Reborn in the Millennium: Building a Fortune from Fishing

Chapter 546 "Addicted" Roast Goose
Xiaoliu came back at 3:30 pm. She got the screen working today, but she only brought a sample with her.

For bulk purchases, we need to test the effect first, and then have someone ship the goods directly to Jiuzi.

"Dahe, do you think this size is okay?"

Upon seeing the item being handed to him, Qin Dahe immediately became interested.

It looks like a laptop screen, but the edges aren't sealed, and some of the card slots and interfaces even have exposed coils.

"Will it need to be packaged later?"

"Yes, we need to re-customize the shell, but it won't cost much."

"Let's go find a place to test it out." Since it's still early and dark, we definitely need to try out the underwater effects.

He took the things and went straight to a ditch at the entrance of the community. He even brought some silver carp and bighead carp bait, which is really good at attracting small fish.

As long as we can see the fish, that's fine; the specific parameters will need to be adjusted later.

Some old men were still fishing in the stream; there are quite a few waterways in Shenzhen.

Qin Dahe simply attached the camera to his rock fishing rod, found a corner, and threw the camera down.

This is the sample I brought back from Taihu Lake last time. The one I purchased in Shenzhen hasn't been waterproofed yet, so it's unusable. As the camera steadily fell to the bottom of the water, the situation immediately became clear.

After the silt was stirred up, the water became slightly turbid, the visibility was very low, and the water quality itself was also poor.

He took out a cigarette and offered it to Qin Dahe, then began to inquire about the cost of the screen, while also waiting for the mud and sand to settle.

"The price is tiered. It's 1,700 for up to 50 items, and the more you buy, the cheaper it gets. If you import from Hong Kong Island, you might only need to spend around 1,000."

Wow, that's ridiculously expensive! Such a bulky screen costs 1700 yuan, while laptops are so much cheaper.

"This is the latest LCD screen, which has solved the problems of saturation and brightness," Xiaoliu explained.

The CRT screen had the most stable picture quality, but it was inconvenient to carry, so only LCD screens could be used.

Once you've set the image parameters, you can use it by putting a cover on top to block the sunlight; the only downside is that the image quality will be a bit lower.

Qin Dahe remembers that even twenty years later, some professional Photoshop masters were still using large CRT monitors, and the performance difference was probably huge.

After the silt settled, Qin Dahe began to scatter bait for silver carp and bighead carp. Without letting the bait rest, he just stirred it haphazardly and threw it in.

These small streams are teeming with small fish. The camera is positioned only three meters underwater on the riverbank, and as soon as it's dropped, it attracts a bunch of small fish.

As you can see on the screen, a large number of white bars are attracted, and after a while, there are also small tilapia, also known as the nail tilapia, which is the nightmare of anglers in the south.

"Hey, there's quite a bit of stuff in this river." Qin Dahe said, both amused and exasperated, as even the little carp had been drawn over.

An old man nearby came over, glanced at it, and muttered some curses as he put away his fishing rod.

He came here specifically for crucian carp and tilapia, but since there were no fish, he simply went home. It wasn't worth it to risk his life in the middle of summer for small fish.

"The image is still too white," he said, frowning.

"Just adjust it later, it's not difficult."

What about battery life?

"You can charge it with a battery pack or use AA batteries as a power source; it can last for at least two hours."

"How about the cost?" Taking a deep drag of his cigarette, Qin Dahe began to consider the issue of cost reduction.

With Hong Kong Island now returned to China, Shenzhen, as a bridgehead for foreign trade, will only see goods become cheaper and cheaper. If the cost can be reduced to 1500, there will be an opportunity to sell on a large scale.

"Using a battery pack also requires a charger, which increases the overall cost by 125 yuan. The battery pack is relatively expensive."

“Then use AA batteries, they’re more convenient.” He nodded. “But we need to reserve a power outlet, since they come with their own power supply and charger.”

