Chapter 8, Shipbuilding

In order to prevent leakage and for security reasons, gasoline barrels are sealed very tightly. Empty gasoline barrels are quite sturdy and have sufficient buoyancy. If one could tie together a dozen or so large gasoline barrels to form a raft, it would certainly be much better than a wooden boat

His thoughts are far more profound than Lin Tianyu's. One can imagine that once this rare seafood appears in City S, it will undoubtedly sell well. After all, City S is considered a first-tier city in the country, with plenty of wealthy individuals, not to mention the officials who require hospitality. Fifty kilograms can definitely be consumed easily. Even if this fresh seafood does not sell out, it can be distributed to other hotels, and one can still add a markup on the price. After all, such a rare item is not commonly found in the market.

Lin Tianyu said, "This seafood is not like cabbage; do you think you can have as much as you want? Although there are quite a few crabs on the beach, they are still limited. However, there should be other seafood that can be caught in the sea. " He hesitated for a moment, "Although I cannot guarantee it one hundred percent, I can provide fifty kilograms every week. Additionally, there may be some other seafood, all of which are very fresh. I wonder if you are interested."

He had never done this kind of work before, and he almost strained his back right from the start. Fortunately, after a morning of labor-intensive tasks, he had gained some experience in gauging his strength. After assessing the situation, he continued to strike down, hitting it dozens of times until only half of the stake remained above ground before he finally stopped

He packed more than seventy crabs into five plastic boxes, hired a small truck with a half-cab, and took them all to the Wanfeng Hotel

The sand on the beach is too soft, so he must drive the stakes at a location relatively far from the shore. He first uses a spade to remove a layer of loose sand from a flat area, then he stands the stake upright on the ground and begins to hammer it down vigorously with a six-pound hammer

A wooden boat is definitely not feasible; I am not a carpenter and do not possess the necessary skills. What options are there that have great buoyancy and are easy to assemble?

Before long, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses walked out with a broad smile. He approached Lin Tianyu and extended a hand to shake his. "My name is Hu Bin, and I am the manager of this hotel"

Inspection, weighing, and counting the money; in no time at all, a deal was successfully completed. Holding the fifteen thousand yuan in hand, Lin Tianyu still felt a sense of disbelief. The speed of making money is indeed astonishing, a stark contrast to the exhausting months of earning only four to five thousand yuan.

There are quite a few obscure items in this collection, and Lin Tianyu spent considerable effort to acquire them all. He was busy until the evening before he managed to gather everything and transport it back home

First, bundle six long wooden beams into three groups of two, along with three vertical gasoline barrels. This will create three long floats. Then, use another six long wooden beams to nail the three long floats together horizontally. Thus, the basic shape of a raft is completed

After expressing an apology-like smile towards Lin Tianyu, she turned and left

Lin Tianyu learned and sold knowledge on the spot, directly stating the information he found online, which indeed made him appear quite professional

When he asked this question, Lin Tianyu nodded and said, "The supply is absolutely not an issue. If your hotel has a long-term demand, I can provide you with twenty kilograms of Mediterranean spiny crabs every week."

The lobsters sold in hotels are generally Australian lobsters, with prices varying from approximately 200 to 1000 yuan per kilogram depending on size and freshness. The spiny crabs that Lin Tianyu brought out were extremely fresh, appearing as if they had just been caught from the sea. However, he was not greedy, pricing them at only 300 yuan per kilogram, which is quite inexpensive compared to the moderately sized lobsters.

The manager smiled slightly upon seeing that he seemed to have some leeway, saying, "Twenty kilograms is perhaps a bit too little. I wonder what your total quantity is. If there is more, we would be willing to purchase in bulk."

This immediately cost Lin Tianyu two to three thousand yuan, and this is just the beginning

He tied another wooden stake to the raft, secured the reel-type winch nearby, and then tied the two hundred meters of nylon rope to both wooden stakes. He then coiled the rope onto the boat using the winch. This raft, which cost over five thousand yuan to build, was thus completed

Before long, the manager returned, accompanied by a man dressed in a chef's uniform. Once they were seated, they began to discuss the business formally. Hu Bin had just finished reviewing the information and found that the price of this rare seafood was quite high, categorizing it as a premium seafood. In this day and age, it is not the high price that is concerning, but rather the low quality. Such rare Western-style seafood can easily be sold for over a thousand or even several thousand yuan each when transferred to a hotel, resulting in a significant markup. However, he was more concerned about stability. After all, if a few were sold today and the customers enjoyed them, but they were unavailable the next time they came, it would tarnish the reputation.

By the time everything was settled, it was already noon. Lin Tianyu had lunch and, after resting for a while, continued to work on the books.

Lin Tianyu was not anxious; the other party would definitely check things out, as it was impossible for them to just believe a couple of casual remarks. He was led by the waiter to a quiet tea room, sipping tea, and he was neither hurried nor flustered.

