Rebirth 77: From Beachcombing to Becoming a Tycoon and Spoiling My Wife

Zhang Ning picked up the black tie.

"I picked this out myself." She handed over the tie and pointed to the black leather shoes on the ground. "And this. I'm not as skillful as Sister Wanqiu. I picked these out at the supply and marketing cooperative. That's all I can do. Thank you for supporting this family."

Yang Bai took the tie.

The fabric is smooth and the workmanship is exquisite.

He casually grabbed the crisp black suit jacket and put it on.

The shoulder line fits snugly, and the sleeve length is just right.

"It fits perfectly."

Just as he was about to tie his tie himself, Zhang Ning stepped forward and snatched the tie back from his hand.

She tiptoed and wrapped the cloth strip around Yang Bai's collar, her fingers flying across the fabric, her movements clumsy yet earnest.

Yang Bai lowered his head. It was a Windsor knot. The knot was tied very tightly.

"Ningning, who taught you that? You play quite well."

"I learned it from a book." Zhang Ning tucked the end of his tie into his vest and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles in his collar.

She spent two days wrapping strips of cloth around her leg to make this knot. As long as Yang Bai was happy, this little bit of effort was nothing.

Yang Bai slipped into his leather shoes and turned to face the mirror.

The person in the mirror was dressed in a suit and looked very energetic.

The days of my past life, when I was constantly traveling around negotiating business deals, flashed through my mind.

Back then, I was just as full of vigor and ambition, single-mindedly focused on climbing the ranks.

Now that circumstances have changed, I have a family and brothers, and the weight this outfit carries is completely different.

"Late Autumn, Ningning," Yang Bai turned around, "I love you both."

There was a two-second silence in the room.

Su Wanqiu turned her head and coughed twice: "Could you please not say such mushy things in front of us?"

Zhang Ning took three steps back, all the way to the door frame, and looked down at her toes: "I only ate half of my meal, I'm hungry."

After saying that, he turned around and ran away.

The next morning, at the fishing port.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, swept over me.

Yang Bai had just turned off his motorcycle when he heard someone shout from behind.

"Yang Bai! Wait a minute!"

Hou Sanli pedaled the old-fashioned bicycle, the chain creaking loudly.

He suddenly stopped beside Yang Bai, bracing himself on one foot and panting heavily.

"Does the leader have a problem with yesterday's grouper?" Yang Bai asked.

"What complaints? I couldn't be more satisfied!" Hou Sanli wiped the sweat from his forehead. "The cannery has placed a new order. Sixty thousand catties of mackerel, specifically requested to be delivered to you."

Sixty thousand catties.

This is considered a large sum in the cannery's purchase order.

Mackerel is not as valuable as tuna, but it is plentiful and abundant in the ocean, making it a sure-fire way to make money.

"What is the delivery time? What are the specifications?"

This job isn't tiring. The only problem is transportation. Two 10-ton steel ships, even fully loaded, would have to make three round trips.

"Three days." Hou Sanli held up three fingers and lowered his voice. "The higher-ups have leaked the information; the regional commissioner is coming to inspect in three days. You'd better get yourself together by then, or you'll embarrass our fishing port."

He looked Yang Bai up and down. He was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and plastic sandals.

It's fine to wear this for work, but if you see your boss dressed like this, you'll definitely get criticized.

At that time, newspapers will inevitably come to interview.

"I'll finish work early today and go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a formal suit. I still have a few cloth coupons; take them."

Yang Bai waved his hand: "We have everything ready at home, I guarantee it won't let you down."

Seeing that he understood, Hou Sanli finished explaining the specific size requirements for the mackerel and rode his old bicycle back to his office.

Yang Bai boarded the boat along the pier.

The crew members gathered in twos and threes. Yang Bai waved for everyone to assemble.

Chen Dahai tapped his pipe: "Xiao Yang, a meeting so early in the morning, is there some big work coming up?"

"An order from the cannery: 60,000 catties of mackerel."

A few gasps came from the crowd. Sixty thousand jin—just hearing the number was enough to excite anyone.

"What are your plans?" Chen Dahai asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

"We've given you plenty of time, three days." Yang Bai looked around at everyone. "The mackerel in the coastal waters have already been mostly caught. Even if there are schools of fish, they're not enough to fill a gap in our stomachs. This time, we'll go straight to the high seas. There are plenty of fish there. We can use the light-attracting method at night and fill our nets with fish in one go."

Mackerel have unique habits, mostly congregating along sandy or muddy coastlines, around islands and reefs, and in areas where warm and cold waters meet. With the intense fishing efforts along the coast in recent years, collecting 60,000 jin (30,000 kg) within a few nautical miles is simply a pipe dream.

We must go out to sea.

"This time, we'll use a larger perimeter net," Yang Bai continued, "and coordinate with the incandescent lights for illumination; the operating procedures are the same as always."

He was away a few days ago, and he specifically instructed that high-power incandescent lamps be installed on the two steel ships.

One aspect is dealing with today's nocturnal phototactic fishing, but the main reason is for nighttime navigation safety.

Three thousand yuan was invested in two sets of equipment.

This money was well spent; I'll get my money back with interest tonight.

Chen Dahai smiled and said, "These are all easy. We're heading back to the ship. I'm still thinking about using the new light bulb."

Chen Dahai has always been very interested in such novelties.

It's a high-end item worth 1,500 yuan, and I can't use it unless absolutely necessary, so I haven't used it for the past few days. Today is the perfect time to use it.

Everyone nodded in agreement and dispersed to prepare.

After a four-hour voyage, we reached the open sea, where we were greeted by a dense array of islands and reefs.

The azure sea rippled with white, shimmering light, which was the light reflected from the mackerel.

Groups of them surged and churned in the sea.

Yang Jun leaned on the railing, looking out at the sea, and said, "Brother Yang, there are definitely a ton of fish down there. Just imagine how many fish this net has caught!"

He was deeply shocked as he watched the mackerel thrashing about beneath the boat.

This fish is cheap, but it is truly spectacular.

Looking at the midday sun, Yang Bai smiled and said, "Don't rush, let's put the large enclosure net up first."

The crew was still changing nets on the net-hauling machine, and it was still broad daylight; the actual fishing would have to wait until nightfall.

"Come over for a barbecue once the large fencing is put up!"

Of course, we should spend the rest of the time playing.

"good!"

Upon hearing this, the crew members became even more motivated.

Yang Bai beckoned Yang Jun to help out.

They took out beef and pork from the warehouse, marinated them, and skewered them.

After setting up the barbecue grill, Yang Bai placed the skewered meat on it. Soon, the meat turned golden brown and sizzled with oil.

Yang Jun simply brought over some soft drinks and placed them on the deck.

They installed the large enclosure netting as soon as the food was baked.

They all came over to get the skewers.

Yang Jun picked the biggest grilled beef skewer and took a bite. The oil instantly filled his mouth, and the aroma of beef exploded on his taste buds. He swallowed it and gave a thumbs up with wide eyes.

"Brother Yang, your grilling is really good! Do you have any chili powder? Could you sprinkle some on me?"

Yang Bai took out a jar of his exclusive secret-recipe chili powder and sprinkled it on.

"Don't get diarrhea and have to go to the toilet after you finish eating."

Yang Jun patted his chest and said, "Just kidding, I've eaten spicy food since I was a child, you know the King of Spicy Food?"

The beef cubes are slowly chewed between your teeth, and the oily fat mixed with chili powder explodes, the spicy and savory flavors spreading across your tongue layer by layer, and the various aromas spreading down your throat.