Chapter 1625: Fish Powder

In the evening, Ye Yaodong solemnly signed his name on the acceptance form, then took cash out of his briefcase to complete the final delivery procedures.

"Congratulations, Boss Ye!" Director Zhang said, shaking Ye Yaodong's hand, "Dongyu No. 1 officially belongs to you from now on."

Ye Yaodong was also beaming with smiles. "Thank you, you've worked hard. The next two fishing boats will still trouble you to work overtime and rush production; I hope they can be delivered as soon as possible too."

"It's no hardship, it's what we should do. Do you want to go take a look at the progress on the other two boats?"

He raised his wrist to check the time on his watch. "It's almost six o'clock; no wonder it's already dark. Today is a bit late, and we've delayed you for the whole afternoon. Let's go eat together first? We can come back tomorrow to discuss the other two boats in detail?"

"That works too. Then we'll come see the other two boats tomorrow morning."

"Then I'll wait for you to get off work, and we'll go eat together?"

Director Zhang nodded. "Alright, wait for me a moment."

The two had a good relationship and had always been mutually beneficial.

Ye Yaodong also planned to chat with him during dinner; discuss official business during the day, and personal matters at night.

He wanted to ask him to keep an eye out for management talent and help introduce some; after all, as a cadre in a state-owned enterprise, he must have connections.

He also roughly explained the benefits and treatment he could offer; housing was definitely the baseline, while other benefits naturally required someone to be present to discuss in detail.

Besides, he didn't know when anyone would be introduced, so he would have to adjust according to the social environment at that time.

But he was definitely generous; he would have to provide enough, after all, he was trying to poach people.

He didn't lack money now; he lacked talent.

Director Zhang naturally knew he had money, boats, and houses, and plenty more; he had a huge pile of rental properties, so he believed what he said and slapped his chest, promising readily.

The next day, he went to the shipyard again to check the production progress of the other two boats and listen to the engineering introduction.

Only after coming and going at the shipyard for two days did he understand the fishing boats clearly, and only then did he pay the remaining installment for the next phase.

One trip out, and several hundred thousand was gone again.

With matters here settled, he didn't forget to go to the machinery factory.

He was going to apply to have the factory send a technician home with him for the New Year; he wanted to transport the first machine he bought last year back home to set up production in his small workshop, as the ones he ordered later far exceeded the first one.

He didn't plan to close the small workshop in the village; for him, although it was somewhat of a chicken rib, it was the very foundation for the village women to survive on.

Keeping it open was also beneficial to him; it could be seen as benefiting the villagers.

Now, if you didn't travel far, you couldn't earn money; let alone these rural women who had to take care of their families and raise children.

Having work right at their doorstep with decent wages was nothing better; it allowed them to have it both ways.

If he closed the small workshop in the village, it would be like the sky falling for these women; anyway, keeping it open had no impact on him and still brought in money.

The only issue was that Aqing would be trapped there; this was a problem. He planned to communicate with Aqing after returning and hand over all matters of this small workshop to his mother.

Anyway, his mother was very willing; she could chat while working, earn money, happily go to work while gossiping, and listen to people flatter her every day; it was most suitable for his old mother.

Now there were few men in the village, only women; with his mother's momentum, her words were more useful than the village cadres; she basically ran half the village, and the village cadres had to yield a third of their respect when they saw her.

And Aqing could come with him to Zhoushan City; then he wouldn't have to live like a bachelor every day.

Next month when he returns, they will discuss it first.

The old lady didn't need to worry; his mother could take care of her first. After the New Year, he was going to the deep sea; besides leading the team, he also had to teach the newly appointed captain, chief mate, and second mate how to use the fishing boat during the journey.

All personnel on the new ship needed to gel.

Going away for several months, bringing the old lady to Zhoushan City would mean she wouldn't see him; why bother making such a fuss? She was already so old.

He would also return home to visit after coming back from the deep sea.

For the matter of the machinery factory, he stayed in Shanghai for two more days, pestering and coaxing until the factory reluctantly freed up a technician.

The third task was to purchase walkie-talkies; this was also something he had always planned, thinking that once he got Dongyu No. 1, he would equip it.

For those boats navigating near-shore waters now, it wasn't necessary for every boat to be equipped, as they still had VHF radios to maintain contact between ships.

