Chapter 1624: Dongyu No. 1

Ye's father smiled all the way back home.

"Dongzi, you really got it right—buying at original price and selling at original price. Just now, everyone's eyes nearly fell to the ground, thinking they'd misheard."

Ye Yaodong was also in high spirits; he wasn't short on a few ten thousand yuan now, and he'd just given everyone enough emotional value—he was happy even if he made less.

"Yeah, as long as they remember this favor, spending a little to achieve a big result means they can talk about it for the rest of their lives."

Ye's father nodded in agreement, "Exactly! When you tell the story later, you'll say: back in the day, without your few boats, they wouldn't have what they have today."

"Put on your helmet."

"Alright, now the small boats are all theirs—they're more at ease now, and they'll all have a good New Year this year."

Ye Yaodong floored the accelerator; once he sped off, his father fell silent.

It was already very late—over ten o'clock—but the streets weren't any less crowded; big and small vehicles were packed with all kinds of seafood, the roads glistened wet with dripping seawater, and the air reeked of every kind of fishy odor—entirely, the whole city smelled of the sea.

Some alleys and streets still bustled with people; many shops remained open for business, and food stalls were filled with diners.

Nightlife was growing livelier by the day.

That was the difference between city and countryside.

In the countryside right now, it should be deep night, silent except for the occasional bark of a dog.

Only when the motorcycle headed toward the suburban outskirts did the crowds gradually thin.

And because it was the suburbs—desolate and barren—he still had room to expand.

The city center was already bursting at the seams; the core kept shifting outward. The area just developed this year was already booming—where there are people, there's a market, there's consumption.

The government was still constantly planning expansion.

He figured he'd apply again next year, while land was still relatively easy to acquire, expanding bit by bit.

Then he could hire a few more people—maybe even catch the state restructuring and layoff wave, bringing in more management talent.

Or he could go straight to Shanghai and ask Shipyard Director Zhang to help keep an eye out; the guy was currently running his brokerage business brilliantly and had wide connections.

He'd entrusted all his Shanghai apartments to Director Zhang's brokerage for rent—it saved him so much trouble.

These days, most people still relied on notice boards—at residential buildings, train stations, bus stations—hardly anyone had a dedicated housing agency.

His agency was booming; even though his apartments were large and poorly located, they were brand-new and rented out easily.

And because he'd suggested the idea to Director Zhang, all his properties were listed with the agency—he was now the number one VIP, the most honored guest of all.

Every time he visited the shipyard, Director Zhang treated him with special solemnity—even if he was swamped, he'd always make time to greet him first.

Director Zhang personally oversaw all his orders, regularly updated him on progress, and even secured discounts for him when he placed the order.

Next year, when he wanted Director Zhang to help find management talent from big factories, he'd surely get it done smoothly.

Ye's father waited until the motorcycle stopped, got off, and said, "Dongzi, now that the small boats are all transferred, you've got to keep a close eye on the big one too. We're heading home next month—this month, you must bring the ship back. You've been testing and tuning it for so long, and it's still not ready—don't drag it out until just before the New Year."

"I know. It's just busy at month-end—I can't spare time to go to Shanghai now. But everything I needed to do is done. At the start of next month, things will be quieter—I'll head to Shanghai in a couple days to oversee it."

"Good. Then get some sleep early tonight. You've got a pile of things tomorrow—it's already very late."

Ye Yaodong nodded and walked with his father toward the dormitory building.

He cared even more about Dongyu No. 1 than his father did—he'd already planned it: he'd go right after New Year's Day.

With the New Year approaching, he couldn't afford to neglect it—better safe than sorry. If he delayed until after the holiday, he'd be furious.

He was counting on this massive ship returning to shock the entire dock.

Nationwide, there weren't many thousand-ton fishing vessels like this; the few that existed belonged to state-owned deep-sea fishing companies. Private small factories like his hadn't yet reached five—fewer than the fingers on one hand.

After all, he was an individual operator; when he first tried to reserve one, it wasn't easy—he had to submit a project proposal, go through approvals, confirm details bit by bit, and only after approval could production begin.

