Chapter 1590: Shipping the Cargo Back

Ye Yaodong went out and didn't return until midnight.

The next morning, he was still woken up by his father's knocking on the door.

"Dongzi, Dongzi, stop sleeping, you have a phone call. Acai called."

Ye Yaodong hadn't slept enough; he sat up groggily, shook his head, and listened carefully before coming to his senses.

He quickly got up to open the door. "Acai called?"

"Yes, he already hung up. He said he'll call back in 10 minutes. Hurry up and get up."

"Got it."

He rubbed his face dry, put on his long shorts, and went out. "Did Acai say anything?"

"No, he just said he's looking for you and asked you to take the call."

"Oh."

"Dongzi, did you call Acai yesterday and ask him to help resolve the cargo issue?"

"Yeah, I asked him to inquire. If possible in the future, we can dedicate a ship to his route. Anyway, the distance from DYD back here to going to his home area isn't much different."

Ye Yaodong's father frowned. "Won't that be inconvenient? Communication will be difficult too. And how will we collect the payment? Should I go with you?"

"Are you stupid? Just ship the goods over, weigh them, issue a shipping manifest, and use the corporate account. Have him transfer the payment to the corporate account. Why would anyone need to go there to collect? Acai is from his own village; he's not an outsider."

Ye Yaodong's father thought about it and agreed. Acai was from his own village, so there was no need to worry about the goods being taken and the person running away without a trace.

"Then that works too. Shipping a whole shipload to him, we can also go home along the way."

"Whether we go home or not, we'll talk about that later. Let's solve the current issue first. You keep talking about shipping a whole ship; he'd be grateful if he could take half a ship."

When Ye Yaodong arrived at the office, he told his father to wait a moment. Before they could say a few more words, the phone rang. As he had predicted, he was grateful just to get half a ship.

In reality, they only needed about one-third of a ship. Ye Yaodong's father stood nearby, pressing his ear to the telephone receiver, looking far more invested than his son. He even chimed in with a few words while Ye Yaodong was speaking, which annoyed him a bit.

Who wouldn't be annoyed when someone keeps interrupting and chiming in while you're on the phone?

When his father interrupted for the second time, Ye Yaodong glared at him and switched the phone to the other ear.

He then recorded each variety Acai mentioned along with the corresponding quantities one by one. Finally, they agreed that the shipment would arrive no later than a week, and only then did he hang up.

"You hung up already? You didn't even mention the price..."

"How did I not mention the price? When I called him yesterday, I already listed the varieties and prices and asked him to note them down. That way, he could determine the quantities based on the prices."

"Then what about the money? How will we collect the total payment? You haven't given him the account number yet."

"He just said it. He'll pay half upon delivery, and the rest he'll transfer to me after he sells everything."

Hearing this, Ye Yaodong's father felt relieved. "He said that? That's good. You wouldn't let me listen; otherwise, why would I need to ask?"

"Money is such an important matter. Do you really think I need you to remind me?"

"Didn't you say to have him transfer it to the corporate account? Why do you still need to go there to collect it yourself?"

"At the beginning, I don't need to go there to collect. For the final settlement later, I'll just have him transfer it to the corporate account. Besides, if his side needs to establish a fixed shipping route, we'll need to make several trips first to build the sales channel. I'll go on the first trip; after that, I can hand it over to someone else."

And he would only need to stay home, make phone calls to coordinate, and specify the exact shipment quantities.

Once this matter no longer required him later on, he would promote Chen Baoxing. From then on, Chen Baoxing would be responsible for such liaison and shipment coordination tasks.

During this period while he was away, Chen Baoxing had basically been in charge. His father was only responsible for collecting money and worrying pointlessly about the cargo.

The factory manager was specifically busy with the factory's inbound and outbound goods, so the division of labor was quite clear.

Hearing this, Ye Yaodong's father thought it made sense again, but suddenly he realized something. "So you mean you're going to sail a ship in a few days to deliver these goods back?"

"Yes. I'm more familiar with Acai's side, so naturally, I'll handle the coordination. Once I've finished coordinating, I'll hand it over to someone else."

"Then you'll be able to go home again?"

Ye Yaodong didn't answer; instead, he gave his father a smile.

It was a smile that just made people feel depressed.

Before his father could speak again, he raised his hand to stop him. "I need to make another call to ask Aile how much cargo he can help me sell."

"The fish canning factory at home?"

"Yes. Let the factory at home help sell some goods too. Once we establish a long-term supply relationship, ideally, a whole ship can sail directly back there to be split up. If things go smoothly, in the future, we can also bring back some miscellaneous goods to the hometown, so the family won't need to purchase them anymore."

