Chapter 41: A Visit

Dawan is truly very remote.

This was Huang Dongfu's first impression.

As agreed, he arrived at Dawan Town and called the Gaijin Shipyard; someone from there would come to pick him up.

It wasn't that they feared Huang Dongfu couldn't find the way, but mainly worried about accidents on the road.

Huang Dongfu and his younger brother had also driven a small car, an imported Italian Fiat Uno, a fashionable two-door hatchback for these days, yet equally unfamiliar.

And situations like bandits and road robbers target outsiders... you know.

As long as the timing is right, even simple villagers can transform into heroes of Liangshan.

The main road to the town is somewhat better, but one must be careful on the roads leading to the countryside.

Huang Dongfu was at least a big boss and had a mobile phone, yet as soon as he reached the town, there was no signal.

Fortunately, he found a small shop, so he came in to borrow a phone.

Seeing this, Huang Panpan quickly hung up with her best friend and then said:

"The first three minutes cost fifty cents; anything over is two cents per minute."

Huang Dongfu picked up the receiver, dialed for a few seconds, and then heard Tang Wen's voice.

"It's me, Boss Tang. I've arrived at the small shop in Dawan Town. Where are your people?"

"They're already on the way? Good, I'll wait here for a few minutes."

The call didn't take a full minute; Huang Dongfu quickly put down the receiver and then said with a smile:

"I only called for one minute; is two cents okay?"

Guo Panpan said nothing, simply extending her hand, which counted as agreement.

However, Huang Dongfu took out five yuan and pointed to the shelves behind, saying:

"Give me two more bottles of Jianlibao."

At this moment, the sound of a car door closing came from behind him; a middle-aged man with a flat haircut and deeply tanned skin got out of the car.

He was Huang Dongshun, Huang Dongfu's biological younger brother, who had served as a sailor and later worked at a state-owned fishing company for seven or eight years.

With his experience as a sailor and at the fishing company, Huang Dongshun helped Fudong Fishing establish a sound management system, with special focus on the maintenance of vessels.

This time, he accompanied his older brother to inspect the Gaijin Shipyard, wanting to see exactly what its quality was like.

After all, it was a newly rising shipyard, and the claim that it could build thousand-ton large ships still left people doubtful.

He walked up to his older brother, picked up the Jianlibao already placed on the counter, drank half a can in one gulp, and then said with a pout:

"A heavy industry shipbuilding enterprise built in a place where even cement roads aren't properly connected probably has no real skill."

Huang Dongfu also frowned, recalling how shaken and dazed he had been all the way here, but since they had come, they couldn't just make a wasted trip.

"Let's see first. How about I ask... Miss, do you know the Gaijin Shipyard?"

Guo Panpan's eyes looked strange, but she nodded anyway.

Huang Dongfu hurriedly pressed further:

"How is this factory? Is it famous?"

"Well... yes, they even sold diesel engines."

"Diesel engines?"

The Huang brothers became interested; upon asking in detail, they learned the shipyard could actually sell diesel engines.

In these days, many shipyards ran side businesses; making home appliances or tractors wasn't rare, but a shipyard with such capability should not have low core business ability.

His heart instantly relaxed considerably, yet he heard Guo Panpan ask in return:

"Are you here to buy a ship?"

"Yes, our Fudong Fishing is the largest private fishing company in Echeng, and we are preparing to order a very large ocean-going fishing vessel."

Guo Panpan made an "Oh" sound, her eyes unable to help but look at the landline phone; apparently, the shipyard had already installed a telephone.

The sound of a car came from a distance; soon, an open-top military-green jeep drove into the town with ease, then slammed on the brakes and stopped right in front of Huang Dongfu's Fiat small car.

The Willys jeep had no doors; the driver from the Port Hotel jumped out and asked directly:

"Are you Boss Huang of Fudong Fishing Company? I'll take you over."

Huang Dongfu nodded as if in a dream, while Huang Dongshun already wore an expression as if seeing a ghost.

