Chapter 105: Fishing Boat

  At five o'clock in the morning, it was still dark, and on the dock of the small town at the tip of the peninsula, lights began to turn on one after another, with distant fishing fires looking like stars.

  On the uneven roadside, someone had already set up a seafood stall and was loudly hawking: "Fresh catch, just landed pomfret, also flower fish and croaker!"

  Further inside, under the 100-watt yellow lights, whole boats and trucks of goods are being traded. Once a price is agreed upon, three-wheelers, tractors, pickups and trucks of all kinds and sizes will haul away the catch.

  A boat of fish can often bring in over 200 yuan, which is then divided among three or four people. If the boat is their own, they can still earn such a high income for the next three days; if it's jointly purchased, they have no choice but to take a break and wait for their turn again.

  In a good year, fishermen who independently own fishing boats can earn up to 200,000 yuan, equivalent to the income of 2,000 mid-level government officials. Even on the black market, they can exchange it for $30,000, equal to the income of an American middle-class family.

  This was the golden age of Chinese fishermen, but it belonged to wealthy fishermen and was so short-lived that many people didn't have time to experience it before it ended.

  There are no fishermen who have not caught the first bucket of gold, perhaps they will lose the opportunity to get rich for a lifetime.

  "Wooo——"

  A long, drawn-out whistle blast means another new ship is entering the harbor.

  The old iron who caught the fish jumped onto the top of the car, took a closer look, and was shocked to find that it was actually a brand new large ship. In terms of volume, at least two or three hundred tons of offshore fishing vessels, compared with tens of tons of coastal fishing vessels, there is an essential difference.

  A man with a horse face who had just unloaded his fishing catch, lit a filtered cigarette, took a deep drag and said: "I wonder whose family has struck it rich again, this big ship can go to South Korea to fish."

  "Why run so far, fishing at the door of your home is more fuel-efficient and faster. I've made a round trip, and it's still on the way." He and another fisherman wearing a hood leaned against the side of the boat.

  The horse-faced man spat out a circle, saying: "Our boat is full of 15 tons. Other people's boats can hold over 100 tons, four days on the road, three days fishing, a total of seven days. We take one day on the road, two days fishing, a total of three days, only two-tenths of others."

  The fisherman wearing a headscarf snorted and said, "You want to buy a big boat? Can you afford it?"

  Wait until I save some more money, then sell the old boat and partner with someone to buy a bigger one.

  "When the time comes, all the fish in the nearby sea will be gone, and you can only go to South Korea." The fishermen wearing headscarves were full of sarcasm. They were all partners who bought ships together, with more than a dozen people, and those with more money naturally made more profits.

  There are also many fishermen who gaze at the big ship and speak cold words. Everyone knows the benefits of a big ship, but that price is not something ordinary fishermen can afford, even if they pool their resources together as a village.

  Lao Tie burst out laughing, jumped down from the top of the car, swung his long legs and rushed towards that big ship. The fish in the distant sea are bigger and better, naturally they sell for a higher price, and the fishmongers all like to buy from the big ships.

  However, it wasn't until later that Lao Tie saw that there were no fish on the deck of this boat. Instead, a group of people were gathered around the waterline, reading and discussing: "One ship captain, monthly salary 100 yuan. Seven sailors, monthly salary 40 yuan. One ground service staff, monthly salary 30 yuan..."

  "Not many, though. But how can someone hire a boat captain?" Old Iron thought for a moment, then shouted up again: "Brother, are there any fish?"

  From the shade of the quarterdeck, a sturdy man emerged, his face indistinct in the darkness, and said in a deep voice, "New ship, hasn't sailed yet."

  Old Irons only then noticed that the ship's side wall was clean and spotless, without a single speck of color.

  The fishmongers dispersed with a shout of "Oh", while the fishermen, having heard the news, came running over in groups of three to five.

  The Chinese on the boat didn't mince words either and quickly took in 4 people in a short while.

  Old Iron's heart skipped a beat, he climbed up along the ship's side and handed over a cigarette, smiling: "Brother, where are you from?"

  "Jinan Power Machinery Factory's shipping company." A robust man handed over a business card.

  Old Iron was taken aback and asked: "State-owned enterprise?"

  The man grunted in response.

  The four fishermen on the boat were suddenly delighted and said: "Then we are being recruited?"

  "What are you thinking about? You're just temporary workers now, do a good job and then we'll talk about hiring." Old Wu's face turned dark, thinking to himself: I'm still a rural household registration.

  The fishermen were a little disappointed, but soon became excited again and asked: "Is it guaranteed to have 40 pieces every month?"

  Fishermen are farmers on the sea, also limited by agricultural household registration. Although their income is good during fishing seasons, the average annual income is still lower than that of workers. Every day they go out in the wind and rain, and their hard work goes without saying.

