"Maosheng and Weiguo must have been catching fish all night. Wow, probably a hundred catties or more."
Chen Yang looked at the two large bamboo baskets soaking in the water缸, the fish inside still wriggling and very fresh.
The aquatic product business was different from livestock. Fish had to be sold live. If they were dead, unless they were to be dried into fish jerky, the price would be much lower.
"There are even two big turtles. They say 'a thousand-year turtle, ten-thousand-year tortoise.' These wild turtles weighing over two catties must have taken quite some time to grow. These things are not cheap."
Chen Yang rummaged through the two baskets. Liu Maosheng and Zheng Weiguo were probably afraid of being seen, so they had secretly delivered them to his yard before it was even light.
The caught aquatic products were not sorted by type, but simply by size. Fish under one catty were in one basket, and those over one catty in another.
After briefly looking through the fish, most of them were bighead carp and Yellow River carp, and the prices were not very different. Apart from the two turtles, which were set aside separately, Chen Yang didn't bother with anything else.
However, how to get these fish to the county town had become a problem. He could carry them, and a hundred catties or so was not something Chen Yang couldn't carry.
But the key was that if they were taken out of the water缸, it would take over an hour to get to the county town. The fish might not be able to keep wriggling then. This was his first time delivering goods, and if he didn't present some decent aquatic products, he was afraid the food factory wouldn't be willing to accept his goods in the future.
"Ah, that's right, how could I forget? The production team has a donkey cart, and that donkey cart is kept at Old Man Tu's house!"
Suddenly, Chen Yang slapped his forehead. Shenjiaba Village was in charge of all the production team's livestock. Who told the old branch secretary to be from Shenjiaba Village? He wouldn't let others have their way, so naturally, he wouldn't let the other villages in the team manage the livestock.
And these livestock were all managed by Tu Tianzong. Firstly, it was because of his seniority, which everyone respected. Secondly, as an experienced hunter, he was familiar with the habits of most livestock and could take better care of them.
"Yanyan, let's go to Grandpa Tu's house, Daddy."
Chen Yang gritted his teeth, took about two catties of white flour from the Zhongshan suit he had traded for yesterday, put it in a cloth bag, picked up the little one, and ran towards Tu Tianzong's house at the village entrance.
...
"Uncle Tu, that's the situation. Don't worry, I won't borrow the donkey cart for free. I'll pay the team fifty cents a day."
at Tu Tianzong's house at the village entrance, Chen Yang obediently put down the flour. He naturally wouldn't say he was borrowing the donkey cart for business, only that he needed to haul some things.
"Grandpa, Daddy carry, tired tired."
"Have car car, Yanyan, sit, Daddy, not tired."
The little one stretched out her small hands, also gesturing to help Chen Yang. Tu Tianzong, who had been frowning, immediately softened his stance upon seeing the child's adorable appearance.
"You kid, don't mess around. These animals are the lifeblood of the team. If anything happens, Fuguo definitely won't let you off."
"Don't mention money. I know your family's situation. Don't take Xue Ya's hard-earned money. Return it as soon as you're done with it." Su Dan Fiction Network
"On the way, if you have time, cut some wild vegetables to feed the donkey. That will be enough."
The old man didn't say much more and pulled out the donkey cart. Chen Yang didn't expect to borrow the donkey cart so easily and was so happy that he kissed the baby hard. It was all thanks to this little one.
Returning home, he loaded the water缸 onto the donkey cart, then placed the bamboo baskets containing the fish inside, and filled them with water. Wow, it weighed at least two hundred catties. Without this donkey cart, he really wouldn't have been able to get to the city.
"I need to find a way to buy some large plastic buckets. This water缸 can't withstand this kind of tossing. If the donkey cart hits a bump, this water缸 will probably be ruined."
The journey was uneventful, and Chen Yang finally transported the fish to the large iron gate of the food factory.
"Comrade, I see that the food factory's iron gate says it accepts aquatic products. Where should I pull it to?"
