Reborn in the Millennium: Building a Fortune from Fishing

Chapter 536 Being cheated
"What lousy shrimp! They're just shells after they thaw. Don't buy them again next time!" Qin's mother scolded angrily.

Qin Dahe shrank back, using his children to shield him from the fence.

The mantis shrimp I bought yesterday are acting strangely. They were perfectly fine when I bought them, but after I thawed them in water, there was no meat at all.

With both boxes in such poor condition, he naturally knew he had been ripped off.

"I didn't notice either, it looks pretty fresh."

"Go buy some braised dishes. Yan Yan is waiting for lunch." She glared at her son with annoyance and then went to prepare lunch.

Yan Yan didn't bring any food for breakfast because she had mantis shrimp for lunch; she was just waiting for the food to be delivered.

We can't eat mantis shrimp right now, so we have to make some other vegetables.

Qin Dahe left the house dejectedly; what bad luck!

People these days are so malicious. They know you shouldn't buy frozen swimming crabs, but who would have thought mantis shrimp would be so wicked?

When you're out and about, you really have to be careful, damn it.

When they got up there, Hanwa was chopping ducks with money in his hands.

"Brother, we can't eat the shrimp," he said with a mournful face.

The couple was heartbroken about losing three hundred yuan.

"Sigh, who could have known it was all just an empty shell? I guess I'll just have to learn from this experience."

He took out a cigarette and lit it for his brother; no one could blame anyone else.

They were both quite happy when they bought it.

"One pound of braised beef, half a salted duck."

"Alright, the big boss is really generous." The old man selling braised food chuckled and started cutting the meat.

Others only cut braised beef when guests come, usually only three ounces to half a pound, but the Qin family usually cuts a pound.

Qin Dahe was carrying the braised food with a worried look on his face. He would have to have his family talk to him about this several times before he would calm down.

It's only three hundred yuan, it's disgusting.

Sure enough, I got scolded when I brought Yan Yan lunch.

"You're such a grown man, how could you let someone fool you?" Yan Yan glared at him, annoyed.

The two were in the office at that moment, just the couple.

Everyone else went to the water room outside the grain station to heat up their meals.

Open flames and electric heating equipment are prohibited inside the grain depot. Qin Dahe delivered hot meals, so you can eat them right there inside.

"Yan'er, did you tell the stationmaster what I asked you to say?" He started to change the subject.

It's about getting all the grain from the grain depots next year, since the quality there is the most stable, even for old grain.

"Our own processing plant will definitely do the trick. We'll send some gifts to everyone during the New Year." The little girl waved her hand and started eating.

Even without mantis shrimp, braised beef and salted duck are still good, and they go very well with rice.

Qin Dahe also thoughtfully brought a bowl of tomato and egg soup.

The tomatoes I grew myself are already quite juicy. Fry them in lard, and the soup turns a bright red color. Adding some free-range eggs makes it even more delicious.

As long as you're willing to use plenty of oil, farm-style dishes are always delicious.

"You're so clever. I'll buy you a couple more bags when I go to Shenzhen."

"Mmm." She immediately perked up at the mention of buying a bag.

Although it hurts to buy a bag that costs several thousand dollars, it makes you very happy when you wear it.

She was a little upset because her son had taken a bite out of her.

My two kids are teething and want to put their mouths on everything they see.

After finishing his meal, Qin Dahe cleaned up the dishes, went to the door to offer cigarettes to the stationmaster and the others, and then left.

The grain depot was similar to the cotton mill; you couldn't even smoke cigarettes inside.

"Qin Dahe is really something, both father and son drive cars. Yanyan is so lucky," the accountant said with a smile.

"Haha, you used to say that a beautiful flower was stuck in cow dung."

"Don't talk nonsense, I didn't say that."

"Back then, many people in town came to inquire about it. Xiao Yu was indeed blessed to have given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and her husband's family loved her dearly."

As everyone talked about the Qin family, they all couldn't help but show expressions of envy.

When Qin's father returned home that evening, Qin Dahe was once again subjected to sarcastic remarks.

The father and son's relationship wasn't bad, but the older man always wanted to prove that he didn't rely on his son, which made him feel very awkward.

When the opportunity arises, they will naturally mock him.

Although I was furious, I didn't say anything. This matter would be talked about for at least several days.

The thawed mantis shrimp were buried in holes dug during the day. These things smell terrible, and if you just dump them anywhere, flies and maggots will swarm around them.

We also brought back the crab cages.

The cylindrical wire mesh cage has internal supports that can be opened and folded.

Today, Qin's father specifically asked Fifth Master and learned that this year's crabs will not be harvested until September.

We can sell them now, but the price is too low. If the market is still bad in September, we'll store them in fish baskets, and we'll have to cover the sides of the baskets with a thin film, otherwise the crabs will escape.

