Chapter 1283: A Meeting

Ye Yaodong felt much more at ease.

At least his brother-in-law and friend was still reliable.

Better to replace that old fellow; at his age, he should retire and take it easy, instead of making himself a nuisance.

Like his father—very obedient, told him to stay on shore and he just stayed on shore.

Ye Father:??? Didn't he think the shore was chaotic, feel sorry for his son, and take the initiative to stay on shore?

Aguang asked again, "How's the refitting of your boat at the shipyard going?"

"I don't know, haven't I been out at sea for almost half a month? Just got back, just woke up from a nap, haven't had time to go look yet. I'll go take a look tomorrow when I'm free."

"You've got nothing going on this afternoon, why not go in the afternoon?"

"I've got other things this afternoon, need to go take care of them. I'll go to the shipyard tomorrow."

"What do you have going on this afternoon? I was thinking if you're going to the shipyard, I'd go with you to have a look, see what it looks like."

"I'll go with you tomorrow. Yesterday when I docked, I got to know a few people at the pier…"

Ye Yaodong began telling yesterday's story again.

"Damn, you're even taking the lead in setting up some merchants' association? How are you this capable?"

"I just casually brought it up, wanted them to go do it. Didn't expect them to want to drag me in as the figurehead."

"You only just met them last night, they're still strangers, can they be trusted?" Aguang remained skeptical.

"Who cares if they're reliable or not, I don't need to do anything, don't need to arrange anything, I'll just go listen."

He had nothing to lose. If these people really got organized and pulled it off, he might even benefit.

"Why don't you bring a couple more people along, just to be safe? Who knows what kind of people they are."

"That's the plan, definitely can't go alone. In a bit I'll bring a few more people along, they're all just sitting around idle at home anyway."

"That's good, still better to be on guard. It's so chaotic here, all kinds of people around."

Ye Yaodong nodded.

Being cautious was necessary, but he felt Jin Laixi and his group should be genuine fishmongers, not the swindling type.

This merchants' association was originally his idea. He was the one blabbering on there, and at first those people only came to buy fish.

Come to think of it, it was entirely his doing. They just got carried along by his way of thinking, which is why they came by today to discuss this matter.

If this thing works out, it can be considered something he made happen.

"Counting up the accounts for this meeting, it's already one o'clock. You go on and do your thing."

After speaking, Aguang stood up, wanting to head back. Ye Yaodong called out to him.

"Hold on. Since I'm not going out to sea today, I'll make a call in a bit and have Aqing bring it over to your house for Ye Ye Huimei?"

Aguang frowned. "What's this for? I'm not in a rush for the money. Just hold onto it for now, why bother having Third Sister-in-law specially bring it to the house?"

"Isn't it because I'm afraid your father will feel unhappy about it?"

When he borrowed it, he had thought about it. At first he had thought about it that way, but didn't he act first and report later…

Spending 100,000 yuan on a boat, and still having to owe over 30,000 in debt—he needed to take it slow. He was dying to wait until New Year to sail the boat back before letting his family know.

100,000 yuan could buy their entire village, and he already had so many boats. Buying another boat for 100,000 yuan was, for them, really unnecessary to go all out on. He was indeed going to get scolded.

When he called home during Mid-Autumn, he didn't get scolded, nothing happened at all, and he felt relieved. He didn't expect that one more call before National Day and they'd know everything.

He figured, well, he'd already borrowed it, and he could pay it back in just a month. Aguang wasn't in a rush anyway.

Before, he'd been sending money back in bits and pieces, 50,000 yuan total, and had paid a lot in service fees. If he borrowed from here and paid back from home, wouldn't that be like paying service fees for nothing?

It's not like one month would make a difference.

But Father Pei's attitude made him overthink—did Father Pei have a grudge about it?

Borrowing 30,000 yuan in 2024 is hard enough, let alone in 1986. In these times, 30,000 yuan might not be worth 3,000,000, but it's not far off—it's indeed a huge sum.

And it was borrowed outright, not counted as a share, no talk of interest or anything.

If measured against a share, it could count as thirty percent. Yet now it's only counted as a temporary use of funds.

This money was also equivalent to most of what they'd earned coming over here. It was normal for them to feel uncomfortable about it.

He figured they must have said plenty behind his back. Although he could understand it—after all, it wasn't a small sum—if it caused unpleasantness, better just settle it. Pay it back early, to avoid affecting the relationship.

Sometimes, it's precisely these little careless frictions and grudges that accumulate and trigger big conflicts.

If that 35,000 had been directly used by Aguang as a share investment, by now they'd probably be overjoyed.

Aguang quickly explained, "My father doesn't feel unhappy about it. I lent you the money and he didn't say anything. We're not outsiders—how could I not trust you?"

"Given your ability, 30,000-something yuan, you can pay it back in just a month. What's there for me to rush about? It's just moving money around once. I'd be happy to lend you all my money. When the time comes and you pay me back in one lump sum, I won't even have to bear the risk."

