Chapter 552: Seizing the Opportunity
Chapter 552: Seizing the Opportunity
The ship was too large, with a deep draft, and other fishing boats that had set out in the evening were already docked, leaving no space to park nearby. They would have to take a smaller boat over and then climb aboard.
Getting on the ship was a bit of a hassle, so Jiang Xia said, "We won’t bring the kids on board."
Zhao Cheng Lei agreed, "Alright, you go up first and take a look. I'll have Second Brother keep an eye on the kids."
"Okay." The kids were already asleep, and they had brought the stroller over. They could just place the kids in the stroller and they would stay comfy and wouldn’t get stifled.
So, Zhao Cheng Lei first took Zhou Mu on board and then passed the baskets of supplies up one by one.
Next, he sent Zhou Chengsen back to shore to watch over the triplets while he took Jiang Xia on board to check out the new ship.
As soon as Jiang Xia got on board, Zhou Fu said to her, "Xia, take a look around. This ship is solid and sturdy. I’ll show you around!"
Tian Caifua followed closely behind.
Zhou Fu said, "Xia, feel the ship’s wheel. Isn’t it smooth and comfortable?"
Jiang Xia reached out to touch it.
After Jiang Xia had her turn, Tian Caifua also reached out, but Zhou Fu quickly stepped in front of the wheel to stop her, "Ahua, don’t touch it yet. Your lucky hands should be reserved for your own big ship. Next year, when you and Ahxin buy a large ship, it will bring you prosperity!"
Tian Caifua retracted her hand, "Is that really true?"
"Of course!" Zhou Fu said with a serious expression, speaking nonsense as if it were the truth.
Nonsense! Her hands are for spreading misfortune, so she better not touch anything!
If she touches the ship, she’ll take away all the good luck!
She has no sense of self-awareness at all!
Tian Caifua didn’t touch it again and even clasped her hands together, afraid she might lose control.
Zhou Fu was satisfied, "Xia, check out the fishing radar. Press the buttons and see if it’s better than the old one..."
Zhou Fu then led Jiang Xia to explore every part of the ship, hoping she would roll around on the deck for a little extra good luck.
The 66-meter-long ship was indeed massive.
The ship’s freezing compartment was a huge room, capable of storing about 15,000 pounds of fish.
"We should bring a vacuum sealer on board", Jiang Xia suggested to Zhao Cheng Lei after finishing her inspection.
"Good idea", Zhao Cheng Lei agreed immediately.
Some of the best fish could be quickly killed, bled, gutted, vacuum-sealed, and placed in the freezing compartment to better preserve their freshness.
The ship also had an oxygen chamber.
The oxygen chamber was very deep, taller than an adult, and had several compartments. It was connected to the sea via a piston, allowing the water to flow through, so the fish could survive for days without feeding.
The oxygen chamber was used to keep some of the more valuable live seafood.
The price of live seafood was significantly higher than frozen.
However, most of the fish caught on long voyages were sorted and directly stored in the freezing compartment.
They had diving equipment, and Zhou Fu sometimes liked to dive in the last few days before returning to catch some valuable seafood to bring home in the live compartment.
The ship had two decks, with the captain’s cabin on the second floor. Inside the captain’s cabin were two bedrooms, one for the captain and one for the first mate.
To the left of the bridge were the crew quarters, and to the right were more crew quarters with bunk beds, capable of accommodating over twenty crew members.
The ship also had a kitchen, a bathroom, a storage room for food, and two meat freezers, making it well-equipped.
Everything was new and clean, so Jiang Xia felt very comfortable as she walked around.
After touring the ship, Jiang Xia went back down to the dock, where Zhou Mu had already set up the offerings.
Zhou Fu said to the couple, "Come and pay your respects to the gods."
Wangcai and his son paid their respects together, wishing for a harmonious family, smooth sailing, and a steady flow of wealth.
After the prayer ceremony, Jiang Xia and Zhao Cheng Lei went back down to the dock.
