Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 52: Chapter 50: A Man’s Tears Are Not Easily Shed

Wu Jun was from the military and usually got up and exercised by five in the morning. Today was his first day working at Huo Sining’s store, so last night he was so excited that he didn’t sleep at all.

He rose early in the morning and headed towards Chenghuang Temple, squatting in front of the Xianyu Shop before six o’clock.

Huo Sining was half-asleep when she received a call from an older neighbor lady, who said anxiously,

“Boss Huo, there’s a man standing at your doorstep. I saw him when I went out to buy vegetables earlier, and he’s still lingering there when I came back. He looks sneaky; could he be a thief trying to steal your fish?”

A thief?! Huo Sining suddenly crawled out of bed and looked down from the window, only to see Wu Jun squatting silently at the doorstep of the shop.

Huo Sining was torn between laughter and tears, helplessly getting out of bed to open the door.

“Why are you here so early? The store usually doesn’t open until nine,” she said.

Although Huo Sining also sold wild aquatic species, some customers wanted to buy fish early in the morning.

But since Huo Sining often went to the Yellow River to fish for goods at night, it was impossible for her to get up so early.

Gradually, it became a habit; she always delayed opening the shop until after nine.

Once her customers knew about Huo Sining’s habit, they adjusted to the store’s timings and generally came after nine to buy fish.

Wu Jun, with a red face, scratched the back of his head, “I’m used to getting up early, Boss. You don’t need to worry about me; you go back to sleep.”

Sleep? Leaving you outside while I sleep by myself, how would that look?

Huo Sining could not help but want to roll her eyes, resigned to fully open the shop door and lead Wu Jun inside.

“The outer part is for ornamental fish; many of these species are imported from other places, and some are exotic imports. Each type of fish is different; the better the quality, the higher the price.”

Huo Sining pointed to the aquariums in the store, the dazzling ornamental fish staring at her one by one, seemingly waiting for her to feed them.

Wu Jun glanced at the price tag on one of the tanks and his eyes immediately widened.

A fish less than 4 centimeters is priced at five hundred yuan per piece?! Did he read that wrong?

Seeing the disbelief on Wu Jun’s face, Huo Sining knew what he was thinking and explained with a smile,

“That’s an Elizabeth Anthias. Despite its size, it’s an overseas import from the Negro River. This type of fish cannot live with other fish, so even in its original habitat, it’s very difficult to collect, which is why it’s so expensive.”

This thing can’t be eaten once bought, is expensive, and hard to care for, yet people buy it? Wu Jun found it hard to comprehend.

Seeing the puzzled look on Wu Jun’s face, Huo Sining felt like she was looking at herself from over a month ago.

Back then, when she heard Mrs. Xu say a Rainbow Fairy Fish smaller than a palm cost four to five thousand yuan, her surprised expression was just like Wu Jun’s now.

“Once wealthy people have satisfied their material needs, they begin to indulge in spiritual consumption. Ornamental fishkeeping is one way they amuse themselves and also a means to show off their wealth,” Huo Sining said.

“The price of ornamental fish cannot be judged by size alone, some fish are more valuable the smaller they are, while others rely on their shape to win. Take the Flowerhorn Fish on your left, the larger the lump on their forehead, the higher their value. However, this Rainbow Fairy Fish by my hand is priced for its more vibrant colors.”

Only then did Wu Jun notice the bizarre look of the Flowerhorn Fish. Their foreheads indeed sported a large bulge making them quite unsightly, yet oddly, these fish fetched an outrageous price, with single fish costing up to five figures.

Wu Jun couldn’t help but swallow hard, thinking to himself, no wonder Boss Huo hired me to watch his shop and is paying me such a high salary. If someone were to steal one of these fish, oh my, wouldn’t that mean a heavy loss?

With that thought, Wu Jun involuntarily became more cautious. Previously dismissive about the fish shop, he now found himself scrutinizing the room’s setup very seriously, afraid of making the slightest mistake.

Seeing Wu Jun suddenly puffing out his chest and bracing himself, Huo Sining couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time:

“You don’t need to be so tense. There are surveillance cameras installed here, so generally, nobody dares to just help themselves. Besides, these fish are live animals, not your ordinary items, there aren’t many who can just steal them away so easily. You don’t need to worry about pricing either, I’ve got them labeled on the aquariums. If a customer negotiates a price that isn’t too unreasonable, you can give them a slight discount. However, some newcomers to fishkeeping may not know how to care for their fish, so you’ll need to give them some guidance. I’ve compiled all the information in this booklet, which includes professional terminology about ornamental fish. You can take a look when you have time.”

Wu Jun took the booklet and nodded earnestly, “Rest assured, Boss, I will memorize this information.”

Huo Sining found it awkward to be constantly referred to as Boss by Wu Jun and smiled:

“You don’t have to be so formal. I’m younger than you, you can just call me Huo Sining.”

Wu Jun quickly waved his hands, “That won’t do. I am your subordinate now. It would be disrespectful to call you by your name. Rather than calling you Boss, maybe I should just call you Miss Huo.”

Although a title is just a label, Wu Jun wasn’t familiar with Huo Sining yet. To put it nicely, he was an employee, but less politely, he was just a poor worker.

What Huo Sining considered mundane matters seemed very important in Wu Jun’s eyes. He was just starting his new job, not being overly nervous was good enough, how could he dare to cross the boundaries between a boss and a subordinate?

Huo Sining was at a loss with Wu Jun’s overly serious demeanor and could only nod helplessly.

“That’s the front room, and over here we have a back room. This is a separate compartment with three fish pools inside, all stocked with fresh catch from the Yellow River. These are also for sale, and since they are pure wild aquatic species, their prices aren’t cheap. I don’t like the smell of raw fish, so I only sell them here, I don’t do the cleaning and gutting. You just weigh the fish for customers with this digital scale and take their money, don’t worry about anything else.”

After leading Wu Jun into the compartment at the back of the room, he covertly swallowed hard at the sight of the fish in the pools.

He had been in S City for over a year now, seldom touching meat or fish, but now the sight of so many wild live fish made his eyes sparkle.

Huo Sining chuckled, “This afternoon, go move your stuff and bring YY over, tonight I will prepare a whole fish feast to welcome and clean the dust off you guys. From now on, we will all be part of the Xianyu Shop family. Work hard, and as long as Huo Sining is here, I will not let you and your sister down.”

Wu Jun’s eyes reddened slightly, and seeing Huo Sining looking over, he awkwardly lowered his head, fearing that Huo Sining would laugh at him.

‘Men don’t cry easily,’ Huo Sining often heard such things said, yet few mentioned the rest of that saying.

A bulky soldier, nearly a decade in his field, was now leading such a hard life. What deep frustration and reluctance were being suppressed in this man’s heart?

This man’s experiences and thoughts might not be enough to concern outsiders, but in this moment, Huo Sining could still feel the heaviness in his own heart.