Chapter 463: Following the Trend
Chapter 463: Following the Trend
Beach
The tide had not fully receded, leaving water up to about half a person's height. Zhou Chenglei, Zhou Fu, and the others were in the water, winding ropes covered in mussels around wooden stakes, then connecting them to another stake and winding the rope around it several times.
These mussels would grow along the wooden stakes until they covered the entire stake, and the mussels on the rope would continue to grow or fall off.
Now, they could see that the batch of mussels they had previously transplanted was already starting to spread.
This proved that this area of the sea was indeed suitable for their growth.
Zhou Fu saw the mussels on the wooden stakes beginning to spread and was delighted, "They're growing quite fast."
Zhou Guodong was surprised, "I didn't expect that they could survive just like this without feeding them."
Zhou Chenglei said, "Do you want to try raising them? If you do, it's best to rent a sea area from the production team as soon as possible."
Zhou Fu also said, "Yes, do you dare to follow our family and raise mussels? Uncle Fu can't guarantee you'll get rich, but you'll definitely make money! Look, my eldest daughter-in-law has also rented two hundred acres of beach to raise them."
This was Wangcai's path to wealth.
If not getting rich, then getting ahead; it couldn't go wrong! Zhou Guodong surveyed the mussels spreading on the wooden stakes in the seawater, feeling a bit hesitant.
Zhou Fu said, "Today is a big low tide, and when the villagers see that they can really survive, there will definitely be people following the trend. The beach is limited, and if you're late, you'll have to find another place to rent if you want to raise them. It won't be as convenient."
Usually, the tide doesn't recede this far.
Zhou Guodong understood this, but his family still owed Lei Ge so much money. Where would they find the money to rent a beach and buy wooden stakes?
Zhou Chenglei noticed his hesitation and said, "I'm not in a hurry for the money. The three hundred yuan you just gave me, I'll return it to you first. Take it and rent a sea area, and when you make money later, you can pay me back."
Zhou Fu said, "Yes! Once you make money, we can pay it back together. If you want to raise them, make a decision quickly; otherwise, if you decide later, others might have already rented all the available sea areas. I'm not in a hurry for the money. Once you've raised them and they're selling well, you won't have to worry about paying it back. If you can't pay it back, you can transfer the sea area to us as repayment. You're still so young; are you afraid you won't make money?"
Zhou Guodong was already tempted, and after hearing this, he made up his mind, "Lei Ge, I'll pay you back later. I'll go rent a sea area now."
Zhou Chenglei returned the three hundred yuan to him, "With three hundred yuan, you can rent one hundred acres. When you rent, help me rent two hundred acres as well, and I'll go pay the money later."
Although the coastline was long, it was still limited.
Zhou Chenglei was helping his second brother rent, and if his second brother didn't want to raise them, he could rent an additional two hundred acres.
"Then I'll go rent the beach now."
Zhou Chenglei nodded.
Zhou Guodong left first.
As soon as he stepped onto the shore, he saw Jiang Xia and Zhou Mu walking towards him.
After seeing off the two cousins, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law came to the beach.
Zhou Guodong greeted them and then said a little awkwardly, "Sister-in-law, I plan to learn from Lei Ge and raise mussels. I'll pay the money back later, but I'll use it now to rent a beach."
Jiang Xia smiled, "Sure, then you should go quickly!"
Currently, mussels were still worth raising.
Zhou Guodong thanked her and hurried off to the production team.
Zhou Mu carefully supported Jiang Xia as they walked down the beach.
Zhou Chenglei noticed Jiang Xia's figure on the shore and immediately ran over. He took over Zhou Mu's position and supported Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia laughed, "You're so fast."
He had run directly from the seawater.
Zhou Chenglei didn't respond to her. At this moment, it wasn't convenient for him to carry her, so he supported her and paid close attention to her steps.
Only when Jiang Xia's feet were firmly on the sand did he let go.
The seawater had already receded halfway, exposing half of the wooden stakes they had previously planted.
This side of the beach had more mud, and Jiang Xia didn't want to trouble Zhou Chenglei, so she said, "I'll just stay here; you don't need to worry about me."
Zhou Mu asked, "How are the mussels you raised before growing? Are they alive?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "They're alive, and some have already started to grow threads."
Zhou Mu, upon hearing this, wanted to go and take a look. She said to the two of them, "I'll go and see."
