Reborn in the Millennium: Building a Fortune from Fishing

Chapter 562 Ship Repair Shop

At 3 p.m., Qin Dahe, who had taken a nap, went to East Lake to pick up a boat, as he had arranged to have dinner with someone in Nansha District that evening and would need it.

Today, Designer Wu happened to be free. When he received Qin Dahe's call, he was surprised that he still remembered him and invited him to have dinner together.

When you're traveling, having someone from your hometown is quite useful. He knew about the aluminum alloy boat and even offered to help him find a solution.

Normally, you should notify people of a dinner invitation at least one day in advance; otherwise, it's considered disrespectful.

That's what he said on the phone too, that he planned to get together in Guangzhou in a couple of days.

Who knew they would directly suggest having dinner together that night, and even offered to treat us.

We couldn't afford to waste any more time, so we immediately arranged a dinner for that evening.

The boat must be brought along as well.

Upon arrival, they found a two-story house with a yard in an urban village. This family was quite well-off, owning such a large place in Shenzhen. At that moment, Awei was drying his fishing gear.

"Awei, how was lunch?" I tossed him a cigarette. He was tanned dark, probably just got home.

"Haha, I caught another nineteen pounds." Although the tide wasn't as strong as this morning's, there were more valuable catches, so it must be great.

"Are Li Ge and the others no longer fishing?"

"Hehe, they took two speedboats out to sea. I couldn't stand the heat, so I came back."

Qin Dahe nodded. There was no obstruction at sea, and long-term high-intensity fishing was even more difficult than manual labor.

I handed over the money from selling the fish that morning, along with a receipt.

After taking the money, Awei didn't even look at the invoice and just counted out a thousand yuan.

"Don't be picky. I'm going out to sea in a few days and I need to save some money. Otherwise, I'll give you 30%."

He couldn't bear to buy a long-casting rod that cost over ten thousand yuan; nothing beats deep-sea fishing. Once he made a fortune, he was definitely going to go out to sea and have some fun.

I still have about twenty days left before starting work, so I might as well go out for a fishing trip.

Qin Dahe didn't want the thousand yuan, but it was forced into his pocket.

"This is the rule at sea. If you buy a yacht in the future, when you bring passengers, you will not only have to pay 30% of the fishing fee, but also the fuel cost."

"alright."

He didn't dwell on the issue and started packing up the boat, which was mostly dry.

Grade 5 aluminum alloy is a material used in shipbuilding, and its corrosion resistance is exceptionally strong.

After exchanging greetings, we drove to Humen and crossed the Humen Bridge to Nansha District.

Qin Dahe didn't arrive at the location until 5:30.

Now that the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge isn't there, it's not as fast as it used to be.

However, there are no traffic lights on the road and few cars, so it's quite impressive that it took an hour and a half to drive to Nansha District.

Twenty years from now, you'd be lucky to get there in two hours.

Qin Dahe ordered the dishes first. Since this was a gathering of fellow villagers, they didn't order a large banquet.

One tiger grouper, braised Qingyuan chicken, slow-cooked soup, plus a serving of vegetables, and one serving each of roast goose and cold dishes is enough.

To prevent others from paying the bill, he left a thousand yuan with the shopkeeper, planning to make up the difference later if needed.

After ordering the food, he waited in the living room while the waiter came over to make tea.

A tea table is a standard feature of Cantonese seafood restaurants; it would be shabby to open a restaurant without one.

Not only is there a tea table in the living room, but there is also one in the private rooms. This is the "atmosphere set" for Southerners to discuss business.

Qin Dahe has dealt with many Cantonese people. They are serious about food, like to drink tea and chat about everyday things when discussing business, but they are not "pretentious".

In comparison, they won't make boastful remarks at the dinner table, such as knowing the leader or having done big business with him. Eating and discussing business with Southerners is a relatively comfortable experience.

What I fear most is running into those businessmen who went into business in the 1990s; you can't even think about doing business without drinking two or three kilograms of liquor.

After drinking a cup of tea, he saw an Audi parked next to his car, and Technician Wu and another person got out.

Seeing Qin Dahe drinking tea by the window, he even waved.

He immediately went out to greet him.

"Angkor." He greeted him, then looked at another middle-aged man in his forties.

"Xiao Qin," Technician Wu introduced, pulling the person next to him, "This is the director of Dongjiang Ship Repair Factory, surnamed Feng. Their factory also has shipbuilding qualifications and specializes in selling small boats and assault boats."

"Director Feng, hello." He stepped forward politely to shake hands.

This is such a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect Technician Wu to be so enthusiastic; he even brought the manufacturer along.

Qin Dahe was extremely grateful and asked the manager to add another serving of fresh seafood. He didn't care about the cost; he just wanted to make sure the guests were treated well today.

They went upstairs chatting and laughing. Before the food was even served, Qin Dahe told them about his fishing tackle company and the aluminum alloy boat.

"Dahe, I thought your welding model was amazing when I first saw it. It perfectly matched the current design concept and helped me a lot," Technician Wu said earnestly.

The design institute's main task is always military industry. Those stainless steel models are not simple. Although they don't have any technical content, their appearance alone has brought a lot of inspiration to his work.

"Do you have any other models? Or even just sketches?" He looked at it with great interest.

It would be great to make another similar model.

"That's really not true." Qin Dahe shook his head.

I'm not a model aircraft enthusiast; I simply learned to weld aircraft carrier battle group models to hone my skills.

