Chapter 216: Absolute Competitiveness

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Absolute Competitiveness

When Kuno Hiroo went to pay the bill, he discovered that Han Xiaorui had already taken care of it.

"Ms. Han, you really didn’t have to do that. The wagyu beef may be expensive, but I can still afford the bill."

Han Xiaorui laughed, her voice crisp and bright. "I ate more than you did, so how could I let you pay? I wouldn’t feel right about it."

’A demure, closed-mouth smile? Not a chance.’

Her teeth were so straight and white, of course she was going to show them off.

Unlike the typical demeanor of a Japanese woman, Han Xiaorui was more sunny and straightforward.

In any case, Han Xiaorui wasn’t one to bow at every turn. She spoke her mind, seeing no need for such tedious formalities.

’Sincerity isn’t shown through bowing.’

Kuno Hiroo shook his head and chuckled. Since the bill was already paid, it would be awkward to give the money back to Han Xiaorui. "Ms. Han, is there anywhere you’d like to go sightseeing?"

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment. It felt inappropriate to go clothes shopping with a man who wasn’t her boyfriend.

Han Xiaorui had a bold personality, but she also knew her boundaries.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. She thought about her family’s ornamental fish business.

That man, Yamamoto Ichiro, had shown great interest during the exhibition and had even visited the breeding farm.

Han Xiaorui had given him a very serious and detailed price quote before he returned to his country.

But he hadn’t placed an order right away. She didn’t know if he wasn’t interested or if there was some other issue.

Since she was here in Japan, she decided she should investigate whether there was actually a market for ornamental fish.

"Mr. Kuno, do you know of any places that sell ornamental fish?"

Kuno Hiroo was slightly taken aback. "According to regulations, individuals can’t take ornamental fish out of the country. I don’t think you’ll be able to buy any."

Han Xiaorui smiled and replied, "I’m not buying them. I’m here to research the ornamental fish market in Japan."

"My family runs an ornamental fish farm, and we’ve recently been working on exports. A Japanese client was very interested before, but he hadn’t placed an order by the time I left the country."

Hearing this, Kuno Hiroo understood. "Oh, I see. All right, I’ll take you to have a look."

Kuno Hiroo drove Han Xiaorui to an ornamental fish shop he knew.

The shop wasn’t very large.

Inside, there were freshwater ornamental fish, with a particularly large number of artificially bred goldfish.

Goldfish are a domesticated variant of the crucian carp (whereas koi are a variant of the common carp) and first appeared in Hua Country about 1,000 years ago.

As far back as before the Song Dynasty, some people, out of curiosity, would take uniquely colored fish home to raise them.

By the Song Dynasty, as society and culture flourished, red-and-yellow crucian carp became indispensable additions to courtyard ponds. To meet the growing demand, people began to breed and cultivate them.

Goldfish originated from unusually colored crucian carp in the wild. People continuously selected and bred these different-colored fish, enhancing and transforming their colors.

Even today, the Grass Goldfish, which closely resembles its wild crucian carp ancestor but has unique coloring, remains a popular variety.

In the early 16th century, goldfish from Hua Country were brought to Japan, beginning their journey across the globe and their subsequent reshaping by various cultures.

The first goldfish variety to arrive in Japan was called "Wakin" by the Japanese. The Wakin has a crucian carp-shaped body, but its tail splits into four lobes on a nearly horizontal plane, a stark departure from the tail of its ancestor.

As transportation became more convenient, the unusually colored crucian carp, a natural species, was continuously modified through the joint efforts and exchanges of people in Hua Country, Japan, North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, leading to the constant emergence of new varieties.

While adding color to people’s lives, goldfish also became a medium for exchange between nations.

Of course, our ancestors in Hua Country never stopped their research either.

Han Xiaorui looked at the various types of goldfish for sale on the market, noting the wide range of breeds.

She paid special attention to the Dragon Eye Butterfly Tail, which had eyes like a dragon and a tail like a butterfly, full of auspicious meaning. The Dragon Eye Butterfly Tail is a goldfish variety that best represents Chinese cultivation techniques; it is difficult to breed and comes in an extremely rich array of colors.

The red-and-white Dragon Eye Butterfly Tail had a festive look, its tail flowing as gracefully as a fairy’s.

There was also a Qilin-colored Dragon Eye Butterfly Tail, imbued with the mystique of mythology, which combined the characteristics of various traditional auspicious creatures like the dragon, the butterfly, and the qilin.

’Our ancestors were very selective; only the finest breeds survived.’

After careful observation, Han Xiaorui was certain that the variety of ornamental fish here was far smaller, and the fish themselves less beautiful, than those at her farm.

After taking some photos, she asked about the prices.

When she heard the prices and converted them to RMB, Han Xiaorui felt that her own quotes were really not high at all.

However, considering factors like transportation and storage, it was normal for retail prices to be high.

After visiting three stores in a row, Han Xiaorui had a clear picture of the situation.

They were all more or less the same. There were quite a few saltwater ornamental fish, but not many small, freshwater cold-water varieties.

Han Xiaorui felt a surge of confidence. As long as her ornamental fish could be exported to the Japanese market, they would definitely be competitive.

As for the client, Yamamoto Ichiro, he might have shown interest, but he wasn’t a guaranteed sale.

Han Xiaorui felt she should continue to develop new clients here.

"Mr. Kuno, what kind of work do you do?"

Kuno Hiroo replied, "My family runs a trading company. We import some inexpensive but decent-quality products from Hua Country and then wholesale them to local retailers."

Han Xiaorui’s eyes lit up at his words.

A person in the import-export business would naturally import whatever was profitable.

"Have you ever considered importing ornamental fish?"

Kuno Hiroo paused, slightly surprised. "Our company imports some mid- to high-end seafood from Hua Country, but we’ve never imported ornamental fish."

"You seem very confident. Do you think your ornamental fish are better and more competitive than what we saw in the shops just now?"

Han Xiaorui nodded. "Of course. If they weren’t competitive, it would be impossible to break into the market here."

"I only brought a dozen or so photos with me this time. If you’re interested, you could visit our ornamental fish farm."

"Once you’re there, you’ll see that we have a huge variety of ornamental fish, both saltwater and freshwater, in all sorts of colors."

"The best thing about our fish is that they’re not only beautiful, but also very easy to raise. All you need is our specially formulated feed."

With that, Han Xiaorui took out a few photos from a notebook in her bag.

"This is my ornamental fish shop, located in a storefront at the entrance of a large shopping mall. It’s over two hundred square meters."

Kuno Hiroo took the photos and looked them over, quite surprised.

"This is indeed a very beautiful ornamental fish shop! Now that you’ve put it that way, I am quite interested!"

"Once I get the relevant paperwork sorted out on my end, I’ll go to Hua Country to take a look. If they’re competitive, I will import them."

Han Xiaorui was thrilled, not expecting to find another potential customer.

"You’re welcome to visit my family’s ornamental fish farm in Hua Country. You won’t be disappointed!"

At 5:30 in the afternoon, Kuno Hiroo dropped Han Xiaorui off at her hotel.

Just that afternoon, the two kidnappers had fled the city and headed to a neighboring town.

Although they had failed to kidnap Xu Yingying, that didn’t stop them from demanding money from their employer.

The employer was also Chinese. ’Kidnap the employer, and we can still get paid!’