NOVEL WEB Chapter 030 – Advancing into the Deep Sea
After only a few days of leisurely fishing, Zhao Zhao received a notification from Ocean Shipyard that the Yaoguang was ready for pickup.
This time, she didn't bring Da Linzi to Chonghai, as they had just offended a bunch of local thugs, who were likely still nursing their injuries. Da Linzi showed no signs of his previous wounds, but it was better to keep a low profile. Since they were picking up the ship, she brought along Xiong Quan to pilot the Poseidon. It turned out that this driver was unusually quiet.
Xiong Quan's personality was quite different from his brother Da Qi. He was calm, reserved, and not very talkative, except when it came to his field of expertise or when he was at the helm of the Poseidon, where his eyes lit up.
The Poseidon was fast, reaching Chonghai before noon. After checking Xiong Quan into the reserved hotel, there was one more task before picking up the ship: interviewing for the chief engineer.
They had selected three candidates from the submitted resumes, and Zhao Zhao took Xiong Quan to the hotel meeting room.
"Brother Quan, this chief engineer will be your partner from now on, so help me evaluate them." Xiong Quan sat upright and nodded seriously, creating a formal atmosphere that made Zhao Zhao unconsciously sit up straighter as well.
The three candidates were a top student fresh out of Maritime University, a professional with five years of experience in a fisheries company, and lastly, a retired navy veteran who had transitioned to a government job.
It's no secret that Chinese people have a natural admiration for military personnel who defend the nation. Even with his expressionless face, Xiong Quan's interest was evident.
After the third candidate finished his self-introduction, Zhao Zhao directly voiced her doubts, "Mr. Rao, we're a private fishing boat. Why would you leave a stable government job to work with us?"
The forty-something man, Rao Jianyang, rubbed his face and candidly replied, "Money, I need money. Transitioning to a government job brought stability, but the salary is also stable. Government employees aren't allowed to have side jobs, and my child is sick and needs a lot of money. I can't sacrifice the present for future stability."
His reason was understandable, and Zhao Zhao was very satisfied with his resume. Hiring a chief engineer for a private fishing boat was a bit of an overqualification.
"What is your expected salary?"
"Twenty thousand!" Rao Jianyang said directly. Though recent interviews hadn't gone well, this was his bottom line.
Zhao Zhao agreed immediately, "The trial period is two months. After that, your base salary will be fifteen thousand, the same as the captain's, plus a share of the profits with the crew. I can promise an average monthly salary of over fifty thousand. If it's not enough, I can make up the difference."
Rao Jianyang was delighted, "I'm hired? When can I start?"
Seeing that the interviewers were two young people who didn't look like fishing company officials, especially the one who claimed to be in charge looking like a celebrity, he had almost thought it was another wasted trip.
"Tomorrow! We'll go to Ocean Shipyard to pick up the ship, and you can join us. We'll sign the employment contract then." Oh, and it looks like we need to hire an accountant, too. As the new employee left, the millionaire boss sat there sighing about the never-ending expenses.
The next day, Zhao Zhao, Xiong Quan, and Rao Jianyang went to Ocean Shipyard. Seeing the newly completed Yaoguang in the dock, Xiong Quan was even more excited than Zhao Zhao, the owner.
"This ship is awesome! Is this the one I'll be piloting?" He asked repeatedly in disbelief.
Sister Liu from the shipyard smiled, "It's already Miss Zhao's. You can board and conduct the trial run with our pilot now."
Seeing her pay tens of millions in one go for such a large ship, Rao Jianyang gained even more confidence in this job.
Ocean Shipyard provided a pilot to help them navigate the ship and familiarize Xiong Quan with it.
The massive Yaoguang left the port nimbly, accelerating toward Jinshi Island. Standing at the bow, riding the waves, Zhao Zhao felt an inexplicable sense of grandeur.
It was a new beginning.
When Yaoguang docked at Jinshi Island, it caused an even bigger sensation than the Poseidon did, and this time it was an upgraded version. Fishing boats were more important to fishermen than anything else.
The few people on the dock were stunned. The island had never seen such a large ship, over fifty meters long. Even in the heyday of the fishing industry, the biggest boats were just over twenty meters, and most had been sold off over the years.
Now, this fifty-meter behemoth docking at their pier was a major event.
This time, Zhao Zhao had experience. Before the crowd gathered, she took Rao Jianyang away to settle him in a fisherman's home and left Xiong Quan and Da Linzi, who had rushed over, to manage the curious villagers.
They arrived on the island at 2 PM, and it was sunset by the time Da Linzi returned, gulping down a glass of water before catching his breath. "Zhao Zhao, now everyone on the island thinks you won the lottery, hahahaha!"
Zhao Zhao handed him a banana, "You've been there the whole time?"
"Not really. Everyone was chatting at the dock, and then a bunch of people started asking my dad to get them jobs on the boat. They said they didn't know you well enough to ask directly. My dad just managed to get away, claiming he was starving and needed to eat something before he could continue talking."
Zhao Zhao asked, puzzled, "But haven't we hired enough people?"
"They say the ship can hold fifty or sixty people. They think it's big and safe to go out to sea, so they're eager."
Really?
Regardless of the villagers' thoughts, Zhao Zhao had no plans to expand her crew. The Yaoguang was very advanced and didn't need too many people. She busied herself with registering the ship and preparing for their maiden voyage.