"This is a Greenland seal, Boss. Interested in this little guy?" Although Philemon was a bit annoyed by the black man's earlier words, he had kept his mouth shut—there hadn't been any direct insults or racial slurs—so Robbins Garcia and the others didn't react. Philemon noticed Jiang Hai's growing interest in the seal and leaned in to whisper to him.
The Greenland seal, also known as the harp seal, is a native of the Arctic Circle. It can grow up to 1.7 meters long and weigh as much as 130 kilograms. With its broad face and closely set, expressive eyes, it has an undeniably charming appearance—whether as a cub or a full-grown adult.
These seals mainly inhabit the icy waters off the Canadian coast. Recently, they've become popular pets—or at least conversation pieces—because of their adorable looks and those big, blinking eyes that win hearts instantly.
However, since 1997, Canada has banned the hunting of harp seals, making them a rare sight in the market. That said, other countries haven't imposed such restrictions. As of 2000, the IUCN Red List classified the harp seal as a species of "least concern." In China, it's considered a second-level protected animal, but that's largely due to the country's overall scarcity of wild species.
"If we're talking about exotic pets, this one's not a bad pick," Jiang Hai murmured in response to Philemon. To be honest, he wasn't sure what had gotten into him lately. Perhaps he was developing a softer side—he was finding it harder and harder to resist cute animals like this one. Now that Philemon had mentioned it, he was genuinely intrigued.
"But $10,000 is too steep. Let me go talk to him." Philemon, also African-American, figured he might get a better deal. Black folks often communicate more easily among themselves. Flashing a smile, he strode over to the man.
When the vendor saw Philemon approaching, he grinned.
"Hey, brother, you want the seal?" The man extended his hand, and the two exchanged a series of elaborate hand gestures—slaps, snaps, and bumps—a traditional greeting in Black American culture, said by some to date back to the days of slavery. Whether or not that's true, the gesture is now embedded in hip-hop culture. Philemon, though not exactly from that world, was well-versed in the ritual. He returned the greeting smoothly, which instantly made the vendor feel more at ease.
"Yeah, I like this little guy. But ten grand? That's too much," Philemon said with a shrug.
The vendor glanced past him at Jiang Hai. He'd already noticed Philemon talking to Jiang Hai earlier and knew immediately that Jiang Hai was the real buyer.
"Come on, man. Don't play me. It's that yellow guy behind you who wants it. You know how rich those guys are. Ten thousand isn't much for them."
"Yeah, he's my boss. He wants it, sure—but he's not some clueless tourist. He's been living in the U.S. for a while now. If the price doesn't make sense, we'll walk." Philemon kept it cool and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute!" the vendor called after him. "Since you're a brother, I'll give you a deal. Eight thousand."
Haggling isn't very common in the U.S., especially outside of older city districts. Supermarkets are everywhere, but open-air markets are rare. This vendor was clearly overcharging. Cute or not, harp seals aren't particularly valuable.
Historically, their worth came from their fur and seal oil—but with mink coats dominating the fur market, seal fur had become obsolete. Seal oil? This wasn't the Middle Ages, and nobody except Eskimos used that stuff anymore. Globally, the population of harp seals exceeds 10 million, with over 1.2 million pups born annually. In short, there's no scarcity.
Trying to sell one for $10,000 was pure exploitation. Now the price was down to $8,000.
"$6,000, and we've got a deal," Philemon replied, winking back at Jiang Hai. Jiang Hai hesitated, then subtly nodded his approval.
"Man, it wasn't easy catching this one. We had to go all the way to Canada, dealing with those rough Canadians. One of our guys even got injured!" the vendor protested.
"Six thousand. Yes or no?" Philemon said, unmoved.
"How about $6,500? That's my bottom line. If not, go back and eat your pizza," the man said, gritting his teeth.
$6,500 sounded fair to Jiang Hai—after all, it was a $3,500 discount. Philemon agreed, sensing they couldn't push the price any lower.
After Jiang Hai handed over the cash, the seal was delivered. In the cage, the two locked eyes.
"You're mine now, little guy," Jiang Hai said softly, reaching into the cage.
Though the seal had seemed skittish earlier, it now appeared calm—perhaps it sensed something about Jiang Hai. It closed its eyes and nuzzled his touch. Jiang Hai was already pondering names. "Gege"? Too Tartar. "Wooly"? "Lingling"? "Lanlan"? First, he'd have to figure out the seal's gender. Maybe Darlene and the others could help.
While Jiang Hai was petting his new companion, their pizzas arrived. After a quick meal, they prepared to leave.
Just as they stepped outside, the black vendor came running after them.
"Hey! Wait up!" he called out.
Jiang Hai, Robbins Garcia, Philemon, and Burkedale all paused. Was the guy having second thoughts? If he wanted trouble, he'd learn quickly that they weren't easy targets.
"You guys sure move fast," the man said, catching up and panting slightly.
"What's up, buddy? Something else?" Philemon asked, stepping forward again.
"No big deal. I just noticed your boss really liked that seal. We've got more where that came from. Interested in taking a look?" The man looked past Philemon and addressed Jiang Hai directly.
"What kind of stuff?" Jiang Hai asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"Anything you can think of. You rich folks love this exotic stuff, right? Come check it out."
Jiang Hai was tempted. But just as he was about to speak, Robbins Garcia gave his sleeve a discreet tug, and he held back.
"Sorry, it's getting late. We still need to take the cattle back to the manor. We'll come by tomorrow. If our boss is interested, we'll talk then," Robbins Garcia said calmly.
The man sighed, gave a small nod, and stepped aside.
Back in the car, Jiang Hai cradled the seal and turned to Robbins Garcia.
"Why wait until tomorrow? You think they're dangerous?"
"There's always a chance. The guy mentioned they caught the seal themselves—that makes them poachers. Maybe not hardened criminals, but not exactly harmless either. Like you say in China, 'Be wary of others' intentions.' If they tried anything shady, it'd be three of us against who knows how many. Better to bring backup tomorrow if you're serious about buying more."
Jiang Hai nodded slowly. The U.S. wasn't always as safe as it looked.
To be continued…