Reborn in 1981: My Life as a Fisherman

When Shi's father returned, he explained the situation regarding the boat rental.

Shi Hailong had a sudden thought and said, "Dad, I'll go to the brigade headquarters by myself tomorrow."

Don't bother running around; you'll lose face if you get rejected.

Upon hearing this, Shi's father looked at Shi Hailong and nodded, "Alright, it's your own business, you should take charge."

"I'm already eighteen, not a child anymore, it's time for me to go out and explore."

"Going out" refers to the ability to interact with people. Whether one is good at going out or not is, in later terms, a matter of whether one is a social butterfly or a social phobic.

Shi Hailong remembered that in his previous life, his father would often scold him and never go out.

None of his three sons were capable; they were all honest, simple-minded men.

The next day, after having breakfast and a cup of tea, I checked the time and it was almost time.

Shi Hailong took only his twenty-odd yuan and some cigarettes with him.

Head to the brigade headquarters, which is at the very end of the village, at the westernmost edge of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Near that old landlord's house.

A row of six large brick and tile houses made Shi Hailong very envious.

He planned to build a house like this in the future, with blue bricks and large tiles.

However, instead of arranging them in a row, they were built in the style of a traditional courtyard house, like the old mansion of a landlord.

Yes, many old buildings in Fujian Province also have the courtyard house structure.

Of course, it also differs from the traditional courtyard houses in the north in many ways.

It has some of the unique characteristics inherent to the South.

Shi Hailong doesn't plan to build two or three-story buildings in the future; he thinks single-story buildings are better.

Take advantage of this period when land for building houses is more readily available, and then expand the area accordingly.

Anyway, when my children grow up, I'll definitely buy a house in the city.

Even before anything was finalized, Shi Hailong had already begun planning the location and style of the house in his mind.

They even considered the possibility of their children moving to the city when they grew up.

Upon arriving at the first gate of the brigade headquarters, I immediately saw the militia captain inside, drinking tea.

Immediately, Shi Hailong walked in with a smile.

"Director Yang, you're busy!"

As he spoke, he offered him a cigarette.

He wasn't a hothead, so he wouldn't call someone "Captain Yang".

Everyone would be happy to hear that it's a direct supervisor.

Sure enough, Yang Jianjun took the cigarette and asked with a smile, "Hailong, you've come here for something, haven't you?"

People don't visit temples without a reason, and ordinary people don't come unless there's a specific reason.

Shi Hailong didn't beat around the bush, revealing his old, simple smile, "Director Yang!"

I came to ask if I could rent one of the two small boats at the brigade headquarters.

When facing the militia captain, Shi Hailong naturally wouldn't mention that he wanted to see Secretary Chen.

Doesn't that mean he's already convinced that the militia captain can't make the decision?

Although that is indeed the case, this matter definitely requires Secretary Chen's approval.

But it might be better to let Director Yang speak.

After all, it would be best to avoid seeing Secretary Chen again, given what happened last night.

So that Secretary Chen wouldn't think he was manipulating him.

"Is that all?" Yang Jianjun asked.

Shi Hailong nodded, and Yang Jianjun said again, "When Secretary Chen comes over, I'll ask him for you."

If it's feasible, forget about renting or not, just buy a few packs of cigarettes.

It's fine to use it for ten days or half a month.

However, those two boats have been sitting there for quite a while. Go check them yourself later to see if they're cracked.

Shi Hailong immediately responded with a smile, "Okay, I'll go take a look."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Director Yang!"

Yang Jianjun waved his hand dismissively, and Shi Hailong left the office.

Then we went directly to the shore at the dock.

In the distance, two small boats could be seen, covered by some old boat tarpaulins.

At first glance, it looks dilapidated.

But when Shi Hailong lifted the old canvas, his eyes lit up.

As expected of something from the brigade headquarters, it's very well preserved even though it's not used.

The bottom of the ship was also suspended in mid-air.

The brigade headquarters and the production team are not the same concept.

Therefore, the things belonging to the brigade headquarters do not belong to the production team.

This is the boat that the brigade used to take when going out to sea to the commune.

Later, a ship with a diesel engine was acquired, and these two no longer needed to be kept.

That diesel-powered boat was the one that frequently traveled to and from Haichao Commune.

When the brigade cadres weren't using it, they used it to make it easier for villagers to go to the commune.

One cent per person, two cents round trip.

Shi Hailong squatted down and began to examine the two ships carefully.

Very good. Based on his decades of experience, these two sampans are of excellent quality.

The quality is also very good.

The size is also good, about seven meters long.

such a pity!

It belongs to the brigade headquarters, and it definitely won't be sold to outsiders in the next two years.

Due to a variety of factors, many things in the past two years have become collectively owned.

However, two years later, as things began to relax, everything was sold off.

More than a decade later, the brigade headquarters was rebuilt, and those six large brick houses were all sold.

In a few years, when the supply and marketing cooperatives are restructured, their large buildings will also be rented out first and then sold.

Of course, it was Director Xu of the supply and marketing cooperative who was renting and buying.

During the production team era, the supply and marketing cooperative had a branch in each brigade.

It is assigned to two people, just like Director Xu and his wife.

One is a salesperson, and the other is a manager.

With these thoughts in mind, Shi Hailong headed home.

It's not appropriate to go to the brigade headquarters now; I'll go after lunch.

Sure enough, around 1 p.m., Shi Hailong finally got his wish.

We rented a small sampan.

Yang Jianjun said that Secretary Chen had agreed and told him to go and pick up a ship directly.

They told people it was rented, and it cost two yuan a day.

But Yang Jianjun actually told him that there was no need to go through the boat rental process, as it was difficult to handle the accounts and troublesome.

Just buy a few packs of cigarettes when the time comes.

But you can't say to outsiders that you bought a few packs of cigarettes or anything like that; you have to say that you spent two yuan a day.

Shi Hailong, of course, wasn't inflexible and insisted on renting something.

He guessed that Secretary Chen only opened up because of what happened that night.

Otherwise, even if it were only five yuan a day, Secretary Chen wouldn't go looking for trouble.

The brigade headquarters doesn't lack these few dollars; it would be troublesome to handle accounting and such, and even more troublesome if something goes wrong.

Shi Hailong originally wanted to inquire about the diving equipment piled up in the warehouse of the landlord's old house.

Upon hearing Yang Jianjun's statement, one can guess the intricacies involved.

He then gave up the idea.

We must not push our luck; many things must be done slowly.

First, set up the trap, and then use this time to build a good relationship.

Now he's not in a hurry anymore; he's gone diving to dig for abalone, turning a bicycle into a motorcycle.

Too much of a good thing can be bad, especially when Lin Shaowen came to borrow money that day.

This made him take it to heart; he couldn't be too high-profile for a while.

He'll buy his diving equipment when the water temperature rises next year, then it won't be too late to go.

Moreover, he vaguely remembered that Lin Shaowen and the others seemed to have gotten into some trouble at the end of the year.

I can't recall the specifics right now.

After all, too many years have passed!

However, there was one thing that came to his mind when he returned home from the brigade headquarters.

That's something that happened in Haichao Town.

It was the day the whale stranded and injured someone that reminded him that he could take advantage of his foresight.

Go and make connections with people in the coastal defense area.

I just never imagined what kind of cases would occur at this time in my past life.

There's no case, but there is something I could try if the opportunity arises...