However, the large iron gate was locked, and there was no one to guard it. Chen Yang had to go to the fish stall next to the butcher shop to ask.
"You have aquatic products? The factory doesn't accept small quantities. Without a hundred catties, it's not even worth weighing. At least a thousand catties will get you a slightly better price."
The man who was scaling fish at the fish stall glanced at Chen Yang. In those days, the food factory was the place with the most benefits, and ordinary people couldn't even get in.
Even if the higher-ups issued a policy to accept aquatic products, not everyone was qualified to do business with the food factory.
"Yes, yes, this is some catch from the flood yesterday. There are about eighty to ninety catties. Look, I even caught a big turtle. This thing isn't valuable. It'll be an extra dish for your dinner tonight."
Chen Yang quickly took out a large turtle tied with straw from the cloth bag and placed it at the feet of the fish seller.
"Alright, you're so polite. If I didn't help pass the message, it would seem like I, Liu Hua, don't know how to behave. The factory just set up an aquatic product station, and the newly appointed leader is worried about not finding a way to collect goods. You wait here, I'll go report it."
Liu Hua threw the turtle into a water bucket behind him without any shame. This was common for people working in their food factory. If it weren't for this kid being so sensible, he wouldn't have bothered to pass the message.
"Brother Liu, thank you. My name is Chen Yang. When you come, call me, and I'll be waiting here."
Chen Yang didn't feel pained. As long as he could successfully connect with the food factory, this business could be put on the right track. He just needed to bring the goods every day and wait to make money.
"I need to find a way to get some decent things. Who brings a turtle as a gift? Bringing a bottle of wine, a pack of cigarettes, or a pack of pastries would be more appropriate."
Chen Yang also smiled wryly. It was mainly because he was too poor. Even miscellaneous brand cigarettes cost over a dime a pack, while famous brands like "Da Qian Men" and "Peony" cost three to four dimes a pack, and they were hard to get.
In those days, most people still used tobacco pipes with tobacco pouches. When they wanted to smoke, they would grab some tobacco leaves and light them up. Being able to smoke a hand-rolled cigarette was considered an honor by many.
Liu Hua was efficient even after receiving the gift. In a short while, a middle-aged man in a dark blue work uniform with four large pockets embroidered on it came out and opened the iron gate.
"Chen Yang, our aquatic product station's director Wang Jianguo is personally here to collect from you. Hurry up and pull it into the factory."
Liu Hua came out and winked at Chen Yang, obviously seeking credit. At the same time, he reminded Chen Yang to be careful with his words. This was the head of the aquatic product station, so he must not offend him.
"Thank you, Brother Liu."
"Director Wang, please rest. I'll push the door, I'll push."
Chen Yang quickly went to help push the door. The food station's iron gate was very heavy. With the leader coming in person, Chen Yang wouldn't really wait for the leader to open the door for him. If he lacked this much sense, he would have lived two lives in vain.
"This young man is good. He looks like a diligent person at first glance."
As Chen Yang helped, Wang Jianguo praised him with his hands behind his back, then led Chen Yang and the donkey cart towards the weighing area of the aquatic product station.
"This bighead carp must be seven or eight catties. The ones in this basket are all good sizes. Old Zhang, weigh them at sixty cents. These ones are smaller, but still acceptable. Take them all at forty cents."
Wang Jianguo carefully inspected the catch in Chen Yang's bamboo baskets. Seeing that they were all lively, he was immediately pleased.
The factory had assigned him the task of collecting aquatic products and even set up a special aquatic product station. He was worried about not finding a way to collect fish. In those days, not many people dared to sell things.
Therefore, he didn't even ask where Chen Yang got the fish from. No matter where it came from, as long as the fish was fresh, he would buy it.
"Big fish, 103 catties, sixty-one yuan and eight cents. Small fish, 58 catties, twenty-three yuan and two cents. A total of 161 catties, eighty-five yuan."
Old Zhang quickly weighed the fish and calculated the price. Even though Chen Yang had an estimate in his mind, he couldn't help but breathe a little faster when he heard this number.