The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 392: Chapter 392: Angel Fish

Han Xiaorui was surprised. ’They just said leaders from the agriculture and forestry department were coming. Why is it Mayor Liu now?’

But Han Xiaorui quickly composed herself. No matter who it was, their visit would be a huge boon for Jinshan Bay Aquaculture.

”Hello, Mayor Liu. Hello, Director Wu. Welcome to Jinshan Bay Aquaculture,” Han Xiaorui said in greeting. ”Would you like to come in and sit for a while?”

”No need for that, Mr. Han,” Mayor Liu said with a smile. ”We’re here today to inspect your aquaculture operations and see if they can be scaled up.”

Seeing that Mayor Liu was focused on work, Han Xiaorui didn’t insist. ”This way, Mayor Liu. I’ll take you to the island where we raise our marine products.”

Mayor Liu glanced at Han Xiaorui’s very prominent baby bump. ”Mr. Han, you’re pregnant. Your health comes first. There’s no need for you to personally escort us. Just have one of the farm’s staff members show us the way.”

Han Xiaorui patted her round belly. Long walks were indeed getting a bit tiring. ”Thank you for your concern, Mayor Liu. I’m getting heavier by the day. Four months along, and with twins, no less.”

”I’ll arrange for the village committee and some of the farm staff to go with you right away. Professor Wang is also at the offshore breeding base. I heard some faculty and students from an out-of-province agricultural university are visiting as well.”

”Thank you, Mr. Han,” Mayor Liu said gratefully. He was very courteous and down-to-earth.

Jinshan Bay’s ornamental fish farm was a major earner of foreign exchange. Based on last year’s overseas sales, exports this year were projected to reach 35 to 50 million US dollars.

Not only that, but it had also driven exports of glass fish tanks and large ceramic feng shui basins.

It was a model enterprise for foreign trade and exactly the kind of business the government should be encouraging.

Han Xiaorui called the village committee, as well as Yang Jianguo and Xiao Sun from the aquaculture division.

The village boat set off, taking Mayor Liu and his entourage to tour the aquaculture facilities.

Mayor Liu asked curiously, ”Do you breed all the fish and shrimp fry for your aquaculture operations yourselves?”

”Yes, sir,” Professor Wang replied. ”We primarily focus on breeding mid- to high-end fry here. Big Yellow Fish, small yellow croaker, pomfret, and even the Yellowlip Fish...”

Mayor Liu’s brow furrowed slightly. ”I was under the impression that the Yellowlip Fish couldn’t be farmed.”

Professor Wang grinned with pride. ”That was then. Through our breeding program, the Yellowlip Fish can now be farmed. It requires extremely high water quality, though, so we selected an island with the purest water to raise them. It’s just up ahead. I’ll take you for a look.”

He had originally planned to visit for just the morning, but Mayor Liu was discovering that Jinshan Bay’s aquaculture operations had immense potential.

He had someone else handle his afternoon meeting.

He continued his inspection, having lunch at the breeding base’s cafeteria. The meal, prepared with their own farmed seafood, earned his constant praise.

”Our Boss Han says the fry and the feed are a package deal,” Professor Wang explained. ”We provide comprehensive services to other farmers. However, we only just worked out the process this year, so the fry we’re breeding are just for our own use for now.”

’A feed mill, plus the fry hatchery... that’s two more potential businesses in the future,’ Mayor Liu thought. He marveled, ”Successfully breeding these fry must have been fraught with challenges, wasn’t it?”

”There were challenges, but nothing we couldn’t overcome,” Professor Wang said with a laugh. ”With seafood, taste is paramount. But our ornamental fish division is where things get really impressive. They’re dazzlingly beautiful. We recently developed a new small fish with vibrant, varied colors that even glows in the dark. It has a pretty name, too: the Angel Fish.”

Intrigued, Mayor Liu wanted to see them for himself.

After touring the aquaculture site and taking the boat back to the pier, he led his group to the ornamental fish farm.

Yang Jianguo, who had been with them the whole time, immediately lit up when he heard they were visiting his facility. He began the introductions for Mayor Liu, speaking with the intimate familiarity of a man describing his most prized possessions.

This year’s new breed was the Douyu. Its long, beautifully colored tail was exceptionally striking in the water.

