The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Anyway, It’s Very, Very Expensive

Han Xiaorui grew incredibly excited when she heard this. ”Brother Jianguo, what on earth is this thing?”

Yang Jianguo smiled. ”This is ambergris!”

”Ambergris?” Han Xiaorui froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up with delight. ”Oh my god, it’s actually ambergris! This stuff has been expensive since ancient times!”

Yang Jianguo nodded quickly. ”Yeah, it’s very expensive. In the past, only the Emperor was worthy of using it. Even now, you might not be able to buy it even if you have the money.”

”This piece you have here is huge, well over a hundred pounds, so it’s incredibly valuable. The docks are crowded right now, so don’t get off the boat yet. I’ll go home and call my second uncle. He’s well-connected and might be able to get you a high price for it.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui thought for a moment. ”Then you can’t let Zhang Xiufang find out. Otherwise, she’ll find a way to swindle this treasure away from me.”

Yang Jianguo nodded. ”Don’t worry, I understand. Stay on the boat. If anyone tries to come aboard for a look, just take the boat out for a bit.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”I understand, Brother Jianguo!”

Not long after Yang Jianguo left, someone did indeed try to come onto the boat for a look.

Han Xiaorui immediately started the engine and took the boat out for a spin.

Yang Jianguo was thoughtful. On his way home, he made a special trip past Han Xiaorui’s house to tell Han Xiaoqing that her sister was caught up with something at the docks and would be back a little later, so she shouldn’t worry.

Watching Yang Jianguo ride away, Han Xiaoqing sighed to herself again. ’My sister really was blind back then. Her former brother-in-law, Yang Jianming, was a terrible person—a world apart from Yang Jianguo and Yang Zhigang.’

Yang Zhigang’s large boat was undergoing maintenance, so he hadn’t gone out to sea today.

He was busy at the seafood wholesale market, chatting with some of his regular customers.

When he got the call from Yang Jianguo, Yang Zhigang’s expression changed drastically. Forgetting all about shooting the breeze with his friends, he rushed to the docks.

Seeing Yang Zhigang leave in such a hurry, Zhang Xiufang called over a newly hired employee. ”Liu Ming, it’s not busy in the shop right now. Follow your boss and see where he’s going and what he’s up to.”

Hearing this, Liu Ming gave a sly grin. ”Don’t you worry, boss’s wife. I’m on it.”

’Helping the boss’s wife with her private affairs is sure to bring in some extra cash. If she doesn’t reward me, I’ll just tell the boss on her.’

”Be quick about it, and you’ll be well-rewarded,” Zhang Xiufang urged. ”Hurry up.”

Liu Ming followed behind Yang Zhigang on his bicycle and soon arrived at the docks.

Yang Jianguo was already waiting at the docks. When he saw Yang Zhigang arrive, he said, ”Uncle, that thing is probably over a hundred pounds. It’s white, so it’s likely a century old—top quality.”

Yang Zhigang grew even more excited. ”With that thing, Xiao Rui and her two daughters will be set for life. They could live very well without ever having to work again.”

Seeing Yang Zhigang and Yang Jianguo approaching from a distance, Han Xiaorui finally brought the boat back to the dock.

Yang Zhigang jumped directly onto the boat. After taking a look, he immediately said, ”Xiao Rui, get the boat moving.”

”Uncle Yang, aren’t we going to move the stuff off?” Han Xiaorui asked, taken aback and confused.

Yang Zhigang shook his head. ”Your piece of ambergris is too high-quality. There are so many old fishermen on these docks. Even if they don’t see it, they’ll know what it is just by catching a whiff of it from nearby!”

”We’re taking this straight into the city to find someone to sell it. Otherwise, if word gets out, you’ll be spending all your time catching thieves instead of doing anything else. If some desperado comes to rob you, you might not make it out alive.”

Han Xiaorui was dumbfounded, realizing the gravity of the situation. ”Can we even find a suitable buyer on such short notice? The only person I know in the county is a Boss Zhang from a seafood restaurant.”

