After breakfast, Dai Zirui set off for the coast at an economic speed.
Li Haochen put on a fisherman's hat and went out to help with the garbage and shells stuck on the fishing nets, while Dai Changrun and his wife were busy with the longline fishing.
After hauling in a net, Li Haochen's back was almost broken. He felt embarrassed, looking at Dai Changrun and his wife, who were over fifty, with great admiration.
"Benefactor, I'll handle the second net; the longline fishing is almost done," Dai Changrun said.
Dai Changrun's words made Li Haochen breathe a sigh of relief. He gladly accepted, as sitting hunched on the low stool was really tiring.
Li Haochen straightened up slowly, bracing himself with his knees. With a slight movement, his back and neck made cracking sounds. He twisted a couple of times, took off his hat, and said, "Uncle Dai, you go ahead and finish up then."
To avoid delaying their schedule, Li Haochen and Dai Zirui took turns piloting the boat during lunch.
They finally returned to the dock around 3 p.m. Yang Tao and his apprentice Liang Weiyu had already arrived. Yang Tao didn't need to come, but Li Haochen asked him to recognize the people and to explain the future handover and settlement of seafood between the hotel and Dai Changrun.
"Haochen, Haochen...?"
Yang Tao called out from outside the Starry Number for a while without any response. Just as he was about to board the ship to investigate, he received a call from Li Haochen. "Brother Yang, aren't you here yet? Why don't I see you?"
"We're at your boat."
"Uh... look at my brain, I'm sorry. Go six berths down and you'll see us, Qianlong One."
Two minutes later, Yang Tao and his team arrived at the berth Li Haochen mentioned in their pickup truck. Getting out of the car, they curiously examined the fishing boat. "Haochen, this fishing boat...?"
"It's newly bought. I've found a suitable captain. With an extra boat, we can at least cover a few tables. Come, let me introduce you. This is Dai Changrun, Dai Zirui..."
After the introductions, Dai Zirui added Yang Tao and his team on WeChat for future coordination.
Liang Weiyu went aboard with Dai Changrun and the others to handle the settlement, while Li Haochen pulled Yang Tao aside. "Brother Yang, how's the hotel doing now?"
"It's not optimistic. I've visited several surrounding cities, and it's no use. The Hong and Li families are even more ruthless than the Mu family. They not only control seafood, but they're also poaching people from the hotel. If it weren't for the CEO's kindness to everyone, many people would have switched jobs. But if this continues, it will be dangerous."
"Don't worry. With one more fishing boat dedicated to supplying us, at least our employees won't feel hopeless. After the new year, two more boats will be put into operation, and the difficulties will pass."
Li Haochen's words made Yang Tao's eyes light up. With two more fishing boats of the Qianlong One's scale, they could at least support three times the current business, and the hotel wouldn't face a major crisis.
"By the way, Brother Yang, in the future when dealing with Uncle Dai and the others, the bills will be divided into two parts. One-tenth of the total amount will be transferred to them, and the rest will be transferred to me. Will that be too much trouble?"
"No problem. Then we'll be heading back now."
When Li Haochen returned to the boat, Dai Changrun and the others were cleaning the trash left on the deck. He walked over and greeted them. "Uncle Dai, I'm leaving. Why don't you come over to my place for a casual dinner tonight?"
"Benefactor, we'll have that casual dinner another time. We'll set sail again after a short rest. The ice in the cold storage is still good, and it cost two thousand yuan. We can't waste it, hehe!"
"Is that so? Then don't overwork yourselves. I'll send the phone numbers for the oil tanker and the ice and bait suppliers to Zirui later. From now on, just get them to issue receipts for refueling and buying ice, and then you can give them to me."
Shortly after Li Haochen left, Dai Zirui received a transfer notification. He opened it and saw 3150 yuan. Staring at the amount, he was stunned for a moment, and then his breathing quickened.
"Zirui, what's wrong?"
"Dad, you... you guys look."
Dai Zirui handed his phone over. Dai Changrun and his wife looked at it, their eyes bulging. Their expressions were no worse than Dai Zirui's just now.
"This... so much?"
Indeed, in their eyes, the harvest from this trip was worth only over ten to twenty thousand yuan. They never expected to receive so much, which was more than their income for ten days to half a month.
However, they overlooked that this was Binhai, where seafood prices were significantly higher than in their hometown, and there was one less intermediary.
"Old woman, hurry up! Let's go to the market to buy rice, flour, meat, and vegetables. We need to buy more this time and try to stay at sea for a longer period before returning."
The two of them bustled down the fishing boat. Dai Zirui, meanwhile, looked at the phone numbers Li Haochen had sent and dialed them one by one.
After filling up with fuel and water, Dai Zirui's excitement had not yet subsided. Such a wonderful thing felt incomplete without sharing it with someone.
So, Dai Zirui took screenshots of his earnings and photos of the fishing boat and posted them in the Dai Village group chat.
Within a minute, the entire group chat was almost in an uproar. Everyone was privately messaging Dai Zirui, and his phone kept buzzing. There was too much information, making it impossible for him to respond. He had to find Li Haochen, the main person involved.
Dai Zirui called Li Haochen and asked for his opinion. "Brother Li, many uncles and brothers in the village want to ask if you're still recruiting. So many people are asking, should I add you to our village group chat?"
Li Haochen was overjoyed when he heard this. He didn't expect the advertising effect to be so fast. "Yes, of course, we're recruiting. Add me to the group so I can chat with them, hehe!"
In less than two seconds, Li Haochen was added to the Dai Village group chat. Before he could even say hello, he was engulfed by the surging emotions of the group.
"Mr. Li..."
"Mr. Li..."
"..."
There was too much information. Li Haochen immediately abandoned the idea of replying one by one.
"Dear enthusiastic uncles and brothers, there's too much information to answer individually. I promise that anyone who genuinely wants to join my team can contact Uncle Dai Changrun to register. As the fishing boats need to be custom-made and will only be available after the new year, please be patient. Thank you!"
After sending the message, he closed WeChat. Li Haochen, who was nearing his doorstep, immediately turned and drove towards the shipyard.
Arriving at the shipyard, he saw Li Yongxin walking out with a briefcase. Li Haochen asked, "Manager Li, are you off work?"
"Yes, Brother Li, what brings you here so late?"
"I have some urgent matters to discuss with you."
"Oh, then come into my office and let's chat."
Upon entering Li Yongxin's office, Li Haochen sat down and got straight to the point. "Manager Li, I'll be direct. Can the two fishing boats I ordered be expedited? Also, I want to order another batch of the same model of fishing boats. What kind of discount can I get on the price?"
"How many boats are in the batch you're referring to, Brother Li?"
"Ten boats for starters, and we'll decide on more based on the situation later."
"Hiss..."
Li Yongxin gasped in surprise upon hearing this, then became excited. "Mr. Li, please wait a moment, I need to report this to my superiors."