Chapter 66

After breakfast, Yue Chengyu called, saying that the renovation matters had been settled. It was the person Xiao Tao introduced, who was more straightforward than others and pointed out some particularly important things to note, and the price was also reasonable.

Fang Tianfeng knew that Xiao Tao had put in effort and kept this in mind.

The weather was a bit overcast today. Receiving a call from He Changxiong, Fang Tianfeng went to treat Old He. Old He's attitude had improved a lot; he would smile when he saw Fang Tianfeng. Fang Tianfeng didn't think much of it, but He Changxiong was very pleased.

After the treatment, Fang Tianfeng went downstairs and ran into Xia Xiaoyu. The two walked and chatted for a bit. Fang Tianfeng noticed that when he was with An Tiantian, it was mostly An Tiantian talking; but with Xia Xiaoyu, it was almost all him.

Xia Xiaoyu was still the same, with a slight communication barrier, blushing easily.

Before parting, Fang Tianfeng stopped and sent a text message to Xia Xiaoyu.

"Goodbye, I think this way you won't be shy."

Xia Xiaoyu took out her phone in confusion, read the message, and then blushed, quickly leaving. Her pink nurse's uniform became a beautiful sight in Fang Tianfeng's eyes, and many people were vying for this view.

Fang Tianfeng didn't return to Chang'an Garden but asked Master Cui to go to the aquarium market and then contacted Shen Xin.

Shen Xin said her friend Ali was waiting for him and gave Fang Tianfeng his contact information.

Upon arrival, the car stopped, and Fang Tianfeng bid farewell to Master Cui.

The full name of the place is Yunhai Flower, Bird, Fish, and Insect Market, divided into four sections: aquarium, bird market, flowers and plants, and pets. It also sells various related equipment and is the largest flower, bird, fish, and insect market in Yunhai City.

Fang Tianfeng entered the aquarium section. Around the main entrance were various smaller stalls, some selling small tropical fish, some selling fish food and bait, and others selling sand and fish tanks.

Further inside were larger shops selling more expensive ornamental fish.

Fang Tianfeng called Ali and then walked to Ali's shop, Longlongju.

Ali was a young man in his late twenties, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, with short hair and a bronze complexion, very enthusiastic.

Fang Tianfeng looked around Ali's shop, which had multiple fish tanks and aquariums. Various beautiful dragon fish swam around, pleasing to the eye. Some were small fry, and others were mature dragon fish over half a meter long, giving an elegant and luxurious feel.

Ali smiled and said, "You are Shen Xin's brother, so you are my brother too. I'll let my wife watch the shop and accompany you today."

Fang Tianfeng smiled and said, "Thank you. I did some research on dragon fish yesterday. Currently, only red dragon fish and overback golden dragon fish are worth investing in, right?"

Ali showed a look of difficulty and said, "I used to deal with these two types of fish, but unfortunately, I lost a lot. Now I mainly deal with ordinary silver dragon fish, star-point dragon fish, and green dragon fish. I just keep them for fun; these types are enough and look good. I personally prefer silver dragon fish. If you want to invest, choosing overback golden dragon fish and red dragon fish can bring more returns, but the risk is also high."

Fang Tianfeng said, "Even if you don't understand, you have more experience than I do. I came today to get a feel for things, not necessarily to buy."

"Then let me show you around. Let's go."

Subsequently, Ali led Fang Tianfeng to a nearby shop that sold golden dragon fish.

Ali pointed to a dragon fish with a slightly red tail. The fish's scales had a light golden edge, and the inside was grayish-blue.

Ali said, "We classify golden dragon fish into five grades. This is the lowest grade, the fifth-grade red-tailed dragon, named for its slightly red tail. As you can see, from the side, this fish has six rows of scales from the belly to the back. The golden color only reaches the fourth row and doesn't extend to the fifth or sixth rows, so it's a low grade."

Yesterday, Fang Tianfeng only looked at the general introduction and classification, not the details, so he asked, "Ali, the first four rows of this fish are only golden at the edges. Can it still be called a golden dragon fish?"

Ali smiled and said, "You don't understand. The scales of the fish we eat also have a color gradient, right? The 'gold' in golden dragon fish refers to the golden edge of the scales, which insiders call the 'scale frame.' Inside the scale frame is the 'base color.'"

As he spoke, Ali pointed to another golden dragon fish.

Unlike the previous one, this golden dragon fish had a very light red tail, and the scale frames were golden yellow, very beautiful.

"Look at this one, it's a fourth-grade high-back golden dragon fish. It's called high-back because the golden color extends to the fifth row, one row more than the fifth-grade red-tailed dragon. Below the dorsal fin, there are slightly round scales, called pearl scales. Whether the pearl scales are golden is also a factor in evaluating the value of golden dragon fish. The fifth-grade red-tailed dragon's pearl scales are not golden, but this one has a few golden ones, which is one of the marks of a high-back golden dragon."

At this moment, the shop owner, after serving another customer, walked over enthusiastically and said, "Since you're introduced by Ali, you're a friend. Buy one at a 10% discount, and the more you buy, the more discounts you get. What's most important when buying dragon fish? Trust! Some unscrupulous sellers pass off inferior goods as good ones, deceiving consumers. My dragon fish are all genuine. Look at this one, just name your price and take it!"

Fang Tianfeng and Ali looked at the dragon fish the shop owner pointed to.

