Chapter 457: Discussion (Bonus for Alliance Leader

"You mean we just deliver the goods straight to the seafood market?"

"Are we supposed to rent a stall to sell? Do we even need to rent a stall? Can't we just set up on the spot?"

"Isn't that too much trouble?"

"It's already getting dark, almost nightfall—we'd still have to specially call a tractor to haul it…"

The Zhou and Lan brothers were all discussing there, feeling it was too much trouble.

Ye Yaodong shrugged; he'd just thought of the province's largest seafood wholesale market in their own city, though he didn't know when it was built, so he wanted to ask.

If possible, he truly intended to deliver straight to the market—waiting here at the dock might take forever, and if they missed tomorrow's early market, prices would likely drop again.

"Aren't the goods the dock collects also sent to the seafood market?"

Zhou Da pondered a moment and said, "Probably. I imagine all the fish and seafood from towns around the city are concentrated at the wholesale market."

Ye Yaodong countered, "Not necessarily. If it's too far, nearby county vendors who know the fishermen just sell directly—they won't haul it into the city, it's too far and troublesome. Unless, like today, you have such a huge volume of clams, most vendors can't handle that much, so they have to send it to the city's wholesale market, where there's heavy foot traffic."

"That's right, that's right, Adong's got a point. Normally, the dock's pickups are snapped up right away by nearby county vendors who sell them in local markets."

"Oh come on, forget where other people's goods end up—let's focus: should we get in line early? If we go late, we'll be stuck at the very back, the last in the whole village…"

"But we're already lined up hundreds of meters long—we're practically at the very end already. What's the difference between last place, second-to-last, or third-to-last? Our goods are already way more than others'. I walked around earlier—we've got nearly double what some people have. If prices drop further, we'll lose big."

"Yeah, we've got more quantity, but if prices drop, the loss is way bigger."

"Then we really should take it to the market ourselves? What if no one buys it? Do we haul it all back?"

"That can't be right, Zhou Da? When you went with the boat captain to sell at the wholesale market—was it easy to sell? When was that?"

"Before the New Year—it sold really well," Zhou Da recalled. "The market was packed, people came and went in waves. One batch left, another came in. Everyone bought like it was a battle—asked the price and immediately grabbed, like the goods were free. Especially fish and shrimp—they were wildly popular."

"But the market space was too small, too many people and too much goods. If you arrived late, no stall was left—you had to wait outside. Only when a stall opened up could you get in. You could set up outside too, but no protection—there'd be hooligans and thugs harassing you. Not as safe as inside."

Ye Yaodong was surprised. "When was this market built?"

He understood why people bought like the goods were free—they'd just come out of an era of severe shortages. Many city dwellers had money but nowhere to spend it. Now times were better, everyone had a bit of a revenge-spending mentality, wanting to eat well and dress well.

"It was just an empty patch of land. A wooden sign reading 'Seafood Market' stood at the entrance. Next to it was an ice factory, and a canopy was set up for shade and rain protection. Around the perimeter, thick tarpaulins were stretched. Inside, there were some tables—broken and worn. I heard they're building a new one, bigger."

That made sense—the biggest seafood market in Fujian Province was still under construction; this was just its early embryonic form, gathering a few fish vendors buying and selling. It wouldn't truly take shape for another two years.

He guessed this empty patch had once been a black market.

"So what do you all say? Should we just line up and let the dock take it, for convenience?" Ye Yaodong asked again.

He was a stranger here, alone—he couldn't decide on his own. He had to ask everyone's opinion.

"We're just afraid prices will drop again. We've got so much—seven fen per catty, for four or five hundred jin, that's a thirty-yuan difference. That's nearly half a month's wages. If prices drop further, the loss will be even bigger. Not worth it."

"It's a big difference, but we don't know what the wholesale price will be. If it's about the same, we'll have made a pointless trip."

"But it should still be a bit higher than what the dock pays, right? Otherwise, what's Ah Cai and Ah Gui making? Taking it to the market is definitely more profitable than direct dock sales. Only if the quantity is small is it not worth the trouble—the round-trip fuel alone costs money."

Zhou Da also leaned toward delivering straight to the city. He looked around and said, "I know the way to the wholesale market—I can lead. If we all go together, we can split the fuel cost among more people—it won't cost much, and it's worth it."

Ye Yaodong added, "I also prefer taking it to the wholesale market ourselves. We're not taking the bus, so no need to stop and start constantly, wasting time. A direct tractor ride is faster, and splitting the fuel cost is still worth it."

"But what if we can't sell it?"

"If we can't sell it, we just bring it back to the dock. The early market starts at dawn anyway. If it's still unsold by noon tomorrow, we can haul it back and sell it to the dock."

Zhou Da added, "The wholesale market opens at two a. m. and closes around three in the afternoon."

