C12 The First Bucket of Gold!

After a satisfying meal, Lee Zhi headed to the neighboring production workshop and fed the last of the yellow croaker ingredients into the machinery. He anticipated that by around 2 PM, the entire batch of yellow croaker balls would be ready.

Apart from the two hundred kilograms destined for Star Moon Bay Hotel, there was an excess of about one hundred kilograms. Wild yellow croaker wasn't cheap, and consequently, the yellow croaker balls fetched an even higher price. Lee Zhi reckoned that the cost for the extra hundred kilograms of fish balls was roughly one hundred thousand dollars.

The yield remained consistent: 500 grams of raw material produced 375 grams of fish balls.

Lee Zhi hadn't yet decided what to do with the surplus yellow croaker balls.

At 1:30 PM, he called Huang Youwei, the assistant head chef at Star Moon Bay Hotel, to inform him that the yellow croaker balls were ready for pickup at his convenience.

"I'll handle this!" Dong Xiaorou took the phone from Lee Zhi and spoke with composed authority, "Hello, this is Dong Xiaorou, the general manager of the factory. From six hundred kilograms of yellow croaker, we've produced three hundred kilograms of fish balls, which is more than expected. I wanted to inquire if your hotel might need the additional hundred kilograms. If so, we're willing to sell them to you. You can set the price!"

Lee Zhi was momentarily taken aback but didn't intervene; Dong Xiaorou surely had her reasons.

Huang Youwei on the other end asked Dong Xiaorou to hold on; he needed to consult Zhao Xueying before making a decision.

"One hundred and twenty thousand!" That was the offer Zhao Xueying made for the hundred kilograms of fish balls.

Dong Xiaorou wasn't satisfied. "That's too low. The production costs alone exceed one hundred and twenty thousand. Our bottom line is two hundred thousand, even if it means selling at a loss."

Zhao Xueying retorted with a frown, "Remember, we provided the raw materials!"

"Indeed," Dong Xiaorou replied coolly, "but as an external processing facility, we operate on the basis of converting three kilograms of raw materials into one kilogram of fish balls. We don't compel anyone to use our processing services, and I'm sure Director Lee has already clarified this."

The factory's policy was clear: three kilograms of raw materials yielded one kilogram of fish balls, and any surplus belonged to the factory. The choice to outsource processing lay with the client, not the factory. Lee Zhi and his team's expertise in processing was their bread and butter.

After a pause, Zhao Xueying countered with a new figure, "One hundred and fifty thousand. That's the most I can offer. If it's not acceptable, feel free to keep the fish balls."

"It's a deal!"

With that, Dong Xiaorou handed the phone back to Lee Zhi, who smiled and gave Zhao Xueying a thumbs-up.

Impressive!

Zhao Xueying had footed the bill for the raw materials, yet the factory had managed to secure an additional one hundred and fifty thousand dollars without contributing anything. Plus, they still had several dozen kilograms of fish balls left over. It was a well-calculated business move.

Lee Zhi finalized the details with Huang Youwei and then hung up the phone.

"Manager Dong, you're incredible! Just wait for the boss to hand you that bonus as a reward for your hard work," Lee Zhi exclaimed with joy. With that 150,000 dollars, the factory's initial investment of 100,000 dollars had been fully recouped. And all this in just a few days, without even selling our main products yet—no more worrying about covering costs for now.

"How much are we talking?" Dong Xiaorou inquired.

"Well, the exact amount... let's decide that at year's end," Lee Zhi chuckled awkwardly.

Dong Xiaorou gave him a knowing look and cautioned, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Scoring the fish ball gig for Star Moon Bay Hotel was a stroke of luck—like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat. We can't bank on such windfalls in the future. If we want our factory to thrive, we need to focus on selling our products—that's the real deal."

"You've got a point!" Lee Zhi agreed, grinning. Money in hand certainly bolstered his confidence.

Between the 150,000 dollars and the 60,000 dollars processing fee, we had a total of 210,000 dollars. That was more than enough to equip the factory with plenty of new machinery.

We chilled the yellow croaker balls in the freezer before transferring them to the preservation boxes.

By 2:30 PM, representatives from Star Moon Bay Hotel arrived. Neither Zhao Xueying nor Huang Youwei showed up in person. They weighed the fish balls, paid up, loaded the three hundred catties of yellow croaker balls onto their truck, and drove off without a word.

