Reborn in the 1980s: Nine Stunning Beauties Get Pregnant Before Marriage

At this point, He Jun became unhappy: "Widow Liang, what do you mean? You sell it to me for one dollar, but sell it to others for eight mao?"

"Master Zhou is a regular customer of ours. He orders large quantities and is very trustworthy. Can you compete with him?" Liang Meie picked up the scale.

Master Zhou glanced at He Jun. Although they were both cooks, he looked down on He Jun from the bottom of his heart.

She herself had a secure job at a state-run restaurant, while He Jun was just a chef at a private restaurant. How could their positions be the same?

He Jun was speechless, and his face flushed even more: "A customer? Aren't I a customer? You're looking down on me! I'm taking this fish today, no matter what!"

Master Zhou, who also had a temper, frowned upon hearing this and said, "There has to be a first-come, first-served order. I'll take this fish."

The two exchanged barbs, and the tension quickly escalated, attracting a growing crowd of onlookers.

Just as the argument reached a stalemate, Chen Yongqiang walked over.

Although he was looking after the big fish, he heard everything that was happening over here.

Chen Yongqiang stood beside Liang Meie, his gaze sweeping over He Jun and Master Zhou.

"Master Zhou, we have always been grateful for your patronage." He said as he picked up a grass carp weighing three or four pounds from the stall.

He put it in a bag and handed it over, saying, "Here, have this fish, try it out, it's free."

Although he usually delivered goods to state-run restaurants and mainly dealt with Director Yao, Chen Yongqiang was very knowledgeable about interpersonal relationships.

If Chef Zhou, who is in charge of cooking in the kitchen, were to nitpick about the appearance and weight of the food, he would certainly face a lot of trouble in the future.

Master Zhou was clearly taken aback by this turn of events, and looking at the bag handed to him, he said, "This... I can't possibly accept this."

Although he was being polite, he had already taken it from her hand.

"It's my pleasure. I've troubled you a lot throughout the year," Chen Yongqiang said sincerely, without being overly enthusiastic.

He Jun watched from the side, his mouth almost twisted with anger.

He was arguing heatedly over a difference of two cents per pound, and then the other party gave him a big fish for free!

The contrast was like a slap across his face, stinging and burning.

"Chen Yongqiang, are you deliberately trying to disgust people?"

Chen Yongqiang then turned his gaze to He Jun: "This fish is mine. How I handle it is none of your business!"

"As for buying in small quantities, the market has its own prices. As Sister Mei'e just mentioned, it's one yuan per jin, fair and square. If you think it's worth it, feel free to pick one; we welcome that. If you don't think it's worth it, we won't force you."

These words were perfectly watertight, saving face for Master Zhou, silencing He Jun, and clearly explaining the principles of business.

He Jun glared fiercely at Chen Yongqiang and Liang Meie, squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth: "Fine, you're all good!"

After saying that, he turned around and squeezed out of the crowd, looking disheveled.

Master Zhou, carrying the white grass carp, was in high spirits. He then glanced at the huge taimen on the sled.

"Brother Yongqiang is a shrewd man. That big guy is probably too much for an ordinary person to handle. Let's wait for someone who knows its value."

The minor incident subsided, and Master Zhou paid for the fish and left.

The stalls were bustling again, with a constant stream of people asking about prices and choosing fish.

That taimen became the most eye-catching living signboard on the stall, attracting wave after wave of people who wanted to see something rare.

Most people knew that such a large fish was beyond their own kitchen capacity, but since they were already there, and their mouths were watering at the sight of the big fish, they turned their attention to the other fish that were frozen solid next to them.

"How much is this carp? Pick out a fat one!"

"Crucian carp soup is delicious, give me two!"

Liang Meie was so busy she barely had time to breathe, but she had a smile on her face as she weighed and collected money with great efficiency.

Chen Yongqiang is waiting for someone who truly appreciates his work and can afford to pay the price.

The business of selling small fish is more than enough to be handled by Liang Meie.

Just as Liang Meie saw off another woman carrying two carp, a middle-aged man wearing an orange leather jacket and a cotton hat stopped in front of the stall.

Instead of looking at the giant creature like the others, he looked at the various kinds of fish on the stall.

"Was this fish caught in cold water?"

Before Liang Meie could reply, Chen Yongqiang straightened up and walked over. "Yes, I caught it by fishing through the ice hole in the reservoir."

The man glanced at Chen Yongqiang, then walked past him and landed on the taimen. "That one too?"

"Yes, it's a taimen, just pulled from the water yesterday," Chen Yongqiang patiently explained.

The man approached the sled, even reaching out to touch the fish's cold, hard scales. "This size is unusual. How much?"

"You want it?" Chen Yongqiang asked instead of answering.

"Let's see. We need to know what price you're looking for first." The man spoke cautiously.

Chen Yongqiang didn't quote a price: "No rush. I'll set up here for three days, and then we'll start selling."

He clearly hadn't expected this answer. "Three days later? Aren't you worried the fish will spoil? Or has someone else placed the order?"

"The fish is frozen solid, it won't spoil. Nobody's placed an order yet. But good quality fish has to wait for someone who knows its value. The news also needs to be spread around."

The words were spoken subtly, but the meaning was clear. The man understood.

Chen Yongqiang felt that the people in the market right now couldn't afford the price he wanted.

The plan is to use these three days to spread the fame of this rare and large fish and attract buyers who are willing to pay a price.

This is not just about selling fish; it's more like "fishing" for bigger customers.

The man re-examined Chen Yongqiang: "Interesting. Okay, then I'll wait three days."

Liang Meie listened from the side, her heart pounding.

Once the man was out of sight, she leaned closer: "Three days? Yongqiang, what if no one can offer a better price in three days? We'll be stuck with this fish!"

Chen Yongqiang's gaze returned to the taimen. "Look at how he acted just now. He seemed genuinely interested, and also like he had the money to spare. But the fact that he could wait three more days means he wasn't in a rush."

"We'll sell the miscellaneous fish as usual, and this one will serve as the signboard."

Liang Meie also understood: "I understand."

"Liang Meie..." a female voice rang out from the side.

Liang Meie turned her head and looked over, a smile spreading across her face: "It's Guixiang!"

Wang Guixiang also saw Chen Yongqiang standing by the sled, her eyes quickly darting back and forth between him and Liang Meie.

He wondered to himself: Why are these two at the market together? Did they really get together?

Liang Meie seemed oblivious to the probing look in her eyes, and began to chat warmly: "I heard you moved to town recently? I haven't seen you in ages. Where are you living now? Are you settling in well?"

Wang Guixiang looked away and replied with a smile, "I live at the east end and rent a small courtyard. It's more convenient than living in the village, but you have to buy everything."

As she spoke, her gaze was drawn back to the enormous creature on the sled. "Wow, did you guys do this? Good heavens, I've never seen such a big fish in my life!"

"That's right, Yongqiang brought it up." Liang Meie followed her words.

"We teamed up to sell the fish we caught to raise some money for New Year's goods."

The word "sharing" is used cleverly, as it describes the current situation of setting up a stall together.

Wang Guixiang, having believed so much, was quickly drawn back to the fish: "How much does this cost? Has anyone asked about the price?"

"This big fish, don't rush to sell it, wait for the right person to come along," Liang Meie said, following Chen Yongqiang's suggestion, in a somewhat mystical tone.

"There's such a saying?" Wang Guixiang asked curiously, and then glanced at Chen Yongqiang.