The kids were waking up, and neither of them had eaten lunch, so the two of them went home to eat.
Zhou Fu didn't go back. Many villagers had also boarded the ship, and he had to keep an eye on things.
Someone who had seen the crew quarters couldn't help but comment to Zhou Fu, "The living conditions here are better than my own home! It's so comfortable just to look at."
Zhou Fu replied, "But your home is still more comfortable!"
"Your home is more comfortable because it's a luxury house. Mine is just a doghouse!"
Zhou Fu smiled. "I've heard that even a golden nest or a silver nest can't compare to one's own doghouse."
Everyone laughed. "We all want your doghouse!"
Zhou Fu laughed heartily.
"Such a big and impressive ship! Running all that equipment must consume a lot of fuel, right? The cost of a single voyage must be pretty high", someone asked Zhou Fu.
Based on his experience, Zhou Fu speculated, "Including the crew's wages, it should be around thirty to forty thousand."
It was just a guess. Zhou Fu would have to wait until they set sail to know the actual costs and fuel consumption.
"Such a big ship must need a lot of crew members, right? How many sailors do you plan to hire? I see there are more than twenty bunks."
Zhou Fu said, "Lei said to hire twenty people first."
"Have you hired them all? My son Jianwen is free. Let him join you and see the world!"
"Yongfu, I'm free too! Hire me! I have a lot of experience catching lobsters, you know!"
"Yongfu, my son Dexian is also free! Hire him! You've seen him grow up and know how hardworking he is!"
"Hire me! I'm free too..."
...
It instantly turned into a large job fair.
Zhou Fu smiled and said, "Hiring is all up to Lei. I don't handle that. He should have already hired them. I'll ask him later."
Zhou Jianwen was lazy and always gambling. What would be the point of hiring him? He might even start a gambling ring on the ship.
Zhou Dexian was hardworking but had a drinking problem. He would cause trouble when drunk, and the fourth brother (Zhao Cheng Lei) detested gamblers and alcoholics. He would never hire them because they could cause problems.
However, there were a few who could be hired.
For example, Zhou Guiquan, who was about Zhou Fu's age and skilled at catching lobsters, could be hired.
But Zhou Fu wouldn't make the decision himself. He would go back and ask Zhao Cheng Lei.
Actually, hiring crew members from Cun Li was relatively safe. They knew the villagers well, and it would be suspicious if he didn't hire any villagers for such a large crew.
But Zhou Fu didn't need to worry about that. They had already hired many people from Cun Li, and they were buying fish from the villagers every day. Once Wangcai's factory was built, they would definitely hire some women, so no one would say anything.
Zhou Fu now had a lot of face in Cun Li!
Whoever saw him wouldn't smile and greet him from a distance?
It made him feel embarrassed to go out and show off!
In the past six months, apart from showing off the triplets once, he hadn't gone out in new clothes to show off anymore.
There were too many villagers on the ship, and Zhou Fu was talking to everyone. He didn't even have time for lunch, and stayed until after two o'clock. Zhou Chengsen couldn't help but come to urge Zhou Fu to go home for lunch, so they all left the ship.
Father and son got off the ship, returned to the dock, and were about to drive home on their motorcycle when they met Li Xiuxian, who was riding a bicycle.
She glanced at Zhou Chengsen, but he didn't look at her and drove away on the motorcycle.
Li Xiuxian looked at the huge blue fishing boat in the distance.
She knew it belonged to Zhao Cheng Lei and had waited until late to come and see it, but she still ran into Zhou Chengsen.
She was now living with her parents, out of work, and Liao Ruixiang was still in the middle of a divorce lawsuit. The woman was asking for too much money, and her mother-in-law refused to pay, so the lawsuit was dragging on. She didn't know when the divorce would be finalized, making her situation at her parents' house quite awkward.
Li Xiuxian watched as the father and son drove away. She wanted to talk to Zhou Chengsen. She wanted to move back to the house in Zhen Shang. After all, he wasn't living there anymore. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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