Rebirth of Fishing Village: Starting from Hua Axiang in Jiehu Village

Chapter 1544 Showdown!
"What's going on? Ding Chongshan has really started doing business, and the sign he's putting up only accepts crabs weighing one pound each!"

Sun Tie stood on the edge of the dock, looking at the large fishing boats that were approaching the shore, his face extremely grim.

There were quite a few fishing boats returning today, which means the fishing season is over and there will be plenty of fish, shrimp and crabs to catch.

Normally, Ma Ping and I wouldn't be at the dock at this time, but this year is different. We've been waiting here for our fishing boat to go out to sea.

I passed by Ding Chongshan's shop when I went to the dock.

Immediately, I saw the water basin placed at the entrance of the shop, as well as the sign hanging up, which said that they were buying crabs today, and only crabs weighing one pound each.

"Isn't it obvious? They've started doing business here, but they don't want to steal all the business from their competitors. So they simply said they'd buy crabs weighing one pound each. This is exactly what we suspected before."

Ma Ping sneered. Ding Chongshan's approach was almost exactly the same as what he and Sun Tie had discussed before. They wanted to do business here, but they didn't want to offend all their competitors.

"Ding Chongshan is truly an exceptional person; he saw the whole thing clearly."

Sun Tie sighed.

They hadn't seen through Ding Chongshan's methods at all, and looked pleased.

If Ding Chongshan were truly openly buying all sorts of fish, shrimp, and crabs here and raising prices, Ma Ping and I would certainly be very happy. The current situation only proves that Ding Chongshan has seen through the whole affair, and it's definitely not a good thing. At least, it's definitely not a good thing for Ma Ping and me.

This shows that Ding Chongshan is definitely a veteran, very calm, and doesn't necessarily want to seize the opportunity to rush to collect all kinds of fish, shrimp, and crabs in order to make money.

If Ding Chongshan was really eager to make money, Ma Ping and he would be even happier. He wasn't a difficult opponent. On the contrary, the fact that he was only putting up a sign to buy crabs weighing one pound at this time proved that Ding Chongshan was definitely a formidable figure.

"Ding Chongshan is definitely not a easy person to deal with. How could he be easy to deal with? He's someone who does business in other places, and he's doing very well."

"I wonder if anyone goes there to sell crabs? If so, it means that Ding Chongshan's business has really started to take off."

Ma Ping nodded. Ding Chongshan's actions were really not a good thing; they would only put more pressure on him and Sun Tie.

"It's unlikely for the larger fishing boats, since they already have regular buyers. But the smaller fishing boats will definitely have to check which purchasing station in the vicinity is offering a higher price when they return from the sea."

"The prices that Ding Chongshan is offering now are actually quite good. If it were me, I would definitely buy crabs from him."

Sun Tie's expression darkened further.

The prices listed on the sign outside Ding Chongshan's shop are really good. If I were a fisherman who caught a pound of crabs, I would definitely take them to Ding Chongshan to sell.

Ma Ping didn't want to admit it, but he had to; it really was like that.

"There aren't many crabs this size!"

"Most fishing boats catch crabs that are smaller than this."

"We don't need to worry too much about this, or rather, we won't feel too much pressure in this regard."

Sun Tie breathed a sigh of relief.

The price Ding Chongshan offered, especially the restriction to only accepting crabs weighing over one jin (approximately 500 grams), meant that Ding Chongshan really didn't want to make enemies of everyone at the dock. Another reason was that crabs of this size were actually quite rare.

Ding Chongshan will definitely receive some, but he really can't handle too much. At least for today, he and Ma Ping won't be under too much pressure regarding this matter.

"Correct!"

"That's how it is. We definitely won't be under too much pressure today."

"Ding Chongshan hasn't offered a price yet, and he hasn't contacted the boat captains who usually buy fish, shrimp, and crabs. There's nothing to worry about. But we need to be on high alert and see when Ding Chongshan will come looking for the boat captains who usually buy fish, shrimp, and crabs from us."

