Chapter 319: Securing the Trawler Order

He arrived at the shipyard.

He handed a cigarette to the gate guard; the guard, seeing he was young, waved his hand and said, "Looking for work?"

"Don't come."

"They're laying off staff right now."

Wu An's thoughts shifted; it seemed the shipyard was facing a serious problem.

He cheerfully said he had an appointment, gave his name, and the guard made a call; his face changed as he realized he had spoken wrongly.

"The old man's eyesight isn't good; turns out he's the boss coming to order a boat—really young and promising." The guard came out of the guardroom and personally led Wu An into the shipyard.

He also introduced Wu An, saying their shipyard was the largest in the county.

It has a long history.

It was once state-owned, had its glory days, also suffered declines, and now it's a standout among private shipyards; coming here was definitely the right choice.

Wu An looked around the shipyard, too lazy to respond.

Before reaching the office building, he saw several people running out; the man in the middle, his fat jiggling as he ran, wasn't slow at all.

Beside him, a secretary held an umbrella, but couldn't keep up.

Still a few meters away, he stretched out his hand and greeted, "Welcome, welcome, Brother Wu!"

Wu An handed the umbrella to Gu Anran in advance, then extended his hand and said, "Old brother, sorry to keep you waiting; the rain held us up halfway."

"I know the county's roads are terrible."

"I think this rain won't stop soon; it'll probably cause water to pool on the roads."

"I often go out running, see lots of buses, and I'd guess eight or nine out of ten they'll suspend service."

"Well… I'll arrange it: we'll have dinner and drinks tonight, then stay at the four-star hotel next to the factory—clean and hygienic, nothing else to say."

Manager Wang's words left Wu An no chance to interject; everything was set directly.

Wu An hurriedly declined.

Gu Anran listened, her expression shifting; if the buses stop running, how would she and Wu An get home?

Wu An said, "Let's see, let's see."

Manager Wang led the tour; the workshop wasn't small, its scale was large, and inside there were two vessels that looked already formed.

Wu An gave it a quick once-over.

They arrived at the office.

Manager Wang was warm and attentive, pouring tea and water.

"Manager Wang, you're friends with Boss Li, so we're not outsiders; let me be frank—I want to order a boat."

"And it needs to be over twenty meters long, a trawler."

"With all the equipment fitted, roughly how much would it cost?"

Manager Wang coughed twice and said, "At least one million."

Wu An frowned.

"I can't manage that."

The homestay project has already launched; for now, it's a bottomless money pit.

"Even if we halt it."

He now has less than three hundred thousand in cash, far from enough to buy a trawler.

"But if we settle for second best."

He feels there's no point.

After being reborn two months ago, he's tried every way to make money, earning roughly several hundred thousand, still under a million.

Compared to ordinary people, this money-making speed isn't actually slow.

But his steps are a bit too big, making his expenses exceed his income.

Compared to the reincarnators in novels, he's a bit lackluster.

Who made him just an ordinary person?

But some say, stand on the windfall and even a pig can fly.

Precisely because he sees the windfall, he has no choice but to take bigger steps.

To have him give up the windfall.

That would be harder than killing him.

He had a headache.

Forget it.

Better to take it slow.

Let's see how many times we can go out to sea next, how much we can earn; if we could go out every day, each trip could bring in several tens of thousands, a month could not only cover the homestay project's expenses but maybe even save enough to buy a boat.

Seeing Wu An silent, Manager Wang hurriedly said, "Two months—if you place the order, I can deliver it within two months at most."

Wu An's eyes lit up, then he gave a wry smile: "Old Brother Wang, even if you could deliver today, I still couldn't place the order."

"To be honest, I have no money on hand right now."

"I can barely scrape together a deposit."

Manager Wang smiled: "Nobody ordering a boat at the shipyard pays the full amount up front."

"It's all installment payments."

"I can authorize a one-year payment plan for you."

Wu An began calculating.

If it's a year, that's less than a hundred thousand per month; could he manage to come up with that much each month?

That's definitely possible!

If luck is good, you can get it done in a day.

Wu An said: "If the deposit is one tenth, I can place the order today!"

But I also have a small request: shorten the delivery time by another month.

I just looked; the shipyard is currently idle, and I see there are still a few trawlers being assembled.

Wang Jingli's smile froze.

Actually.

The shipyard's situation is much more troublesome than what Wu An saw; the shipyard has had no orders for nearly a year, and even the existing orders are facing problems.

Industry competition is squeezing, the shipyard's funding is broken, and even workers' wages cannot be paid.

Without exaggeration, the shipyard has reached a point of life and death.

Wang Jingli didn't dare to refuse directly, but said: "I'll go out and make a phone call."

Wait for Wang Jingli to go out.

Gu Anran grabbed Wu An's arm, tugged, and whispered: "A An, even with installment payments, it's about a hundred thousand per month."

Wu An nodded: "About right."

"That much money..."

"Anran, I'm currently working nearshore; as long as I can go out to sea, drop crab pots, do longline fishing, and rush the tidal flats, a round trip in a day can earn me ten to twenty thousand if luck is bad, and sixty to seventy thousand if luck is good."

"In short, the income is never below five figures."

"So, the money for the boat, as long as it's in installments, I can afford it."

He explained it in detail, which also puts Gu Anran at ease; after all, you can't let his sister follow him around worrying all the time.

A man should establish a family and a home.

To provide shelter from wind and rain for a woman.

If you let a woman worry about this and that, the man is somewhat useless.

Wu An admits he is somewhat chauvinistic.

He continued: "If the trawler goes to sea, it can operate continuously for several days; I'm not bragging, conservatively estimated, each trip's income will not be less than six figures."

This deal.

When calculated clearly, it's quite worthwhile.

Gu Anran nodded and said: "Alright, the boat is bigger, so it needs more crew; you need to think about that in advance."

Wu An put his arm around her and laughed: "You're already helping me think about that."

Gu Anran snorted: "Nice one."

After a while, Wang Jingli came in and said: "I've communicated with the boss; the deposit is one tenth, and the rest will be paid monthly."

One tenth each month, paid off in nine months.

Wu An stood up.

He extended his hand and said: "Deal."

"Give me the contract first."

"I'll take it back to look over, and come sign the contract tomorrow morning."

He admitted he was impulsive, with a gambling element.

But when it's time to act, just act; no need to be vague. At worst, I'll work harder next—if I can go to sea, I'll go to sea; if I can't, I'll wander around the nearby tidal flats, catching shrimp.

In short, from now on it's all about making money, making money, and still making money!

Wang Jingli's face showed some excitement, and he shook hands with him.

After taking the contract, Wu An politely declined Wang Jingli's evening banquet, and asked Wang Jingli to help call a car.

The two quickly got into the car.

On the radio, they heard a broadcast announcing weather changes, reminding residents to stay safe when going out, reporting that multiple road sections were flooded and traffic jammed, and that bus service was suspended.

Gu Anran's face was full of worry.

The rain was still falling.

It was getting heavier and heavier.

Wu An comforted: "It's fine."

"Let's take a taxi home later."

"It's just a matter of spending a bit more money."

Arrived at the county center.

Completely jammed.

The car barely moved after half a day; Wu An saw the pedestrian street not far away, his eyes lit up, and he shouted for Gu Anran to get out of the car.

Using the excuse of avoiding the rain, they walked into a jewelry store.