Chapter 407

Duan Yong walked to the slightly smaller seedling pond, crouched down, and pointed at something on the aquatic plants,

"Brother Cheng, look, this is our first batch of crayfish."

Ye Cheng wasn't idle either; he directly reached in and scooped up a few, which were already 4 centimeters long and very lively; at this growth rate, they'd soon be ready for the finished-product pond.

"Brother Cheng, both ponds we have are supplied with live water drawn from the river, so we don't need to change the water ourselves—it's very convenient. You were really wise to rent this place back then," Duan Yong said, pointing at the water inlet.

There, a wooden sluice gate was installed, connected to that small creek; open it and the river water rushes in immediately, then open the outlet and changing the water takes no effort at all.

"Alright, remember to sprinkle the medicine; otherwise, if pests or diseases show up later, it'll be a hassle." Ye Cheng then took out a few packets of medicine powder given by the system; his points weren't many, so for now this was all he had.

"By the way, Aunt Zhang has been going out to sea with me lately—are you still buying those crayfish?"

Seeing Ye Cheng bring up the crayfish matter, the two's expressions darkened and they fell silent instantly.

Ye Cheng smiled and patted the two of them,

"Just say what's on your mind; this crayfish business is definitely going to get harder and harder."

Hearing Ye Cheng say that, Duan Yong finally lifted his head, looking embarrassed, and said,

"Brother Cheng, crayfish now sell for 5 yuan per jin, and Boss Qian only pays 11 yuan there, so the profit margin is slim. We originally wanted to raise the price, but Boss Qian said there are already many crayfish sellers in the city, so adding a price wouldn't work."

"So you just stopped?" Ye Cheng said lightly.

"We, we really had no choice—Aunt Zhang and Aunt Qian need to go out to sea, and we don't know how to do it," Duan Yong explained in a sentence.

"Brother Cheng, there really isn't much profit left now; I and Ah Yong went to the city and saw that their preparation is about the same as ours, and there are now many other flavors, just like selling preserved goods—you can't raise the price per piece, while costs keep rising." Yuan Jiansheng, fearing Ye Cheng's scolding, hurriedly added his explanation.

"It's fine, not your fault; this is normal, but since they're already selling at 5 yuan per jin, it looks like our crayfish need to hit the market sooner."

According to the original plan, the purchase price was supposed to go up.

We just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

As for my own spicy crayfish cooking method, it will inevitably be learned sooner or later.

Actually, there's nothing particularly special about it; if someone from Sichuan or Chongqing came over, they'd probably get it at a glance.

Moreover, they'd likely do it better than I do, with a more authentic flavor.

But they didn't expect that I had switched tracks.

That's how business works—you first create the customers' demand.

A once-famous case: how do you sell sneakers to a Black guy who doesn't wear shoes?

Everyone said it was impossible, but in fact, look at Black guy now—who doesn't wear shoes?

If there's no demand, create it.

Now the demand for crayfish has been created; afterward, people will shift from seeking flavor to seeking safety.

That will be the time when our farmed crayfish come onto the scene.

Duan Yong and Yuan Jiansheng are now full of vigor, Ye Cheng is happy to take it easy, and he gave each of them ten thousand.

Giving it to them directly left them stunned,

"Brother, this isn't severance pay, is it?" Duan Yong looked at the ten thousand yuan with a dazed expression.

"Look at your useless appearance—when your dad used to take ten thousand yuan a day from me, he never showed any mercy either." Ye Cheng laughed and scolded him.

"Don't worry, this is a reward for you two; afterward, this batch of crayfish needs to get to market as soon as possible, and since the spicy crayfish faces too much competition, we'll withdraw from it—there's no point in doing something with such low profit."

Hearing Ye Cheng say that, the two finally felt relieved and took the money.

Yuan Jiansheng said happily,

"Brother Cheng, it's still interesting working with you—you make money and feel accomplished; look at Chen Zhangfu, that idiot, he's almost worried sick now."

Speaking of Chen Zhangfu, Ye Cheng suddenly recalled that he should be helping the Chen family with their crayfish farming.

"What's up? Their Chen family's crayfish should have started earlier than ours, right?"

He remembered that the Chen family directly used wild juvenile shrimp for farming, skipping the seedling stage altogether; logically, they should already have adult crayfish.

"Starting early is useless," Yuan Jiansheng said proudly,

"Brother Cheng, you don't know, but the Chen family's crayfish have already died off seven out of eight."

"Died? How did they die?"

"They say they developed white spots, the shrimp stopped eating anything, and just lay there waiting to die."

"White spots?" Ye Cheng searched his memory, but it was of no use.

Originally he wasn't into farming, so he couldn't make sense of these white or black spots; anyway, it's probably some kind of virus or something.

If it weren't for the medicine given by the system, he might have ended up the same way.

"Brother Cheng, we secretly went to check, and during this time Chen Zhangfu has grown white hair; he doesn't dare tell the village chief, but this round they're definitely going to lose money," Duan Yong added.

Let them lose; the Chen family is big and established, so it's no big deal.

But now, with the matter of buying a big boat added in, it's getting a bit hard to say.

Ye Cheng doesn't want to deal with others' affairs for now; better to sort out his own side first.

After saying goodbye to the two, Ye Cheng went back to catch up on sleep; he still had to go out to sea tonight.

At 7 p. m., everyone gathered again at the dock.

The Chen family people also came, though the personnel had been swapped out.

"Brother, look, the Chen family's people have changed—yesterday's group left only Chen Jinfa behind; do you think they've swapped in a batch of experienced workers?" Xiao Hu asked.

"Doesn't seem like it; I know those new guys from the Chen family—they're not good at work, and they rarely go out to sea; I don't know why the Chen family would let them go out to sea," Duan Chunsheng added from behind, also puzzled.

Those few men didn't know, but the women did.

Han Xiaotao, with a shy, red-apple-like face, spoke softly,

"Brother Cheng, I know that yesterday the Chen family held a meeting and said that going out to sea to earn wages would be rotated among everyone."

Upon hearing that, the widow Zhang joked,

"Ah, Han sis, that means you can work both sides!"

Han Xiaotao's face paled; she immediately looked at Ye Cheng, waving her hand as she explained,

"No, Brother Cheng, they didn't count me in; they simply wouldn't let me board the Chen Family's boat."

She was afraid Ye Cheng wouldn't let her come aboard the boat.

"All right, Aunt Zhang was just joking; anyway, if I go out to sea to catch crabs, you're welcome to come if you want."

Ye Cheng said, feeling a sudden heat in his lower abdomen; frankly, Han Xiaotao still fits his taste best, especially since she often blushes.

That shy look of hers seems both refusing and welcoming—who wouldn't want to go up and tease her a little?

And that thick black ponytail—tsk, pulling it would surely be satisfying.