Ma Ping nodded. Ding Chongshan definitely wouldn't offer higher prices for fish, shrimp, and crabs today, especially not for the fishing boats that he and Sun Tie usually traded on. They could breathe a sigh of relief for now, but they absolutely couldn't be careless.

"The fishing boat has docked!"

Sun Tie shouted and pointed to a large fishing boat that had already docked and had its mooring lines tied.

Ma Ping and Sun Tie immediately boarded the fishing boat.

"Yang Dashan".

"Why are you back so quickly this time? Did you catch a lot of fish, shrimp, and crabs? You must have made a lot of money!"

As he spoke, Sun Tie took out a cigarette from his pocket, flicked one out, and handed it to Yang Dashan.

"what?!"

Has the sun risen in the west?

"It's been so many years since either of us have been on my fishing boat! What are we doing here today?"

Yang Dashan didn't stand on ceremony at all. He took a cigarette, pulled out a lighter, lit it, took a deep drag, and glanced at Sun Tie and Ma Ping.

Sun Tie and Ma Ping both blushed slightly. Yang Dashan was absolutely right; it really had been several years since they had been on a fishing boat.

"Isn't that obvious? We've been doing business together for so many years. If I didn't have something to do, why would I come to this fishing boat?"

When have I ever shortchanged you?

"Ding Chongshan."

“This guy is a real business whiz. Aren’t we feeling the pressure? Why don’t we just come aboard the fishing boat and take a look?”

Sun Tie knew very well that this kind of thing couldn't be kept secret. Yang Dashan actually understood very well why he and Ma Ping had come to the fishing boat at this time.

Sun Tie simply said it himself.

"Correct!"

"Ding Chongshan has spread rumors that he's trying to steal our business. If he wants to steal our business, he'll have to come to you guys, right? In that case, we should come to the fishing boat and have a good talk with you about the price. Otherwise, we'll just be letting someone else steal our business for nothing."

Upon hearing Sun Tie's words, Ma Ping knew what Sun Tie's plan was, and immediately blurted it out.

"Yo!"

"Judging from this, you guys are really a little worried about Ding Chongshan!"

"What are you afraid of? You are rich and powerful, and you have plenty of money. No matter what, you can't take Ding Chongshan from him."

"But then again."

"Ding Chongshan coming to steal your business is definitely not a good thing for you, but for us, it's absolutely a good thing."

"No matter what, we have to raise the price, right? If we raise the price, won't we be able to sell our fish, shrimp, and crabs for more money?"

Yang Dashan smiled and took another deep drag on the cigarette he was holding.

Rumors of Ding Chongshan's attempt to steal Ma Ping and Sun Tie's business had already spread throughout the docks, known to all the fishing boat captains and fish and shrimp buyers. Sun Tie and Ma Ping certainly didn't want this to happen. But for themselves, and for everyone else fishing at sea, the more people like Ding Chongshan, the better.

Ma Ping and Sun Tie's expressions both changed.

Yang Dashan's thoughts were something that neither of them wanted to see the most.

But he couldn't say anything.

Who doesn't want to make more money?
The simplest and most direct way for someone like Ding Chongshan to appear at the dock, wanting to buy fish, shrimp, and crabs and steal business, is definitely to raise prices.

Yang Dashan can reap the benefits without lifting a finger, especially now that he's not hiding anything and is directly stating it, which means that if Ding Chongshan offers a higher price, Yang Dashan will not hesitate to sell all the fish, shrimp, and crabs he has.

"Yang Dashan".

“We’ve been doing business together for so many years, you know very well what kind of business we do.”

"Does this mean you'd sell the fish, shrimp, and crabs the moment Ding Chongshan came knocking on your door?"

Sun Tie tried to calm himself down.

"How could that be? Just like you said, we've been doing business together for so many years and have always had a very good working relationship. The fish, shrimp, and crabs we sell to you, while not at the highest price, are still quite good. In addition, we receive payment every month."

Yang Dashan smiled and nodded. He really couldn't deny that he had done fairly well doing business with Sun Tie and Ma Ping in recent years.

