The villagers swarmed to the small pier, some vying to help Xiang Yang carry the sandbags, others rushing to help Xiang Yang flatten the sandbags. The villagers who really couldn't find a job kept saying nice things to Xiang Yang.
Unfortunately, Xiang Yang couldn't come up with any better solution except purchasing large ships to open up fishing grounds with richer resources in deeper waters.
The dock was built at a furious pace for several days and was finally completed the day before Uncle Xiang drove the fishing boat back.
That morning, the Qinglongwan pier was full of people, all villagers who came to watch the fun.
Father Xiang and Uncle Xiang also carried two big fireworks to the beach. According to Father Xiang's idea, the family must have set up several tables to celebrate the purchase of such a large fishing boat, but Xiang Yang refused as he had a lot of things to deal with.
Besides Uncle Xiang, there were also several old sailors that Uncle Xiang had recruited from his previous fleet. It was not easy to operate such a large fishing boat. Without several people operating it at the same time, it was impossible to even drive it back to Qinglongwan from the shipyard, let alone operate it. When Uncle Xiang was recruiting those old sailors, he was almost skinned by his former employer. Not only did they leave, but they also wanted to recruit a few more people.
"Why hasn't the ship returned yet?" Most of the people from Yanlong Village gathered at the dock, young and old, male and female, with heads moving around. Everyone was looking at the sea outside, curiosity written all over their faces.
"It's almost there, it's almost there, it'll be here soon." Father Xiang squatted beside a big firework with a lighter in his hand, his face full of anticipation.
Finally, the outline of a fishing boat appeared on the sea horizon.
The villagers were all excited.
"It's here, it's here, look."
"Oh my god, how many fish can such a big fishing boat catch at one time?"
"My goodness, it's like a moving mountain. My fishing boat is just a small ship compared to this one. No wonder it costs millions."
Father Xiang also quickly lit up both fireworks with a lighter, then looked towards the sea with an infinite sense of pride in his heart. That was a ship of his Xiang family, the ship of his son Xiang Yang, the largest ship in the entire Yanlong Village, the entire Qinglong Bay, and even the entire Huhai Town.
"Boom, boom!" The light at the seaside was already very strong, so it was impossible to tell whether the fireworks looked good or not, and even their colors couldn't be seen clearly. All that could be heard was the loud booms.
The fishing boat finally reached the shore amid the sound of salutes.
The villagers looked at the fishing boats that stood across the sea like a high wall and exclaimed in amazement again.
"Haha, Xiaoyang, uncle is back and has brought our boat back!" Uncle Xiang walked down from the boat with two men whose muscles bulged like bumps, with smiles on their faces and a look of great pride.
"boss."
"boss."
The two muscular men looked at Xiang Yang somewhat restrainedly. Behind them, there were two equally muscular old sailors dragging thick iron chains and locking the boat to the piles at the dock.
"Thank you all for your hard work. We are now in the same boat." Xiang Yang smiled and thanked the three people.
"It's not hard, it's what we should do." One of the two crew members is named Zhou Wang, who is the master of operating the net lifting machine, and the other is named Xu Fang, who has a fishing boat driver's license and knows how to operate a fishing boat. As for the two crew members in the back who are dragging the chains, they are ordinary sailors.
"Okay, let's have a banquet tonight and I'll welcome everyone." Everyone was generous and open-minded, and they started chatting after just a few words. After the other two crew members locked the fishing boat and came over, Xiang Yang laughed.
"We have to drink, but not now. Xiang Yang, why don't you go up and take a look at our fishing boat first?" Uncle Xiang put his arm around Xiang Yang's shoulders and repeated excitedly, "Our fishing boat!"
"Yes, our fishing boat." Xiang Yang smiled and nodded. Uncle Xiang looked at the fishing boat, as if he saw the world finally ushering in the glorious days after thousands of sails. This fishing boat was his entire future. What Xiang Yang saw was different from what his uncle saw. Xiang Yang saw a fleet that crisscrossed the world from this boat, and did not see the rest of his life.
"Let's go, get on the boat." Xiang Yang gave an order and was the first to board the fishing boat.
Uncle Xiang was half a body length behind Xiang Yang, followed by four crew members, and behind them were Xiang Shan, Xiang He, Xiang Chen, Village Chief Zuo, Fatty Zuo and other villagers who had a good relationship with Xiang Yang. As for the fishermen who had an average relationship with Xiang Yang, they would have to wait until next time to have a chance to board the boat for a visit.
A group of people came to the deck of the fishing boat in a mighty procession. Uncle Xiang introduced it enthusiastically all the way, as if he could talk about this fishing boat for three days and three nights without getting tired of it.
The villagers also loved to listen to it. Xiang Yang just watched with a smile on the side, seeing the villagers exclaiming in amazement or envy from time to time.
The villagers never got tired of looking at it. They would stop for a while even at an ordinary cabin. It took a while for a group of people to complete the tour of the entire fishing boat.
After visiting the fishing boat, Uncle Xiang finally found Xiang Yang and talked about business. "Xiang Yang, we don't have enough manpower. If we want to really go out fishing, we need to recruit at least a dozen sailors."
Xiang Yang just hummed and that was all.
"Xiang Yang." Seeing that Xiang Yang didn't speak, Uncle Xiang couldn't help but shouted again.
Xiang Yang then said: "Actually, I don't have any idea. I was wondering if I should go to the county's talent market to have a look."
Village Chief Zuo, who was standing nearby, had sharp ears. After hearing the conversation between Xiang Yang and Uncle Xiang, he came over and said, "Xiao Yang, Boss He, there is no need to go to the job market. We have sailors in Yanlong Village. There are so many fishermen in Yanlong Village. Who didn't grow up in the water? Why do you have to go to the job market?"
Xiang Yang smiled bitterly, "Village Chief Zuo, I'm on an ocean-going fishing boat. Going out fishing is very hard, and I'm often out for a long time."
Village Chief Zuo was not happy. "What's a little hardship? Who can't endure hardships if they grew up by the sea? Besides, how long can a trip last? Ten days or half a month should be enough, right? What's the point of going home once a month?"
Xiang Yang was lost in thought, while Village Chief Zuo continued to persuade him in a low voice: "Xiao Yang, just keep these job opportunities in Yanlong Village. If anyone dares to disobey you on your fishing boat, I will be the first to deal with him."
"Okay then!" Xiang Yang nodded, "But I only want those under 30 years old." Xiang Yang wanted to train the first batch of fishermen on the fishing boat into backbones to lay the foundation for the future fleet. Older ones would not do.
"Okay, no problem." Village Chief Zuo was overjoyed when he heard Xiang Yang's words, "I will mobilize the young people in the village today, and you can pick any number or any one you want."
In fact, there was no need for Village Chief Zuo to initiate such a thing. As soon as the news spread, the threshold of Xiang Yang's house was almost broken down. After consulting with his uncle Xiang, Xiang Yang finally selected fifteen young and strong villagers, including Xiang Yang's cousin Xiang Chen.