Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

Ah Cai casually tucked the cigarette behind his ear. He didn't have time to smoke it now. "Oh, don't worry. We're old friends. I won't cheat you."

"We're brothers, so let's be clear about the numbers. You tell me the price, and then I'll consider whether to sell it or not. If it's not profitable, I'll take it to Hongsheng myself. On that day, when I brought the sea bass, I might have gotten a higher price at Hongsheng..."

Ah Cai's lips twitched. This guy had raised the price of that fish, and he didn't even earn 2 yuan. What a rip-off... Now he had the audacity to bring it up.

"Brother, we're from the same village; we're fellow villagers. I buy all your father's goods. How can I not give you a fair price? Don't worry, this red spotted fish will be priced at 6.50 yuan per jin. How about that?"

"This price is the same as the sea bass? That fish was priced at 12 yuan for less than two jin. This red spotted fish should be worth more than the sea bass, right? Don't think that just because we're from the countryside, we don't know its value. 8 yuan per jin, let's weigh it if you agree!"

Ah Cai felt a pang of pain. The muscles on his face trembled. This guy was becoming more and more difficult to deal with. He was stepping over his bottom line every time.

"There's really not that much profit, brother. Look at these seafood items. Ask around in town and you'll know. I only earn a few cents per jin. I can't even make a penny from the dragonhead fish. It's just three to five cents..."

Ye Yaodong patted his big belly without hesitation. "Look at your big belly. You've definitely made a lot of money. Even if it's just a few cents in profit, the quantity makes up for it. Besides, can you compare the dragonhead fish to this one? Are you shamelessly discussing a few cents?"

The onlookers burst into laughter. "That's right. Look at your belly. It's clearly filled with profits!”

"Yeah, eat a little less and share the profits. Wealthy people only care about the goods, not the money. Just sell it for a higher price."

Father Ye made an effort to negotiate. "We have no problem with the other items. Just add a little to the price of this fish."

Uncle Lin chimed in, "We're all as thin as a bamboo pole. Ah Cai, how can you haggle over the price? Hurry up; it's not easy to catch a red spotted fish. I've been fishing for decades and have never caught a red spotted fish. This one looks like it weighs almost three jin. It's definitely worth a good price."

"Tsk tsk tsk~ Such vibrant colors and quality, it's not something we can find in our nearby waters," Ah Gui, the guy next door who also receives goods, also came over to join in. "Acai, do you want it? If not, I'll take it.”

"Get lost! What's it to you? Fine, let's make it 8 yuan," Ah Cai frowned, his face looking bitter. "I really didn't make any money from you, brother. I've only made a few cents from the fish you brought recently..."

"Don't dilly-dally. We're risking our lives out at sea to earn a living, and here you are, waiting to receive the goods and enjoying a full belly. How can you say you've only made a few cents from me? Are you not ashamed? Hurry up and weigh it."

Ah Cai kept his mouth shut. If he earned a little less, so be it. He would just use it to build a relationship with the bosses. He went straight to the scale.

"2 jin and 8 taels!"

He made a note on the receipt, "Big red spotted fish, 2 jin and 8 taels, 22.48 yuan. The skatefish, bring them over to be weighed too."

Everyone's attention shifted to the skatefish as they saw the baskets being brought onto the scale. They discussed animatedly...

"These skatefish usually live at the bottom of the sea, not easy to catch. Old Third Ye is really lucky..."

"I heard they caught three nets, all skatefish."

"How did you manage to catch so many fish, Old Third Ye? I've noticed that you always bring back more fish than others when you go out to sea. Do you have any techniques? Teach us!"

Father Ye smiled and looked at the villagers who were gathered around, enjoying the spectacle. "There's really no special technique. I handed the task of trawling the nets to Yaodong today. He was the one who handled all the nets. Maybe he just has beginner’s luck."

"Is that so?"

"Is it true?"

Everyone was pondering whether they should give it a try. However, after some consideration, they realized that apart from women and children, there were no newcomers in their families. They couldn't possibly ask women and children to go out on a boat. So they had to give up the idea.

They could only feel envy and jealousy as they watched others get rich.

"Skatefish, 386 jin. 18 cents per jin. In total... let me calculate, a total of 69.48 yuan. Alright, let's round it up to 69.50 yuan." To prevent Ye Yaodong from being long-winded, Ah Cai voluntarily rounded up.

Actually, Ye Yaodong wanted him to round it up to 70, but he held back. 0.50 yuan is still a considerable sum now, and he can’t count it as loose change.

"Now bring over the three baskets of balang fish to be weighed..."

"Is it 3 cents per jin?" Ye Yaodong asked uncertainly.

"That's right!"

"Dad, should we not sell the balang fish?"

It was so cheap—only three yuan for a hundred jin. It would be better to keep them at home and dry them.

Mother Ye smiled and said, "We had a good harvest today, and the balang fish is not worth much. Moreover, we all enjoy eating it. Let's keep it, dry half of it and pickle the other half."

"Okay, we'll bring it back later." Father Ye nodded. They had earned quite a bit today, and the three or four yuan from the balang fish wouldn't make much of a difference. It would be nice to keep several dozen jin for consumption.

At the seaside, a meal without fish on the table was unimaginable. If there wasn't a bowl of fish, it meant there was nothing to accompany the meal.

After weighing the shrimp and crabs, the total price came to 96.50 yuan. Everyone was truly envious now. If they sold the balang fish, they would easily make over a hundred yuan in a day. It was truly tantalizing.

After they finished weighing, it was Lin Jingye's turn. He shook his head with a smile. "Compared to you, my catch is just a drop in the bucket."

"It's not bad. It looks like yours should be worth around thirty-something yuan."

"If I hadn't seen your catch, I would still be happy. After the typhoon, there's definitely more seafood than before."

Ye Yaodong patted him on the shoulder. "Ah, Uncle Lin, even if you have fewer catches, it's still more than enough."

"That's true. It seems like you've made a lot of progress. Come and help me carry this basket of crabs..."

"Sure!"

As they chatted while lending a hand, they managed to borrow a cart. They loaded the remaining balang fish and miscellaneous fish onto the cart. Today, Mother Ye deliberately kept a few smaller shrimp, planning to make drunken crab in the evening.

Since Mother Ye deliberately left two extra bowls of gnocchi when she cooked afternoon snacks for the workers, it didn’t take long, and it was still hot. As soon as they came back and took a shower, they ate the gnocchi, filled their stomachs, and went to rest.

It wasn't until dinner that he was woken up.

Ye Yaodong looked confused at Lin Xiuqing, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, folding clothes. Then he moved closer and hugged her waist, rubbing his head against her back.

"What time is it? Done with work?"

Lin Xiuqing shifted uncomfortably. "Hmm, it's 6 o'clock. I'm all sweaty. Don't cling to me. You should get up and have dinner. I need to take a shower first."

"I just woke up. It hasn't been long since we finished the snacks. Let's eat later. You go ahead and shower. I won't look at you."

"Then you go out and watch the kids. They just took a shower. Don't let them get all dirty again."

Well, the point is to keep him from staying indoors and watching.

"Fine."

It's not like he hasn’t seen it before!

(end of this chapter)

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