The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 478: Chapter 478: Great Advantage

Ye Feng had just gotten home when Han Xiaorui arrived as well.

Ye Ling and Ye Chen were thrilled to see Han Xiaorui. ”Sister-in-law, where are Pingping and An’an? Where are our nephew and niece?”

Han Xiaorui hadn’t expected her brothers-in-law to be here again, but the two of them were very well-behaved now, so she wasn’t bothered by their presence.

”They’re at their maternal grandma and grandpa’s house! I’ll bring them back tomorrow. When I do, I’ll have you two uncles here to help me look after them.”

Ye Chen puffed out his chest. ”Don’t you worry, Sister-in-law. I’ll definitely take good care of my nephew and niece!”

”Me too!” Ye Ling quickly promised.

Ye Feng introduced Huo Guang and Chen Min to Han Xiaorui, and they all shook hands.

Huo Guang couldn’t help but ask, ”Sister-in-law, can you really raise seafood on saline-alkali land?”

Han Xiaorui replied, ”Yes, it’s possible. I hired another expert, Professor Xie, who specializes in this field.”

”Saline-alkali soil already contains salt and other minerals. When you add water, the composition can sometimes be quite similar to seawater.”

”Even if it’s lacking something, you can add supplements to the water later to create a composition and environment similar to the ocean. Then, naturally, you can farm seafood.”

”Of course, temperature is also a factor. Some fish are very sensitive to temperature and might not be suitable for farming in the west, but other types are.”

”Since you came all this way specifically for this, I can take you to the aquaculture base to meet Professor Xie. You can ask him for details.”

Hearing this, Huo Guang quickly thanked her. ”Thank you so much, Sister-in-law. Out there, we don’t have much of anything else, just a lot of sand and saline-alkali land. If we could convert some of the suitable land into seafood farms, it would be a major accomplishment.”

Han Xiaorui smiled faintly. ”But there are risks, and aquaculture isn’t something that shows results in a day or two. You have to measure progress in years, at least.”

Huo Guang chuckled. ”It’s precisely because there are risks that the rewards are so great if you succeed! Doing what others can’t is how you prove your ability. If Professor Xie is willing to accept my invitation to go to the northwest, would you be upset, Sister-in-law?”

”Sister-in-law, you may not know this, but the economy over there is struggling to develop, which leads to instability. For reasons of both geography and local culture, it’s not a priority for the national economic reforms, so progress is slow. There are far too few ways to grow the economy, especially ones that can help increase the income of local farmers.”

The Eastern Region has a good natural environment and, being coastal, excellent shipping conditions. The effects of the economic reforms have been outstanding there.

On the way here, Huo Guang had been constantly looking out the window.

Especially after arriving in Jinshan Bay, the development here was truly eye-opening.

While not every household had a modern villa yet, more than half had already built one.

People’s incomes had increased, and their material lives had been greatly enriched.

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment. ”Professor Xie is a consultant for us. As long as he’s willing, I certainly won’t stand in his way!”

”I can see you genuinely want to help the people in the west. If you really conduct experiments there, I can provide you with some free fish fry.”

Hearing this, Huo Guang was immensely grateful. ”Sister-in-law, you’re too kind!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”You and Ye Feng are childhood friends. Now that you’re striving in your political career, of course we should support you as friends.”

”However, during the initial experimental phase when you need a small amount of fry, I can give them to you for free! But once the experiments are successful and you begin large-scale farming, you’ll have to buy them!”

”After all, I’m running a business. I can’t not make a profit, and I certainly can’t lose money. Besides, my fish fry are in very high demand because the seafood raised from them tastes better and has a higher survival rate.”

”I’m not just bragging. I’ll take you all out to eat later, and you’ll know the difference once you compare.”

Huo Guang nodded. ”Sister-in-law, I’m already incredibly grateful for your support during the initial phase! Once it’s ready for widespread implementation, I’ll definitely purchase my fry from you.”

Wu Jiao and Sister Lian had gone into the city, so only Wu Yao was at home.

The weather was so hot that Han Xiaorui didn’t feel like cooking. She took them directly to Zhang Guangnan’s seafood restaurant on the commercial street.

As it happened, Zhang Guangnan was there. When he learned that Han Xiaorui and Ye Feng were hosting friends from Beijing, he personally instructed the chef to prepare the food with extra care.

Not only that, but he also came over to offer a toast to Huo Guang and Chen Min.

Huo Guang and Chen Min carefully tasted the farmed seafood, their eyes lighting up. ”Brother Ye, Sister-in-law, I’ve had farmed seafood in Beijing, but it definitely doesn’t taste this good.”

The preparation methods for the seafood were fairly standard—some steamed, some braised. Steamed dishes, in particular, rely mostly on the flavor of the ingredients themselves.

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”I’m very confident in our seafood. Also, I think raising seafood on saline-alkali land in the west has another advantage over farming in the Eastern Region.”

Hearing this, Huo Guang put down his chopsticks and quickly asked, ”Sister-in-law, please, enlighten me.”

Han Xiaorui waved her hand. ”Oh, I wouldn’t dare take credit. It’s not really a secret. Aquaculture here in the east is done in enclosures in the sea. If the typhoons and rainstorms aren’t too severe, it’s fine.”

”But the weather is unpredictable; no one can guarantee the size or path of typhoons and storms. Because of this, coastal aquaculture in the east is highly dependent on the weather. It’s much better in the west. Since you’re not using sea enclosures but rather designated ponds, the wind has much less of an impact, whether it’s strong or weak.”

At these words, Huo Guang’s eyes lit up again. ”Sister-in-law, you’re absolutely right. That’s a very valuable advantage.”

After the meal, everyone was full of energy and wanted to go out on the sea.

The family’s yacht wasn’t available today, and it was the fishing off-season, so the large fishing boats couldn’t go out.

Han Xiaorui took out the family’s small fishing boat. She had removed everything from it—fishing nets, shrimp traps, and the like—leaving only the simplest fishing rods.

If she were caught with that equipment on board, the penalty would be a fine at best, or detention at worst.

Han Xiaorui would never do something illegal and defy the government. It was always better to be careful.

For Huo Ze, although it wasn’t his first time at the seaside, it was the first time he had seen dolphins and whales so up close.

”Dad! Mom! A whale! Oh my gosh, there’s really a whale!” Huo Ze shouted, one exclamation of surprise after another.

Ye Ling grinned proudly. ”Huo Ze, my sister-in-law’s place is fun, right?”

”Yeah, it’s fun,” Huo Ze nodded, full of envy. ”I heard the place where my dad works is all sand. I don’t even want to go. Anyway, they get along so well, they don’t need a third wheel like me.”

Ye Ling shook his head and tried to persuade him, ”Don’t say that. Your parents get along well because they truly love you. Back in our compound, we’ve seen couples who didn’t get along, and what happened? They ended up with either a new stepmom or a few illegitimate half-siblings.”

Ye Chen nodded. ”Yeah, that’s right, Brother Ze. My second brother and I want to stay here at our sister-in-law’s place forever too, but my parents won’t allow it. But my dad did say that if I can get into Fudan University or Tongji University here, he’ll let us come to Shencheng.”

Huo Ze had a sudden realization upon hearing this.