But now that he'd done it once, the next time he reserved, the procedures would be much simpler.

He carved out some time, deliberately choosing a Monday workday to go, and had called Director Zhang ahead of time.

As soon as he arrived at the gate, someone reported his arrival, and Director Zhang rushed out, beaming as he warmly shook Ye Yaodong's hand.

"Oh my, Boss Ye, you've finally arrived! Yesterday when I got your call, I set aside all my work this morning and stayed at the factory just waiting to receive you."

Ye Yaodong smiled and returned the handshake, "Director Zhang, you're too thoughtful. You're a busy man now—I couldn't have come without an appointment."

"Don't say that. How busy could you be compared to me? You found time to come—how could I not set aside time to wait for you?"

"Thank you, haha."

"Come inside—the riverside wind is cold."

The factory walls still bore the slogan: "A Century of Trust, Building First-Class Vessels." Workers came and went, each busy with their tasks; inside the massive dry dock, everything was packed and the production lines never slowed.

One and a half years had passed, and the place seemed unchanged—but in the future, this would become one of the world's largest and most advanced shipbuilding bases, its every move drawing global attention.

Director Zhang walked across an open area and through one busy dry dock after another, chatting casually and showering praise along the way.

Only when they reached an office building did they stop.

"Director Zhang, let's go see the ship directly—walk and talk as we go, and bring the engineers along."

"I know. Let's first sit in the office, have some tea to warm up. I've already sent someone to call the engineers—we'll head over once they arrive."

"Then let's just stand outside and soak up the sun."

Director Zhang agreed and hurriedly ordered hot tea to be brought out.

Ye Yaodong stood before the shipyard's office building, gazing up at the brand-new silver-gray thousand-ton deep-sea fishing vessel, resting silently like a steel giant at the dock along the Huangpu River.

Sunlight glinted off its hull, dazzlingly bright; his heartbeat quickened, and he pointed.

"That one?"

"Yes, exactly. Once the engineers arrive, we'll go over together and explain everything…"

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

"Boss Ye, welcome to take delivery of your new vessel."

Engineer Li Guoqiang hurried over and warmly shook Ye Yaodong's hand.

"Congratulations, congratulations—Dongyu No. 1 is fully completed, just waiting for your inspection."

Ye Yaodong nodded, excitement flickering in his eyes: "Engineer Li, you've worked hard; this ship is too important to me."

"Not hard at all, it's what we should do. Come, let's go over and take a look together."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go..."

He had long been unable to hold back.

Once everyone had arrived, they walked along the dock toward that colossal vessel.

As the distance shortened, the outline of the fishing boat grew clearer: total length 65 meters, beam 11 meters, displacement 1,200 tons, with smooth and powerful hull lines.

In this era, his thousand-ton fishing boat could be called the "aircraft carrier" of the fishing industry.

"Damn, awesome!" Ye Yaodong felt somewhat agitated.

To own such a large ship so early in his life was something he wouldn't have dared to dream of back when he first reincarnated.

Now he even felt a bit like he was dreaming; could this be a fleeting dream?

"Holy crap, it's even more spectacular up close. Brother Dong, you're too awesome; it feels like you've moved an entire house onto the ship."

Today he had brought along his little assistant and bodyguard, after all, Ye Ye Dabao on his person carried several hundred thousand.

"Boss, this ship is too spectacular, right? It must cost at least one or two million?"

Ye Yaodong smiled and nodded. "Yes, as we went along, due to configuration changes, it had long exceeded the budget."

It exceeded it by quite a lot; mainly, over the past year or so, the shipbuilding industry had continuously improved engineering and introduced new equipment.

Once he knew that, how could he not upgrade?

This led to doing more and more, with costs rising higher and higher; these high-tech items were expensive to begin with, directly adding another half to his costs.

"Awesome, boss, you're truly a god; in your early thirties you're already this awesome, what will you be like later? Won't you become the King of Ships?"

Ye Yaodong shook his head. "King of Ships, no; just a few days ago I transferred seventeen ships, so the number has dropped sharply."

"Still, the quantity you have on hand is considerable; moreover, the quality is even higher. Besides the fishing companies locally, who else has more fishing boats than you? Among individuals, you are the first."

