The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Mazu’s Favorite Daughter

Just last night, the wife of a boss from Xiangjiang gave birth, and he specifically requested a Brown Catfish.

It wasn’t just for the meat; he also wanted the fish maw for his wife’s postpartum recovery.

As long as the Brown Catfish weighed no less than 110 pounds, the price would be no less than ten thousand yuan.

Based on Boss Zhang’s years of experience dealing with seafood, this Brown Catfish was definitely over 220 pounds.

Not only did it have a lot of meat, but its fish maw would be even bigger, and therefore more valuable.

”Xiao Liu, Xiao Zhao, get over here, quick! Move this fish,” Boss Zhang shouted, afraid someone else would snatch Han Xiaorui’s catch.

Han Xiaorui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She quickly spoke up, ”Boss Zhang, we haven’t even talked price yet! If the price isn’t right, I’m not selling!”

”I know my sea fish. The meat of a Brown Catfish alone goes for 20 yuan a pound, not to mention how much bigger the fish maw will be in one this size. Make me a sincere offer. If it’s not right, I’ll just find another buyer who knows its value.”

The fish Boss Zhang bought from her every day were always excellent.

After all, she used a bit of her Water Ability to maintain their vitality and freshness.

You could tell how good her fish were just by how business was booming at Boss Zhang’s two restaurants.

Han Xiaorui had already received business cards from the buyers of several other seafood restaurants.

Boss Zhang slapped his forehead, feigning annoyance. ”Ah, I got so excited I forgot about something so important. My apologies.”

”For this fish, I’ll give you ten...” Boss Zhang drew out the word, changing the ten thousand yuan he was about to say to, ”Fifteen thousand. How about it?”

The meat alone could sell for 4,000.

And that wasn’t even counting the fish maw, which was much more expensive than the meat.

He absolutely had to buy this Brown Catfish.

It wasn’t just about making a profit; it was about building a connection with a wealthy businessman from Hong Kong Island.

In the future, that businessman might host his company’s official functions at his seafood restaurant. The monthly spending would be high, and the profits would be even richer.

To expand their business, these big bosses didn’t care how much they spent on food. The key was to eat well, eat rare delicacies, and eat expensively. If they could land a big order, these entertainment expenses were just a drop in the bucket.

Han Xiaorui was inwardly surprised. ’I thought I’d be lucky to get ten thousand yuan for it, but he actually offered 15,000 yuan.’

’That’s a good price.’

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Alright, that price works for me.”

Boss Zhang had brought enough cash today. He paid her 21,300 yuan, which included the money he owed Han Xiaorui from yesterday.

Wang Gensheng and his son, along with the others from Jinshan Bay, were dumbfounded when they saw Han Xiaorui make so much money.

She had earned in one day what others make in a year. They had to admit she was truly Mazu’s chosen daughter.

While Han Xiaorui was counting her money, Boss Zhang said with a chuckle, ”Xiao Han, tomorrow’s supposed to be good weather too. You have to go fishing!”

Han Xiaorui smiled and nodded. ”Alright, but we might be going out farther, so we’ll be back late.”

”No problem. There’s always someone here waiting at the pier after lunch,” Boss Zhang said with a smile. ”Xiao Han, from now on, you have to sell all your fish to me.”

”Sure, as long as your prices are as fair as ever,” Han Xiaorui replied with a smile. ’If he tries to lowball me, I obviously won’t take the loss and keep doing business with him.’

The money earned from fishing at sea is all hard-earned.

”Xiao Han, you can rest assured on that point,” Boss Zhang laughed. ”It’s getting late. I won’t keep you any longer. You should head home.”

Han Xiaorui started her boat and left along with the other villagers’ boats.

However, once they were on the water, several fishing boats drew close, and Han Xiaorui told them, ”There’s a limited number of fish in any given area of the sea. If you tell other people, my catch might not get smaller, but yours probably will.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Gensheng understood immediately. ”Xiao Han, don’t worry. We definitely won’t tell anyone else.”

Everyone knew this principle. If they told others, all the fishing boats in the village might be following Han Xiaorui out to sea tomorrow.

Han Xiaorui had her unique fishing and angling techniques, so her catch wouldn’t decrease.

But they, who relied on the heavens and the sea for their livelihood, might not have her skills or luck.

The others quickly agreed. It was better to earn money themselves than to stand by and watch someone else earn it.

Making a living from the sea was getting harder and harder. Now that they finally had Han Xiaorui’s help, they didn’t want to cause any trouble for her.

”Everyone understands the logic. When you get back, don’t talk about your earnings. Just get rich quietly.” Han Xiaorui smiled. She was genuinely afraid that a whole village of fishing boats would be trailing her tomorrow.

”That makes perfect sense!” Wang Gensheng chuckled aboard his own boat.

Han Xiaorui’s boat led the way, and they followed closely behind.

As he steered the boat, Wang Hai muttered to himself, ”Dad, over twenty thousand! If only we could earn that much in a day too!”

Wang Gensheng took a hard drag from his cigarette, stubbed out the butt, and then kicked his son. ”If it’s not in the cards, don’t force it. Earning over a thousand a day is already a lot.”

”Think about last week. We didn’t just not make money, we lost money. We wandered the sea for so many days and couldn’t catch a thing.”

”Think about what you’d make working in a factory now. Besides, if fishing was so profitable, why are there fewer and fewer fishing boats in Jinshan Bay? There used to be over a hundred boats, and now there are less than twenty. In a little while, there might be even fewer.”

Wang Hai knew his father was right and put aside his unrealistic fantasies.

When Uncle Hei and Xu Wang returned to the county pier to sell their fish, they didn’t witness Han Xiaorui sell the Brown Catfish, but the story spread by word of mouth along the docks, strengthening their resolve to stick close to her boat.

By the time they reached the pier, it was already dark.

Han Xiaorui docked her boat and saw the Yang Family’s large vessel slowly approaching.

Everyone on the pier’s gaze was drawn over, wanting to see Yang Zhigang’s big boat and how many fish he had brought back this time.

Basket after basket of sorted catch was moved off the boat.

Yang Jianguo had already arrived with people and trucks to haul the goods.

Some of it was sent directly to the seafood wholesale market, while the better fish were delivered separately, while still fresh, to certain seafood bosses or restaurants.

Han Xiaorui watched the big boat with envy in her eyes. ’It would be so great if I had a boat like that.’

’Wherever there were fish, I could just drag my net. I’d be guaranteed a full net every time.’

Wang Gensheng smiled. ”Xiao Han, you want a boat like that too?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Of course. With a fishing boat like that, I could go to farther places.”

Wang Gensheng’s eyes also showed a hint of envy. ”It’s probably impossible for me in this lifetime. But Xiao Han, with your current income, you should be able to earn enough to buy a boat like that soon.”

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment, then pointed at the busy deckhands on the boat. ”Even if I could afford a big boat like that, I wouldn’t be able to find so many trustworthy crewmen.”

”This is all manual labor, and the crew are all men. It would be a bit troublesome for me to be on board with them. In short, it’s not a problem that can be solved just by having enough money.”

Hearing this, Wang Gensheng was slightly taken aback, but then he burst out laughing, feeling Han Xiaorui’s worries were completely unnecessary. ”Xiao Han, you’re just overthinking it. Do you know about the famous Grandma Chen San in our village?”