Chapter 471: Hard Sell

Chapter 471: Chapter 471: Hard Sell

Ye Feng remarked with emotion, "This is the effect of drawing in traffic. Without the museum and the cheap tourist attractions, it would be impossible to attract so many customers."

This was all thanks to Han Xiaorui!

Han Xiaorui couldn’t agree more. "Whether it’s the museum or the attractions on the island, my prices are very low. The museum is two mao, and the island is one yuan, but for that you get a twenty-minute boat ride. It’s a great way to enjoy the sea breeze!"

"Some people go to the island with their whole family just to ride the sea-boat and tour the ocean. The fees are very low, but it lets everyone have a great time. With the income, we can continuously maintain the attractions and keep them clean and hygienic."

Ye Feng chuckled. "Those villagers who bought shops on the commercial street must be grinning from ear to ear now, right?"

Han Xiaorui said proudly, "Of course. Buying one was a guaranteed profit. Many people have opened shops. Take Uncle Liu’s family, for example. Their location is great. They opened a two-story general store, and business is booming. Especially for things like sodas, cookies, bread, and other daily necessities like umbrellas, raincoats, and slippers."

"We don’t allow street vendors on our commercial street to keep it tidy, so if you want to buy something, you have to go into a shop. Everyone’s business is doing well; they’ll all make a profit this year."

Ye Feng chuckled. "So for the second phase of development, are you still selling the shops?"

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment. "I’ll sell, to ensure that every single household in Jinshan Bay has a shop. We’ll all prosper together."

"What if a family splits up? Could they buy an extra one then?" Ye Feng pointed out a loophole.

Han Xiaorui grew even more smug. "We’re going by the household registration records from before construction started. Even if they split the household now, it won’t count. If we didn’t prevent that, we’d never be able to satisfy everyone in Jinshan Bay."

"I’m not selling the remaining shops. I’ll rent them all out. After all, after selling two phases’ worth, I’ve not only recouped my costs but also made a lot of money. I don’t need to sell more shops to pay off debts."

"I know full well that these shops will appreciate in value, so of course I can’t sell them off cheap. Besides, I have four kids. It would be good to leave the properties to them in the future. In any case, when it comes to real estate, the more the better."

Ye Feng mused, "That’s a good plan. Given how Jinshan Bay is developing, anyone willing to work can make money. If they can’t buy a house or a shop here, they can buy one elsewhere. As the city develops, Shencheng will attract more people, and property values everywhere will rise."

Han Xiaorui nodded. "Exactly. Anyone who’s sharp and willing to listen to advice can build a family fortune. As for those who don’t listen, they’ll always miss out on the best opportunities."

Lately, whenever the weather was good, the boatmen would go out to sea.

They were trying to get in a few more trips and earn more money before the fishing moratorium began.

Although they had cut back on their rest days, the fishing moratorium arrived right on schedule.

It officially began on May 1st.

This was also the breeding season for marine life. This year’s fishing ban would last for four months and twenty days, and the seas wouldn’t open for fishing again until September 20th.

After resting for two days, the boatmen returned to clean their vessels, performing maintenance and repairs inside and out.

Since the boats would be unused for a long time during a humid summer, they replaced the necessary parts, lubricated what needed oiling, and applied the most suitable paint where it was needed.

Once all this was done, the boatmen received their generous commissions and bonuses and began their four-month and twenty-day vacation.

Of course, after resting for a while, many of the boatmen, some even renting small wooden boats to go fishing, found ways to earn a little money each day.

However, many others took on odd jobs to earn some cash, mainly because they were so used to being busy that they couldn’t stand being idle.

Han Xiaorui had thought she would get some rest during the fishing moratorium, but she ended up being even busier.

First, the seafood from the aquaculture base was ready for sale, and last year’s regular customers flocked to place their orders.

Summer was the peak season for seafood restaurants, and although they had frozen a lot of seafood beforehand, their supplies were bound to run out eventually.

When it came to seafood, it was all about freshness.

Seafood that was frozen for too long would suffer in texture!

The seafood restaurant where Zhang Guangnan worked made freshness their main selling point during the moratorium.

All their seafood was harvested from the aquaculture base, transported live to the restaurant, and then prepared in a variety of styles to be served at the table.

In both texture and flavor, it was far superior to anything frozen.

Because this farmed seafood was very hardy, as long as it was transported using their specific methods, it could almost always be kept alive and fresh.

Not only the lobsters, but also several other mid-to-high-end seafood products became hot commodities.

So many people were placing orders, but even though the aquaculture farm had increased its output, it was still far from meeting demand.

They cornered Professor Wang and Professor Li at the aquaculture base, but the two professors were only responsible for technical guidance. The farmworkers handled the breeding, and none of them had the authority to make sales decisions.

Liang Xiaoyu, the temporary accountant there, was also cornered.

"Accountant Liang, can you help us out here? Our seafood restaurant needs this kind of seafood too. If we can’t buy any more, we’ll have to shut down!" a boss said, hastily trying to press a red envelope into Liang Xiaoyu’s hand.

Relying on what fishermen caught with lines was not enough; the fish were inconsistent in size and couldn’t possibly meet their needs.

Liang Xiaoyu quickly pushed the red envelope back. "Sir, please don’t get me in trouble. If I take your money, I’ll lose my job. I understand that everyone wants to order our seafood, but we have to prioritize our regular customers. They’ve already placed their orders, so I have nothing left to sell you!"

Seeing that Liang Xiaoyu wouldn’t take the bribe or bend the rules, the bosses weren’t discouraged and went to find Han Xiaorui instead.

Han Xiaorui was cornered at home. The situation had gotten so out of hand that she couldn’t even leave her house.

In the end, Han Xiaorui had no choice but to invite the bosses inside.

Wu Jiao brewed tea for everyone, and Han Xiaorui said to the bosses, "I really don’t have enough seafood. My regular customers have already claimed it all. If I were to sell to you, I’d have to pay a penalty for breaking my contracts."

"I have no trouble selling my products, so you can’t expect me to pay a penalty just to sell them to you. The original buyers are already paying a high price. Add the penalty on top of that, and it would be even more expensive for you. It just wouldn’t be cost-effective."

"After thinking it over, how about I introduce you to other farmers you can buy from? Would that work?"

Boss Li shook his head. "President Han, if I wanted to buy ordinary farmed seafood, I wouldn’t have come to you. Even if it’s farmed, we want the best-tasting kind. We came here specifically because your seafood tastes so good."

Han Xiaorui waved her hand. "Boss Li, don’t be hasty. Let me explain. The seafood from these other farms was raised using fry from our Jinshan Bay Fish Seed Breeding Base. They use our fish feed and our farming methods. The seafood they produce tastes almost the same as ours."

Upon hearing this, Boss Li’s eyes lit up. "There’s seafood like that? Where, President Han? Which farm is it?"