It seems that the people in the living room are Zhao Chengguang's father-in-law and grandparents, while Yu Jinshan is the nephew of the two elderly people and Yu Changhe's cousin.
Yu Changhe waved his hand, instructed the nanny to prepare tea, and then asked, "Second brother, didn't you just go to sea the day before yesterday? Why are you back today... Sigh, the dry season is like this now, no need to worry too much."
Judging from Yu Changhe's tone, he still believed that Yu Jinshan would not be able to catch any fish when he went out to sea, and he was just trying to comfort him.
Yu Changhe indeed meant that in recent years, the Yu family's main business has already transitioned through the transformation of the fishing industry. Although fishing still accounts for 20% of the Yu family's industrial income, it is no longer the most important industry. Moreover, the Yu family's fishing income mainly comes from the fish product factory. The raw materials for the fish product factory come from fishermen along the entire East China Sea coast. How could the Yu family's four boats alone support it?
Yu Changhe comforted Yu Jinshan because he was afraid that his cousin, who had followed him for many years, would become discouraged. He had made a living by fishing all his life, but the fish harvest was getting worse and worse. His cousin didn't know how to do anything else. He was doing this job not for a living, but because he liked it. However, the fish harvest had been so bad in recent years that Yu Jinshan had told him many times that he was discouraged and was preparing to retire. That's why Yu Changhe comforted him.
However, to Yu Changhe's surprise, Yu Jinshan smiled and said to him, "Brother Changhe, you've misunderstood this time. Let me report on this trip to you. We went out to sea the day before yesterday, and yesterday afternoon and evening, we caught more than 60,000 jin, which is 30 tons of sea fish, as well as 12 tiger sharks that are 3 meters long. You can't even imagine such a great harvest, can you?"
With a "thud," Yu Changhe overturned a chair next to him, jumped up abruptly, and asked, speechless, "What?"
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Volume 1, Chapter 447: The Second Miss of the Yu Family
Chapter 447 The Second Miss of the Yu Family
Yu Changhe couldn't help but be surprised.
Moreover, his father, the oldest patriarch of the Yu family, Yu Qiuhuai, asked in surprise, "Jinshan, what did you say? Is it true? Two nets caught 60,000 catties of sea fish, and even caught twelve tiger sharks?"
Yu Jinshan nodded, then said, "Uncle, Brother Changhe, do you think I would lie?"
Of course not. Others might not believe it, but Yu Jinshan's words are always true and he never lies or talks nonsense. Therefore, Yu Changhe never neglects his cousin.
Zhao Chengguang chimed in, "Dad, it's true. I've already arranged for people to unload the cargo from the ship and for tanker trucks to load the tiger sharks. Uncle's trip will bring back at least four million in revenue."
Yu Changhe and his son were both stunned for a moment before they came to their senses.
Yu Changhe quickly asked again, "Second brother, did you encounter a school of fish? It's the dry season now. Even in the East China Sea, in the deep sea, it was rare to encounter large schools of fish in winter."
“We caught a school of fish,” Yu Jinshan sighed, then said, “but not by chance, we caught them. We found traces of the school of fish in the deep sea, and then we caught so many fish in just two nets. And the second net was cast after midnight last night.”
Yu Changhe was taken aback again, then asked in disbelief, "Midnight? How is that possible?"
After nightfall, it is impossible for fishing boats to carry out fishing operations. Moreover, at night, it is impossible to see the direction or origin of any fish schools. In the deep sea areas far from the shore, sea fish do not swim in shallow water like they do near the coast. In the deep sea, sea fish are usually tens of meters below the surface. How can they be observed at night?
Even during the day, it's not easy to observe. Yu Changhe himself is an old fisherman. The earliest family business he inherited was fishing boats. He has been fishing for more than ten years. His experience and skills in fishing are no less than those of Yu Jinshan's family. So when Yu Jinshan said it, he found it unbelievable.
“It wasn’t me,” Yu Jinshan answered immediately, then turned serious and said to Yu Changhe, “Brother Changhe, this is what I’m talking about with you now. I want you to make a choice and give me an answer.”
