Chapter 558

Ye Yaodong found it funny after hearing this, and Ye Fu was speechless too.

Lin Xiuqing smiled and comforted them, "It doesn't matter. Several hundred jin dried out to only a few dozen jin, it's not particularly much. Our family dried much more than you. You keep it for your own family to eat, or give some to relatives and friends, that's also good."

"With so much, how could we bear to give it away? Even fresh ones are worth more than ten yuan."

"Your maiden home is in the mountains, so sending some over is a rare treat. Our maiden homes are right in the village, who would care about this little bit of dried fish? Whose family doesn't have some stock? No need to send it."

"Sigh, if we had known, we wouldn't have listened to people's rumors. Although it's cheap, selling it for more than ten yuan would have been good. Now it's stuck in our hands, we can only eat it ourselves..."

"Oh my, how can we eat several dozen jin? It will make my heart ache. Usually, if nobody wants it, drying a few jin is enough to eat. At least this could sell for a little money..."

"It's good that we brothers share it, it doesn't add up to that much..."

The whole family listened to the women at the door muttering about their heartache, and didn't join the conversation. Their own family hadn't even finished selling theirs, so how could they take theirs in?

Moreover, if the weather is good enough to go out to sea tomorrow, they can start drying again. Their own goods don't need to be bought with money, which is more cost-effective.

Ye Yaodong, anyway, wasn't worried that his family's dried fish wouldn't sell; it would just take a bit of time.

The thing he lacked the least was time. There was plenty of leisure time in autumn and winter. Even if he didn't sell to the military unit, he could clear out the stock at home by selling it during his free time.

Others didn't have this brain, didn't use this mind, so he naturally wouldn't be a busybody. Maybe nobody would believe him even if he said it.

When he just started moving the dried fish in the courtyard into the house, Lin Xiuqing also went back to the room to continue stir-frying. Today, Adong and Ye Fu came back early, so she had to add two more hearty dishes.

The group of neighbor sisters-in-law at the door also went back while talking. The dried fish that had already been kept and killed couldn't be wasted; they still had to be dried.

The wind and waves didn't look that big early this morning, so Brother Ye and Brother Ye Er also went out to sea. When they came back, they brought a bowl of small shrimp and a few fresh small white pomfrets for their family, which Aqing could just use to add to the dishes.

And Ye Yaodong also sat down and chatted with the two brothers.

The two brothers were there because their mother went over yesterday and told them to dry more dried fish, as it wasn't worth much money, so they should keep it all and dry it.

So they didn't sell much today either. They kept over 500 jin of toadfish and over 200 jin of miscellaneous fish. With such a large quantity, it wasn't like the usual hundred jin they dried for themselves to eat. They were unsure, and seeing that Adong had just returned, they hurriedly came over to ask, and by the way, inquire about the situation—was it easy to sell?

They were also afraid that keeping such a large quantity would result in it being stuck in their hands. Although it wasn't worth much money, a large quantity could still sell for quite a bit, and this was all hard-earned money.

"Dongzi, is your dried fish selling quite well these past two days? That's why Mom told us to keep more to dry."

"The truth is, I've been selling dried fish at the stall these past few days and it's doing okay, but it's quite a hassle and very easy to run into local thugs. If you don't have time, or don't want to go through the trouble and risk, just dry the fish and sell it to me. It will definitely earn more than selling it fresh. It also saves you from running around, and you can get money as soon as it's dried."

"Although I still have several hundred jin at home that haven't sold, I can hoard them and sell them slowly. They won't go bad if I leave them there. I haven't collected from anyone else either. If there's money to be made, it should be earned by my own brothers first."

His two older brothers were relatively mediocre and conservative, had no adventurous spirit, and were honest. They both needed others to push them from behind. His father's intention was also for him to collect them and figure out the payment.

Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua looked at each other.

While Ye Yaopeng was still hesitating, Ye Yaohua said: "I think it's doable. Just dry it and sell it directly to Dongzi. We don't have experience selling things, and we don't understand these things. Selling to him means getting money immediately, and we don't have to store it there, and we don't have to go through the trouble. It's pretty good."

Ye Yaopeng looked at Ye Yaodong and asked tentatively: "Then... then how much does Dongzi plan to pay for it?"

"3 mao for toadfish dried fish, 2 mao for miscellaneous fish dried fish." This was a price he decided on after careful consideration. They were his own brothers, so he couldn't earn too ruthlessly.

Ten jin dries out to a little over two jin. Calculating based on two jin, fresh fish is 3.5 mao per jin, which means the cost of ten jin is 3.5 mao. Adding labor and salt, it's 4 mao for two jin.

The cost of one dried jin is about 2 mao, actually probably less than 2 mao, probably around 1.8 mao. If he collects it for 3 mao, his eldest brother and second brother can still earn quite a bit, which is more cost-effective than selling it fresh.

And after deducting travel expenses, he can also earn about 1 mao to 1.2 mao per jin? It's equivalent to splitting the profit in half, with each person earning half.

Miscellaneous fish can earn a little more. This was originally goods that nobody wanted, and his eldest brother and second brother could be considered to have picked it up for free. He didn't lose out to anyone by calculating the money this way.

Seeing that his eldest brother and second brother couldn't calculate whether this price was high or low, he simply told them what he had just calculated.

The two of them suddenly realized.

Ye Yaopeng said happily: "Then if ten jin produces two jin, it's equivalent to a cost of about 2 mao per jin including labor, and we can earn an extra 1 mao!"

"For 100 jin, that's an extra ten yuan!"

"Then we kept over 800 jin of goods today, wouldn't that be able to dry about 200 jin, and we could sell it for fifty or sixty yuan."

