The entire ocean is my fishing ground.

Chapter 25 Follow me, abide by my rules

The day after Zhang Meng was arrested, at 5 a.m., the intelligence panel was updated.

[Intelligence 1 (Resource): Near the rocky area southeast of Qingshui Island, there is a batch of sea bass weighing approximately 40 jin (20 catties). The quality is medium to high, and it can be used as a backup source for today.]

The other three pieces of intelligence pointed to the open sea, a useless treasure, and a message that Zhang Tiejun would be attending a seafood industry conference in the city today and would not have time for anything else.

Lin Chen had just warmed up the speedboat's engine when he saw Wang Fuhai leading two men toward him.

Lin Chen recognized the two men; one was Liu Dahai, and the other was Li Jun. They were both honest fishermen from the village who had been bullied the most by Zhang Meng in the past.

"Chenzi, we..."

Liu Dahai rubbed his hands, looking a little embarrassed but also expectant.

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Chen jumped off the boat and handed him a cigarette.

"Brother Hai, just say what's on your mind. We villagers don't stand on ceremony."

Wang Fuhai chimed in from the side.

"Chenzi, they both want to work for you too."

"Zhang Meng has been arrested. These fifteen days are crucial. If they can't sell their fish, they'll go hungry."

Looking at their dark faces and hopeful eyes, Lin Chen was already prepared.

He knew very well that Zhang Meng's fifteen days of detention were not for catching his breath, but for seizing territory.

"OK."

Lin Chen nodded.

"However, if you work for me, you have to follow my rules."

He held up three fingers.

"First, time. The goods must be delivered to my yard before six o'clock every morning. Not a minute late. My customers need to receive the freshest fish before ten o'clock in the morning."

"Second, inspection. I have to personally inspect every single fish. No dead ones, no half-dead ones, no ones that are too small. My customers need to give me the quality they require. If the quality isn't up to standard, it will damage my Lin Chen brand."

"Third, settlement. All fish that pass inspection are weighed on the spot, and I immediately transfer the money according to the price we agreed on beforehand. Daily settlement, no credit, not a penny late."

The three rules are concise and to the point, without a single superfluous word.

After listening, Liu Dahai and Li Jun exchanged a glance, their faces showing disbelief.

In the past, people who sold to Zhang Tiejun could do so at any time, and the price depended entirely on what the seller said. Live and dead fish were sold together, and they would be picked over and pressured to lower the price. In the end, the payment would be delayed for three to five days.

"No problem. Chenzi, we'll do it your way."

Liu Dahai slapped his thigh excitedly.

"Okay, let's start today."

After seeing them off, Lin Chen did not immediately go out to sea.

He went home, brought out a small blackboard about half a meter high, and wrote a list on it with chalk.

[Today's Customer Needs List]

1. Fisherman's Song Restaurant (Uncle Su):

Demand: Live sea bass and yellowfin tuna preferred, 30-40 jin (15-20 catties).

Features: Must be alive, high quality, and reasonably priced.

2. Fresh Way (Manager Zhou):

Needed: Grouper and shrimp, chilled or fresh, 50 jin (25 catties).

Features: Large quantity, stable supply, chilled is acceptable, but uniform size is required.

3. Haiweiju (Manager Li):

Demand: Top-quality goods, such as large yellow croaker and lobster, as much as you can get.

Features: Highest price and highest profit margin, but with stringent requirements for variety and appearance.

4. Wanghailou/Old Wharf:

Needed: Common fish, conch, and other everyday items, totaling 40 jin (20 catties).

Features: High volume sales, average price, but can sell all kinds of miscellaneous fish.

He placed the blackboard in the most conspicuous position at the entrance of the courtyard.

At 5:50, Wang Fuhai, Liu Dahai, Li Jun, and two other fishermen they had called arrived on time, carrying fish baskets, at Lin Chen's door.

They spotted the blackboard immediately.

Several men stood around the small blackboard, their eyes wide with amazement.

"Goodness gracious, Fisherman's Song Restaurant wants live sea bass, while Wanghailou Restaurant wants mixed fish..."

"Haiweiju buys large yellow croaker and lobster, and their prices are the highest."

"I happen to have two groupers weighing one and a half pounds each in my net today. People who used to sell them to Zhang Tiejun would just consider them as small, ordinary fish. But here they can fetch a good price."

"Stop looking, line up, and check the goods."

Lin Chen was carrying an electronic scale, with several large blue plastic buckets next to him.

Lin Jianguo also came out at some point, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and squatted down next to Lin Chen without saying a word, his eyes scanning each basket of fish.

Inspection begins.

"Uncle Wang, this basket of yellowfin tuna is quite good, twenty catties, I'll take it all."

"Brother Hai, these two groupers are good, perfect for Fresh Way. The rest of these small fish aren't very good quality, so we won't take them today."

"Junzi, these crabs of yours aren't very lively. Are they dead? Dead ones won't do."

Lin Chen was meticulous in his inspections, pinching each fish, checking its gills, and weighing it.

Although Lin Jianguo doesn't speak, when he encounters a fish that is controversial, he will pick it up, take a look, and then nod or shake his head.

The old man has spent his whole life dealing with fish, and no one can disagree with his judgment.

In half an hour, all the fish from the five fishermen's households had been inspected.

After weighing and calculating the money, Lin Chen transferred the funds one by one using his mobile phone on the spot.

Seeing the money arrive instantly on their phones, the men were so excited they didn't know what to say.

"Chenzi, thank you."

"We'll work for you from now on."

Today, Lin Chen's total catch, including the fish he sold on behalf of others and the 40 jin of sea bass he caught himself, reached 180 jin.

The speedboat's several large buckets were stuffed full.

He glanced back at the dock.

Several fishermen who were cooperating with him were still standing on the shore waving at him, their faces showing long-lost smiles.

If everyone can follow the same standards in fishing and preservation, what he sends out will not only be seafood, but also a guarantee of the name Huangni Village.

At noon, when he delivered the goods to Su Jianming, Su Jianming looked at the seventy or eighty kilograms of various seafood that he unloaded at once, his eyes full of admiration.

"Xiao Chen, you're really like a supplier now, no longer just a lone wolf doing small-scale things."

Su Jianming patted him on the shoulder.

"Work hard. As long as you can maintain the quality of your products, these restaurants in town will all buy from you from now on."

When Lin Chen got home that evening, he locked himself in his room and reflected on the day's events.

The number of fishermen cooperating increased from three to five households, and the total output increased several times over. Even the usually silent father took the initiative to come out and help inspect and select the goods today.

Su Jianming also relented, saying that as long as the goods were good, the restaurants in town would be easy to deal with.

But Lin Chen knew very well that all of this was based on one premise: Zhang Meng was still inside.

When he comes out in fifteen days and sees that his business has been completely taken over by Lin Chen, will he let it go?

Don't even think about it.

These fifteen days are not a period of complacency or respite, but a golden window for him to establish a firm foothold and expand his business to a level that even Zhang Meng's return cannot shake.

He must, during this period, establish himself firmly enough that Zhang Meng cannot uproot him even if he returns.