Chapter 44

"Hey, young man, that shell is quite beautiful. How about selling it to me for 200 yuan?" While Su Jing was selling fish, some tourists on the beach also came over to join in the fun, as the stone fish were too eye-catching. However, a middle-aged man had his eye on the shell that Su Jing had picked up.

"No." Su Jing said.

"1,000 yuan." The middle-aged man thought for a moment and then said.

"No." Su Jing shook his head.

"3,000 yuan." The middle-aged man immediately tripled his offer, which made Su Liang, Su Xiaolin, and some of the onlookers around them more agitated. This unremarkable shell, which they had overlooked, was actually worth 3,000 yuan? It was even more expensive than a large lobster?

But to their surprise, Su Jing still said calmly, "No."

Su Liang and Su Xiaolin secretly nudged Su Jing, worried for him. It was just a shell, and he wouldn't sell it for 3,000 yuan?

"Would you sell it for 3,000 yuan? How much more do you want? I want to buy it as a gift for my wife. She loves these strange and beautiful things, and I wouldn't have offered 3,000 yuan otherwise." The middle-aged man said, somewhat dissatisfied, thinking Su Jing was overpricing it.

"What 3,000 yuan?" A woman in a one-piece swimsuit, still charming, came over.

"Dear, look at this shell. Isn't it beautiful? Do you like it?" The middle-aged man smiled.

"It is quite beautiful, but 3,000 yuan is too expensive. Don't waste money." The middle-aged woman smiled, clearly happy that her husband was willing to buy her a gift, but she didn't want to waste money. "Young man, would you sell it for 1,000 yuan? Don't think we have money and can be easily cheated. A shell can't be worth much. If you miss us, you won't find another buyer."

"No." Su Jing still shook his head.

"Then forget it. Keep it and let it rot." The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes and pulled the middle-aged man away.

"Jing, what kind of shell is this? It's worth 3,000 yuan, and you won't sell it?" Su Liang asked, and Su Xiaolin and Su Hu also came closer to take a look.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is a nautilus." Su Jing said. At first, he didn't recognize this shell, but after checking on Baidu, he found out that the nautilus has a spiral shell that is smooth and disc-shaped, resembling a parrot's beak, hence its name "nautilus."

The nautilus is an ancient mollusk with a history of over 100 million years, but its appearance and habits have changed little, earning it the title of "living fossil." It is highly valuable in the study of animal evolution. Its ancestors numbered over 30 species, but they were wiped out along with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. A few surviving nautilus species now live in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including the "Chambered Nautilus," "Deep Umbilical Nautilus," "Large Headed Nautilus," and two less certain species.

Now, the nautilus is as rare as the giant panda. How could Su Jing sell it for just a few thousand yuan? In fact, he was conflicted. No matter how much money it was, he couldn't sell it casually. The nautilus is a protected animal, and if someone reported him, he would be in trouble.

"What is a nautilus?" Su Liang asked curiously.

"I'll tell you later." Su Jing took the nautilus in the bucket to Zhenhong Seafood Shop, and Su Liang and Su Xiaolin followed out of curiosity. They knew Su Jing well and knew he never did anything that would lose money. At Zhenhong Seafood Shop, Su Jing put the nautilus in a fish tank. When Su Zhenhong and others learned that Su Jing had made several tens of thousands of yuan in a blink, they were happy for him, thinking that although he spent money extravagantly, his ability to make money was truly impressive.

"Jing, what kind of shell is this? Is it a pet?" Zhao Mengxiang saw Su Jing put the shell in a fish tank and found it very beautiful, so she asked.

"I've never seen this kind of shell before." Su Zhenhong was surprised.

"Someone offered 3,000 yuan, but Jing didn't sell it." Su Liang smiled.

"3,000 yuan?" Su Zhenhong, Liu Shu, and Zhao Mengxi were all stunned, not expecting the shell to be worth 3,000 yuan. Su Zhenhong and Liu Shu thought Su Jing might be too greedy, but Zhao Mengxi suddenly remembered the zitan wood incident a few days ago and thought there must be a reason why Su Jing wouldn't sell it.

