Chapter 1448: It

As soon as the fishing boat was anchored and rested for a day, the small boat couldn't wait to set out to sea at night.

Ye's father wasn't in such a hurry; after all, Dongzi had made plenty of money and wasn't short of half a day's time—their boat wasn't a same-day round-trip vessel, so there was no need to rush out in the middle of the night.

When he returned, he immediately communicated with everyone, deciding to set sail after breakfast the next morning.

After a good night's rest, their condition that day would be better, and besides, this was the spring season for ribbonfish, when they were even more active at night.

If they set out at the third watch, by the time they could cast the nets, dawn would already be breaking—it was better to rest fully before departing.

With Ye Yaodong's many boats backing him up, Ye's father's words carried great weight; nearly all the other boats followed his lead, and no one objected when he set the departure time.

Ye's father secretly felt a bit proud—everyone listened to him, and he himself was eager to go to sea, preferring the ocean to staying ashore.

But Dongzi's business had grown too large to keep him constantly collecting and delivering goods; in two months, he said he'd return home, so Ye's father had to go ashore to help Dongzi collect and deliver goods.

Every day, the goods amounted to ten or twenty thousand yuan—handing that much money over to others made him uneasy.

The assistants and accountants he hired could only help out; the big sums absolutely couldn't pass through their hands.

The next morning, Ye Yaodong woke up naturally; the main camp was empty, with only a few people left.

Besides those on watch here, there were only the workers hired by Fatty and the construction crew building houses over there.

Chen Baoxing approached with his ledger, grinning, "Good morning, Uncle Dong, where are we going today?"

"First have breakfast, then follow along—you'll have plenty of chances to prove yourself."

He never imagined that "proving himself" meant cycling at high intensity for several days straight.

Ye Yaodong tied a softer cushion to the back seat of the bicycle, sat comfortably behind, and let Chen Baoxing carry him to buy a tractor, then to the shipyard, then to the bank, then wandering through streets and villages.

As long as there was no cargo to collect, he had to cycle, taking Uncle Dong around every alley and village in Shenjia Sect.

He finally understood why Uncle Dong had said back then that following him around wasn't easier than being on a boat.

After days of intense cycling, Chen Baoxing's thighs ached so badly he could barely lift them—only occasional cargo pickups and deliveries kept him from cycling from dawn till dusk.

Following Ye Yaodong still taught him a lot and broadened his horizons, not to mention the occasional massage and free cigarettes.

Chen Baoxing suffered, but he was happy.

After a month of steady activity, Ye Yaodong was unexpectedly stopped on the street by someone he'd forgotten.

Chen Jiannian?

He stared in surprise at the man's haggard, gloomy face.

He'd met him once before at the end of last October; afterward, the man boarded a ship, and Ye's rosary broke, so he didn't return—then that afternoon, an earthquake near the bay triggered a tsunami.

He didn't know what happened to Chen Jiannian then, hadn't crossed paths with him again; in such a vast sea of people, running into someone again wasn't easy.

Yet here he was, meeting him again.

Chen Jiannian's gloomy expression flickered with surprise, "Ah Dong? Didn't expect to run into you here—I thought I was seeing things."

"Heh, what a coincidence."

"Isn't it? Last time we met was already unexpected—there was an earthquake at sea, and I saw you preparing to leave at night. Now it's clear the Goddess of the Sea protected you—you were lucky."

"I was lucky indeed. I didn't go to sea that day. My rosary, worn for too many years, had its string fray and snap—I felt it was an ill omen, so I didn't return."

Chen Jiannian opened his mouth in astonishment, "You really were lucky."

"Are you alright? I saw you leave on the cargo ship first—I should've warned you."

He shook his head with a bitter smile, "That cargo ship was heading south, stopping frequently at coastal fishing ports. When the tsunami hit, it would've been better if we'd been out in deep water—but the ship was near shore, preparing to unload at the nearest town, and kept getting battered by the waves."

"Fortunately, the cargo ship was large and sturdy. I had a cold and stayed in the cabin, didn't go on deck. Though I was bruised all over, I still managed to survive."

"Those who went on deck weren't so lucky—the fishing boats kept being slammed by the tsunami all night; everyone who went on deck was swept into the sea along with the cargo."

"Only a few people in the cabin and some cargo in the hold survived; most people and goods were lost—this voyage was a catastrophic loss."

"I survived, but all the cargo was gone."

Ye Yaodong listened, feeling a deep sorrow—natural disasters and human misfortunes were like this, especially at sea, where danger multiplied.

Just because no one near him had died in the past two years didn't mean the sea was safe.

Many people died at sea every year; accidents happened constantly across the world's oceans, especially in major ports like this one.

Almost every month, they fished up several to a dozen corpses; during summer, when typhoons were frequent and fierce, the number was even higher.

Chen Jiannian was still lucky—he was alive, while most others never came back.

Only because the cargo ship was large and its load-bearing capacity sturdy did the whole vessel not sink entirely.

"You've got the best luck—so long as the green mountains remain, you'll never lack firewood; survive a great disaster, and fortune will follow."

He spoke these words sincerely.

This man really did seem terribly unfortunate.

Just as he was beginning to rebuild, right in the most profitable years, now he was back to square one—starting over again.

But it wasn't too late; he still had time to begin anew.

"I hope so. After saving up for years, I'm back to square one—and I'm deep in debt."

Chen Jiannian looked despondent.