Yu Changhe was taken aback by Yu Jinshan's extremely serious expression, then nodded and said, "Alright, go ahead."
This cousin had never asked anything of him, and he was always very methodical and never acted recklessly. This time, his words were very unusual, so Yu Changhe answered him seriously while waiting for him to finish his sentence.
"Brother Changhe, the story begins the day before yesterday, and it all started with Cheng Guang."
Yu Jinshan then pointed at Zhao Chengguang and said, "The day before yesterday afternoon, Chengguang called me and said he had found a laborer for my boat. Because one of them left a couple of days ago, we were short one person. I was planning to find a local from the village to be more reliable, but since Chengguang told me, I agreed. Chengguang is quite reliable. I told him that the laborer would come to the boat and keep watch with Fugui until dawn... We... went out to sea."
Next, Yu Jinshan recounted how, after setting sail, he cast his first net in the deep sea, only catching 200 jin of fish. However, Hu Yun cast his second net without permission, causing him and Yu Qiang to get angry. Unexpectedly, after hauling in the net, they caught 20,000 jin of fish and twelve tiger sharks. After being greatly surprised, he chatted with the new worker Hu Yun for a while and discovered that he was a true expert at identifying fish schools by observing the seawater. They chatted and drank until midnight that night.
While drinking, Hu Yun heard something unusual about the seawater, so he cast his second net. This second net caught over 40,000 catties of fish. From this second net, it can be concluded that this new laborer, Hu Yun, was not just relying on luck; his catches were almost like Li Xunhuan's flying daggers—his aim was flawless.
If Hu Yun possessed such abilities, one could imagine that even excluding the exceptional catch of the twelve tiger sharks, the mere 60,000 jin of sea fish alone would generate over 500,000 yuan in income. If he went out to sea four times a month—that's the bare minimum—his monthly income would exceed two million yuan, and his annual income would be over twenty million yuan. And this is for a single boat! This income is more than five times that of the best-harvesting boats on the East China Sea coast.
With Hu Yun's technical skills, all four of the Yu family's ships could sail together, returning fully loaded. That would generate an annual income exceeding 100 million, an exceptionally high figure even among the Yu family's other business ventures.
Yu Jinshan recounted the entire story and circumstances in detail, and only then did Yu Changhe and his son truly understand.
It was only at this time that Zhao Chengguang truly learned about Zhou Xuan's fish catch at sea.
Yu Changhe pondered for a while, then asked Zhao Chengguang, "Chengguang, where did you find this Hu Yun?"
Zhao Chengguang quickly said, "Dad, it's like this. I heard from Second Uncle that a laborer had left, so I've been keeping an eye on him. The other day, when I was moving goods, I saw this young man, Xiao Hu, who was very hardworking and didn't slack off at all. He did the work of five other people combined. I noticed this kind of young man, and I thought Second Uncle's ship needed hardworking laborers anyway. This Xiao Hu is good, so I hired him. Then I called Second Uncle and told him that if he didn't perform well during the trial period, he should be fired. He's not a relative of mine, and I really didn't know Xiao Hu had such abilities."
Zhao Chengguang was very clever. He didn't lie about this matter and told the truth. If he had lied and said that it was entirely due to his discerning eye, with Hu Yun's amazing abilities, Yu Changhe would definitely have noticed him. As soon as they talked, Yu Changhe would have known everything about the past. If his father-in-law found out that he had lied, things would be difficult. His position in the Yu family was already awkward. If something like this happened, his position in his father-in-law's eyes would be even worse.
If I tell the truth, I might leave my father-in-law with the impression that I am hardworking and don't seek credit.
Zhao Chengguang's move did indeed achieve its purpose. Yu Changhe nodded with satisfaction, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Second brother, what conditions do you intend to use to keep Hu Yun here?"
Yu Jinshan coughed, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Brother Changhe, I'll do what I can without overthinking. But to be honest, this person's abilities far surpass mine, both in what he deserves and what he can achieve. So I can't make that decision. Even if I give him my captain's position, it won't make a difference. This empty title is meaningless. Brother Changhe, in the end, these are still your assets, your wealth. You have to make the decisions on important matters yourself."