  If there are no boats for fishermen, in a month, on average, it's difficult to even get 200 yuan. Only by buying shares of a boat can things be slightly better, but most of the income is still used to fill the holes from before.

  Lao Wu remembered Su Cheng's words, patted his robust chest muscles and said: "40 yuan per month is no problem, but we have work every month. Also, if you do well, there will be a bonus, the specific amount depends on your performance."

  "We're not afraid of hard work." Several fishermen nodded in agreement.

  Old Iron hesitated for a moment and asked: "Brother, does your shipping company also engage in fishing?"

  "Of course." Old Five handed over a cigarette and said: "In a few more days, we'll have a big ship coming over, and then we'll form a fleet to go fishing."

  "Are you selling fish?"

  "Of course sell."

  Old Iron looked around excitedly, seeing that the other fish buyers were not there, and hastily said: "I'm the biggest fish merchant in our town, just call me Old Iron. I can take all your fish...".

  "Alright, the next boat is yours." Old Five said, then turned to the other four fishermen and asked: "Do any of you know a reliable captain who can navigate and knows how to fish? 100 yuan per month, plus commission."

  The last sentence made all the fishermen excited and asked immediately: "How to draw?"

  "Give 2% of the selling price to the captain."

  The four of them took a deep breath in unison and ran out without saying another word.

  Who doesn't have an acquaintance who is a ship's captain? This is exactly the time to sell well.

  Lao Tie looked at Lao Wu with admiration and said, "Brother, you're quite capable?"

  "What's wrong?" Lao Wu asked with a smile.

  "Our village, the one who has the final say, is the captain of the ship. As an outsider, if you can win over the captain, then you'll be able to establish yourself."

  Lao Wu just smiled and didn't say anything.

  The fishing company was soon up and running smoothly.

  When the first ship took 6 days to bring ashore over 100 tons of mackerel and shrimp, the whole town was stirred up. At this point, even the stupidest person knew that big ships made money. Under this momentum, it was natural for people to think of ways to buy big ships.

  The same thing happened in other towns as well.

  Lao Wu took advantage of the opportunity to start a ship leasing business. New ships arriving were divided equally between self-operation and leasing.

  In the 1980s, if a family could afford to raise a large boat, they could easily earn $200,000 per year. However, if fishermen relied on their own savings, it would take at least 10 years to buy a boat. But if they rented one for $100,000 per year, fishermen could afford to buy their own boat after just two years.

  This account, anyone can calculate, people who rent ships are also lined up in a long line, and even take the initiative to work in shipping companies in order to rent new ships as soon as possible.

  The only bad thing to say is that the Dahua Shipping Company's fishing boats are not allowed to use fine nets, and there are also regulations on the fishing areas for each boat - every month, each boat goes fishing in South Korea once, although it is still profitable, but it takes two more days than fishing in coastal waters.

  Some secretly changed the fine net or sailed out at night to catch near the coast. But soon they were discovered by the inspectors on land and lost their rental qualifications.

  When others take the contract to court and ask for compulsory execution, no one dares to make trouble. Moreover, there are many people who are gloating over the misfortune of others and want to rent a boat as soon as possible.

  In just one March, Lao Wu handed over a profit of 500,000 yuan. At the beginning of April, there was a new ship joining, and as a result, the weekly income increased to 250,000 yuan.

  Seeing the numbers on the report, Su Cheng couldn't help but exclaim: "This is simply like striking another oil well."

  Lao Wu received praise and smiled: "If it weren't for protecting fishery resources, this number could be increased by half. Some fishermen went out to sea on their own, cast the Danish net, and in two days they would have a full boat..."

  "They are digging their own graves, waiting for the sea to have no more fish, and then relying on what to live." Su Cheng waved his hand and said: "Let them do their thing, we have our own plan. In the future, add this to the convention, any fishing boat that deals with us cannot use extinction nets."

  Lao Wu nodded and said, "I followed your instructions, built a fishermen's service center, helped the fishermen handle their documents, ran errands for them on the road, contacted schools for their children, made sure they had no worries, saved time to earn more money, definitely more than what they would get from using dragnets."

  "Not bad, not bad." Su Cheng gave Old Five a heavy pat on the shoulder, his palm stinging from the impact. His physique was also exceptionally good among ordinary people, it's just that Old Five's build was too sturdy.

  Lao Wu laughed and said: "Right, Old Six from your uncle's family also wants to come, what do you think..."

  "Lao Liu is still in high school, right?"

  "Yes. My uncle's family has a lot of sloping land and the past two years have been tough. Last month, I sent 100 yuan back home and Old Six said he didn't want to read books anymore."