"Take it slow. You're only in your forties—life's only halfway over. You still have a chance to start again—you've done it once, can't you just repeat the same path?"

"Is there still a chance?" he murmured, "No chance left—all tens of thousands in cargo are gone, I can't repay it—I'll never repay it in this lifetime…"

As he spoke, his eyes turned red.

Ye Yaodong fell silent.

Chen Jiannian continued murmuring, "Tens of thousands… owe tens of thousands… karma has come…"

As he spoke, he shuffled sideways, shaking his head, looking utterly hopeless.

Chen Baoxing whispered cautiously, "Uncle Dong…"

Ye Yaodong raised his hand, signaling him to stay quiet.

"You lost your cargo, couldn't recover your advance payments or the goods' cost, and now you're in debt, right?"

Chen Jianian stopped, turned to look at him, then nodded. "I owe the factory part of the payment for the goods."

"Are you familiar with some local factories?"

He nodded.

"Here's the deal: I have goods. I'll give them to you on credit; you just sign the receipt and don't pay yet."

Chen Jianian's previously expressionless face shifted; his lifeless countenance seemed to come alive.

"You're giving me goods on credit? No immediate payment?"

"Yes. You have connections with factories. I'll give you goods on credit; you can use them to make money and turn over capital. Just settle a sum with me periodically."

This was the idea that had just occurred to him.

Giving him a lump sum of money to help Chen Jianian was impossible; a small gift earns gratitude, but a large one breeds resentment. His money didn't fall from the sky.

Although he held no grudge against Chen Jianian, at most there was some unpleasantness, but who knew if the other man resented him.

Still, since the other man was in such a desperate state now, he was somewhat involved.

Giving money was impossible, but he could spare some of his goods. He'd do it out of regard for their past connection, to give a helping hand and see if he could pull the man out of the water.

What he lacked least right now was goods. With five extra boats, the factories and merchants he knew couldn't digest so much; he had to go to the Fish Market Street every day to sell slowly, which was very laborious.

If Chen Jianian had channels, he might as well give him goods on credit; it was just a matter of delayed payment.

For him, this was no problem, and it would solve the trouble of laboriously selling his goods.

And with goods to sell for money, Chen Jianian could catch his breath; perhaps he would gradually recover.

Nowadays, all transactions were cash on delivery; no one gave credit. Moreover, everyone he knew probably knew he was drowning in debt, so no one dared to lend him a large sum to turn his fortunes around.

Chen Jianian was somewhat agitated. "If you let me have credit, it needs to be quite a lot..."

"Ten thousand?"

"I owe the factory seventy or eighty thousand. If it's on credit, you need to owe me at least around forty thousand. I'll use the goods to offset part of the debt to the factory; only then will they continue to accept my goods, and only then can we negotiate. After that, I can offset the factory's debt while starting to repay you."

Forty thousand!

That was equivalent to two days' catch from his fresh-fish boats.

"You don't want goods worth forty thousand yuan all at once, do you?"

"No, no," he hurriedly stepped forward. "You can give me whatever amount you can. I'll slowly offset your goods against the factory's processing. You just need to let me owe the money there; no immediate payment is required."

No wonder he couldn't turn his fortunes around; even with known channels, he was still in such a desperate state.

Who would be willing to let someone owe forty thousand there, especially when it was unknown when it could be repaid? Chen Jianian had only been mixing it up here for a few years.

"So, I have to give you goods worth thirty or forty thousand yuan for you to offset against the factory's debt, and the factory must be able to produce them? Once that amount is offset, you can gradually turn over capital and start settling accounts, is that right?"

"Yes, that's exactly it. At the beginning, I need goods to offset the factory's debt. After offsetting a portion, I can negotiate with the factory to offset part and pay part, repaying gradually."

"I understand what you mean, but what if, after you've offset forty thousand, the factory refuses to offset part and pay part for the remainder?"

Chen Jianian said urgently, "It won't happen. We've been trading for two or three years; there's some friendship. As long as I repay part, he still has to rely on me to repay the rest, so he will agree to offset part and pay part."

"I dare guarantee this. As long as you let me owe thirty or forty thousand and continue to supply goods to the factory afterward, I can offset the debt while getting money, then settle with you gradually."

"The process of settling with you might be a bit long, and the debt might last a while. If you want to calculate some interest, that's fine."

This was his only lifeline; Chen Jianian looked at him with a face full of hope.

Ye Yaodong thought for a moment; he couldn't let his money go down the drain.

"Here's what we'll do: Go to the factory first and say you'll repay half the payment with goods over time. Ask if the remaining payment can be settled by offsetting with goods while paying part. If the factory agrees, I can deliver some goods to you tonight."

He could just give him the leftover goods from his sales.

Every day, give him a portion of the leftover goods and let him sign the receipt to owe it.

Chen Jianian nodded happily in haste. "Okay, I'll go negotiate right now."

"Can I go along and listen?"

"Of course you can. Let's go now."

Chen Jianian was also eager to turn his fortunes around.

Ye Yaodong was idle anyway; he also wanted to hear if it was true or false.

After all, letting Chen Jianian owe forty thousand yuan in goods was no small sum; it would take at least several months to repay gradually.

However, if the settlement came in gradually, he would have an extra channel for shipping goods, avoiding the laborious selling.

Giving more would allow faster repayment; giving less would mean taking it slowly. This also depended on his fishing boat's catch volume.

Good night. I've kept my word, updating at the cost of my life.

(End of this chapter)