The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 274: Chapter 274: The First Customer

Han Xiaorui was naturally pleased to see Yu Zhenxing putting in so much effort.

”I appreciate the hard work!” Han Xiaorui said with a smile. ”There’s a bonus if you bring in a big order.”

”You got it! Don’t you worry,” Yu Zhenxing grinned. When Han Xiaorui promised a bonus, she actually paid up.

Sometimes the amount was just as much as his work unit paid. He had already asked Director Chen about accepting this kind of money.

Director Chen had told him he could accept it, but that he had to work even harder to be worthy of the bonus.

Yu Zhenxing grabbed some materials and went to the main entrance. He started shouting ”Ornamental fish!” at the top of his lungs, causing many merchants to turn and look.

”Unique ornamental fish, only at Jinshan Bay...” At first, Yu Zhenxing was a little embarrassed, but as customers came over to inquire, he became more and more poised and confident.

’It’s not shameful to hustle for clients and earn foreign currency!’

He didn’t expect the first person to approach him would be a customer from Europe, not Asia.

He had been traveling in Japan and had visited a local ornamental fish market, where he discovered many novel varieties.

At first, he thought they were bred in Japan and considered buying a batch, but he found the prices were very high and was hesitant.

Then, a store clerk approached him and said that for just five hundred US Dollars, she would tell him where the fish were imported from.

So he spent the five hundred US Dollars and learned they were imported from Hua Country.

Considering the exorbitant prices in Japan, Joey immediately decided to come to Hua Country to purchase them directly, rather than buying from a Japanese middleman.

He pulled some strings to get an opportunity to attend the trade fair in Hua Country. He’d heard there would be ornamental fish, so he put on his badge and followed the signs.

Before he even got in the door, he ran into a young man from Hua Country loudly shouting about having the best and widest variety of ornamental fish in the country. Since the man also spoke English, Joey followed him without hesitation.

Yu Zhenxing led the customer over. ”Ms. Han, this is Joey, an ornamental fish supplier from France. Mr. Joey, this is my boss, Ms. Han.”

Han Xiaorui nodded with a small smile. ”Hello, Mr. Joey. It’s an honor to introduce you to our ornamental fish. We have freshwater, saltwater, tropical, and cold-water varieties...”

On his way over, Joey had seen many booths selling ornamental fish, but none were as large as this one. It also seemed their fish weren’t as vibrantly colored or their selection as comprehensive.

Joey was someone who trusted his own judgment. ”Thank you for the introduction. May I look around on my own first? Can I take pictures?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Of course. Please, take your time. If you need anything, feel free to ask me.”

The others stayed a short distance away from Han Xiaorui, listening in to learn how she communicated with the foreign client.

Joey looked at the fish tanks one by one, his eyes growing brighter the more he looked.

’These ornamental fish are gorgeous!’

Joey gasped. ”I’ve found it! My god, I’ve been looking for this fish for ages. A rival of mine has these, and he’s stolen a lot of my business with them.”

Surprised, Han Xiaorui leaned in for a closer look and couldn’t help but smile. It was a bitterling.

Hers were High-body Puntius, known for their elegant shape and beautiful appearance.

The High-body Puntius is a species of the carp family.

It is distributed on the Korean Peninsula and in places like the Nanpan River, Yangtze River, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Fujian, and Hainan.

The type locality of this species is in Shencheng, which means it was discovered and named in Shencheng.

The female’s body length is about 4 to 5 centimeters, while the male’s is about 5 to 8 centimeters.

The body is flat and silvery-gray, but during the mating season, the male’s body turns purplish-red to rose-red to attract a mate.

The High-body Puntius relies on giant freshwater mussels and clams as hosts, laying its eggs on the gills inside the shellfish.

Therefore, protecting the mussels and clams it cohabitates with is just as important as protecting the fish itself.

Distinguishing between males and females is also relatively simple.

Generally, one can tell by the color. The more brightly colored ones are the males, while the duller ones are the females.

The female, for example, has black spots on her fins and a long ovipositor extending from her abdomen, which the male lacks.

A successfully paired couple will wait for a clam to open its shell, at which point the female will quickly deposit her eggs inside. The male then fertilizes the eggs at the clam’s incurrent siphon.

Interestingly, the bitterling is not the only beneficiary of this behavior. The mussel will also take advantage of the bitterling’s proximity during spawning to eject its larvae (glochidia), allowing them to attach to the bitterling’s body and thus be dispersed.

The bitterling and the mussel have co-evolved, forming a mutualistic symbiotic relationship.

”In Europe, this is called the ’Hua Country Rainbow.’ It’s an incredibly beautiful and popular fish. I can’t believe I’ve found it here,” Joey said happily.

Through their conversation, she learned that the bitterling was introduced to Europe as an ornamental fish in the 1960s and was known as the ”Hua Country Rainbow.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”I’m honored that you like them. We have many other kinds of small ornamental fish, if you’re interested.”

Joey’s gaze fell upon the colorful, lively, and beautiful little fish, and he was almost overwhelmed by the variety.

”My god, they’re so beautiful. No wonder Mr. Yu just said that the ornamental fish here are the most numerous and complete. It’s truly the widest variety I’ve ever seen,” Joey praised. ”I don’t even know which ones to choose.”

Having just surveyed her own booth, Han Xiaorui said confidently, ”Our breeding farm is in Shencheng, which is quite far from Yue Province. You’re welcome to visit us there. We have an even greater variety of ornamental fish at the farm—far more than what you see here.”

Joey’s eyes were drawn to the beautiful guppies and tetras. ”My God, they’re gorgeous.”

After being selectively bred, the guppies’ tails were larger and more elegant. As they swam slowly in the water, they looked like blooming flowers.

The tetras’ colors were also more vibrant. There were more than ten varieties of tetra alone, all of them beautiful. Han Xiaorui wouldn’t even bother raising the ones that weren’t colorful.

The swordtails, for example, were also stunning.

Joey loved them.

When Joey saw the goldfish, his face showed astonishment. ”Ms. Han, your goldfish here are more numerous and better looking than the ones in Japan. Especially this black and white one, the Panda Butterfly Tail. It’s so beautiful.”

Han Xiaorui said proudly, ”Of course. Just like pandas, this is a unique breed from our Hua Country, one we’ve cultivated recently.”

Joey blinked. ”I can’t buy a panda, but I’m lucky enough to be able to buy a Panda Butterfly Tail. I’ve had a look at the fish. Can we talk about prices now?”

If the prices were high, Joey would still buy a few of the rare varieties, like the bitterlings he’d been yearning for and the Panda Butterfly Tails.

If the prices were low, however, Joey could make a deal today and secure her as his new supplier.

Han Xiaorui then began to discuss prices with Joey.

Han Xiaorui had already researched the international prices. To snatch orders away from her competitors, she knew her products not only had to be superior, but her prices also had to be attractively low.

Even a slightly lower price would be enough to offset shipping costs, which meant saving money for the customer.

Most importantly, Han Xiaorui simply had an incredible variety of ornamental fish. Joey was already thinking that when he got back to France, he’d have to expand his shops, both in number and in size.