The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 263: Chapter 263: The Small Fish Tank and Ornamental Fish Business Is Booming

Xu Wenwen had her instructions from Han Xiaorui, so she sold them the supplies at cost, making no profit.

Han Xiaoqing’s classmates were overjoyed.

Sun Dandan said excitedly, ”Xiaoqing, these are so cute, I want to buy one myself! But all I have left for the month is my living expenses—I donated the rest to Dai Wencui. I’ll buy one later.”

Wu Yunqian nodded. ”Same here. We all love them, which proves that if we set up a stall at the school gate, people will definitely buy them.”

Han Xiaoqing nodded. ”Of course. Don’t underestimate that little shop. It’s not far from the school gate, and business is great.”

”I’m strong, so I’ll carry the fish container. You two can each take two boxes of the small tanks. Let’s head back to school right now.”

Sun Dandan chimed in, ”Right. This time of day is when a lot of students are coming back to campus from outside.”

The three of them hauled their supplies back on a bus.

As luck would have it, they ran into Chen Wenxuan on the bus.

”Xiaoqing, let me help you with that.” Chen Wenxuan’s eyes lit up when he saw Han Xiaoqing. ”What’s all this?”

Han Xiaoqing answered, ”They’re small, freshwater ornamental fish. We’re planning to sell them at the school gate to raise money for our roommate’s medical bills.”

Chen Wenxuan was taken aback. ”What happened to your classmate?”

Han Xiaoqing explained, ”She was in a car accident and needs a lot of money for medical expenses. Her family isn’t well-off and doesn’t have a high income. The driver who hit her fled the scene, and they can’t find them.”

”I wanted to lend her money, but she doesn’t want me to borrow from my sister for her sake, which puts me in a difficult position. Plus, she might not be able to pay it back.”

”But she’s my good friend! I can’t just stand by and watch her become permanently disabled. So we organized a fundraiser for her. The donations will cover her medical bills for a little while.”

”But students don’t have much money, and the donations can’t solve the whole problem. So, I decided to take matters into our own hands. We’re getting inventory from my sister’s ornamental fish shop at cost and selling it at the school gate.”

”I feel like this way, Wencui won’t refuse our help. We’re just putting in a little hard work and sweat, but it can help our good friend get her health back and have a great life ahead of her.”

Chen Wenxuan smiled faintly, his gaze gentle. ”You all are amazing. It’s a very lucky thing to have classmates like you.”

Han Xiaoqing grew a little embarrassed under Chen Wenxuan’s close gaze. ”It’s... it’s not that great. We’re just trying to do our best.”

Sun Dandan and Wu Yunqian exchanged a glance, both raising their eyebrows.

’This handsome guy, Chen Wenxuan, seems to have his eye on their Xiaoqing!’

’This is the first time we’ve met him, so we don’t know what he’s like, but wow, is he handsome!’

’He’s so clean-cut, and there’s an honest look in his eyes.’

’Anyway, since we arrived in Shencheng, the most handsome person we’ve seen is this guy, Chen Wenxuan.’

’Of course, their Xiaoqing is gorgeous too, beautiful inside and out.’

When Dai Wencui had her car accident, her parents didn’t have enough money and were preparing to take her back to their hometown, but Han Xiaoqing stopped them.

The medical facilities here were good, which would allow Dai Wencui to receive better treatment. If they took her home, she might really have ended up disabled.

After a bumpy ride, they finally arrived at the entrance to East China Normal University.

Chen Wenxuan helped them unload the fish container from the bus. He scanned the area and said, ”There are no good spots left.”

Han Xiaoqing pointed. ”That spot over there will work. Let’s go.”

”But that’s right in the sun. Even though it’s the afternoon, the sun is still vicious.” Chen Wenxuan looked at Han Xiaoqing’s fair skin; in sunlight that harsh, her face would be red in no time.

Han Xiaoqing didn’t mind. ”It’s fine. I’ll just get a tan for a few days, and it’ll lighten up again after a while. The important thing now is to sell the fish.”

