Sure enough, the two brothers did not disappoint Helong. After Helong returned to school on Monday, the two brothers were overjoyed for the entire week. First, they each contributed 2,500 yuan to pay back the borrowed money. Then, for the rest of the week, they took their village buddies and brothers out to play, enjoying the best food and entertainment, living a carefree life and basking in the envious gazes of others. The two brothers were extremely happy. When people asked why they suddenly became wealthy, they initially did not say. However, after a bottle of white wine, they spilled their guts and told everyone about everything that had happened recently. Everyone learned that they had earned so much money by going out to catch crabs with Helong. The next day, after the two brothers sobered up, people began to ask for their help, wanting to join Helong's crab-catching team.
On a weekend morning, after greeting his mother, Helong took a bus to the small fishing village. However, upon arriving, Helong noticed that Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan were speaking hesitantly, as if they had something to tell him. When they reached the beach, their behavior became even more obvious. Helong pointed to a stone on the beach and said with a smile, "Sit down and rest for a moment. You two are speaking hesitantly. If you have something to say to the boss, just say it. I'll help if I can."
Hearing Helong say this, the two brothers breathed a sigh of relief and told him the story. Since 2000, the price of seafood has been rising, and the fish resources in the East China Sea have become increasingly scarce. However, the number of people fishing has sharply increased. For just a few thousand yuan, one could buy a fishing boat and a net and go out to sea to catch fish and sell them. When the coastal waters were fished out, fishermen turned their attention to the distant sea. However, the fishing boats operating in the distant sea were medium and large-sized, with even greater fishing capacity. Within a year, the fish resources in the distant sea were almost depleted. As a result, the mesh of the fishing nets became smaller and smaller. In the end, the East China Sea municipal government had to release a large number of fish fry into the East China Sea during the fishing moratorium. However, for the fishermen, this was just a drop in the bucket. At the beginning of the year, large fishing boats had already gone to the high seas or the Korean waters to fish. Medium-sized fishing boats could not go that far, and there were almost no fish in the nearby sea. Therefore, every time they went out to sea, they lost money. Most of the thousands of medium-sized fishing boats in the East China Sea were docked in the ports, and many people had decided to sell their boats at a low price. Small fishing boats could only rely on the local fishermen's familiarity with the East China Sea, catching crabs, fish, and shrimp in some sea trenches. After deducting the fuel costs, they could earn only a few dozen yuan a day, not enough to support their families. This time, the depletion of fish resources in the East China Sea affected the large offshore fishing boats the least and the medium and small fishing boats the most. However, the fishermen in the small fishing village were particularly unlucky. In the 1990s, the ocean made the fishermen in the East China Sea very wealthy, so many people were no longer satisfied with the catch of small fishing boats, which could only bring in a few tons a day. Instead, they preferred to buy 30-ton medium-sized fishing boats. Two years ago, one family finally could not resist the temptation, spent all their savings, and bought a medium-sized fishing boat. The fishermen in the small fishing village fully demonstrated the Chinese characteristic of following trends. Within a month, almost every family had bought a medium-sized fishing boat. However, this joy lasted less than two months. Due to the rising price of seafood, tens of thousands of people joined the fishing industry, and the East China Sea was filled with tens of thousands of fishing boats. As a result, within a few months, the East China Sea was fished out by these "locusts."
After several losses from fishing, the fishermen in the small fishing village reluctantly stopped fishing. All the able-bodied men in the village went out to work, leaving only the elderly and children at home. Because the fishermen had earned money, they did not want their children to go to school, which would delay their time earning money at sea. Therefore, the children at home could neither go to school nor work, and could only stay at home, living off the money their parents earned. The life of the people in the small fishing village was very difficult.
When the people in the small fishing village first noticed Helong selling crabs, they realized the situation. However, they knew that this was not something they could learn, as it was a dangerous job. When there were no fish in the East China Sea, many people turned their attention to the Devil Sea, but no one had ever come back alive. Some even tried to use explosives to flatten the reefs in the Devil Sea, but the reefs outside the Devil Sea were flattened, and the further one went into the Devil Sea, the more violent the waves became, making it impossible to place explosives, let alone approach. Moreover, the seawater was so murky that no underwater engineer dared to work, no matter how much they were paid.
