Chapter 921: Reaching an Agreement

Ye Yaodong leaned on one side of the counter, listening to Aguang make the phone call while continuing to gnaw on his pickled vegetable cake.

To tell the truth, the pickled vegetable cakes in the little town were quite fragrant—deep-fried, with a crispy outer skin and a salty-savory inside; eating them left your mouth and hands covered in oil.

Last year when he came over, he went everywhere with his dad, and whenever they passed by on the way and he wanted to eat some, his dad would grumble that they had plenty of pickled vegetables at home, why bother going out to eat!

Well then, from now on he could just have his dad stay and guard the boat; the work on shore he could handle on his own.

On the road just now he had also spotted one called wheat cake, also with a pickled vegetable filling, but with meat added inside; however, he wanted to eat the deep-fried one first—after all, anything deep-fried couldn't possibly taste bad, so eat the good stuff first.

In a while he'd tell Aguang to buy him two or three wheat cakes in the afternoon, slice them up and leave them ready for when he came ashore to eat.

The guy had even come up with the idea of being a middleman for him, so for the next month or two of snacks and treats, surely he'd have to foot the bill, right?

Ye Yaodong thought happily to himself that if he had time later he'd wander around some more to see what other good things there were to eat, and while he had the chance to sponge off someone, he'd eat his way through everything.

By the time he finished the whole pickled vegetable cake and wiped his hands with a handkerchief, Aguang had also finished talking and hung up the phone.

"Dongzi, Yang Guoan's uncle said cash is fine, no problem—whatever the market price is for purchasing, that's what they'll pay too, based on that day's price, they won't shortchange us." His face was full of joy, and even his voice carried a buoyant cheerfulness.

"That's pretty good then. When I heard you on the phone just now, Yang Guo'an had already given them a heads-up first, hadn't he?"

"Right, when I called over, his uncle wasn't surprised at all, and was very easy to talk to, saying he'd already tipped them off in advance."

"Just as I thought—when you've got business, you have to find the local big shot. Isn't this major matter settled on the spot? And we've got a big tree to lean on now, with a little Gongan Bureau officer as our backing—perfect for enjoying the shade."

Aguang was also beaming. "I think so too. Later we'll drop a hint at the dock that we've got a friend at the Gongan Bureau, just a hundred meters ahead…"

"A proper imperial sword of authority!" Ye Yaodong laughed, picking up his words. "Hurry up and pay the phone bill, settle mine too—be sharp about it."

"No problem, but isn't this long-distance fee way too expensive?" Aguang muttered as he dug out the money.

"We're about to make the big bucks—still begrudge a little phone fee? Pay up and let's go. Weren't you just saying we'd head straight to the dock in a bit to see how much there is and have a chat? Let's get moving—might even get there before the factory Chen Jianian contacted."

"Right, let's run a bit faster. When we get there we'll say we got to know a Gongan Bureau officer over the phone last night, and just ran into him again on the road. While chatting he mentioned his uncle Yang's jellyfish processing factory just opened, and told us to sell any jellyfish we have to his uncle—give him some business."

"Exactly, that's what we'll say. When the villagers see he's paying cash on the spot, you won't have to do anything—everyone will just be fighting to sell to him."

Aguang's heart was burning with impatience. "Go, go, go, run faster—hope we can make it in time. If we can't, we'll just wait till the afternoon. This trip we can only collect a little less, as long as we don't come away empty-handed, that's fine."

"It probably won't be that fast either—everyone's still in line to make phone calls. Even when they arrive they'll still have to queue up to weigh the goods. Now that we've hung up, sending a tractor over is really fast."

"Mm, let's go to the dock first and have a look. If they haven't come, we'll sit and wait. If they beat us to it, I can still hold back my own two boatloads of goods for Yang Yang Dajiu."

The two talked as they ran, both growing somewhat anxious—after all, whether they made eight thousand or ten thousand next, or just a few hundred, was a world of difference.

By the time the two of them rushed back to the dock, the dock was still in full swing—every corner had people weighing jellyfish and collecting fish cargo—and most of the people from their village were already standing by the dock waiting.

Presumably they'd all come to their senses and left just two or three people over there to wait and make phone calls. After all, as long as someone called back home, they didn't need everyone queuing up there waiting. Selling the jellyfish was urgent now—whenever they had a spare moment, they could take turns going to make calls.

But there wasn't even a shadow of Chen Jianian to be seen—nobody knew where he'd gone, and he wasn't at the dock either.

Ye Yaodong asked around, and the villagers all said that after Chen Jianian finished his phone call, he said a tractor might not come to collect goods so soon on short notice, and that he was going to head over to the factory to have a look.