Han Xiaoqing picked up a box of small fish tanks and strode toward the spot.

She spread a white plastic sheet on the ground and then began to set out the fish tanks.

”Dandan, Yun Qian, go get a bucket of water. We’re about to open for business,” Han Xiaoqing directed. She pulled some tissues from her bag and began carefully wiping the dust off the tanks.

Chen Wenxuan hadn’t left; he stood to the side, helping out.

Han Xiaoqing was surprised. ”Chen Wenxuan, your school isn’t here. You can get to your campus by taking a bus from across the street.”

Chen Wenxuan smiled. ”I don’t have anything to do, so I’ll help you sell the ornamental fish. Many hands make light work. If you’re willing, you could also sell them at the gate to my school.”

Han Xiaoqing considered it for a moment. ”That makes sense. Once we get things running smoothly here, I’ll head over to your school to sell the fish. I have to raise enough for Wencui’s medical bills.”

”If it’s not enough, I can pitch in. You know, my parents give me a lot of money, and I don’t really have anywhere to spend it.” Moved by Han Xiaoqing’s kindness, Chen Wenxuan felt he should do something to help.

Han Xiaoqing was taken aback for a moment, then she smiled. ”We don’t need it for now, but thank you anyway. Good people receive good things in return.”

Chen Wenxuan smiled. Just as he was about to speak, someone walked over to inquire.

”Small freshwater ornamental fish! Mini desktop fish tanks that can fit in your dorm room,” Han Xiaoqing pitched as she added water to a small, cup-shaped tank and scooped a few little fish inside.

Han Xiaoqing then added some decorative, colorful artificial stones and two thin, green plastic waterweeds, which instantly made the little fish inside look more lively and colorful.

Few girls could resist such cute little fish tanks and ornamental fish, and they began asking for the price one after another.

When Sun Dandan and Wu Yunqian returned with the water, they filled more of the small, variously shaped tanks with fish and decorations, attracting many people to buy them.

Plus, with the very handsome Chen Wenxuan standing nearby, some of the girls who had originally come over to look at the cute guy ended up finding the fish so adorable that they switched their focus to buying fish instead.

To make the fish tanks look better, Han Xiaorui had really put Zhou Wei from the fish tank factory through his paces. For instance, there was the layer of small, colorful glass pieces that lined the bottom.

She had to ensure not only that the colors were pretty, but also that they wouldn’t hurt anyone’s hands, with all the edges and corners rounded off.

The shells inside were hand-picked one by one from the seashore at Jinshan Bay by the local aunties, who then cleaned them thoroughly before selling them to Han Xiaorui.

However, she had the ornamental fish farm handle the collection for her.

Live plants were hard to raise and difficult to care for, so she had specifically found a plastics factory in Shencheng to make artificial seaweed and starfish for her.

Han Xiaoqing originally thought one container of fish would take a few days to sell, but she never expected to sell out in just one afternoon and evening.

Sun Dandan saw Han Xiaoqing’s bag stuffed full of money and was beyond excited. ”Oh my gosh, we’re making a killing.”

Wu Yunqian nodded repeatedly. ”Wencui’s medical expenses are taken care of!”

”We have class tomorrow, so we can’t go to the hospital. Let’s take the money to Teacher Wei now and have her give it to Wencui,” Han Xiaoqing suggested. She was also worried about bringing the money back to the dorm; with so many people around, it wouldn’t be good if it went missing.

Teacher Wei lived in the faculty and staff apartment building.

Teacher Wei was a graduate of the normal university herself. She had stayed on after graduation and was in her first year as a counselor.

When Dai Wencui had the car accident, Teacher Wei had been incredibly busy helping out. Whether it was contacting the hospital, organizing the fundraiser, or requesting money from the university, she had given it her all.

When Teacher Wei saw Dai Wencui’s roommates arrive at eight o’clock, she was quite curious. ”Shouldn’t you three be getting back to your dorm? Why have you come to see me? Is something wrong?”