Having not slept all night last night, Xiang Yang naturally stayed in bed and refused to get up today. He still looked sleepy until noon when his mother called him to get up for dinner.
"Why, are you so depressed just because your family doesn't allow you to buy a boat?" Xiang's mother said unhappily to Xiang Yang, who looked like he was still sleepy.
"I was busy with something last night and stayed up late." Xiang Yang yawned and spoke vaguely while squeezing toothpaste. It was obvious that he was not prepared to tell Xiang's mother that he had watched the fishing boat last night.
"Hurry up and wash your face. I'll tell you good news later."
"What good news?" Xiang Yang, who had just finished washing up and walked into the living room muttering, suddenly had his eyes light up. "Uncle, why are you here?"
Xiang Yang's uncle is He Mingde, who is only ten years older than Xiang Yang.
He Mingde went out to work when he was a teenager. He worked in a fishing fleet for more than ten years, and rose from an ordinary sailor to the position of chief engineer. He was the best among Xiang Yang's poor relatives. He even bought a house in Longcheng. More than half of Xiang Yang's New Year's money when he was a child came from this uncle.
"Good boy, you can even get something like the French Blue Dragon, you're rich!" Uncle Xiang lit a cigarette for himself, "My sister asked me to come here. She said you want to buy a fishing boat. Tell me what you think."
"Uncle, what do you mean?" Xiang Yang asked tentatively.
Uncle Xiang exhaled a puff of smoke, and his muscles bulged under his tight clothes. "I have saved some money over the years. In fact, I have long wanted to buy a small trawler and start my own business. Now that you have the same idea, why don't we discuss it?"
"Uncle, what do you think?" Xiang Yang was a little surprised and a little touched. He didn't expect that although Xiang's father and mother opposed him buying a boat on the surface, they had secretly begun to pave the way for him.
"My idea is that you either don't do it, or do it on a big scale. I'm just afraid that you don't have the courage to do a small thing." Uncle Xiang said.
Xiang Yang nodded repeatedly after hearing this, "I think so too, if we are going to do it, let's do it big."
Both of them were sure that the other had the ambition to buy a large ship, so the next things were much easier to talk about. Xiang Yang directly told his uncle that he had already decided on a large ship worth 5.5 million yuan, which left his uncle dumbfounded.
Uncle Xiang thought his idea was crazy. He wanted Xiang Yang to invest 2.4 million yuan to hold 80% of the shares, and he would invest 600,000 yuan to hold 20% of the shares. The two of them would jointly buy a fishing boat worth about 2.8 million yuan and leave 200,000 yuan for daily expenses.
Unexpectedly, Xiang Yang was even more ruthless. Not only did he invest all the money he had, he also borrowed more than two million yuan.
After looking at the parameters of the fishing boat given by Xiang Yang, Uncle Xiang also felt that the price-performance ratio was acceptable. In the end, the two of them hit it off and discussed it on the spot. The two of them raised a total of 6 million yuan. Xiang Yang invested a total of 5.4 million yuan, including a loan of 2.5 million yuan, accounting for 90% of the shares of the entire fishing boat, and temporarily served as the captain and second engineer. Uncle Xiang invested 600,000 yuan, accounting for 10% of the shares, and temporarily served as the first mate and chief engineer.
The four positions of captain, first mate, chief engineer and second engineer are required on every ocean-going fishing vessel and must be registered because if something goes wrong, the responsibility must be assigned to someone. As for the positions of second mate, third mate, second engineer, electrician, boatswain and chief cook, these are not mandatory requirements.
The captain is the direct person in charge of the entire fishing vessel. He is responsible for all safety, production and management of the fishing vessel and is responsible for all people on board. He needs to abide by international conventions and regional regulations and fulfill his due maritime obligations. When encountering emergencies, he must handle various matters decisively and prudently.
The first mate is in charge of daily work on the deck and needs to assist the captain in ensuring safety. In addition, he is responsible for other tasks such as duty, loading and unloading, and maintenance.
The chief engineer is the technical director of the ship's machinery, power and electrical equipment. He is responsible for the implementation of various rules and regulations of the fishing vessel. Any safety accidents caused by any problems with any equipment on the fishing vessel are the responsibility of the chief engineer.
The second engineer usually assists the chief engineer in dealing with various problems on the ship. If the chief engineer has a problem, the second engineer will also have to take the blame.
Fortunately, although the four positions of captain, first mate, chief engineer and second engineer are mandatory requirements, there is no mandatory requirement that one person cannot hold two positions at the same time. As long as the same person does not hold all four positions, the registration staff will generally turn a blind eye.
Just as Xiang Yang and his uncle had discussed this, Xiang's father came back with half a pound of beef and half a pound of braised chicken feet.
When Xiang Yang and his uncle saw Xiang's father, they immediately shut their mouths tacitly. If Xiang's father knew that Xiang Yang had not only spent most of his money on the purchase of this fishing boat, but also owed more than two million yuan, he might faint from anger.
"Dezi, are you chatting with Xiaoyang?" said Xiang's father.
"Yeah." Uncle Xiang put his arm around Xiang Yang's shoulders and said half-jokingly, "Xiao Yang is a courageous kid. I'll just follow him for a living from now on."
Father Xiang glanced at Xiang Yang and said indifferently, "Your uncle can earn more than 20,000 yuan a month in the fleet outside."
Xiang Yang was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted and said, "Dad, don't worry, I won't let my uncle work for nothing. I promise that I won't give my uncle a penny less."
"No need." Uncle Xiang put his arm around Xiang Yang's shoulders and said, "Brother-in-law, Xiao Yang and I bought the boat together. We are both bosses. How can a boss pay another boss? If we make a profit, Xiao Yang and I will both be rich."
When Father Xiang heard what Uncle Xiang said, his expression improved a lot, but he was still reluctant to pay attention to Xiang Yang.
Xiang Yang had more to say, but swallowed his words after receiving a look from his uncle.
Indeed, what Uncle Xiang said made sense. Uncle Xiang and Xiang Yang were both the owners of the fishing boat. If the fishing boat made money, they would both get dividends.
But neither Xiang Yang nor Xiang's uncle were the type to just invest money and drink wine; they both held positions on the fishing boat and were supposed to work on the boat.
Xiang Yang couldn't just say that since he had shares, he was also the boss and wiped out his uncle's earnings.
Profits must be distributed. Xiang Yang must also pay the first mate and chief engineer the monthly salary. Similarly, Xiang Yang will not be polite about his share of the captain and second engineer's salary.
Uncle Xiang had lunch at Xiang Yang's house and left in a hurry. He was anxious to go to the shipyard to drive the boat back.
As for what Xiang Yang said about paying a deposit and having the shipyard staff drive the boat to Qinglong Bay for inspection to save some fuel money, Uncle Xiang completely ignored it. Although such an expensive fishing boat was made of the same material, there would definitely be some subtle differences. Uncle Xiang would never feel at ease unless he went there to see it in person.
After Xiang Yang tried to persuade his uncle to do as he pleased without success, he put on a diving suit, picked up a net bag, and walked towards the beach.