The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 300: Chapter 300: A Model Enterprise for Earning Foreign Exchange

The foreign exchange from these two companies amounted to twenty-five million US dollars.

This was an incredibly precious sum for the nation, which was short on foreign exchange reserves.

Shencheng’s Reform and Opening-Up was in full swing, attracting foreign investment while simultaneously bringing in advanced technology.

All of this cost money. Exporting grain and raw materials at low prices was far less profitable than exporting industrial goods.

The ornamental fish farm, in particular, was astonishing.

In the grand scheme of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery, it was astounding that ornamental fish had managed to blaze a trail and earn so much foreign currency.

A single fish for 1,500 US dollars.

No joke, that was more expensive than gold.

To incentivize the Jinshan Bay Farm, once the authorities received payment, the relevant departments moved at top speed to convert the foreign currency into RMB and deposit it into the farm’s account.

They had not only recouped their investment but also turned a massive profit.

The Jinshan Bay Ornamental Fish Farm became a local model for businesses generating foreign exchange.

The entire Jinshan Bay Farm was immersed in joy.

The boss was earning a fortune, which meant generous salaries and bonuses for the employees.

Everyone was eagerly anticipating the New Year, when they would receive their quarterly and year-end bonuses.

By now, everyone knew the Jinshan Bay Ornamental Fish Farm was profitable, and people were often seen loitering nearby.

Hu Yaowu wore a grave expression as he reported to Han Xiaorui and Yang Jianguo, ”Now that the new facility is in use, we need to increase our security. A lot of people have been hanging around the farm lately. We have to be on our guard.”

Han Xiaorui looked at Yang Jianguo. ”I’ll let Brother Jianguo handle this. We can hire some more of the local veterans who are willing to come work at our farm... Director Hu, how many do you think we need?”

The ornamental fish farm would need people this year, and so would the upcoming Big Yellow Fish farm and the others.

If they recruited them early, they could train them in advance.

Hu Yaowu did a quick calculation and replied, ”We need at least ten more people, especially for the night patrols. We’ve already caught three thieves in the last month.”

”After all, you can make a lot of money just by stealing a bucket of our regular fry, let alone the valuable ornamental fish.”

”And that’s just petty thieves. If it’s someone seeking revenge, they could just toss in a handful of poison, and we’d lose a lot more than just one bucket of fish.”

”Then there are the ones trying to steal our techniques. They’re just as bad.”

Luckily, they had already set up strong security measures, which was why they were able to catch these thieves. Otherwise, the losses would have been much greater.

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment. ”Let’s hire fifteen. My seafood farm will need people later on, too.”

”Alright!” Yang Jianguo agreed.

When Ye Feng learned that Han Xiaorui needed security personnel, he immediately smiled and said, ”Can I recommend some people? They’re all top-notch.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Your old army buddies?”

Ye Feng sighed. ”Yes. When soldiers from the city are discharged, they can always find a job one way or another. But for soldiers from the countryside, many aren’t well-provided-for and can only go back home to farm.”

”Farming doesn’t really make money these days, so life is tough for them. I had Liu Zhan make a list of my old comrades who are struggling to make a living. I’m planning to arrange jobs for them.”

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment and nodded. ”Alright. As long as they’re willing to come, I’ll take care of their housing, their children’s schooling, and jobs for their spouses.”

”The new dormitory building has two-bedroom, one-living-room apartments specifically for housing families from out of town. Schooling for the kids is simple too. They can enroll in Jinshan Bay Primary School, and we’ll handle their household registration through the farm.”

”By the way, Yang Minmin has given me a good impression of Jinshan Bay Primary School. I’ve got money burning a hole in my pocket, so I’m planning to build a new Jinshan Bay Primary and Middle School.”

Ye Feng was taken aback. ”Building a school? That’s great! I picked up Minmin for Brother Jianguo once, and that school did look a bit run-down.”

”This is a wonderful thing. I’ll chip in too. Let’s build a great school, make it an international, bilingual one.”

Han Xiaorui was startled. ”Is that really necessary?”

Ye Feng retorted, ”Why wouldn’t it be? Are you worried that teaching a foreign language will make the students unpatriotic? That’s too narrow-minded. Learning a language is just a tool for learning from other countries.”

”If we don’t even learn their languages, how can we learn their advanced technologies? We are behind, and we have to face that fact. Once we become strong, everything will change. On the contrary, if we remain closed off, we’ll only fall further and further behind.”

Han Xiaorui considered it. ”Alright. In that case, we’ll have the school strengthen its ideological and history education. The children raised on this soil should love the very ground beneath their feet.”

Soon after, Ye Feng had Liu Zhan refer his former comrades who were farming to the Jinshan Bay Farm for work.

These men had faced life and death in the military. They were of high caliber, patriotic, and devoted to their families, and they quickly threw themselves into their work.

Hu Yaowu and Sister Yun walked into the farm, carrying candy and giving a handful to everyone they saw.

Seeing this, Yang Jianguo laughed and gave Hu Yaowu a playful punch on the arm. ”Yaowu, you move fast!”

The tall, sturdy, and dark-complexioned Hu Yaowu looked a bit embarrassed, but his eyes danced with joy. ”I didn’t want to make Ah Yun wait.”

Sister Yun looked at Hu Yaowu, her eyes full of mirth. The bravery and fiery boldness of a fisherwoman were on full display in that moment.

”We get along great, the feeling is mutual. We’ve gotten to know each other over the past two months, and we know all we need to. There’s no point in delaying.”

Yang Jianguo smiled. ”Congratulations to you both. Xiao Rui will be thrilled when she hears your good news.”

”What’s going to make me thrilled?” Han Xiaorui asked as she walked in from outside, her eyes landing on Sister Yun and Hu Yaowu. ”You two...”

She had originally planned to set Sister Yun and Hu Yaowu up herself, but she had been so busy that she ended up entrusting the matter to her godmother, Granny Cai.

She hadn’t expected them to move so quickly. It had only been two months, all told, and now they were already handing out wedding candy.

Sister Yun smiled. ”Yaowu and I are on the same wavelength. We liked each other, started dating, and we’ve already registered our marriage. We’re getting married in half a month. We’ll just have a few tables for the banquet. Ship-owner, you absolutely have to come celebrate with us.”

Han Xiaorui was surprised. ”Of course! I’ll definitely be there. Wedding photos are all the rage right now. I’ll go into the city and book the most expensive package for you two. Capture these wonderful moments and create some beautiful memories.”

Hu Yaowu waved his hand dismissively. ”Boss Xiao Han, you don’t have to spend so much money on us. We already took a picture at the photo studio when we registered our marriage.”

Han Xiaorui shook her head. ”That won’t do. You’re both my employees, and you’ve both found happiness again. On such a joyous occasion, I have to make a gesture.”

”I’m sure you can handle everything else yourselves, but you must have proper wedding photos taken. You might not care about it now, but ten, twenty, or even forty years from now, when you’re old, it will be wonderful to look back on these memories.”

Sister Yun knew that Han Xiaorui was very generous and genuinely wanted the best for her employees. She was also a woman of the world.

If Han Xiaorui was recommending it so strongly, it must be something truly wonderful. ”Thank you, Ship-owner. In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Hu Yaowu had to get back to work, so Sister Yun followed Han Xiaorui out of the ornamental fish farm.

Han Xiaorui asked curiously, ”Sister Yun, didn’t you say before that you were going to wait a while longer and only consider marriage after the New Year?”