"Think about it—we've got so many people and so much goods, taking it to the market is definitely more profitable. Even if we can't sell it, we won't lose much. Better to try than just hand it straight to the dock."

After saying this, Ye Yaodong stood aside and listened as they discussed.

Ye's father had finished dinner at the old house and rushed over immediately, wanting to urge Ye Yaodong to get in line—he'd seen the queue had grown even longer on his way.

To his surprise, upon entering the house, he heard them discussing sending the goods to the city's seafood market.

My goodness, whose idea was this? How did they suddenly think of taking it to the city?

He patiently listened for a while and felt they made good sense.

They were already at the very end of the line. A trip wouldn't lose much—if they sold it, they'd earn more. If not, they could always bring it back. Going together meant safety in numbers, and it was just within the city.

He quickly said, "I think we should go and give it a try. Zhou's eldest has been there before—he should know how it works."

Zhou Da looked at the others. "Everyone, go home and think about it. It's already dark. Let's eat dinner first. If you decide to go, let us know early—we'll need to apply to the secretary or someone for use of the brigade's tractor. We must be there before two a. m. to get in line and enter early."

"Alright, alright, everyone go home and eat first."

"Good. After dinner, let's come back and talk—oh, let's go to Zhou Da's place. Adong's front gate dog is too scary."

"Yes, yes, after dinner, let's go to Zhou Da's house."

After agreeing, the group hurried out, but of course Ye Yaodong had to lead the way—otherwise, that big black dog was too diligent.

That round belly—when will she give birth? She's pregnant and still so fierce.

Ye's father followed them out, planning to check the dock again while they ate.

Lin Lin Xiuqing had already prepared all the meals, but since they were deep in discussion, she couldn't interrupt to call them to eat, so she took the chance to feed her little daughter while they talked.

After everyone left, she came out to clear the table.

Once the younger kids were called home for dinner, they immediately ran back and gathered in their courtyard, watching the door with hungry eyes. As soon as someone stepped out, they dashed inside.

"Wow~ Third Aunt, why did the neighbors' dads and uncles send so much stuff over?"

"So much! Milk powder, canned food, cookies I've never seen before…"

"We're so jealous—you've got so many delicious things."

"Your cousins are so lucky."

Ye Ye Chenghai and the others nodded enviously. "Yeah, if only we could be Third Uncle and Third Aunt's kids—we'd eat so much."

Ye Chenghu beamed proudly. "It's because my dad is awesome, so they send us food."

"Is Third Uncle really that awesome?"

"He seems more awesome than my dad. My mom says she can't afford it, so I have to earn money when I grow up so she can buy it."

"He's more awesome than my dad too—my house doesn't even have milk powder or canned food."

"But I already gave her all my New Year's money, and she still says she has no money. My family seems so poor!"

"My family is even poorer. My mom said if we keep making a fuss she'll sell us off, that way she can trade us for malted milk powder…"

Lin Lin Xiuqing listened and laughed, "None of you are allowed to move!"

She was the first to put the four tins of malted milk powder on the table away into the topmost cabinet, so they wouldn't be able to reach them one by one.

"We didn't, we didn't move, we're just looking." Ye Ye Chenghai hurried to say, "My hands are under the table."

The others quickly chimed in, "Us too, we didn't move."

"Then have you all eaten?"

"We have."

Ye Ye Chengyang hadn't made a sound the whole time, sitting obediently on the stool, resting his chin on the table, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the canned oranges in front of him.

His tongue would poke out and pull back in, poke out and pull back in, then he'd lick his lips a few times and smack his mouth a few times, as if he were already eating it.

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled at her youngest son's cute appearance. She put everything away into the cabinet one by one, leaving only one can and a pack of biscuits.

"Since you've all eaten, then these two are for you to share, just to sweeten your mouths."

"Wow! Third Aunt, you're so good."

"Wow~ we have canned goods and biscuits to eat."

"That's great~"

She smiled. It was only now that the family had a solid foundation and money was loose in her hands that she could be so generous, willing to give away canned goods and biscuits for them to share.

Otherwise, in the past she absolutely couldn't bear to part with them. Forget nephews, even her own sons she couldn't bear to let them have any, she herself was still stingy and scraping by. It was only this past year, under Ye Yaodong's subtle influence, that she'd become more generous.

"Third Aunt, you're so nice, better than Third Uncle."

Ye Yaodong had just seen the guests off and stepped inside when he heard this. "What kind of talk is that? Am I not good to you? Then give back everything I fed you."

Ye Ye Chenghai said with a grin: "It's long since turned into a lump of shit, in our toilet at home. Third Uncle can go fish it out."

"Get lost. If you've got the guts, fish it out and give it to me."

"I'd dare to fish it out, I'm just afraid you wouldn't dare to take it."

Holy shit, this brat.

"All of you get out of here, we still need to eat. Say one more disgusting thing and I'll stuff your mouth with shit."

