Volume One, Chapter 12: Thirty All-In—If It Works, It Works; If Not, I’m Leaving
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The two of them dug for another hour or so, stopping only when Ye Cheng realized that he could no longer find anything either.
By then, he had more or less figured it out: the higher one’s luck, the more one could dig up. With a Luck score of seventy, this was probably about the limit.
Both buckets were full, and the woven sack Xiaohu had brought was packed with quite a bit as well. It was already a very good haul.
“Let’s go sell it.”
“Sure, big brother. Making money really is hard work.”
“Get lost. When is making money ever easy?”
After tidying up, Xiaohu slung the woven sack over his shoulder and carried half a bucket, while Ye Cheng took the full one. Together, they headed back toward the village.
It was already half past ten. Most of the people gathering seafood along the shore had gone home, leaving only a scattered few behind.
By the time they got on their bicycles and reached the pier, it was already eleven.
As usual, they went to Old Lin’s Seafood Shop. For the moment, it was the only place they knew well.
“Oh, Young Brother Ye, back again? What good stuff have you brought this time?” Old Lin warmly came out to greet them.
“Yeah. We got a few things today. Take a look.” Ye Cheng had Xiaohu unload their catch.
“Good heavens, that much? What is it?” Old Lin eyed the woven sack curiously. Who used one of those to carry seafood?
“Sea sausages and sandworms. They’re all mixed together.”
Ye Cheng could not be bothered to sort them himself. Old Lin could do it.
“Sea sausages and sandworms?” Old Lin rubbed his hands excitedly. These things were not easy to get.
It would not be until later, when large-scale farming had developed, that they became plentiful. Even then, farmed seafood could never compare with wild stock.
Farmed ginseng was said to have none of the same effect as wild ginseng, and the same went for farmed sea sausages and sandworms.
Old Lin brought over several large crates and told Xiaohu to pour everything in.
Xiaohu was strong enough that Ye Cheng did not need to lend a hand. He simply hoisted the sack up and dumped its contents out in one go.
As a crateful of sea sausages came tumbling out, Old Lin’s eyes went wide.
“Damn, you two caught this much?”
“Most of it was dug up by my brother. I just helped out.” Xiaohu wore a proud expression.
The sea sausages and sandworms writhed all over the crates, bursting with vitality.
Ye Cheng casually picked up a sea sausage and held it out in his palm.
“Take a look at the size. Big enough, right?”
“Big enough. More than big enough.” Even the old fishmonger could hardly contain himself. These sea sausages were thicker than two fingers. If he took some home to improve his vitality, perhaps his wife would not nag him so often.
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“They’re all good stuff. Name your price.”
“Twenty. I’ll take the whole lot at twenty yuan a pound. How about that? Fair enough, right?” Old Lin spoke with such grand generosity that one might have thought he had offered two hundred rather than twenty.
This time, Xiaohu had learned his lesson. Whenever Brother Cheng negotiated, he kept his mouth firmly shut.
Ye Cheng said nothing. He merely shook his head slightly.
“Boss Lin, if you keep offering prices like that, I’ll take my business somewhere else next time.”
“Oh, come on, brother. I may have a shop, but the expenses are enormous—rent, utilities, everything. You have to leave me some room to make a profit.” Old Lin launched into his usual routine.
“Twenty is for ordinary goods. For merchandise like mine, you can figure out the price yourself.”
“That’s true, but the sizes are uneven. The larger ones are worth more, but the smaller ones are cheaper.” As he spoke, Old Lin deliberately picked out a small sandworm.
“See? This one is only average.”
Ye Cheng was speechless. The man was a shameless profiteer. Next time, he really would have to find someone else.
He could not be bothered to haggle any longer.
“Thirty for the entire lot. Take it or leave it. If not, I’m going.”
“How could I possibly pay thirty? I’d lose money!” Old Lin immediately began lamenting his poverty.
“Xiaohu, let’s go,” Ye Cheng called.
“Coming, brother.” Xiaohu knew the routine by now. Without asking questions, he bent down, pulled out the woven sack, and began putting everything back in.
“Wait, wait! Thirty it is!” Old Lin hurriedly stopped him.
“Xiaohu, put it down. Let Boss Lin weigh it.”
Old Lin helplessly shook his head and pointed at Ye Cheng.
“Young Brother Ye, you really are sharp. You raised me from twenty to thirty in a single move. I’m telling you, I truly won’t make a profit on this.”
“And I still have to store it, transport it, pay workers…” Old Lin continued muttering on and on.
Ye Cheng pretended not to hear him and simply lit a cigarette.
Seeing that the man was impervious to both persuasion and pressure, Old Lin soon found it pointless to continue.
“All right, then. I’ll weigh it.”
Before weighing the goods, Old Lin brought over another crate and sorted through everything once more, leaving the smaller pieces behind.
“These are too small, brother. I can’t take them.”
Ye Cheng glanced at them. They were not truly that small; Old Lin was simply reluctant to pay thirty yuan a pound for them.
“Fine. We’ll leave those out. Let’s see how much the rest weighs.”
The smaller ones would still be delicious stir-fried at home.
“Sixty-three pounds in total. That comes to 1,890 yuan. Check my calculation.”
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When Xiaohu heard the total was over a thousand yuan, his eyes widened again despite himself.
“All right. That’s fine.” Ye Cheng did not waste any words.
Old Lin counted out a thick stack of bills and handed it to him.
“Young Brother Ye, I’m really giving you a good price here. Bring anything you get straight to me in the future.”
“All right, I know. I’ll come to you when I have more.”
...
Once they were outside, Ye Cheng deliberately stuffed the money into his pocket without even glancing at Xiaohu.
Xiaohu grew terribly anxious. He scratched his head, wanting to speak but not quite daring to.
“What is it? Do you have something to say?”
Xiaohu gave an awkward smile.
“Brother, I… am I…”
“Yes, yes, you have a share. Look at you, all nervous.” Ye Cheng could not bring himself to tease him any longer.
He took out the money and counted out four large bills for Xiaohu.
“Here. This is yours—four hundred yuan. Take it home for your parents.”
“Really? All right, brother. Four hundred! My mother will probably cry again.”
“If she does, tell her that good days are ahead. From now on, there’ll be good days every day. Let’s see whether she still cries.”
After receiving the money, Ye Cheng did the math. He had still had four hundred yuan left from the day before, and with today’s earnings, he now had 1,800 yuan in total. He was still some distance from the 5,000 yuan he owed.
Still, repaying it within a month would be no problem at all.
“Brother, my mother said that since you’re helping me make money, I should treat you to a meal. How about we go into town and eat at a restaurant?”
It had been a long time since Ye Cheng had heard anyone suggest eating at a restaurant.
In the later era, when food delivery was everywhere, most people simply ordered takeout or attended drinking banquets. A straightforward meal at a restaurant had become comparatively rare.
In 2002, there was no food delivery, and people did not have much money in their pockets. Normally, everyone cooked at home. Only when relatives or friends came to visit would they go out to eat.
That was what people called dining at a restaurant.
The greatest difference between restaurant food and home cooking was the intensity of the flame and the abundance of seasonings.
A fierce flame gave stir-fried dishes a stronger smoky, wok-fired flavor, making them far more delicious when cooked fresh.
Then there were all the spices and ingredients used in restaurants. Compared with the simple scallions, ginger, and garlic used at home, the flavors were on another level.
Thus, Xiaohu’s suggestion stirred Ye Cheng’s appetite as well.