Yu Changhe pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and then said, "Second brother, how about this? Based on your observations, I think I don't need to scrutinize him any further. Since he has such abilities, I think we should give him an annual salary of one million this year. We'll pool our four boats and set sail together. If his abilities are truly outstanding and he can return with a full load every time, we'll also give him a commission. If he returns with a full load every time, his actual income will exceed five million. If future harvests are not as good, we can still afford to pay one million. We'll just reduce this year's income by a quarter; it's not a huge loss. What do you think?"
Yu Jinshan and Zhao Chengguang were both stunned. They hadn't expected Yu Changhe's boldness to be something they couldn't match. Yu Jinshan had been hoping for an annual salary of around 500,000 yuan, plus commission and bonuses, while Zhao Chengguang had only expected 100,000 yuan. They never imagined his father-in-law would give him ten times that amount, and if bonuses were included, it would be fifty times more.
However, Yu Jinshan welcomed Yu Changhe's suggestion. With such a salary, Hu Yun would surely not refuse. This annual income, even if the harvest was not ideal in the future, was a guaranteed one million. If he continued to perform as he had this time, his income plus commissions would exceed five million, which would not be a loss for him. It would be comparable to the salaries of the CEOs of large companies. For a mere new fisherman like him, this was already a meteoric rise.
Zhao Chengguang never expected his father-in-law to give Hu Yun such a high salary. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous, but he didn't show it on his face. If Hu Yun had influence in the Yu family in the future, he would at least be a force to be reckoned with, and be his right-hand man.
Zhao Chengguang's annual salary is about one million, which already includes some benefits. But Hu Yun, whom he introduced, comes with a base salary of one million plus commission. If he really has such ability, and if the number of fish caught each time is similar, his total annual income will definitely exceed five million, which is far beyond Zhao Chengguang's income.
Zhao Chengguang tried his best to suppress his jealousy, and then said, "Dad, there's something else I want to discuss with you. This Xiao Hu doesn't have a place to live. It's obviously not suitable to arrange for him to live with the factory workers. And we can't find a suitable place to live right away. So I was thinking, should we let him live on the fifth floor of our house for the time being?"
Yu Changhe paused for a moment, then lowered his head and pondered for a while before raising his head and looking at Zhao Chengguang with a smile, saying, "Chengguang, you're becoming more and more mature. This is indeed a good move. Money plays a part in attracting talent, but the boss's favor also plays a significant role. Let him live with us; he probably won't be able to refuse our offer to stay. Besides, living in our home will make it harder for others to poach him. Under our noses, he'll still have to give the Yu family some face, right?"
Zhao Chengguang smiled slightly and said, "I'm willing to do anything that's good for the Yu family. Besides, if the Yu family prospers, I'll also benefit."
“Alright, let’s decide on that then,” Yu Changhe nodded in agreement, then asked Zhao Chengguang, “Chengguang, could you prepare some daily necessities for him? Most of what he needs is available in the upstairs rooms; he only needs some clothes for himself. Hmm, Chengguang, give Hu Yun 100,000 yuan in cash as his salary for this month. Also, each crew member on the ship will receive a bonus of 40,000 yuan, and Hu Yun will receive 80,000 yuan, for a total of 180,000 yuan.”
Zhao Chengguang nodded, but before he could speak, Yu Changhe added, "Chengguang, you and your second uncle each take a 100,000 yuan bonus as a reward for finding this talent. Hehe, go and keep this talent of ours!"
Yu Changhe waved his hand and pointed to the staircase outside the living room. The staircase of this building is outside the hall and does not go inside. If Zhao Chengguang takes Zhou Xuan upstairs, they can avoid going through the inner staircase in the living room and avoid meeting them.
At present, Yu Changhe does not want to meet Zhou Xuan directly, because the results of this voyage alone are enough to confirm that he really has that extraordinary ability. Therefore, Yu Changhe wants to observe for a while longer to confirm that he is a truly outstanding talent before meeting him.