"That's not right. 100 jin of dried fish earns an extra ten yuan, so 200 jin earns an extra 20 yuan. But our goods were just calculated at the wharf, those fresh ones can only sell for less than 20 yuan. If this dried one sells for fifty or sixty, then calculating it this way means selling for 30 more yuan, not 20-something yuan?" Ye Yaohua was a bit confused.

Ye Yaodong was also confused by their calculations. He wasn't good at math to begin with, but because he participated in the whole process, he immediately understood where the extra money came from.

"You forgot about the miscellaneous fish. The wharf doesn't collect miscellaneous fish, it's not worth money, but after drying, I collect it for 2 mao per jin. The extra money is from selling the miscellaneous fish."

The two of them suddenly realized.

"Ah, right, right, right. When weighing earlier, the miscellaneous fish didn't count as money, we could only bring it back to dry and eat ourselves."

"So the miscellaneous fish is equivalent to having no cost."

Ye Yaohua hesitated, "Will you lose money this way? The money is all earned by us. Does anyone want the miscellaneous fish after it's dried? Nobody in our countryside wants it, we can only take it to dry and eat ourselves."

"We can barely sell it. Some people want it because it's cheap. Miscellaneous fish isn't necessarily bad. Like dried dragon-head fish or dried eel, isn't it very fragrant and good for drinking when stir-fried with celery? It's just that the quantity is small, and various dried fish are mixed together, so it's called miscellaneous fish."

"Then calculate it for less. It's something nobody wanted in the first place, don't sell it at a loss. Just figure it out, give us some labor money. This is all hard-earned money you're making, you have to go through the trouble yourself, and you have to store the goods there..." Ye Yaohua said honestly.

"It won't reach the point of losing money..."

Ye Yaopeng also said: "Just calculate the miscellaneous fish at 1.5 mao. It was all something nobody wanted anyway. You also have to earn some travel expenses and hard-earned money."

Seeing his two brothers so sensible, Ye Yaodong felt very gratified.

"Alright, then I'll be thick-skinned and earn a little more."

"Everyone earns."

After the three brothers reached an agreement, everyone was happy.

Ye Yaodong was purely looking for a job to do during his leisure time. He didn't go out to sea much in the middle of winter. Selling goods like this, earning 20-something yuan a day, and going out two or three times a month, he earned more than the average person. It adds up.

The premise is not to be slaughtered like a pig. That day was also too tiring, and he had to get up at two in the morning to deliver goods to the military unit. If he didn't take the tractor, he wouldn't be able to get home until 9 or 10 o'clock if he walked back.

The day before, he set off for the city at ten in the evening. If he really walked back, he would have exhausted himself to death.

That wouldn't do. He couldn't let his wife remarry with his money and let his three children take someone else's surname.

However, after having a few experiences selling goods, he would only sell 200 jin a day in the future, go alone, and head home after selling. If there was no tractor to take, he would catch the 9 o'clock bus in the morning. If he couldn't catch the bus, he wouldn't go back, and would go back the next day, or call his father to deliver the goods the next day.

Anyway, he couldn't be slaughtered again!

If the military unit wanted a batch every few days, his earnings would be even more effortless.

After Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua got the guarantee, they went home happily. They didn't have to bear any risks, they just had to be a bit more troublesome, and they could earn double in one trip.

Lin Xiuqing was cooking on the side, heard everything from beginning to end, and only said after people left: "We haven't even sold the ones at home, and you promised to collect all of the eldest and second brother's. Isn't that too anxious? You're going out to sea tomorrow, and you can dry quite a lot."

"It's fine, there's only 300-something jin left at home. Whenever it gets windy and we can't go out to sea, we'll go sell for two days and it'll be gone."

"Oh, then you see. It will take them several days to dry it too."

"Hmm, just right for replenishment."

"How much money did you sell today?"

"Oh right, I was so busy talking, I forgot to take off my clothes and take out the cloth bag to count the money."

As he spoke, he started taking off his cotton-padded jacket and sweater, and then poured all the money in his backpack onto the table.

There were large ten-yuan bills, small change, and a pile of coins. It sounded quite nice when poured out with a clatter.

After the two sons heard the movement, they immediately climbed onto the table, looking at the table full of money and shouting "wow".

"So much money, Dad made big money again!"

"Dad is so amazing, making big money!"

"Don't go out and shout blindly! Otherwise, I'll sew your mouths shut."

Ye Chenghu giggled, not afraid at all.

Ye Chengyang, however, immediately covered his mouth with both hands and widened his eyes.

Ye Yaodong first picked up the large ten-yuan bills one by one and put them in his palm. There were 12 of them, which were given by the military unit.

He muttered to himself, "Sold 300 jin at the military unit for 126 yuan, then went to the market to sell a bag, the small change was sold at the market... It's still more comfortable to look at large denominations..."

"Who doesn't like big money!"

Lin Xiuqing said with a smile, and then asked him, "Should we also give Dad a share of the money from drying and selling the fish?"

"Yes! He has been busy with me all the time, and Mom has also helped kill and dry them. No need to calculate labor money for her, but Dad's hard-earned money must be given. It was originally left on our boat, and he has a share too."

"Hmm, then I'll record today's account later and calculate it for him at the end of the month."

The old lady looked at Lin Xiuqing, afraid that she would be unhappy, and said with a smile: "Your father and your mother can't spend much money. The money you calculate for him now will all be divided among you when they get old."

Lin Xiuqing smiled, "That's still a long way off. I don't covet it, Adong can make money."

Ye Chengyang echoed very cooperatively, "Dad can make big money!"

Ye Yaodong patted his head happily, "Good son, good eye!"

"Sycophant!" Ye Chenghu snorted.

"Ye Chenghu, you've been very arrogant lately, haven't you?"