Su Jing took a photo of the nautilus and posted it on the Zhongyun Oceanarium forum. He didn't want to hide anything; either he wouldn't sell the nautilus, or he would sell it through legal channels. Selling it for tens of thousands of yuan and breaking the law would not be worth it. Did Su Jing need to resort to illegal means to make money?

To his surprise, not long after posting, he received a call from the Zhongyun Oceanarium. Su Jing was delighted and answered, "Hello."

A hoarse, excited voice came from the phone, "Hello, I'm Professor Ye, a paleontologist at Zhongyun Oceanarium. Is the post about the nautilus on the forum yours?"

"Yes," Su Jing replied.

The voice on the other end became even more excited, "The nautilus is still with you, right? Where are you? I'll come over immediately. And don't sell or damage the nautilus, take good care of it..."

The old man's voice was so intense that Su Jing felt dizzy.

In the end, Su Jing gave him the address. Less than an hour later, a white-haired old man and a middle-aged man quickly arrived at Zhenhong Seafood Shop. The old man, though old, had sharp eyes and immediately spotted the nautilus in the fish tank, walking over quickly.

"Really, it's a nautilus. I didn't expect to find a nautilus in this sea, and it's so big." Professor Ye's eyes sparkled as he stared at the nautilus, examining it from all angles. Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and he exclaimed, "This nautilus must be sent to the oceanarium immediately. Xiao Ming, come help."

"Teacher, you haven't asked for their permission yet." The middle-aged man was speechless. His teacher was good in every way, but once excited, he forgot all about manners.

"Oh, who found this nautilus?" Professor Ye asked.

"I did." Su Jing raised his hand.

"Is it okay to send this nautilus to the oceanarium? This is a contribution to scientific research." Professor Ye said.

"Sending it to the oceanarium is not a problem, as long as you can pay the price." Su Jing smiled. He knew that according to the "Aquatic Wildlife Resource Protection Law," nautiluses could be sold if approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and a 30,000 yuan resource protection fee was paid to the state. Selling to a private individual would be difficult to get approval, but selling to an oceanarium would be easy, as the oceanarium could handle all the procedures.

"How much do you want?" Professor Ye looked at Su Jing with a smile.

"150,000 yuan." Su Jing said, which made Su Zhenhong, Su Liang, Su Xiaolin, and others gape in shock. This was an outrageous price, but what surprised them even more was yet to come.

"Deal, I'll transfer the money immediately." Professor Ye answered without hesitation.

"Alright." Su Jing had expected Professor Ye to haggle, but seeing his straightforwardness, he suddenly felt he might have lost out, but it was too late to take back his words.

"What about the 30,000 yuan resource protection fee?" Su Jing asked.

"You're not selling the nautilus. Zhongyun Oceanarium is a state-owned institution. Sending it to the oceanarium is like sending it to the state. I'm not buying it; I'm just compensating you." Professor Ye said matter-of-factly and transferred 150,000 yuan to Su Jing without hesitation.

"..." Su Jing was stunned for a moment. He realized that the resource protection fee and taxes could be waived this way.

"Can I have this small fish tank?" Professor Ye asked.

"Of course." Su Jing nodded. After earning 150,000 yuan, giving away a fish tank was only fair.

"Xiao Ming, come help. We need to take this nautilus to the oceanarium as soon as possible. It's pregnant and about to give birth." Professor Ye said, and the middle-aged man helped carry the fish tank and the nautilus away.

"..." Hearing Professor Ye's words, Su Jing finally understood why he had agreed to 150,000 yuan without hesitation. The nautilus was pregnant, and Su Jing realized he might have lost out, but then he thought it was worth it. After all, a nautilus only lays a few to dozens of eggs, and the hatching success rate is not high. It was not easy for researchers, so he could consider it a contribution to science. Besides, 150,000 yuan was still a good deal.

(Thank you to all the supporters: Yu Jia, Xing Yue, So Fengsao, Shi Qu - Du Wu, Dong Gong v Tai Zi, Hai Tang Tai An, Jing Ming Kong, a65732004, and others. Although the update is a bit late, I still need your recommendation votes. If I get more votes and support, I'll try to update three times a day.)

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