The remaining ones are either too close in time, making them easy to be treated as spies if released in advance, or they are too vague, making it impossible to obtain specific appearance data and achieve a proportional reproduction.

The Strategic Deception Bureau isn't just making things up; their industry model data is downloaded from the internet and can't be found domestically. "I see," Designer Wu said regretfully. "Then let's go down and take a look at your aluminum alloy ship."

"Now?"

"Well, it's fine to eat later. Let me see how the boat you made is." With that, he led the way down.

"Let's go, that's how they all work," Factory Director Feng said with a wry smile. He dealt with these designers quite a bit, and many of the design jobs in the factory were done by them on a part-time basis.

When it comes to specific work, it's perfectly normal to miss meals.

Once downstairs, Qin Dahe took the iron box out of the trunk.

"Is this what a folding ship is?" Both of them were a little surprised.

"Okay, let's go assemble it over there." With that, he led the two to the open space in the restaurant's courtyard.

As the box was opened, all sorts of accessories were loaded inside.

Factory Director Feng kept praising it. Seeing that the battery fit perfectly into the tool slot, he couldn't help but say, "This has potential. This thing can sell well in coastal waters, especially as an auxiliary vessel for small fishing boats. It can be stored away when not in use."

As a businessman, his first thought was profit.

Whether it's a trawler or a rig, having an auxiliary boat can save a lot of diesel fuel, making it almost essential.

Even a three-meter sampan takes up a lot of space on a boat, and the engine and other features are quite troublesome. This folding boat is a perfect fit for this purpose.

Technician Wu, however, saw the design concept: "The design concept of the cabin is good, but it is a bit unreasonable. The bottom of the ship is too flat. If the wind and waves at sea are slightly large, the ship will definitely capsize. Even if there is a wave-breaking corner, it may not be useful."

When the waves come, you may not have time to adjust your direction; a flat-bottomed boat can capsize with a single side push.

Qin Dahe nodded and pulled out the inner tube on the side of the boat, which had an airbag at the top.

"We've taken that into consideration. If the waves are high, we can deploy the fins and just inflate the hull. It'll be more than enough to handle small waves."

The airbags on both sides effectively turn the boat into a 3x3 square hull. Small waves will cause it to tilt, but it is very difficult to capsize.

"Did you weld this yourself again?"

"Yes, I made two at home, specifically for fishing."

"Awesome, your welding skills are good enough to be a master craftsman." Factory Director Feng immediately looked at this person with new eyes. If this person wasn't the boss, he would have wanted to poach him.

The shipyard is in dire need of welders. Master welders can earn tens of thousands of yuan a month, and even apprentices with only a little knowledge can earn a thousand or so yuan a month.

"Haha, let's go upstairs for dinner. I have detailed blueprints here."

The disassembly process was also very quick, and the last box was just the right amount to take away, and the two of them couldn't stop nodding.

It's hard to believe that you're carrying a three-meter-long boat unless you see it with your own eyes.

Once we got upstairs, the dishes were already on the table.

Another dish, Typhoon Shelter Lobster, was added. It was made from two large lobsters and wasn't cheap either; this dish cost him seven hundred.

What would you like to drink?

"Never mind, I won't drink today. Show me the blueprints later." Designer Wu started eating his food directly.

He had become accustomed to his unconventional ways, eating when he wanted and working when he wanted.

In this day and age, a senior professional title allows him to disregard most drinking etiquette.

Factory Director Feng, naturally, did not drink alcohol and instead asked the waiter to brew a pot of tea and place it beside him.

"Don't mind him, brother. Professor Wu is always like this."

"Haha, with people like these forging swords for the country, we ordinary folks can finally live in peace and stability," he said with a chuckle, not taking it seriously.

Upon hearing the phrase "forging swords for the country," Director Feng nodded earnestly in agreement.

The memory of the Hong Kong lockdown six years ago is still vivid; it was so frustrating back then.

People who are dedicated to research, like Professor Wu, are more forgiving of those who have experienced these things, allowing them to focus all their energy on scientific research.

Many people in design institutes are making extra money by doing side jobs at these small boat factories. They can earn tens of thousands of yuan for just a single blueprint.

The shipyard knew but didn't intervene, and everyone accepted the professors' technical fees and was willing to pay that price.

With researchers' concerns resolved, they can also help the small shipyard upgrade its industry, creating a win-win situation that everyone is happy about.

"If you're not going to drink, then eat more vegetables. I caught a wild tiger grouper this morning, but unfortunately it wasn't delivered."

The tiger grouper on the dinner table was farmed; wild ones are hard to find these days, and the ones Qin Dahe and his friends caught couldn't even leave Shenzhen.

The Typhoon Shelter-style baby lobsters did not disappoint. The crispy garlic and breadcrumbs coating had a unique aroma, and the two large lobsters were devoured in no time.

After chatting for a while and getting to know each other, Qin Dahe started bragging about how many fish he had caught.

He even took out the photo album from his wallet to show them, and even Designer Wu was impressed by the 200-pound grass carp.

He can brag about this for a lifetime; he always carries it with him.

"Haha, I'd love to go fishing with everyone next time."

"Okay, once the boat is built, we'll go to the beach and test it out."

"This morning I took my modular boat and caught several dozen kilograms of fish in Dapeng Bay, including three big squid."

Upon hearing this, Director Feng immediately became interested and began to ask further questions.

Qin Dahe poured two cups of tea and, using that as an excuse, began to talk about sea fishing.

This kind of repair shop can be considered a sales channel, and licensing production seems feasible.

(End of this chapter)