"That must be true, right? So many people eat crayfish in the summer, won't Dad be afraid of not selling them?" Tongtong replied confidently.
"But Dad has never raised crayfish before. What if they all die, like Grandpa said?" Liu Yifeng voiced his concerns.
"Tongtong can teach Dad the farming method. I guarantee the crayfish Dad raises will be very big," Tongtong said.
This was exactly what Liu Yifeng had been waiting for. "Okay, then Dad will go buy the fry tomorrow to start farming."
"You impulsive kid! The vegetables and watermelons have just been planted, and now you're raising crayfish. Can you handle it all?" Liu Chunsheng scowled.
This whole idea didn't sound reliable at all.
"Dad, you don't know how big the market for crayfish is. Those bustling night markets can sell over a thousand catties of crayfish a day. If we can successfully raise them to maturity, why would we be afraid of not making money?"
"Then where do you plan to raise them? You can't raise them in the village pond; the villagers definitely won't agree," Liu Chunsheng said.
"We can lease a pond, then no one will have anything to say," Liu Yifeng said. He knew it was impossible to take advantage of the villagers.
"Dad, you don't necessarily have to farm them in a pond. You can also use paddy fields that are a bit deeper. Just build a fence to prevent the crayfish from escaping," Tongtong suggested.
Thinking of the deeper fields, Liu Chunsheng remembered they had a piece of fallow land. It was about three mu in size, but because it was too deep, it would accumulate about a meter of water when it rained, making it unsuitable for planting, so it had been left idle. This was perfect for raising crayfish!
So, he told Liu Yifeng about the land. Liu Yifeng knew that piece of land; his father had planted rice there when he was young, but it would flood badly every time it rained, and then it was abandoned. He remembered playing in that field as a child, the mud so deep it came past his knees. Raising crayfish there would indeed be the best option, and the land was large enough to raise tens of thousands of catties of crayfish. However, he felt he still needed Tongtong's approval before proceeding, not to act impulsively. Although Tongtong was only three years old, in Liu Yifeng's eyes, he was an adult, a smart adult.
After dinner, Liu Yifeng eagerly took Tongtong to the field. Due to several recent rains, the field was nearly overflowing with water, and aquatic plants had grown, creating a natural habitat for crayfish. Tongtong felt the water depth and gave a firm reply, "Dad, we can raise crayfish here, but you need to build a slope to prevent them from escaping."
"Okay, Dad will build the slope this afternoon and go buy the crayfish fry tomorrow," Liu Yifeng nodded. He didn't argue with any of his son's suggestions.
"Dad, you don't need to buy fry. You can buy some half-dead crayfish, and Tongtong has a way to make them lively again. That way, we won't waste time raising them from scratch."
Tongtong's words stunned Liu Yifeng. "Tongtong, you... what did you say? You can make nearly dead crayfish lively again?"
Tongtong nodded. "Yes, and I can make them grow very, very big, so Dad can sell them for a good price."
Liu Yifeng burst into laughter after hearing this. Other people's sons might be here for revenge, but his son was surely here to repay a debt of gratitude. If it was as Tongtong said, then buying half-dead crayfish would save a lot of cost. And not having to raise them from juveniles would save a lot of time. Otherwise, it would take at least half a year or even a year to raise crayfish to maturity.
Seeing his father's smiling face, Tongtong reminded him, "Dad, remember to disinfect thoroughly before putting the crayfish in, to eliminate bacteria, otherwise, it will be difficult for them to survive."
"Okay, Dad understands. Tongtong, you're truly amazing. I don't know how to thank you enough," Liu Yifeng said, filled with pride for having such a son.
Tongtong said understandingly, "You're my Dad, no need to say thank you!"
Afterward, Liu Yifeng noted down all the important points and got busy. Although the work was hard, the thought of making money filled him with energy.
The next day, Liu Yifeng built the slope and thoroughly disinfected the field. Then, he drove his third uncle's minivan with Tongtong to the county town. The market was full of crayfish vendors, but he didn't want to buy from scattered sellers. He drove directly to the crayfish breeding base, where most of the market's crayfish originated.
"Grandpa, is your boss here?" Liu Yifeng got out of the car and asked the gatekeeper. He offered a cigarette. He himself smoked, but infrequently, and always carried them for such occasions. A man's matters were often settled with a cigarette, or two if needed.
The gatekeeper took the cigarette, his expression softening considerably. "Our boss is out. Are you here to pick up crayfish? Do you have an order form? If so, I'll take you to get them." Due to the high volume of business, orders usually needed to be placed one or two days in advance for preparation. Those who arrived the same day rarely got any crayfish. The gatekeeper naturally assumed Liu Yifeng was there to collect an order.
Liu Yifeng quickly replied, "Grandpa, I haven't made a reservation yet."
"No reservation, no crayfish. Our stock is all booked yesterday. If you want crayfish, you must reserve with our boss a day in advance," the gatekeeper stated.
"Grandpa, do you have any nearly dead crayfish for sale? I want to buy those," Liu Yifeng changed the subject.
"We do, but they won't live long after you buy them. Dead crayfish can't be eaten," the gatekeeper warned.
"I know, I'm not eating them. I'm buying them to feed my fish," Liu Yifeng said.
The gatekeeper stood up. "Then come with me. I'll show you first, and then you can decide if you want to buy them."
"Okay, thank you, Grandpa," Liu Yifeng followed with a smile, Tongtong trailing behind.
"Look, these are all nearly dead crayfish. We usually use them for frozen shrimp tails. What do you think?" the gatekeeper pointed to more than a dozen crates of crayfish. Liu Yifeng picked up a few. Their claws were still moving, but very weakly. He could tell they were close to death. He wasn't afraid of anything else, only that they might die before he got them home. So, he instinctively glanced at Tongtong, waiting for his opinion. If Tongtong said it was okay, he would buy them all; otherwise, he wouldn't.
The gatekeeper became impatient. "Are you buying or not? Why are you looking at your son?"
Tongtong looked at the crayfish in the crates; they were mostly listless, but he still nodded at Liu Yifeng. Seeing this, Liu Yifeng immediately said, "I'll take all of these. How much are they?"
"You'll take them all?" the gatekeeper was incredulous. How many fish would you need to feed to buy over a dozen crates of dead shrimp at once?
"Yes, all of them. Grandpa, please name a price!" Liu Yifeng said.
Seeing that Liu Yifeng didn't seem like a liar, the gatekeeper said, "These are our boss's crayfish. Wait a moment, I'll call him." He immediately took out his old mobile phone and dialed his boss. Soon, the gatekeeper hung up and looked at Liu Yifeng. "Our boss said if you take them all, he'll sell them to you cheap. We won't weigh them; just take them for 100 yuan per crate."