"Hehe~ you said shit yourself."

"I'll feed it to you!"

"Can't you finish it?"

Ye Yaodong's eyes went wide—anything shitty comes out of this kid's mouth.

Lin Lin Xiuqing beside him was laughing so hard she was shaking.

He scanned the room and found a whip resting on the washstand.

At this, Ye Ye Chenghai quickly hugged the canned oranges and biscuits on the table to his chest and ran.

"Wait for us!"

"Brother Brother Ahai, you can't hog it all!"

"Third Aunt said we all eat together, wait up."

The others hurried after him, afraid that if they were late it'd all be gobbled up alone.

Ye Yaodong saw his two sons about to run off too and quickly grabbed them by the back of their collars. "Where are you two running? You've eaten."

"Ah, Mom said to share the canned oranges and biscuits, I have to go eat first," Ye Chenghu squirmed and struggled, "Dad, let go quick, or I'll get one bite less."

"There's still so much at home, are you really going to fight over that one bite? Get over here and eat your meal properly. Everything at home is yours, you don't need to go share with them."

"Huh?" Only then did it dawn on Ye Chenghu, "Oh right, everything at home is mine."

"Mine!" Ye Ye Chengyang wouldn't have it—who said it was his?

Ye Chenghu rolled his eyes at him in annoyance, "Ours! You half, me half, that good enough?"

"Mm, one half each."

"Come eat now. A-Yuan, go inside and call Grandma out to eat, tell her to stop chanting sutras."

Once they were at the table, Lin Lin Xiuqing asked Ye Yaodong between bites, "Are you really sending the scallops to the city tonight?"

She'd wanted to ask long ago, but since the men were discussing business she couldn't bring herself to open her mouth, so she could only ask a couple of questions now.

"We'll see, depends on whether enough people go together. Let's see what they say."

"I hear the public security out there isn't great."

"That's exactly why we need to go together, to have each other's backs. If they don't plan to go, I'll go queue up and pick through the catch in a bit."

Mainly he wanted to go to the city to see what that seafood wholesale market looked like.

A man should get out more, see more, broaden his horizons. He'd heard that in this era gold was everywhere. Although he didn't understand the ins and outs of making money, that didn't stop him from looking around more.

"Then you'll still have to travel on the road in the middle of the night, that's so hard. After eating now, even if you go to sleep you won't get more than a few hours."

"That's nothing, young people can tough it out. One night without sleep isn't a big deal."

The old lady said worriedly: "Going to the city? The city is so far, I hear it takes several hours."

"Taking the bus takes longer, stop and go, a half-hour trip can take an hour. If we go, we'll hire a tractor, drive slow at night, still faster than the bus. They haven't even said whether they're going yet. Let's eat first, talk about it later."

The two kids didn't care what the adults were saying, only when they could get to eat the canned goods.

"Mom, after I finish my meal, can I have the canned goods and biscuits?"

"If you fill up on rice, will you still be able to eat them?"

"Definitely!"

Snacks fill you up so rice might not go down, but once rice fills you up, favorite snacks will absolutely still go down.

For them, there's only ever not enough to eat—when has there ever been too much to eat?

"Eat your rice first, we'll talk after you finish eating."

Children are still too naive, thinking that once dinner is over there'll be something to eat—who could have known that after the meal there'd only be a small half-bowl of canned mandarin oranges per person, no biscuits, and protests were invalid; take it or leave it.

After finishing his meal, Ye Yaodong stood at the courtyard gate and watched the long snake-like queue not far away. By now the sky had already gone dark, and everywhere flashlight beams were flickering. There were also children who thought it was fun with so many people over there, laughing and playing.

The noise from that side could faintly carry all the way to their doorstep. In the time it took to finish a meal, the queue hadn't gotten any shorter—it was still just as long.

Ye Fu, wiping sweat, jogged back at this point. "Too many people out there. Half the village is lined up outside the dock, or standing around watching the excitement. There are even people from the neighboring village. Don't know how long this'll take."

"If the folks can cooperate and things go smoothly, it should be quick enough."

"Don't even mention it. Because someone cut in line ahead of his own brothers, I had to make a round trip, and I heard them arguing several times in the queue—almost came to blows again."

"With so many people, it's unavoidable. Who doesn't want their turn to come faster? At a time like this, who's going to let you cut in line?"

Wherever there are people, there are interests; once it touches one's own interests, there will be war.

"Ain't that the truth. Your older brother and your Ye Erge have been standing in line forever and they're still at the back. Two-thirds of the queue is still ahead of them. They have to have their meals sent over and eat standing there. Some folks are still arguing because someone accidentally knocked over their rice."

Listening to all this, Ye Yaodong felt a headache coming on. Going up there to queue sounded like a real hassle too. "I'll go over to Zhou Da's place and see if the others have finished eating, and see what they say."

"Let's go together."