Mingjing got up and went to open the door; it was Mingxingwang.
"Mingjing, I heard you went out to sea again today. Did you have a good haul?" Ming Xingwang stood at the door with an umbrella.
"Come in."
Mingjing strode into the house, and Mingxingwang put away his umbrella. He nodded to Li Xiaoyu and Lu Chen as they came out.
"This is my friend. What do you want to say?"
"Didn't Fan Yuliang damage your boat? He was too embarrassed to say so, so he asked me to ask how much you want."
"The boat was badly damaged. It cost me 20,000 yuan to repair it. I also have to factor in the lost wages for those few days. You know I make a lot of money every time I go out to sea."
"Just give me 100,000 yuan, and I won't say anything else. Although I blame him, we all live on the same island, and I don't want to make a big fuss."
Upon hearing that it would cost 100,000, Ming Xingwang gasped in shock; he had never seen so much money in his entire life.
He had inquired at the shipyard before, and even the best engine would cost five or six thousand, plus the fuel tank and the ship's planks, it would cost at most eight thousand.
As for lost wages, the whole village has heard that Mingjing earned a total of 73,100 yuan today, so asking for 100,000 yuan would be a real favor.
“Mingjing, we’re all family. How about I give you 50,000 yuan? Fan Yuliang has been arguing with Fatty recently and really doesn’t have any money to give you.”
The room was brightly lit, and Ming Xingwang felt uneasy under Ming Jing's gaze. He scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Ming Jing, Fan Yuliang has money, but he really can't come up with it right now."
“How about this, I have a good relationship with the village chief. Whatever you want to do in the future, I’ll talk to him and persuade him. I guarantee it will work out.”
"Brother Xingwang, how is the village chief doing now?"
Ming Xingwang was taken aback for a moment and then laughed, “He’s been in jail for too long and hasn’t recovered yet. He told me he’ll thank you in person once he’s feeling better.”
"Actually, it's not necessary. As long as he repairs the roads in the village for me, that's fine. As for Fan Yuliang, how about this: he can pay me in installments. He can give me 30,000 yuan first, and the rest can be paid in twelve installments."
Ming Xingwang: ...
He didn't expect the girl to say such a thing, and he didn't know whether the matter was accomplished or not.
“Then I’ll go talk to him. By the way, Mingzhu went to a meeting in town today and said that all women from the island who go out to sea to work will receive subsidies.”
At the end of the year, during the awards ceremony, they'll also award a 50-meter-long boat, but you'll have to pay for it yourself, probably tens of thousands of yuan.
Mingjing was quick-witted. Nowadays, there is a strong emphasis on women's liberation and self-reliance. She never expected that this trend would reach the island.
"Alright then, Xingwang, you should go back now. It's dark and the roads are slippery. Tell Grandma I'll visit her in a couple of days."
Ming Xingwang waved goodbye and left the Ming family. Afterwards, Ming Jing discussed the women's work at sea with her family.
“This is a good thing, Auntie, you should go,” Li Xiaoyu encouraged Sun Yunmei.
"It's not that I don't want to go, it's that I get seasick, and I have to pick up and drop off Minglei to and from school, so I really don't have the time."
Sun Yunmei couldn't stand the dizziness on the ship; just thinking about it made her want to vomit.
“He said it was a women’s job, but he didn’t say how many people. Mingjing can just go by herself, right?” Lu Chen took advantage of the situation.
Mingjing thought about it and realized that the rules were designed to allow people to exploit loopholes.
The next morning, Li Xiaoyu and Lu Chen packed their luggage and went to the town's train station to catch their train.
Passing by a specialty store, Mingjing bought several boxes of local duck and chicken, which were ready to eat right out of the bag. She also bought two five-pound packs of abalone and sea cucumber.
Dry goods are easy to carry and store, and I also bought them brightly colored scarves and glasses.
These things only cost a little over three thousand here, but they cost seven or eight thousand in Beijing.
Li Xiaoyu and Lu Chen's families were not short of money, and they originally did not want it, but Mingjing insisted on giving it to them.
"Mingjing, I just came here to have some fun and see what you're really like. These things are really unnecessary."
Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Li Xiaoyu thought for a moment and took off the jade pendant necklace around her neck. "This is a souvenir my dad bought for me when he went abroad. It's not worth much. You can take it."
She gave me a green, round jade pendant, crystal clear and without a single impurity, which felt heavy in my hand.
"Jade?"
"It's made from a beer bottle," Li Xiaoyu laughed. "Take it, it's worthless. Next time I come, I want to go to the deep sea to take a look."
"Mingjing, take this Swiss military knife, it's very useful." Lu Chen took out a dagger and handed it to Mingjing.
It also features a ruby inlaid with diamonds, is short and exquisite, and has an exceptionally beautiful scabbard.
"Thank you. I'll take you out to sea again when I have time."
"Whenever you have time to come to Beijing, I will definitely treat you well."
"I'll go when I have time. Don't forget what I told you to do. Money is not a problem."
Mingjing bid farewell to the two, waved to them, and saw them off into the station.
Riding the motorcycle parked at the station, Mingjing headed towards the city.
In October, the temperature here was still 28 or 29 degrees Celsius. Even when riding a motorcycle, Mingjing felt that the wind was hot.
Damn! Once she makes another fortune, she's definitely going to buy a car to drive.
First, I went to the city to deposit money. I exchanged several checks for cash and deposited them into my passbook. It took several hours to complete the process.
With a few thousand yuan on him, Mingjing hurriedly went to the shipyard.
She now owns two boats, and the villa is already half-built. She needs to buy another large boat specifically for fishing.
Small boats are no good; they can only go to nearshore waters. Yachts are used for fishing, but they get dirty all day long, which is a real shame.
When Mingjing arrived at the shipyard, it was during the afternoon working hours. Ships of all sizes were parked in the yard, and many workers were painting and repairing them.
"Little girl, watching the boat?" The kind-looking man noticed Mingjing wandering around and curiously went over to ask.
"Hmm, Master, do you have any boats around fifty meters long?"
The man looked Mingjing up and down, puzzled, and said, "Young lady, you seem quite young. Have your parents arrived yet? Such a big ship must be expensive."
"Children from poor families mature early, so my parents told me to come and ask around first."
"Oh, we do have 50-meter boats, but not many people want them. Such large boats can only operate in the deep sea, and the payback period is long, after all, they are too expensive."
How expensive?
"It will cost at least around 100,000. If you use the best ship and all the parts are imported, it will cost 200,000 to 300,000. Go back and discuss it with your parents to see if you want it."
Mingjing was in a daze. Let alone imported goods costing two or three hundred thousand, she couldn't bear to part with even ordinary goods costing one hundred thousand. These days, one hundred thousand is a considerable sum.
She can't afford it.
"Too expensive, do you have any around 50,000?"
“Young lady, a boat worth around 50,000 is only 10 meters long. It’s for coastal waters. Larger boats have a deeper draft and are more expensive to build. We also need to make a living, don’t we?”
Mingjing felt a chill in his heart; even a hero can be brought down by a mere penny.
Although she currently has over a million yuan, the money is simply not enough to cover household expenses, renovations and sales at the acquisition point, the completion of the villa, and the introduction of various facilities.
She earns money quickly, but spends it just as fast; it's not enough to sustain her spending.
The only way to get rich now is to find that guy surnamed Ma and invest in him relentlessly.
But where is he?
"Sir, if I say I want it, can I pay in installments?"
The experienced craftsman was taken aback, having never heard of buying a boat this way before. He then laughed, “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask the boss. But this boat is expensive, and we have one in stock.”
Go back and discuss it with your parents. If you want it, you'll need to pay a 50,000 yuan deposit; you can talk to the boss about the rest.
Fifty thousand isn't a lot, but if it can be put into use quickly, it can recoup the investment quickly, making it a good choice.
"Then I'll go back and talk to my parents. Thank you, master."
As Mingjing left the shipyard, she began to make plans again.
A 50-meter ship must be going to the deep sea. They don't have many people to begin with, and they definitely can't not hire people for such a big ship, so they have to pay wages.
The costs have increased again, and Mingjing is so annoyed he keeps scratching his head.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com