"Don't tell Third Sister-in-law to take it and give it to Ye Ye Huimei. If she really does, what does that make me? We agreed on one month and you can't even wait that long?"

"Third Sister-in-law should scold you too. You went out and didn't bring money back, instead she has to shell out tens of thousands. She knows you bought a boat, but she hasn't seen it, so she must feel uneasy."

Ye Yaodong listened and had nothing to say in return.

"Don't mind what my father says, he's just like that, no bad intentions. He just got up in the morning, heard about it, felt sorry for the money, so he wanted to ask and check. He's not unhappy about lending you the money."

Aguang patted his shoulder again. "Hold onto the money for now, don't let Third Sister-in-law's side take the money."

"Alright then, I'll pay you back 20,000 first, and pay you the rest at the end of the month."

Ye Yaodong stopped him from speaking. "Don't be in a rush to refuse. I have some cash on hand now, it's not like I'm broke. The deposit at the shipyard has been paid, and there's nowhere I need to spend money for now. Since I've got money left, I'll pay back part of it first—that's only right. I'll pay you the rest at the end of the month."

"Mm… alright then, pay me back 20,000 first. The rest, whenever you have it, pay me back then. You don't have to wait until the end of the month, I'm not in a rush."

"Good, then come inside with me and count the money. 20,000 yuan, I'll need half a day to count it."

Ye Yaodong led Aguang into the house.

Ye Father listened to the whole thing from the side without saying anything.

Their business was for the two of them to work out between themselves. Old Pei was his in-law, so it wasn't his place to say anything.

Money owed—better to pay it back early if possible, to avoid ordinary people feeling unhappy about it.

When they bought the Fengshou Hao back then, they all came over to recruit the three brothers into the partnership, but the eldest didn't agree, so Dongzi and Ahua split the share between them.

As for this boat, Dongzi was still short on cash, yet they didn't try to recruit him; instead, they simply borrowed it, which indeed left him feeling dissatisfied.

One can't really say who was right or wrong; times have changed.

Dongzi wasn't short of money; he could easily afford to buy a boat on his own, but he had sent some of it back home, so his hands weren't as loose as usual.

At that time, Old Pei didn't have enough money on hand either and wanted to bring people in to share the risk, so there was no comparison.

Ye's father pretended to be deaf and mute, followed them into the house, counted the money for them, and said nothing else.

After Ah Guang counted out twenty thousand yuan, he took a basket of shellfish and went back.

When Old Pei left, he was probably unhappy; he took nothing else, only the share of money he was given.

After Ye Yaodong watched him leave, seeing it was already past one o'clock, he counted ten people and followed him to the address Jin Laixi had given.

They asked for directions as they walked and chatted along the way, arriving at just about two o'clock.

It was also a row of low, single-story houses, with several people sitting separately on small stools and benches at individual doorways.

As soon as they arrived, those people looked at them curiously, and Jin Laixi smiled, greeted him, and walked over.

"Very punctual, and so many people?"

"They are all from my village; they were a bit curious and wanted to come along to see what it was like. Since they were idle anyway, I let them follow along; no need to worry about them."

"Actually, many more people wanted to come and see, but I didn't have the heart to bring them all, otherwise they might think I brought them out to fight, haha."

The few people sitting there looked at Ye Yaodong curiously; they had all come alone or brought one or two friends.

Someone bringing such a large group like him was unique to him...

But, this indeed showed people his strength...

Just stepping out the door with ten people, with even more who didn't come along, this was enough to show he was no ordinary person.

Jin Laixi smiled and said nothing. "Good, since almost everyone is here, let's just chat casually. Everyone who came this afternoon is an acquaintance, someone we can trust, and all are from Wenzhou City."

"There are two or three friends who are boat captains; they have already gone to sea, so let's not mention them for now. Once they are not at sea, we will gradually bring them into the chamber of commerce, and everyone can get to know each other then."

"If you also have friends who are locals from Wenzhou City, you can bring them in too. Everyone can exchange more; resources can complement each other. Fellow townspeople are always more reliable than outsiders; we can give our own people convenience without letting outsiders earn the money."

"Let me first introduce this new friend to you; we met by accident yesterday. He is no ordinary person; he is the Vice President of the Wenzhou City Fisheries Association—Ye Yaodong."

"Hehe, I only found out by accident yesterday when I heard him talking to a boat captain at the dock."

"So, we chatted a bit and got carried away; this Wenzhou Chamber of Commerce was actually a suggestion put forward by Comrade Ye Yaodong..."

Jin Laixi kept talking nonstop about how he met Ye Yaodong and introduced Ye Yaodong's strength again.

He also emphasized that although Ye Yaodong was not from Wenzhou City, he had a house and a factory there, so he could be considered half a Wenzhou local, not to mention he was the Vice President of the Wenzhou City Fisheries Association.

Everyone looked at him in surprise; the smarter ones already knew the weight of Ye Yaodong's name. Being the Vice President of a Fisheries Association established by the government was not something just anyone could do.

