The entire ocean is my fishing ground.

Chapter 5: 1850 yuan in hand!

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Lin Chen borrowed his neighbor's tricycle and loaded it with two large buckets.

Instead of going to the dock, he chose the slightly bumpy but safe path behind the village to reach the town.

Today's half-day of hard work will soon be converted into real income.

Yuge Restaurant is an old establishment that has been open in Wanghai Town for more than ten years.

The storefront is not large.

The red signboard has faded.

Through the glass, you can see that the room is full of diners.

The sounds of people mingled with the aroma of food, filling the air.

Lin Chen carried the two large buckets filled with the catch inside.

The room was filled with the aroma of hot seafood and stir-fried dishes.

The restaurant was packed with people.

The diners, speaking with local accents, chatted and laughed loudly.

"Hello, is the boss here? I have some good fresh produce."

Lin Chen called out towards the kitchen.

A waiter wearing an apron walked over quickly.

She saw the two large buckets at Lin Chen's feet, turned around, and called for help.

"Boss, someone's delivering the goods."

Soon a middle-aged man in his early fifties came out.

He was stocky, with dark skin and bright, piercing eyes.

This is Su Jianming, the restaurant owner.

"Okay, what kind of goods are they? I'll go check them out now."

Lin Chen opened the lids of the two buckets.

Su Jianming's expression turned serious.

He first scooped a grouper out of the bucket.

He pressed his fingers against the fish's body, then flipped open the bright red gills for a look, and brought them close to smell it.

"Yes, it's wild."

Su Jianming's tone was certain.

Having been in the seafood business for many years, he can tell the difference between wild and farmed seafood at a glance.

This fish looks completely different from those raised on feed.

His gaze fell on the large lobster.

"Goodness, it must weigh at least three pounds. The quality is quite good."

Su Jianming took another look at Lin Chen.

"Young man, where did you get this? I sent someone to check the wholesale market today and didn't see such a good wild grouper."

"It was just caught this afternoon from Qingshui Island."

Lin Chen answered truthfully.

"Shimizu Island?"

Su Jianming was taken aback.

"There are a lot of reefs there, not many people go. Did you go alone?"

"Um."

Su Jianming's eyes showed a hint of admiration.

He didn't ask any more questions.

"Weigh it. Don't worry about the price; I'm a fair businessman."

He asked the waiter to bring a large basin and an electronic scale to weigh the food.

"Six grouper, totaling 14.2 jin, I'll charge you 14 jin. Lobster, 3.1 jin, I'll charge you 3 jin."

"Wild grouper is of good quality, I'll give you a price of 85 yuan per jin. This size lobster is 220 yuan. How about that?"

Lin Chen did some mental calculations.

The wholesale price of wild grouper is between sixty and seventy yuan.

Su Jianming's offer of 85 was indeed much higher than the market price.

The lobster prices are also reasonable.

"OK."

Lin Chen nodded.

"Okay."

Su Jianming picked up his phone.

"Add me on WeChat, and I'll transfer the money to you. Fourteen catties of grouper, multiplied by 85, totaling 1119. Three catties of lobster, multiplied by 22,660. Total: 1850."

My phone beeped with a notification that the money had been credited to my account.

Lin Chen looked at the screen and saw that 1850.00 yuan had been deposited into his account.

One thousand eight hundred and fifty yuan.

This amount of money is almost equal to the income his parents earn in a month of hard work at sea.

He only spent an afternoon.

Su Jianming wore a satisfied smile.

"Kobayashi, right? You're a pretty good guy."

"To be honest, your grouper is much better than what I've seen at the wholesale market. The ones there taste like dead meat."

"Yours is different, it's genuine wild-caught. My customers know how to appreciate good food; they can tell the difference in just one bite. Give me priority when you have good stuff in the future, and the price is negotiable."

Lin Chen keenly grasped the key information in his words.

Su Jianming needs high-quality goods that customers can taste the difference from, not just ordinary varieties.

This is precisely the core competitiveness of his direct sales model from the place of origin.

He immediately began to probe.

"Brother Su, if I can guarantee a stable supply every day, and with a variety of seafood, how much can you buy in a day?"

Su Jianming became interested.

He sized up Lin Chen and began to assess him.

"If it's fresh seafood, 50 to 60 catties a day is no problem."

"But these days, wild seafood is all about luck. Can you guarantee a supply every day by yourself?"

He clearly had doubts.

This is the experience of an old businessman.

For a person fishing in coastal waters in a small boat, it's already difficult enough to have enough to eat, let alone talk about a stable supply.

"able."

Lin Chen didn't offer much explanation.

Su Jianming was silent for a few seconds before laughing.

"That's bold. Okay, then you supply for a few days first and see. If you can really maintain the quality and quantity as you say, then we'll sign a long-term contract."

"By the way, which village are you from? You look a little unfamiliar."

"Huangni Village, my father's name is Lin Jianguo."

"Lin Jianguo?"

"You're the Lin family's son. I was wondering why you looked so familiar; you really do look like your father when he was young."

Su Jianming was also a fisherman when he was young, and he went to sea with Lin Jianguo, so they were old acquaintances.

Later, he changed careers and went into the catering industry, and the two lost contact.

"Your dad is an honest man, he just had bad luck."

Su Jianming sighed and patted Lin Chen on the shoulder.

"Work hard, don't embarrass your dad."

After leaving the Fisherman's Song Restaurant, Lin Chen felt much more relaxed.

I made some money today and established a preliminary cooperative relationship with Su Jianming.

Direct sales from the place of origin is a first step.

On the way back to the village, you have to pass near the dock.

Most of the fishing boats have returned to port.

Several fishermen squatted on the shore, smoking and mending their nets.

"That bastard Zhang Meng is getting worse and worse."

"They stole ten pounds of fish from me today and only gave me thirty yuan, which isn't even enough to cover the gas money."

"What can we do? If we don't sell to him, he won't let us unload our goods here. His cousin, Zhang Tiejun, controls the town's wholesale market. Who else can we sell our fish to besides him?"

"Shh, keep your voice down, don't let his men hear you."

Lin Chen listened to these words.

Just then, a familiar figure emerged from the shadows of the dock and waved to him.

This is Uncle Li, whose fish basket was kicked by Zhang Meng during the day.

"Xiao Chen, wait a minute."

"I have something to tell you. From now on, don't sell your fish at the dock anymore, and don't make a fuss about it in the village."

"What's wrong, Uncle Li?"

"Zhang Meng has his eye on you."

Uncle Li looked worried.

"You caught a big abalone yesterday, and today you somehow got some fish and made money. The whole village is talking about it."

"This afternoon, Zhang Meng was asking around the docks, trying to find out how you are doing."

"I didn't say it, but there's no guarantee someone won't tell. You have to be careful; that guy is ruthless and capable of anything."

"I understand, Uncle Li. Thank you."

He solemnly thanked the old man.

After saying goodbye to Uncle Li, Lin Chen continued riding towards home.

He knew that his relationship with Zhang Meng went beyond just disliking each other.

Given Zhang Meng's personality, he won't give up easily.

Lin Chen was not afraid.

"You want to mess with me? Then try it."