Everyone thought that Helong had entered the Devil Sea by force, caught crabs and large yellow croakers, and then sold them on shore. There was nothing to envy, as it was something they could not learn. However, when everyone saw that Helong had taken Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan out to sea and returned with a full load, they felt that their previous assumptions might be wrong. With what Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan said, it was confirmed that Helong had a unique way to catch crabs from the Devil Sea. Therefore, they begged to join Helong's team.
Thus, Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan were hesitant when facing Helong. After hearing what they said, Helong frowned, but he was secretly delighted. He did not expect the life in the fishing village to be so difficult. "The sea, the sea, it seems the heavens are against you." Helong had once worried that if he had a conflict with Guan Daha, these people would return to their homes and continue to follow their family's boats to fish. However, he did not know that their parents had already stopped fishing and gone to work elsewhere, and earning money with Helong was their only way out.
The two brothers felt embarrassed when they saw Helong frown, as they had been taking Helong's salary every day without doing anything to repay him and only causing him trouble.
Hearing this, Helong said, "Taking them out to sea is not a problem, but there is one issue: what about Guan Daha and his gang? You've seen how profitable catching crabs is. When I take you two out to sea, there are fewer people, and it's harder for Guan Daha to notice. If I take dozens of people from the village to catch crabs, Guan Daha will definitely notice. What if he comes and demands protection money?"
After Helong expressed his concerns, Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan were stunned. The comfortable life they had been enjoying made them forget about Guan Daha. Thinking about what the boss said, Guan Daha was an unsolvable problem for them. They were not capable of dealing with him, and just the 30 thugs under Guan Daha were a challenge. The thought of the boss possibly facing Guan Daha's extortion made them feel guilty, and they could not even lift their heads. Seeing their expressions, Helong guessed that if he had a knife, they would be willing to commit suicide.
When their father was in the hospital, the two brothers had dreamed of killing Guan Daha to avenge their father, but the thought of Guan Daha's vast power made them feel extremely disheartened. Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan did not expect that their good intentions would cause such a big problem for the boss. Although they were willing to fight Guan Daha for the boss, who in the small fishing village could do that? If Guan Daha came, they would all run, leaving the boss to bear the consequences alone. Thinking about this, the two brothers looked at each other and said to Helong, "Boss, I'll go and refuse them. This is our mistake; we forgot about Guan Daha."
Stopping the two as they walked towards the village, Helong said helplessly, "You two asked me for the first time, and as the boss, how can I refuse? Let's go, take me to see them. If Guan Daha really comes, we'll deal with it then." Helong could not let them really refuse.
The two brothers looked at Helong in disbelief, not expecting him to agree. The reason was that it was the first time their two subordinates had asked him, which made them feel honored and grateful. They did not expect the boss to really treat them as his own. Feeling moved, the two brothers refused to let Helong meet the villagers, and it seemed that anyone who suggested leading the villagers out to sea would face their wrath. Helong did not expect to have such loyal subordinates. If it were wartime, giving each of them a bomb, they would be willing to die with the enemy for him. Helong patted their shoulders and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I have a plan. If I don't go, how can you stay in the village? We are all neighbors, and you have already promised them. I also came from the village, and if I can help, I will. As for Guan Daha, we can negotiate. If the protection money is too high, we won't do this business. I'll take you to do something else. Your parents asked me to take care of you before they left, and I have to live up to their expectations."
Hearing this, the two brothers had no choice but to lead Helong to the village with their heads down in shame. After this incident, Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan had no more reservations and were fully committed to following Helong, and no one could shake their loyalty.
When they arrived at the village chief's house, they found it already full of people, all waiting for Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan's response. Seeing everyone looking at him with enthusiasm, Helong said with a smile, "So many people, are you all waiting for me?"
Everyone in the house nodded quickly, and someone gave up their seat for Helong to sit down. Looking around the room, Helong said to the village chief, "Leave a few people who can make decisions, and the rest can go out. It's too hot with so many people here." Helong had learned from a young age that fewer people made it easier to get things done. With more people, it could take forever to get anything done. Since he had decided to help the villagers, a few decision-makers could discuss and start working. The distribution of benefits in the village was their own business, and Helong did not want to get involved in the discussions about who should get more or less.
When only five old men were left in the room, the village chief said with a smile, "We five are the most influential people in the village."