"If Ding Chongshan offers a higher price and I can get the money quickly, why not sell the fish, shrimp and crabs on my fishing boat to Ding Chongshan?"

Yang Dashan spoke directly.

Sun Tie and Ma Ping were at a loss for words.

This was actually what the two of them were most worried about: if Ding Chongshan offered a higher price, these boat captains would definitely have something to say about it.

As long as the offered price reaches a certain level, especially if the two of them don't raise the price, these boat captains will definitely sell their fish, shrimp, and crabs without hesitation.

They definitely wouldn't sell it to the two of them, but to Ding Chongshan.

Do you develop feelings for each other after doing business together for so many years? Absolutely! In fact, we know each other very well, and sometimes we even drink together.

But none of that can outweigh making more money.

Ding Chongshan raised the price, and his people were unwilling to offer a higher price, ultimately because they wanted to make more money themselves.

But if I make more money, Yang Dashan and the others will definitely make less. If I were a fisherman at sea, I wouldn't be happy about that.

Why is Yang Dashan speaking so confidently now?

Isn't that the reason?
"Yang Dashan".

"We can't let you make less money. We can't just sell to Ding Chongshan as soon as he sets a price, can we? We have to ask if we're willing to pay that price!"

Ma Ping was a little annoyed.

However, there's really no way to justify this kind of thing.

All I could do was try my best to calm myself down.

"How is that possible?"

"Just like I said, we've been doing business together for many years and we know each other very well."

“As long as the price you offer is exactly the same as Ding Chongshan’s, or even if your price is slightly lower than Ding Chongshan’s, as long as the difference isn’t too much, I will definitely sell these fish, shrimp and crabs to you.”

"But we have to make this clear upfront: if Ding Chongshan offers a price that is significantly higher than yours..."

"If we can make significantly more money selling the fish, shrimp, and crabs we have to Ding Chongshan than selling them to you, then there's nothing more to say. We will definitely sell them to Ding Chongshan."

Yang Dashan shook his head without hesitation.

If the prices are the same, it will definitely be sold to Ma Ping and Sun Tie, and it is impossible for it to be sold to Ding Chongshan.

However, if the price is different and the profit is different, I will definitely sell to Ding Chongshan without hesitation.

This needs to be explained clearly.

"Yang Dashan".

"Ding Chongshan has only recently started doing business here at the dock, and every time you go out to sea you catch fish, shrimp and crabs."

"The quantities are quite large."

"We don't know when we'll get paid for these fish, shrimp and crabs from Ding Chongshan, or we might not get paid at all."

Sun Tie reminded Yang Dashan that he had to consider this matter.

"Correct!"

"This is a very important matter. No matter how high the price of fish, shrimp, and crabs is, it's useless. The most important thing is to get the money. That's the most practical thing."

“We’ve been doing business here for so many years, you know perfectly well what our reputation is like.”

Ma Ping immediately nodded. This point is very important for business people. Sun Tie grasped this point and was able to hit the nail on the head regarding what Yang Dashan had to consider.

"what!"

"We really need to consider this matter as well as the others; we're genuinely a bit worried about it."

Yang Dashan smiled and nodded.

Sun Tie and Ma Ping were absolutely right. When they sold fish, shrimp, and crabs, they really had to consider whether they could get their money back.

"Have you all forgotten that Ding Chongshan is Ding Xiaoxiang's father?"

"And who is Ding Xiaoxiang? She is Zhao Dahai's betrothed."

"With a backing like this, do we really need to worry about not getting paid after selling the fish, shrimp, and crabs?"

"Not to mention, word has already been spread that although Ding Chongshan is doing the business and holds a large share, Ding Xiaoxiang, Zhao Dahai, Shi Guangming from Shijiao Village, and Liu Gang and Liu Lei from Hongyun Restaurant in the town also have shares."

"Why would you need to worry about not getting your money?"

"If Ding Chongshan really won't give me the money, I'll just go directly to these people and get it from them."

Yang Dashan waved his hand dismissively, saying there was no need to worry about it.

(End of this chapter)