After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 373 Cooperative Sales
Red mullet has many other names, but most people call them "Red Three" and "Melon Three".

There are many ways to eat it. It can be steamed, pan-fried, braised with tomatoes, or used in soup. The meat is tender and smooth. When steaming, there is no need to scrape off the scales. Only peel off the skin after it is cooked to retain its original flavor. If you want to use it in soup, it is best to pan-fry the red snapper until golden brown before simmering it with other ingredients such as tofu. The soup will be milky white and exceptionally sweet and delicious.

There are many ways to store this stuff: chilling, pickling, and sun-drying, making it suitable for long-distance trade.

There were some nearby in the sea, so Su Tai laid out the wicker basket again, set her sights, and got to work!

Judging by the time, we should only need to catch two more nets before we call it a day.

The red snapper has good economic value, so we'll go with that!
Since both nets target the same fish, the operation is convenient. After the first net is finished, the operation is paused until the fish are in the vine baskets, then the baskets are hoisted up again for a second round of catching before continuing.

When she brought all the seafood back to the courtyard, it was already quite dark outside.

There were voices outside the door.

Su Tai was startled. She quickly packed her things and changed her clothes before going to open the door.

Seeing that she was tired but in good spirits, Shen Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Master Pu couldn't wait to enter the courtyard, but as soon as he stepped over the threshold, he was so frightened that he sat down on the snow with a thud. "Shen Yi, your courtyard has been invaded by fish!"

Shen Yi went inside and took a look. Wow! Good heavens, the yard, which was more than an acre in size, was completely filled with fish, and there wasn't even a blank space.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as comparable to mountains and seas.

Old Master Pu scrambled to his feet and ran to the mackerel, gesturing excitedly as he pointed at it. "Shen Yi, this fish is huge! It's almost half my size! And what's this? It's so beautiful!"

“That’s a red snapper,” Su Tai replied when she had a spare moment.

Shen Yi whispered in her ear, "Why did you put all the fish in the yard?"

Su Tai sighed helplessly, "Do you think I wanted this? This time I only got some big sea fish that are very hardy. They can survive for a while even out of water. If they come and see that the fish are alive, we won't be able to explain it. The best way is to throw them in the yard and freeze them quickly. Who knows, they might still be able to swim around a bit after the ice melts. Don't you think so?"

"That's terrifying!" Shen Yi got goosebumps just thinking about it.

Su Tai also raised the corners of her mouth.

Master Pu was already completely engrossed in the pile of fish.

Fortunately, it's the dead of winter, and the fish were frozen while they were still alive, so they didn't have much of a fishy smell.

Master Pu wanted this and that.

When Shen Yi brought out the large yellow croaker, pomfret, and prawns, good heavens, he wished he could take a whole box of each.

In just a quarter of an hour, Master Pu had already selected three baskets of seafood. The three mackerel, each weighing over twenty pounds, alone cost 150 taels. In addition, there were other fish and shrimp, which together amounted to 300 to 400 taels.

Fearing he would make an impulsive purchase, Shen Yi quickly tried to dissuade him, "Mr. Pu, are you sure you can finish all this food?"

Master Pu gave him a haughty look and said, "Who do you think you are! It's almost New Year's, so we'll get some seafood to give as gifts. It'll be both impressive and practical! It'll also be perfect for building relationships."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yi stopped trying to dissuade him and even helped him pick out several items.

After seeing Master Pu off, the couple received six hundred taels of silver.

When Shen Mu from Shenzhuang and the villagers from Zhangjia Village arrived, they were also startled by the fish in the yard.

Especially the mackerel; the group didn't dare touch it and it took them a long time to get used to it.

The goods have been packed into boxes, and the warehouse is almost overflowing.

Before the caravan returned, Shen Yi summoned Ma Xingteng. Since Shen Yi began repairing the bridge, the two hadn't seen each other privately for a long time. Since Shen Yi had taken the initiative to invite him, Ma Xingteng had no choice but to rush over eagerly.

"Brother Shen, what brings you here today? I must say, you've built this pontoon bridge really well! I just walked on it as if it were flat ground, without any worries."

Faced with Ma Xingteng's flattery, Shen Yi found it amusing. He invited him to sit down and have some tea, saying, "The New Year is almost here. Brother Ma, have you thought about making some more money?"

Ma Xingteng's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward, "Good brother, do you have any good business opportunities to help me out?"

He knew that Shen Yi had formed his own caravan, and the Ma family also had their own caravan, but it was just a small caravan, which could run to nearby prefectures but could not go to distant places.

As far as he knew, only the Zhu family in the entire Zhaohua County had a powerful caravan that could travel long distances; others who wanted to go out to do business had to find a security escort agency.

Shen Yi's caravan was one of only two in Zhaohua County that could travel far to do business without fear of bandits or thieves.

Partnering with Shen Yi is a sure way to make money.

Seeing Ma Xingteng's eyes light up, Shen Yi didn't keep him in suspense and brought out a box of seafood, saying, "Take a look at this stuff."

When the box was opened, Ma Xingteng was stunned. "Are these real fish? Where did they come from? Where did you get them?"

"Qiongzi".

Ma Xingteng suddenly realized, and gave Shen Yi a thumbs up, "Brother! You've expanded your business all the way to Qiongzi, I'm truly speechless! So, how do we plan to cooperate?"

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow. "You agree?"

"Isn't that obvious? Who would pass up such a good deal!" Ma Xingteng seemed particularly excited.

Shen Yi took out the contract he had prepared in advance.

Ma Xingteng took it and examined it closely. The handwriting on the contract wasn't very good, but it was still legible what it said.

"You mean I'll help you sell the goods and we'll split the profits 20/80?"

Shen Yi nodded. "Is that acceptable?"

“How are you going to sell it?”

Shen Yi said unhurriedly, "A mackerel weighing more than 20 catties costs 50 taels, and one weighing more than 30 catties costs 80 taels. A yellow croaker costs 10 taels, a pomfret costs 5 taels, a red snapper costs 5 taels, a large prawn costs 200 coins, a medium-sized one costs 120 coins, and a small one costs 500 coins per catty."

Ma Xingteng glanced at the goods in the box, nodded thoughtfully, and said, "The price is fair, but how much do you have?"

He won't make much money if it's just a little bit!

Shen Yi took him directly to the villa, where the villagers of Zhangjia Village were loading goods. The abundance of seafood in the yard dazzled his eyes.

Before Shen Yi could speak, Ma Xingteng was already laughing wildly while hugging him, "Good, good, good! We'll do it your way! I'll send someone over to pick up the goods today!"

Ordinary people have never heard of seafood, but wealthy people certainly know about it and understand its value. This trip mainly involves visiting nearby prefectures and counties, and I should be able to earn quite a bit by the end of the year.

Ma Xingteng's excitement grew as he thought about it, and he took five thousand catties of goods before nightfall.

After learning about this, Su Tai raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why not cooperate with Master Pu, but instead choose Ma Xingteng?"

Shen Yi sighed helplessly, "Master Pu is much older and more shrewd than Ma Xingteng. In addition, his family lives in Dahe Town. If we let him get involved in this deal, given Master Pu's cautious nature, he will definitely send someone to keep an eye on things. I'm afraid we'll be exposed."

Ma Xingteng is different. That guy isn't as shrewd as Master Pu, and the Ma family isn't as wealthy as the Pu family. Ma Xingteng has limited manpower, and besides, he has no roots in Moshi Town, which minimizes the risk of this deal.