Chapter 489: Harvest of Fifty Thousand

These people call out prices without any backbone; they don't realize Ye Cheng dislikes trouble.

Indeed, Ye Cheng frowned slightly, looking at the several bosses and said,

"Everyone, if you keep shouting like this you'll be at it until night, right? Just give your psychological price; if it works, it works."

The few bosses glanced left and right, each looking guilty,

"I'll bid 60! If it's too high, I'll yield!" shouted Zhou Lao Ban, who is also financially strong.

A price of 60 is not low, considering that's the unit price for the whole fish.

Although the innards have been removed, there are still many inedible parts, so the meat weight cannot be simply calculated from the 350 weight.

At a price of 60, one can still make a profit.

If the price goes higher, it only squeezes one's profit margin, and if one can't come up with the money immediately, there could even be a loss.

The other bosses hesitated; with such a large quantity they have no buyers on hand, fearing they'd be stuck with it.

Seeing everyone silent, Ye Cheng pointed at Zhou Lao Ban,

"Congratulations, Zhou Lao Ban."

Zhou Lao Ban's tense expression instantly relaxed; he had been afraid someone would raise the bid just then, which would have been awkward—either not buying would be a pity, or buying would yield no profit.

Lao He beside him gave Zhou Lao Ban a sideways glance and said in a neutral tone,

"Zhou Lao Ban, you've made a killing this time."

Zhou Lao Ban gave a hehe smile, clasped his hands toward He Lao Ban, and said, "It's still thanks to you, Lao He, not jumping in; otherwise you'd surely have driven the price up."

"That's right; if Ye Cheng let me bid, I'd at least add another dollar, hahaha."

Having said that, Lao He himself started laughing.

One dollar was just him speaking off the cuff; according to his true thoughts, he could still add five.

In the end, this swordfish sold for twenty-one thousand.

The remaining ones, Lao He and Zhou Lao Ban felt embarrassed to bid, so the other bosses took some.

The blue crabs sold for over three thousand, the blue-clothed fish for six hundred, and the rest together brought in less than two thousand.

Counting the giant grouper, today's one-day sea outing earned a total of ten thousand dollars—absolutely a boom!

From the fifty thousand, Ye Cheng gave Xiao Hu and Duan Chunsheng fifteen thousand each, keeping twenty thousand for himself.

He looked at his current savings:

300,000 in savings, external debt 100,000, mortgage 300,000.

The money matches the mortgage, but paying off the mortgage now would be the stupidest move; Ye Cheng won't be a fool.

After returning, it was already seven in the evening; he hadn't eaten dinner, but fortunately Zhang Guafu felt sorry for him and was still waiting.

"Auntie, what did you fix for tonight? I'm about to starve." Upon seeing Zhang Guafu, Ye Cheng's stomach involuntarily began to growl.

"Let's have soaked flatbread; I've prepared the ingredients, you wash up, and I'll go cook it fresh—pre-cooked wouldn't taste good."

After Ye Cheng finished washing, a bowl of steaming soaked flatbread was brought up; Zhang Guafu took his dirty clothes and left first, while Xiao Liang remained at home with no one watching him.

This soaked flatbread—those who like it really like it; those who don't, truly don't care for it.

Fortunately, Ye Cheng likes it.

He took a sip of the broth, added some vermicelli, and a large piece of stewed beef so tender it fell apart—very satisfying.

Originally there wasn't much beef in the soaked flatbread, but Zhang Guafu spared no expense, and Ye Cheng felt he had about half a catty of meat, enough for three bowls of someone else's.

Midway through the meal, Han Xiaotao came over; she had come to retrieve the fishing line, and Ye Cheng asked her to help take back those two flowing-spike nets to tidy up.

Han Xiaotao had just picked up the items and was about to leave when Ye Cheng called out to her.

"Want some soaked flatbread? There's still plenty of beef; I can't finish it alone, so if you don't mind, grab a pair of chopsticks and help me eat some of the meat."

Han Xiaotao thought about sharing the same bowl with Ye Cheng, her cheeks instantly flushed; she lowered her head, pursed her lips, and went to fetch a set of chopsticks.

Ye Cheng scooped half a bowl of the soaked flatbread over, then began picking up meat, saying, "Well, there's too much meat; you're so skinny, eat more."

Han Xiaotao gave Ye Cheng a white-eyed look and retorted indignantly, "I'm not skinny; my face just looks slim, but I'm actually plump all over."

Ye Cheng sized her up and said, "Oh, where's the fat? I can't see it."

"It's on my body; of course I can't let you see it." Han Xiaotao said, biting her lip, her face as red as a peach.

Ye Cheng felt a stir inside, his Adam's apple bobbed; damn, this young widow is still quite tempting.

He quickly gave a dry cough and said, "Alright, no matter where the fat is, eating some meat is never wrong."

Only then did Han Xiaotao start eating; she has a small mouth, but she eats not slowly.

Soon, most of the bowl was gone.

Ye Cheng looked at her fondly, handed her a napkin, and said, "You still have oil at the corner of your mouth."

Han Xiaotao's face flushed red; she quickly took it, then turned away to wipe.

"You say you have money now; can't you eat better?"

"I'm scared of being poor; I want to save the money first."

Hearing that, Ye Cheng was momentarily at a loss for words.

All he could do was put on a stern face, point at Han Xiaotao, and say,

"Next time I inspect you; if you go a day without eating meat, don't even think about working for me."

Han Xiaotao's expression stiffened; a sudden, inexplicable sense of grievance welled up, her eyes gradually moistening, and she hurriedly turned away.

She wiped her eyes with her hand, then gave a few hard nods, then stood up straight and, with her back turned, said,

"Brother Cheng, I'm heading back first."

Having said that, she didn't wait for Ye Cheng to say anything else, picked up her things, and left.

This left Ye Cheng looking utterly bewildered, wondering, "What did I say wrong?"

Never mind; women sometimes just overthink things.

It's not that Han Xiaotao is sentimental; it's simply that no one has cared about her for far too long.

Ye Cheng's joking remark struck her most vulnerable point, leaving her unable to stay.

Han Xiaotao glanced down at her chest, thinking Brother Cheng would prefer her a bit plumper, so she resolved to eat more.

Han Xiaotao had thought about all that, but Ye Cheng hadn't anticipated it—he slept until nearly 8 a. m. before waking, and his arms were still sore.

It's all because of money.

Today he doesn't plan to go out to sea; he plans to go into the city to run errands.

"Brother Cheng, are you up?"

A deliberately lowered voice came from outside.

"Ah Yong, come in, I'm up."

Ye Cheng dressed and came out, with Duan Yong standing outside holding a small water tank.

"Everything's inside—over twenty in total, all picked for their large size."

Ye Cheng opened the lid and saw that they were all small lobsters, each sturdy and vigorously trying to crawl out.

"Fine, put it here; I'll go into the city to find a place to sell them."

Upon hearing they were going to sell the small lobsters, Duan Yong couldn't help rubbing his hands, asking anxiously,

"Brother Cheng, how much do you think the small lobsters will fetch per jin?"

That's a good question.

Ye Cheng hadn't figured it out either.

"Did you bring your account book?"

"I did, Brother Cheng—I brought it in case you needed it." Duan Yong produced the account book.

"Alright, I'll work it out myself."

Having Duan Yong sit and wait, Ye Cheng took the account book over.