Liu Mazi indeed has guts, but after all, he's been running this fishing pit for a short ti and has shallow roots. Even though over twenty people signed up after the announcent, it's far from his expectations.
After all, Joyful Forest is a dium-sized fishing ground with 48 fishing spots, larger than ordinary fishing grounds.
If only twenty or so people sign up, he would lose money on fish stocking day. If you add the 13 people Zhang Yang ntioned, the inco and expenses could balance out, maybe even make a small profit. The next day would be pure profit, hence why Old Liu was so excited upon hearing the news.
"Exactly! We usually fish more often in ng Village! This isn't just any match stick, it's a major event! Just wanted to get a group together for fun!"
"If you guys group up with 13 people, I'll give you a deal of 270! A thirty-dollar discount! Honestly, I'm kind of regretting this 2,000-pound match; it's not profitable! Good crucian carp cost seven bucks to load onto a truck now!"
Seeing that Zhang Yang is a big custor, Liu Mazi started playing the poverty card.
"Alright then, sign us up, and we'll pay when we arrive tomorrow!"
"Don't worry, it's definitely good fish and a good spot! It's National Day on October 1st, guaranteed fun!"
...
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yang started to calculate secretly.
Even though they didn't seem to discuss much, if you're attentive, you can still analyze so things from the other's tone and attitude.
For instance, the simplest cost calculation: seven bucks per load, two thousand pounds costs 14,000, and they need full registrations to break even on fishing fees.
Given Zhang Yang's understanding of Liu Mazi's temperant, this is definitely not a business he would do.
Plus, with the generous ten percent discount for group registration just now, Zhang Yang could almost confirm that the fish stocked would definitely not match the number; otherwise, the calculation would certainly lead to a loss.
W City's fishing scene hasn't beco so competitive that businesses need to lose money to steal custors.
With a preliminary judgnt, Zhang Yang had no intention of giving up, as it was a large crucian carp catch. He decided to go to the scene early tomorrow to check things out.
Early the next day, shortly after four, Zhang Yang got up early. He stayed the night at the store for an early start and hadn't gone ho the night before.
Old Zhao arrived on ti at four-thirty to pick him up, chauffeuring Zhang Yang toward the city.
Through real-ti communication in the QQ group, the anglers going out in the group gathered at the overpass intersection. About a dozen cars headed mightily towards Joyful Forest Fishing Ground.
When they arrived at the destination, it was still dark, but so anglers had already arrived sporadically.
The convoy of more than a dozen cars made quite an impression. Liu Mazi ca out of the cabin when he heard the commotion and greeted them at the door.
"Registered by phone, right?" As soon as Zhang Yang got out of the car, Liu Mazi approached with a cigarette in his mouth.
"Hello, Boss Liu, I'm Zhang Yang. I registered yesterday. We ca with 13 people today!" Zhang Yang greeted him simply.
"Quite the young man!"
Liu Mazi looked Zhang Yang up and down, with a smile in his tone but a bit of surprise in his eyes. After all, Zhang Yang was just 20, and he did look quite young.
"You're not old either! Round it up, we're both charming guys!" Zhang Yang grinned and made a joke.
"Haha, Xiao Zhang, you have a good sense of humor! Well, about that, there were quite a few phone calls this morning for on-the-spot registration, so slots are a bit tight. Since you're all here, should you pay the fishing fees first?" Liu Mazi, holding the ledger, imdiately moved to collect the fishing fees.
"No rush. It's not too late to pay the fishing fees after the fish arrive. A few of our people haven't arrived yet; once we're all here, we'll pay you together!"
Zhang Yang knew Liu Mazi too well to fall for this. Paying up without seeing the fish? If they got cheated, who would they complain to?
"Alright then! The fish will be here around five-thirty, I just got a call saying they're almost off the highway!"
"Good!"
At five-thirty-five, true to form, the fish truck arrived at the fishing ground quite punctually.
Seeing the license plate, Zhang Yang couldn't help but chuckle.
Isn't that Old Wang who's been delivering fish to Diao Changhe at the Oil House Fishing Ground?
Among the drivers transporting fish in aquatic trucks, Zhang Yang had known Old Wang the longest, and they were quite familiar. Privately, he could ask about the actual fish situation and get so honest answers.
However, Zhang Yang's joy didn't last long as he witnessed an unexpected scene.
Today, they didn't use the usual fra thod to weigh fish, the standard way to stock lakes. Old Wang drove the fish truck right next to the fishing spots, climbed out of the driver's cabin, and swiftly retrieved a slide made of white sheet tal from the roof of the truck.
At the first sight of that slide, Zhang Yang knew he had guessed right yesterday. Today's fish count would definitely fall short!
Many people may not know what the slide is for, but it's actually quite simple—much like a kid's slide, but it's not for people; it's for stocking fish.
When stocking, you open the rubber coarse pipe at the bottom of the fish compartnt. A slide is set up under the coarse pipe. Then the fish compartnt's valve is opened, and the fish and water flow down the slide into the pit directly.
This thod of stocking fish has its pros and cons. The good side is it eliminates the step of fishing and weighing, minimizing the impact on the fish's condition and making them more active. It saves on labor, as once the valve is opened, the whole batch of fish can be released.
But the downside is equally clear: with fra weighing, the fish quantity is relatively precise. At most, there is just the tare weight of the fish basket, and the weight won't be off by much.
When using slides for stocking, it's a different story. Water and fish exit together, so besides the process of loading the fish, only the boss knows the exact number. This provides an opportunity for the fishing pit owners to manipulate the number of fish stocked.
Seeing this, Zhang Yang remained silent, while Old Zhao couldn't hold back: "What's going on? No weighing? Just using a slide to stock fish?"
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