Selling Seafood

Once he had figured all that out, he checked the time.

It was almost time for his appointment with Brother-in-law from yesterday. Ye Yuan steered the boat back.

Before they even reached the dock, he saw his parents standing there anxiously, looking out in his direction. Ye Yuan brought the boat ashore, picked them up, and the family headed straight for Pinghai County.

"You brat, you said you were going out to gather seafood. Why were you gone so long? You worried us sick," his mother scolded as she sat down.

Seeing that Ye Yuan was safe, Father Ye finally relaxed.

With a smile, he took the helm. But when his eyes swept over the water tank in the boat, they widened in shock.

"You caught all of these in one morning?" he asked, looking at the two lobsters, eight swimming crabs, and several enormous shellfish in the tank.

"Yeah, I caught them. It's not like there aren't any fish on the seabed, they're just too scattered. They're hard to catch with nets," Ye Yuan said casually.

When his mother heard that, she leaned over to look into the tank and burst out laughing. "Look at that, old man! Have you ever caught swimming crabs this big in your life? And look at those lobsters! Xiao Yuan really is capable. Going to college makes all the difference."

What did catching seafood have to do with going to college? Ye Yuan thought.

His father was grinning from ear to ear as well. "Mm-hmm. These big catches should sell for at least 800 yuan at the market."

Hearing that, Ye Yuan frowned. He had estimated they would fetch 1,100 yuan, so why did his father say they could only sell for 800?

Seeing Ye Yuan's confusion, his father let out a deep sigh.

"There are fewer fish around here now, and there are fewer seafood buyers too. The few that remain don't buy much seafood, so naturally they keep the prices low. That's the only way they can make a profit."

Ye Yuan did not know what to say about that. Any businessman understood the principle of small profits and quick turnover.

But there was no supply to sell in volume now, so it seemed they could only work on the unit price.

It was not as if the seafood dealers were wrong either. The cost of transporting seafood was there, after all. A truckload and half a truckload cost them the same in shipping.

Having thought it through, Ye Yuan took out his phone, snapped a few photos of the lobsters and crabs in the tank, and posted them in his college classmates' group. These catches were all top-grade goods, and he did not want to let them go cheaply.

The photos had barely been posted before someone spoke up to ask about them.

Before long, all the people who usually lurked in the group came out one after another.

Several interested classmates even started a small bidding war. Apparently, none of them were short on money.

Ye Yuan knew that quite a few of his classmates were rich second-generation heirs or senior executives. Several had already begun managing their family businesses.

"Wang Yue, you glutton, do you have to be so ruthless? You want to swallow up all this good stuff by yourself? Aren't you afraid of eating yourself to death? I heard you already weigh over two hundred pounds."

In the end, the two lobsters were bought for 1,000 yuan by a classmate named Wang Yue. The price exceeded Ye Yuan's expectations.

For people who ate at seafood restaurants every day, this price was still not high. Wang Yue said outright that wild lobsters this large were hard to come by even at high-end hotels.

The remaining eight swimming crabs and several shellfish were divided among several other classmates. Ye Yuan earned a total of 1,800 yuan.

Ye Yuan asked everyone for their addresses in the group and told them he would express-deliver the seafood as soon as he got ashore.

At that point, several other classmates in the group expressed regret that they had not won the bidding. They hoped that if Ye Yuan got seafood this good again, he would remember to save some for them.

Of course, Ye Yuan agreed to such a good thing. He had been wondering how to expand his sales channels, and at the very least, he now had buyers for his seafood in the near future.

At the same time, Ye Yuan noticed that the classmates who had bought seafood had each transferred him payment.

Wang Yue in particular had even sent the shipping fee along with it, leaving behind a message.

"Brother, contact me directly if you get goods this good again. I won't let you take a loss."

When Ye Yuan told his parents that he had sold the seafood online, they looked stunned. "Who did you sell it to? For how much? Will you actually get the money?"

Ye Yuan patiently explained the situation and took out his phone to show them the account notifications.

"Good heavens, 1,800 yuan! That's 1,000 yuan more than selling it in the county." Even Father Ye could scarcely believe it when he saw the message.

Looking at his parents' shocked expressions, Ye Yuan said, "Do you believe now that I wasn't just fooling around when I said I wanted to come back?"

"This time, you were lucky. You won't come across catches that big every time," his father lectured him in the tone of an old fisherman.

Ye Yuan did not argue much. Once it happened more often, his parents would believe him. Facts would speak for themselves.

"Since we've received the money, we should hurry and deliver it to them," his mother said from the side.

Just then, Ye Yuan's phone rang. He looked at it and saw that it was a call from Zhao Chuan, the Eldest Brother from his dormitory.

"Hello! Eldest Brother, what made you think of me? At this hour, shouldn't you be inspecting work at your jewelry company?"

There had been four people in Ye Yuan's dormitory, and Ye Yuan had been the youngest. Eldest Brother Zhao Chuan's family ran a jewelry company in Shangjing.

He had heard that they had branches in several cities. After graduation, Eldest Brother had been directly assigned by his father to work as a manager in the family company. From their few chats, Ye Yuan knew that the guy was busy to death these days.

"Didn't I see the good stuff you just got? Do you have any more? It has to be big catches, none of the ordinary stuff. Price isn't a problem."

"I thought it was something serious. That was all I got today. If you want some, I'll go out to sea tomorrow and get you a few. Don't talk about money. I can afford to treat you to some seafood."

Ye Yuan agreed right away. Before, he would never have dared say something like that. But after gaining the underwater abilities granted by Fishery Space, he could confidently make that promise.

"That won't do. I don't want them for myself. Our company is holding a team-building event in ten days, and managers from many branches will be attending. The old man put me in charge of it. When I saw the big catches you posted, I thought I could get some and make myself look good, show those people what I'm capable of."

Ye Yuan fell silent for a moment. Eldest Brother was helping him. The brothers from their dormitory all knew he was not doing well these days. Otherwise, Eldest Brother would not have called from so far away. Shangjing was the capital—what good seafood could not be found there?

"Thanks, Eldest Brother. I won't say anything else. Once I get them, I'll call you. You can check the goods first, then we'll talk."

"Enough, quit dragging it out. If I don't think of my brothers when there's an opportunity, am I even human? Try to get as much as you can these next few days. If it's not enough, I'll think of something else." He knew Ye Yuan had too much pride.

After hanging up, Ye Yuan found both his parents looking at him. He scratched his head, chuckled, and said, "It was Zhao Chuan, the one who came to our house a few years ago during summer vacation when I didn't come home. He saw that I caught some good seafood and ordered some from me."

"How could you agree so quickly? Do you think seafood as good as what you caught today is that easy to get? What will you do if you can't catch any?" his father asked worriedly.

"Since you already promised him, how about your second uncle and I find a few people from the village to help you get some tomorrow?" his mother said with concern.

"Don't worry, I have a way. If I really can't manage it, then you can help me." Ye Yuan declined his parents' help. If he really went out with them, his little secret probably would not remain a secret.