"Is it cost-effective? Have you calculated the prices? Your ship burning fuel back and forth costs a lot of money. One trip probably costs a thousand or so."

"Do you think I'm stupid? The wool comes from the sheep. Add one cent to the wholesale price of the goods, and that covers the fuel cost, with profit left over. Besides, I've already asked. Our side is a fishing ground, so the volume is large and the prices for various seafood are relatively cheap. What we give to the processing factories is even cheaper. The prices back home are actually a bit higher. By shipping them back to Acai, we can make a bit more profit."

"As long as you have a clear idea in your mind, that's fine."

"Alright, stop talking. I need to make a call."

Ye Yaodong dialed the number, and his father naturally closed his mouth. Bored and with nothing to do, he picked up the notebook Ye Yaodong had just been writing in.

He could recognize quite a few characters now. He couldn't write them, but he could understand what he read, especially the names of various seafood. After dealing with them so much, he naturally understood them all.

While reading, he also picked up the calculator from the desk and started pressing the buttons himself.

Ye Yaodong called, but no one answered, so he hung up first.

"No one answered?"

"Yeah. Maybe he's not in the office; maybe he went out to handle something. I'll try calling again later. Or, you can keep an eye out for me. If a call comes in, please answer it for me."

"So you're going out again?"

"Yes. I need to go to the dock to count the cargo. Some goods ordered yesterday need to be arranged for delivery."

Since he was going to do something important, Ye Yaodong's father nodded. "Then I'll watch the office for you. Go ahead and get busy. If a call comes in, I'll have someone find you at the dock."

"Okay."

Ye Yaodong didn't just deliver goods when he went out. After delivering the goods, he treated people to a meal. By the time he returned, it was midnight again.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the third day that he received Hong Hong Wenle's call. Hong Hong Wenle gave him a few cargo names and quantities; the rest was a long list of phone numbers. These were numbers Hong Hong Wenle had obtained for him from other processing factories. He needed to discuss the specific quantities with the factories himself.

The fact that Hong Hong Wenle could provide these numbers made Ye Yaodong very satisfied.

This also showed that Hong Hong Wenle had already given the factories a heads-up. Ye Yaodong just needed to coordinate, quote the prices, and agree on the quantities.

He was naturally confident about the price and quantity, as prices in Zhou City were much lower than back home.

After getting the phone, for the rest of the day, Ye Yaodong kept making calls back and forth there.

Selling goods was now exceptionally simple; with contact details, both parties could call to negotiate price and quantity and close the deal directly. Moreover, with the introduction of the intermediary Hong Hong Wenle between them, a little communication made everything flow naturally.

After Ye Yaodong finished his calls, the notebook was filled with several more pages. The next day, he spent another day at the dock organizing the cargo. According to the goods and quantities recorded in the notebook, he had everyone weigh and sort them in advance for separate loading onto the ship.

In the past few days, he had intermittently closed deals on quite a bit of cargo. It wasn't just him; the sales staff at the factory had also sold a lot. After deducting the introductions from Ah Cai and Hong Hong Wenle, the remaining cargo on his two ships wasn't much, probably just over a hundred tons.

This amount of cargo could be easily sold to familiar factories, after all, every factory needed large quantities of goods daily.

Once he finished handling the cargo on the two ships and the workers had rested enough, he continued arranging for the four Ocean-class vessels to go fishing in the near seas.

For the near seas, everyone had experience, so he didn't need to worry blindly; each captain could negotiate and coordinate on their own without others giving blind orders.

As for Ship No. 5, since it had no fishing nets, a new order would take about a month to arrive, so it could only serve temporarily as a fresh catch collection vessel. He arranged all the cargo to be transported back onto Ship No. 5 and would depart on this ship tomorrow to deliver the goods.

The fresh catch collection vessel had a larger capacity, perfect for staying here to coordinate with the other four ships.

In this way, him sailing one ship back wouldn't have too much impact on the situation here.

Recently, he had also secured several clients and handed them over to Chen Baoxing. There shouldn't be much problem with fixed shipments going forward; if there was a shortage, deliver a little less, and if there was excess, wait until the next day to make up the numbers and deliver.

After sorting out all the matters that needed organizing, he calculated the time and realized it was time to set sail to deliver the goods; otherwise, it would be too late. They had agreed on delivery within a week, and now two or three days had already passed.

"Dad, I plan to set off tonight. The cargo on the ship was sorted out two days ago, and all matters needing resolution here have been settled. As for the delivery, I'll leave the arrangements to you and Baoxing."

