Chapter 155: Beware of the Scam
The two parties agreed on the time and place of the transaction and left the dock to start preparing.
Is Nanri Island losing money?
From an economic point of view, exchanging a pound of rice for a pound of abalone is a loss for Romania, as abalone is a top-grade food after all.
But from a sociological perspective, Nanri Island is making a lot of money.
Abalone is wild and has no breeding cost. It does require some effort to dive to the bottom of the sea to catch it, and then it is dried in the sun.
But for fishermen, the thing they have the most is strength, so for Nanri Island, the cost is almost zero.
The key point is that for normal people, no one would eat abalone as a meal. If you eat too much, not only will your body not be able to bear it, but you will also feel uncomfortable psychologically and may even vomit.
Therefore, in a famine year, being able to exchange unsold surplus goods for pure rice is definitely a huge profit.
If Lin Sanqi was more ruthless, the price would be even cheaper.
As for what will happen next year if the abalone is replaced with rice? It's as simple as that. The sea is inexhaustible.
(Everyone thought so at that time, otherwise the yellow croaker would not have been fished to near extinction in just a few years)
As for whether Lin Sanqi suffered a loss?
The wholesale price of a pound of rice, grain and oil in the market is less than 2 yuan, and a pound of top-quality Nanri abalone can be sold for several thousand yuan. This business is more profitable than dentistry, and is almost like robbery. It is no different from money falling from the sky.
That evening, in the windbreak near the small pier by the sea.
Lin Sanqi sat on a pile of rice, his hands shaking with exhaustion. Although there was a small forklift to help with loading and unloading, 15 tons of rice still made him exhausted.
However, the motivation of money, like love, can enable people to unleash their infinite potential.
Just when Lin Sanqi was getting a little impatient from being bitten by mosquitoes, a flashlight suddenly appeared on the sea and started circling.
Lin Sanqi also quickly stood up and drew circles with his flashlight. The two sides were in contact.
After receiving the signal, Director Li immediately arranged for the small wooden boat to dock on the beach, and then more than 30 strong men jumped out and began to move bags of abalone from the boat to land.
The scene seemed very quiet.
In order to maintain confidentiality, Nanri Island deliberately did not use a diesel boat this time, otherwise the rattling sound of the motor late at night would easily attract the attention of those who are interested.
Although the small wooden boat has a light load, it is concealed and flexible. Even if someone is chasing or robbing it on the sea at night, it can easily escape.
After all, if the fishermen from other islands knew that Nanri Island had obtained more than ten tons of rice, there would definitely be a world war the next day.
It was Lin Sanqi who reminded them of this. In fact, Lin Sanqi didn't care whether the fishermen lived or died. He was afraid that he would be exposed.
Director Li called softly into the darkness, "Brother Lin, Brother Lin?"
Lin Sanqi ran out quickly, holding a submachine gun given to him by Director Fang of Qinghai People's Hospital, but it was wrapped in cloth with the safety on.
It was a desolate wilderness, the other side had a large number of people, and they were tough fishermen. Lin Sanqi had to be on guard against them trying to rob him.
"Brother Li, I'm here."
Director Li felt relieved when he heard this. He had no intention of robbing his fellow thieves. He was just afraid that Lin Sanqi would break his promise, which would be a false alarm.
"Brother Lin, you're here! Hurry up! Our abalone has been delivered. Where should we put it for you?"
Lin Sanqi thought that if he moved 15 tons of abalone by himself, he would not be able to finish it until dawn, so he pointed to the windbreak not far from the beach and said:
"Pile the abalone over there, and next to it is the rice. There are 15 tons in total. You will have enough to go back and forth."
Director Li and the fishermen were overjoyed when they heard this. No one dared to make any noise. They carried the abalone on their backs and walked quickly towards the windbreak. When they came back, their shoulders were filled with bags of rice.
More than 30 strong fishermen worked quickly, and the abalone on the shore piled up like a small mountain. Lin Sanqi smelled the fragrance of the seafood and felt happy.
Director Li was also very happy. He was quietly checking the rice in each sack on the boat. He took out a handful, put it in his mouth, chewed it for a few times, and then tears filled his eyes.
"Well, well, well, the comrades from the capital really are trustworthy."
A nearby fisherman was anxious: "Third brother, how is this rice? Is it a scam?"
Director Li laughed when he heard this:
"Don't worry, this is all top-quality rice. There's no stale rice, and no sand or gravel mixed in. Comrade Lin from the capital is much more trustworthy than the landlords. We've met a distinguished man."
After hearing Director Li's words, the fishermen quietly put the axes, sickles and chains back on the boat, and then laughed foolishly together.
15 tons of rice is really not much for the 2,000 fishermen on Nanri Island. Each person can only get more than 10 kilograms.
But if you cook seafood porridge, abalone porridge, or kelp porridge, it can last for quite a while.
If there were smarter fishermen who took the rice to the city to exchange for some coarse grains such as sweet potatoes and potatoes, the exchange rate would be one to five. Although the coarse grains were not tasty, they could still keep them alive.
At this time, Lin Sanqi was also secretly checking the quality of abalone.
