s stomach to a fish’s!”

Yang Jianguo also shook his head and chuckled. ”Tell me about it. After a third of the little fish died, Minmin finally realized she was overfeeding them!”

Han Xiaorui scooped the fish out into sealed, oxygenated containers, drained the water from the tanks, and hired some people to carry the tanks out to a truck.

When they arrived at Fuli Mall, Wu Lingling was already waiting at the most prominent shop near the entrance.

The shop had glass walls on two sides, and the lighting inside was soft and bright.

Inside, new tables had been set up specifically to display all sorts of fish tanks.

There were not only tanks suitable for offices, but also home versions, as well as small, compact fish tanks.

Many people might not be willing to splurge on a large fish tank, but they would be willing to buy a small one.

For just a few RMB, they could buy a nice-looking tank and a cute little ornamental fish.

Children could pester their families and have their little wishes granted.

These small sales shouldn’t be underestimated; they could often lead to large orders.

”Sister Xiao Rui, is the space I left for them enough?” Wu Lingling’s face was flushed with excitement. From now on, she would be managing a store in such a high-end place.

’Sister Xiao Rui had said that from now on, she would get a ten-percent share of the profits.’

’Even at the small ornamental fish store, a ten-percent commission was higher than her salary.’

’The foot traffic here was so heavy; Wu Lingling was completely confident she could get the store up and running, make the business a success, and earn an even higher commission.’

Han Xiaorui took a look and nodded. ”It should be enough. Could I trouble you sirs to help carry them in?”

A short while later, the three fish tanks were refilled with water, and the ornamental fish were placed back inside.

People who had been rushing by would unconsciously slow down as they passed the ornamental fish store, stealing a few extra glances.