Helong talked with these five people for the whole morning, understanding the situation in the village. He thought he would have to take dozens of people out to sea, but unexpectedly, there were fewer than 30 teenagers aged 16 or older in the village, including a few girls. There were only 22 boys aged 16 or older. Helong's promise to take these young boys out to sea made the village chief and others very happy. The sons and daughters of these old men could only send home about 10,000 yuan a year, just enough for the old men and children to live on, with no extra money for anything else, let alone medical expenses. Hearing from Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan that they could earn 1,000 yuan per week by going out to sea, which would amount to 50,000 yuan a year, the old men were overjoyed. Their sons and daughters might not earn as much in a year as their grandsons could. Just as the old men were overjoyed, Helong raised a question, "Everyone knows the situation in the East China Sea. There is a gangster named Guan Daha who extorts our village's fishermen. If I lead these children out to sea and he comes to me, what should I do?" In the past, the villagers had been extorted by Guan Daha many times and had no way to deal with it. The village chief and others also knew that if Helong worked alone, Guan Daha would not bother him, as the profit would not be worth the trouble. However, if he took a group of people out to sea, the profit would be at least tens of thousands of yuan per trip, and Guan Daha would not let it go. However, the villagers were used to being bullied and had no way to deal with it. They could only lower their heads in embarrassment and remain silent in response to Helong's question.
Helong smiled and said, "If you have no solution, I can only do my best. I am not a gangster but a businessman. If he extorts too much, I will have to find another place to do business. There are many ways to make money, and I cannot help you if it means I cannot make money myself. Remember, I am not a rich man." Hearing this, the village chief and others felt relieved. They did not expect to do this for long, and earning money for one more day was better than earning nothing. If Guan Daha came, they would stop the business, and it would be none of their business with Helong. They all smiled and said to Helong, "Good, good, we have no objections." Seeing their attitude, Helong could only smile helplessly. They wanted to make money without putting in effort. Why should he bear all the losses? The Devil Sea is vast, and there are other fishing villages. He could go to another place. With Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan, who would notice they were still fishing? He would continue to make money, and Guan Daha would continue to bully them. In the end, they would be the ones to suffer. A group of shortsighted old men.
Walking out the door, Helong called the people who wanted to go out to sea with him. He found that they were all his childhood friends, a few years younger than him. Many of them used to follow him and call him "boss." Seeing these people, Helong was quite happy.
Helong divided these people into four teams, with Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan as team leaders. He then had the group choose two more team leaders, one named Liu Chenglong and the other named Liu Zhenzhong. Each team leader had five people under them, and each team had one boat. They would follow Helong to the sea to set nets and catch crabs. After the teams were formed, Helong took his subordinates to work that afternoon. The crabs Helong had brought out from the Devil Sea were not far from the Devil Sea. When the group followed Helong to this area with skeptical looks, Helong said with a smile, "Within a 120-meter radius, catch as many as you can. The team that catches the most will get a bonus from the boss."
Believing Helong, Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan, like unleashed wild dogs, immediately led their teams to cast the nets into the sea and urged their subordinates to move the boats. They knew their only competitors were their brothers. As first-time leaders, they could not lose face in front of their subordinates. The other two teams were clearly a step behind and not very enthusiastic about casting the nets. Helong, after speaking, lay down on his speedboat and went to sleep.
Two hours later, when Helong woke up, he saw that the group had already gathered around their fishing boats, counting their catches. Liu Yong'an was laughing and saying to the other three, "Brothers, I got lucky this time and took first place."
Liu Yongquan, on the other hand, sat at the back of his boat, feeling frustrated. His boat had the second most crabs, only a few dozen pounds less than his brother Liu Yong'an. As the saying goes, experience beats youth. Liu Yong'an, being more experienced, knew where the crabs liked to gather, while Liu Yongquan was too busy urging his subordinates and did not find a good spot, leading to his loss.
Seeing the crabs the group had caught, Helong counted them and found that there were nearly 2,000 crabs, almost depleting the area. That night, he would have to control the Dragon King to bring more crabs.
After landing, Helong immediately called his regular customers in the wealthy neighborhood. In no time, the 2,000 crabs were bought by the butlers and servants of the wealthy. Although the wealthy neighborhood could not consume all the crabs, they could use them as gifts for subordinates or to entertain guests, especially since the crabs Helong sold were live crabs freshly caught from the Devil Sea, which looked very good in a home. Therefore, the crabs sold very quickly.