Deal done, accounts settled—clean and simple!

Lee Zhi was thrilled with the transaction. If only he could land a couple more deals like this one.

"Xiaorou, grab the pot. We're heading to the beach," he said.

Lee Zhi had taken several dozen kilos of ordinary fish balls out of the fridge. They didn't need much—just a gas stove and a pot would do.

Puzzled, Dong Xiaorou asked, "What's at the beach?"

Lee Zhi replied with a smile, "Didn't you say we need to sell our products? Today's Saturday, and the beach is bustling. Let's set up a stall and see if we can make some sales!"

A beach stall?

Dong Xiaorou looked at the buoyant Lee Zhi and held back any sarcasm. After a moment's thought, she agreed—it was a good idea. They might as well sell them as snacks; they weren't doing anything else at the factory anyway.

So off they went, Lee Zhi with the gas cylinder and fish balls in tow, Dong Xiaorou with the pot, to the seaside.

The beach was just outside the village, a stone's throw away.

By afternoon, the beach was still crowded with people, many of whom had arrived later in the day with plans to stay overnight and leave the next day.

"How should we set up?" Dong Xiaorou asked Lee Zhi. Outsiders couldn't just come and set up shop, but with Dong Xiaorou standing there, nobody would dare object.

The villagers had a certain respect, maybe even a touch of fear, for Dong Xiaorou.

A beautiful woman can command a certain presence, making men hesitant to approach. It boiled down to two scenarios: either she was so wealthy and influential that no one dared to cross her, or she was fierce—capable of taking on ten men at once, turning ruffians into upstanding citizens, and knocking college students down to size as if they were in elementary school.

Dong Xiaorou was the quintessential tough girl. Not only was she stunning, but she was sharp as a tack, a true homegrown 'big sister.' At her command, the younger generation of Fish Head Island Village would rally around her, eagerly awaiting her direction, and they wouldn't dare lay a finger on anyone without her say-so.

"Grab some barbecue seasonings, like cumin and chili powder, will you? Oh, and pick up some bamboo skewers for the grill too!"

Lee Zhi got the gas burner going while Dong Xiaorou borrowed a long table from the nearby food stall and filled a basin with water.

Without a word, Dong Xiaorou headed off to make the purchases.

"Hey mister, what are you selling?"

A little girl with a mushroom haircut approached, clutching a ball, and gazed up at Lee Zhi with curiosity.

She couldn't have been more than three or four, utterly adorable with her babyish lilt.

Lee Zhi had the burner on and the water heating up. With Dong Xiaorou not yet back, he began to cook a few fish balls in the basin.

"Call me brother. Fish balls—want to try one?" Lee Zhi crouched down, smiling, and playfully pinched the little girl's chubby cheek.

She was angelic. He wondered whose daughter she was, scanning the area for her parents, but they were nowhere in sight.

"Are they tasty?" the mushroom-headed girl blinked and inquired.

"Absolutely delicious!" Lee Zhi chuckled, standing up. He speared a fish ball with his chopsticks—it was a hefty one, weighing about 25 grams and measuring five to six centimeters in diameter.

"Give it a try!"

Lee Zhi offered the fish ball-laden chopsticks to the little girl.

"But I don't have any money," she said, tucking her hands behind her back.

Lee Zhi laughed heartily, "Consider this one on the house. If you like it, you can always come back for more!"

"Really? Okay, thanks, brother!" She hesitated, then took the chopsticks and nibbled cautiously.

"Careful, it's hot! So, is it good?" Lee Zhi asked, grinning.

"Mmm, yummy!" she nodded enthusiastically.

"Where's your family?"

She pointed towards the beach and said in her sweet, childlike voice, "Over there, playing. Brother, your fish balls are really yummy."

"Ha, I knew it!" Lee Zhi beamed, gently ruffling her hair. Maybe it was the free fish ball, but she didn't shy away.

"What's your name?" Lee Zhi squatted down to chat with her.

"I'm Tangtang!"

"Tangtang? Why not Doudou?" he teased.

Blinking, the mushroom-headed girl replied, "Because Tangtang sounds sweeter than Doudou!"