Ye's father reluctantly agreed, "Alright, then you go back. Remember to come up early after delivering the goods. It's been too long; I can't take it. I'm getting old and can't handle the pressure. Look, my hair has turned white so much."

"You can hand more of it over to Baoxing to bear."

"It's easy to say, but what does he do? I still have to follow him everywhere. The work still gets done, the pressure still has to be borne. With your volume so large now, I can't even keep up with collecting the money..."

"Alright, alright, I know. I have a clear idea in my mind. I'll come back once the business is done."

"Remember, don't stay home too long. Stay for two or three days and come up early. There's a pile of things here waiting for your decisions; it can't all be sorted out over the phone."

"I know. Oh, by the way, if Ah Yuan calls in the next two days, tell him to call the home phone. I'll probably be at sea for two or three days before I'm home. If he calls the home phone and I don't answer, tell him to keep calling the next day."

"Hmm, think again if there's anything else to instruct. Don't miss anything, or later we'll call to the heavens and get no answer, call to the earth and get no response."

"Then I'll think about it in a bit. Anyway, I'm not setting off until tonight. Whatever I think of, I'll tell you."

Now, he first needed to make a call back home to explain, then pack his luggage. The personnel had already been redistributed and arranged when organizing the departure of the several ships; now, he just needed to wait for the right time to set sail back.

The personnel arrangement for this return trip also had its considerations.

He basically kept the veterans on Ships No. 1 through 4, while Ship No. 5, which was sailing back, was mostly staffed by workers from his hometown, leaving only one chief engineer, so they could stay home for a few days on the way back.

Coming out now, it was rare to return home even once or twice a year, so the personnel had to be coordinated well, prioritizing those with wives and children.

Most of the local workers were on the several Dongsheng-class vessels, which were still at sea. The Ocean-class vessels had fewer local workers, so it was easy to arrange.

Just before departure, a few extra people appeared on the ship. His childhood friends, including Fatty, knowing he was going back, were all in a rush to go back with him, not caring about making money or managing business.

"Damn, it's a good thing they told me, otherwise I wouldn't have known you were going back." Fatty ran over, panting heavily.

Ah Guang chimed in, "He was just about to set sail when I called him to slow down, saying you hadn't arrived yet."

"I can understand the other three going back; their wives and children are at home. But why are you going back with me? Your wife and children are here." Ye Yaodong looked at Ah Guang in confusion.

"Isn't my sister still at home? Recently, she and Ye Ye Huimei have been doing quite well. She's thinking of going to the city to see if she can rent a shop to run. Since you're going back, Ye Huimei asked me to go back with you to help keep an eye on things."

"The city? She's not going to work at the factory anymore?"

"That's what she's thinking. She says working a month only earns a few dozen yuan, which isn't as much as she makes selling goods once. She just wants to try opening a shop; it probably won't be bad."

"Opening a shop in the city is actually fine; the town is too small after all, and rural consumption is limited."

"Right, that's what I said too. So I'm thinking since you're going back this time, I'll go back with you and accompany her to check out the city."

"Alright then. Once everyone is here, we'll head back."

Ah Zheng asked curiously, "Isn't your sister getting married? She's already so old. Why open a shop and run a business herself? Why not just get married?"

Ah Guang glared at him, "What do you know? There aren't any suitable matches in our own village anyway. It's better to look around more; maybe there will be a suitable one."

"Should your eldest sister introduce someone? There should be suitable ones in the army too, right?"

"Those soldiers are from everywhere; who would be willing to marry her off to a distant place? She also wants to try opening a shop in the city, so let's just give it a try."

Xiao Xiao interjected, "Otherwise, introduce her to Chen Shi. Didn't I hear he likes Dongqing? He doesn't stutter anymore and is still single..."

"I don't get to decide; she has to like him herself."

"So picky. She's already so old, still being picky?"

Ah Guang retorted, "None of your business. My sister isn't your sister."

"Alright, alright, count me as talking too much."

Ye Yaodong ignored their bickering and had the workers prepare for departure.

He also needed to check the radar system, engine, generator, and nautical charts, etc. The diesel engine also needed preheating in advance, keeping him too busy to pay attention to their conversation.

Once in the bridge, he first had to test the communication equipment, trying calls with nearby watch stations, shore stations, or nearby vessels to prevent failure at sea. This was a very dangerous thing; if an accident occurred, they would be unable to call for help.

After everything was checked, seeing the main engine, steering gear, and generator running normally with no abnormal noise or alarms, and the navigation equipment turned on and calibrated, he grabbed the megaphone and shouted onto the deck: "Everything is ready. Let's go."