"This is easy to handle."

"Then it's up to you. This batch of goods will have to wait. We'll see if we can reduce the cost to below 2000 next year."

After the turn of the millennium, the development of electronic products accelerated year by year. When MP4 players cost 100 yuan each, underwater cameras could be made for 200 yuan.

Since Xiaoliu said it was no problem, Qin Dahe didn't dwell on it. He would just have his uncle find someone to verify the cost later.

Whether skilled workers earn a lot or a little, it's all their due. My uncle has a wide network of connections in Shenzhen. If he builds a factory again, it wouldn't be bad to have Xiaoliu continue to do the contract manufacturing.

After testing the camera, I picked up my things and went home.

It's already past four o'clock, so there's no time for fishing. Not only do we not have a car, but there's also no tide.

Uncle Qing said that when there is no tide, the chances of catching fish are high. You can catch fish if you really want to, but it is almost impossible to catch a lot of fish unless you encounter a school of fish.

Some people don't like watching the tides, but whenever they have time, they take their fishing rods to the beach. They're really addicted and often catch nothing.

Qin Dahe is lucky; he's been in Shenzhen for two days and has been shipping large quantities of goods every day.

Fishing for a few hours every day before heading home is much more comfortable than freshwater fishing, and you don't have to carry a bunch of stuff around.

I went to the study, turned on the computer, and downloaded the Legend game last night. It's time to have some fun today.

The retro stone UI and familiar music instantly transported him back twenty years, or rather, to the present.

I started playing online games almost as soon as I was born in my previous life. Wasting my youth was inevitable, but it was also a spice in my boring and repetitive working life.

Thinking about it now, I feel a little nostalgic. The key reason why these old leeks have been exploited for twenty years is nostalgia.

After registering and entering the game, the little character wields a wooden sword and rushes out of the village.

The world chat channel is relatively quiet; it's not yet closing time, and the server isn't holding many users.

After playing for a while, I couldn't help but light a cigarette. How can I play computer games without smoking?

The more I cut, the less interesting it becomes; it's hard to find the joy of staying up all night like before.

I was originally planning to spend a few hundred yuan, but after looking at the mall, I don't know what to buy.

Level, equipment?
Frustrated, I shut down the game, right-clicked, and uninstalled it. As the progress bar moved forward, the icon quickly disappeared.

After uninstalling it, I still felt uneasy.

The evening sunlight slanted in from one side of the window, and the sea breeze blowing into the room was comfortable, but it couldn't compare to the three tiled houses in the countryside.

In the countryside, you can go to the supermarket to brag, or lie in the shade of a tree in the yard to cool off, with the four little ones having a great time.

Keeping two dogs weighing over 20 pounds in a big city is a disaster; even an orange tabby or a tan tabby can be a headache. No matter how much Xiao Linzi loves cats and dogs, his aunt would never allow him to keep any pets.

The local "double ponytail" hairstyle is already bad enough.

But it's different in the countryside. Cats and dogs can run wild and have yards to keep them, so the house won't get dirty.

When I'm bored, I text my wife on my phone. My daughter doesn't like calling me because it's too expensive.

We chatted about today's catch, and when we talked about grouper, Yan Yan got hungry, saying that we must have a good meal when she comes over.

She hasn't even tasted a fish that costs several thousand yuan.

"Brother, those who stole the cassock had a big fight this morning. They fought fiercely on the dike."

"How many dogs?" Qin Dahe asked curiously.

Watching the dogs fight in a group is really exciting, especially when Erhu's dog, Niu Ge, leads the charge, it's incredibly imposing.

"About fifteen or sixteen, my second uncle's dog was maimed."

"Is the fried noodles alright?"

When he saw that one of the dogs was injured, his heart tightened. Fried noodles had been his old partner for two years.

"No, our two are plump and strong; even if they can't beat us, they can run away."

