Chapter 167: The First Catch of the New Ship
Chapter 167: The First Catch of the New Ship
Zhou Factory Director and the other shipbuilders didn't have much time to spare for fishing with them. They boarded the ship to ensure it sailed smoothly, and once they confirmed its functionality, they had to return to work at the shipyard.
So, they hauled the net for less than an hour before bringing it up.
Even then, they only did so because they had discovered two schools of fish; otherwise, they would have hauled it up much earlier.
As the winch operated, a massive bundle of fish gradually came into view.
Everyone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "The net is bursting! It's overflowing! The new net is full of fish on its first try!"
"It's a good omen for the new ship to have a full net on its first try!"
"With this luck, we'll have a big ship this year and an even bigger one next year for sure!"
"Money is rolling in! Money is rolling in!"
...
Jill's words flowed freely as if they were of no cost.
Jiang Xia took out his camera and captured the entire net full of fish!
Once the fish were lifted out of the water, Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin approached and began working. They switched to a crane to hoist the fish onto the ship, then untied the ropes, and in an instant, the fish started pouring out of the fishing net continuously.
The deck was filled!
For a moment, Jiang Xia feared the ship couldn't hold all the fish and they would fall back into the sea.
There was barely any space left to stand on the deck!
The deck was covered with yellow croakers! The shipbuilders on board cheered:
"We're rich! We're rich!"
"We're getting rich!"
"We're rich, rich, and super rich!"
"This net is worth tens of thousands!"
"We've become millionaires with just this net!"
...
Zhou's father laughed so hard his face ached!
Haha, we're going to make a fortune! A big ship is truly a big ship!
He exclaimed with joy, "The ship is full of fish, let's head back to port!"
"Back to port, back to port!"
...
Zhou Chengxin steered the ship back to port. The fishing vessel, filled with fish and laughter, sped towards the port! The shipbuilders from the shipyard excitedly chatted with Zhou's father.
"Your maritime business is thriving! I've worked at the shipyard for many years, but I've never seen a new ship catch so many fish on its first try!"
"That's right! I'm seeing this for the first time too. Your new ship is so lucky! You're guaranteed to make a fortune!"
"This is just nearshore fishing. If we go further out to sea, we could catch hundreds of tons of fish in a single net! Next year, we can buy an even bigger ship."
...
Zhou's father had heard many stories of offshore fishing bringing in tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, with just one net.
Zhou's father never imagined he would have the chance to achieve this, and his laughter caused his face to cramp up! He had never laughed so hard that his facial muscles felt exhausted.
Jiang Xia pulled Zhou Chenglei's hand.
Zhou Chenglei lowered his head and leaned in to listen.
Jiang Xia whispered, "I still have a thousand yuan left."
Zhou Chenglei immediately understood, "You want to order another fishing vessel?"
Jiang Xia nodded, "Zhou Factory Director mentioned that the shipyard will increase prices by the end of the year, right? Let's pay the deposit now to lock in the current price. If we wait for a year or two to take delivery, who knows if we'll have enough money by then?"
Offshore fishing is measured in tons, and with luck, they could catch hundreds of tons in a single net!
Zhou Chenglei decided, "Then let's order two. One fishing vessel and one cargo ship. One 60-meter fishing vessel and one of Jill's 20,000-ton bulk cargo ship."
He didn't plan to fish for a lifetime. With the ongoing reform and opening-up, in a decade or so, Hong Kong and Macau would return, and international shipping would undoubtedly offer great opportunities.
Two large fishing vessels would be sufficient.
With two offshore fishing vessels and two fishing grounds, they could advance or retreat as needed.
Having been in that position before, he had interacted with high-ranking individuals and learned about some decisions through their conversations, which helped him form his own judgments about trends and opportunities.
Jiang Xia: "...
Five hundred yuan to order a 60-meter large fishing vessel and five hundred yuan for Jill's 20,000-ton bulk cargo ship!
What's the difference between this and getting something for nothing? And he's ordering two at once! Would Zhou Factory Director be so angry that he'd want to throw them off the ship?
Zhou Chenglei noticed Jiang Xia's shock and said, "We're ordering now, but the ships won't be delivered for two or three years. Who knows if we'll have enough money by then? If we don't have enough in two or three years, we can just transfer the ownership like the previous owner of this ship. There's no shortage of wealthy people in the world to take over."