Aguang was delighted. "Well, that's a coincidence."

"Don't celebrate too early either—the truck hasn't even come. I'll go up to the boat first and tell Zeng Zhao Weimin that we called and reported everything's safe." He had also bought an extra pickled vegetable cake just now, and would bring it along for his dad to try.

However, when Old Ye heard that the two of them had already conspired to take on the middleman work and had already made the phone call to get in touch, he immediately grew serious, and the pickled vegetable cake in his mouth lost its flavor.

"Dongzi, Aguang, you two can't do this. Last year we were still counting on people to help us contact buyers for our goods, and this year you just cut them out—that's not right at all."

"Dad, last year it was a win-win for us too. It wasn't just us making money—he made money too. And this year he's also brought out two more boats of his own."

Aguang nodded along. "Right, being a middleman was always a matter of each using their own abilities. He's got his own boats out there, so we can be middlemen and make this money ourselves too. It's not illegal—there's no rule saying it all has to be monopolized by him."

"But this year it was him who notified us. We owe him that favor. At least this year we can't be middlemen and steal his work. Next year, if we don't need him to notify us and come on our own, then that's fine—we can be middlemen ourselves and bring our own boats out, and then there won't be any gossip for people to talk about."

Ye Yaodong and Aguang exchanged awkward glances.

He suddenly felt as though he hadn't thought it through properly—it really was Chen Jianian who had called to notify him about the fishing season.

Aguang, slightly lacking in confidence, said, "But all fifteen boats from our village were brought out by you and Dongzi. Why should all the money go to him? All he did was make a phone call."

"And we're not even related. Dad, you might not know how much money can be made here—this is eight thousand, ten thousand we're talking about. To give that money away cheap to an outsider, doesn't it stick in your craw?"

"The guy just made a phone call. If he hadn't called, we could've come over on our own when the time came—at most we'd be a few days earlier or later, that's all."

Old Ye shook his head. "But a few days' difference is still a few days' difference. At the very least, he did call to notify us. And when he first tagged along, you two didn't say in advance that you also wanted to be middlemen. Cutting in at the last minute like this isn't right."

"But we also brought him and his boat over here. Without you guys, the two boats he led wouldn't have the experience—they couldn't have made it here, and they couldn't have made this money either. It goes both ways."

Aguang was still very tempted, wanting to make this money. After all, he hadn't gone out to sea to work, and on shore he had nothing to do. Having a middleman job where he could make phone calls and run errands and still earn money—what could be better? And the earnings weren't small either—more than what one of their boats made.

Most importantly, he hadn't dealt with Chen Jianian or spent any time with him—not a single word exchanged, no relationship at all. Why should he owe him a favor and give up this work?

Dongzi and his father-in-law owing him a favor, that's as it should be. But asking him to give up a pile of cash for someone he doesn't even know—who could do that?

The ten-thousand-yuan households of the past couple of years weren't just talk—they really were bursting with gold content.

Ye Yaodong thought for a moment and said, "Dad, I didn't think it through at the start, and I egged Aguang on. We do owe Chen Jianian a favor, so all our goods from here on we'll let him collect—that was my original plan too. Anyone can sell their goods to anyone else, but we can't."

"But the villagers were brought out by us, and they don't really have much to do with him. The villagers don't necessarily have to sell their goods to him—everyone has the right to choose for themselves."

"And we did bring him and his boat over here, just like Aguang said—it goes both ways. They benefited too, and next year he can bring even more boats over."

Old Ye sighed. "But if you find a factory that pays cash on the spot, won't you all have to sell your goods to the cash-paying one? Then he watches the money that should've been his get earned by Aguang instead—how could he swallow that? And we've got fifteen boats here, he's only got two. The lion's share is on our side. A cooked duck flying away—he's bound to hold a grudge."

"Then what do we do? I've already gotten in touch with the factory, and they're sending a tractor right over. I was originally thinking that if his truck came to collect goods right now, I'd just hold back my own two boatloads of goods for him; otherwise I'll just keep my own and sell them myself." Aguang said, feeling frustrated.

Ye Yaodong had a flash of inspiration. "Dad, how about this: the villagers choose for themselves. If they all choose to sell to the cash-paying factory Aguang found, then Aguang takes half of his middleman fee and gives it to Chen Jianian—treat it as the two of them doing the middleman work together."

"And the factory Chen Jianian originally contacted himself—his middleman fee he keeps for himself. If he can also persuade his factory to pay cash on the spot, and the villagers are willing to sell to him, then the middleman fee is all his too."

"That should work, right? It's basically Aguang's side of the factory he takes half, the two of them do it together, and his own he keeps entirely."

