The ship docked again, and the people were disembarked. Watching their receding figures, everyone spontaneously took out their cash rewards and started counting them one by one.
Even though I know how much the reward is, I don't feel at ease unless I count it myself.
With other people present, no one felt comfortable showing their numbers and had to suppress their excitement.
Now, I can finally count them without any worries.
They were all 100-yuan bills, so there were only 10 bills for 1000 yuan. They were easy to count, and I finished counting them in no time.
"1000 yuan per person? That's incredibly generous!"
"Yes, when I heard yesterday that I was going to receive a prize, I thought I would be lucky to get a hundred or so yuan. I didn't expect it to be so much."
"Hehe, I was thinking they'd just give us a certificate and that would be it, but they gave us real money, and so much of it."
“We each gave 1,000 yuan, plus Ah Ye’s 2,000 yuan, which makes a total of 9,000 yuan. That’s incredibly generous.”
"When I heard about the award, I was stunned."
"Who isn't? It really feels like a dream..."
Everyone was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear, and exclaiming in delight.
Feng Ye also took out the money and counted it, and was just as happy.
He smiled broadly, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction: "I guess there are two reasons why the reward is so high."
First, by setting an example for us, we can inspire other fishermen to be more motivated.
Secondly, the item we retrieved is of high value and of great use to the country…
Ah-Can suddenly exclaimed, "Damn, we've lost out! We've lost out big time!"
Everyone was confused by him and turned to look at him.
“Think about it, they’re willing to give us 9,000 yuan as a reward, doesn’t that mean that thing is more valuable? Doesn’t that mean we’re losing out?”
After hearing what Ah-Can said, everyone looked at each other, their feelings complicated.
“That makes sense. The value of that thing is likely far beyond our imagination.”
"Damn, we really lost out big time!"
"Damn it, I shouldn't have handed it over so easily."
"What's the use of saying all this now? It's too late; the documents have already been handed in."
"Yes, it's too late to regret it now..."
Seeing everyone's insatiable greed, Feng Ye couldn't help but shake his head: "Don't be too greedy, the rewards we've given you are already quite generous."
Besides, even if we don't hand it over, who can we sell it to? Are we going to sell it as scrap?
That thing is quite heavy, but how much can it sell for?
The others also felt that Feng Ye's words made sense.
Upon closer reflection, it's true that no matter how valuable something is, it still needs to be able to be sold.
Otherwise, what's the difference between it and scrap metal?
"Alright, now that you have the rewards, don't think about it anymore."
Feng Ye glanced at his watch and realized it was almost four o'clock. "There's still a little time. Do you want to go ashore and wander around, or are you going straight back?"
"Let's go back. There's nothing worth seeing, and we don't need to buy anything."
"Yes, I agree with going back."
"Hehe, I can't wait to go back and show off."
"Yeah, it's such a glorious thing, everyone else must be so envious..."
"Okay, let's go back then."
They remained silent the entire way.
When they returned to the village, the sun was setting and the fishing boats were heading back to port.
The dock was bustling with activity. Children were playing and laughing, while adults were either busy moving and unloading cargo or chatting in small groups.
When they returned to the dock in the small boat that Feng Jiaqing had sailed, they were immediately surrounded by villagers who all wanted to know about the award ceremony.
Everyone was already planning to come back and show off, so they weren't in a hurry to go home.
One by one, they beamed with pride, took out their certificates of honor, and recounted their experiences of receiving the awards.
Feng Ye, however, scanned the crowd but didn't see Ye Qingling. Not surprised, he pushed through the crowd and went home.
Ye Qingling was pregnant, so of course she couldn't come to the dock to join the fun. She was waiting anxiously at her doorstep.
Seeing Feng Ye return empty-handed, a hint of disappointment and confusion appeared on his face: "Didn't you go to receive the award? Where is the award? I didn't see it?"
"What kind of reward did you expect? An enamel mug, a thermos, rice, flour, or cooking oil?"
"Isn't that right? People from the village have gone to town to receive awards before, and they were all practical things, weren't they?"
"Don't you even think about it? We went to the city to collect the award, so it certainly wasn't for these little things."
Feng Ye chuckled and took the certificate of honor out of his pocket. "Look what this is?"
Ye Qingling took the certificate, opened it, and looked at it. She was even more disappointed: "Just this one certificate of honor? It's not as good as those practical things."
"What's the rush? Of course, there's more than just this certificate; there are others."
As Feng Ye spoke, he pulled out the 2,000 yuan reward from another pocket, "Here, this is the main event."
Wow, so much money!
Ye Qingling's eyes lit up with surprise and delight. She snatched the money from Feng Ye's hand and started counting it one bill at a time.
"No need to count, there are 20 in total, 2000 yuan."
"2000 yuan?"
Ye Qingling was surprised for a moment, then counted even more enthusiastically.
"Yes, I'll give you 2000 yuan, and everyone else will give you 1000 yuan each."
"The city is so generous? That adds up to 9,000 yuan, I can hardly believe it."
"What we retrieved is very important..."
Feng Ye explained to her the special features of the sonar device and his own speculations.
At present, a total prize of 9,000 yuan is indeed a bit high.
But their case is a bit special, as it was a joint award from two departments.
Moreover, they should be featured in newspapers and on television to set an example for fishermen.
A generous reward will surely attract brave men.
When fishermen see in newspapers or on television that they can receive such large bonuses for catching strange things, they are naturally motivated.
Otherwise, even if they manage to catch it, they won't hand it over; instead, they'll dispose of it privately, such as selling it as scrap.
Not to mention, like in the future, chasing after foreign ships to retrieve the spy equipment they've deployed.
After listening, Ye Qingling nodded thoughtfully, put away the money, picked up the certificate of honor and examined it for a moment, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"Although this certificate is not as valuable as a physical item, it is still a recognition of your hard work and is of great significance."
"Then you'd better keep it safe and don't lose it."
"Don't worry, I'll keep it safe for you. When you get old, you can take it out and show it to your grandchildren. It will be something to be proud of."
"Haha, my wife is the best, she thinks long-term..."
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