Director Zhang also cooperated, saying, "Comrade Ye Yaodong is too amazing, isn't he?"

"Stop praising for now; this isn't the time for praise. Hurry and get to know the ship first."

Only after they finished chatting did the engineer say, "According to the requirements for upgrades and modifications in the later contract, we have equipped a navigation system imported from Japan, a main engine manufactured in Germany, and freezing capacity reaching 20 tons per day."

Engineer Li introduced as they walked, "This ship's endurance exceeds 6,000 nautical miles, fully meeting the needs of offshore operations."

Ye Yaodong's fingers gently brushed the cold steel plates of the hull, feeling the texture of the metal.

This ship represented the most advanced level of domestic fishing at present.

"This kind of ship must still be quite rare now, right?"

"Yes, you added quite a few things afterward; everything that could be upgraded was upgraded. There's also a fishmeal processing production line. Nationwide, there aren't many ships with processing capabilities; you can count them on ten fingers. Moreover, yours is a private small enterprise."

Ye Yaodong, hearing this, was exceptionally satisfied. "Can we go aboard now?"

Director Zhang said, "Of course; we've been waiting for you to accept it. Come, let's go up and take a look."

Ascending the gangway, Ye Yaodong's leather shoes made a crisp sound on the metal steps.

The deck was broad and level, sufficient for multiple net operations simultaneously. The trawl winch at the stern was more than twice the size of those on ordinary fishing boats, and the steel wire rope was as thick as an adult's wrist.

Ye Yaodong had the people he brought wait on the deck for a casual tour while they first went to check the bridge.

The three entered the bridge together. Inside the spacious bridge, various instrument panels flashed indicator lights, somewhat similar to his Far Seas No. 1 ship.

However, the bridge of this ship had more space, and the instruments were more exquisite and more advanced.

Most striking was that Japanese-made satellite navigation equipment; at this time, it was an absolute luxury, and the high price was right there.

"This navigation system can be precise to 0.1 nautical miles," Engineer Li introduced proudly, "and even in the center of the Pacific Ocean, it will not lose direction."

Ye Yaodong nodded, reaching out to stroke the smooth control console: "I trust you in handling matters."

"You can try it first; after viewing the bridge, we'll go downstairs."

He had already started operating it, and while doing so asked, "How is the cold storage hold?"

"It's great; it adopts a double-layer insulation design, the temperature can drop to minus 30 degrees, and the catch will not spoil even if stored for a month."

"Mm."

He turned on and tested all the precision instruments, confirming there were no problems, before heading toward the cold storage hold.

The cold storage hold occupied nearly one-third of the midsection of the hull. Opening the heavy insulated door, a blast of cold air rushed toward him.

Engineer Li patted the bulkhead and said, "We just finished debugging it this morning, so the temperature is still very low right now."

Ye Yaodong took a look and felt there were no problems. "Let's go check the processing area."

"Alright, it's over here."

Engineer Li, familiar with the layout, led him to the processing area, which was equipped with a modernized processing line.

It was something he had requested to add later; the drawings were improved several times before being finalized.

On such a large ship, the daily catch was an astronomical number; some deep-sea goods required bleeding and evisceration, and wasting them like that would be too regrettable.

So later, he made a temporary change and added a fishmeal processing unit.

Inside the processing machine area were small steaming tanks and dryers, capable of turning discarded scraps and offal into feed-grade fishmeal.

Transforming waste into treasure, turning it into high-grade aquatic feed raw material worth 800 US dollars per ton.

Processing could be completed on board; once ashore, it could be directly loaded and sold.

Ye Yaodong carefully checked every detail, from welding points to pipeline layout, from equipment installation to safety facilities. This ship cost nearly 1.5 million yuan, the most expensive item he currently held, so he dared not be the slightest bit careless.

His inspection lasted the entire afternoon; Engineer Li and Director Zhang accompanied him for the whole afternoon, simply waiting for him to confirm acceptance.

PS: I wrote myself to sleep and even dreamed of playing games; upon waking, I can only release this first, and make up the rest tomorrow.