Chapter 6

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"Is this... Shouzhe, are you dissatisfied with our fishing team?" Wang Dinghai asked somewhat uncertainly.

Dissatisfied? He was more than dissatisfied, Wang Shouzhe muttered to himself, his expression serious. "Uncle Six, how is the annual output of our fishing and hunting team? What are the expenses and profits?"

At this question, Wang Dinghai looked stunned, how could he answer such a question?

"Zhe'er, let me answer this," Gongsun Hui interjected. "In recent years, I have been managing the family's general accounts. The fishing and hunting team has a total of nine small fishing boats and one medium-sized fishing boat. Over the past five years, the average annual catch of ordinary fish has been about 67,000 pounds, with a revenue of 486 gold coins. The average annual catch of spirit fish over the past five years has been 400 pounds, with a revenue of 120 gold coins. The average annual total revenue is 606 gold coins."

This time, it was Wang Shouzhe's turn to look surprised at Gongsun Hui. Although he knew that his mother managed the general accounts, he didn't expect her to be so familiar with the data, able to recite it off the top of her head.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Zhe'er?" Gongsun Hui said calmly. "Your mother's cultivation talent for the Black Tortoise is not strong, but as a direct descendant of the Gongsun family of Shanyang, the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art is a required skill. As the clan leader's wife, I naturally should assist him in managing the accounts."

At this point, Gongsun Hui's eyes couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment. Over the years, she had made the accounts extremely clear, memorizing every piece of data, but her husband, Wang Dingyue, had never taken her seriously.

With this, Wang Shouzhe recalled the common knowledge of the Black Tortoise world. The intermarriage of Black Tortoise families always involved direct descendants marrying direct descendants. As a direct descendant, Gongsun Hui was destined to marry the young leader of another family.

Just like how Wang Shouzhe, in the future, would have to marry a direct descendant from another family.

Getting back to the topic, since Gongsun Hui was so clear about the accounts, Wang Shouzhe became immediately interested: "Earlier, Uncle Six introduced me to the value of those catches, which were all quite substantial. Why is the total value of the 67,000 pounds of fish caught annually only 486 gold coins?"

"Uncle Six was trying to please you, pointing out the high-value catches that are favored and enjoyed by the nobles of various clans. However, most of the catches are not as valuable. Additionally, our family business includes fish stalls, which categorize and process the catches through freezing, pickling, and smoking before selling them. This part of the revenue is accounted for separately in the fish stalls. The internal consumption of the Wang family is also recorded in the accounts through gold coin purchases," Gongsun Hui explained clearly. "Please continue, Mother," Wang Shouzhe said respectfully. "For example, expenses and net profit."

Gongsun Hui, being taken seriously for the first time regarding the accounts, became more spirited: "In terms of expenses, with the current 46 fishermen, the annual expenses and monthly allowances total 151 gold coins. The maintenance of the ten fishing boats, including the repair and maintenance of various tools, costs 92 gold coins annually. Additionally, the average annual tax is 72 gold coins, and the average annual compensation is 60 gold coins. After deducting all expenses, the average annual net profit is 221 gold coins. This does not include the family's contributions to Uncle Six, which is a separate account."

Hearing this, Wang Dinghai's face turned red, and he said sheepishly, "How can the net profit be so low? I thought it would be at least 400 to 500 gold coins annually."

"If Uncle Six has any doubts about the accounts, you can come and check them at any time," Gongsun Hui said calmly.

"No, no, Sister-in-law, that's not what I meant," Wang Dinghai waved his hands hurriedly. "I'm just a rough man who only knows how to fish. Shouzhe, why listen to these boring accounts? Let me show you my special skills."

"Uncle Six, don't rush," Wang Shouzhe reassured him, then frowned at Gongsun Hui. "I have two questions. First, what is the basis for the tax? Second, what is the compensation for?"

"Shouzhe, the An River has strong winds and turbulent currents, and occasionally, some difficult-to-deal-with aquatic beasts appear," Wang Dinghai explained hastily. "Even if Uncle Six is very careful, some fishermen and workers will inevitably lose their lives in the An River. Without high monthly allowances and compensation, no one would be willing to join the fishing team."

"The tax is calculated based on the size of the fishing boats. Small fishing boats pay 6 gold coins annually, and medium-sized fishing boats pay 18 gold coins annually," Gongsun Hui also explained.

Fixed tax payments.

However, Wang Shouzhe understood that in this economically backward world, fixed tax payments were the best method.

After understanding all the information, Wang Shouzhe bowed to Wang Dinghai and said, "Uncle Six, I didn't realize that fishing in the An River was so dangerous. Thank you for your hard work and contributions to the family over the years."

Wang Dinghai felt relieved and chuckled, "Shouzhe, just don't blame the fishing team for not making enough money. To be honest, when Brother Five was the clan leader, I proposed expanding the fishing fleet to him. I can manage ten boats, and I can manage twenty boats just as well. I can also recruit more fishermen, which would bring more gold coins to the family. After all, the thirty-mile stretch of the An River can easily accommodate twenty fishing boats. By the way, the Liu family's fleet has about twenty boats."