The workers responded. The lead boatswain untied the mooring lines in order, usually untying the non-load-bearing lines first and the load-bearing lines last. The other workers helped retract the gangways, fenders, and other auxiliary equipment.

Watching the situation on the deck, Ye Yaodong moved forward at a slow speed, adjusting the stern with the rudder, observing the surrounding fishing boats, and reporting the movement of his fishing vessel via VHF to the port dispatcher or nearby ships.

It was nighttime now; fishing boats entering and leaving needed to be vigilant to avoid collisions or other accidents.

Once he slowly aligned with the centerline of the channel, he gradually began to increase speed and sailed according to the planned route.

They were heading back home now. It was a non-stop journey; the workers didn't need to do anything along the way except perform regular maintenance on the machinery. Everything else could be done while lying flat until they reached home.

The bored workers could return to the cabin to continue sleeping, while his friends, also bored, ran up to pester him, talk to him, and ask him about ship operation issues.

"My head is spinning. I've already explained it, and you're asking me to explain again. You guys should study and improve yourselves first. Once you've learned it well, then do the actual operation; otherwise, it's just a waste of my breath. Learn first, then I'll explain to you, and it will be clear. I'm not a professional teacher."

Ah Guang chuckled, "Otherwise, let us help you steer while you watch from the side. That way, our impression will be deeper. How can just talking be as fast as getting hands-on?"

"Steer my ass. I've already set the autopilot route. What technical skill is there in just steering? The various detection operations before casting the net, and reading the images, etc., are what you need to learn. Don't get in the way here now."

"Then who will take your shift tonight?"

"I'll stay up tonight; someone else can take over tomorrow. You don't need to worry about this—go sleep, or the sky will be light soon."

"Alright."

Seeing they had no role to play and nothing to learn, the three reluctantly returned to the cabin to sleep.

Ye Yaodong took a sip of strong tea and rallied his spirits.

They rose at one, headed straight for the dock, boarded the boat around two, but after checking preparations, inspecting cargo, and fussing over countless details, they didn't depart until past three.

Now that the boat had just accelerated onto the route and moved away from the dock, it was already nearly four o'clock.

In no more than half an hour, the horizon would begin to glow red.

He had arranged for someone to relieve him at eight; he still had over four hours to endure—he had to stay alert.

As his fishing boat sailed on, lights from countless other fishing boats glowed nearby and far away: bright incandescent bulbs on large vessels illuminated the surrounding sea; flickering kerosene lamps on small boats swayed gently with the waves, like fireflies dimming and brightening.

Due to the nearby fishing grounds, these lights were densely scattered across the sea, and from afar, they looked like stars fallen from the sky into the water.

The night sea breeze carried a salty, fishy odor, and faintly audible were the "put-put" of fishing boat engines and the occasional shouts of fishermen.

As the fishing boat pressed forward without pause, those lights gradually grew sparse.

First, the distant points of light faded away; then the closer ones followed suit. Finally, only a few scattered lamps remained, twinkling at the edge where sea met sky.

When the sky turned pale with dawn, even those few lamps became indistinct, vanishing beyond the coastline.

With nothing else to do, Ye Yaodong could only munch on sunflower seeds and silently watch the boat advance. Though relatively easier than hauling nets, he still had to monitor all detection data, constantly observe underwater conditions, and avoid reef collisions.

After daylight fully broke, people began moving about on deck; some started cooking.

He waited until after breakfast to relieve his shift and go to sleep.

It was merely routine fishing boat navigation—the route coordinates were already set, the return journey posed no difficulty, no accidents occurred, and the weather was fine.

According to normal schedule, they'd pass by home in about two days, but Ye Yaodong didn't stop—he gave further orders to head toward the city.

Part of his cargo belonged to A Cai; he planned to sail straight to the city, unload it first, then return to town.

That way, he wouldn't have to unload in town and then drive all the way to the city again, wasting time going back and forth.

When he arrived in the city, it was early morning; he immediately called A Cai, and within about an hour, A Cai had arranged a large truck to come pick it up.

Ye Yaodong was surprised to see the truck driver's familiar face—it was A Cai's eldest nephew. "Not bad, buddy, you bought a truck now?"

A Cai grinned. "Heh, having your own vehicle is convenient. Since I'm always delivering goods, I figured the tractor wasn't enough—so I bit the bullet and bought a truck. One trip carries more, saves time shuttling back and forth, and makes it easier for factories to receive goods."

