Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

The next morning, Lin Chuan, carrying the production team's certificate, did not head directly to the county town, but instead turned and walked towards the wharf aquatic product supply and marketing station.

After leaving the brigade headquarters, Lin Chuan hurried towards the dock.

The Beishi Wharf was already bustling with activity in the early morning. People were mending nets, repairing boats, and waiting for ferries, some standing and some sitting. Their conversations mingled with the rushing water, creating a unique morning symphony for the wharf.

People greeted Lin Chuan from time to time, and Lin Chuan responded with a smile to each one.

"Rat, open the door!" Lin Chuan raised his hand and knocked hard on the door, shouting loudly.

Wang Hao, with a cornbread in his mouth, slipped on his shoes, opened the door, and looked at Lin Chuan with a puzzled expression.

Lin Chuan doesn't usually visit often, so could he have gotten some rare fish this time? Thinking this, Wang Hao suddenly felt that the pancake in his hand had lost its flavor.

Lin Chuan looked at Wang Hao, and before he could speak, he laughed and said, "Mouse, I got a batch of bamboo and some wood in the county town."

Do you have connections with people who operate cargo ships? Or maybe your seafood company's ships would be fine too.

Upon hearing this, Wang Hao immediately deflated, stuffed the last bite of the pancake into his mouth, and muttered, "I thought you had caught some new fish, but it turns out I misunderstood."

I saw you guys bringing building materials to the island a couple of days ago. You're bringing bamboo and wood, are you planning to build a house on the island?

"More or less! So, do you have any connections?" Lin Chuan asked with a smile.

"Yes, just a moment." With that, Wang Hao clapped his hands, turned around, and went back into the house.

A moment later, he came out with a piece of paper stamped with a red seal and handed it to Lin Chuan: "Take this."

Lin Chuan took it and saw that it was a letter of introduction for the seafood company's transport ship, and he was overjoyed.

"This afternoon, one of our company's boats is returning empty from Qinglong Wharf. I know the boat captain, Lao Wu, well. Take this letter to him and ask him to bring the timber back for you."

As he spoke, Wang Hao winked and laughed, "As for the shipping cost, you know what I mean. I already told him in the letter that I'd give you a discount."

Lin Chuan nodded knowingly. In the current situation, it would be difficult to find a private cargo ship to transport goods without connections.

Even if there are any, they are all small, informal, or privately owned boats operating under affiliation, such as Lin Chuan's own wooden boat.

It will take another year or two for the government to officially allow large-scale operation of private boats. If things don't go well on Wang Hao's end...

Lin Chuan could only try his luck and see if the state-run transport team would be willing to take on this small job. It seems the result was good; quite a few people from the seafood company were looking to earn extra money.

Lin Chuan looked at the letter of introduction in his hand, then at Wang Hao's smiling face, and smiled too.

He patted Wang Hao on the shoulder: "Thanks, I'll definitely think of you first if I come across any good stuff."

After saying goodbye to Wang Hao, Lin Chuan switched to waterway and went to the dock where the seafood company's boats were moored. He then found Captain Wu and explained his purpose.

"Load the ship at 3 PM and transport it to Qingpingzhou Wharf. The freight is eight dollars." Captain Wu said succinctly as he looked at the letter.

It was one yuan cheaper than the market price. Upon hearing this, Lin Chuan immediately paid a deposit of two yuan and agreed with Captain Wu to settle the balance when the goods were loaded onto the ship.

Afterwards, Lin Chuan took a half-hour bus ride from Qinglong Port and arrived in the county town smoothly. He was already quite familiar with the roads in the county town after his trip yesterday.

Lin Chuan headed straight for the construction company. The old man at the gate remembered him and, seeing him holding a certificate stamped with a red seal, turned and called out to him.

Before long, the person in charge who had been in contact with us last time came out, checked the certificate, and nodded.

In the corner of the warehouse, the pile of scaffolding steel pipes still lay quietly. Lin Chuan walked over, squatted down, and carefully inspected each pipe one by one, picking out fifty that looked to be of good quality.

Weighing and calculating the cost, it totaled over 1,200 jin (approximately 600 kg). At 6 fen (0.06 yuan) per jin, it came to 72 yuan.

Lin Chuan deftly pointed out seven large ten-yuan bills, and added two small change.

The person in charge took the money, quite satisfied with Lin Chuan's straightforwardness, and said with a smile, "If you need any more scrap metal in the future, just come to me."

After saying that, he called over two young workers to help Lin Chuan carry the steel pipe to the door.

