When Ye Yaodong was chatting with a few friends, his family overheard and had no objections.
The deserted island was rich in resources; they had seen it for themselves.
Ye Yaodong could bring back several bags of shellfish after just one trip.
Even after taking out what could be sold, there would still be quite a bit left for the family to eat.
Before this trip, Ye's mother specifically told him to bring more bags and pack more food.
Anything that couldn’t be eaten right away could be dried, like dried mussels, which could last for a long time.
They were perfect for soups or noodles.
Ye Yaodong lifted the bucket he was carrying to show her, revealing several folded bags inside.
"Is five enough?"
"Plenty! And make sure to bring two extra buckets too."
Things that were free, who would complain about having too many?
"Alright then..."
Once the family went off to work at the homestead, his friends arrived one by one.
"It’s just the four of us. The Fatty thinks it’s too hot to come, and Awei was called to the mountain by his father to carry watermelon. The Mouse has already gone to the dock to work early this morning."
"Okay, let’s go."
Having fewer people was actually better; if it weren't for them asking him to go to the sea, he would have thought about tackling the entire deserted island alone.
Rowing was slow, but once you got the hang of it, it was pretty simple and a good way to build strength, especially in the arms.
Xiao Xiao joked, "I didn’t expect our Dong Ge to know everything, even how to row!"
"Pfft—no big deal."
Aguang sighed, "Having a small boat of your own is pretty great. You won’t need to hustle every day. Just go out to sea and cast a few nets. Isn’t that better than carrying goods at the dock?"
Azheng nodded and said, "Exactly. The ocean is so rich in resources, and we all can swim. As long as we don't get our feet caught in the lines while casting the nets, there shouldn't be any major issues near the shore."
"Dongzi, why don't you ask your dad to buy this small boat? That way, after your family splits up, it won’t be difficult to divide. Whoever your dad gives the boat to isn't a good situation either."
Xiao Xiao looked at Ye Yaodong earnestly.
Ye Yaodong chuckled and replied, "You think I need you to remind me? As soon as the boat arrived, I asked my dad to buy it. Now it’s mine."
"Ah? That’s great! Bro, we’ll be counting on you to get rich and help us out!"
"To be honest, you three could also partner up to get your own little boat. It doesn’t matter if you’re casting nets or using traps; anything is better than working at the dock for a few coins a day."
Ye Yaodong was serious.
If they kept being idle, life would pass them by, and they would regret it when they got older.
Their group of friends had always just hustled through life.
Apart from Aguang, who was doing a bit better after changing his name, most of them were still struggling.
His father had vision and had saved enough money to buy a boat, and he was his father's only son.
Upon hearing this, Aguang scratched his chin.
"I’m fine, just short on cash!"
"Dude, who isn’t a little short on cash?"
Xiao Xiao rolled his eyes, "It’s not just a little bit; it’s quite a bit of money, okay? For this 6-meter little boat, even a new one costs several hundred. And second-hand ones aren’t easy to get either."
"Aguang, stop acting like you’re broke. You’ve been living better than anyone these days, haven’t you?"
"Hey—I need to save up for a wife, alright? I’m not young anymore, and Dongzi already has two kids. Xiao Xiao also has a daughter. I need to work hard to have a son to win your daughter over!"
Xiao Xiao kicked him lightly, "Dude, you don’t even have a wife and you’re thinking about my daughter?"
The topic drifted away, so Ye Yaodong quickly steered it back.
"You guys should save some money and accumulate a bit more, or ask your parents or brothers for a little help. Buying a boat is important, and they would definitely support it."
Azheng rested his chin on his hand and sighed.
"It’s easy for you to say. They won’t believe that you want to borrow money since you’re always idling around. When you go to borrow money, they might even wonder what you need it for. It’s not that easy."
"Then just show more enthusiasm, you know? Just like I do. Also, treat your wives and mothers nicely. If you don’t show genuine effort in your actions, how can you expect them to believe you?"
"It’s better to save money ourselves. I regret turning in that nearly 400 kuai from selling mackerel; we could have pooled resources to buy a boat."
Xiao Xiao slapped his thigh in regret.
Giving the money to his wife was easy, but getting it back was hard.
A few days of sweet smiles weren’t worth much now; she was back to glaring and scolding him.
Damn women!
Ye Yaodong shook his head; everyone knew how much was made from selling the goods.
There was no way to keep that under the table—the roof would be blown off! He was never really the trustworthy sort, so how could he possibly keep that much money to himself?
"In that case, you guys better save up properly. You need to have a plan, right?"
"Dong Ge, we’re counting on your little boat to help us all get rich. I’ll hug your thigh tight!"
Ye Yaodong kicked Azheng away, "I need to make money to support myself too! At most, I’ll take you guys with me when I go to the deserted island for shellfish. Whether we catch anything good is all up to you."
"What nets are you planning to use? Frisbee nets? It’s a shame it’s a small wooden boat; otherwise, we could go sea fishing!"
"Just wait. Once I get rich, I’ll upgrade to a better vessel."
Last life, he had no capability, or else he would have loved trying sea fishing.
"You still haven’t said what kind of nets you’ll use."
"Traps, of course! Since we don’t have space to build a house at home, I definitely can’t do nothing. Traps are just right; I can check them every few days for a few hours, bringing home what’s not worth much. No one can complain about that."
"Sounds good! Put out a few rows; when the catch is plentiful, it’ll be as good as drag netting."
"Even with a small catch, you can still grab a couple of coins, plus something to eat."
Ye Yaodong nodded, "That’s the idea. So you guys should seriously save up to buy a boat. Aguang has enough cash; it’s really up to you two."
Azheng hesitated, "Do you think if we all partnered up to buy a boat together, would other people feel uncomfortable about it?"
Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes, "You’re being ridiculous. Why should we care about them? If they’ve got thoughts, they can partner up and buy their own too. You’re not their father, nor can you control their choices!"
"Exactly; if they have thoughts, they can buy a boat together as well."
Aguang agreed.
People tend to follow the crowd.
If friends around them were just coasting along, then they’d probably feel indifferent too.
But once their friends had boats, there would surely be some feelings about wanting one themselves.
"Alright, then let’s save money well."
"Sigh, I initially planned to have a relaxed mindset going to the deserted island, but now it’s different. Damn it, I brought too few buckets."
"I only brought two bags!"
"Holy crap, Dongzi, you brought five bags? You really don’t think that’s too many? What if they sink your little boat?"
"Don’t look down on this boat; it can carry five tons. If it really isn’t enough, you can take turns swimming back."
"Damn..."
(End of Chapter)