Yang Zhigang thought for a moment. ”Don’t worry about that. I have an old army buddy who works at a foreign trade and import/export company. He handles a wide range of things, including the spices category. A top-tier item like ambergris is definitely on their acquisition list.”

”Selling it to them is safer and faster than selling to a private buyer, and you get the money quicker. Most importantly, it’s highly confidential.”

The times were actually quite chaotic.

Robberies, thefts, rapes, murders, hooligans, and gangsters were all common.

If Han Xiaorui sold this piece of ambergris to a private buyer, it was likely that no single person could afford the whole thing. It would have to be cut into smaller pieces and sold to many different people.

The news of Han Xiaorui’s huge profit from selling the ambergris would spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, until many people knew.

Rumors are a terrifying thing; they grow and get exaggerated. The final amount might be rumored to be ten times, or even more, than what Han Xiaorui actually received.

Some people would do anything for money.

That would put the Han Xiaorui sisters and the two children in danger!

After thinking this all through, Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Thank you so much, Uncle Yang.”

The boat went directly to the city docks, arriving at five-thirty in the afternoon.

Fortunately, it was summer, and the days were getting longer, so it was still light out.

Yang Jianguo shouldered the snakeskin bag containing the ambergris, rented a truck, and sat in the cargo bed to keep an eye on it.

Yang Zhigang went to a nearby phone to make a call. His army buddy, Chen Yupeng, who was just about to leave work, took the call from his old comrade and immediately told a few of his subordinates to work overtime. ”We’ve got something good!”

By the time they arrived at the Liqin Foreign Trade Company, Chen Yupeng was already waiting for them.

”Old Yang, you’ve really got to let me feast my eyes this time. A century-old, top-grade piece of ambergris is a once-in-a-lifetime find!”

Chen Yupeng wasn’t very tall and didn’t have much hair, but his voice was exceptionally resonant. Even when he spoke, he sounded like a bel canto tenor.

Yang Zhigang smiled and pointed to the snakeskin bag at Yang Jianguo’s feet. ”Just pulled it out of the sea today. This stuff is very expensive, and the docks were crowded, so my niece didn’t dare take it home.”

Chen Yupeng nodded repeatedly. Without waiting for an invitation from Yang Jianguo, he opened the snakeskin bag, eager to be the first to see.

Once he saw it, he could barely tear his eyes away. ”The price of ambergris has been consistently high, and it just keeps rising.”

Chen Yupeng personally helped his colleagues hurry and lift the object onto a table.

Looking at that big, stinky, fishy-smelling lump, Chen Yupeng was somehow as captivated as if he were gazing upon his first love.

Han Xiaorui was deeply impressed.

Several experts also came over to examine it and unanimously agreed that it was a very high-grade piece of ambergris.

Finally, they cut off a small piece and lit it. A curling, fragrant smoke spiraled upwards.

The scent was unlike any flower or spice, both timeless and gentle.

Even Han Xiaorui couldn’t resist wanting to take another couple of whiffs to enjoy more of the fragrance.

The expressions on the others’ faces were much the same.

The room fell silent as everyone savored the momentary aroma.

When the fragrance slowly dissipated, only a faint afternote lingered in the air.

Yang Zhigang smiled. ”Brother Chen, it’s getting late. Why don’t you just make an offer? My niece has children at home waiting for her!”

Chen Yupeng finally snapped out of it and smiled. ”Zhigang, wait just a moment. I’m going to confer with the experts in the conference room.”

”Alright, Brother Chen,” Yang Zhigang agreed, then sat down on a stool.

A staff member also made tea for the three of them.

Seeing that the others had left, Yang Jianguo asked in a low voice, ”Uncle, do you think your army buddy will try to lowball us?”

Han Xiaorui had the same worry, but she trusted Yang Zhigang.

Even if Yang Zhigang wasn’t on her side, he would definitely be on the side of his two granddaughters.