News that the Qin family's fish had been stolen quickly spread in the area, and many people secretly rejoiced.
The police came over in uniform, checking the surrounding area for clues and pouring over the surveillance footage for any suspicious activity. They found nothing.
In the end, Qin Dahai's face was contorted in fury, but there was nothing he could do.
Beside him, Qin Zhiyu also turned white. From time to time, he recalled the threats of a certain young man, but he couldn't get himself to mention a word, nor did he even really believe his own thoughts.
Chu Xian didn't know any of this, and of course if he had known, he would've just laughed and posed - that's what you get for messing with me!
At the entrance of his store, Chu Xian looked out at the heavy rain with changing emotions.
"Wtf, you want to raise the price? It seems like the seller is already crazy!"
"Raise! Raise! Boss, raise them as much as you want! I can't afford to buy them anyway!"
"Nice try boss - telling us you'll raise the prices to try to get people to buy your fish now. You should something else!"
"Whether you raise them or not, it has nothing to do with me! I'm just looking!"
Chu Xian glanced over the comments with a smile. He opened up his WeChat and saw two more orders, so he packed up the goldfish and called the express delivery service to come pick them up.
Life was great, and sales were looking good. On better days, he could sell almost a dozen fish online, and Chu Xian was still looking for ways to develop his online presence.
"Come, come. Xiao Yue. Stand here. Yes, yes! Okay, raise the umbrella a little higher!" Chatter wafted into the store, disturbing Chu Xian's thoughts.
A beautiful woman wearing a traditional cheongsam outside the entrance of his store held up a colorful umbrella. Three young men stood a little distance away, and one of them was taking pictures with a camera.
Chu Xian walked over curiously, glancing at the traveling agency and press ID cards hanging around the young men's necks. They were probalby here to promote Gu Wu Street.
"Good, good. Okay. It's raining a lot now, so let's take shelter here," the man with the camera said, carefully wiping some rain off his equipment.
"En." They all nodded, walking over to Chu Xian's store.
"Boss, do you mind if we come in for a bit?" one of the men asked.
"Not at all, not at all! Please, come in!" Chu Xian replied.
"Brother Feng, my clothes are all soaked and uncomfortable, and it's raining so heavily! You still want me to pose for pictures?!" the lady in the cheongsam complained as she shook the water from her umbrella.
"Xiao Yue, just bear with it a little longer. We're almost done," the man with the camera said with a smile. "The leader's orders: Gu Wu Street needs to be ready for online promotion, and we'll have to take a few more artistic pictures. Heh."
"Hmph. I don't care, you just need to make it up to me afterwards!" the cheongsam lady huffed, grabbing the young man's arm coquettishly.
"Okay, okay." The young man nodded quickly. "No problem, after we're done with the pictures, I'll get you whatever you want."
"Hehe. You promised!" The cheongsam lady giggled.
"When have I ever lied to you?" The young man hugged her with a smile. Looking over at Chu Xian, he said, "Boss, do you have a chair so my girlfriend can sit?"
"Take mine." Chu Xian stood up, handing over his stool.
"Thanks, boss." The young man nodded, offering the chair to the lady.
"I'm not sitting. This looks like a goldfish store - let me look around!" The lady refused the chair and wandered around the store.
"Wow! The goldfish are so pretty!" she exclaimed.
"Brother Feng! Brother Feng! Come here! The goldfish are so beautiful!" The girl waved excitedly, so the young man walked over with a smile.
"What is it? What kind of goldfish are making you so excited?" the young man asked curiously.
"Look! Look! Aren't they so cute! Wow! This one is so beautiful!"
"Tsk, tsk. They really are beautiful." The young man couldn't help but agree.
"Brother Feng, I want some of these. Buy them for me!" the lady begged, clinging to the man's arm.
"Okay, okay. I'll buy them. If you like them, we'll get them!" The young man nodded without hesitation, turning to Chu Xian. "Boss, how much are the goldfish? Give us a small tank."
"Two thousand each. If you buy five, I'll throw in a free tank!" Chu Xian replied with a smile.
"How much?" the young man asked in astonishment.
"Two thousand each!" Chu Xian repeated, pointing at the tank. "It's written right there."
The cheongsam lady was stunned, and lifting her arms, she looked at the price tag she had covered.
"Oh."
"Two thousand for one? Why don't you just go rob a bank!" The young man said with a twisted expression. He only made six to seven thousand RMB a month. A small tank would cost him two month's salary!
"Hehe, it's always been this price." Chu Xian laughed, taking back his chair and sitting down.
The young man's expression kept changing, and the cheongsam lady pulled his arm. "I want these fish. You said you'll buy whatever I want!"
"Babe, let me talk," the young man said, patting her arm. "How can these goldfish be worth two thousand each? They're at most thirty or forty RMB. This boss is obviously tricking us!"
"That's not true. My goldfish are all rare and luxurious. Two thousand for one isn't expensive, and in a couple days, I'm raising the prices," Chu Xian replied unhappily.
"Rare and luxurious? How rare can they be if you have hundreds of them here? The goldfish are pretty, but two thousand for one is still way too much. You're obviously lying!" the young man yelled emotionally.
Chu Xian frowned. "This is the price. If you can't afford them, just don't buy them. I'm not forcing you."
"What do you mean can't afford? Boss, I don't like your attitude! You should sell them at an appropriate price instead of tricking your customers. You can't abandon your conscience just to make money!"