Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 24: Chapter 22: Has the Variety Been Improved?

After looking into ornamental fish, Huo Sining selected a few, eventually narrowing her focus to three types.

The first was the koi that Old Lady Xu had mentioned, with the other two being the arowana and the flowerhorn.

The reason for choosing these three fish was simple, as they all share one common feature, that is, they’re expensive.

Each of these three types of fish have once achieved auction records of over a million on the market.

As one of the most sought-after stars in the ornamental fish market, the arowana is not only beautiful in appearance and color, resembling the dragons from Chinese mythology, but it is also said to be able to drive away evil spirits and bad luck.

Being a protected endangered species, the price of arowana is much higher than other ornamental fish, thus it has become a symbol of wealth.

The flowerhorn is a breed that has been enhanced, known for its large size and the huge lump on its forehead.

Because its large forehead resembles that of an Arhat, its unique appearance has made it a favorite among fish lovers.

However, it is said that the casualty rate to raise a top-quality flowerhorn reaches over ninety percent.

Therefore, the prices for flowerhorns can vary greatly, with cheap ones costing tens to hundreds, while rare genuine ones could require tens to hundreds of thousands.

As for the koi Mrs. Xu mentioned, it is one of the most popular high-end ornamental fish.

Koi have sturdy bodies, vivid colors, and varying patterns. They can live for several decades or even a century.

And because koi symbolize good fortune and can bring good luck, they are favored domestically as feng shui fish and ornamental items.

Among these three types of fish, koi are the easiest to breed and raise, with no high demands on water quality, and their prices vary according to size, breed, and quality.

Moreover, there is a significant difference between juvenile koi and finished products, with ordinary fry having the potential to develop premium patterns if handled properly.

This trait was naturally liked by Huo Sining at first glance, and of course, she wouldn’t buy those expensive mature fish; her target was the juvenile fry.

With the Water-Repelling Pearl in hand, Huo Sining was confident that she could induce a qualitative transformation in those fish.

Following the guidance from the internet, Huo Sining found a nearby Flower, Bird, Insect, and Fish Market.

Huo Sining’s knowledge on fish was still limited to the edible kinds sold at the food market and traditional goldfish.

Nothing beats seeing for oneself, and since she wanted to keep ornamental fish, it was time to get a firsthand look.

Upon entering an ornamental fish store, she immediately saw a large aquarium housing dozens of Rainbow Fairy Fish, including several that were the same breed as the German Red Pine that Mrs. Xu kept.

Huo Sining couldn’t help but ask the store owner, “Master, how much are you selling this German Red Pine for?”

The owner, busy feeding the fish in his hands, didn’t even lift his head as he asked, “Are you looking for the premium German old pine or the improved breed?”

Huo Sining pointed to the aquarium in front of her and asked, “How much for this kind?”

The owner looked up at the aquarium Huo Sining was pointing to and responded, “That’s an improved breed made using Royal Blue mixed with pigeon blood, I’ll sell it to you for five thousand.”

Does that mean the Rainbow Fairy Fish that Old Lady Xu was raising weren’t the genuine article but a hybrid breed?

Huo Sining couldn’t help but think about the transformation her own fish underwent after being healed by the Azure Pearl and became curious,

“Boss, do you have any German Red Pine that are even deeper in color and have straighter stripes, the kind that look particularly dazzling?”

The owner looked at Huo Sining with a smile that was not quite a smile and chuckled,

“Little girl, you’re not here to cause trouble, are you? If you’re looking to buy a genuine German strain angelfish, I’m sorry to say I don’t carry those. In fact, even if you searched the whole of S City, you might not find a single one. Here in S City it’s not just about finding a pure second generation; even a genetically stable third generation is hard to come across. If you’re really interested, though, I do have some fine German Red Pine angelfish. They’re a bit pricier than the improved varieties, eight thousand a piece.”

At these words, Huo Sining froze. She had forgotten to look up information on angelfish when she was at the internet café, and now, it sounded like the owner was suggesting that the traits she had just described were characteristic of a genuine German strain?

