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

The next day.

Yang Bai drove his motorcycle to the county town early in the morning. This time he was going to fish for grouper, and the hooks had to be very hard.

Otherwise, a 200-pound grouper could straighten an ordinary fishhook with a single bite.

And we need to buy steel ropes to make branch lines.

But Yang Bai's purpose was not to go to the county supply and marketing cooperative, because the county supply and marketing cooperative simply did not sell fishhooks of the strength required for catching grouper.

However, the blacksmith could still forge it, and he happened to know of such a shop.

He drove through a narrow alley, and after passing through it, he came to a winding dirt road. Yang Bai stepped on the gas, and the car rushed straight up the mountain.

A log cabin stands atop the mountain, its wooden walls tinged with a light brown from the wind and rain. An old hemp rope hangs from the eaves, and the surrounding area is overgrown with vegetation, quiet and deserted.

After the car came to a stop, Yang Bai got out of the car, walked to the door of the wooden house, and knocked on the door.

The courtyard gate opened with a click, and a very fat middle-aged man came out.

He looked Yang Bai up and down, his tone filled with doubt.

"Who are you……"

"Comrade Wu, my name is Yang Bai, and I'm a fisherman." Yang Bai spoke frankly, "I plan to fish for grouper, so I came to you specifically to order fifty-one fishhooks that can withstand the pulling force of a two-hundred-pound grouper."

Upon hearing this, Wu Guoqing looked surprised: "How do you know my name? I haven't taken on any outside work for a long time."

In today's climate, illegal blacksmithing is considered speculation and profiteering, and is a taboo subject.

He deliberately hid in this remote corner of the mountains to work secretly, in a place that was remote and rarely visited by people.

The people who come and go are all acquaintances; outsiders would never be able to find this place.

Yang Bai smiled. In his previous life, he met Wu Guoqing in the 90s when the company was starting to do well.

At the time, some small boats needed sea fishing services, and there was a shortage of fishing hooks. Someone introduced him to Wu Guoqing's contact information, and they started working together.

He later became a well-known master in the industry and even created his own fishing tackle brand. He also became an angel investor and his sales skyrocketed.

He knew the other person's preferences and was carrying two bottles of Wuliangye liquor.

"Comrade Wu, rest assured, I have no ulterior motives. I am here purely to do business with sincerity. I will pay the deposit first."

Wu Guoqing's gaze fell on the two bottles of wine, and his throat moved involuntarily.

He could only enjoy a few sips of such fine wine during festivals and holidays.

Seeing that the other party was polite and sincere, and did not seem to be there to test or cause trouble, he reached out and took the wine, then stepped aside to make way for them.

"Come in and explain your needs in detail."

After entering the room, Yang Bai explained the size, materials, and load-bearing requirements of the fish hooks one by one.

Wu Guoqing picked up a pencil, quickly sketched out a design, and handed it to him.

"Look, is this the style?"

Yang Bai took the blueprints and examined them carefully, then immediately nodded: "That's right, we'll do it this way."

Wu Guoqing joked with a laugh, "Ordering fifty-one at once, looks like you've found a den of giant grouper?"

"I guess so," Yang Bai smiled, took out some change, and asked, "How much is it in total?"

Wu Guoqing stroked his chin, pondering for a moment.

"It'll be ten yuan in total, but I'll take a three-yuan deposit first. I've deliberately lowered the price because you're a genuine person and even brought some good wine. For anyone else, it would be at least fourteen or fifteen yuan."

"We'll be dealing with each other for a long time to come, so I'm just trying to build a relationship in advance." Yang Bai readily paid the deposit.

"Haha, you're quite perceptive, kid." Wu Guoqing laughed heartily. "Just come pick up the goods around five or six in the evening, and I guarantee they'll be made to your liking."

Once Yang Bai had time to retrieve the item, he rode his bicycle away from the mountaintop.

After buying steel ropes from the county supply and marketing cooperative to use as branch lines, they returned to the steel boat. Liu Dade, Yang Jun, and other fishermen were dismantling all the nets on the winch.