Old Ye thought it over and felt that this was barely acceptable.

Aguang felt comfortable in his heart too—at least he'd gotten a share of the pie.

"But you'll have to talk to him properly, persuade him—after all, you're asking him to give up part of it." Old Ye's brows were still furrowed.

"That's simple. The factory Aguang found has someone from the Gongan Bureau behind it. We're outsiders, we have to rely on the local big shots. Otherwise, if some locals take a dislike to us and cause trouble, shake us down for protection money or whatever, we'll have someone to back us up."

"We'll just tell him this: after we went to the Gongan Bureau to make a phone call last night, they found out we came to catch jellyfish, and today they came to find us on their own and asked us to sell our jellyfish to their relative."

"We were also thinking he's from the Gongan Bureau, so we couldn't really refuse him face. So Aguang talked it over with him properly, said we weren't comfortable unless it was cash on the spot, and the guy agreed readily."

"That makes it easy to explain. It's basically Aguang fighting for everyone's benefit, negotiating cash on the spot. The middleman fee that should've been his, he's still looking out for his old big brother and giving him half—face is saved all around."

"This way it doesn't really count as stealing his business. We were forced into it, and we played it smart—we invited him to earn together, so his trip wasn't a loss. After all, the two of us father and son brought out a lot of boats."

"Besides, it gives everyone a backer. Going forward we'll be a bit safer. If anything really happens, at least we have a door to knock on for help."

Ye's father heard him say this, and his brow smoothed out too.

"If you put it that way, fine. Then you two hurry up to the dock first and see if the people have arrived. If they're here, give them a heads-up in advance, so they don't show up and find all the goods already taken—their noses would be bent out of shape."

"Acting first and reporting later is nothing like giving a heads-up in advance. If you tell him ahead of time, soothe him, and explain it well, he can accept it grudgingly—everybody's happy. If you're late, even if he accepts reluctantly, he'll still hold a grudge inside."

Aguang happily agreed at once, "Alright, Dad. I'll head up right now to wait for them."

"I'll go with you." Ye Yaodong followed, not at ease leaving him alone.

Aguang might have a quick mind, but his tongue still wasn't as slick as his. Who knew how long this would drag on—he needed to explain things to the man properly.

These days people put too much stock in personal ties. In the future, in the sea areas near them—whether it's farmed oysters, abalone, sea cucumber, kelp, whatever—all the goods get collected by middlemen.

A whole pile of middlemen. Today the goods go to this one, tomorrow to another, taking turns. Whoever offers the higher price gets them. Relatives don't matter either—price is what counts. Who'd stick to one fixed buyer?

This trip was a special situation, after all, since the man had given them notice. Ye Yaodong also gave himself a mental warning: he couldn't let human feeling grow too thin.

He'd lived this life differently. Now it wasn't the 21st century anymore.

The two hurried back up to shore. Luckily, neither side's tractor had arrived yet. The villagers were all still standing in the shade of a corner, waiting in the cool.

But it happened to be just right. The moment the two of them walked into the shade and stood still, they saw a tractor pull up in front of them, and Chen Jianian hopped down from it with a grin.

"Sorry I'm a bit late. The factory was buying up goods everywhere today, and the tractor was out the whole time. I only just managed to grab one when it came back, and rushed it over. But one truck can't carry it all—some of your goods might have to wait for the next load…"

"Weigh mine first, weigh mine. I'll go move them right now…"

"We're going to move them too…"

Everyone was afraid of being late. If they had to wait several trucks before their turn, they scrambled blindly, hurrying down to carry things up.

Ye Yaodong had a sudden flash of inspiration. One truck couldn't carry it all—the goods would have to be split into several trips. If they waited for the next run, it'd waste too much time, and the villagers couldn't wait either. If it got too late, everyone's interests would suffer. This year he'd brought out too many boats.

Just as everyone was rushing off to carry things, and no one else was around, Aguang pretended to be in a bind and started talking with Chen Jianian about the matter of the Gongan Bureau officer telling them to sell the goods to a relative's factory.

"Comrade Chen Jianian, you've finally come back. We've been waiting for you the whole time. There's something important and urgent we need to tell you."

Chen Jianian was still grinning. "What's the matter? It's not that late, is it?"

"It's like this. Didn't we call the Gongan Bureau last night? Earlier, Dongzi and I ran into the officer who gave us a hand last night again…"

Aguang explained the factory's cash-on-delivery matter to him, stressing the key points: the man was a Gongan Bureau officer, a local bigwig, and they had no way around him. He also relayed the talking points Dongzi had coached him on.