The price of abalone varies greatly depending on its size. Lin Sanqi agreed to buy more than three-head abalone. If dried small abalone is mixed in, it will be a big loss.
Fortunately, the fishermen were trustworthy, which made Lin Sanqi feel relieved and ready to count the money happily.
After the transaction was completed, both Lin Sanqi and Nanri Island were very satisfied.
"Brother Lin, you've really helped me a lot. Haha, it would be even better if you could give me more food."
Lin Sanqi was in a good mood, and began to brag as usual:
"Hey, you just don't have enough abalone. If you had enough, or if you had shark fin or sea cucumber, it wouldn't be a big deal to give you more food. The company I found has a strong background."
"Shark fin?"
Director Li suddenly had an idea: "Brother Lin, you mean you want shark fin too?"
Lin Sanqi blinked and nodded: "Of course I want the shark fin. It will be delicious if I make it into vermicelli soup when I get home."
Director Li suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Lin, if I can get shark fin, how much rice can you give me per pound?"
Lin Sanqi thought, aren't shark fins imported? How do these remote fishermen manage to get them? Are they trying to trick me with real fans?
In 2013, nearly 90% of shark fins consumed in China were imported, with Dongguang Province and Hujian Province being the top two main consumers of shark fins, demonstrating the popularity of shark fins in these two provinces.
If we can really get shark fin, it will be another wave of traffic that will make us rich.
"Brother Li, wait a minute, aren't shark fins produced overseas? Do you have a way to get them from abroad?"
Director Li burst into laughter after hearing this:
"Brother Lin, do we need to import shark fin from abroad to eat it? Look at what this is. This is the sea. We Hujian people have a tradition of killing sharks to make shark fin. Hujian's "Eight Delicacies" are: abalone, scallops, jellyfish, shark fin, squid, crucian carp, sea cucumber, and fish maw. Look, there's shark fin."
Lin Sanqi nodded thoughtfully, and finally understood something.
In 2013, due to coastal pollution and the reckless fishing by fishermen, there were no fish left to catch along the coast of my country, including sharks.
But in 1959, there were almost no large fishing boats in the country, and industrial pollution was even a legend, so the fishery resources along the coast were quite abundant.
The more sharks there are, the more shark fins there are. It's a simple truth.
Lin Sanqi decided to get two dates first, whether there was a pole or not:
"Brother Li, let me help you collect all the shark fins you have. I can make the final decision. No matter how much shark fin you get, I will give you 2 kilograms of rice for every kilogram of shark fin. How about that?"
Director Li was delighted when he heard this. "Okay, Brother Lin, come to our Nanri Island tomorrow and wait for me for two days. I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer."
"Okay, then we have a deal."
More than ten small wooden boats from Nanri Island, loaded with rice, quickly left the beach and disappeared into the vast ocean.
On the wooden boat, a fisherman asked curiously:
"Third brother, our Nanri Island has been producing abalone since ancient times. We also have shark fin, but the quantity is not large. How are you going to trade with that comrade from the capital?"
Director Li replied with a smile while rowing the boat:
"Isn't that simple? We don't have shark fin on Nanri Island, but there's plenty on our neighboring Pingtan Island. The people of Pingtan have been making shark fin since ancient times. Now they're just like us, unable to sell their shark fin either.
"What do you think? If I give them a pound of shark fin for a pound of rice, will they agree? If not, the shark fin will rot in the warehouse. If they agree, we can earn a pound of rice for free. So tomorrow I will go there myself."
Several fishermen on the boat gave thumbs up:
"Third brother, you are amazing. You can even think of this method."
Li Weihua chuckled and did not answer. He was already thinking about how to fool the Pingtan people.
Hu Jianren is not only adventurous and willing to endure hardships, but also good at business, with a keen business mind, a strong sense of crisis and self-help spirit, and will never sit idly by and wait for death.
Could it be that Director Li Weihua didn't know what he was doing? Would it be that he didn't know the consequences of being discovered?
But for the survival of his fellow tribesmen, he was willing to take the risk and was even willing to be Lin Sanqi's agent to run errands.
If successful, the whole village will have enough food to eat; if unsuccessful, they will flee overseas.
Three days later, using the same transaction method and at the same location, Lin Sanqi exchanged 20 tons of rice for 10 tons of shark fins.
Moreover, the quality of shark fins is very good. Most of them are top-grade ones such as Tianjiuchi, Haihu and Jingou, which are very popular and loved by the wealthy.
When Lin Sanqi drove the jeep out of Putian, his harvest was quite huge. Not only did he successfully complete the task of purchasing "Shijueming", but he also made a huge profit from dried abalone and shark fin.
Some readers in the north and inland areas might dismiss this article, thinking the author is just writing nonsense again: How could the Hujian people be so bold? How dare they trade grain privately? Aren't they afraid of being caught and shot?
I guess readers in coastal areas such as Zhejiang, Hujian, Dongguan, and Hainan all smiled after seeing this.
That’s it?
What other business are the coastal people afraid to do?
In another 20 years, people from these four provinces will let people all over the country know what true courage means.
What’s a little bit of food?
As for maritime trade in the 1980s and 1990s, well, I can’t say anymore. If I say too much, I’ll get shot again…
(End of this chapter)
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