"You've gotten rich—money's all in your pocket."

"Where's that? I can't compare to Boss Ye. I heard you're something else now—just one boat costs over a million. You're the model of our village, our town, our county. I heard the village even nominated you as an Outstanding Rural Entrepreneur, and the award was delivered straight to your home."

"You know about this? I haven't even seen it yet."

"You haven't gone home yet?"

"No. Since after the New Year, I've been busy nonstop—only now, with this delivery, do I have time to come back. I'll deliver your goods first, then head home."

"You've made all the money—how can you even joke about me?"

A Cai chuckled, throwing back Ye Yaodong's own words.

"Enough chatter—hurry up and unload your cargo so I can get home sooner."

"I brought people too; you've got people as well. Unloading should be quick."

After speaking, A Cai noticed Ah Guang and the others, then teased them a few more times.

"All getting rich now?"

"Of course! It's one man attains the Dao, and even dogs and chickens ascend to heaven. Stick close to Dongzi, or we wouldn't be where we are today," Ah Zheng laughed.

"Follow him everywhere, so close—it's no wonder you're getting rich."

Xiao Xiao chuckled and patted his belly. "Look at your big belly, your big gold watch, your black leather shoes—you're making way more than we are!"

"Hey, stop it, stop it—I only make money thanks to Boss Ye. Compared to him, I'm a tiny speck. Hurry up, don't delay Boss Ye!"

Ye Yaodong also went to direct the workers unloading the cargo.

He separated the two batches of cargo and had to keep an eye on them.

A Cai added: "After unloading, don't rush off—I'm treating everyone to a good meal."

Ye Yaodong checked his watch. "No problem. Rare to come back—I'm going to eat you out of house and home."

"If you're not in a hurry to leave, stay overnight—it's when things really get lively…"

"You fat bastard, looks like you've been having fun."

A Cai grinned slyly. "Looks like you've been out partying plenty too. Is Zhou City fun at night?"

"Fun? Of course it's fun—must be fun. Next time you come, I'll take you to see for yourself."

"No problem. But our town's fun too—you're not leaving so soon, right? Wait till I finish this cargo…"

"We'll see."

The group, reunited after a long separation, were delighted, chatting merrily as they watched workers unload cargo, carry it to the dock, weigh it, and load it onto trucks.

Ye Yaodong took the chance to tell A Cai he hoped to establish a long-term supply relationship.

He could assign a dedicated boat to deliver goods every few days. Since the price would include a small surcharge for transport, it'd be a win-win for both sides—economical for everyone.

Currently, fishing boats operate nearshore, so they'd transport nearshore goods; when they venture offshore, they'd transport offshore goods instead, coordinating by phone in advance.

A Cai naturally agreed—he already had many connections built by Ye Yaodong and entrusted to him. Without harming his own interests, he was more than willing, especially since it was mutually beneficial.

He only needed to show up when the goods arrived at port to collect them—no effort at all, very convenient.

After the cargo was weighed and loaded onto trucks, their conversation had covered much ground, but so far it was only verbal—specific details would be refined through future dealings.

For lunch, they went with A Cai to his branch store at the market.

Wang Wang Guangliang, seeing them arrive at the store, grinned and gave A Cai a thumbs-up. "Don't let the water flow to someone else's field."

A Cai boasted, "Of course—I keep all the money in the family. Even my breakfast is at Brother-in-law Ye's place."

Ye Yaodong nodded with a smile. "Fine."

"Go call your father-in-law and your wife's older brother over too—they're all familiar, more people means more fun."

"Alright, I'll go get them."

He had been away for over half a year and had just returned, standing right at the shop's entrance.

Lin Fu and Lin Xiang Hui were both utterly astonished to see him.

He smiled and said, "I just delivered goods to Aicai; Aicai is treating us to a meal—let's go sit down, eat, and talk slowly."

"Alright, since you're back, go to finance later and pick up the payment for the goods."

"Mm."

"Have you seen Yuan lately? How is he?"

"I haven't seen him recently—I just returned from a deep-sea run and couldn't reach him either. He's probably on a mission, or maybe he's not at the garrison but on a ship. I'm still waiting for him to call back."

"Oh."

"Don't worry—he'll definitely keep rising in rank."

"Haha, thanks for the good words. This kid just has too many ideas—he won't listen to us. Otherwise, he could've been discharged by the end of the year and stayed home, which would've been fine."

"You're getting old—you have to respect the young people's thoughts."

"Haha…"

?? More 7000, another chapter coming soon—yesterday I was just too tired and couldn't stay awake

? (Chapter End)