"It's nothing. You don't seem like a good person, Dad. You should go home now."
Mingjing turned and left the private room.
I thought Xie Junan was a naval hero and should be upright, but I never expected him to do something like this. I'm sure he knew about it and even played it before.
Mingjing felt an inexplicable disgust; she finally understood the meaning of the saying, "You can't see into someone's heart."
If it weren't for the grouper being in his hands, Mingjing would have really wanted to leave.
Ming Dahai took Mingyue home, while Mingliang and Mingjing returned to the seafood restaurant.
"What's wrong with this girl?" Dong Li asked in a low voice, noticing Ming Jing's pale face. "Did you two have a fight?"
Xie Junan shook his head, puzzled, "I don't know. I just went to my second uncle's foot massage parlor, and then she got like this. I didn't do anything to her."
Women are so strange; they get angry but don't explain themselves clearly, it's all so inexplicable.
Dong Li thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "You better appease him properly. If you offend the God of Wealth, you won't be able to go home."
Upon hearing this, Xie Junan went into the kitchen and cut a plate of pineapple. "Brother, don't be shy, have some."
Mingliang glanced at the pineapple, smiled, picked one up, tasted it, and nodded, "It's quite sweet."
They grow pineapples here too, but for some reason, they don't taste as good as those from Taiwan, so pineapples aren't cheap here.
Mingjing took a small bite but didn't say anything, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere. Xie Jun'an took the initiative to speak, "Mingjing, how do you manage to get such large shipments every few days?"
"We're just lucky. I see you're older than me, so I'll call you big brother. You have no idea how lucky we've been lately."
Mingliang ate pineapple and chattered on about their recent beachcombing experiences, which made Xie Junan scratch his head and look at Mingjing to find something to talk about.
"You guys are really lucky, but it's not sustainable to always be scavenging for goods at the beach. What if you lose that luck one day? Wouldn't that mean you'll have no harvest?"
Mingjing rolled her eyes at him and said coldly, "Don't worry about it, I have my own plans."
She had actually thought about it for a long time: first, she would collect goods on the beach, and once she had saved up some money, she would buy a car and a boat. She would keep the car to haul goods and the boat to fish.
Xie Jun'an frowned even more. He would definitely not have been able to stand such a sarcastic attitude from anyone else, but it was Mingjing, so he couldn't get angry.
It's because she's beautiful.
Just as Xie Jun'an was about to ask where he had offended her, several guests came in to have dinner.
The seafood here is usually sold by anglers and fishermen from the surrounding area, as well as merchants and tourists from other places, so business is quite good.
The guests ordered twenty oysters, a plate of braised sea cucumber with scallions, a steamed grouper, and two Boston lobsters, all of which are highly nutritious.
Besides the customers, there were also a few fishing enthusiasts who came to sell their fish at much lower prices than those they sold to Mingjing.
Hearing the price made Mingjing feel much more at ease.
After settling the guests and the vendors, Xie Jun'an sat down again and said, "Don't worry, those people will be here soon. Have some tea."
"What is your relationship with those people?" Mingjing asked, sipping his tea.
Xie Junan smiled and said, "That's great. They are all my dad's good friends. If it's suitable, you can give them the same amount whenever you have goods for us. If we can't finish them, you can give them the same amount."
Mingjing put down her teacup and said seriously, "Then this matter will be difficult to handle."
"How so?"
"Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, let alone friends. If money is involved, even the best of friends will turn against each other. If this fish causes you to lose friends, isn't that my fault?"
"That's not unreasonable. If you don't tell the fisherman the price upfront, how will he know if it'll be okay?"
Xie Junan didn't understand these business matters, but he felt that Mingjing made sense. There are no true friends in the business world; it's all about exchanging interests, and you can easily offend people if you're not careful.
"Let's hold an auction. First, set a reserve price, and then let everyone anonymously write down the price above the reserve price. There will be three rounds in total, and the highest bidder wins."
