The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 387: Chapter 387: The Shocking Test Report

The staff member smiled. Judging by Director Wu’s attitude just now, it didn’t seem like there was a problem with the inspection. In fact, it looked like the report’s results were excellent.

He had heard that the technician ran the test three times, getting similar data each time.

”Ms. Han, don’t worry. Our Director Wu has asked you to come over because he might want to personally talk to you about the inspection. Maybe it’s good news?”

Hearing the staff member’s reassurance, Han Xiaorui smiled. ”You’re right. All the seafood at our farm is raised on high-quality feed, and our methods are very scientific.”

She was confident in her seafood. As long as no one was deliberately causing trouble, there shouldn’t be any issues.

And as it turned out, she was right.

When they reached the office, Director Wu learned that Han Xiaorui was the owner of the Jinshan Bay Seafood Breeding Company and, on top of that, pregnant. He quickly gestured for her to take a seat. ”Ms. Han, please sit.”

”Thank you!” Han Xiaorui sat down politely. ”Hello, Director Wu. We’re in a closed fishing season, so some of our farmed seafood is now ready for market. Before we can sell it, though, we need the inspection report. I heard the results are in; could you give it to me? I know this is sudden, but perhaps I could treat you to lunch?”

Seeing Han Xiaorui’s misunderstanding, Director Wu smiled and explained, ”Ms. Han, you’ve gotten the wrong idea. We didn’t hold onto the report to give you a hard time. It’s because I wanted to talk to you about your aquaculture methods. How have you managed to raise seafood that’s so similar to wild-caught, both in nutritional value and appearance?”

Han Xiaorui paused, taken aback. ”I’m not sure of the specifics myself. It’s a credit to the hard work of everyone at our company.”

”We tested the samples you sent three times, and the results were consistent. This is unlike anything we’ve encountered before, so we’d like to visit your farm to conduct on-site random sampling. Would that be alright?”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui understood. ’So, Director Wu is worried we faked the samples.’

”You’re welcome anytime. Test whatever you’d like. The samples we sent are representative of our product; we didn’t try to pass off inferior goods as high-quality ones.”

Director Wu smiled. ”We are inclined to trust you, Ms. Han, but we must resolve any doubts. After all, we’re accountable for our work and responsible to the consumers.”

”I can’t give you this report just yet. I’m going to personally lead a team to your farm for on-site sampling right now. We’ll issue you a report three days after that. If the results are consistent, it will be definitive proof of your seafood’s exceptionally high quality.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui knew she couldn’t refuse. After all, what Director Wu said made a lot of sense.

’As a testing agency, it’s only natural for them to want to double-check such unexpected results.’

”Of course. Another inspection will only serve to prove the high quality of our seafood, which will be a tremendous help when we promote our farmed products later on.”

”It’s like they say: time spent sharpening the axe is never wasted. We’re confident in our product, and having an official, impartial report will be a massive boost for us.”

Director Wu nodded in agreement. ”Ms. Han, you have a great attitude. If it’s alright with you, we’ll head over right now.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Sure. I was originally planning to take the report and meet a client this afternoon. Since I can’t get it, I’ll take you to the farm myself. You can pick any seafood you want from there.”

Seeing Han Xiaorui being so cooperative, Director Wu was very pleased.

But Director Wu was nothing if not thorough. He somehow summoned a minibus with more than a dozen people inside, and they headed straight for the Jinshan Bay Seafood Breeding Company’s base.

Seafood farming was a big deal in Jinshan Bay.

However, many people didn’t dare to take on the contract, nor did they have that much capital to invest.

In the end, the village committee decided to use several of Jinshan Bay’s islands as their share of the investment, taking a twenty percent stake. They only had rights to dividends and supervision, while management rights were with Han Xiaorui.

Han Xiaorui had eighty percent of the equity and dividend rights. Of course, all the capital investment also came from her.

Additionally, priority for employment was given to the local villagers, and Han Xiaorui covered all these expenses as well.

She had been spending money continuously ever since taking on the contract last year.

Han Xiaorui earned a lot, but she also spent a lot. On top of that, she still owed a large sum to the bank.

However, this was aquaculture, which fell under the agriculture and fishery sector. This was especially relevant during the mandatory fishing ban, when the seafood supply plummeted.

Therefore, seafood farming was being heavily promoted.

The loan was interest-free.

Han Xiaorui owned boats and had an extremely high income.

The bank was more than willing to lend to Han Xiaorui. They could successfully issue their policy-driven loans and, most importantly, be confident in getting the principal back. Contributing to the development of the local fishing industry was, after all, part of their job.

Han Xiaorui was daring, and as a result, the seafood farming operation across these islands was flourishing.

”Director Wu, our village chief will take you. I’m pregnant, so it’s not convenient for me to go to the islands.”

Director Wu smiled. ”Your health comes first. As long as someone can guide us, that’s all we need.”

Village Chief Liu took them to the aquaculture islands on his fishing boat.

After observing, they discovered that although the seafood here was farmed, the water quality was very clean, and the sanitary conditions were excellent.

In addition, the seafood feed was also very interesting. They sealed up some of the feed to take back for testing.

They took samples of nearly every type of animal and plant being cultivated at the breeding base, taking pictures as they went.

Declining Village Chief Liu’s invitation to stay, Director Wu led his team back to the agency right around noon, eager to process the new test results as quickly as possible.

Han Xiaorui went directly to Zhang Guangnan’s office. ”Boss Zhang, I’m very sorry, but I can’t give you the inspection report.”

Hearing this, Zhang Guangnan immediately became anxious. ”Is there a problem with the test results?”

Han Xiaorui shook her head with a wry smile. ”It’s not that there’s a problem with the report. The data is just too good, almost the same as wild-caught. Director Wu from the testing agency was worried we faked it, so he personally led a team to the farm today to collect new samples.”

”But they said they’ll expedite the testing and should have the results in three days. I wanted to come and tell you in person to give you a heads-up. You’ll need to be mindful of this when speaking with customers.”

Hearing this, Zhang Guangnan laughed. ”Oh, so that’s all it is! I actually ate some of the fish you brought over yesterday for dinner. The report is just data. I trust my own palate, and it’s the most direct judge.”

”I’ll admit, there’s a slight difference compared to wild-caught, but only a true connoisseur would be able to tell. And that difference isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s a bit sweeter and less fishy.”

”I had a feeling the report would come back excellent. And it looks like I was right—so good that the agency couldn’t believe it and had to re-test. This is a good thing! I’m not worried, and you shouldn’t be either. Good things are worth waiting for.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Okay, then. We’ll sign the contract once the new report is out. Since it’s all farmed, you can just send someone to pick up your daily order each morning. The fresher, the better.”

Zhang Guangnan nodded. ”Thank you. I’ll have some of my fellow foodies try this farmed seafood, and then I’ll put together a price based on everyone’s feedback.”

That was the crucial part.