Chapter 16: Plugging the Holes

For Henry's sharp thoughts, Old George felt no surprise at all.

Although many novices board crab boats, perhaps for just a single trip, some can adapt to such work and become professional crabbers.

Even if one does not treat this work as a lifelong career, earning a few extra trips while young is entirely reasonable.

Old George then spoke of his own arrangements, saying, "After I return, my wife will arrange another crew. The Annie 21 will rest in port for a day, replenish supplies and undergo repairs before setting out again.

"I am not sure how many days they will need to return to Huigang. If you are still interested in joining my ship, conservatively estimate, come find me at the port in a week. The pay will match this time; I will not treat you as a greenhorn anymore.

"If you feel rested enough and wish to board early, you can also have the Pole contact me. I will find you a reliable ship. But your task right now is to rest well. Think about these things at least three days from now, can you? Kid."

Henry certainly would not say he had no problem and could continue boarding. Even if he dared to say so, no captain would dare take someone who had just disembarked to sea. Naturally, he nodded in agreement.

But Old George warned again, "If you are to rest, rest properly. My ship does not welcome vermin. Because an addict on board is nothing but trouble; aside from diving into the Bai Linghai to cool your head, I will offer no other help. Do you understand my meaning?"

Raising both hands in a gesture of surrender, Henry said, "Understood, boss. I will certainly follow your instructions."

As a Kryptonian who felt absolutely nothing from drinking whiskey, Henry doubted whether those powders could have any effect on his body. However, he had no interest in trying them either.

Seeing the young man's serious expression, Old George knew the kid had taken it to heart. He patted the young man's shoulder gratifiedly and said:

"Deposit the check in your bank account as soon as possible. I have seen too many people drunk in bars, soaking and ruining checks, or having them stolen. You must pray the thief isn't fast enough, otherwise even I cannot help you."

"The bank, huh." Henry touched the pocket holding the check and asked, "Is there a place to withdraw cash?"

"Cash... you don't even have a bank account, do you." Old George sighed.

Although he did not ask about the young man's background in detail, having seen enough, he could roughly guess the situation.

Old George said, "I will find someone to help you. That old fellow is very skilled at handling these matters; you can ask him if you have questions. Afterwards, I will send you back to Old John's bar.

"Even if advice is needed, the person I introduce will not offer any outrageous opinions. My two legs feel like they are floating right now; I cannot accompany you to do all these things. Is that acceptable?"

"You are a huge help, boss." Henry certainly had no objections. Having someone introduce him was better than stumbling around blindly.

Patting Henry's shoulder again, Old George said, "If there are no problems, come with me to the dock management office. I will make a phone call there, and you wait there."

"Alright, according to your arrangement."

The dock management office was just a small office, but there were tables and chairs nearby for people to rest. Old George used a public phone to dial a number, explained the situation to the person on the line, and then hung up.

Before leaving, he bought a cup of coffee for Henry and said at the same time, "That old fellow will arrive in about ten minutes; his name is Tang Mu. I told him your appearance and situation; you two will handle the rest yourselves. Alright?"

Taking the coffee, Henry nodded and said, "Thanks, boss."

"Finish early, rest early. After a voyage, it is hard to recover without resting for three days. The older you get, the longer the time required. I cannot run to bars like you young people."

After making a sour remark, Old George truly left. He still had to go to the parking lot to drive home; if he did not leave now, he would not be able to hold on.

The coffee sold at the dock was very terrible; Henry almost vomited on the first sip. But perhaps precisely because of this, the refreshing effect was extra good. Especially with the boost of his super taste, he felt fully alert, as if he could charge straight out into the atmosphere.

In no time, someone drove over in a light brown vintage car that Henry had only seen in TV dramas or old movies. It did not pull into the parking lot but rolled down the passenger window beside the rest area.

The person inside shouted, "Hey, kid, yes you, get in. That son of a gun George sent me over."

"Tang Mu?" Henry stood up and asked in confusion.

"Yes, it's me. Otherwise, where else could you see a Tang Mu as handsome as me?"

The person in the car was a very characterful old white man, with hair half brown and half silver, wearing a pair of sunglasses that were very out of place.

Henry was not afraid the other party had any ill intentions; he opened the passenger door and got in.

Before he was even seated properly, Tang Mu complained, "Wow, you've pickled yourself like kimchi. Your smell is only slightly worse than a can of herring."

"Really that bad?" Henry sniffed his own scent and explained, "You know. On the ship, we wear either raincoats or heavy coats; it's hard not to get pickled and smell."

"Heavens, spare me." Tang Mu, disregarding how cold it was outside, rolled down the driver's window too. He said, "Go to my place and take a shower."

"Is it necessary?"

"I heard from George you might need to handle some documents; you can't take photos looking so disheveled and unkempt."

Looking at his own reflection in the rearview mirror, Henry now had messy hair almost covering his eyes and a face full of stubble. If used directly for an ID photo, it would be like telling others I have a problem.

So Henry did not insist further, saying, "Alright, I should tidy up. But I have no spare clothes."

"If you don't mind wearing old clothes, I have clean ones to change into. If you want to buy new clothes, we can stop by a store first."

"No need, having something to wear is enough."

"Then good, let's go." Tang Mu stepped on the accelerator, and the car darted out sharply.

While driving, Tang Mu continued, "First go to my place to tidy up your appearance, take the photos, then I will take you to the bank to withdraw the money. Do you have anything you want to ask?"

"Can you handle documents here? Anything?"

Tang Mu replied, "My main job is labor brokerage; I help outsiders get work permits, then introduce them to crab boat captains, and take an appropriate commission. The entire process is legal.

"Your situation is a bit special. If you don't want the IRS on your tail, work permits and related documents, as well as the taxes to be paid, must be made up afterwards.

"What I do is all legal; don't mistake me for someone making fake documents. George entrusted me with this matter, so naturally I will handle it properly, but I will still charge you some handling fees. You can understand that, right?"

New book seeking reads, favorites, and recommendations, thank you~~

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(End of this chapter)