Qin Dahe had originally planned it all out perfectly, intending to put it in his own reservoir.

But Uncle Wu said that the reservoir is close to the roadside, and the crabs are easily stolen because the crabs like to gather on the shore, and people can easily pick up dozens of kilograms with plastic bags.

Unless you use an electric fence to block it, but that's not necessary for the crabs.

Normal crab farmers will dig a pond in a sparsely populated area to store crabs.

Just tie up the bank with a thin film, and the crabs won't escape.

Even so, some people still steal crabs. A few years ago, Fifth Master even used a fork to stab someone.

Those barbed black harpoons—you can easily earn thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan just by picking up crabs from the reservoir; it's quite a gamble.

Fish theft is one thing; fish farmers might just get a scolding if they encounter fish theft, but crab theft is something they'll beat to death.

If we don't take it seriously, people will keep coming to steal from us.

The next morning, the father and son drove out together.

Qin Dahe first went to the courier point to send his fishing gear to Shenzhen, and then made a phone call to his uncle.

After he receives the goods, he can just leave them in the garage.

"Dahe, I have another car here. I'll let you drive it when you come to Shenzhen."

"You changed your car?"

"I got a new Mercedes-Benz W14; I need it for business trips." My uncle's voice on the phone was tinged with pride.

The Mercedes-Benz is incredibly powerful now. It was purchased with company money, so not only is it valued as a fixed asset, but it also allows for tax avoidance.

As the chairman of an investment company, he not only owns a Mercedes-Benz, but also has a secretary, making him look very impressive when he goes out to discuss business.

"Haha, having a car would definitely be good, but I won't be staying in Shenzhen for long."

"That's fine. I'll just drive it a couple of times occasionally to make sure the battery doesn't run out." He knew it wasn't realistic to drive over a thousand kilometers to bring it back.

In the south, even large trucks are afraid of the national and provincial highways; the darkest places are truly dark.

Even those notorious criminals of the century might not come out unscathed if you actually run into them; everyone has a couple of grenades at home.

We agreed to meet at the end of August, and then I hung up the phone.

Then I went to a small CD-ROM making workshop, and this time I returned the computer to them; I had forgotten about it yesterday.

"A top student."

"Haha, Mr. Qin, is the camera working well?"

"It works great. It even got a shot on Jiangsu TV. Go check it out later."

He recounted being interviewed by the TV station, during which they showed a close-up shot from an underwater camera.

Xiaoliu was quite happy to hear this, as her product had been recognized.

"We're leaving at the end of August. I'll buy the plane tickets, so you'd better be ready."

“I understand. Luckily, a classmate works there and has already been asking around about chips and lenses for me.”

After chatting for a while, Qin Dahe asked about the night vision camera.

He was thinking of setting up two large fish baskets in the center of the platform to store crabs, and also to collect some fish from time to time.

However, I need to have surveillance to feel at ease. I'm not afraid during the day, as the large platform is vast and can be seen from all directions.

Unless someone's mentally challenged, who would steal fish or crabs during the day?

I'm worried that someone might sneak over at night, so I need to install night vision surveillance. I don't know if we already have it.

"Night vision camera?"

"Hmm, I'd like to install nighttime surveillance. Can you recommend a cheap one?"

"Then let's modify a Sony F707. It has five megapixels, and we just need to add a hard drive. But you'll need a laptop to access the data," Xiaoliu suggested after some thought.

"You can definitely buy a used F707 in Shenzhen. With the hard drive, it should only cost around seven or eight thousand yuan."

"Can we use that underwater camera?" We can also observe the fish's behavior at night. After all, many anglers like night fishing, so it's always good to do some research.

"Nonsense, there's no light at all underwater, night vision goggles are useless at night," Xiao Liu said, laughing and crying at the same time. "Besides, it's impossible to buy second-hand ones in bulk. Those things have only been out for a little over a year, and buying new ones is expensive."

Qin Dahe nodded regretfully. He might need to sell the underwater cameras, so buying them in bulk was definitely not an option, and he also needed to control the costs.

There are actually many things he wants to do, but the technology and materials don't support them right now, and even if they did, the cost would be exorbitant.

For example, glow-in-the-dark floats and motion-sensor headlamps are great for night fishing; they're much better than carrying a big light bulb to feed mosquitoes.

He plans to buy another laptop in Shenzhen and then install two desktop computers at home, one for each of him and his wife.

We'll have to run our own internet cables. Who knows when the village will get its own internet?

I can just find someone to set up a dedicated line to my home. At 4,000 yuan per kilometer, the total cost will be just over 20,000 yuan, plus an installation fee, and that's it.

With two computers at home, I can stay home and play games or chat online during the winter.

It's not good for the forum to frequently stop updating; it really affects its popularity.

Although he hasn't participated in any competitions yet, he still has some influence on fishing gear sales, so the forum needs to manage it well.

(End of this chapter)