"The man gave the word, and we can't do anything about it. After all, we're outsiders. So I talked it over with him earlier—it's because we're outsiders that we have to insist on cash settlement. Otherwise we wouldn't feel easy either."

Ye Yaodong chimed in to help: "I heard his uncle's factory only just opened as a partnership this year. They saw that jellyfish had been especially profitable these past two years, and because it just opened, they don't get much goods. Maybe that's why—after hearing about it last night, they came to us today?"

The smile vanished from Chen Jianian's face. His brow furrowed tight. "So all the goods from your dozen-plus boats are going to his family's factory?"

Aguang glanced at him, then stole a peek at Ye Yaodong, and said helplessly, "The man said it like that, and we had no choice. What if he calls some people over to cause trouble? That'd be a real headache. But it also depends on what the villagers want."

"Whoever the villagers want to sell their goods to, of course that's who they sell to. See if you can talk it over with your friend's factory and get them to do cash settlement too. That way everyone won't all be selling to the other side."

"How easy do you think that is? These past two days the goods aren't many, so it's easy to talk. But once peak season hits, their factory takes in dozens of tons of jellyfish a day. How could they do cash settlement every single day? The factory needs cash flow too." Chen Jianian's face was written all over with displeasure—his brows were furrowed so tight they could pinch a fly to death.

A cooked duck flying off—who could be happy about that?

Ye Yaodong shot Aguang a look. Aguang immediately followed up with a smile, saying he'd give half of whatever commission he earned to Chen, and he wouldn't need to worry about anything else.

He repeated everything Dongzi had said afterward, promising to handle the official side for him.

"I know this counts as a loss to your interests, but it's good to lean against a big tree for shade. After all, we're outsiders. The Gongan Bureau is just a few dozen meters ahead—everyone feels safer with it watching. And a strong dragon can't suppress a local serpent. We had no choice."

"This time Dongzi brought out a lot of boats, and you brought two boats too. Whatever you sell on your side is all yours. Whatever I sell on my side, I'll give half to you, Brother Chen."

Chen Jianian's tightly locked brow eased a little for the moment. As long as some face was left, and it wasn't all swept away, it was fine.

Ye Yaodong helped speak up too. "Brother Chen, have you thought about it? The goods from our dozen-plus boats are quite a lot. One or two tractor trips—two or three at most—definitely can't haul it all."

"If the shipping-out speed is slow, the villagers will complain. Jellyfish melts into water if it sits too long, and there'll definitely be gripes. Plus it delays the boats from going out to fish again."

"Peak season hasn't even started yet. When it does, there'll be even more goods every day. The factory's tractors will be stretched thin hauling cargo—they're not just collecting from us. There'll be even more waiting then."

"Time waits for no one. Basically the fishing boats come ashore several times a day, all clustered in one time window. Having one more factory now is just right to share the transport pressure."

Chen Jianian turned and looked at the tractor behind him. This one he'd just run to the factory to snatch up. Otherwise it would've gone to collect from other villages. He hadn't booked it in advance either—he'd only just called on the spur of the moment.

The goods hauled in this morning really couldn't be hauled away in one or two trips. Too many boats came this year, let alone peak season—it'd really be a fight. The factory didn't have many tractors, and they were an important means of transport.

He sighed. "Fine then, let's do it your way. The factory you contacted, I get half. What I contacted is mine. I'll go talk to them later and see if I can get them to do cash settlement."

"Sigh, alright, I'm really sorry. We had no choice either. After all, the man is a local bigwig. And the key thing is one tractor really can't haul all the goods—we have too many boats."

Chen Jianian waved his hand. "No need to say more. That's that."

The villagers carried the goods up one basket, one bucket at a time, in a steady stream. Each household's goods were piled together, with one or two people left to watch while the other boatmen went back down to keep hauling. The open ground in front of them was covered in jellyfish.

"Weigh mine first. Get it weighed early, and the truck can head back sooner and come again…"

"Weigh mine first, weigh me first…"

"I was the first to carry mine up. Weigh mine first…"

"I'm almost done carrying mine up too. Weigh mine first…"

Ye Yaodong quickly called out to them, "Don't carry everyone's goods up at once. The tractor can't take it all in one trip. Sitting out in the sun like that, they'll dehydrate."

No one listened to him. Everyone kept going to carry things up—each one wanted their own goods weighed and gone as soon as possible.

"These people, really. If one trip can't take it all, everything's going to be roasting in the sun. Who knows how long it'll be before the truck comes back."

Chen Jianian realized it too at this point—the goods really were too many. He alone really couldn't swallow that many boats' worth.

Thinking of their proposal just now, the unhappiness in his heart also faded a little for the moment.