Immediately, Lin Chuan hired a handcart nearby, negotiated a price, and hauled the half-ton iron contraption to the dock.

Next, Lin Chuan rushed to the county's second film company, found Ma Baokun, paid the money at the finance department as agreed, and picked up the goods.

We then rushed to the bamboo and wood factory, paid for the materials, and got them delivered. Fortunately, the factory had its own old Liberation truck, which helped transport the materials to the dock.

Upon hearing this news, Lin Chuan couldn't help but feel annoyed. He regretted not renting the cart; it would have been much easier to just follow the lumber mill's trucks.

Looking at the sun, it was still early, so Lin Chuan headed towards Huai Shu Hutong following the information his father had given him.

The area around Xiguan in the county town is mostly comprised of old, single-story houses and courtyards. The third house in Huai Shu Hutong has a low lintel, and much of the black paint on the wooden door has peeled off.

Lin Chuan knocked on the door.

A series of unhurried footsteps came from inside, and the door creaked open halfway.

The person who opened the door was a thin old man with gray hair, neatly combed, wearing an old Zhongshan suit that had been washed until it was faded, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and his hands covered in sawdust.

He glanced at Lin Chuan, his eyes filled with the scrutiny and distance characteristic of a craftsman.

"Who are you looking for?" The old man's voice was not loud, but it carried a sense of composure.

"Master Lu, is this you? Hello." Lin Chuan quickly bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Master Chen from Pingchuan Island sent me."

Upon hearing the name "Master Chen," Master Lu's indifferent expression softened slightly, and he stepped aside to let the door open, saying, "Come in."

The yard doesn't look big, but it's kept very tidy.

Some semi-finished timber was piled up in the corner, and wood shavings were scattered on the ground like coiled snakes. The air was filled with the pleasant aroma of pine and tung oil.

Master Lu didn't invite Lin Chuan into the house. Instead, he sat down on a small wooden stool in the yard and pointed to a tree stump next to him: "Sit down. Old Chen asked you to come. What's the matter?"

Lin Chuan didn't sit down, but stood up and explained the situation on Canhong Island.

"You want the old materials." Master Lu was silent for a moment, then tapped his fingers lightly on his knee.

"The county cultural center, the old building was demolished and rebuilt two years ago. A lot of the beams and pillars that were taken down were made of cypress wood and were quite old."

Kashiwagi! Lin Chuan's heart skipped a beat, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Cypress wood is insect-resistant and rot-resistant, much better than the new pine and fir wood available now," Master Lu continued. "It's been sitting in the warehouse for a while now, being treated as waste."

"Cultural center...can you get that done?" Lin Chuan asked expectantly.

Master Lu glanced at him and scoffed, "As long as you have money, there's nothing you can't make."

Lin Chuan was taken aback for a moment, then realized that it made sense, and nodded with a smile.

"Then... how should we move around? What's the appropriate excuse?" Lin Chuan asked humbly.

Master Lu pondered for a moment and said, "The cultural center is a place that emphasizes culture."

If the water quality of your well is truly special, it could be considered a local characteristic, something that could be related to "folk cultural heritage" or "local landscape protection."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Just say that you want to use these old materials to build a well pavilion with traditional features on the island."

Protecting water sources and beautifying the environment also adds to the island's scenery. They like to hear that.

Lin Chuan suddenly understood and immediately said, "I understand, thank you for your guidance, Master Lu!"

"I'll write a note, take it with you." Master Lu got up and went into the house. After a short while, he came out with a small piece of paper, about the size of a palm, on which two lines of characters were written with a brush, and the signature was "Lu".

Lin Chuan accepted the gift with both hands and thanked him repeatedly.

Emerging from Huai Shu Hutong, the sun was still noon. Lin Chuan checked the time and decided to take a look at the seed station anyway.

The county seed station is located in the east of the city; its storefront is small. Lin Chuan went in and inquired. He learned that suitable seeds are for vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes, but supplies are tight in winter and pre-orders are required.

He noted down several varieties and their approximate prices, and had a general idea of ​​what they were like.

When Lin Chuan rushed back to the dock, Lao Wu's boat was loading cargo. Lin Chuan paid the remaining seven yuan for freight and the cost of loading the boat.

Lin Chuan stood at the stern of the boat, the river breeze hitting his face. After running all day, his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and his throat was parched.

But the thought that the film, bamboo, wood, and steel pipes were all in place, and the technicians were with him, so that his greenhouse would soon be built, made Lin Chuan feel incredibly at ease.