Yang Bai looked at the nets piled up on the deck.

"Is it almost done?"

Yang Jun stood up and clapped his hands. "That's about enough, brother."

Yang Bai threw the steel rope in his hand onto the deck and said.

"Tie these steel cables to the nylon ropes, about two meters long, spaced approximately ten meters apart. Tie all fifty steel cables together!"

Yang Bai sat down cross-legged and joined them. He took a fishhook and planned to attach it to the fishing rod that Wang An had given him.

He cut the steel cable, wrapped it around the main line several times, and locked the branch line and the main line together with iron clamps.

Even if one person finished, it took the people on the ship two hours to finish all of them.

All that's left is to wait for the batch of fishing hooks to come out this afternoon.

Before long it was noon. Yang Bai went to a large restaurant in the county town to get lunch, returned to the steel boat, set up a table, and everyone sat down to eat.

Yang Jun, shoveling rice into his bowl, asked, "Brother, how many giant grouper can we catch with fifty fishing lines?"

"Ten at a time is enough." Yang Bai picked up a screwdriver, pried open a soda bottle, and took a swig. Although there were quite a few giant grouper in that area, due to their habits, it was difficult to catch too many at once.

Yang Jun immediately put down his chopsticks, his face full of surprise: "Ten? Brother, are you serious?"

Even if each fish weighs 200 jin, ten fish would weigh 2,000 jin. Even if the fish vary in size, the total weight would still fall between 1,300 and 2,000 jin, and a few casts would be enough to reach the target of 5,000 jin.

Yang Bai smiled faintly: "Don't you know me? I never say what I can't do, but if I do, I can definitely do it."

After a hearty meal and drinks, the crew members gathered together to play cards, smoke, and chat idly. Yang Bai sat to the side, drinking tea and shelling peanuts. This leisurely scene was not unlike team building activities in later generations.

As the sun began to set, Yang Bai glanced at the clock on the wall, stood up, and said, "It's almost time. I'm going to get my things."

He drove to the cabin on the mountain again. The heat outside was intense, and the inside was even more stifling. The only typhoon fan was creaking and slowly turning to blow air.

"Old Wu, are the fifty-one fishhooks I ordered ready?"

Wu Guoqing pointed to the neatly stacked, clean, and burr-free fishhooks on the table and nodded in response, "It was finished a long time ago, and the quantity is exactly the same."

"That's good." Yang Bai took out seven yuan to settle the remaining balance. He put all the fishing hooks back into the wooden box, secured the box to the back seat of the car, and started the car to return to the boat.

The shore was bustling with activity. Chen Dahai and his crew's boats had all docked, and boxes of fish were being unloaded one after another. Qian Tian, ​​clutching his notebook, ran over excitedly.

"How did you feel after the first day of learning?" Yang Bai asked.

Qian Tian nodded vigorously, his eyes full of interest: "It's great. Life at sea is just like I imagined. I'll definitely study hard."

Chen Dahai also came over and said with a smile, "This child has good comprehension. In less than three years, I am confident that he will be able to take charge and independently manage the ship."

"Looks like I'm going to lose this thousand yuan to you," Yang Bai joked.

"This is what I deserve," Chen Dahai said, then turned to tend to his catch.

Qian Tian noticed the fishhooks nearby and asked curiously, "Brother Yang, what are these used for?"

"Get the hooks ready; we'll be fishing for giant grouper tomorrow."

"Can I go with you tomorrow?"

"No," Yang Bai shook his head. "We're going to the Widow's Sea; that area is dangerous. I'll take you there when you can sail on your own."

With reforms progressing steadily, he will be able to establish a private company in 1988. He can take advantage of this time to train more people and then fully develop Widow Sea.

Qian Tian's eyes lit up as he listened, and he looked forward to mastering the boat as soon as possible.

He rolled up his sleeves, picked up a fishhook, and said, "Brother Yang, I'll stay and help."