"As long as we ensure these buyers don't collude, their prices will definitely keep rising. It's a one-time deal, cash on delivery, no room for backing out, how about that?"
"Mingjing, you're really amazing. You even know this method." Xie Jun'an was increasingly impressed with Mingjing.
He had heard of auctions before, but this was the first time he had ever heard of this particular method.
"Then how can we ensure they don't collude?" Xie Junan asked, somewhat troubled.
Just as Mingjing was about to speak, a voice came from outside the door, "Old Dong, I heard you got something good? Don't lie to me!"
"Uncle Liu, you've arrived," Xie Junan said, getting up to greet Liu Guangyao.
"I'm here. Am I the first one? I wasn't chosen, was I? What is it? Your dad was being so mysterious on the phone and wouldn't say."
"No, we've saved it for you."
Xie Junan went to the kitchen to call Dong Li, and then turned to him and told him about the secret bidding.
Shortly after, Dong Li came out, exchanged pleasantries, and then led Liu Guangyao to the fish pond in the back.
The fish pond was built by Dong Li to store fresh fish and prevent shortages. It was equipped with an oxygen pump and water tanks.
Liu Guangyao was stunned as soon as he arrived at the fish pond.
"So big? It must weigh dozens of kilograms!"
"Sixty-eight catties, Neptune grouper, I dare say there's only one like it in the whole country right now, I'll let you know immediately. Of course, there are also a few big bosses, they'll all be here later, let's discuss how to bid together."
Liu Guangyao's eyes gleamed. "You know I love collecting grouper. I've been looking for this Neptune for ages. Is it wild?"
"Of course, where can you raise such a large grouper? It's been at least fifty years. I know you like grouper, so we can discuss the price later."
"Let's not discuss this anymore. Let's talk business. Name your price, and I'll take this fish. My fish tank is all ready, and he won't suffer if he stays with me."
Liu Guangyao's eyes shone with joy.
"Mr. Liu, those people will be here soon. Let's hear everyone's opinions. They've been friends for so many years. We can't let you or them down. It's best to be cautious when it comes to money."
Dong Li chuckled, and Liu Guangyao had no choice but to agree.
"Then I'll wait for them. No matter what, I'm determined to have this fish. Clean the fish tank thoroughly and don't let it die."
Liu Guangyao looked at the grouper with affection, observed it carefully, and said, "It's a miracle that this fish has lived this long. It's almost as old as me, fifty years. It's not a bad thing for me to take care of it in its old age."
Neptune fish generally live in the deep sea and are extremely difficult to catch. It is rare for them to live for more than ten years. This fish has lived for decades, which shows how difficult it is.
Liu Guangyao is passionate about raising sea fish and has collected all kinds of marine fish. When he encounters a rare species, it's like finding a treasure. How could he possibly give it up?
As Liu Guangyao was looking at the fish, another person came in from outside the door, "Damn it, this weather is unbearably hot! Where are the grouper?"
Mingjing's accent sounded like she was from Shandong.
Many people from the north are now going south to do business, especially Shanxi merchants and people from the Northeast who have made a fortune.
The big bosses arrived at the seafood restaurant one after another, and after taking a look at the grouper, they all said they wanted to buy it.
“Hey Lao Wang, this grouper is at least fifty years old. You can buy it and cook it without worrying about breaking your teeth. Fish tastes best when it's tender.”
"Old Liu, what do you mean? Keeping that grouper in your broken bathtub is worse than letting it die."
"Quiet down, everyone. Let us have that fish. Our Longhua Hotel is just missing a decent fish to display in the fish tank in the lobby. Wouldn't that look great?"
"I'm willing to pay a high price; I want this fish."
The group at the dinner table got into a huge argument and almost came to blows.
Upon seeing this, Dong Li immediately smiled obsequiously, "Gentlemen, since everyone wants it, why don't we discuss the price and let the highest bidder win? Let's write down our prices now."
The best bidder wins the fish, based on three attempts. The starting price is 18,000! No lower bids, no sale!
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