chapter 7 Take action when the road is rough

Even though Cabin was robust and walked swiftly, it took him two hours to reach the highway. Once on the road, he hailed a ride to the city. The fare for a large bus was fifteen bucks, and for a small one, it was ten. Taxis dared to charge thirty to fifty.

Cabin was currently low on funds, so he waited for a passing small bus.

One arrived, and he waved it to a stop and got on. The whole place was filled with the strong smell of fish, and the passengers inside complained.

Cabin couldn't help it; the scent was overpowering and impossible to contain. He endured it, pretending not to hear.

"Stay away from me, please."

Just as he was about to take a seat in an empty spot, he was pushed by the girl inside.

"You're covered in fish scales, don't sit here."

This girl was quite fierce.

Looking at her with a chest wrap on top and exposed shorts on the bottom, he could tell she was a very avant-garde girl. He glanced at her belly button, and she glared at him several times.

Cabin didn't bother with her. He carried the fish basket and stood near the front door.

Once he reached the city, he took a public bus straight to the free market. While there were plenty of seafood vendors here, Cabin wasn't worried about selling his goods. They were fresh, sizable, and reasonably priced, so they usually sold quickly.

But today, after selling a few sea cucumbers, two men with red armbands on their arms showed up.

"Kid, who let you set up a seafood stall here?"

Cabin was puzzled. "I've been selling here before, and no one bothered me. I paid the ten-dollar tax, and that was it."

An older man patted Cabin on the shoulder. "Don't come here again. This place has been contracted by our guy Rowen. No one is allowed to sell seafood retail. You can only wholesale to Rowen."

Cabin thought that wholesaling was also fine; it saved him trouble.

He nodded. "If you're buying seafood, then I'll sell to you. How much can you offer for my oysters and a few green crabs?"

The younger man glanced down. "Oysters are five bucks per pound, green crabs are thirty per pound!"

Cabin laughed. They were both seaside kids; who didn't know the prices?

Oysters at least sold for over twenty bucks a pound at the market, even in wholesale it was at least fifteen to twenty bucks. Cabin's oysters were large and wild, so even in wholesale, they would go for around fifteen to twenty bucks.

Large green crabs were pricier. Regular ones are wholesaled for thirty bucks, and for these wild ones, it could go up to fifty or sixty bucks.

Cabin's retail prices weren't expensive either; oysters were fifteen bucks a pound, and large green crabs were sixty bucks a pound. This was almost similar to others' wholesale prices.

These guys came in offering such low prices right away; it was obvious they were trying to take advantage.

But looking around, there wasn't anyone else selling seafood in small quantities like himself. The rules may have changed in the time he'd been gone.

Cabin shook his head. "The price you're offering is too low, I won't sell."

The two men sneered. "That's fine, but you can't set up a stall here if you're not selling. If you think we're offering too little, you can try taking it to a hotel. Maybe they'll pay you a hundred or more for a pound of those big crabs!"

After saying this, everyone around burst into laughter. Hotels usually bought from these seafood vendors who operated year-round. It was essentially a market monopolized by the seafood vendors, so they wouldn't bother with such small amounts of loose goods.

Cabin hadn't tried selling to hotels before, but since they didn't allow him to sell here, he figured it was worth a shot. He hoisted the fish basket and headed out.

Today, he brought quite a bit of seafood. He just made two hundred bucks from the sea cucumbers earlier. If he sold the rest, it would probably last him for half a month.

Once out of the market, he looked up at the signs on the roadside, hoping to find a big hotel that would buy seafood.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. A very curvaceous beauty emerged from a fashion store. She exuded an air of aloofness, her phoenix-like eyes looking down at everyone. She glanced at Cabin's face and didn't pause for a moment. Instead, she made a beeline for a bright orange convertible parked at the curb.

She wore a fashionable sky-blue backless dress, two long, black-stockinged legs, eighteen-centimeter high-heeled shoes, and a small alligator-skin bag dangling from her arm. Every detail showcased her elegant demeanor.

Just as this woman was about to get in the car, a man wearing a helmet appeared from the side. Like a bolt of lightning, he swiftly snatched the alligator-skin bag from the beauty.

The slender-waisted beauty couldn't withstand the forceful tug. She let out a startled cry, her high heels wobbled, and she tumbled onto the curb.

The helmeted guy, still clutching the alligator-skin bag, dashed towards an electric scooter across the road.

In broad daylight, they dared to rob so blatantly?

A surge of righteousness erupted within Cabin. He dropped the fish basket, reached in, and grabbed a hard-shell oyster, flinging it out.

"Thud!"

It hit the helmeted guy squarely.

This guy was already jittery from his guilty conscience. As soon as he got hit, he lost his footing and tumbled to the ground.

Cabin immediately gave chase.

"Stop!"

His thunderous shout frightened the guy, who scrambled up and ran, tossing the alligator-skin bag over his shoulder as he jumped on the electric scooter and fled.

Cabin reached out to retrieve the bag, but he didn't bother chasing the spineless thief any further. He turned and walked back.

The blue-dressed beauty was still sitting on the curb, clutching her ankle, nearly in tears.

A crowd had gathered around, but most were just spectators.

Many men were taking advantage of the higher ground to sneak peeks at the deep cleavage revealed by her low-cut top.

Seeing Cabin successfully retrieve the bag, someone tried to ingratiate himself, saying, "Look, this young man got your bag back for you."

Cabin tossed the alligator-skin bag to her. "Check if anything's missing!"

The blue-dressed beauty didn't look. "That's not important. Can you please call an ambulance for me? I've sprained my ankle!"

Cabin had never heard of someone calling an ambulance for a sprained ankle; it seemed a bit overly delicate. However, considering this beauty's looks and her melodious voice like a warbler's, he reluctantly crouched down to take a look at her ankle.