Chapter 81

"Ten thousand? I didn’t hear wrong, did I?"

"Ten thousand for a butterfly? Are they crazy?"

The crowd erupted into a cacophony of murmurs, each person unable to believe their ears.

A few among them, however, sneered. This short-haired middle-aged woman must be a shill, right? But to inflate the price so unrealistically at once, this shill is really incompetent, isn’t she? Has she gone mad for money?

"Is she a shill?" a middle-aged woman with a lingering charm also doubted.

"It’s possible," the middle-aged man nodded.

At this moment, a burly man pushed his way through the crowd and smiled, "I’ll offer eleven thousand."

A thin old man raised his hand and said, "I’ll offer twelve thousand."

Those who initially thought it was a shill widened their eyes. Weren’t the burly man and the thin old man important guests at this pet exhibition? They were the big buyers that all exhibitors wanted to curry favor with. Was this shill’s level too high?

"Does anyone know what kind of butterfly this is? Is it really worth such a high price?" a woman asked. She also liked the butterfly and originally wanted to buy it, but with the price being jacked up so high, she couldn’t help feeling dissatisfied.

"This is the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing, the most beautiful butterfly in the world..." The short-haired middle-aged woman, perhaps out of her professional habit as a pet expert, gave a detailed introduction, leaving many people speechless. The middle-aged couple also looked up the information on the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing, comparing the photos and finding that it was almost identical to the one in front of them.

The Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing, also known as the Helenae Morpho, belongs to the family Nymphalidae, genus Morpho. It is found in Brazil, Peru, and other countries, living in the Amazon River basin of South America. It is extremely rare, with weak reproductive capabilities and is highly valuable. In China, there are only three wild specimens, two of which are in the Xi'an Butterfly Garden, and one is in the collection of a Beijing collector.

The Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing once appeared in the "World Wonders Insect Exhibition" and was auctioned at Sotheby's in the United States for over $40,000, which, at the time, was equivalent to about 360,000 RMB.

Now, this species of butterfly has been artificially bred in large quantities in Peru and is available on the market. In the domestic market, an A1 quality unopened butterfly costs over 450 RMB, and the opened butterfly as a craft item costs between 800 to 1,000 RMB. However, most commercial specimens have had their abdomens removed to prevent oil from damaging the wings during transportation.

However, the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing in front of them could not be measured by any existing quality standards. Using A1 quality to describe it would be an insult. This butterfly had surpassed the standards, reaching a new level of beauty.

Therefore, several experts were convinced that this must be a wild, pure Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing. Compared to this one, the butterfly that sold for 360,000 RMB seemed like a fake.

Moreover, this one was still alive! For some people, they prefer specimens over live butterflies because the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing has a short lifespan and is very fragile, easily damaging its wings and losing its color, which affects its beauty. Specimens, however, can be preserved permanently. However, for some merchants, this was a huge business opportunity, as they might be able to use this butterfly to breed a top-tier Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing.

"I’ll offer fifteen thousand," the burly man suddenly raised the bid again. The thin old man and the short-haired middle-aged woman frowned, hesitating.

"Don’t argue for now. I won’t sell it for the time being. The pet exhibition isn’t over yet. Why don’t we exchange contact information and discuss it later?" Su Jing smiled.

"Kid, the wings of the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing are very fragile. Don’t damage them tonight."

"Be careful not to scare it, or it might crash into the glass and damage its wings."

"I think you should sell it to me and make it into a specimen as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the wings are damaged, it won’t be worth much."

The burly man, the thin old man, and the short-haired middle-aged woman clearly wanted the butterfly very much and were worried about it getting damaged. However, since Su Jing insisted on not selling it for the time being, they had no choice but to leave their business cards.

Su Jing took their business cards and put them away. In his mind, he had already thought of a way to make money. He didn’t plan to sell the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing, not even one. Instead, he planned to sell specimens to avoid others breeding it. If others bred it, he would lose his advantage.

Seeing that someone offered 150,000 RMB and Su Jing still didn’t sell, many people sighed. The middle-aged woman who had been watching from the side had already slunk away, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to hide in.

"Wasn’t the last shell really worth more than 3,000 RMB?" the middle-aged woman asked awkwardly.

"I have a friend who works at an aquarium. I’ll ask him," the middle-aged man said, having taken a photo of the nautilus and sent it to his knowledgeable friend to ask what it was and how much it was worth.

"This is a nautilus. Where did you take the photo?" the friend quickly replied.

"I took it at the beach a while ago. A young guy caught it."

"Damn, why are so many people so lucky these days? Why can’t I catch one?"

"So, is the nautilus very valuable?"

"Of course, it’s very valuable. Our Zhongyun Aquarium recently bought one from Sujia Village for 150,000 RMB. It was more expensive because it was pregnant, but even a regular nautilus is worth at least 30,000 RMB."

"..." The middle-aged man and the middle-aged woman exchanged glances, their faces full of embarrassment. They couldn’t help but sigh that one shouldn’t judge people or animals by their appearance. They wouldn’t be so hasty next time to avoid being laughed at.

...

"This butterfly should be taken to an insect exhibition, not a pet exhibition, right?" As everyone was marveling at the beauty and value of the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing, a sarcastic voice rang out from the crowd.

"Is it any of your business?" Zhu Jianhua narrowed his eyes.

"I’m also an exhibitor. If you disrupt the order, it’s my business. Not only me, but several nearby exhibitors also have issues with you. I advise you to take this butterfly away as soon as possible." A young man with many acne scars pushed his way through the crowd. People were being drawn to this side, leaving his booth deserted, so he was naturally upset.

"Who is he?" Su Jing whispered.

"Manager Wei Qiang of a branch of Para Pet Shop in Zhongyun City, a competitor of our Perfect Pet Paradise," Zhu Jianhua whispered back.

"I see." Su Jing nodded, having an idea. He and Perfect Pet Paradise were on the same boat, with their interests closely tied. Not only in the sale of some pets, but even the acting jobs for the tabby cat were arranged by Perfect Pet Paradise, and they would continue to cooperate in the future. The reputation of Perfect Pet Paradise greatly affected Su Jing’s interests.

"This butterfly is a pet," Su Jing said.

"Ha, don’t make me laugh. This can be considered a pet?" Wei Qiang laughed exaggeratedly.

"Then, according to you, what qualifies as a pet? What are the standards?" Su Jing asked calmly.

"Watch this." Wei Qiang led a Husky, gave a command, and threw a ball. The Husky ran over, picked up the ball, and brought it back. "See? That’s what a pet is. The butterfly is just an insect, a commodity."

"Ha, watch this." Su Jing smiled, a smile that left many people puzzled. Zhu Jianhua’s heart sank. What was Su Jing up to now?

The page turns, and the ad begins.

The page turns, and the ad ends.