Chapter 508: Want to Join In

Fan Lao Tou was still being dragged away by Fan Xiao Zhu.

Fan Dali scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and said, "A An, don't mind what my dad says; he's old and his mind isn't working well."

At the side.

Lao Fu Tou felt offended.

He snorted, then loudly asked, "A An, should we eat first or go start the longline fishing?"

Wu An said, "Eat first."

"Dali, Xiao Zhu, have you eaten?"

The two shook their heads.

Wu An said, "Then stay and have something to eat together."

Fan Dali hesitated a moment, nodded, and said, "Then we won't stand on ceremony."

Just right.

He also wanted to chat with Wu An.

He and Fan Xiao Zhu whispered a few words; the latter nodded, turned back to his own fishing boat, and shortly brought over some orchid crabs, amid which the faint sound of Fan Lao Tou shouting could be heard.

It wasn't clear what he was shouting, but probably nothing good.

At noon they still caught two golden pomfret.

Fan Dali volunteered to handle it, preparing a pan-fried golden pomfret and spicy orchid crab; the flavor was rich, eating it was quite satisfying. Though he had said he wouldn't drink, Fan Dali voluntarily suggested having a drink.

A Qing looked toward Wu An.

Wu An nodded.

A Qing, beaming with delight, ran to get the beer, ice-cold; after taking a gulp, everyone couldn't help but smack their lips—it was extremely satisfying.

Fan Xiao Zhu looked left and right and said, "Being out at sea feels like a vacation—it's too comfortable."

A Qing smugly said, "Not bad, huh?"

"But let me tell you, my brother bought a 25-meter trawler, spent extra money to have the cabin built beautifully—more comfortable than this, and even has a dedicated place to sleep."

"My brother said, since we're out here working hard already, we shouldn't be shortchanged in other aspects."

Lao Fu Tou stuffed a bite of fish meat into his mouth, heard A Qing finish, and couldn't help interjecting: "We just haven't run into a better boat owner."

On the boat, with good lodging and food, if there's any problem to pick, it's that the catch is too big—sometimes we're just swamped.

Fan Dali, hearing them say that, could no longer suppress the idea he'd been mulling for a while; he clinked his wine bottle against Wu An's and said, "A An, to be frank, I actually have a request."

Wu An took a sip and said, "Just speak up; we're all men, no need to be shy."

Fan Dali gulped a large mouthful and said, "Alright, then I'll just say it straight."

"Actually, I want you to take us out to sea to work together."

Upon hearing him say that.

Lao Fu Tou and the others were all stunned, looking over in surprise.

Wu An set down the wine bottle.

This request is somewhat excessive.

Lao Fu Tou coughed and said, "Dali, A An Village still has some decent connections; they've also approached Wu An about this."

"But I told A An that this cannot be agreed to."

"Once this door is opened, the consequences would be too serious."

Living in the countryside, with neighbors outside the forest and relatives inside the lane, who doesn't have a few relatives and a few close friends? If you help someone, shouldn't you help them back?

As the saying goes, "It's not scarcity we fear, but inequality."

Lao Fu Tou saying this is also meant to give Wu An a preparatory step for refusing.

This way, everyone can save face.

Don't look at Fan Dali's big and rough appearance; his mind is actually quite careful. He immediately understood what Lao Fu Tou meant and anxiously said, "I don't mean that."

A Qing snorted and said, "Dali, we treat you as a friend—you can't act like this."

Mei Wu said nothing, just silently watching.

Wu An coughed and said, "Dali, I'll listen to you finish speaking."

Fan Dali hurriedly said, "Take us out to sea to fish; whether good or bad, I'll give you half."

Wu An suddenly realized—Fan Dali's plan was actually to contribute capital and become a partner.

Fan Xiao Zhu added, "My brother means that we two brothers will do the work; we just need to follow you, and we'll take out a half share."

Lao Fu Tou pondered for a moment.

In that case, on the contrary, we cannot agree.

They contribute manpower, boat, and labor; it's equivalent to Wu An just showing the way, yet they'd take half the profit.

If this deal were offered to anyone else, they'd surely accept without hesitation.

Only a fool would refuse money that comes knocking at the door.

But whether Wu An will agree is still uncertain.

Why.

Insiders know their own affairs; to outsiders, Fan Dali's move looks like he's rushing to give Wu An money, but Lao Fu Tou knows that although Fan Dali only takes half, he could still make a profit filling basins to overflowing.

This deal, Fan Dali's doing is absolutely profitable.

Their each outing brings in over ten or twenty thousand, at least thirty or fifty thousand; after taking half, Fan Dali's brothers can each make ten or so thousand per trip.

Looking at the surrounding ten-li eight villages, who would dare say that their ordinary small fishing boat, busy a day or two near shore, could steadily earn ten or so thousand?

Earning a thousand or so per day would have them grinning ear to ear.

Wu An said, "No wonder your father treats me like neither nose nor face; it looks like your dad doesn't agree with your decision."

Fan Dali said, "He's getting old, and Xiao Zhu and I don't plan to let him go out to sea with us anymore."

"This matter, Xiao Zhu and I can decide."

He thought Wu An would probably agree.

Before coming to Xuan Ya Dao, it was because his father lacked martial virtue, secretly bringing his two brothers to follow Wu An; fortunately Wu An didn't hold a grudge and was broad-minded enough to become friends with them.

But a position's resources are ultimately limited.

Later, they worked alone, and the harvest kept getting smaller; overall they still made money, but compared to when they followed Wu An before, it was far less.

What about the people?

It's always hard to go from extravagance to frugality, but easy to go from frugality to extravagance.

Having earned so much before, naturally they're dissatisfied with just this little bit now.

Everyone can see Wu An's luck.

Fan Dali is willing to use half of the profits to borrow Wu An's luck, so everyone wins.

Wu An also knew Fan Dali's idea; he could only say it sounded good, but he felt embarrassed: "I refuse."

Lao Fu Tou nodded, not at all surprised.

Fan Dali stared, his face grim as he asked, "Why?"

Fan Xiao Zhu shook his head, saying nothing.

Wu An said calmly, "First, I don't want to take you along, even if you give me half of the profits."

"Second, I'll soon switch to a trawler and go far away, so I won't be able to take you then."

"So this matter, I can't agree to it."

Fan Dali's face fell, he nodded and said, "I understand."

Fan Xiao Zhu let out a sigh.

Wu An coughed and said, "However, hearing you say that, I actually have an idea."

Fan Dali asked, "What idea?"

Wu An said, "Come work on my ship."

"One percent of the proceeds from each sea operation."

"After a year, the profit-sharing ratio can be increased based on performance."

"You can think it over."