He walked forward in disbelief, looking at the jeep and doubting life itself.

A Willys jeep! He certainly recognized this thing.

At the naval base on Qiongzhou Island, he had even seen two of them; both were supplies captured at the founding of the nation and long since unusable, fit only for scrap metal.

What background does the Gaijin Shipyard have to even have such a car to drive?

Just by looking at its appearance and the crude cockpit, he knew it was absolutely authentic World War II stock; for it to still be drivable now was far too rare!

"Where did you get this car?"

The driver seemed not to expect him to ask this question; after thinking for a moment, he said:

"An imported car; I don't know the specifics."

Huang Dongshun grew even more curious and simply said to his older brother:

"Brother, you drive; I'll ride in this thing."

"Huh?"

"Welcome, Boss Huang!"

Tang Wen was about to step forward to shake hands when he saw the middle-aged man who had jumped from the jeep's passenger seat rub his waist and wave his hand:

"I'm not him; my brother is driving in the back."

Through the bumpy ride, with his buttocks aching, Huang Dongshun confirmed this was indeed a military vehicle; otherwise, the suspension wouldn't be this hard.

Only because Tang Wen, being young, could endure it; a middle-aged man with full-body rheumatism and bone pain simply could not.

After a small misunderstanding, Huang Dongfu finally shook hands with Tang Wen, and seeing the latter's youthful appearance, he couldn't help but exclaim:

"Boss Tang's voice on the phone was already young; meeting you in person, you're even younger. Truly successful at a young age."

"Ah... it's all because my father laid a good foundation."

"Then your honorable father..."

"Passed away, so I came to take over."

"My condolences. I admire you, I admire you..."

Tang Wen spun a bunch of nonsense, and Huang Dongfu filled in the blanks with a story of a second-generation entrepreneur taking on a crisis mission, causing him to immediately hold Tang Wen in higher regard.

Meanwhile, Tang Wen was also sizing up the other party. The Huang brothers' skin was very dark; the muscle contours on their arms were distinct yet lean, clearly showing years of going out to sea. Their faces bore the marks of the sea wind, and their skin was very rough.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tang Wen first invited the other party to the reception room, then prepared to pour tea... pour coffee.

Along the coast, the Chaoshan region's Gongfu tea is popular, which involves frantically pouring tea back and forth with a large pile of teaware of various sizes; Tang Wen didn't know how to do that at all.

Moreover, the shipyard hadn't prepared specialized teaware, so he simply boiled coffee to avoid being seen as neglectful.

For this reception, he had specifically requisitioned a coffee machine from the Greater Bay Port Hotel; the ground coffee was still quite good.

Seeing the coffee, both were somewhat surprised, but Huang Dongshun picked up the cup, took a sip, and then enjoyedly exclaimed:

"Absolutely top-quality coffee beans. The coffee at Boss Tang's place is the most authentic I've ever had."

Tang Wen asked, somewhat surprised:

"You also drink coffee often?"

Huang Dongshun smiled slightly: "Back when I was serving, the ship would supply it. Being able to have a cup while on night watch was truly a pleasure. Since retiring, I haven't tasted such good flavor."

A retired sailor?

No wonder. Even in this era, the treatment on warships was quite good; coffee wasn't much of a thing.

Huang Dongfu, standing nearby, mimicked his younger brother's action to taste it, but instantly wore a mask of pain, his face showing difficulty as he said:

"Boss Tang, could you add some sugar?"

"Yes, of course!"

Tang Wen hurriedly called for a waiter to come in and have him remake a latte with milk and sugar.

After some exchange revolving around the coffee, the atmosphere between the several people instantly grew much closer, and Huang Dongshun immediately cut to the chase:

"Do you have the draft for the thousand-ton fishing boat? To be honest, this is the first time I've seen a steam-powered fishing boat."

Huang Dongfu nodded hurriedly, and Tang Yi stepped forward actively, taking out the already prepared sketch to explain the design parameters.