novelraw Chapter 263: Small Boat, Big Name
Chapter 263: Small Boat, Big Name
Chapter 263: Small Boat, Big Name
After a delicious lunch, Chu Mingcheng helped clear the table, wrapping the leftovers in plastic wrap and putting them in the fridge to reheat for dinner.
Afterward, the two of them snuggled on the sofa, his head resting on Jiang Luoluo's lap as he listened to her talk about how things had been.
Her career was finally on track. After the renovations, she'd hired an environmental company to eliminate the odors twice, and after airing the place out for another week, they were able to move in and start working.
They'd been at it for about a week now. Jiang Luoluo had managed to free up a significant amount of time; she could now practice a dance for two days and then shoot a video.
She no longer had to spend five or six days choreographing and then practicing like before.
Right now, her newly hired employees weren't very proficient, but once they got the hang of things and their efficiency improved, she might even be able to shoot a video every three days.
Of course, Jiang Luoluo wasn't that much of a workaholic. She'd set a schedule of releasing one video every five days.
The dance instructor at her studio was only responsible for choreographing the dances and recording demos. If she had more free time in the future, she could work harder and shoot more videos to build up a backlog.
That way, if she got busy, she wouldn't constantly be ghosting her fans like she had in the first half of the year.
Chu Mingcheng raised both hands in full support of this. To be honest, he sometimes felt bad asking Jiang Luoluo to accompany him out to sea.
Not to mention, once they got the big boat, a single trip would last a week, which would obviously interfere with her work.
But now that the dance instructor was only responsible for recording demos, Jiang Luoluo wouldn't have to worry about delays even if she went out to sea. The new boat had a dance studio, so she could master the choreography on the water and shoot the video in one go when she got back.
Speaking of which, Chu Mingcheng still didn't know if the new boat was ready to launch.
"Luoluo, has the shipyard contacted you? Is the new boat ready to go in the water?"
"They called a few days ago, but you weren't back yet, so I told them to wait," Jiang Luoluo said with a nod. "How about we go see the boat tomorrow?"
"Let's go this afternoon. I can't wait," Chu Mingcheng said, sitting up abruptly.
They say a car is a man's second wife; for him, the new boat's status was no less than that of a mistress.
He could wait while the boat was being built, but now that it was ready for the water, how could he possibly hold back?
"In that case, why don't we call Zhang Wei and the others? Their boat is ready too. They said they'd wait for you to come back so we could all go together," Jiang Luoluo said with a smile, smoothing out her slightly rumpled skirt.
"Oh, they're already in Xiamen?"
"They've been here for over a month. Their shop didn't need renovations, so they opened even earlier than I did. I've been busy lately, so Zhang Wei and Chen Yang have been looking after Mimi and the others."
"No wonder I didn't see Mimi when I got here. I'll give them a call and ask them to come with us." Chu Mingcheng pulled out his phone and dialed Chen Yang.
He didn't call Zhang Wei because the guy wasn't exactly proper. What if he brought up something inappropriate, like his experiences abroad? With Jiang Luoluo right beside him, he'd be dead meat even if he hadn't done anything.
So, when your girlfriend is around, never risk calling your less-than-proper best friend.
After two rings, the call was picked up, and Chen Yang's voice came through.
"Ah-Cheng? You're back?"
"Just got back today. Luoluo said we can pick up the boats, so I'm calling to see if you guys want to come along."
"Absolutely. Ah-Wei's been talking about the boat nonstop. He's dying to get it."
After a brief exchange, they hung up. Chen Yang didn't ask about his recent experiences over the phone.
That was his sense of propriety. He knew there would be plenty of time to chat later, and talking now would just cause delays.
When Chu Mingcheng and Jiang Luoluo arrived at the shipyard, the other two were already there.
Zhang Wei spotted him and immediately came over, clapping him on the shoulder. He was about to say something when he noticed something wasn't quite right.
So he went straight for a hands-on inspection, first feeling his biceps, then gradually moving toward his pecs.
Chu Mingcheng shuddered, immediately slapping his hand away and taking two steps back. He pulled Jiang Luoluo in front of him and said warily, "It's only been a few months. You've changed your preferences?"
Hearing his interests being slandered, Zhang Wei immediately jumped to defend himself. "The hell? You're the one who changed. I was just wondering why your pecs have gotten so ridiculously huge after just a few months."
"That's from relentless training, of course. What would a weakling like you know?" Chu Mingcheng flexed smugly, making his muscles even more pronounced. "Jealous?"
It wasn't just Zhang Wei and Chen Yang who were envious; even Jiang Luoluo's heart fluttered.
Chu Mingcheng's physique had improved gradually, and he'd already looked like this before heading to Australia, so Jiang Luoluo hadn't noticed anything particularly different.
But having tasted the forbidden fruit, she'd been lonely for a long time. Seeing her man show off his body, she felt both hungry and a little intimidated.
"Damn, how did you work out? Those muscles look amazing, way better than those gym rats," Chen Yang said, looking the most envious. His physical condition was even worse than Zhang Wei's.
From sitting so much, his kidneys weren't in great shape, and he even had a small potbelly.
He and Zhou Jiayi still hadn't made things official; it felt like they were just one step away. But they didn't go on enough dates, which made it hard to take that final step.
