Chapter 237: Lately, your relationship with the Sea Dragon King hasn

Xiao Hu and Ye Guowei also gathered some things one after another, and the three of them kept gathering until 4 p. m. before they finished work.

Carrying a boatload of stuff aboard, paying the boat fare, Ye Cheng then shouted a few times for the sea turtle on the beach, but got no response.

Damn it, I actually feel a bit disappointed.

"All right, A Cheng, you weren't without keeping sea turtles as a kid—I raised several for you back then and you didn't like them, so why do you want to keep them now that you're older?" Ye Guowei started nagging.

As soon as I heard Ye Guowei's opening line, I knew what he was going to say next—surely something about my childhood.

Damn it, relying on being older than me, he knows my embarrassing childhood stories...

Ye Cheng quickly lit a cigarette for him to shut him up.

On the way back, Ye Cheng casually brought up the matter of the fishing boat.

"Brother, do you know if it's easy to apply for a fishing boat license these days?"

To go out to sea and fish, a fishing boat needs a permit; this is like a taxi license—sometimes it's easy to get, sometimes it's not.

According to Ye Cheng's thinking, if it's easy to get a license, he'd buy a new boat; if not, he'd have to buy a used one that already comes with a license.

Ye Guowei shook his head and said, "I heard from the people at the dock that it's not easy to apply these days; they said the state wants to control fishing, so they're not issuing new licenses for now."

Having said that, Ye Guowei paused, turned to look at Ye Cheng, and asked, "What's up? You want to buy a boat?"

Ye Cheng, my older brother, hadn't thought of hiding anything either: "I do want to buy one—gathering near the village is getting harder and harder, so I'd like to go to an offshore island to forage; maybe there are coconut crabs or bird's nests."

"Yeah, Brother Guowei, there are more and more people foraging in the village these days; my mom and the others just go for a stroll when they're free, but there's nothing left to find." Xiao Hu also complained.

What is this, the rich leading the way to prosperity? Originally nobody had money, but now Ye Cheng is making money from foraging, so everyone's sure to follow suit.

Actually, it's just like when we used to go to the city to work for wages—if the village can't make money, you have to look outward for business opportunities.

Ye Guowei nodded and said, "Fine, if we're buying, we'll buy; a used one won't be too expensive either—let's get a 12-meter one; casting nets near shore will be no problem."

Actually, Wang Defa's boat is exactly a 12-meter fishing boat with 60 horsepower; most people in the village use this type.

This small trawler can hold 500–800 kilograms of fish, suitable for near‑shore operations; there's no place to sleep on board, so trips are usually same‑day round trips, and if you really don't make it back, you can only make do by lying down for a bit.

For a medium‑sized fishing boat, you're looking at nearly 30 meters, suitable for medium‑ to far‑shore fishing, needing 3–5 crew, and each outing takes about a week.

Anything bigger is the ocean‑going kind, like those that go to the Arctic to catch king crabs.

These days Ye Cheng isn't planning to go far out to sea; he just wants to get a near‑shore boat.

Since big brother said licenses are hard to get these days, Ye Cheng plans to buy a used boat.

"Big brother, could you keep an eye out and see if there's a suitable boat?"

"Sure, what about Wang Defa's boat? I think it's still okay."

"Yeah, brother, my uncle treasures that boat." Xiao Hu interjected.

"It's not impossible, but your uncle's too shrewd—you could easily get taken in by him again; let's see if there are any other suitable options."

The three chatted as they headed back to the dock; Wang Defa was already waiting there, and when he saw them return he hurried aboard, saying he was helping to carry things, but really just checking whether they'd damaged his boat.

"Uncle, we're just going out for a bit—it's not like we're bumper‑boating, so what could go wrong?" Xiao Hu looked at his uncle speechlessly.

Wang Defa gave an embarrassed laugh and said, "This kid, always spouting nonsense—am I really that kind of person?"

"All right, uncle—everyone knows what you're like. Hurry up and have a look; here, I'll give you the money—500 bucks total." Ye Cheng handed Wang Defa five red bills.

Wang Defa inspected the boat inside and out; sure enough, there was no damage, and then he began to check out the trio's catch.

Never mind him—once Ye Cheng and the others docked, several buyers gathered around, wanting to see what good stuff they had; last time Ye Cheng sold coconut crabs here for 20,000 bucks, and everyone had a great time.

"Lao Er, what's the haul today? Bring it out so we can have a look."

"Right, there couldn't still be coconut crabs, could there?"

Ye Cheng said irritably, "What coconut crab? You guys have already wiped them all out."

Everyone gave a wry smile and didn't deny it; we all got the news from Wang Defa—some had a haul, some didn't—but we definitely fished out all the coconut crabs on that island.

"Come on, let's see what's there." Laolin, relying on his few prior dealings with Ye Cheng, grabbed the water tank and opened it to have a look.

"Hey, hey, I never said I'd sell this to you." Ye Cheng was speechless; he'd originally planned to sell the goods to Boss Qian, who had urged him several times, saying it had been a long time since he'd made a delivery.

Now that these people have pried it open like this, there's no way to take it away.

"Cat shark, spotted cat shark—I'll take this one."

"Butter crab, I'll take these few crabs too."

"Whoa, black‑hair—don't fight me over it, the black‑hair fish are all mine."

"Damn it, you guys are fast—I've taken the small blue dragon, the octopus, and Stone Nine Elder."

Before Ye Cheng could even quote a price, a few people had already snatched everything away.

"No, bosses—you're grabbing, you need to pay, you need to pay!" Ye Cheng shouted loudly.

"Don't worry, we couldn't possibly swindle you."

These folks actually observe the rules, after all, they've been buying goods at the dock year‑round.

The cat shark sold for 250 bucks, the black‑hair fish for 820, a few crabs for 100, the small blue dragon for 120, and Stone Nine Elder plus the octopus for 100, bringing the total to 1,390 bucks.

Wang Defa quickly tallied it up in his head and gloated, "Lao Er, you three only made this little from a sea trip, and you still have to pay the boat fee—lately your relationship with the Sea Dragon King hasn't been good, huh?"

The other buyers also lowered their heads and chuckled; nobody wants anyone else to be better off than themselves.

Ye Cheng has been on fire lately, and these people have long been unable to stand it.

Today, though, a trip nets less than 1,400; after subtracting the 500 boat rental, there's still some profit, but it's not much.

What does this show? It shows that Ye Lao Er's luck has run out about the same.

Ye Cheng knows what they're thinking, but he couldn't care less—he still has a bunch of bird's nests in his pack; does he have to tell you guys?

The three headed back to the village amid the crowd's mix of regret and cheerful commentary.

From the 1,400 minus the 500 boat fee, Ye Cheng gave 300 bucks each to his big brother and Xiao Hu—not a bad amount, though he'd previously been ridiculously lucky.

Even if it's cut in half now, it's still far better than what ordinary people make.