The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: The Inspection Team’s Great Disappointment

Even so, Mr. Xu heaved a long sigh of relief. He had a successor, at last.

A grandson through his daughter was still a grandson. It was far better than letting that damned Wen Tao benefit in the end.

At first, the man claimed he loved Yingying and refused to get a divorce.

But now that he saw Yingying was dead set on the divorce, that Wen character started making trouble.

Fortunately, he had consulted a lawyer and had them sign a prenuptial agreement when they got married.

Even with the divorce, he wouldn’t lose too much money, and the assets in his name wouldn’t have to be split up too much.

’How frustrating!’

’Still, it was a good thing they’d found out early. Otherwise, who would be there to stand up for his daughter after he and his wife were gone?’

’Thank goodness he still had Ye Feng. As for his own son, that boy was practically anti-social.’

’He never dated, never considered marriage. He might as well marry his laboratory and have children with his equipment.’

While Ye Feng was processing his resignation, Han Xiaorui was busy with her own matters.

Once preparations were complete, Han Xiaorui, along with Professor Wang, Professor Li, and other experts and professors, embarked on an overseas study and inspection tour.

Upon arriving in Japan and seeing how much more advanced it was than Hua Country, many in the group felt their convictions begin to waver.

The tour guide’s smug attitude and the bone-deep arrogance of their hosts left Han Xiaorui quite dissatisfied.

But they were outmatched by the circumstances, and even steadfast individuals like Professor Wang and Professor Li were left with complex feelings.

Seeing this, Han Xiaorui spoke up to comfort them. ”Leaders, seniors, I’m the youngest one on this trip, so please allow me to speak boldly for a moment. If I misspeak, I hope you will all forgive me.”

Most of them assumed that Han Xiaorui, a last-minute addition to the trip, had only gotten in through connections. Even if they weren’t happy about it, no one said a word.

’No one wanted to offend anyone!’

Director Wang smiled. ”Xiao Han, go ahead and speak your mind.”

Han Xiaorui’s gaze was resolute and her tone sincere. ”We are here to learn, and I can sense that all the professors and experts are absorbing knowledge like sponges. But at the same time, I can also sense a feeling of suppression, a bit of an inferiority complex, and even sadness.”

”But there’s really no need for that. Japan may be ahead of us, but it’s only temporary. Throughout the long course of history, our nation has always entered an era of great order after a period of great turmoil. The fact that we can stand on our own two feet and hold our heads high in such a hostile international environment proves that Hua Country is second to none.”

”I can’t speak for other fields, but after seeing the ornamental fish here in Japan, I can say with absolute pride that my family’s aquaculture techniques for them are more advanced than Japan’s. Our country was founded only thirty-six years ago. Now we have the opportunity to learn from and exchange with the outside world. With unremitting effort, we will certainly surpass them.”

Everyone was taken aback by Han Xiaorui’s words.

No one said a word, but their expressions said it all.

On second thought, it was already impressive how far they had come, starting from scratch.

Their country might be poor, but it was independent. It wasn’t a colony, and it had no foreign garrisons on its soil.

Director Wang began to clap. ”There’s a saying that a newborn calf doesn’t fear a tiger, and it’s absolutely true. Yes, Xiao Han is right. As the great man said, we must despise our enemies strategically, but take them seriously tactically.”

”Let’s not carry this psychological burden. We need to focus on our studies and on developing our aquaculture techniques. Leave the rest to the passage of time. History will be our witness that these efforts are not in vain.”

All the experts and professors smiled, their gazes toward Han Xiaorui filled with approval.

Just then, Han Xiaorui added, ”I know that the budgets at your respective institutions are limited, so I would like to sponsor each of you with 100,000 yen to purchase relevant materials and books.”

The group was stunned into disbelief.

At the current exchange rate, 100,000 yen was equivalent to 1,245 yuan.

Their group had more than thirty people, which meant her donation amounted to over forty thousand yuan.

”There’s no need for that, Xiao Han! This is a very large sum of money,” Director Wang said hurriedly. ’How can we accept a personal donation?’

Professor Li chimed in, ”That’s right. We can’t let you pay for this out of your own pocket.”

These were all professors of marine biology and experts in seafood aquaculture from Shencheng.

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”I’m a fisherwoman. From catching seafood in the ocean, I can clearly feel that marine life is steadily declining.”

”Starting next year, Shencheng will begin strictly enforcing a closed fishing season. Because of this, I’ve already leased a large sea area to start a marine aquaculture farm.”

”I’ll need guidance from all you experts and professors then. Our country’s marine aquaculture industry needs your research. Since we’re all here, let’s make the most of it and buy more resources and books.”

The professors felt too awkward to accept and all looked toward Director Wang.

Hearing Han Xiaorui’s explanation, Director Wang smiled.

”Since Comrade Xiao Han is being so considerate, I’ll thank you on behalf of everyone.”

Han Xiaorui replied humbly, ”You don’t have to thank me. All the money I’ve earned came from the sea!”

”Marine fish stocks are dwindling, so I suppose I should take some responsibility for that.”

”As many marine species become rarer and are classified as endangered, it will eventually be illegal for people to eat wild-caught seafood.”

”Farmed seafood, however, doesn’t have these issues, which is why marine aquaculture is the way of the future. Right now, I’m just doing what little I can to contribute to our nation’s aquaculture industry.”

Professor Wang, who was sitting beside Han Xiaorui, knew she was speaking the truth and applauded her enthusiastically.

”Comrade Xiao Han’s civic-mindedness is truly admirable! While she was out fishing, she found an injured dolphin. She rescued the little dolphin, returned to port ahead of schedule, and delivered it to our research institute.”

”After it recovered, Comrade Xiao Han returned the little dolphin to the sea and even managed to find its mother.”

Expert Song, who was sitting nearby, looked puzzled. ”I have no doubt you treated the little dolphin. But the ocean is vast, Professor Wang. How can you be certain that Comrade Xiao Han found its mother?”

Seeing Expert Song’s disbelief, Professor Wang quickly explained, ”I wouldn’t have believed it myself if I hadn’t seen the photograph Xiao Rui took of the little dolphin together with a larger one.”

”Our ancestors said that all things in creation have a spirit! We who study marine biology rely on science, but we believe this point as well.”

Expert Song nodded. ”When I have the chance, I’d like to visit Comrade Xiao Han’s farm and see it for myself!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”All of you experts are more than welcome to visit! You can also let me know what kinds of fish you’d like to study. If I encounter any, I’ll set them aside for you.”

”Let me be clear: this is all in support of our nation’s marine aquaculture research. As long as the quantities aren’t too large, it will be free of charge!”

Director Wang’s eyes lit up, and he clapped enthusiastically. ”Thank you, Comrade Xiao Han, for your support of our aquaculture research. Tomorrow, let’s all set aside our mental baggage, unburden our hearts, and dedicate ourselves to learning.”

Everyone applauded, finally understanding why Han Xiaorui had been allowed to join them on the tour.

With Han Xiaorui’s sponsorship, they were now willing to buy the books they had previously been hesitant to spend money on.

To avoid wasting money on duplicates, they coordinated who would buy which books so they could share them later.

This was how frugal the researchers of that era were.

Han Xiaorui brought a notebook, a pen, and a camera.

She took pictures of whatever she could and wrote down anything she couldn’t photograph.

She had an excellent memory, and she was able to record practically everything in her notebook.

That day, after returning from their studies, they went to a restaurant for dinner.

There, she unexpectedly saw a familiar face.