Chapter 71

Qingchen and the other two followed the fisherman into the thatched hut and saw an old man sitting opposite them. The old man had white hair and a beard, was not very tall, and was rather thin. However, his eyes were bright, showing a sharp and capable appearance. Behind the old man stood a young man, who was quite tall and had a fair complexion. From the way he stood respectfully with his head bowed behind the old man, it was clear that he was a junior of the old man. However, being young, his curiosity was still strong. After Qingchen and the others entered, he continued to stand with his head bowed but occasionally glanced at them from the corner of his eye.

Seeing Qingchen and the others enter, the old man quickly got up to greet them and invited the three to sit down, asking the young man behind him to serve the guests some water. After sizing them up, the old man, surnamed Sun, asked, "Where do the three of you come from, and what brings you to our small fishing village?"

Qingchen bowed and said to the old man surnamed Sun, "Sir, I am a Taoist named Qingchen. These two are my friends, Fan Wucheng and Yang Xin. We come from Liangxiang County in Youdu Prefecture, and we are here to find a kind of seafood."

Hearing this, the old man surnamed Sun was somewhat surprised and stroked his beard, asking, "Looking for seafood? I wonder what kind of seafood you are looking for. Although it's not the coldest time of the year, it's still quite cold, and few fishermen go out to sea. I'm afraid you will return empty-handed."

Qingchen replied, "I am just the guide. The ones looking for the seafood are my two friends. They are the owners of a restaurant in Liangxiang County, and they have come to the seaside to find a kind of seafood called 'sea cucumber.' I wonder if you have heard of it?"

The old man surnamed Sun clearly found it surprising that Qingchen and his companions were looking for this. He asked, somewhat puzzled, "I do know about 'sea cucumber.' However, as far as I know, although it is a product of the sea, people in the city do not eat it, and it is not considered a delicacy. Even the fishermen here only use it as bait and rarely eat it. I wonder if the 'sea cucumber' you are talking about is the same as the one I know? Is there really anyone who wants to eat it?"

Faced with the old man's question, Qingchen naturally could not answer. He turned to look at Fan Wucheng, indicating that the businessman should explain. In fact, Fan Wucheng had never eaten 'sea cucumber' either, and his knowledge of it was not much more than Qingchen's. However, since the old man asked, he had to give a reasonable explanation, or he might be taken for a fraud.

So, Fan Wucheng organized his words and said, "To be honest, sir, I have never eaten this thing either. I only recently heard about this seafood from someone else. According to that person, this seafood is very delicious and has an excellent texture when cooked. Most importantly, it has the effect of toning the liver and kidneys and enhancing virility, making it particularly suitable for men to eat. As a businessman, I naturally pay attention to products that might attract customers. Therefore, after learning about this seafood, I decided to come to the seaside to see if I could find it and add it to my restaurant as a specialty dish.

As for whether the 'sea cucumber' I am talking about is the same as the one you mentioned, I cannot be entirely sure, but I think it is probably the same."

Although the old man surnamed Sun did not fully believe that a sea product used only as bait could have such great benefits, from the look on Fan Wucheng's face, he did not seem to be lying. Therefore, he suggested, "It's not difficult to determine if we are talking about the same thing. I still have some 'sea cucumbers' at home, originally intended for use as bait. I can show them to you."

Saying this, he turned to the young man and gave him an instruction. The young man turned and entered the adjacent room, and a moment later came out carrying a small bamboo basket. The old man took the basket, opened the lid, and handed it to Fan Wucheng and the others, saying, "Please take a look. This is the 'sea cucumber' I mentioned. Is it the same as what you are looking for?"

Fan Wucheng took the basket and examined it carefully. Inside was only a small half-basket of what was called 'sea cucumber.' From the appearance, it was very similar to the pictures of 'sea cucumber' he had seen online, but it had been dried for a long time and was not as fresh and colorful as when it was new. However, it at least confirmed that this sea product existed here, and their trip had not been in vain.

So, Fan Wucheng returned the basket to the old man and said, "Yes, this is exactly the 'sea cucumber' we are looking for. I wonder how much you have and what price you would like to sell it for?"

The old man surnamed Sun took the basket and handed it to the young man, stroking his beard and said, "To us fishermen, 'sea cucumber' is just bait and is not worth much. However, it can only be caught during the early spring when the wind is strong and the waves are high, which is risky for the fishermen. If you want to buy it, you would just be paying for their effort. Although the season is now suitable, few fishermen would go out specifically to catch this cheap bait. Most of it is caught incidentally while fishing for other things. The small half-basket I have is from last spring, and now there is only this much left. I estimate that if we collected all the 'sea cucumbers' in the village, we would have at most two or three pounds."