I'm not afraid. I think it's worth taking a chance. If I wasn't worried about Zhou Factory Director disagreeing, I'd want to order three ships, but two is probably his limit."
Jiang Xia: "..."
She finally understood why Zhou Chenglei became the Ship King and the richest man in his books.
So that's how he acquired all his ships!
"Let's go then!"
Jiang Xia had thick skin, and Zhou Chenglei wasn't shy either, so the two of them went to talk to Zhou Factory Director.
At first, Jiang Xia didn't mention ordering ships. She casually chatted with Zhou Factory Director, asking if the Kent Ring was ready, if Jill's fishing boats had started production, and if anyone had ordered a 60-meter large fishing vessel at the shipyard. Then she asked, "Zhou Factory Director, if I order a 60-meter large fishing vessel now, when can it be delivered?"
Zhou Factory Director: "The fastest would probably be two years from now. Many people are ordering fishing vessels these days."
"What if I order a cargo ship as big as Jill's?"
"An exact copy can be done a bit faster because they can be built simultaneously. The shipyard considered that the Guangzhou Fair is approaching, so they ordered extra materials, equipment, and components for several ships of the type Jill and John ordered. If it's a different design, it'll likely take three years because the Guangzhou Fair orders take priority."
The orders from the Guangzhou Fair had to be prioritized; after all, only by promising faster delivery could they secure even larger orders and earn more foreign exchange for the country.
Then, Jiang Xia took the opportunity to bring out her thousand yuan and proposed to order two ships.
Zhou Factory Director stared at Jiang Xia as if she were an idiot when she said she wanted to order a 60-meter large fishing vessel and a 20,000-ton cargo ship with her thousand yuan.
He felt that Jiang Xia was treating him like an idiot!
In the end, Zhou Chenglei convinced him with an anchor improvement technology and half the deposit for a 60-meter fishing vessel to be delivered in a year, and half the deposit for the cargo ship to be delivered in two years.
Zhou Chenglei's bold order wasn't without reason. An offshore fishing vessel could typically recoup its cost within a year, and sometimes even in half a year with luck.
So, Zhou Factory Director would definitely agree to their order of a fishing vessel for five hundred yuan, but the challenge was the large cargo ship, as it was in the million-yuan range and too expensive.
However, Zhou Chenglei knew that even if he ordered it and couldn't afford it later, there would be foreign buyers for the ship. Zhou Chenglei could tell that Jill initially wanted to order two more, but he didn't fully trust their technology. If the ship met his expectations, buying one or two more would be a quick decision.
There was also a significant reason: Zhou Chenglei had helped a great deal with the Kent Ring, so his proposal to improve the anchor was very appealing to Zhou Factory Director! The benefits of improving a technology were immeasurable.
And so, Zhou Factory Director, with his head heated up, was persuaded by the couple's combined efforts, and they got what they wanted without putting anything down.
It took over an hour to return to the shipyard. When Zhou Factory Director and the others disembarked, Jiang Xia gave each employee at the shipyard two large fish.
She specifically chose the biggest ones to give.
Before boarding the ship, she had brought a bundle of straw ropes and a basket. Before disembarking, she used the straw ropes to string the fish together.
The shipyard employees who had gone out to sea handed the two fish directly to them.
For those who remained at the shipyard, Jiang Xia asked Zhou Factory Director how many employees there were, and she gave each of them a fish, stringing them with straw ropes and placing them in the basket for the shipyard workers to carry off the ship.
Everyone could see that she was selecting the best and largest fish to put in the basket.
With such a generous and open-minded gesture, who wouldn't secretly admire her in their hearts? She was more magnanimous than many men! No wonder she was able to board the new ship during its launch.
Zhou Chengxin also admired Jiang Xia. With this gesture, she gave away over a hundred pounds of fish, something even he would hesitate to do.
But she didn't even blink!
This open-mindedness and generosity truly made men feel inferior.
After sending Zhou Factory Director and the others back to the shipyard, Zhou Chengxin went to drive the small boat, while Zhou Fu took the helm of the large ship.
The two ships, large and small, returned to the village with a full load of yellow croakers!
(End of Chapter)
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