The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 311: Chapter 311: Guarding Against Kuno Hiroo

Granny Cai and Yang Zhigang organized the return banquet.

They set up a few tables in Han Xiaorui’s courtyard.

Granny Cai and Liu Huamei personally handled the preparations. It was a chance to thank the bride’s family and friends, and also to let them see how well Ye Feng treated Han Xiaorui.

It was tradition for Ye Feng to be ”inspected” by the bride’s family and friends.

However, everyone already knew Ye Feng and how good he was, so no one tried to find fault. They all wished the newlyweds a happy marriage, a blissful life, and to have a child soon.

Wu Cuicui held Yang Shunshun in her arms and mingled with the crowd.

Yang Zhigang had now completely accepted Ye Feng and was drinking with him, along with Yang Jianguo, Cai Xueqin, and the others.

The women chatted while the children ran around and played.

The family’s three-month-old puppies had already grown into adolescents. They were lively and clever, never bit, and were exceptionally playful.

Liang Xiaoyu found a moment to pull Han Xiaorui aside and asked softly, ”Xiao Rui, enjoying married life?”

Han Xiaorui smiled softly, her lips pursed, and nodded repeatedly. ”I am. I’m very happy.”

Liang Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow and grinned. ”Seeing you so happy puts my mother-in-law and me at ease. You’re such a good person, you deserve this happiness.”

”Thank you!” Han Xiaorui said with a smile. ”Tomorrow, Ye Feng and I are taking my sister and the kids to Yunnan. I’ll leave the matters on the boats to you and Sister Shui.”

Liang Xiaoyu smiled. ”Don’t worry, we’re very familiar with the boat operations now. And if you’re not here, we still have Uncle Yang. If we run into anything we can’t decide, we can ask him.”

”That’s good,” Han Xiaorui said, smiling. ”Please keep an eye on the bonuses and wages for the boatmen and the farm workers.”

Liang Xiaoyu nodded. ”I personally oversaw the payments as soon as I got back yesterday afternoon. All the bonuses have been paid out, for both the ornamental fish farm and the seafood farm.”

”The base pay was already good, and now there are all these bonuses. No one in the area has better benefits than us. A lot of people are envious and have been asking if we’re hiring.”

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment. ”We’re not hiring for now. The fishing moratorium starts in May. When that happens, our boatmen won’t have work, so they can go help out at the seafood farm, and I’ll pay them for that too.”

”I can take delivery of my new boat in March. I plan to hire a dozen or so male crewmen then, and ideally a captain. You, Sister Shui, and Uncle Yang can help me keep an eye out for good candidates.”

Liang Xiaoyu nodded. ”Alright, I’ll keep it in mind. You just focus on your honeymoon. Enjoy the sights and have a good time.”

That evening, Han Xiaorui said to Yang Jianguo, ”Brother Jianguo, when Kuno Hiroo comes, you absolutely cannot agree to give him any more Panda Butterfly Tails. Everything must follow the order list, and we can’t let him cut in line. Not even for more money. We can’t lose the market in Europe and America that we worked so hard to find.”

Everyone loves beautiful ornamental fish.

There are many wealthy people in Europe and America. These beautiful butterfly tails are very valuable abroad, and they’re what our overseas clients have their hearts set on.

Yang Jianguo gave a wry smile. ”That Kuno Hiroo is constantly sending faxes, and on top of that, he sends money without even signing a contract. He has no respect for the rules. We won’t ship anything for this latest payment. He’s just trying to play the rogue.”

”If it weren’t for his name, I’d think Kuno Hiroo was one of us, a smooth operator from Hua Country. His methods make it hard to refuse him, which is particularly annoying. He’s sent a lot of gifts to my house.”

Han Xiaorui chuckled. ”Do you think a man who can speak our language almost like a native could be a fool? The key is that he not only speaks well, but his use of idioms and proverbs is also very appropriate. That’s even more rare.”

”He understands our people. He knows how to make us feel like we’re losing face if we don’t give in. Anyway, from now on, you just have to stand firm and not yield. We can’t give up such a large overseas market for the sake of the one in Japan.”

Yang Zhigang thought for a moment, then asked, ”If they’re so popular, why don’t you just breed more of them?”

Yang Jianguo gave a bitter laugh. ”It’s not that easy. It takes at least three months for these high-quality butterfly tails to grow from fry to adult fish. Kuno Hiroo has nearly cleaned out our entire stock.”

”Even if we increase the breeding numbers now, it would still take three months before we could deliver. And we have many orders from Europe and America, too. It’s not like your fishing, where you just have to cast a net into the sea.”

Yang Zhigang laughed sheepishly. ”I almost forgot, ornamental fish are different from seafood. Seafood is nurtured by the ocean; you cast a net and you catch it. Ornamental fish have to be bred artificially. It can’t be rushed.”

”Speaking of which, those butterfly tails of yours are really valuable. I was thinking of raising a few myself, but I won’t now. Just give me a few when you’ve fulfilled your orders and have some to spare.”

Han Xiaorui chuckled. ”Uncle Yang, when I get back, I promise I’ll get you some good ones. Making money is important, but if an elder wants something, we should show our respect.”

”That’s right, Second Uncle, don’t be a stranger,” Yang Jianguo said with a laugh. ”Our family’s life is really flourishing now!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”The Jinshan Bay School is under construction, the hotel, seafood restaurant, and storefronts are all proceeding in an orderly fashion, and the seaside resort and amusement park projects have also been launched. Next year, Jinshan Bay is destined for great development.”

Hearing this, both Yang Zhigang and Yang Jianguo were filled with high spirits.

Although they didn’t have shares in the ventures, Han Xiaorui had told them they could buy a few of the commercial properties once they were built. They would be valuable in the future, easy to manage, and they could just collect rent.

”Everything at home is fine, so don’t worry. You two go and enjoy your trip, don’t think about things back here,” Yang Zhigang instructed.

”Thank you!” Han Xiaorui said gratefully.

By evening, everyone had packed their luggage.

At ten o’clock the next morning, they boarded the train to Yunnan.

There was a direct train from Shencheng to Kunming, Yunnan.

They had bought sleeper berths, which made the journey more comfortable.

Food was available on the train. If you were willing to pay, you could get a hot meal, and the train food these days was made with good ingredients and tasted quite good.

Ye Feng, his guard Xiao Zheng, Wu Jiao, and Wu Yao took turns watching the children to ensure their safety.

This left Han Xiaorui with the most leisure time, which she spent chatting with Han Xiaoqing.

About two hours into the train ride, a young man walked over from another car. Seeing Ye Feng, he smiled and greeted him, ”Brother Feng, what a coincidence!”

Ye Feng was taken aback for a moment. Recognizing the person, he raised an eyebrow. ”Is it really a coincidence? Where are you headed?”

Under Ye Feng’s stare, Qi Wenxuan smiled. ”To Yunnan.”

”Where in Yunnan?” Ye Feng asked again.

Qi Wenxuan shook his head and chuckled. ”Brother Feng, you already know, yet you still ask.”

”Stop putting on an act in front of me. ’What a coincidence’?” Ye Feng laughed. ”With your major, you might have better prospects if you study abroad.”

’This kid’s intentions are as obvious as the nose on his face. He’s known her for so long and still hasn’t confessed? He’s really taking his sweet time.’