Chapter 766: A Few Decisions

He didn't expect that the other party was also very straightforward. He directly said the fresh dock purchase price was three mao and five fen, about six jin would dry out to one jin, the cost was at least just over two kuai, so he sold it for two kuai and five fen, the lowest price.

Zhou Laoban was very straightforward, directly agreeing in one breath, without even bargaining.

It ruined all the drafts he had mentally prepared, and his plans to ramble on and reason about this and that — none of it turned out to be useful.

Originally, inflating the price a little was also to leave more room for profit. Moreover, the dock purchase price was three mao and three fen, and bringing it to the city, it had to sell for at least three mao and eight fen. Calculated this way, the drying cost really was just over two kuai.

His selling price of two kuai and five fen really wasn't expensive at all!

An especially, especially conscience price!

Thinking this way, he accepted it with a clear conscience again. Good thing he didn't fully listen to his wife and kept a trick up his sleeve, inflating the price a little more.

The dock purchase price doesn't represent the wholesale price in the city. A person can't be too honest — the honest ones don't make money.

If only he'd known, he would have quoted a bit more...

This... this agreeing was too decisive, and he again felt some regret for quoting too low...

Sigh, people are just this contradictory.

After hanging up the phone, he only felt a tiny bit of regret. But then again, he was also a person who was quite easy to satisfy. After all, he could still make money — a profit of seven mao, over 300 jin, that was over 200 more in a day, which was pretty good already.

Even if the weather was bad and he couldn't dry it every day, as long as there was drying there was earning. When the weather was good, he could dry more too.

Anyway, Zhou Laoban had just said on the phone that as long as there was dried goods, he wanted them. The first day's 300-plus jin, even for testing the waters, he still felt the quantity was a bit small, and told him to produce at least 500 jin the next day.

Ye Yaodong thought about it and it made sense. His first day he produced over 300 jin. After he dried it for five or six days, the goods from the first day would probably just be arriving at the destination to be sold. A businessman certainly couldn't just want the quantity from one trip.

After all, the squid fishing season was short. If one really waited to see the selling effect before deciding, the fishing season would have long ended, and there'd be no need to sell. To test the waters, one had to see how well the quantity dried during this fishing season sold. If it sold well, increase the quantity next year.

After thinking it through, he had no more reservations. Tomorrow he'd see how much he could catch. Anyway, he had to dry at least 500 jin every day. He figured tomorrow should be enough. When the peak fishing season came a few days later, the quantity would probably be even more.

After paying for the phone call, he called his two brothers-in-law again. As usual, he called the commune in their township, asked someone to help call them over, and after waiting ten minutes, he called back again.

Yang Yang Dajiu was very happy and agreed in one breath, saying he'd send Lin Lin Guangyuan over that evening, they'd tidy up the land, and come over the next day.

After finishing the phone calls, Ye Yaodong immediately went to find Chen Shuji about the land.

"You came at just the right time. Right now in the village, you're the most prominent, with the biggest reputation. Everyone says the feng shui around your area is good. These past two days, two or three households want to choose the empty land around your area to build houses, but they haven't decided yet. The brothers in their families are arguing over which plot to build on. If there's something you want, decide early."

He quickly said, "I want that plot by the road. That plot is big enough, open enough, convenient for me to dry fish. Look how politically aware I am? I don't take a single needle or thread from the people, even plan to buy the drying spot. Look... can you count it as a bit cheaper?"

"Tomorrow I'll report it to the village committee and try to calculate it as little as possible, but the land is also collective assets, so even calculating less won't save much."

"Alright, then please report it for me. I won't be home tomorrow because I'm going out to sea. Have my mother go with you to measure the land. I'll tell her roughly how large an area I need later. After it's registered, I'll come back tomorrow to pay."

"Okay, want to stay for a couple of drinks? The dishes just got stir-fried..."

"No need, no need. Dinner at home is already cooked. I just wanted to get everything done before dark."

After declining twice, Ye Yaodong went straight back first.

From coming back until now, running back and forth without his feet touching the ground, he hadn't even sat down to rest for a moment. His dirty clothes were still on him, sprayed black by the squid so the original color couldn't be seen. How could he sit down to drink?

As soon as he got home, he grabbed his mother, who was killing squid, and ran toward the empty land, busy as a top.

"What are you doing? I'm in the middle of killing squid. What's so urgent, where are you dragging me to?" Ye Mu didn't even have time to wipe her hands, black as could be, as he pulled her by the arm to walk outside. "You can't even let me wash my hands?"

"Stop nagging, it's right next door. Why wash your hands? You'll have to kill more when you come back. Just point out how large an area, that's all. It'll be quick..."

"What large area?"

Ye Mu was pulled along reluctantly, muttering under her breath, but by the time they came back, her face was beaming with joy, so happy she couldn't close her mouth.

The moment her butt sat down, she couldn't help sharing with the women nearby.

"Oh my, this child hurriedly pulled me out, turns out it was to show me the land. So quietly, he's actually buying that plot next door again. He told me the village committee would come measure the land tomorrow, told me to tell them how large an area, from where to where, and asked me to keep an eye out for him, to take a look..."

"Really too much money to handle. He just bought two boats, and now he's buying land again, saying he wants to build some workshop. Doesn't the house have a yard? Isn't there a place to kill fish? Still buying land, really spending money recklessly..."

"He also said to build two more rooms, told me to move over with his father. Isn't this wasting money? The old house is perfectly fine, so big. Telling us to move over, what to do with that house sitting empty? Really making pointless trouble..."

"He also said living closer would save us from running back and forth all day. What's there to this walking? It can even exercise the body. Walking more is how the body stays healthy..."