It was inconvenient for the few boats operating in the deep sea; with many personnel and complicated tasks, on the sea, even the captain shouting instructions to the deck crew wouldn't work, and shouting wouldn't help in windy or rainy weather either.

Equipping walkie-talkies was very necessary to issue and convey instructions more conveniently.

At least three per boat: one for the captain, one for the boatswain on deck, and the chief engineer in the engine room must also have one.

His ocean-going ships were already booked up to No. 5, plus Dongyu No. 1 now in hand; he must buy more than ten.

Good quality, high stability, long communication range; one cost about 2,000 yuan, a slight price drop compared to the previous two years when they were still 3,000 yuan.

For ordinary fishermen, this was a significant investment, but it was essential equipment for marine operations.

It was just that the captains were reluctant to spend heavily, and with the fishing grounds backing them, once the cargo landed, they didn't worry about selling, though prices might vary high or low.

It was already being popularized now; some large ships were already equipped, and he had to keep up.

First, arrange the largest few boats, then see how they are used.

Dongsheng No. 1 wasn't urgent for now; it had a VHF on board and could already communicate with other ships, so it could wait.

After he finished purchasing these, the money he brought out on this trip was almost all spent.

On this trip, his mission was successfully accomplished.

In the early morning, before the sun rose, a thin mist lingered over the Huangpu River; Ye Yaodong stood in the bridge, with no one else beside him.

The people he brought were all on the deck; such a large ship required quite a few workers. This time, he didn't bring many people; a huge group was inconvenient when going out.

Now everyone was busy on the deck helping; there were quite a few preparations before the fishing boat could start and sail.

After Ye Yaodong gave a round of instructions, he went up to the bridge; only after everyone untied the mooring lines did he use the newly bought walkie-talkie to give the order.

"Start the main engine, prepare to depart."

With a low rumble, the hull vibrated slightly; various indicators on the dashboard gradually lit up, all showing normal.

People on the ship were busy with various checks again; by the time they sailed away from the port, more than half an hour had passed.

"Course 145, destination Zhoushan City, Shenjia Sect," Ye Yaodong said, gazing ahead.

There was no one on this trip who could sail the boat; he had to sail it himself, and moreover, he had to sail it alone, as there was no suitable person beside him to teach right now.

He would have to wait until after the New Year to run the deep sea, then arrange for someone to follow him and learn; the equipment on this boat was still somewhat different from the Yuan Yang Hao.

But being able to operate the Ocean Voyager, he could still judge and understand these basic systems; once at sea, he could learn from him on the side and master them in just a few days.

Just take one trip, and next time you won't need to manage much at all.

Right now, he was piloting the "Dongyu No. 1" back to Zhou City, and along the way he could test all the equipment's performance and feel how steadily this large vessel cut through the waves.

The "Dongyu No. 1" sliced through the waves, leaving the Huangpu River and entering the East Sea.

As the depth increased, Ye Yaodong ordered full speed; the main engine roared powerfully, the bow cleaving the blue sea surface and leaving a long white wake behind.

This power was more than ten times stronger than the Dongsheng, and several tiers superior to the Ocean Voyager.

Ye Yaodong had the fishing vessel follow its preset route, then walked onto the deck. The sea wind hit his face—he felt no cold, only exhilaration.

This thousand-ton giant rode the waves as steady as Mount Tai, a stark contrast to the small fishing boats that rocked helplessly with the swell.

He remembered those days of struggling to work in storms, and couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

At barely thirty, his life had already reached heights others spent lifetimes striving for.

And from now on, he would only grow stronger year after year.

A few hours later, the Dongyu No. 1 neared the waters of Zhou City.

When Ye Yaodong set out this morning, he had already called his father ahead of time, telling him the estimated time of arrival.

When this steel giant appeared on the horizon, dozens of his own people had already gathered on the dock, along with many passing crew members.

Ye's father, stepping off the fresh-fish collection boat, shouted: "Here it comes!"

While waiting on shore, he had wanted to climb onto one of the idle fishing boats to try contacting them via VHF.

Unexpectedly, he actually made contact—the fishing boat was right ahead, just around the bend and into the channel.

Then, once port authority personnel arrived, they'd arrange a docking spot and complete the docking procedures.