"That's good. I heard it's still hot here in October. Tell your mother not to bring any clothes and to just buy them when she comes."

"Okay, I understand. I won't bring any baby clothes."

The couple chatted about everyday things, and soon a lot of text messages had accumulated.

His plan came with a lot of free text messages, so I figured I might as well use them.

Qin Dahe also wanted his wife to come back soon, as he found it boring to be alone except for fishing.

We'll take them to Nanshan to have a good look around and buy some imported goods for the family.

The two kids have been quite a handful. The whole family has had a tough year, so this is a treat for Mom and Yanyan.

Once you make money, it's meant to be spent on your family.

"Dahe, come and eat! Your uncle chopped up half a roast goose," his aunt called out after knocking on the door.

It's already 6:30.

"It's here!" He perked up immediately upon hearing that there was roast goose.

The fragrant roast goose was seasoned with a secret spicy oil, and even my aunt, a local, ate two pieces.

"This stuff smells amazing!" Qin Dahe exclaimed, and Xiao Linzi quickly nodded in agreement, his mouth full of oil.

He had no idea that his family was having a big lunch behind his back.

"Did they put something there?" he suddenly asked, frowning. Damn, this era seems to be at its peak.

"Things?" The eldest uncle was taken aback.

"It's the kind with the shell on, and the chili oil smells so good, maybe they put some in."

The people at the table looked at each other in bewilderment, and even the eldest aunt felt something was amiss.

Even I, who doesn't eat spicy food, have come to like it; maybe it really contains a "secret seasoning."

“Ce, no wonder it’s so addictive. When I’m working late at night and I’m exhausted, I ask my secretary to buy one and share it with me. After eating it, I have the energy to work.”

The eldest uncle's face turned green. He really hadn't thought of this if Qin Dahe hadn't reminded him. The key point was that so much information hadn't been exposed yet.

Those braised food stalls tacitly add ingredients to their dishes without telling anyone. In the countryside, some elderly people even keep some for themselves. Who would have thought?

"Uncle, if you know anyone in the anti-drug squad, you should report them. This can't go on like this," Qin Dahe said with a heavy heart.

The more he ate, the more he felt something was wrong. He was almost certain there was something "inside." He had been eating braised dishes in the countryside for over a year and had never experienced this.

Damn it, after being innocent for so many years, I've actually been dragged down by braised food.

Even his aunt didn't dare let Xiaolinzi continue eating; it was too frightening.

"Okay, I'll call them right away." The eldest uncle looked serious; this was no joke, he himself had become addicted to it.

The atmosphere at home immediately quieted down. Xiao Linzi, unaware of what had happened, obediently went back to do his homework.

Before long, someone came and collected everyone's blood, including Xiao Linzi.

He then began to inquire about some details from his uncle and sent people to stake out the noodle shop.

"Mr. Ye, don't worry, this is just accidental ingestion and there won't be any other effects." A man in his thirties sat on the sofa and reassured everyone.

"Won't it be included in the file?"

"No, just report any similar situations to us in the future. This young comrade is quite vigilant."

"That's good. I was really worried after eating it twice. It must have been laced with something." Qin Dahe finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Once you keep a copy of this, it can stay with you for life.

Once airport and high-speed rail security systems are connected to the network, you'll be treated differently wherever you go, and that'll be a real ordeal.

Just then, the other party's phone rang, and everyone in the room looked at him nervously.

"Order them to be arrested!"

After hanging up the phone, the other side must have already taken action; China has zero tolerance for drug-related crimes.

The three men turned pale; they had guessed correctly.

"Don't worry, you're not addicted yet, it's not a big problem."

"That's good."

"Hehe, if only everyone were as vigilant as you. There's even a reward for this tip-off; I'll send it to you after the case is closed," the man said with a smile.

A slightly larger amount would earn you a third-class merit award. You're really lucky; you can even earn merit at home.

If it were more, like a second-class merit, then...
(End of this chapter)