Hearing that there was so little, Fan Wucheng was somewhat disappointed. However, it was already the second month of the lunar calendar, which was early spring, and the 'sea cucumber' fishing season should have started. As long as they offered a good price, he was confident that the fishermen would catch it. So, he asked, "No problem, no problem. As long as it can be caught, the timing is not an issue. I just wonder how long the season lasts and how much can be caught each year?"

The old man surnamed Sun replied, "To be honest, sir, this sea product can only be caught in the spring, for about one or two months starting now. Once the weather gets hot, it will be gone. Based on past experience, if the whole village goes out to catch it, we might get about four or five hundred pounds in a season. If we can persuade the people from nearby villages to join in, we might get one to two thousand pounds in a season. Do you think this amount is enough? If you need more, I know that 'sea cucumber' is also abundant in Suzhou Prefecture of the Liao Empire and Dengzhou Prefecture of the Southern Dynasty. If you offer a high enough price, the fishermen might be willing to go to these places to catch it."

Hearing that they could catch nearly two thousand pounds in a season, Fan Wucheng calculated that if it was dried, it would yield about four or five hundred pounds of sea cucumber powder, which would be enough for the restaurant for a year. So, he felt confident. As for paying a high price to have the fishermen go to Dalian or Yantai to catch it, it was not necessary at the moment. He bowed to the old man and said, "I think a thousand pounds a year should be enough. I would like to ask you, sir, to help me collect 'sea cucumbers' from the fishermen in this village and nearby villages, and then dry them. In a month and a half, I will come to trade with you, and I will only buy from you. I will pay fifteen coins per pound. What do you think, sir? Of course, if the restaurant business grows and we need more, we will consider raising the price and having the fishermen go to more distant places to catch more 'sea cucumbers.'"

Fifteen coins per pound was a windfall for the old man surnamed Sun, who only used 'sea cucumbers' as bait. Especially since from the businessman's words, it was clear that they did not plan to buy directly from the fishermen but would go through him. This meant that he could decide the price he paid the fishermen. If he reduced the price by one coin, he would make a profit of one coin, which was a way to make money just by talking. It seemed that heaven was helping him.

However, the old man surnamed Sun did not let the money cloud his judgment and was cautious about this "good deal." So, he pretended to be hesitant and said, "This is good, but although I am a respected elder in the village and everyone calls me Uncle Sun, I only have influence in this village. The fishermen here might deliver the goods and take the money on my face, but in other villages, it would be different. I cannot rely on my reputation alone to make them hand over their hard-earned catch. And although I am the clan leader, my family is not much better off than the other poor fishermen, so..."

Although Sun Erbo did not finish his sentence, Fan Wucheng already understood his meaning. He waved his hand and said, "Sir, you don't need to worry. I will not make you pay for the goods yourself."

He then had Qingchen call Zhong Tao and the others, who were waiting outside the village, and took out ten strings of coins from the car, handing them to Sun Erbo, saying, "Here are ten strings of copper coins. I think this should be enough to buy 'sea cucumbers' from other villages. I will give this to you as a deposit. We will write a contract and agree on the delivery time. When I come to collect the goods next time, we will settle based on the actual amount, with any excess refunded or any shortfall made up. What do you think, sir?"

Looking at the pile of shiny copper coins in front of him, Sun Erbo was somewhat excited. Although he was over seventy, he had never seen so much money in his life. The pile of yellow copper coins also dispelled his last bit of doubt, and he quickly nodded, saying, "Yes, yes."

Seeing that the other party agreed, Fan Wucheng took out paper and pen from the car and had Qingchen write a contract, planning to sign it with Sun Erbo as a record. However, Sun Erbo waved his hand and said, "I cannot sign this contract." Seeing the puzzled looks on Fan Wucheng and the others, he quickly explained, "Don't worry, sir, let me finish. I am not trying to back out; on the contrary, I am very satisfied with this deal. However, although I am the clan leader of the village, I am over seventy and lack the energy to manage everything. Now, all the big and small matters in the village are handled by my adopted son. When it comes to collecting 'sea cucumbers' from various places, it will also be his responsibility. Therefore, I think it would be more appropriate for my adopted son to sign this contract."

Hearing Sun Erbo's explanation, Fan Wucheng and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Fan Wucheng asked, "I wonder where your adopted son is now. Can we meet him?"

Sun Erbo said, "They went to a neighboring village to do some errands at noon. They should be back by now."

He then turned to the young man and said, "Gao Jun, go to the village entrance and see if your adopted brother has returned. If he has, bring him directly to me." The young man agreed and went.

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