Chapter 97: To Make More Money, Seize the Opportunity and Take Off

Wu An coughed, glanced at the next room, the light was on, worried that the wall had ears, and said, "Let's go inside."

A Qing was already holding the bag and ran inside first.

They entered the house.

Wu An had A Qing open the bag, and seeing the stacks of money inside, everyone's breathing grew much quicker.

Everyone knew butter crabs could fetch a good sum, but no one expected they could sell for this much!

Wu An said, "First split the money for the elder brother and A Qing."

"Each person."

A Qing happily gave a hehe laugh.

"Hiss." Wu Ping sucked in a cold breath in shock, then his eyes flashed, and he said, "That's sold, I can't believe we made this much money!"

"The unit price is roughly 1600 per catty."

"This is the purchase price; the retail price would likely double—goodness, what kind of person could afford that."

Everyone was clicking their tongues in amazement.

Looking at it this way, Lao Meng said the restaurant selling butter crabs at 3888 each seemed quite reasonable.

Li Juan's eyes grew hot.

She couldn't help but clench her fists secretly, not only happy that A Qing would get so much money, but also secretly hoping she might get a share.

She shook her head, not daring to continue thinking, feeling that this thought wasn't proper; after all, she could catch butter crabs, and even A Qing could earn money, all thanks to Wu An's guidance.

If Wu An didn't give her a share, she wouldn't have anything to say.

But upon further thought, she had gone later and also caught quite a few butter crabs.

Faced with such a large sum, no one could remain indifferent; Li Juan couldn't help but feel anxious about gains and losses.

Not to mention Li Juan, Mei Yueqin's eyes also gleamed.

Wu An saw everyone sighing that butter crabs were truly expensive, unaffordable for ordinary people.

"Rarity makes value," he chuckled, saying, "No matter who can afford it, butter crabs are already on our table."

Not to mention that there's no farming now; even if farmed butter crabs appear later, the price will remain high, beyond ordinary people's consumption.

Hearing Wu An say that, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

Yes!

We'll try it later and see what makes it so expensive!

Wu An looked at Mei Yueqin and Li Juan and said, "Sister-in-law and Aunt Juan went later; according to half contribution, sister-in-law, Aunt Juan, what do you think of splitting it this way?"

Mei Yueqin wanted to speak but stopped, glancing at Li Juan; if it were just her, she'd definitely say no need to give her a share.

But since outsiders were present, if she said that, Li Juan might overthink, thinking she was unwilling to share more, which could create resentment—bad.

She also muttered to herself, feeling Wu An was giving out too much money to everyone, but she knew it wasn't her place to meddle.

Li Juan clapped her hands and said, "Fine, fine, fine, I have no objections."

"What opinions could I have? I'm grateful and not in a hurry."

"If you hadn't had A Qing call, I'd still be at home mending fishing nets, let alone A Qing bringing money home every day."

"Without you leading him, he'd be nothing."

"This kindness, I and A Qing will always remember."

Wu An nodded and said, "That works."

He picked up the money, counted it with a "shua shua shua" sound, handed it to Wu Ping, who didn't even look and directly passed it to Mei Yueqin.

Wu Ping was very pleased; although the money merely passed through his hands, it was the first time in years he had handed Mei Yueqin such a large sum.

Over the years, his shortfall toward Mei Yueqin seemed to be somewhat compensated.

Wu An then counted out the money for A Qing, who directly handed it to Li Juan.

They distributed the money one by one.

Finally, he still had some left in his hand.

Adding the money from selling the green crabs, the total came to 160,000, plus a small remainder of a few hundred, which he didn't mind.

Lao Meng, face full of envy, said, "Great partners, you earned in one day what others can't make in a month; A An is even fiercer—this is taking what others can't earn in a year and making it in a single day."

Wu An said, "It's just today's good luck; typhoons aren't daily, and even when they blow, there's no guarantee of such a haul; afterwards, such luck probably won't happen again."

Wu Yingwei said, "What do you have to envy? Both kids have settled in the big city."

Lao Meng shook his head: "Eh, the big city is just like that—hard work for wages."

"I actually hope the two kids come back."

"Being like A An would be great."

Wu An chuckled, "The premise is being able to make money; if he can't, he's just a village loafer."

With money in hand, the countryside is a paradise.

Without money, everywhere is dirt, plus people gossip and give you side-eye.

"Uncle Meng, don't go telling others," Wu An couldn't help but say, although he knew Uncle Meng would surely keep his mouth shut.

Lao Meng nodded: "Alright, you really are different from before."

"Just now Duan Qiqi came running over to brag, but hearing it, she only made three or four thousand."

"If she wanted to make ten thousand, her tail would probably flip to the sky."

Wu An chuckled: "Nothing to show off about."

"This is a windfall, not a business that can make money long-term."

Everyone listened and nodded slightly.

Wu An has changed—not only has he become down-to-earth and willing to work, but he's also less vain, and his thoughts are much more meticulous than before.

It seemed as if they had suddenly grown up and matured overnight.

Wu An put away his money and shouted, "I'm hungry, I'm hungry, let's eat while we chat."

Everyone tidied up a bit and sat around the dining table.

Steamed, braised, salt‑baked, spicy stir‑fried, plus a pot of fresh congee, the green crabs were arranged clearly.

Butter Crab, of course, was the top priority, placed at the very center.

Butter Crab, when cooked, is no different from ordinary green crab, except that the ones they kept all have broken claws, which requires special care when steaming.

If the roe inside flows out along the broken claw, then it tastes no different from ordinary green crab.

Mei Yueqin searched the precautions on her phone, carefully steamed a plate, and after it came out the presentation looked very good.

After splitting it in half, one can see the meat and roe have almost merged, golden and dazzling, making one's mouth water.

Seeing that no one moved, he got up and gave each person half, exactly one half per person.

Not too much, not too little.

Even with just this half, the big fellow still felt a bit reluctant to part with it; of course, once it reached their mouths, they all praised its deliciousness.

Wu An ate heartily, and after finishing, took another sip of cold beer and comfortably burped.

While they ate and drank, Lao Meng asked, "A An, what are the plans next?"

Wu An said, "Tomorrow I'm going to town to check out a fishing boat; if it's suitable, I plan to buy it outright."

It's about a month away from the sea, so it's a good chance to get familiar during this period.

First go out to sea to fish, or go to an uninhabited island to look at the sea, then we can use Crab Pot and Cast Net to catch fish.

He didn't mention any longer‑term plans.

In a year or two, this area will also see an investment boom.

Developing tourism, building aquaculture, modern agricultural development, and so on will all flourish.

I wouldn't claim opportunities everywhere, but as long as one can get a foothold, with his understanding of the future, making money is still easy.

He must finish the original accumulation before all this begins.

How much money does he have on hand?

One million? Two million? Three to five million isn't too much; even though it's a rural area, if you really want to grow big and strong, you need to invest a lot of capital.

Then not only must he find a way to profit from the updraft, Wuhu will take off.

As a Village official, Father carries a heavy burden.