The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: Cute? It’s Incredibly Ugly

Yu Zhenxing and Han Xiaorui received Kuno Hiroo.

Yu Zhenxing could only communicate with foreigners in English and was prepared to do so, but he was surprised to find that Kuno’s Chinese was excellent.

The fact that they could communicate without any barriers didn’t please Yu Zhenxing. Instead, it made him more cautious.

His fluency in Chinese suggested a deep understanding of Hua Country, which meant they would need more finesse during the negotiations.

Han Xiaorui began introducing the ornamental fish. ”Mr. Kuno, I didn’t mislead you, did I? My farm might not be large, but we make full use of the space, so our output is high and we have a wide variety of species.”

It was an eye-opening experience for Kuno Hiroo. He was astonished to actually see so many ornamental fish.

”Many of these are tropical ornamental fish. Can they really survive? And is raising them truly as simple as you say?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Yes, you just need to follow the care manual. Mr. Kuno, have any of the fish caught your eye?”

Kuno Hiroo smiled and pointed to a tank in the corner. ”I find those fish very strange. They’re quite unforgettable.”

Han Xiaorui looked over and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The fish was a type of frogfish. It was a species that couldn’t swim, had ”feet,” and was also known as the ”lame fish.”

Among the batches of ornamental fish they had originally purchased from the fish shop at the flower and bird market, there had been a dozen or so very small frogfish mixed in.

They were carnivorous and extremely aggressive, so they had been separated to be raised on their own.

A frogfish that doesn’t swim is a proper frogfish. Despite living on the seabed, frogfish are rare creatures that ”walk” on their ”feet.”

(Striped Frogfish)

Because they crawl along the seabed, they also earned the nickname ”frog fish.”

Among the coral reefs of tropical waters, frogfish possess the same skill as octopuses, changing their body color to camouflage themselves.

For example, when near seagrass and algae, a frogfish’s body will turn green, making it look like a rock covered in seaweed.

There are many species, and they’re a little ugly, but also kind of cute.

It had to be said, Kuno Hiroo had a very unconventional sense of aesthetics.

While others liked pretty fish, he liked ugly ones.

This inference was vividly demonstrated by Kuno Hiroo’s next request.

”Ms. Han, do you accept special orders for new species of fish?”

Han Xiaorui was curious. ”Mr. Kuno, what other kinds of ornamental fish do you like? You should know, some species pose an invasive risk and are not on the approved import list. We won’t breed those, no matter the price.”

Kuno Hiroo took out a photo. ”It’s the blobfish. It’s a type of deep-sea fish that’s very cute.”

(Blobfish)

Curious, Han Xiaorui also wanted to see just how cute it was.

When her eyes fell upon the picture of the blobfish, she froze for a moment. ’How is this cute?’

’It’s hideously ugly! It looks terrifying, okay?’

’At first glance, it even looks a little like a distorted human face!’

’And it has such a miserable-looking face, like it’s the kind of thing that brings bad luck just by looking at it.’

Han Xiaorui remembered that during her inspection trip to Japan, the hotel TV was playing a cartoon called *Ultraman*.

The plot was simple, and Han Xiaorui didn’t care for it, but the monsters in the show had caught her attention.

At the time, she had marveled, ’How did they come up with so many different monsters?’

Now, Han Xiaorui thought she might have found the answer. ’It seems these people like all sorts of strange things and have a very peculiar sense of beauty.’

’Otherwise, who in their right mind would like something called a blobfish?’

”Sorry, we don’t have that fish, and we have no plans to breed it in the future.”

Kuno Hiroo was puzzled. ”I understand you don’t have it now, but why won’t you breed it? I think this fish would be a novelty in Japan. I’m sure some people would love it.”

Han Xiaorui blinked and answered without a second thought, ”It’s too ugly. I don’t want to raise it.”

”Well...” Kuno Hiroo thought for a moment. ”Ms. Han, aren’t you going to at least hear the price I’m offering?”

”I’m not interested,” Han Xiaorui refused. ’While getting paid more is always nice, the process of raising them would be sickening.’

She much preferred raising beautiful, aesthetically pleasing ornamental fish and had no desire to cater to Kuno Hiroo’s peculiar and grotesque tastes.

Kuno Hiroo gave an awkward smile. ”That’s a shame.”

Even though he couldn’t get his ”dream fish,” Kuno Hiroo still felt there was a huge market for these other ornamental fish in Japan.

For his very first order, he placed one for five hundred thousand US dollars.

It covered all sorts of fish, sorted by species.

He would need to return home and build ponds according to the specifications provided by the farm.

Yu Zhenxing was astonished. ’This really is a major client.’

Although the shipment wasn’t immediate, a deposit of 200,000 US dollars had already come through.

”Mr. Kuno, wouldn’t you like to start with a smaller order?” Han Xiaorui asked tentatively. The order was so large that she was hesitant to accept it.

’Could this be some kind of trap?’

Kuno Hiroo smiled. ”We’re in the import-export business. We’ve already learned through our channels that your ornamental fish are exceptionally hardy.”

”You’ve already been exporting quite a bit in batches. We’ve done our research, and now that we’ve completed our on-site inspection, we naturally want to seize the opportunity.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui relaxed a little. ”Since you’ve already done your homework, Mr. Kuno, I won’t waste any more words.”

”Just make sure to strictly follow the specifications when building your ponds and stacked tank systems. By the way, will you need to buy aquariums?”

Kuno Hiroo nodded. ”Yes, I do. Could you take me there?”

Han Xiaorui was free that day, so she took Kuno Hiroo to Zhou Wei’s aquarium factory.

Zhou Wei often brought his aquarium customers to visit her fish farm. The two businesses had a symbiotic relationship, referring clients to one another.

When Zhou Wei got the call from Han Xiaorui, he learned that the client had placed an order for half a million US dollars’ worth of ornamental fish.

He roughly estimated that would require a dozen or so shipping containers’ worth of aquariums.

If he could land this deal, this would be a major client for his factory as well.

He already had experience dealing with foreign clients, and his showroom was complete, with every model of aquarium on display.

Those adorable little aquariums, in particular, were placed in a prominent position.

These items weren’t expensive, but they sold in high volumes.

People who bought the small aquariums, upon discovering how easy the fish were to care for, would often buy a larger tank to raise even more, provided they had the financial means.

Therefore, the small aquariums were an essential product.

They served to attract more people to the fish-keeping hobby.

Just as Han Xiaorui had said, if the entry point was too expensive, it would deter many potential customers.

Only after experiencing the joy of keeping fish would more people be willing to spend money on more aquariums and ornamental fish.

It was an excellent strategy.

Almost all of their foreign clients ordered large quantities of the small aquariums. Feedback from these clients confirmed that the results were excellent.

Kuno Hiroo’s team took several sample aquariums back with them for testing, and everything met the required standards.

Kuno Hiroo didn’t stay for long. He returned to his home country three days later, after placing a large order with the aquarium factory.

Kuno Hiroo ordered three entire shipping containers of just those cute little aquariums.

The market doesn’t lie. When those small aquariums arrived in Japan, they also took the market by storm.

Children and young women alike couldn’t resist the charm of the exquisite little aquariums and the tiny ornamental fish inside them.

Supermarkets and amusement parks proved to be excellent venues for marketing the ornamental fish products.

Kuno Hiroo’s unique vision allowed him to achieve an incredibly high rate of return on a very small investment.

While Yamamoto Ichiro was still busy trying to analyze the stolen ornamental fish feed, the fish imported from Hua Country had already captured the market in several major cities.