Chapter 216: Fish Fry
Chapter 216: Fish Fry
In the end, Zhou Chengxin ordered a boat priced at over eight thousand, and after discounts and promotions, it only cost seven thousand.
He paid a deposit of three thousand five hundred.
Factory Director Zhou felt that he had been outmaneuvered by this couple again. The shipyard had already decided to raise prices across the board during the National Day holiday to prepare for the Canton Fair.
After all, many of their shipbuilding technologies had improved, especially the Kent Ring, and the technologies for preheating and anchors had advanced significantly, even surpassing foreign technologies. The price increase was reasonable and justified.
Now, the latest pricing for all vessels had been released, and this wave of price hikes was substantial because many imported equipment prices were also rising. Western countries were imposing sanctions, and some equipment prices were increasing monthly! Therefore, each boat's price had increased by more than one thousand five hundred.
The boat they ordered would cost over nine thousand after the price increase, but he was selling it to them for seven thousand.
Factory Director Zhou looked at Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei with a mix of love and hate. "Just hurry up and leave! There's only one set of welfare housing left for you!"
After discussing, the shipyard's leadership decided to allocate a dedicated team to produce the medium-sized fishing boats that the fishermen needed, catering to the growing demand for boat orders. Therefore, Zhou Chengxin's ordered boat would be ready for collection in half a year.
Two dedicated production lines were also established for large export vessels to ensure quality and timely delivery.
To meet these demands, the shipyard hired many new apprentices and skilled workers, and a batch of workers were about to become permanent staff, with many applying for welfare housing.
So, the possibility of Jiang Xia getting two sets of welfare housing was virtually non-existent; there was only one set available.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia smiled and said, "One set is fine too."
Having one set was already good enough.
Zhou Chenglei then asked Factory Director Zhou if anyone wanted to trade in their small boat for a larger one. He was looking to sell his small boat, even a small wooden boat with an engine would suffice.
Usually, people ordered boats directly from the shipyard, and when someone ordered a large boat, they often wanted to sell their original small or old boat. This was when they would ask the shipyard staff to spread the word.
Factory Director Zhou found this strange. "You already have a large boat. Why do you want to buy a small wooden boat?"
Zhou Chenglei explained, "I plan to raise fish in the sea. Buying a small wooden boat will allow me to feed the fish without disrupting the fishing time of other boats."
Zhou Chenglei intended to use their current fishing boat to tend to the fish in the fish cage, as it wouldn't be cost-effective to use the trawler for this purpose.
After all, on a good day, they could earn enough from a couple of trawls to buy a small, old boat.
Factory Director Zhou couldn't help but exclaim, "You can even raise fish? Is there anything you two can't do? You've made all the money there is to be made!"
"Alright, I'll keep an eye out for you and let you know if I find something. Hurry up and pay the remaining deposit. Don't go spending your money on other things and forget about the deposit!"
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Don't worry, we'll pay on time! We've provided the shipyard with so many free technical ideas, and those are money-making ideas. We didn't even charge you for them, and you're still hurrying us, Factory Director Zhou. Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"
Factory Director Zhou: "..."
Forget it, forget it! As long as they pay on time, he didn't need to rush them, right? But he couldn't help himself and blurted out, "Next time you buy a boat, I'll give you a better discount!"
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Great! How about an 80-90% discount?"
Factory Director Zhou felt like slapping himself.
After settling the matter, Zhou Chenglei guessed that Zhou Father had finished selling the fish and took his leave.
Zhou Chengxin, having saved over a thousand on the boat purchase, was so elated that he walked with such vigor that dust flew into the air.
Jiang Xia quickly covered her mouth and nose to avoid inhaling the dust.
Zhou Chenglei hurriedly said, "Brother, slow down! The dust is flying everywhere!"
"Sorry, I can't help it!" Zhou Chengxin laughed.
Jiang Xia smiled.
As they returned to where the fishing boat had docked, their family's boat was indeed waiting for them.
The three of them boarded, and Chengxin Zhou took the initiative to pilot the boat home.
Zhou's father took out the money from the fish sale, a total of one thousand two hundred and eighty-six yuan and seventy cents.
Each family received six hundred and forty yuan.
The two brothers each gave one hundred yuan to their father and mother.
Zhou's parents didn't accept it and only took the remaining eighty-six yuan and seventy cents.
Currently, their daily necessities, including food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, were all taken care of by Chenglei Zhou and his wife. The elderly couple rarely had expenses.
They occasionally bought things for their grandchildren or gave red envelopes to the children during festivals. As Zhou Zhou gradually grew up, his expenses for studying and living would increase, and it wouldn't be right to have the younger son cover everything.
Although Chengxin Zhou's living expenses and school fees were currently taken care of by Jiang Xia, and they didn't need to spend a penny, the younger son and his wife also gave them five hundred yuan each month for living expenses, which was more than enough.
The eldest and second son also contributed, but not as much as the younger son.
The elderly couple didn't know how many more years they had left, and their funeral expenses after their passing would require a large sum of money. They didn't want their sons to bear this burden and were even more afraid of relying solely on the younger son for everything. So, they wanted to save some money for their funeral expenses; otherwise, they didn't need to keep any money.
Raising children to a hundred years old, worrying for ninety-nine, this sentiment was truly embodied in Zhou's father and mother.
The elderly couple only wanted the best for their children, to help them as much as possible, and not cause them any trouble. Ever since their first child was born, their lives had revolved around their children, and they had never thought about themselves or expected anything in return from their children.
As the boat approached the village pier, Jiang Xia immediately spotted a large, unfamiliar vessel.
Zhou's father curiously asked, "Did someone in our village buy a big boat?"
Chenglei Zhou replied, "Probably not. It's probably the boat delivering fish fry to Uncle Qiang."
Chenglei Zhou's guess was correct; it was indeed the boat delivering fish fry to Bingqiang Zhou's family.
Bingqiang Zhou was negotiating with the fish fry supplier, "Our fish cages were all blown away by the typhoon. We can't raise fish without the cages, so we want to return these fish fry."
Upon hearing this, the fish fry supplier waved his hand dismissively, "Return the goods? Are you joking? I rushed to deliver the fish fry as soon as I received your call. I didn't expect there to be a typhoon here, so I found a place to stop for the night. The wind and waves haven't subsided yet, but I braved the storm to deliver the fish to you! Now you want to return the goods? Are you making fun of me? It doesn't matter if your fish cages were blown away or not; I've delivered the fish, and you have to accept them."
Wen Wan had also returned today. She had a dream last night, so she took a leave of absence and came back at noon.
Wen Wan heard the supplier's words, and in her gentle manner, she tried to appease him, "Comrade, we are truly sorry. Our fish cages were blown away by the typhoon, and even if we take these fish fry, we don't know where to raise them! We don't want this to happen either; it's a natural disaster. Everyone is helpless in this situation. How about this—we'll compensate you double the fuel cost for the round trip. You can take these fish fry, and when our fish cages are ready, you can deliver them to us again, okay?"
The fish fry supplier laughed upon hearing this. Did she think he needed her double fuel cost? He had indeed braved the storm to deliver this boatload of fish fry, and he arrived on time! They didn't know how risky it was to navigate through the wind and waves.
"Fine, I won't ask for much. Just compensate me one thousand yuan, and I'll take these fish fry away. Let's consider this settled!"
Thank you to all the readers who voted and supported!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