  "Let him continue reading." Su Cheng waved his hand and said, "You tell him that if he can get into college, I'll support his studies and give him 50 yuan in pocket money every month for him to use as he likes. Hmm, all the Xu family children are the same, if they can get into college, I'll pay... Is Uncle's family really struggling?"

  "It's difficult. Lao Ba is still young and we also need to prepare dowry for Fourth Sister."

  "Has the fourth sister found a partner? I remember, she also went to high school." The people of Jing Mountain were originally from the west mouth, they had made a fortune and established schools, and benefited from reading books. As long as the family could make ends meet, they would not let their children drop out of school, Su Cheng was able to attend Beida (Peking University), thanks to the help of her relatives.

  "She went to school with me." Old Five sighed, "In our rural areas, we also pay attention to etiquette. The bride's dowry requires 8 quilts, ranging from 1.5 to 8 taels, not a single one can be missing. In your uncle's situation, he would have to suffer for at least two more years to save up, who dares to talk about finding a match."

  Upon hearing this, Su Cheng hesitated no more and said: "Send a telegram to your family, make it a long one, explain everything clearly, ask Fourth Sister if she's willing to come. If she is, have her come help me out, we'll still send money back home. If not, I'll help with her dowry. Old Six must finish school before coming out; if he can't get into university, we'll discuss it later. As for Old Eight, just let him stay put."

  Lao Wu responded with a "yes" and smiled: "I'll send the letter, it will arrive in a few days. Telegrams are too expensive after all. However, I should tell Fourth Sister what she's come for."

  "Just say you're doing accounting, calculating accounts. If you can't, then go to your side and help with the work." Su Cheng said as he sent Lao Wu out the door.

  Just then, Sales Director Yan Xuecan feigned calmness and deliberately walked over with a slow pace, shouting: "Director Su."

  Su Cheng stopped in his tracks.

  Yan Xuecan quickened his pace and arrived in front of Su Cheng, reporting: "Director Su, the four ships from the customs are in good condition. They have placed another order for four more ships at the same price. Also, the people at Tianjin Port saw our ship and asked if we can build a dredger for them."

  Su Cheng nodded as he listened.

  A 190 diesel engine converted vessel, powerful but not fast, making it suitable for fishing boats and small cargo ships. In comparison, dredgers and other engineering vessels are more suited to their diesel engines.

  Su Cheng said with a tone of appreciation: "Old Yan, you've done well. I didn't think of using a mud dredger at all. Go find Xie Tiange, he just bought new equipment and it's perfect for this order. Then run to other ports, our domestic ports are really poor, they don't have any equipment."

  Yan Xuecan, who had always been subject to punitive education, was suddenly motivated, his old face flushed red, and he said: "Don't worry, Director Su, I'll go back to them right away and head to Tianjin tonight. Besides, I have an idea."

  "Uh-huh."

  "Nowadays, the ships of various shipyards are in short supply, but this situation will only last for two or three years. We should take the opportunity to pull orders from various shipyards and build up our sales channels. When the time comes when the supply of ships exceeds demand, we can rely on the orders we have pulled to make a profit."

  A shipyard that uses 190 diesel engines, selling a ship is equivalent to earning around 500,000 yuan in Suzhou, which is more than what the shipyard earns, so everyone didn't consider making money from orders. However, Yan Xuecan has been doing sales for many years and naturally is not satisfied with this situation.

  Su Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Alright, your department can go ahead with the procedures. The sales department will be in charge, and any orders they get will be sent to the shipyard in the form of OEM production. For the next two years, don't take any profits, and we'll reassess the situation later."

  Yan Xuechan was overjoyed. This was pretty much what he had expected. Of course, at this moment, he should be praising "Su Dong's wisdom and bravery".

  Su Cheng roughly calculated that since using the 30 million loan to open up the ship market, more than 50 units of the 190 series diesel engine have been sold, with a profit of 25 million. This achievement in itself is not impressive, but it greatly reduced the cost of Jinan Power Machinery Factory's transformation. Once high-power diesel engines go into production, they will no longer be begging others for help, but rather others will come to beg them.

  Su Cheng stroked his chin, enjoying himself, when he saw Xiao Pang sneaking past the window.

  "Huang Ping!" Su Cheng shouted loudly.

  Xiao Pang's leg twitched and he smiled sweetly: "Master, I'm here to invite you to dinner."

  Su Cheng furrowed his brow in displeasure and asked, "What's going on? Why are you suddenly inviting me out to eat?"

  "Uh...my dad's here."

  "Huh?"

  "My dad is the director of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation's Guilin Jiang shipyard." Seeing Su Cheng didn't understand, Xiao Pang carefully explained: "China State Shipbuilding Corporation used to be called the Sixth Ministry of Machine-Building Industry, and before that it was called the Ninth Bureau of Industrial Management..."

  His voice grew softer as Su Cheng's eyes shone brighter