When in Rome, do as the Romans do; wherever you go, you naturally have to follow other people's rules.
As soon as Fu Wan and Bai Qianzhou put away their fishing licenses, an uncle who rents boats came over to greet them.
Jack and the man communicated in a string of gibberish, while Bai Qianzhou quietly translated for Fu Wan.
The two were standing very close together, and passersby might have thought they were a couple whispering to each other.
"He said that most of the boats here belong to him, and he can give us a discount if we rent for a longer period."
Fu Wan raised an eyebrow. There were at least twenty boats moored here. She hadn't realized that this uncle was actually a landlord.
"Ask him how much it costs to rent a boat that's about ten meters long for six hours?"
She glanced at her watch; it was just before 2 p.m., and in six hours it would be 8 p.m., which should be enough time for them to go fishing and make a round trip.
Bai Qianzhou immediately started communicating with the uncle. At first, the uncle thought that Fu Wan and Bai Qianzhou were Chinese people who couldn't speak the language.
"Wan, which ship do you like?"
Jack excitedly pulled Fu Wan along to choose a boat, since she had the most experience at sea.
Having been out of favor for so long, he was determined to have Fu Wan help him avenge his humiliation today!
Fu Wan looked around and realized that the boats here were not the wooden boats of Fu Family Village, nor even tin boats.
It's actually a bit like that speedboat from a few days ago, and I guess it'll be faster than the ones at home.
Moreover, in order to cater to the public's demand, the hull was painted in various colors. Fu Wan was immediately drawn to a white and red boat.
The ship's length met their needs, and just then, Bai Qianzhou arrived after negotiating the price.
"So, what did the boss say?"
He said that if we operate these boats ourselves, it would cost $100 a day, but if we hire someone to help us operate them, it would cost $200 a day.
"Damn, why doesn't he just rob it?"
Fu Wan muttered under her breath, "Everyone says the wages in the US are high, but this is way too high. One hundred dollars, which is almost three hundred yuan in Chinese currency at the current exchange rate."
Three hundred yuan could be the annual income of an average family.
Although Fu Wan and the others are rich, they don't spend their money like this.
Upon hearing this, Jack instinctively reached into his pocket for money, but Fu Wan grabbed his hand and turned to Bai Qianzhou, saying, "Tell him we'll rent the boat ourselves for $60 a day, is that okay?"
"If they don't want to rent it, we'll go ask somewhere else."
She wanted to cut the price in half, but she wasn't sure how to negotiate in the US.
However, the day was already halfway over, and there were still so many boats docked at the pier, and not many people around. Fu Wan didn't believe that the uncle would let go of the opportunity to make money.
Bai Qianzhou spoke with the uncle for a few more minutes, and the uncle was very surprised, probably because he didn't expect anyone to bargain.
He instinctively shook his head, and Fu Wan also instinctively pulled Jack, signaling Bai Qianzhou to follow her.
She counted in her mind, and sure enough, before she had taken three steps, the uncle rushed over and kept saying "ok" to them.
Jack was shocked. Good heavens, what about all the money he had taken out before?
I can't believe there's such a thing!
Although the deal had been made, the landlord still muttered a few words under his breath.
The gist of it was that if it weren't a weekday and there weren't many people renting boats here, he would never have rented the boat to Fu Wan at this price.
Of course, another reason is that Jack had rented a boat here several times before. This sucker charged him a hundred dollars each time, and he had spent most of his salary on it over the past few months.
After getting the keys to the small boat, the landlord, as usual, tried to sell his fishing rod. This rod was also rented; it looked incredibly fancy and cost twenty dollars for half a day.
Fu Wan naturally did not agree to the price, and they brought several fishing rods with them when they set off.
Seeing that these people were unwilling to spend a penny, and just then a few tourists arrived, the landlord simply shook his head, gave up, and turned to swindle others.
"Wan, you're amazing."
After the boss left, Jack gave Fu Wan a thumbs up.
Fu Wan smiled smugly. Just kidding, how could she not haggle over such an obviously outrageous price?
Despite her pride, Fu Wan didn't forget to check the things they had brought.
The boat has been rented, but if the fishing rods and other equipment aren't provided, the landlord won't refund the money.
They rented the boat because they were going to a small island near this area later.
According to Jack, this island used to be a deserted island, and the locals gave it a nice name, Katarina.
Besides fishing rods, fishing also requires auxiliary tools. Fu Wan first checked the landing net and harpoon they had brought.
These harpoons were kept at Fu Fengying's home, because she often lived by the sea and sometimes wanted to try her luck there.
Of course, the fish must meet local standards before you can bring them home.
Besides the harpoon, there were also fishing rods and hooks. These were different from the bamboo fishing rods that Fu Wan usually used, and instead resembled the lure fishing rods that were more popular in later generations.
These lure fishing rods were all purchased by Jack in the last six months. After getting into fishing, this guy just kept spending money, and he has five or six fishing rods alone.
The fishhook was very sharp, and there was also a fishing line. Fu Wan pulled on it slightly, and it was indeed much more resilient than the one at home.
As for the bait, Jack used the same small fish and shrimp that Fu Wan had used before. He had just bought them by the roadside. Because he couldn't use live bait, these fish and shrimp were all completely dead. Even though they were in a small bucket, they still had a strong fishy smell that went straight to the top of his head.
"Alright, the stuff is pretty much the same, let's get on the boat!"
Just in case, Fu Wan wore a mermaid outfit before heading to the beach. However, the mermaid outfit had a prominent curve and was made of a special material, so she wore an outer garment over it.
After loading the items onto the boat, Jack went to start the ship.
Fu Wan watched him operate the boat for a while and quickly learned how to drive it.
Actually, it wasn't difficult at all. It was similar to the boat at home. The rudder controlled the direction, and after less than half an hour, Fu Wan saw the small island that Jack had mentioned.
The island looked larger than Swallow's Nest Island and Coconut Island. Although it was not close, Fu Wan still saw quite a few people on the beach.
It seems that even on weekdays, there are people who don't have to work like beasts of burden.
As they got closer to the island, Fu Wan slowed down her boat considerably.
The closer you get to the beach, the clearer the view becomes. Even Fu Wan, who grew up by the sea, had to admit that Jack was right.
This island is indeed beautiful, even its beaches are rare white sand beaches.
Just looking at it makes you want to step on it barefoot!
And the seawater beside it, gently shimmering in the sunlight, looks like a large blob of blue-green jelly from afar—it's absolutely beautiful.
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