Back in Chonghai, Zhao Zhao and Da Linzi attended piloting classes daily. After a week, Da Linzi had no issues with practical skills but struggled with theory, as his academic performance was always poor. In contrast, Zhao Zhao, who couldn't drive, tested the limits of the examiner's patience with her martial arts skills and daring.
Despite this, the siblings took an extra week to pass their exams together.
Gun Gun had practically become the hotel receptionist's dog, spending every day there for treats.
Chonghai is one of China's four major ports, handling a third of the nation's cargo, thriving by the sea, and boasting the country's best shipbuilding industry.
Among them, Chonghai Shipbuilding and Ocean Shipyard are leading enterprises, with different product focuses. Today, they first visited Ocean Shipyard, which primarily dealt with small and medium-sized fishing boats.
Zhao Zhao felt it wasn't appropriate to take Gun Gun to buy a big boat, so she let Da Linzi take Gun Gun to play while she took a taxi to Ocean Shipyard's sales office.
The hall had only three staff members and was very quiet.
A beautifully dressed girl in retro style walked in. No one thought she was there to buy a boat. Salesman Xiao Liu, closest to the door, approached her, "Welcome to Ocean Shipyard. Are you here to see someone?"
"No, I'm here to buy a boat." The hall's display cases were filled with ship models of all kinds. She headed straight to the trawler section, which had the most models.
Buying a boat was different from buying a car; you couldn't just drive it away. Boats needed to be custom-made. A company like Ocean Shipyard wouldn't stock ready-made boats.
Hearing she wanted to buy a boat, Xiao Liu enthusiastically followed her. "Are you looking to buy a trawler? Here are some options. What's your budget and desired tonnage? I'll give you an introduction."
"The draft depth can't exceed 4 meters, or it won't fit at the dock."
Xiao Liu had an idea now. "Take a look at this one. It's 18 meters long, 4.1 meters wide, with a 180-ton load and a draft depth of about 2 meters. It features our proprietary engine..."
Zhao Zhao shook her head. "It's a bit small. I want to go deep sea." Deep-sea fishing required a larger, safer boat.
Ah, a big client!
"Then look at these two. These are our latest models, developed in collaboration with Finland's YR last year. They're our most advanced medium-sized fishing boats, differing in tonnage. First, this one is 38 meters long, 6.1 meters wide, with a draft depth of 3.6 meters when fully loaded. The certificate load is 480 tons, powered by YR's YC-9700/88 engine, with two T7800 generators for main power and two additional ones for living quarters. It can reach speeds of 20 knots and has a range of 6,000 nautical miles, with a maximum crew of 30."
This one seemed suitable in size. Xiao Liu continued with the other, "This one has a load of 720 tons, a top speed of 22 knots, a draft depth of 3.8 meters when fully loaded, and is 49.2 meters long..."
As a newcomer to the fishing industry, Zhao Zhao thought both were good and asked about the prices.
"The first one, with a 480-ton capacity, costs 6.8 million, with a construction period of at least six months. The second one is 11.8 million, with a one-month construction period."
No wonder the fishing industry is declining—who has 10 million to buy a fishing boat... Okay, I do.
"Why is there such a big difference in construction time?" Zhao Zhao asked, puzzled.
"The 720-ton one is nearly complete. It was ordered by Jiangzhou Fisheries, but they canceled it recently. You've heard about Jiangzhou, right? They changed owners and shifted business directions." Another new piece of gossip.
“I’d like to buy this boat. Is there a discount? After all, I'm taking this hot potato off your hands, and the previous buyer must have already paid a deposit,” Zhao Zhao said, blinking her big eyes and looking expectantly at Xiao Liu.
Is she really going to buy it? A fairy-like girl who loves fishing?
Xiao Liu stared intently at the middle-aged manager, desperately signaling with his eyes. "My big sale is coming through! Can we offer a discount?"
The middle-aged manager, who had been observing, said straightforwardly, “To be honest, Jiangzhou Fisheries did pay a deposit, but they’ve been long-time clients for decades. The deposit was more symbolic than substantial. If you’re buying, we can offer it for 11.7 million yuan. The boat is nearly finished and can be delivered within a month.”
Zhao Zhao felt there was still room for negotiation. Given the state of the fishing industry, this midsize boat would be hard to sell.
“I can pay the full amount in one go.”
Everyone in the hall looked at her differently now. A wealthy beauty who wants to go fishing?
“Let Xiao Liu take you to the shipyard to have a look. The boat is mostly complete; only some finishing touches and performance tests are left. I’ll go discuss with the higher-ups,” the middle-aged manager suggested enthusiastically, seeing a potential deal and eager to offload this hot potato.
Xiao Liu took her to the shipyard. The boat looked complete from the outside, its protective coating done, all white like a giant whale lying on the sea.
Zhao Zhao was satisfied with the appearance—it was large enough and seemed perfect for Jinshi Island.
“This boat is truly a high-value item. Look at this protective coating; it’s advanced technology from New Zealand, quite expensive. It not only reduces resistance and increases speed but also prevents marine life from attaching to the hull. The engine is the latest model. This boat is a top-of-the-line midsize fishing boat in the country. Should we go aboard and have a look?”
“No need. Let’s not disturb the workers,” Zhao Zhao said, as the place was filled with noisy machinery.
She walked around the boat, thoroughly impressed. With this big guy, she could venture into the deep sea and even face storms, preventing the tragedy that befell her father from repeating.
Seeing her silent, Xiao Liu continued, “This boat can accommodate up to 60 people for work and living. Of course, with its top-tier full automation, it only requires 30 people to operate it normally. It’s hard to find such a high level of automation on other boats…”
“Please stop calling me ‘customer.’ My surname is Zhao. Rest assured, you’ve got your commission,” Zhao Zhao said with a smile.
Xiao Liu was thrilled, exchanging contact details enthusiastically. “Miss Zhao, if you have any issues with the boat in the future, just contact me. Our after-sales service is the best in the country! We’ll definitely help in any way we can!” This deal would earn her a substantial commission.
“Okay, Liu Jie. Let’s keep in touch,” Zhao Zhao replied with a smile.
Getting to know someone from the maritime industry isn’t a bad thing.
Back in the sales department, the middle-aged manager was waiting for her. “If you pay in full, the leaders have agreed to a further discount of 100,000 yuan. We’ll sell it to you for 11.6 million yuan. This is definitely the lowest price for the Y2-7380 in the country.” They also wanted to get their money back quickly. Given the current state of the fishing industry, this boat was tough to sell, and discounts weren’t usually offered.
The deal was finalized, the contract signed, and a 1 million yuan deposit was paid. The boat would be named “Yaoguang” after her newly registered Yaoguang Fisheries.
From today, the Zhao family would have a large vessel to venture into the deep sea.
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