Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

The dim oil lamp flickered on the table, and the tiny flame cast the shadows of everyone on the wall in a crooked manner.

Lin Chuan looked at the hesitant Li Jianshe, then turned to Wang Pusheng and asked, "Uncle Pusheng, are you also planning to build a greenhouse?"

Wang Pusheng nodded, his expression serious: "I have that idea, but I'd rather build a cargo ship."

"You want to get a boat? Do you know how expensive boats are?" Li Jianshe's eyes widened, his face full of surprise.

"Actually, I've been thinking about making a living these past two days." Wang Pusheng ignored Li Jianshe's question, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression.

"I met a boat captain while fishing on the river before. I went to Chongming Island a couple of days ago and chatted with him."

You wouldn't know unless you went there; most of the boats there are motorized now, and there are all kinds of boats under ten tons.

Many are converted from cement boats or old wooden boats, and there are quite a few small wooden boats like ours that have been modified by adding an engine.

Lin Chuan's eyes lit up as he listened, inwardly blaming himself for being blinded by his own limited perspective.

Given the DIY capabilities of Chinese people, there must be quite a few of these modified boats on the market. Previously, I was so focused on boats manufactured by reputable shipyards that I forgot about this aspect.

Indeed, getting an old sailboat, adding an engine, and modifying it should be enough for hauling cargo.

Lin Shoutan was also drawn in by these words and turned his gaze over.

"And what you don't know," Wang Pusheng sighed, "is that after they modified those old boats, they fished during the day and transported goods at night."

For every ton of cargo shipped, the profit per kilometer can range from one to two and a half dollars, depending on the grade of the cargo.

"Making money this much?" Li Jianshe's eyes widened, gleaming in the dim light of the oil lamp.

Lin Chuan listened, his brow furrowing slightly. "Uncle, as far as I know, the sewage fee is about four cents per kilometer per ton. Are you referring to illegal boat operations?"

"Xiao Chuan, do you know about this?" Li Jianshe quickly asked.

Lin Chuan nodded. "I've heard some of it."

Upon hearing Wang Pusheng's words, Lin Chuan couldn't help but recall some things.

It seems that around March or April of next year, the Provincial Shipping Administration conducted a surprise inspection and launched a crackdown in the Yangtze River Basin and inland river basins.

In three days, they seized over a hundred illegal boats, all of them 30 to 100-ton outboard motorized wooden boats loaded with sand, bricks, and grain, evading taxes and freight charges.

Most of these boats were public vessels belonging to their respective production teams, making it difficult for ordinary people to own them privately.

Although it made the news at the time, the punishment was not very severe; those caught were generally fined between fifty and two hundred yuan.

It seems like I need to pay additional taxes, and then the local shipping station will issue a revised itinerary before they can release the cargo.

Afterwards, someone did the math and found that the boat owner could basically earn back the fine by making three trips.

Many boat owners feel that paying the fines is worthwhile and are willing to do so, leading to an increase in the number of unlicensed boats being fined.

Gradually, illegal boats became commonplace and almost invisible throughout the Yangtze River basin, with the authorities cracking down on them every now and then.

However, the supply gap is large, there is massive construction across the country, and the cost of penalties is not high, so the problem persists despite repeated crackdowns, and the quantity remains substantial.

However, the most dangerous thing about the black ships is not the official punishment, but rather their large number.

Because the boats are small, owners often overload them. In addition, they are afraid of being caught at night and dare not turn on their lights. As a result, there are many times more accidents on the water than on land.

Later statistics showed that unlicensed vessels accounted for more than 40% of collisions, and the number of deaths and missing persons was far higher than that of properly licensed vessels.

"Is running cargo ships really that profitable? If you run one for a month, you could earn two or three thousand dollars!" Li Jianshe received an affirmative answer.

My mouth suddenly felt dry, and I subconsciously picked up a cup and took a sip of water.

Lin's father also put down his pipe and listened attentively.

"Xiao Chuan, your uncle isn't very educated, but you know a lot, so I just want to ask you some questions."

"If Uncle takes the money he earned from fishing and uses it to build a 10-ton modified boat to haul cargo, would that be a good idea?" Wang Pusheng was delighted to hear that Lin Chuan knew about these things.

Li Jianshe also put down his cup, looking intently at Lin Chuan, waiting for his reply.

Lin Chuan lowered his head and pondered. If there were no other ways, this would definitely be a good business to make money. As long as you were willing to work hard, you could definitely make a small fortune, but that was about the limit.

If we take advantage of this opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the routes, gradually expand our operations, and establish our own transportation line, it will be very convenient to ship goods from our island in the future, ensuring a guaranteed profit.

However, this is too much of a distraction. The construction of Canhong Island has just begun and cannot be abandoned; that is the main focus. This cargo ship transportation...

"Uncle, it's possible, but a small boat is definitely not an option. It won't be able to pull much, it's not safe, and it's too slow."

"Why don't we get a 100-ton ship to haul the cargo?" Lin Chuan said to Wang Pusheng with a serious expression.

Upon hearing this, not only were Wang Pusheng, Lin's father, and Li Jianshe startled, but they were also choked by the smoke.

Even Lin's mother, who was sewing shoe soles nearby, was pricked by the needle, and blood beaded out.

"Xiao Chuan, are you sure you didn't say something wrong? Your Uncle Pu Sheng said ten tons, but you multiplied it tenfold to a hundred-ton ship? Don't you know how expensive this ship is?" Lin's father coughed several times before he came to his senses.

"Yeah, Xiao Chuan, I was thinking of getting a ten-ton cement boat, three or four thousand should be enough. Wouldn't a hundred-ton boat cost tens of thousands?" Wang Pusheng said, both amused and exasperated.

Lin Chuan smiled and said, "Uncle, cement boats are cheap, but they're not worth it. They're prone to shocks and collisions."

Cracks can easily appear, and once they appear, the steel reinforcement inside will rust and expand.

Moreover, it is heavy, and if the wind and waves are slightly strong, it must be unloaded, otherwise the hatch cover will be pushed open by the water pressure, and maintenance will be troublesome. The time the ship spends resting is longer than the time it spends carrying cargo.

There are other issues, such as poor insulation leading to cargo damage, which is very inconvenient.

Wang Pusheng was taken aback by what Lin Chuan said. He really didn't know that cement boats had these drawbacks. He only thought that the boat was cheap and that his family had enough money to buy one.

"Wouldn't that become a huge problem if we were floating on water?" Li Jianshe said subconsciously.

"But Xiao Chuan, a good boat is nice, but it's too expensive! Your uncle can't afford it." Wang Pusheng said helplessly.

"Uncle, how about this? Let's buy one together and take a share according to the corresponding shares, how about that?" Lin Chuan said to Wang Pusheng with a smile.

Li Jianshe's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "I'll take a share too."

Lin's father stood to the side, silently smoking without saying a word.

He was also tempted by what Wang Pusheng said, and since his son knew the ins and outs, he naturally let his son make the decision.

"That would be great," Wang Pusheng said happily. "I came to you to hear your thoughts. It would be wonderful if you were willing to join us."

Then he added with a wry smile, "But even if the three of us put all the money we've earned together, we still can't afford the hundred-ton ship you mentioned."

"loan!"

"What? A loan!" Lin's father exclaimed in shock. "Xiao Chuan, if we can't buy a good boat, we can buy a small one and modify it. A loan is absolutely out of the question!"