After disembarking, Ye's father shouted again, then pointed to indicate the direction for everyone.

"There, there—that silver-gray one, coming in now…"

All eyes turned to the distant black dot growing larger. As it drew closer, the silver-gray hull gleamed in the sunlight; the four bold red characters "Dongyu No. 1" on the bow's side stood out sharply.

"My god, it's so huge!"

"Holy hell, impressive…"

"No wonder the boss looked down on those little boats—he sold all seventeen at a steep discount! He had this monster all along!"

Once the fishing vessel entered the harbor channel, the colossal thing instantly captured the gaze of every nearby fishing boat.

Against the backdrop of the surrounding boats, this vessel appeared even larger; the nearby fishing boats looked like tiny shrimp, clustering around the Dongyu No. 1, reluctant to leave.

An elderly fisherman passing by took off his cap and rubbed his eyes. "Damn, I've never seen a fishing boat this big, this new."

"I've seen one before—some fishing company had a ship this size, but none this new. This must've just been built. How much did it cost?"

"At least a million—super expensive…"

This trip, no one was wearing work uniforms; otherwise, the crew's uniforms would've instantly revealed they were from Dongsheng Fishing.

But no one on the sea knew—everyone watching on shore did.

Because the dozens who had come with Ye's father all wore identical outfits, with "Dongsheng Fishing" printed on their chests and backs.

Many were ex-soldiers, so Ye's father mixed his hometown dialect with Mandarin; passersby, curious at the large group in matching clothes, overheard and learned that the colossal vessel approaching in the distance belonged to their company.

"Ah, big brother, is that your boat?"

Ye's father straightened his back, beaming, his voice loud and clear: "Yes, this is my third son's boat—brand new, just returned. I brought along idle workers from the factory to welcome it."

"Ah, your third son's? He's so young? Holy hell… so impressive?"

Another passerby chimed in: "Your accent—Fujian, right?"

Ye's father said proudly: "Yes, we're from Fujian…"

He chattered enthusiastically; the crowd grew curious, asked a flood of questions, and he answered each one with exceptional patience.

Mainly to show off…

So much prestige—Ye's father's hair stood on end from the sea breeze, yet his face glowed red with pride.

"A ship this big? There aren't three like it on this dock. Your son's too amazing!"

"More than that—I think this is the largest ship in the entire region…"

An hour passed.

"Horn's blowing…"

The "Dongyu No. 1" sounded its horn; the long, resonant blast echoed across the bay.

Ye Yaodong stood outside the bridge, holding a walkie-talkie to direct the docking maneuver.

"Full left rudder… slow ahead… prepare mooring lines…"

The massive hull slowly neared the dock; the half-trained workers accurately tossed the ropes to the shore crew.

As the winches turned, the ship settled steadily into its assigned berth.

"Boom—boom—boom—"

Firecrackers exploded along the dock; red paper shreds rained down like confetti.

Ye Yaodong was the first to descend the gangway.

"Boss…"

"Dongzi…"

"Oh my, big brother, your son's so young—and so handsome!"

Ye's father, glowing with pride, ignored the onlookers' remarks, nodded, then hurried forward.

"Dongzi, was the trip smooth?"

"Smooth. Why did you bring so many people?"

"Ah, everyone heard the news and volunteered to come along—said there was nothing to do at the factory, so they wanted to come out and celebrate."

It was not yet afternoon, the fresh catch boats had not returned, and some workers dedicated solely to harvesting and delivery were currently idle with nothing to do.

"Boss, your boat is huge; I heard from them that it's the largest ship in our port!"

"Yes, someone just said the fishing company's vessels aren't as big as yours..."

"Can we go aboard for a tour?"

The workers couldn't wait to board for a tour, and Ye's father felt the same; Ye Yaodong immediately arranged for the crew to guide them in shifts.

As for the curious passersby around, he simply refused them.

"This bridge is more spacious than our commune's office!"

"Look at this cold storage hold; how many fish can it hold!"

"It actually comes with a production line?"

"Holy crap, you can process while fishing?"

"Then how many workers must be on this boat?"

Ye Yaodong answered the targeted questions briefly, "It can only process fish meal feed; nothing else is possible, and it's only semi-automatic."

