Chapter 280: Setting Out to Sea

The Canteen manager was very pleased at the chance to build a closer relationship with Zhou Yimin, and immediately said, “Then it’s settled—we’ll meet at the dock tomorrow.”

“Alright. Thank you, Director,” Zhou Yimin replied with gratitude.

The two didn’t chat for long; after all, the Canteen manager still had to keep an eye on inventory and ensure the numbers matched.

Once the Canteen manager finished his tasks, he headed straight to Factory Director Chen’s office. Since he was aligned with Factory Director Chen, matters like this definitely had to be reported.

He knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Factory Director Chen looked a little surprised to see the Canteen manager. Unless there was something out of the ordinary, he normally wouldn’t come looking for him.

“Director Zhang, is there something you need?”

“Director, I just made plans with Expert Zhou to go out to sea and fish tomorrow, since it’s our day off,” the Canteen manager reported.

“Good. Lao Zhang, you did the right thing. When you’re out there, take the opportunity to highlight the advantages of our factory. Try your best to persuade Expert Zhou to stay with us. As long as his demands aren’t too outrageous, we can agree to them,” Factory Director Chen proposed.

He wondered why he hadn’t thought of this earlier himself, but still gave a reminder: “Make sure to pay attention to safety.”

If anything were to happen to Zhou Yimin in Jinmen, the consequences would be too much to bear. Forget about a promotion—he might not even be able to keep his current position as factory director.

The Canteen manager promised firmly, “Director, don’t worry. Even if something happens to me, I will not let anything happen to Expert Zhou.”

Hearing this assurance, Factory Director Chen felt more at ease.

“Lao Zhang, if you can pull this off, it might be time to move you up from your current position.”

It seems that the skill of offering vague promises as motivation is something every leader picks up eventually.

The Canteen manager was thrilled. “Rest assured, Director, I’ll do my best!”

He knew Zhou Yimin was important to the factory, but he hadn’t expected him to be this important. Just persuading him to stay could earn him a promotion. Zhou Yimin really was his lucky star.

The next morning, bright and early, the Canteen manager went to the guesthouse to wait for Zhou Yimin.

Zhou Yimin was quite excited about this fishing trip, so much so that he had trouble falling asleep the night before. Still, not wanting to delay things, he got up early.

Yawning as he stepped out the guesthouse door, he saw both Shang Jianguo and the Canteen manager already waiting.

“Brother Jianguo, Director—have you had breakfast yet?” Zhou Yimin asked.

A classic Chinese-style greeting—“Have you eaten?”—which never feels out of place.

“Already ate,” the two replied in unison.

Their jobs came with decent wages and rations, so food was never a concern.

Shang Jianguo drove the three of them toward the docks.

For the Canteen manager, getting to ride in a car was a rare opportunity. Even though he held a leadership position, his rank wasn’t high enough to be assigned a car, so he could count on one hand the times he had sat in a small vehicle.

Not wanting to lose face in front of Zhou Yimin, he pretended like he was used to it, keeping calm instead of gawking around or reaching out to touch everything like someone riding in a car for the first time.

The guesthouse wasn’t far from the dock, and after a drive of a little over half an hour, they arrived.

The Canteen manager reluctantly stepped out of the car. Normally the distance seemed far, but in the car, it felt like they arrived in an instant—he hadn’t even gotten enough of the ride before it was already over.

At the dock, the Canteen manager led Zhou Yimin and Shang Jianguo to his cousin’s fishing boat.

These days, all fishing was done on wooden sailing boats. His cousin’s boat wasn’t very large, just enough to hold about ten people.

Wooden sailing boats were built with sturdy materials like Chinese fir and camphorwood. The hull design was solid; the stern was wide and rounded like a horseshoe, with outward-curving gunwales, a flat deck, and low, continuous hatches. The thick planks on the sides were usually made from split logs, giving the structure significant strength.

The materials used for boatbuilding were mostly Chinese fir and camphorwood. Some boats had sharp-nosed cabins that served as live tanks. There were pairs of “boat eyes” on either side, long rudders slanted forward, and many boats were rigged with simple spars and hard sails. The sails were roughly triangular and made from oil-treated, reinforced cloth.

Some smaller boats had no shelter from the rain, no sleeping quarters, and no radios to report weather. The only tools for navigation were bamboo tubes, fire baskets, direction plates, and hand-crank winches. Such boats could only fish nearshore, and fishermen didn’t dare go far from land.

In the old society, storms, pirates, and local fish lords hung over fishermen like three executioner’s blades.

For those fishermen, encountering a storm at sea could be fatal. So they always paid close attention to the storm season, watched the winds, and sailed according to the skies.

A tanned middle-aged man approached and said, “Cousin, we’re all ready. Just waiting on you.”

The man relied on his cousin to ensure that the fish he caught could be sold promptly, legally, and at the best price. Thanks to the Canteen manager’s connections, his entire catch could be bought in one go. Many people were jealous and tried to curry favor with him for just a word on their behalf.

This was the first time his cousin had ever asked for a favor. Not wanting to delay anything for him, he took the day off just to take Zhou Yimin on a fishing trip. But since the boat was small, they could only fish in nearby waters.

Going further out, the small wooden boat might not be able to handle the waves. So, for safety, they would stay close to shore.

Zhou Yimin was already eager to get started and boarded the boat right away.

The Canteen manager introduced everyone: “This is Expert Zhou.”

“This is Master Shang Jianguo, a driver of the small car.”

“And this is my cousin, Chen Changhui.”

When Chen Changhui heard who they were, he was a bit nervous. An ‘expert’ clearly wasn’t someone ordinary. And a small-car driver—while not as rare as a truck driver—was still an enviable job to most ordinary folks.

Chen Changhui greeted respectfully, “Hello, comrades.”

“Hello,” Zhou Yimin replied. “Can we set off now?”

He couldn’t wait to experience fishing at sea. In his previous life, he was just a regular office worker. A trip like this had always been a luxury. He rarely even visited the beach, and seafood had always been a pricey indulgence. Time and money were both in short supply.

Chen Changhui quickly responded, “Of course. We’ll set off right now. I guarantee your fishing experience won’t be delayed.”

With that, he immediately started giving instructions—untying the mooring lines and lowering the sail. Since it was a wooden sailing boat with no engine, everything was powered by manpower.

With two crew members working in sync, the boat soon pulled away from the dock and headed for the open sea.

(End of chapter)