That face full of smiles, with a scolding tone — where was the complaining? It was clearly blatant showing off!

When that mouth wasn't talking, it didn't close either!

Ye Mu was indeed so happy she was about to fly. Her son was doing well — after buying boats, he immediately bought land, and was going to build a workshop and a house for them to live in. If she told people, her face would shine with glory.

"Oh my, you have such good fortune, about to enjoy the blessings..."

"Just bought boats, now buying land, and building houses too. Amazing..."

"Adong is really filial. Last year he brought the old folks over, this year he's planning to bring all of you over too..."

Ye Yaodong listened to his mother, who had just returned to the yard all animated and started bragging again, wondering if she was actually working. He shook his head and went around the outer wall to the back door.

He couldn't help feeling relieved in his heart. Good thing he got his mother to the village committee, otherwise, once the small workshop was set up, his mother would become the leader of the workshop, bossing everyone around, everyone would have to gather around her and say nice things, flatter her. Hopefully it wouldn't lead to mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts stirred up by others.

His mother, with such a talkative nature, was better off going outside to listen to gossip.

"Adong's back, everything done?"

"Done. Zhou Laoban's side is already settled. I also called your brother's side. They'll bring Ah Yuan over in a bit. I also spoke with Chen Shuji. He'll come measure the land tomorrow. I just told Mom how large an area, told her to take people to measure tomorrow. You go take a look tomorrow too."

That empty plot over there was only a little over one mu. Building a room for his parents to live in would be just right, and they could also supervise the work there. Plus a warehouse, a small workshop for killing fish, and the large empty area could serve as a drying yard.

"How much did you settle on with Zhou Laoban? Does he still want it tomorrow? Does he want it all going forward?"

"Yes, I told him two kuai five a jin, and he agreed in one breath. Sigh, if only I'd asked for a higher price..."

"That straightforward? He didn't even try to bargain?"

"What bargaining? I told him our dock purchase price is three mao five a jin, six jin makes one jin, the cost comes out to over two kuai. That's just the purchase price, the market wholesale price is definitely more. He listened and just felt we were honest, not quoting randomly. How could he still bargain?"

"Uh..."

"Still have to be a bit ruthless to make more money!" Ye Yaodong couldn't help sighing. The two of them as a couple were just too honest, too kind, too simple — their hearts weren't black enough.

"We can make quite a lot already... If it's too much, holding it doesn't feel right either..." Lin Lin Xiuqing said honestly.

"Making money and still not feeling right? Forget it, forget it, it's already agreed. Anyway, from now on, as long as the weather's good, keep everything back to dry. We can also look at the situation and get some from Ah Guang or Xiao Xiao's side to supplement. When the price drops later, we'll dry a bit more."

"Alright, since everything's done, let's eat first? If we don't eat, it'll be dark. Coming back and running around nonstop, feet not touching the ground..."

"It's fine. I only went out past 12 today, didn't work a few hours before coming back. Not that tired. It's good that things are done. Has my dad not come over yet?"

Only then did Ye Yaodong realize that he had already made several trips back and forth, and still hadn't seen any sign of his father. It had been so long that they could have slaughtered a whole pig, let alone just taken a bath—yet his father still hadn't shown up?

"Maybe he got pulled aside to chat with someone on the way?"

"Then let's not wait for him. Let's eat first—the kids must be starving."

"Alright, alright. You go call Mother and the two children, I'll bring the dishes out."

Ye Father had indeed been stopped by the villagers on the way. The things he'd said at the dock earlier had barely been spoken before the whole village knew about it. Everyone had heard that his family was preparing to sun-dry cuttlefish again, so they all wanted to sun-dry their own cuttlefish and sell them to the family, hoping to earn a bit more money.

Although some said the family wouldn't take others' catch and would only use their own, no one was willing to give up. They kept pulling at Ye Father—what if he did want them? After all, the family was riding high right now.

The villagers had also wanted to pull Ye Yaodong aside to chat earlier, but he kept riding his bicycle back and forth. They only managed to exchange a greeting with him; whenever they tried to say more, he'd zoom off like a gust of wind, pedaling away in a hurry. So they could only grab the beaming Ye Father to chat instead.

Ye Father walked along, stopping every so often, grinning from ear to ear. Under everyone's flattery, he felt like he was floating as he walked. He also felt a touch of regret that he hadn't been home in the morning to see the fishing boat set off firecrackers and fireworks.

By the time he arrived, he still couldn't rein in the smile on his face.

"Still lecturing me all day? Aren't you happy enough to lose your bearings yourself? One stretch of road takes you half a day, your grin is about to split open to the back of your head. I'm not the one acting like that." Ye Mother took one look at him coming through the door and couldn't help but say.

"What's wrong with me? I just got pulled aside to chat for a bit."

Ye Mother shot him a glance. "In the little while you were chatting, Dongzi bought another piece of land."

"Huh? What land?"

Ye Yaodong repeated to his father what he and A Qing had discussed earlier, and also mentioned that his father-in-law would be sending back two thousand jin of fresh fish tomorrow morning to be slaughtered and sun-dried.

"How come I don't know anything about any of this?"

"You were too busy listening to everyone's flattery on the road."

Ye Father gave him a sullen look. Ye Lao San didn't even come to discuss things with him before making decisions now.

"I did want to discuss it with you, but who knew you'd take so long? My phone kept ringing one after another—I didn't have time to wait for you."

The old lady also said with a smile: "Dongzi isn't a child anymore. Besides, buying land and building a workshop is a good thing. When the time comes, the village women will have work too and can earn a bit more money."

"Whatever he does, you think it's good. Even his poop would smell like perfume to you." Ye Father said irritably.