Then there was the Angel Fish Professor Wang had mentioned, which was a small species. The original variety could grow to about 15 centimeters long.

After selective breeding, there were two versions.

One is 2–3 centimeters long, designed for small desktop aquariums.

The other is 5–10 centimeters, intended for medium-sized indoor tanks, and they’re particularly lovely to look at.

Mayor Liu and his entourage left, thoroughly satisfied. This year, Jinshan Bay Aquaculture was set to achieve even greater success.

After visits from both government departments and agricultural universities, the farm’s seafood found ready buyers.

Neighboring Zhejiang Province and Su Province, currently facing seafood shortages, were also flocking here to make purchases.

The price was set according to what Zhang Guangnan had previously quoted—this was the ex-factory price, with shipping costs borne by the buyer.

Some seafood farmers from Zhejiang Province, and even some from Fujian Province, came to buy small batches of fry to take back and test-raise.

Local farmers didn’t even need the government’s recommendation. They were already keeping an eye on Jinshan Bay Aquaculture, and as soon as they heard about the good prices, they flocked over to buy fry.

Ironically, Jinshan Bay had a limited supply of both its market-ready seafood and its fry—not nearly enough to meet the demand.

The aquaculture venture was finally turning a profit, and a handsome one at that.

Han Xiaorui could finally relax. All that investment hadn’t gone to waste. It was a huge relief.

Dinnertime was when Ye Feng and Han Xiaorui had their most in-depth conversations.

Wu Jiao and Wu Yao were also there. They didn’t understand everything, and even what they did understand, they would never repeat outside.

As for Pingping and An’an, they only paid attention when the conversation was about them.

After dinner, the girls ran off to play with the two Pekingese. Dahuang and Heizi, having recently fallen from grace, watched the two little dogs from the sidelines with mournful eyes.

Once Pingping and An’an went back inside, Dahuang and Heizi cornered the two Pekingese against the wall.

They lifted their front paws and bopped the little dogs on their heads. The taps weren’t hard, but they were enough to scare the two little Pekingese into trembling and wetting themselves.

Han Xiaorui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the sight. She walked over and gently soothed Dahuang and Heizi. ”You’re all going to be friends now, so no fighting.”

Dahuang and Heizi looked terribly aggrieved. Blinking their big eyes, they fetched the frisbee and placed it in Han Xiaorui’s hand.

Ever since Mr. Wang had brought the Pekingese over, the adorably dopey little dogs had become Pingping and An’an’s new favorites.

The moment they got home from school, they would start playing with the Pekingese.

Dahuang and Heizi had been dethroned!

Han Xiaorui chuckled, took the frisbee, and tossed it. ”Let’s see who can catch it!”

Dahuang and Heizi bolted after it, their bodies agile and their legs powerful. Even their perked-up tails conveyed their joyful mood.

Seeing Han Xiaorui playing frisbee with Dahuang and Heizi, Ye Feng came over and took over throwing duty for her.

Perhaps because their parents were playing, Pingping and An’an decided the frisbee was interesting after all and started clamoring to throw it, much to Dahuang and Heizi’s delight.

The two adorably dopey Pekingese tried to join in fetching the frisbee, but their short legs couldn’t keep up. They were nearly trampled by Dahuang and Heizi, and scurried to the side, too frightened to ”compete for affection” anymore.

Seeing the children playing happily, Ye Feng helped Han Xiaorui take a seat. ”Chen Yupeng and his wife are coming tomorrow. Are you going to talk to them about the Jinshan Bay School?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Yes. I’m investing a portion of my own money into it every year, so of course I want to know how it’s being spent. Chen Yupeng and Yao Yulan’s incomes are quite low, whereas here, with salary, bonuses, and subsidies, the school’s pay is very high.”

”It’s just a suggestion, of course. If they don’t want to come, that’s fine. After all, even though the development prospects here are excellent, it’s not as convenient as living in the city.”

Ye Feng smiled. ”Don’t worry. Yao Yulan will definitely come.”

Han Xiaorui asked, ”What makes you so sure? Is it just because the salary I’m offering is high? Yao Yulan’s current school is one of the best in Shencheng. She might not want to leave.”