The next day, he began his work, first transporting everything to the small island. The first task at hand was to build a boat. Strictly speaking, what he was constructing should be called a raft. He already had a rough design in mind for this raft. He arranged twelve gasoline barrels in a formation of four in length and three in width, maintaining a distance of one meter between each row. Thus, the entire base of the raft formed a square approximately five meters on each side.

To purchase gasoline barrels, one must naturally go to a gas station. Lin Tianyu approached the station manager to inquire about the price, which was not too expensive. Without hesitation, Lin Tianyu requested twelve. Upon hearing that he wanted to buy twelve gasoline barrels, the station manager was quite puzzled; however, seeing the generous price he offered, he did not ask further questions and readily sold him twelve large gasoline barrels.

Lin Tianyu had agreed to deliver the crabs in the afternoon. On his way home, he bought a dozen large plastic boxes. After arriving home, he immediately changed into camouflage clothing and began to catch crabs

Hu Bin glanced at Lin Tianyu's attire, which appeared quite ordinary. Although he found it strange, he did not show any signs of it on his face. "May I ask if you have something to discuss with me?"

Suddenly, he had a bright idea; of course, using a gasoline barrel would work!

Acquiring a small boat in City S is not an easy task; however, he does not intend to purchase one. Instead, he plans to simply build one himself.

Lin Tianyu went straight to the service desk in the hotel lobby and said directly to a female employee behind the desk: "I need to see your manager about something"

The manager hesitated for a moment, then signaled to the nearby waiter, "Take this gentleman to the tea room to sit for a while; I will be right back."

Having successfully negotiated the business deal, Lin Tianyu was in high spirits, as this meant a stable income was secured. He decided to gift two crabs to the manager, but the manager politely declined and insisted on paying 600 yuan to purchase them instead

However, if one wishes to engage in trade for the long term, it is essential to have some alternative plans. After all, the beach is only a little over 100 meters long, and the number of crabs is also limited. It is estimated that if this continues, both the quantity and quality of crabs will significantly decrease. For sustainable development, it would be best to expand the range of seafood. Having a fishing boat would be even better.

The Mediterranean spiny crab, also known as the spiny spider crab, is an edible species referred to by Italians as tellmekis, meaning "long-spined bread." This name likely stems from its unattractive appearance. This creature is far superior to lobsters, as lobsters can be farmed, while this species can only be caught in the wild.

Of course, our seafood is air-freighted, ensuring absolute freshness. However, due to shipping costs, the prices are relatively high. What is your intention, Your Excellency?

Of course, I have a business proposal I would like to discuss with your esteemed hotel. However, before we proceed with the negotiations, I would like to inquire whether your hotel offers fresh seafood to guests

The manager nodded and said, "Then it will be fifty kilograms. It doesn't matter if there is more; we will purchase it all. As for other seafood, I am generally willing to buy it, but of course, the price will need to be negotiated separately"

The two parties quickly finalized the details, with Lin Tianyu providing fifty kilograms of sea crabs each week. If there are other seafood items, Wan Feng Hotel will also purchase them at the corresponding price as per m.hetushu.com.

He then dismantled all the crates, using the wooden slats he removed to fill the gaps between the horizontal beams as a deck, securing them with nails. By noon, this raft was completed.

I have a batch of seafood that I want to sell, and I can absolutely guarantee its freshness. I brought some samples for you to take a look at," he said as he opened the plastic box.

Fifty kilograms is equivalent to one hundred jin, which sounds like a considerable amount. However, these crabs are all quite large, with each one weighing about one to two jin. Fifty kilograms amounts to just over seventy crabs. Lin Tianyu quickly caught enough in a short time, and he did not catch more. After all, while there are plenty of crabs on this beach, they are not infinite. If he wants to sell them for a longer period, it is better to adopt a sustainable approach.

He then purchased several other items: a 2-pound hammer, a 6-pound hammer, 200 meters of nylon rope, 2 pounds of 4-inch iron nails, 2 pounds of 2-inch iron nails, two 1.5-meter long wooden stakes, four long wooden crates, twelve wooden beams, one reel-type winding device, one thick plastic tarpaulin, one complete fishing rod set, one float-equipped hanging fishing net, and one inflatable life jacket

What he needs to do next is to drive a wooden stake into the ground. Since he has little experience with boating, he has decided to drive a stake on the shore and use a nylon rope to connect the stake on the raft to the stake on the shore. This way, after catching the fish, he only needs to grab the rope and pull the raft back to the shore.

The manager is also an expert, and can tell at a glance that the seafood is not local, "What is this?"

Individuals like him, who work in the service industry, always wear a hint of a professional smile, regardless of their position, making them appear to be very approachable and easy to communicate with.