Jiang Xia also said to Zhou Chenglei, "You go and take care of things! Today's tide rose and receded quickly. Once the tide is completely gone, I'll go over."
Zhou Chenglei naturally wouldn't leave her alone here, "Don't worry, I'll finish up soon, and we can collect some shells to take back for dinner tonight.
"Zhou Chenglei held Jiang Xia's hand with one hand and picked up a bucket with the other, beginning to search for sea snails around the wooden posts.
After a short while, as the tide receded further, villagers started to gather.
Seeing Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia working on the wooden posts, a villager walked by and asked, "A-Lei, did your project work out?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "Some of them did."
"Really? I'll go take a look!" Hearing this, someone immediately ran over to see.
Others couldn't resist joining the spectacle.
A villager approached Zhou Fu and looked at the mussels on the wooden posts. "They're really alive? You've successfully raised these?"
Zhou Fu laughed, "Is there any doubt? Can't you see for yourself?"
With Wangcai's fortune shining upon them, what couldn't they raise?
"Yongfu, are these easy to raise? How much do they sell for per catty when they're grown?"
Zhou Fu answered, "You can see for yourselves if it's easy or not. I don't think it's too difficult, but everyone's luck is different. Some people are good at growing vegetables, while others can't keep them alive. I'm not sure about the price per catty when they're fully grown. I've heard that in other places, they're exported for foreign exchange. It should be a few cents per catty! I'm not certain, as I've never sold them."
"A few cents? I thought imported goods would be more expensive."
Zhou Fu explained, "With shells, brother! How much do you think the shells weigh?"
"How much did you buy these wooden posts for?"
Zhou Chenglei went to check the price of the wooden posts.
Everyone was curious and couldn't help but ask Zhou Fu more questions.
Zhou Fu was delighted to share everything he knew. In the end, he added a disclaimer.
"If you want to follow and raise them, go ahead. But if you can't keep them alive and lose money, don't blame me!"
After all, buying wooden posts and floats would cost a considerable amount. They could make the ropes themselves at home, but they wouldn't be durable and might rot, so they'd probably have to get rid of them later. From then on, they planned to buy ropes.
Today, during the low tide, many people came to the beach.
Many were curious to see if Zhou Chenglei's project had succeeded, so more and more people walked over to ask questions.
Some even offered to help with the work.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei picked up seashells while walking towards that side.
After the tide receded, there would be more goods under the wooden posts.
Jiang Xia had previously asked Zhou Chenglei to set up a net around the base of the wooden posts, thinking that when the tide went out, they could catch some shrimp and crabs.
The mussels that fell onto the beach wouldn't all escape with the seawater.
"You focus on your work. I'll help Mom pick up some things; you don't need to worry about me."
Zhou Mu said, "Yes, I'll keep an eye on Xia."
"Then be careful," Zhou Chenglei was indeed busy.
"I know," Jiang Xia replied.
As expected, the net at the base of the wooden posts had more goods. Jiang Xia immediately spotted two or three shrimp at the edge of the net and quickly bent down to pick them up.
There were so many shrimp today! After walking a few steps, they found more shrimp!
Along the edge of the net, there were big and small shrimp scattered here and there, and occasionally, there were crabs.
There were also hairy clams and conch snails.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Mu were having a great time collecting them.
The joy of beachcombing today came from the shrimp!
The villagers who had just walked by to see the mussels were envious of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law's enthusiastic shrimp picking!
Regardless of whether the mussels made money or not, this method made beachcombing so convenient!
They watched as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quickly collected half a catty of shrimp!
Unfortunately, this was someone else's rented beach, and they felt awkward picking from the net.
...
As evening approached, the fishing boats returned to the harbor.
Li Xiuxian got off the boat and was about to go home to cook when she saw several people from the production team coming out. She overheard them saying, "We're too late; all the good beaches have been rented out!"
"I've been wanting to try raising them too, but I was afraid they wouldn't survive. If I had known they could really survive, I would have rented a piece of the sea before the New Year."
"I was also worried, but who knew it would be rented out so quickly."
Li Xiuxian's heart skipped a beat. "Uncle, why did you rent the sea?"
"To learn how to raise mussels from A-Lei! You're A-Lei's sister-in-law; your family must be raising them too, right? How many hectares did you rent?"
Li Xiuxian: "..."
Here it comes, here it comes! This chapter makes up for the previous one, and there will be an update tonight.
(End of Chapter)
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