This fish had more golden color than the previous fourth-grade high-back, not only covering the fifth row but also having some golden scales on the sixth row.

The shop owner whispered with a smile, "This B-grade overback just arrived from the Bukit Merah fish farm in Malaysia. Genuine ones are taxed, making the price too high. These dragons are smuggled. However, they look so beautiful; if you bring them home, they will surely improve your feng shui."

Dragon fish enthusiasts generally refer to dragon fish as "dragons" and buying as "inviting."

Ali said, "Whether it's the third-grade high-back or this second-grade B overback, they are all the result of crossbreeding between second-grade overback golden dragon fish and fifth-grade red-tailed dragons! He's my friend, don't take him for a ride."

The shop owner's face turned red, and he said, "Sorry, sorry, I didn't know your relationship. But the grade of this B overback is definitely correct, from the Bukit Merah fish farm. 20% off, how about that?"

Fang Tianfeng smiled but didn't say anything.

Ali said to him, "A third-grade B overback is not worth investing in."

Ali looked around the shop and finally his gaze fell on a dragon fish, unable to resist praising, "What a beautiful overback golden dragon! I didn't expect to see such a good one here."

The shop owner chuckled and said proudly, "This is new stock, isn't it great? I'm a bit reluctant to sell it."

Fang Tianfeng looked, and indeed, this dragon fish was more beautiful than the previous ones, with a golden hue all over its body, as if it had a faint glow, almost magical, captivating the eye.

"Look at this one, it's a genuine overback golden dragon. Counting from the bottom up, the sixth row of scales just crosses the back, and the scale frames of this sixth row are all golden, which is the so-called overback. This fish has no flaws in its pearl scales or anything else, worth at least 10,000."

The shop owner was unhappy and said, "At least 12,000!"

Fang Tianfeng asked, "The worst fifth grade is the red-tailed dragon fish, the fourth grade is the high-back dragon fish, the third grade is the B overback, and the second grade is the overback dragon fish. What is the first grade?"

Ali smiled and said, "I'll show you a more beautiful one."

But the shop owner suddenly said, "Wait, don't go. If you really want an overback golden dragon, I have some excellent fish fry, very cheap. Ali, you can verify it yourself; they have chips and certificates, can't be faked."

As he spoke, the shop owner pointed to a large fish tank.

Inside the tank were two golden dragon fish about 20 centimeters long, with golden scales covering the fifth row, and many golden scales on the sixth row. These two overback golden dragon fish slowly swam, shining brightly against the white tank.

Ali looked closely and said, "So small, yet the pearl scales are full, and the fifth row is complete, the sixth row is showing. The quality is very good, at least AA grade by Malaysian standards. How much for each?"

"4,500 each, cheaper if you buy both."

Ali said to Fang Tianfeng, "Overback golden dragon fish don't have full golden scales on the sixth row from the start; the golden color gradually spreads as they grow. These two are already so good at 20 centimeters, they will be even more beautiful in the future. If you raise them well, you can make a small profit. The price he's giving is also low. However, I suggest you start with ordinary dragon fish to practice first."

The shop owner smiled and said, "I've already sold two today. If you want to buy later, there won't be any left."

Fang Tianfeng carefully observed and felt something was off. He subconsciously used the Qi-sensing technique and found that both dragon fish had a sickly aura, feeling even more uneasy. He smiled and said, "I'll wait a bit longer."

As he spoke, he left, and Ali followed. The shop owner just sighed.

After walking a distance, Fang Tianfeng asked, "Can these fish be faked?"

Ali smiled and said, "These overback golden dragon fish are hard to fake because they come from Malaysia or Singapore, possibly smuggled, but they are genuine."

Fang Tianfeng said, "I felt that the two dragon fish were a bit sickly."

Ali was taken aback, thought for a moment, and said angrily, "That's why he sold them so cheap! Luckily you have good eyesight, or even I might have been deceived! I didn't expect him to trick even his friends!"

Fang Tianfeng asked curiously, "What happened?"

"Overback golden dragon fish have more golden scales as they age. But since we can't see their age, we judge by their length. For overback golden dragon fish of the same length, the more golden scales, the better the quality, and the higher the price. Overback golden dragon fish that are 20 centimeters long are theoretically eight months old. The two fish we saw were very good in quality. But after you reminded me, I realized they weren't eight months old. He used a slow-feeding method to make at least ten-month-old dragons grow to 20 centimeters!"

"Ah, I see. Thank you. If you hadn't explained, I would have bought them and lost a lot of money," Fang Tianfeng said.

Ali gave Fang Tianfeng a thumbs up and said, "Don't thank me, it's your good eyesight. I stopped dealing with high-grade dragon fish because my eyesight wasn't good enough. Luckily you didn't buy them; if you had, I would have been embarrassed to face Shen Xin."

Then, Ali said regretfully, "I talked too much just now, sounding like a shill. You can ask around in the market; I, Ali, have never done such things. This year, I've only helped two or three friends invite dragons, each time spending a lot of time. It's better to sell fish honestly and make more money than to shill for a few hundred."

Fang Tianfeng smiled and said, "Everyone has their blind spots. I trust Shen Xin's judgment. Besides, if you really wanted to trick me, you wouldn't have advised me to start with ordinary dragon fish to practice, nor would you have told me about the problems with the two fish. You would have continued to deceive me."

Ali smiled gratefully.

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