Chapter 22: Budget Too Low: Two Million

"Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four…"

In the Nantou Township agricultural machinery store, Wu Lao Er squatted on a stool, counting bills one by one.

The last time he came, customers had crowded around, unloading the remaining diesel engines from the truck.

The local agricultural machinery shop owner carefully inspected the condition of the diesel engines and nodded with satisfaction:

"Old Wu, your machines do look well-made, but eighty-five hundred is still too expensive."

"How about you drop it to eight thousand? If we use them and they work well, we'll buy a few more from you."

Wu Lao Er, squatting and counting money, didn't look up:

"Eight thousand five is still too expensive? You know why I brought two brothers along? Just getting them here safely was a nightmare—this profit barely covers the transportation costs."

The local shop owner clearly understood the surrounding environment well and kept nodding:

"You really have to be careful on the road—there's a gang up on those nearby hills, they say they've killed several people. You didn't run into them on your way here, did you?"

Wu Lao Er's motion while counting money froze almost imperceptibly, then he shook his head:

"Didn't run into them. Guess we got lucky, hearing you say that."

They chatted idly, Wu Lao Er received the agreed amount, tied up the cash, and shoved it into his pants.

Besides the diesel engines, the two diesel motors were also bought after the buyers saw them in person—this trip turned out quite profitable.

Aside from the twenty or thirty thousand still owed, the amount received was enough to cover Tang Wen's payment and leave Wu Lao Er with a profit.

Having completed all sales, Wu Lao Er exhaled, still unsettled by his last close call.

After declining the invitation to stay for a meal, he climbed onto the truck, and with Tang Shiba stomping the accelerator, they set off for Dawan Town.

As the truck left Nantou Township, a buyer dressed like a farmer patted the diesel engine and watched the three depart with a complex expression.

"Uncle Lai, it's them!"

Beside him, a scruffy young man suddenly appeared, his face still pale with fear.

"The truck's roof can be opened, and they mounted a machine gun on it—exactly like the Japanese soldiers' guns in the movies, real weapons!"

"If Big Ma hadn't jumped into the ditch, he'd have been turned into a honeycomb right there."

"Uncle Lai" was deeply shaken by this, though the robbery had been a spur-of-the-moment idea, the other side's display had been terrifying.

After a long silence, "Uncle Lai" finally sighed:

"The world's getting more and more chaotic."

…

Dawan Village, Gaijin Shipyard.

After several days of effort, the shipyard added several meters of iron sheeting atop its walls, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to see inside.

The patrol team inside shifted its focus entirely to the exterior, with several burly men wielding batons pacing constantly beneath the outer walls, making passing villagers suspect something illicit was happening inside—none dared approach.

Only when Tang Wen felt the time was right did he invite the village chief inside the shipyard.

Chen Yonggui's first glance revealed a tidy, compact yard with complete facilities and a cement floor.

Though Tang Wen, for secrecy's sake, only showed him the empty dry dock, the village chief was still profoundly stunned.

It had been barely half a month—had the shipyard really been built this fast?

No matter how hard he struggled to disbelieve it, he had to painfully accept what he saw.

After gradually accepting this transformation, Chen Yonggui's shock turned to elation—he circled the yard several times in excitement.

His fondness for Tang Wen rose sharply; though he didn't understand how such rapid construction was possible, facts spoke louder than words!

The Giant said it best: a cat that catches mice is a good cat!

"Chief, how's this factory?"

"Not bad, not bad! Has machining lathes, a dry dock, and… a generator? Your factory's fully equipped!"

Hearing the latter part of Chen Yonggui's remark, Tang Wen could only sigh helplessly—this was precisely why he'd invited the chief.

So far, the shipyard still relied on the power of silver-coin void energy, which was astronomically expensive—far worse than connecting to the power grid.

But to supply the shipyard's electricity, Chen Yonggui had to report to the township, the township had to approach the town, and the town had to convince the power bureau to install a dedicated high-capacity transformer to supply electricity to the shipyard.

So Chen Yonggui had to inspect the site in person before submitting reports up the chain—by the time the power bureau connected the lines, it would take at least a month.

Upon hearing Tang Wen's request, Chen Yonggui immediately patted his chest and promised—he saw this as the village chief's duty.

After promising to resolve the power supply, Chen Yonggui stared at the hundred-meter-long dry dock and began calculating.

This length was more than enough for fishing boats; ordinary large ocean-going vessels were just a few hundred tons—a hundred-meter vessel would be thousands of tons.

Clearly, Tang Wen had grand ambitions!

Chen Yonggui thought for a moment, then said to Tang Wen:

"Xiao Tang, can your shipyard build an eight-hundred-ton vessel?"

Tang Wen was puzzled but nodded:

"Of course we can, but what's the use of an eight-hundred-ton ship? The far-sea vessels from our town are only four hundred tons or so."

"That's because our town is small, with no big fishing companies."

Chen Yonggui shook his head and explained:

"My son found a big company in the city—the owner has four ships, all one to three hundred tons, but now the boss wants to go far offshore and needs a five- to eight-hundred-ton vessel."

"But the boss's funds are tight—he can't afford a new ship from a big company, so he's looking for used large ocean-going vessels."

"If your small factory can offer one cheaper, maybe he'll buy a new one from us."

An order?

Tang Wen's first reaction was delight—after all, the system's shipyard cost far less than real shipbuilding, so landing orders meant substantial profit.

But then he realized a problem: developing a new ship required experience, and the experience needed for a few-hundred-ton vessel was enormous—he still wanted to save it for his beginner quest.

And there was another issue: Gaijin Shipyard had zero public shipbuilding history—would customers trust their money to a remote factory with no track record?

The more budget-tight a client is, the less they are willing to take risks; otherwise, a single failure would mean an extremely heavy loss.

"Uncle, our new shipyard probably won't get many orders easily, and I expect other shipyards will fight for the business."

However, Chen Yonggui shook his head vigorously:

"Even if no shipyard takes the job, it's because their boss's budget is too low. My son told me it's only two million; even for a secondhand one, you could only buy the worst condition, and even that is barely enough!"

"Two... million?"

Tang Wen stood with his mouth agape, as if doubting he had heard the number correctly.

This was two million in '96; are fishing companies that rich?

"Yes, a hundred-ton boat costs three or four hundred thousand, and anything over five or six hundred tons must cost three million at least.

Sigh, I think if you build it, you'll definitely lose money, but I also think since Golden Shipyard just opened, building a boat at a loss to make a name for ourselves, a five-hundred-ton one should at least break even... Little Tang, Little Tang?"