Now that he'd bought a boat, he'd have more opportunities to take her on dates at sea.
A good physique would naturally be more attractive, increasing his chances of winning her over.
"Just swim and dive a lot. Don't tell me you two have been slacking off?" Chu Mingcheng naturally couldn't talk about Life Conversion, but frequent swimming, diving, and a healthy lifestyle and diet could indeed build a good physique.
"Well, let's go see the boats first!" Zhang Wei and Chen Yang had indeed been slacking off. Plus, they'd previously agreed to open a diving club together, so they both felt a bit embarrassed, laughing it off and quickly changing the subject.
"Let's go, boats first!" Chu Mingcheng shook his head but didn't dwell on it. He took Jiang Luoluo's hand and walked into the shipyard.
He called the salesman, and just as they entered the yard, the man came out to greet them.
Seeing these clients, his smile couldn't have been brighter. After all, the two boats had earned him a nice commission.
Led by the salesman, the four of them went to the back of the shipyard.
Rows of boats were lined up neatly, some finished, some still in progress.
The boats they'd ordered were at the very back, where there was a launch area. Once the gate was opened, the boats could be driven straight out.
"Whoa, Ah-Cheng, your boat is so stylish! It even has its own sunshade?" Zhang Wei was impressed when he saw Chu Mingcheng's boat.
Chen Yang's boat was a Class II fishing yacht, sixteen meters long. For him, a range of two hundred nautical miles was more than enough for his adventures, so the boat he bought was cheaper and naturally less impressive in appearance.
It looked like a larger version of Chu Mingcheng's first boat, with no special features.
But Chu Mingcheng's new boat was different. Its exterior was very close to a luxury yacht, making it exceptionally handsome.
Chen Yang was envious, too. "If I'd known your boat would look this good, I would have…"
Zhang Wei finished for him, "Bought it too?"
Chen Yang replied, "Taken a few more looks!"
Everyone else: "Tsk!"
After some joking around, they boarded the boats to inspect the interiors.
The contrast between the two boats was stark. The interior of Chu Mingcheng's boat was clearly more luxurious; after all, it had cost over fifty percent more.
The boat's design was basically the same as his original request, with two bedrooms and a dance studio.
The fuel tank was upgraded to its maximum capacity of four thousand liters, enough for him to travel to the high seas, mess around for a few days, and return.
As long as he didn't stay out for too long, there would always be enough fuel in the tank.
The live well was on the aft deck, with three tanks side-by-side and a basic aeration function.
There were also a few plastic dividers that could create twelve smaller compartments, preventing different types of live seafood from being squeezed together and killing each other.
There were even two trolling seats at the stern, complete with individual chairs. When not in use, they could just be covered with a waterproof tarp.
Finally, Chu Mingcheng looked at the space in the refrigerated hold and was moved to tears.
If the boat he'd had in Australia had this much space, he wouldn't have had to make a trip back every two days. He could have saved at least half on fuel.
He estimated he could lay out at least a twenty-two-meter-long tuna flat.
This was more than enough, especially considering the total price of the boat was less than seven million.
Every bit of extra space in the refrigerated hold required larger and more numerous refrigeration units, which naturally drove up the price.
"This sunshade… how do you take it down in high winds?" Jiang Luoluo asked, curiously fiddling with the mechanism.
The salesman immediately led them to the starboard side. "It's simple. See these buttons on the support panel? They're all labeled."
"Press the red button, and the sunshade will automatically roll up and retract into the slot here on the flybridge. The fabric is waterproof, so it's fine to leave it outside. If it gets damaged, you can come to our factory for a replacement, free of charge for the first three years."
"The yellow button retracts the three support panels into the gunwale."
"As for these two green buttons, the bottom one raises the support panels, and the top one automatically unfurls the sunshade."
The salesman pressed all four buttons, and the sunshade mechanisms worked exactly as he described—all semi-automatic.
Chu Mingcheng and Jiang Luoluo were very satisfied after inspecting the boat; they hadn't found anything to complain about yet.
Some small pieces of equipment were also fully configured, especially the rather important small mobile base station installed on the foredeck, as well as fish-attracting lights and other features.
The two had already transferred the full payment for the boat into a corporate account. Seeing their satisfaction, the salesman brought over a card reader and processed the payment in two transactions.
The first was for the boat, the second for the insurance.
After all the handover procedures were complete, the salesman asked, "Would you like to give the boats names?"
Boat names are usually the province, city, and county, followed by "Fishing" and a number. But many people like to give their boats another name and have it painted on.
"Luoluo, what name do you want to give it?" Chu Mingcheng had a name in mind, but he asked his girlfriend first. After all, half the boat was hers.
Jiang Luoluo thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Why don't you name it? I can't think of anything suitable."
"Then let's call it the Poseidon." Chu Mingcheng felt that with his system's second ability, he could already be considered a minor sea god in domestic waters, so the name seemed just right.
However, upon hearing this, Zhang Wei burst out laughing and teased, "Man, from the name I thought it was an aircraft carrier, but then I turn around and, oh! It's just a tiny little fishing boat. Small boat, but a mighty big name!"
"Get lost!" Chu Mingcheng immediately kicked out at him, laughing and cursing.