Chapter 496: Chapter 324: Meeting Mr. Li Again_3

The harvested fish depended on small boats for back-and-forth transportation, so a bigger boat would be more suitable, and he made money quickly anyway.

“Brother Zhao Jun, do the boats you look at only come this big?”

Zhao Jun was taken aback for a moment, then said with slight embarrassment, “I was thinking of saving you some money.”

“It’s better to have a bigger one for the Public Sea.” At these words, Chu Mingcheng lost interest in looking at the remaining two boats and directly asked the salesman, “Do you have any fishing boats that are forty to fifty meters long?”

“Are you looking for a new boat or…?” At this, the salesman’s eyes lit up a bit, seeing a big order coming!

“A second-hand boat on the spot. A new boat takes at least half a year to launch, and that’s too long to wait!”

“We do have second-hand ones, but currently there’s only one suitable one. Let me take you to see it.”

The group then went to look at the second-hand boat, a mid-sized trawler, but it looked very old.

Chu Mingcheng asked about the year it was made and found out it was a vessel from ’98, now twenty-five years old.

Even so, the price of this boat was still over three million.

A forty-eight-meter fishing boat, even used, is very cheap at three million.

But a boat’s value lies in its equipment, just an empty shell isn’t actually that expensive.

This boat, at over three million, had all the necessary equipment, but it was all old and no longer valuable.

Chu Mingcheng was not very satisfied, so he took Zhao Jun to a nearby shipyard for a better look.

After spending the afternoon there, they finally found a forty-two-meter mid-sized fishing vessel produced in ’19, just over four years old.

They negotiated with the owner, who gave a lowest price of five million seven hundred thousand.

The equipment on this boat was still relatively new, and there had been no malfunctions with the equipment.

Now somewhat knowledgeable about boats, Chu Mingcheng thought the price was indeed cheap. If it were up to him to sell, he would have set the price at around six million five hundred thousand, at least not less than six million.

He then found out from the salesman that the reason the owner was selling low was that he owed a few million in debts and had no choice but to sell the boat.

After all, he spent over eight million when buying it, and it hadn’t operated or deteriorated much. Who would want to sell if not for special circumstances?

This also made Chu Mingcheng think there might still be room for negotiation, and he originally planned to have Zhao Jun slowly talk the owner down further on the price.

However, when the owner heard that they were genuinely interested in buying, he actually reached out to them, indicating that the price could drop further.

In the end, the owner took the initiative to drop the price by two hundred thousand, asking only five million five hundred thousand.

But that money couldn’t be delayed; it needed to be fully paid in a short amount of time.

This made Chu Mingcheng feel even more unreliable about the deal, with the sudden price drop and urgency making him suspect a scam. Consequently, he hesitated and, not wanting to fall for a potentially fraudulent sale, politely declined the offer.

But the shipowner was even more eager than he had imagined; out of dire need for money, he was forced to disclose the reason for his urgency to them.

After listening, both Chu Mingcheng and Zhao Jun exchanged glances, feeling that the shipowner seemed truly unlucky.

Two novices were careless at sea and fell into the water, not saved in time, and chilled to the bone; the families came asking for an explanation, and the owner compensated more than two million.

Then the shipowner’s wife was diagnosed with stomach cancer and needed a significant amount of money for treatment.

He had borrowed a hefty sum when buying the boat, and now with all the borrowable money exhausted, in utter desperation, he had to decide to sell his boat to pay off the debts.

Zhao Jun circled around the topic: “This guy really has bad luck, but at least he’s compassionate and willing to spend money on his wife’s treatment.”

“Willing to spend money on treatment?” Chu Mingcheng slightly fell silent upon hearing this.

In this restless society, wasn’t spending money on a loved one’s medical care to be expected? When did such actions become praiseworthy?

But upon a second thought, he realized not everyone earned money as easily as he did.

Facing a terminal illness with a high probability of death, coupled with a massive debt that could crush a person…

Those with the courage to face debts must at least have a good character. An idea suddenly popped into Chu Mingcheng’s mind.

“Come on, let’s go to the hospital.”

“Why go to the hospital?” Zhao Jun asked, astonished.

“If that man didn’t lie, then isn’t he a highly suitable captain to go to sea with you?”

Hearing Chu Mingcheng’s words, Zhao Jun was momentarily stunned, then soon realized, finding the suggestion to be very appropriate.

Afterward, the two left the shipyard and headed to the hospital.

Chu Mingcheng also contacted the owner of the boat again, saying he wanted to negotiate directly at the hospital.

The shipowner was very surprised that they would come over, but as long as there was hope of selling the boat, he agreed without hesitation.

Forty minutes later, Chu Mingcheng arrived at the third-grade hospital in Wen City.

He then met the owner of the boat, a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a face full of wrinkles who looked at least fifty years old.

But after introductions, it turned out he was only forty.

However, people who spend a long time at sea usually look older, and with all these recent troubles, plus hospital vigils, it was no wonder he seemed a decade older than his actual age.

Chu Mingcheng then followed the man to the inpatient department, bringing some fruits and supplements to visit his wife.

After confirming there was no deception, Chu Mingcheng and the man named Zhao Jiahang moved to a corner where they wouldn’t disturb anyone and got straight to the point.

“I’m willing to buy the boat for five million seven hundred thousand. I’ll give you a one million down payment first, and the rest will be transferred directly to you after almost all the boat’s paperwork is in order.”

Zhao Jiahang was stunned, and after realizing what was happening, he eagerly shook his hand, “Thank you, thank you so much!”