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

People nearby began to whisper among themselves: "168 jin of fish? Even at one yuan per jin, that's 168 yuan!"

In an era when the average annual income was only a few dozen yuan, this was undoubtedly a huge sum of money.

But the price Chen Yongqiang shouted next left everyone speechless.

"A 168-pound king of fish, starting bid 500 yuan!"

An uproar erupted in the crowd instantly.

"How much? Five hundred yuan?!"

"Are you crazy?! Even fish caught in gold wouldn't cost this much!"

"Exactly, who could afford that much money..."

Five hundred yuan is an astronomical figure for most of the villagers who are watching.

Chen Yongqiang had anticipated this reaction, and he raised his voice and shouted:

"Everyone, please be quiet! Please be quiet! Let me say a few words first."

"This isn't just any ordinary fish, it's the king of fish! Buy it for the good fortune it brings! It's for the unique blessings it brings to its owner!"

"Besides, this king of fish is not only the first of its kind here, but it's a rare find even in the whole country."

"Starting bid at 500 yuan, that's really not expensive. Are there any discerning business owners willing to take this auspicious item home?"

Chen Yongqiang only uses marketing rhetoric; selling fish meat alone doesn't make much money.

At this moment, a middle-aged man cleared his throat and spoke:

"Five hundred yuan is quite expensive. However, what the young man said makes sense; it's all about good luck. I'll offer five hundred and ten yuan."

"This boss offered 510 yuan!" Chen Yongqiang felt the price could be raised further.

"Five hundred and twenty dollars!" Another shopkeeper, wearing a conspicuous jade thumb ring, immediately called out the price.

"Five hundred and fifty yuan!" The voice came from a burly man at the back of the crowd.

Although the price increases are small each time, the price is still slowly rising. Currently, the highest bidder is the owner of a transportation business in town.

Chen Yongqiang glanced at the Shen siblings standing on the periphery of the crowd; they hadn't spoken yet.

When the price reached 630 yuan, the situation reached a stalemate.

"Is anyone really willing to pay such a high price?" someone muttered to themselves.

Shen Hongjun looked down on these people: "You think you can buy the King of Fish for five or six hundred yuan? Dream on!"

He then raised his voice: "I'll offer eight hundred yuan."

The moment the price was announced, the room fell silent.

Many of the people who were bidding earlier saw the business opportunity in the middle, planning to buy the goods and then resell them in the county or city to make a profit.

However, Shen Hongjun's price of 800 yuan almost completely squeezed their profit margin.

"Eight hundred yuan per time..."

Although the price did not meet Chen Yongqiang's expectations, it was still a rare find in this small town.

"Eight hundred yuan twice..."

Just as he was about to strike the gong to confirm, a voice with a heavy accent rang out:

"One thousand six hundred and eighty!"

Everyone present looked up at the sound and saw a middle-aged man in a navy blue woolen coat striding out of the crowd, a filtered cigarette dangling from his lips.

He was stocky, with a conspicuous gold ring on his ring finger.

Chen Yongqiang recognized the man as Gao Shihao, the coal mining tycoon.

Two henchmen beside him pushed through the crowd, shouting:

"Make way, everyone make way!"

"Who was being so generous? It turns out to be Boss Gao." Shen Hongjun naturally recognized him as well.

Gao Shihao walked up to Shen Hongjun and said, "Nephew, you don't need to compete with me for this king fish. I know you're preparing it as a birthday gift for Old Master Shen. I'll pay for it; it's just a small token of my appreciation."

Shen Hongjun's expression darkened slightly. The "Old Master Shen" that Gao Shihao mentioned was his grandfather.

Gao Shih-hao's ability to make his fortune through coal mining was undoubtedly due in no small part to the help he received from Old Master Shen in the past.

"Boss Gao is really well-informed. It would be more sincere for me to prepare the birthday gift myself." Shen Hongjun was a little annoyed.

"Look at what you're saying. In the end, this fish will still end up in Old Master Shen's hands. There's no need to be so particular about it." Gao Shihao laughed.

These were well-spoken words, but they left Shen Hongjun in a difficult position.

Those watching could see that this was no longer just about buying fish, but also a contest of face.

Chen Yongqiang struck the gong at the opportune moment: "Boss Gao has bid 1,680! Any other bosses willing to raise the price?"

Shen Hongjun remained silent. This price far exceeded the value of a single fish; in terms of financial resources, he couldn't compare to this wealthy coal tycoon.

Gao Shih-hao took a puff of his cigarette with a look of certainty, then gestured to Chen Yong-qiang with his chin, signaling him to quickly bring down the gavel.

Chen Yongqiang understood, and raised the gong in his hand: "One thousand six hundred and eighty, the second time!"

"One thousand six hundred and eighty yuan, for the third time!"

The gong was struck with a loud clang.

"Deal! The King of Fish is now with Boss Gao! Congratulations to Boss Gao on making a fortune!"

After a brief silence, Chen Yongqiang's voice fell, and the crowd erupted into a more complex commotion.

Gao Shih-hao threw the half-smoked cigarette on the ground, a victor's smile on his face.

"You flatter me, my dear nephew and niece. I'll shamelessly take this birthday gift for the old man first."

Shen Xiaotong wanted to step forward to argue, but Shen Hongjun pulled her back.

Gao Shih-hao stopped looking at them and instead ordered his men, "You two, load the fish onto the truck! You go pay the bill."

One of his henchmen immediately stepped forward with a briefcase, leaned close to Gao Shih-hao's ear, and whispered, "Boss, we didn't bring that much cash today."

Gao Shihao's face darkened, and he glared fiercely at his subordinate. Failing to produce the money in front of everyone would be a huge loss of face for him.

The lackey quickly added in a low voice, "There are... a few small yellow croakers in the bag!"

Gao Shih-hao then turned to Chen Yong-qiang: "Fellow villager, I'll pay with yellow croaker, is that alright?"

"Of course," Chen Yongqiang readily agreed, giving Gao Shihao plenty of face.

By buying gold bars, he not only doesn't lose money, but he might even make a profit.

The henchman quickly opened the bag and rummaged through it. Inside lay several gold bars, all in their original one-tael size (one tael in the old system was approximately 31.25 grams).

He held the gold bar, unsure of what to do with it.

"Give him two," Gao Shih-hao said calmly.

The assistant quickly took out two small yellow croakers and handed them to Chen Yongqiang.

Chen Yongqiang smiled and said, "Boss Gao, if you pay like this, I'm taking advantage of you!"

At the current price of gold through legitimate channels, it is about 22.7 yuan per gram, and a small yellow croaker is worth 710 yuan.

Two of them would cost 1420 yuan. Judging from the amount alone, it seems that Chen Yongqiang undercharged.

But anyone with a bit of connections present knew perfectly well that gold was a hard currency these days, and the price in private transactions was far higher than the official price.

A single small yellow croaker of this size can fetch 1000 yuan or more, and two are conservatively estimated to be worth 2000 yuan.

In this back-and-forth transaction, Chen Yongqiang didn't lose out at all; he clearly profited from the price difference in secret.

Gao Shih-hao naturally understood this as well, and clearly didn't care about this small advantage.

What he's after is the momentum of taking down the Fish King right now; the price difference in gold bars is insignificant to him.

"The fish is ready, boss," another assistant reported.