If that was the case, did it mean that the hybrid Rainbow Fairy Fish she had been taking care of at home, after her treatment, had actually become a purebred?

Huo Sining’s heart skipped a beat. Suppressing the urge to rush back and investigate, she shifted her gaze to the other aquariums in the store, paying attention to the species of each decorative fish.

Her eyes landed on an angelfish that appeared to be a pure-blooded Blood Red Dragon. The vivid red of its body was striking, leaving Huo Sining rather amazed.

The owner followed Huo Sining as she browsed through his store, and seeing her ask for prices without buying any fish, he promptly grew impatient:

“Young lady, are you looking to buy fish or not?”

Huo Sining, who was absorbed in her observation, replied without thinking much when she heard the owner’s question: “Hmm, I’m thinking of buying some fry to sell for a profit.”

“Raising fry to make money?”

On hearing this, the owner was speechless with astonishment. He had been in the business for many years and had never dared to make such a claim. This young girl was bold indeed.

He couldn’t help but laugh, looking at Huo Sining with disdain and saying, “Young lady, raising ornamental fish is not child’s play. It’s not as simple as you think.”

Huo Sining didn’t care about what the owner was thinking. After looking around the shop and not finding the koi fry she wanted to buy, she didn’t linger and walked straight out to the next shop, leaving that owner fuming.

However, after visiting a few more shops and not finding any koi fry—while koi were available, they were all adults.

These adult koi not only had large bodies, but their prices were frighteningly high, and, in fact, their quality wasn’t good—both pattern and coloring were shallow and mixed.

Huo Sining felt disappointed. At that moment, she heard some arguing noises coming from the opposite side.

“Don’t take advantage of the newbie, young man. Don’t believe what this peddler says. These koi are listless and dull in color—they must be sick!”

Huo Sining instinctively looked over and saw a street vendor on the opposite side, with a few wooden basins displayed in front of him, and several customers were pointing and talking around those basins.

When Huo Sining heard that the street vendor was selling koi fry, her interest was immediately piqued, and she eagerly made her way over.

She saw that the wooden basins contained hundreds of red koi fry, but these fry seemed sickly and were nowhere near as lively as the fish she had seen in the shop aquariums.

Among the gathered crowd, a young man wanted to try his luck and buy a few, but as soon as he started to inquire about the price, an experienced old man pointed out the trickery with the fry, prompting the young man to hesitate.

Seeing the young man pull back, the vendor got anxious. He cursed the nosy old man internally for ruining his business but maintained a placating smile as he explained:

“Handsome, don’t listen to their nonsense. These fish have just been transported for a long distance to S City. They haven’t been sorted into tanks yet, so it’s normal for them to not look energetic. Just take them home and care for them for a couple of days, and they’ll be fine. Plus, look at this color—even as fry, they are this bright. Once they mature, they are sure to be top-quality red and white, with a tenfold refund for any fakes.”

The young man hesitated, but upon hearing this, the old man who had advised him snorted in disdain:

“The koi fry sold in regular shops are at least twelve centimeters long. These you have are obviously less than three inches. Such small fry don’t have much immunity, and a novice without the necessary skills simply can’t keep them alive. And you say these are genuine red and white koi—can you be sure? Without the fish having fully grown, you can’t tell what they will look like. It’s not as if there’s no precedent for faking koi fry. Your tenfold refund guarantee means nothing. Once there’s a problem, you’ll be long gone, and who will they find then?”

The street vendor was instantly choked by the accusation, as it had touched a nerve. Not daring to argue with the old man, he cursed under his breath:

“Damn old man spoiling my business. Forget it, I’m not selling anymore!”

As he began to move the wooden basins onto a tricycle, Huo Sining panicked and quickly grabbed the vendor, smiling and saying:

“Big brother, don’t rush off, let me pick a few first. As long as they’re pretty, size doesn’t matter, and the cheaper the better.”