Chapter 45: Su Mei

Da Hongpao from Wuyi Mountain is the most famous tea in Wuyi, known as the "King of Teas." It grows on a steep cliff face within the Nine Dragon Nest. According to tea masters, Da Hongpao can be steeped up to 9 times and still retain its original flavor—osmanthus fragrance. Other famous teas, when steeped 7 times, become very light in taste.

The three mother trees of Da Hongpao in the Nine Dragon Nest scenic area of Wuyi Mountain have a history of over 360 years.

These mother trees are specially guarded by local workers and managed scientifically. Every spring, 3-4 leaves of new shoots are picked, and after withering, cooling, shaking, frying, initial rolling, re-frying, re-rolling, water walking, sieving, cooling, picking, re-drying, and final sieving, they are made into Da Hongpao. In the best years, the annual yield of Da Hongpao is less than one pound.

Now, the three original Da Hongpao tea trees still stand at the bottom of the Nine Dragon Nest, producing only about six to seven ounces of tea annually due to their extremely low yield. Therefore, it is impossible to buy them on the market.

The first generation of Da Hongpao was propagated from cuttings taken during the pruning of the three mother trees. Don't think there are many, as the mother trees are very old and are not pruned every year, making this generation of Da Hongpao extremely rare.

After everyone had tasted the tea, the female auctioneer said, "The first item for auction is the Da Hongpao you have just tasted, weighing half a pound, with a starting bid of 200,000 yuan."

As the auctioneer spoke, many people began to bid.

"250,000 yuan"

"300,000 yuan"

"400,000 yuan"

...

Finally, a local Hong Kong tycoon bought the Da Hongpao for 650,000 yuan.

The auctioneer continued, "The next item is a wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain, with a root age of 80 years, starting bid at 1,000,000 yuan."

The popularity of ginseng was clearly higher than that of tea, and the price quickly climbed.

1,500,000 yuan

1,550,000 yuan

1,650,000 yuan

...

2,000,000 yuan

Finally, a tycoon from Southeast Asia bought the ginseng.

One by one, items were auctioned off, and Ye Yuan could see that these tycoons truly had the means to spend lavishly.

When it was time for his abalone to be auctioned, Ye Yuan sat up straight.

"Abalone, I don't need to introduce much. This time, the number of abalones for auction is unprecedented—five abalones."

That's right, five abalones. In last night's chat, Ma Mingyuan suggested that Ye Yuan not auction too many abalones, as it could easily disrupt the market price. The extra abalones would be purchased by Henghai Group at the average price of the five abalones auctioned today.

As long as someone bought them, Ye Yuan didn't mind who, so he readily agreed.

The first abalone was placed on the auction table, and the auctioneer continued, "This is a double-headed abalone provided by Fish Bay Seafood, weighing 398 grams."

"The starting bid for the abalone is 400,000 yuan."

As soon as she finished speaking, a Hong Kong celebrity bid.

"450,000 yuan"

Then a European tycoon bid.

"550,000 yuan"

"600,000 yuan"

"630,000 yuan"

...

Finally, a European tycoon bought Ye Yuan's first double-headed abalone for 650,000 yuan.

One by one, the abalones were auctioned off. After all five double-headed abalones were sold, Ye Yuan estimated that the five abalones had sold for 3,500,000 yuan.

Because all five double-headed abalones sold for good prices, there was a bit of noise in the hall. At this moment, a single-headed abalone was brought to the display table. The female auctioneer cleared her throat and said,

"The moment you've all been waiting for has arrived. As everyone knows, single-headed abalones are rare in Hong Kong's history. Today, we have the privilege of witnessing history. This single-headed abalone is not just any single-headed abalone; it weighs 621 grams. The starting bid is 1,000,000 yuan. Please place your bids!"

The value of the single-headed abalone needed no introduction; everyone in the room knew its worth.

"1,300,000 yuan"

"1,380,000 yuan"

"1,400,000 yuan"

As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, three people bid in quick succession. Ye Yuan noticed that many tycoons were eyeing the single-headed abalone eagerly.

"1,500,000 yuan"

At this point, a local Hong Kong tycoon bid.

"1,800,000 yuan"

Then a royal family from the Middle East bid.

"1,900,000 yuan"

The local Hong Kong tycoon continued to bid.

"2,000,000 yuan"

A voice, not loud but heard by everyone, came from a position in the back. A blonde, blue-eyed European gave the bid.

"2,100,000 yuan"

"2,300,000 yuan"

Thinking the price was already high, a few more people bid. In the end, the abalone was bought by the Middle Eastern royal family for a sky-high price of 3,050,000 yuan.

Ye Yuan didn't pay much attention to the rest of the auction. Although 3,050,000 yuan wasn't his highest income, he still had many such abalones in his storage.

After the auction, Ma Mingyuan found Ye Yuan and gave him a check. Ye Yuan signed the transfer agreement, and the abalones left behind at the auction belonged to Ma Mingyuan.

"Great cooperation, and congratulations on your big earnings at this auction," Ma Mingyuan congratulated Ye Yuan.

"Everyone makes money," Ye Yuan replied in kind.

Wang Yueshan also walked over, "Congratulations, Ye. This time, you've really made me envious, with a total income of 16,000,000 yuan."

Ye Yuan understood Wang Yueshan's meaning; he was worried that Ye Yuan might not be able to provide the abalones as promised.

"Brother Shan, don't worry. I'll keep my promise. I'll sell you 10 abalones at the lowest price of 600,000 yuan each. Is that enough?"

"Thanks, brother."

Wang Yueshan was in a good mood, knowing that Henghai Group would pay 700,000 yuan each, so he saved 1,000,000 yuan without doing anything.

Just as the two were joking with each other, a pleasant voice came from behind.

"Mr. Ye, you're from Lantao Island, right?"

Ye Yuan turned around to see a woman in her thirties with light makeup, giving off an air of nobility, standing behind them.

Wang Yueshan smiled bitterly.

"Who would have thought, Boss Su, you're really resourceful. Since you're here, let's have a drink over there." Wang Yueshan knew Su Mei's intentions and didn't say anything harsh, directly leading Su Mei and Ye Yuan to a nearby café.

Through Wang Yueshan's introduction, Ye Yuan learned that this beautiful woman was the current head of Lantao Island's Fuxiangju. He greeted her warmly.

"Mr. Wang, I don't like beating around the bush. I'll be straightforward, and I hope you don't mind. I assume this young man is the one who provides you with premium seafood?"

Wang Yueshan hadn't expected Su Mei to be so direct.

"Yes, his name is Ye Yuan, and he's from Pinghai County, Lantao Island," Wang Yueshan introduced Ye Yuan to Su Mei, knowing he couldn't avoid it.

"Oh, Pinghai County? That's quite a coincidence. A few days ago, I signed a supplier from Pinghai County, who is said to be the most powerful in the county," Su Mei said, surprised.

"Who is Su Mei's supplier?" Ye Yuan asked, curious.

"Don't call me Su Mei. If you respect me, call me Sister Su," Su Mei said, looking at Ye Yuan with big eyes.

Ye Yuan rubbed his nose, embarrassed. "Then, Sister Su, don't call me Mr. Ye. Just call me Xiaoyuan; everyone calls me that."

Su Mei was indeed skilled at building relationships.

"Alright, I'll call you Xiaoyuan. My supplier is said to be very famous in your area, his name is Zhang Gui. Do you know him?"