"Another ten boats?" Wang Shouzhe asked with interest. "Can you tell me more about it? Gold coins are the most important resource for the family's growth."

"Let me explain," Gongsun Hui said, knowing that Wang Dinghai was not good with accounts. "I know about Uncle Six's proposal. He wants to add two medium-sized fishing boats and ten small fishing boats. Each medium-sized fishing boat costs 120 gold coins, and each small fishing boat costs 45 gold coins, totaling 690 gold coins. As long as we can recruit the necessary fishermen, the accounts will break even in three years."

"Breaking even in three years, this is feasible," Wang Shouzhe nodded in agreement. "Even if we stop later, selling the boats won't be a loss."

Wang Dinghai's face lit up, looking like he had found a kindred spirit, and he patted his thigh, saying, "Sister-in-law, I told you this was feasible. I just don't understand why Brother Five didn't agree when I was willing to contribute more to the family."

Gongsun Hui's face turned awkward, "Uncle Six, you don't know, the Wang family has been short of money in many areas over the years." She sighed softly, actually agreeing with expanding the fleet, but Wang Dingyue refused. Moreover, her plan to borrow money from her family was also firmly opposed by Wang Dingyue.

"Shouzhe, do you agree to expand the fleet?" Wang Dinghai probed.

"Zhe'er, if you need to expand the fleet," Gongsun Hui hesitated for a moment and then said, "Mother can go back to Shanyang and raise some gold coins." Borrowing money from her family was embarrassing, but for the family's development, it couldn't be helped.

"No, I don't agree," Wang Shouzhe said after some thought.

What?

Wang Dinghai's face turned dark.

Even Gongsun Hui looked at Wang Shouzhe in confusion. Didn't he just say it was feasible? Could it be that he, like his father, was too proud to let her raise the money?

"Times have changed," Wang Shouzhe frowned and thought. "For the family to develop, we need gold coins, and to get more gold coins, we must increase the efficiency of our family's assets."

"But that's not right, how can we increase efficiency without expanding the fleet?" Wang Dinghai looked at Wang Shouzhe hopefully.

Wang Shouzhe smiled mysteriously, "Uncle Six, you're an expert in fishing. I have a few ideas to discuss with you. Have you ever thought about a fishing method called trawling? It involves two boats working together to fish."

Then, Wang Shouzhe pulled Wang Dinghai down and started drawing diagrams on the deck.

Trawling was a very common fishing method on Earth, a professional and highly efficient way of fishing, far more effective than the traditional net casting.

If it weren't for the excellent natural ecosystem of the An River, Wang Dinghai's extremely unprofessional fishing methods would have led to significant losses.

Of course, trawling was so powerful that it caused significant damage to the natural ecosystem, which Wang Shouzhe was against. However, the family was facing a situation where if they didn't develop, they would be eliminated.

He could abandon natural fishing methods once the family grew stronger.

"Shouzhe, your idea is very ingenious," Wang Dinghai, a professional, quickly understood the principle but frowned. "However, making such a large net would be extremely difficult, and our fishing boats might not be able to drag it."

Can't drag it!

Alright, Wang Shouzhe immediately understood the problem. Sailing ships were not like diesel-powered mechanical boats, they didn't have the power to drag a large net.

"Then let's start with a smaller one, one that can be dragged," Wang Shouzhe said. "Let's make a small trawl net, about three to four zhang wide and six to seven zhang long, shaped like a large bag. The sides should have inverted hooks to prevent the fish from escaping..."

"This can be tried," Wang Dinghai's eyes lit up. "I'll find twenty net makers to work on it, and it should be finished in about two months."

Twenty people, two months...

Wang Shouzhe was somewhat frustrated. The productivity of the Black Tortoise world was indeed very low. However, this also meant that the natural resources were well-protected.

Unlike the world Wang Shouzhe came from, where the nearby seas had almost been trawled flat, leading to various fishing bans.

"Uncle Six, don't rush. Let's look at another fishing tool. Although it's not as powerful as trawling, it's much simpler to operate, and even ordinary people can use it."

Then, Wang Shouzhe drew another fishing tool for Wang Dinghai, called a kite net. This method was similar to casting a net, but instead of casting it from above to cover the fish, the kite net was pulled up from below to catch the fish.

The kite net was more complex than a regular net, but once the fixed points and levers were set up, it was much easier to use. Its advantage was that once set up, any ordinary laborer, even a child, could operate it.

Additionally, the kite net had a more advanced version, the river barrier net. If that could be made, its destructive power would be as strong as a small trawl net.

"Shouzhe, where did you get these brilliant ideas?" Wang Dinghai was so excited that he trembled. "If we can implement them, we'll be rich."

"I saw them in an ancient book of miscellaneous talks," Wang Shouzhe said. "Uncle Six, let me introduce you to the ground cage and the maze net..."

These two tools were also highly destructive and were listed as prohibited fishing gear by the government, showing their power. They were passive, fixed fishing tools.

Once installed, they only needed to be checked periodically, similar to AFKing in a game—no need to manage anything, just harvest on schedule.

Wang Dinghai was almost driven mad. As a professional fisherman in the Black Tortoise world, Wang Shouzhe had opened up a whole new world for him.

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