But it was already the most advanced; he dared say that in this port right now, only his boat could process fish meal feed.

Others had to go ashore to process, whereas with his, it could be sold immediately upon landing.

Traditional fishing boats involved manual processing on deck → direct boxing with ice → processing after returning to port.

His Dongyu No. 1 completed the entire processing flow at sea → products met quality inspection standards → could be shipped to market immediately upon docking.

However, before that, he first had to apply for trademarks and brands, customize packaging, and complete a series of other preliminary preparations.

Fortunately, since the delivery deadline was late, all plans had to be pushed back anyway; in any case, it would have to wait until after the New Year.

During this period, he could do the preparatory work; when the time came to apply, with the military backing him now, he was guaranteed a direct route with green lights all the way.

Then, next year, he could see if he qualified to participate in the domestic sales exhibition.

In November this year, Zhoushan City had a few slots to participate in the domestic sales exhibition in Shanghai; the government had originally told their factory in advance and given him one.

But later, for some unknown reason, they just said there weren't enough to allocate, promising to save one for him next year; as compensation, they also approved his request to expand the premises.

Ye Yaodong was angry about this for a long time; such a rare exhibition qualification, if he could exhibit, the factory's orders would at least double ten times over, and twenty or thirty times was not impossible.

He had long heard that in the 1990s, at exhibitions, bosses would hold stacks of cash, queueing up to find manufacturers for production, fighting to secure goods.

If he could participate in a foreign trade exhibition, he could even earn a fortune.

However, in this era, it was not possible; now all units were state-owned, and those exhibiting were naturally state-owned foreign trade companies; private individuals simply could not possess import and export rights unless they were overseas Chinese returning to start businesses.

Because one must possess import and export operating rights, which are approved by the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the state, it was not that easy.

Now, many mainland enterprises exhibited through Hong Kong Island companies.

He no longer hoped to participate in foreign trade exhibitions; being able to participate in the domestic sales exhibition was already like a pie falling from the sky, money given for free.

To participate in foreign trade exhibitions, one would have to wait at least until after the state-owned system reform for it to become easier.

However, he later pondered and felt that not being able to participate in the domestic sales exhibition this year was actually a good thing.

He was still in the midst of expansion; if he exhibited and orders exploded, he wouldn't be able to fulfill them, which would be a sheer waste of resources.

It was better to let the government feel guilty and give him compensation; next year, when he was fully prepared, he could go exhibit, accept the snowflake-like orders, and the factory could handle them.

Ye's father asked in confusion, "Processing fish meal feed? Is that valuable?"

"Valuable, it's equivalent to turning waste into treasure; take all those useless small fish, shrimp, and offal at sea and process them, saving the trouble of dumping them into the sea. And this fish meal feed is a high-protein, high-nutrition quality feed raw material, applicable to aquaculture or raising chickens, ducks, and pigs."

Our country is advocating the development of aquaculture production and the comprehensive development of the economy; doesn't fish and shrimp farming require feed? Raising pigs and other poultry also requires feed.

Don't underestimate those useless things; once produced, they are guaranteed to sell.

He was inspired when he saw a lot of cargo being dumped back into the sea while fishing in the DYD; when the boat was small, the amount dumped was little, so it didn't matter, but those deep-sea vessels dumped fiercely, dumping several tons a day.

Otherwise, there was no way; there weren't enough transport ships, useless things took up space, and if they couldn't be brought back for processing, they could only be discarded.

At that time, dumping them was heartbreaking; it was all money.

That is why there is now this boat, equipped with a production processing line; it can't do anything else, but producing fish meal is no problem.

After hearing his explanation, Ye's father also felt the addition of this production line was good; he knew how well fertilizer and feed were selling now, with pesticide and fertilizer stations packed with people.

"You arranged this well; it's equivalent to us adding another business?"

"Yes, once the current preparations are finished and all necessary procedures are completed, we will then establish a specialized fish meal processing factory."

"Processing factory?"

"Actually, it's a warehouse; it's processed directly on the fishing boat, then moved to the warehouse."

"That's good too; keep them separate so you don't have too many different products."

"Mm."

PS: Adding the 3800 from early morning, today counts as 9000 characters updated, made up for it; will update another chapter later tonight.