Chapter 187 [Suspicion in the Heart]

Jiang Lili refused to give in. "Think about this storm at sea. We don't know when it will end. The fish you caught from the sea will just rot and stink if you keep them in the boat."

"It's better to exchange these worthless fish for a rich meal."

What Jiang Lili said really moved everyone. If the fish were left in the cabin, they would easily deteriorate; but they were reluctant to release them back into the sea. At the moment, it was not too bad to make a deal with Jiang Lili.

"After the storm subsides in a few days, you can still go out to sea to catch fresh fish and return to the North Shore. This deal with me is a win-win for both of us."

The fishermen hesitated: "Let's think about it. We don't have to eat coconut chicken."

Jiang Lili was not in a hurry at all.

Wen Xiaomei, who was following Jiang Lili, couldn't help but ask, "Sister Jiang, the seaweed rice balls you taught them to make look much tastier than their stuff. If we take them out, they'll definitely outsell those hard buns next door that were left overnight."

Jiang Lili shook her head. "Don't rush to take out all the good stuff. We need to have the neighboring villages come and compare it so they can know how good our stuff is."

Wen Xiaomei seemed to be thinking about it. "But our coconut chicken hotpot is so expensive. Will it affect our future cooperation with them?"

Jiang Lili patiently explained, "Good wine needs no bush. Simply setting a low price to curry favor will only ruin the fruits of your labor. Cooperation isn't about begging. Don't be too humble. The more you do that, the more the other party will pressure you."

Wen Xiaomei seemed to understand but not quite.

Jiang Lili may have some connections to buy a boat. She plans to seek sponsorship from the He family and buy the boat through the He family's channels. This is much more reliable than going through these fishermen she doesn't know at all.

When Wen Qiao comes back, she will ask Wen Qiao to deliver the valuable items such as agarwood, exotic flowers and plants found on the island to the head of the He family to demonstrate the investment potential of Haizhou Island.

Although she made very attractive promises, asking the He family to use Haizhou Island as their retreat, which made the head of the He family very excited, but now, a month later, the He family is still in a wait-and-see state and testing the waters.

It's time to provide some factual evidence to reassure the head of the He family and let her know that choosing her plan is the right thing to do.

However, Jiang Lili has other ideas for cooperation with these fishermen.

"I just heard these fishermen talking and learned that the place where they fish in the open sea is closest to our South Island. Our South Island is the most suitable place to rest and anchor to avoid the wind, but the environment is really too dilapidated."

Jiang Lili and Wen Xiaomei whispered, "And there are rumors that the barbarians on our South Island are cannibals, so no one wants to come. The fishermen who were forced to the island by the storm this time are our chance."

Jiang Lili plans to open a typhoon shelter. Fishermen from Lingnan or the north bank who go to the open sea to fish can rest in the typhoon shelter if they encounter an accident, want to avoid the wind and waves, or want to replenish energy and take a rest for a while.

At this time, the villagers of Yeli Village also came with kitchen utensils and ingredients for making coconut chicken.

Yin Zhen led everyone to start a fire and boil water to prepare coconut chicken hotpot.

If these people don't eat, they eat it themselves.

It just so happened that today Xin Che and Zhao Pinghou took the villagers who were still able to go up the mountain to hunt and had a great harvest. They brought back a group of wild goats from the mountain, so it would be okay for them to celebrate.

Now with the addition of new villagers and the leadership of Zhaoping Hou's family, the villagers of Yeli Village are no longer as tight as before.

Many fishermen couldn't help but buy steamed buns from Yang Yunzhao to fill their stomachs.

No matter how hungry I was, the taste of these foods was really not good. The steamed buns were not only hard, but also lukewarm. It was obvious that they had been left out overnight. They were not even heated up before being sold. It was very perfunctory.

This makes the fishermen feel that it is not worth it to eat pig food after spending five times the price. It is a huge loss.

Some fishermen offered to exchange sea fish for cash, but the villagers in the nearby fishing village refused to accept it. These sea fish could not be exchanged for money directly, and the quantity was so large that it was difficult to handle.

Just as the fishermen were forcing themselves to eat these stone-like buns, the aroma of coconut chicken soup from Yeli Village gradually became stronger and drifted into the fishermen's noses.

"It smells so good! I've lived for so many years and I've never smelled food with such a fragrance!"

"It's a mixture of coconut and chicken aromas. It's absolutely delicious."

The fishermen looked eagerly at the coconut chicken hotpot in Yeli Village. The hotpot was steaming and looked very warm.

The nights were cold in early winter, and with their wet clothes on, the fishermen wanted to get closer to the fire.

The rich aroma of coconut chicken soup made the unpalatable steamed buns in my hand even harder to swallow.

Jiang Lili added fuel to the fire at the right moment: "Our first batch of coconut chicken is ready. Now if we can gather six people, we can form a group here and enjoy the delicious food."

Some fishermen have already shown interest.

Jiang Lili carefully calculated the cost for everyone: "That means everyone needs to contribute 10 kilograms of fish, and then we can eat it."

"It's not as expensive as you think, and it doesn't cost any money. Don't hesitate. If the fish is not fresh, you will just hit your hands and get nothing."

Master Liao then took out a green mango nearly as big as his head from the small basket on his back and said, "The first person to start a group buy will get a big mango from us!"

When the fishermen heard that there would be fruit to give away, they were immediately excited!

What the sea lacks most is fresh fruits and vegetables. If you don’t eat them for a long time, you will easily get sick.

In their eyes, this fruit is more valuable than sea fish!

However, for Jiang Lili and others who often wander around in the mountains and forests, it is just a matter of picking some fruit.

Unable to resist the temptation of the big green mango, someone immediately raised their hand excitedly: "I, I want to start a group buy!"

"Okay, there are two of you here now!"

"And me, and me!"

......

Soon the six people for the first pot were gathered. Since they were on the boat and couldn't run away, Jiang Lili asked them to eat a bowl first.

After the six people in the group tasted the coconut chicken hotpot for the first time, they couldn't stop eating. They all buried their heads in eating, no one spoke, and they ate so deliciously.

Others couldn't wait to ask, "How is it? Is it delicious?"

"tasty!"

Those who responded were frugal with their words and answered briefly, for fear that if they ate too slowly they would miss out.

The eaters enjoyed the meal with relish, and the onlookers were envious. They soon gave up struggling and said, "Alas, these fish will rot and stink if left in the boat. Why not give them to this girl? It's the best of both worlds!"

The primitive desire for food frantically stimulated everyone's stomach and brain.

Soon, the second and third pots of coconut chicken were also sold out...

It was just the last pot, and the remaining six people were silent for a long time.

Jiang Lili observed carefully and found that the six people were divided into two groups. The four fishermen in one group were eyeing the coconut chicken, but the remaining two fishermen were sitting by a big rock away from the crowd and had no communication with the four fishermen.

These two people didn't seem to be familiar with this group of fishermen, and Jiang Lili became suspicious.