Although they didn't understand much, they had heard a little about the chaos during the Jellyfish fishing season in Wenzhou City last year; the Fisheries Association was an organization pulled together by the Haiyang Bureau.

Ye Yaodong found a stool to sit on; except for nodding and smiling when everyone was introduced to him, he made no sound at other times, just sitting there listening to them chatter and discuss.

Some spoke a few sentences in Mandarin before switching to the local Wenzhou dialect; he couldn't understand it, so he just sat there like a mascot, letting them discuss as they pleased.

It was only when they spoke about positions that they asked if he had any ideas.

He shook his head directly. "I have no ideas; I am also very busy. I have many boats to manage, accounts to calculate, and I must go to sea myself. My energy is limited, and my time on land is uncertain; I am not even sure how much time I will spend here. Hehe, you decide and arrange as you see fit; no need to worry about me."

"How can that be? You are our mascot; we also rely on you to attract more people from Wenzhou City who are striving out here, so everyone can develop together in a group and not be bullied."

"Then you decide; I don't care, and I really don't have time. If something comes up, you might not even be able to find me."

"In that case, let's just give you a title for now; Vice President?"

The workers nearby whispered to each other, asking quietly, "Brother Dong has so many Vice Presidents..."

"The boss needs to make money; where does he have time for groups..."

Ye Yaodong hesitated for a second. "After all, I am not a local; I cannot speak the Wenzhou dialect. There is no need to give me a title. There are only a few of us in total; except for the President, everyone is the same."

"Everyone is the same, but you are a bit different. You are the Vice President of the Fisheries Association, officially recognized, a living mascot; we must use you for promotion. Otherwise, with only a few of us in total, apart from the President, there is no need to pile on titles; we are all friends."

The others also said there, "Give him a title."

Hearing this, Ye Yaodong agreed too. It was just a makeshift team of a few people; having a President and a Vice President was the limit; no need to think about a Secretary-General, directors, or anything like that...

What happens in the future is hard to say; who knows if this makeshift team will just fall apart while working? He will definitely go home for the New Year anyway; how next year will be is uncertain.

Just stay here for a few months and muddle along casually.

Originally, he was thinking of making a few friends; if there was a boss here who would regularly buy his catch, that would be good, or if there were fishing boats whose catch he could buy for his fresh-boat business, that would work too.

Just muddle along for now and see.

"Then it's settled. The boat captain you talked about last night is also from Wenzhou City; we can talk more and bring him in so everyone can form a group."

"Alright, but he is at sea now, so we can't contact him. I'll have to wait until I go to sea, then we can communicate on the same channel on the water. I only met him yesterday; I can't guarantee what kind of person he is."

"Okay, then you get to know him first; we certainly must introduce reliable people to join the association..."

Ye Yaodong remained silent again, only listening as they discussed details, development, the benefits of forming a group, and then discussed everyone's individual needs.

Because he held the title of Vice President of the Fisheries Association, even though they had just met, the official backing made everyone trust him quite a bit.

They politely said they would need large quantities of hairtail fish in the coming days, along with some small yellow croaker, pomfret, shrimp, and the like; if they happened to meet at the right time, they would buy from him first.

The eight or nine people Jin Laixi called this afternoon were basically fishmongers like him; some were his brothers or neighbors, others were Wenzhou locals he had met here, and the boat captains were still at sea.

Ye Yaodong didn't care whether they were speaking politely or seriously; he took everything as truth.

He also specifically asked them roughly what time they usually bought goods at the dock, thinking of coordinating their docking times accordingly.

After all, these fishmongers all needed to buy goods; it didn't matter whose they bought.

With communications not developed now, it was inconvenient to contact each other, so they could only coordinate and agree on times in advance; otherwise, there was no better way.

Even the quantities they couldn't agree on; they could only see how things went.

These fishmongers didn't need goods every day, and the volume might not be that large for some; simply agreeing on a time, he would buy whatever he could for them, and whatever he couldn't buy, he would set up a stall to sell.

If he really couldn't sell it all then, he would take it back to dry; after all, when he returned to shore, he had plenty of workers on hand. Once dried, he could take it home during the New Year to sell in his shop.

A few people chatted, and they kept chatting until the sun set before dispersing.

Jin Laixi called out for everyone to stay for dinner, but Ye Yaodong declined outright and told them to eat on their own.

He had brought ten people out, so how could he have the nerve to have them all stay and freeload on a meal? So after chatting, he smiled and bade everyone farewell, leading his men back first.

Everyone had been listening all afternoon and could barely hold it in; they had wanted to whisper among themselves just now, and now they could speak at full volume.

"Dong-ge, that's another title for you now…"

"Who knows what this organization is even for… can it make money…"

"At least you're another vice president now, sounds pretty nice too…"

"It's just that there aren't many people, and who knows how they plan to develop people in Wen City. We don't even know how many people from Wen City are in there—most of them should just be ordinary fishermen, right?"

Ye Yaodong said indifferently, "Let them worry about it, that's not my concern. I'm starving, let's hurry back and eat."