Two o'clock in the afternoon, Lujia Village Wharf.
Feng Ye, his elder brother, A-Can, and his brother-in-law arrived on time.
The four boatmen and the crew of the Harvest had been waiting for a long time.
A cool sea breeze blew, and sunlight pierced through the thick clouds, casting golden rays onto the turbulent sea.
Although Feng Ye had already inspected the condition of the Dong Sheng in the morning, everyone checked it again after boarding.
Then, with the roar of engines, the two ships slowly sailed away from the dock, cutting through the waves.
Seagulls circled in the air, emitting cries, as if cheering them on as they set sail.
However, the two ships parted ways after traveling together for a short time.
The Harvest ship first needs to go to town to refuel, get fresh water, and purchase supplies.
The Dong Sheng ship will head towards the county, where it will stop to deliver fish to Jinghong and replenish supplies along the way.
The others were fine; despite the large waves and the ship rocking violently, no one was hurt.
Ye Chenliang, however, couldn't take it and got seasick.
At first, I only felt a little nauseous, but I could grit my teeth and bear it.
But as the ship continued to rock, his face grew paler and paler, and he eventually leaned over the gunwale and began to vomit violently.
He vomited until there was nothing left to vomit before he could catch his breath and leaned against the side of the cabin, breathing weakly.
“I told you to stay home and not come out with me, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look what you’ve done, you’ve brought this upon yourself.”
Feng Ye sighed softly and handed over a glass of water: "Rinse your mouth and drink some water to calm down."
Ye Chenliang took the water, rinsed his mouth first, and then drank it all in one gulp. He smiled bitterly and said, "I can manage. Didn't you guys say that you'd get used to it after vomiting a lot? If you want to do this job, you have to adapt sooner or later."
"Your spirit is commendable, but your health is the most important thing."
Feng Ye shook his head helplessly: "If all else fails, we'll stay in the county and live in the shops in the market for a few days. Once the waves subside, my father and Uncle Ling will deliver the goods, and we'll go back together."
Although the shops don't have accommodation facilities, it's very hot in July, so sleeping on the floor for a few days is perfectly fine.
It's impossible to send it back just for Ye Chenliang; that would be too much of a hassle.
We'll see when the time comes.
Ye Chenliang nodded, his face still pale, but his eyes revealed a hint of determination.
The Dong Sheng continued its journey, with waves crashing against its hull, creating a roar and splashing water everywhere.
More than an hour later, we finally arrived at the county dock.
There weren't many people at the dock; only some large ships were preparing to set sail.
The small wooden boats and smaller boats, each a dozen meters long, remained quietly moored on the shore, swaying gently with the waves.
After the boat docked, Feng Ye took the fish and went to Jinghong alone.
The others stayed behind to work on refueling with diesel, ice, and fresh water, as well as procuring other supplies.
Qin Aijun seemed quite surprised and astonished by Feng Ye's arrival.
When they learned that good things were being delivered, especially a yellow croaker weighing about 30 pounds, they were overjoyed.
"I'm really impressed with you. Last time, after the typhoon, you received a small fish, and this time it's a yellow croaker. You're incredibly lucky."
Qin Aijun rubbed his hands together, his old face beaming with joy.
Feng Ye smiled and said modestly, "It's alright, it's just a pity that this fish is a bit small."
"It is indeed a bit small. It would be better if it were bigger, weighing over 100 pounds."
Qin Aijun nodded in agreement, his eyes filled with joy: "But this is already very good. Let's weigh it and see how many kilograms it is."
Fatty Nie quickly put the yellow croaker on the scale.
Upon receiving the weighing results, Fatty Nie excitedly announced, "31 jin and 5 liang."
"Xiao Feng, how much do you want to sell it for?"
Qin Aijun asked with a smile, his face crinkling into wrinkles.
"Mr. Qin, you can decide how much to pay."
Feng Ye wouldn't be foolish enough to quote a price himself, especially since he didn't really understand the market for this fish.
Although the yellow croaker my older brother sold last year fetched 500 yuan per piece, it wasn't this big; it only weighed a dozen kilograms.
For fish like these, where the value lies mainly in the swim bladder, the larger the fish, the more valuable it is.
If it's a yellow croaker weighing over 100 pounds, it could sell for over 1,000 yuan per pound.
These days, even though ordinary people may not have much money, there are quite a few wealthy people now that the reform and opening up has been going on for over a decade.
As the saying goes, if you stand at the forefront of the times, even a pig can fly.
The 1980s and 90s were the best time to make money.
If you're bold and have ideas, you can make money even if you're a pig.
This led to the emergence of a group of people who got rich first.
Rare and highly sought-after items like the yellow croaker are in high demand and it's no wonder they fetch exorbitant prices.
Qin Aijun pondered for a moment, then looked at the fish and shrimp in the bucket that hadn't been weighed yet.
While black bream, three-knife fish, and ornate lobster are far less precious than yellow croaker, they are still rare and highly sought-after items that are not easily found in the market.
A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he had already made up his mind: "Xiao Feng, how about this, add these together, it'll be a piece."
Feng Ye was secretly delighted when he heard the offer.
As expected, Qin Aijun had to be the one to make the offer.
The price of over 600 yuan per unit is a bit beyond my expectations.
If I were to ask for it myself, I'd probably have to sell it for a thousand or two less.
The fish and shrimp in the bucket were decent, but there were too few of them; they were worth at most a few hundred yuan, so they were just a bonus.
Feng Ye pretended to hesitate for a moment before nodding: "Alright, President Qin is so straightforward, I won't stand on ceremony."
Qin Aijun laughed and said, "Little Feng, come on, let's go to my office and make some tea. Fatty Nie will bring the money over later."
Feng Ye declined, saying, "No, Mr. Qin, I'm in a hurry to go to sea. Everyone is waiting for me at the dock."
"Setting sail today?"
"Well, the typhoon just passed, there's plenty of cargo in the sea, I might be back in a few days."
"Haha, then I won't keep you any longer. I'll make some tea and wait for you to come over."
Fatty Nie then cleverly ran off to get the bill and collect the money, before running back.
After taking the money, Feng Ye glanced at it briefly, didn't even count it, and put it in his pocket.
"President Qin, Manager Nie, I'll be going now. Let's talk again next time."
Fatty Nie said warmly, "Mr. Feng, I wish you a smooth journey and a fruitful return."
Qin Aijun smiled and said, "Get me some good stuff."
"I'd like to, but I don't know if I'll have the luck."
Feng Ye waved his hand, turned around and walked away quickly.
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