The main thing was, if they waited too long and the truck still hadn't come, it'd cause public outrage. Then he'd have to bear everyone's anger. In this hot weather, nobody had that much patience—everyone's temper was short.

At this point they were nearly coming to blows over whose goods to weigh first, each one arguing and clamoring to go first. Nobody wanted to fall to the back.

Chen Jianian was at his wit's end too, hurriedly shouting at everyone not to rush, to line up and come one by one to be weighed.

Aguang watched, overjoyed, and quietly nudged Ye Yaodong with his elbow. "So he can't swallow this many boats either."

"Yeah, didn't expect it at first. Good thing we noticed just now. That's another perfect reason."

"I should have waited until he was overwhelmed and couldn't arrange anything, then showed up to talk. I guarantee he'd immediately feel relieved, and we might not even have to give up half."

"That wouldn't work either. By then most of it would have been snatched up, and while he'd feel relieved, he'd also hold a grudge in his heart. Saying it upfront like this means at most a little resentment, and afterward when he thinks it over, he'll calm down and understand. After all, he really can't handle a dozen-plus boats."

A Guang said proudly, "I just took a look around the dock. Most are small boats. All the trawlers combined aren't even as many as what we brought."

"Of course. A regular village having three or four trawlers is already pretty good—mostly just little wooden boats. Our big fleet here is worth several villages, and the catch we collect can match one or two villages. Though it's possible some boats haven't returned yet—after all, this is a town."

"So it's normal he can't handle it all. Us helping share the load is a good thing." A Guang was happy. Earning half this year meant he could earn even more next year.

Ye Yaodong also smiled until his eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I can see he's already swamped."

Chen Jianian was arranging everyone to line up and take turns weighing their catch, but every villager wanted to go first. They were all cursing and shoving, because every moment's delay meant losing money. The scene looked utterly chaotic.

Under the blazing sun, they argued until drenched in sweat, only starting to weigh once the sweat was pouring off them. But those still waiting in line at the back kept on cursing.

A Guang went over and pulled A Zheng, Xiao Xiao, and the two Yang Yang Dajiu brothers into a shady corner, so they wouldn't have to fight for a spot.

"Why are you two still standing here? Not anxious at all? If we weigh late, who knows when the next tractor will come by? We already waited forever just now. Hurry up and weigh so we can head back out to fish."

"Exactly, at this snail's pace, with our dozen-plus boatloads of catch, how can a tractor fit it all? Stacked up it'd take at most half a load. Hurry and get your dad or someone to go line up."

"Dongzi, why aren't you lining up either…"

They were all drenched in sweat and frantic. The moment Ye Ye Yaopeng was pulled out, he dove right back into the line. A Guang couldn't be bothered to call him again—let him line up if he wants.

"No need to rush. More trucks will come by later."

A Guang grinned and explained to the three of them the slick move he and Adong had just cooked up—telling them to wait patiently, not to squeeze in with so many people, and to let them collect one truckload first.

That way they wouldn't offend anyone either. They'd yielded the courtesy, letting Chen Jianian take a wave first. When he couldn't handle any more, Yang Yang Dajiu's truck would arrive right on time to take the rest.

The three of them, hearing that A Guang had also dipped his toes into the middleman business, widened their eyes, kept exclaiming "Brilliant!" and gave him a thumbs-up.

A Zheng was envious. "Yours is the good life—no wind, no sun, just sit on the dock with your legs crossed, smoke a cigarette, crack some sunflower seeds, and earn no less than us working ourselves to death."

Xiao Xiao asked curiously, "Will that Chen Jianian agree?"

"He can't disagree even if he wants to. Look how anxious everyone is. This isn't even the peak season—it's just the first day. Who wants to keep waiting under the sun? Boats usually dock at the same few times, everyone's in a rush to get their catch sold. He can't possibly load everything onto one truck."

"So yeah, he's destined to give me a cut. Besides, I'm just passively accepting it. Having someone backing me is a bit safer. And it's not like he's losing out—he didn't do anything, and he still gets half."

Tell a lie often enough and it becomes the truth. Ye Yaodong almost believed A Guang was forced into it.

"Th-then when's the truck Yang Yang Dajiu arranged coming? When did you call? Is it settled that we get paid on the spot? Then I'll tell my dad not to line up."

"I'll also tell my brother not to line up…"

"I'll go get my dad too, tell him not to line up. If we can get paid on the spot, who'd still want to stand in that line?"

The three hurried off, each pulling their own dad over, so they wouldn't have to bake under the sun. They also moved their jellyfish over to the shady side, to keep them from being scorched.