The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 298: Chapter 298: Massive Price Hike

Hearing this, Kuno Hiroo was at a loss for what to say. ”Is it really just a matter of paying more? If I don’t, you won’t sell them to me?”

Han Xiaorui waved her hand. ”Kuno Hiroo, you come from a capitalist country. With a twenty percent profit, capital becomes restless. With a fifty percent profit, capital becomes daring. With a one hundred percent profit, capital will risk the gallows. And with a three hundred percent profit, capital will trample on any law known to man.”

Kuno Hiroo was taken aback. ”But you’re a socialist country, aren’t you?”

Han Xiaorui retorted that even if there was a bargain to be had, she wouldn’t let a foreigner take advantage. Especially not when she held the upper hand; she certainly wasn’t going to back down.

’Foreign countries dare to sell their most unremarkable things at exorbitant prices.’

’But as soon as we figure out the technology, the price plummets to rock-bottom. It’s all just a bluff based on technical know-how.’

”But we’re doing business with a capitalist country right now! We have to learn your ways. If there’s no extra profit in it for me, how can you expect me to be motivated to breed more? Besides, scarcity creates value. If I breed fewer of them, the price might go even higher based on supply and demand.”

Kuno Hiroo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He felt Han Xiaorui was the most cunning and formidable negotiator he had ever met. ”Fine. How much of an increase do you want?”

Han Xiaorui was about to name a price, but then she hesitated. ’What if I ask for too little?’

So, Han Xiaorui just smiled. ”Why don’t you make an offer? Tell me what you think would be enough to move me. If it’s too low, I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear you, and we can all go about our business. I just got back from a trip out at sea and I stink of fish, so don’t mess with me.”

Kuno Hiroo thought for a moment. ”I’ll increase the price by twenty percent. According to your theory, that should be enough to get you restless, right?”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”How about one hundred percent? Let me go a little crazy, and I can fulfill half of the quantity you need right now.”

Kuno Hiroo’s jaw dropped. ”Double the price? Ms. Han, have you gone mad with greed?”

Han Xiaorui rolled her eyes. ”You don’t actually have to pay the high price. Just stick to the original quantity. High-end ornamental fish are expensive, and their production is low. They can’t compare to my small ornamental fish, which are cheap, but the demand is more than I can keep up with.”

”Now, I’d have to free up manpower to cultivate these high-end fish, which takes far more effort than the common small ones. I have to change my breeding plan just for your business. If the price is high, I’ll be motivated. If it’s too low, I don’t want the hassle.”

”It’s just like when your country sells us outdated technology and equipment at the price of new models. We know it’s outdated, that it’s old, but we still buy it. We have no choice. When you’re going from zero to one, you have to buy what you don’t have.”

Hearing this, Kuno Hiroo gave an embarrassed laugh. ”Doubling the price is too much. How about a 30% increase? That’s already very high.”

After some intense haggling, Han Xiaorui and Kuno Hiroo finally settled on a 50% price increase.

Kuno Hiroo felt the sting of the price hike, but when he thought about how shipping these fish back home would solve an urgent problem and earn him a huge profit, the pain subsided.

”Since we have an agreement, let me lay out the terms. I’ll deliver one-third of the order first. Half a month later, I’ll deliver another third. The remainder will be delivered in the second month,” Han Xiaorui said. ”This is my bottom line. The fish have to grow; they don’t just appear out of thin air. I hope you can understand.”

Kuno Hiroo nodded. ”Alright. Thank you.”

Kuno Hiroo waited in the reception room while Han Xiaorui went to her office.

When Yang Jianguo and Liu Xiangnan learned that Han Xiaorui had increased the price by fifty percent, they realized a Panda Butterfly Tail that originally cost one thousand US dollars now went for fifteen hundred.

Liu Xiangnan exclaimed, ”These Little Japan devils sure are rich.”

Yang Jianguo gritted his teeth. ”We can push back the orders for other countries. The delivery deadline is six months anyway.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Let’s deliver Kuno Hiroo’s order within two months. Also, let’s increase production. I think the price might go even higher later, especially since our Butterfly Tail ornamental fish are so beautiful.”

Thanks to improvements at the farm, the tails of the Butterfly Tails were now larger and more graceful. When they swam, they looked like the silken wings of a butterfly.

Anyone who saw them fell in love!

Different shapes, different colors—in short, all sorts of combinations and a huge variety to choose from.

Yang Jianguo thought for a moment, then replied, ”You’re right, Xiao Rui. We’ll supply Japan first. For the other places, we should send a small batch to let them know we’re in production and not just stringing them along.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Exactly. The new breeding facility is already operational. We can produce at maximum capacity without worrying about not being able to sell them.”

Yang Jianguo nodded repeatedly. ”Xiao Rui, you were absolutely right. The distributor we just set up in Nanjing took one batch back, and in three days, he sold out the ornamental fish he’d planned to sell over half a month. Twenty percent were high-end ornamental fish, and eighty percent were small fish with small tanks.”

”He just called, wanting to order more. He thinks there’s huge potential in ornamental fish and plans to stock them in all the major prefecture-level cities across the province. The order is quite large, too—up to two hundred thousand yuan.”

Han Xiaorui did a quick calculation in her head. An order for two hundred thousand yuan, and after costs, it would earn her at least four hundred thousand. Why wouldn’t she do it?

”If it’s like this in Su Province, then think about Zhejiang Province and Guang Province... oh right, the orders for Money Turtles and other feng shui animals and ornamental fish from Guang Province are even higher. Once we secure all the coastal provinces, that’ll be a massive market.”

Han Xiaorui nodded in deep agreement. ”Right. The profit margins on these fish are high anyway. Even if we can’t sell them right away, we won’t lose money. We should breed them boldly and confidently. The worst thing would be not having any stock when a customer places an order.”

”I get it, Xiao Rui,” Yang Jianguo agreed, overjoyed. ”I’ll go talk to Kuno Hiroo. You should hurry back and get cleaned up.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Okay. I’ll go freshen up. Later, it’s my treat. I’ll take Kuno Hiroo to dinner.”

’I’ve already fleeced Kuno Hiroo on the price, so I can’t shortchange him in other areas. I’ll have to make sure he eats well, drinks well, and has a good time.’

She went back, took a shower, and came out feeling refreshed and fragrant.

She used a hairdryer to dry her long hair. She had worn it in a thick braid while out at sea, which left it with natural waves. With a bit of deliberate styling as she blew it dry, it turned into elegant, flowing curls.

Just as she finished changing, Ye Feng came in from outside with Pingping, An’an, and Wu Jiao.

”Mommy!” Pingping and An’an ran to their mother, throwing themselves into her fragrant embrace.

”Are you heading out?” Ye Feng asked with a light laugh. ”You look beautiful all dressed up.”

Han Xiaorui chuckled. ”Kuno Hiroo came by, practically begging to order more high-end ornamental fish, so I raised the price on him by fifty percent. He painfully agreed. So now, I have to treat him well. Otherwise, I’d feel a little bad. We are friends, after all.”

Ye Feng laughed softly. ”Somehow, I get the feeling you don’t think you’ve fleeced him enough.”

Han Xiaorui gave a sly smile. ”You can’t shear a sheep bald all in one go.”