Chapter 121 - 122: You Won’t Lose Out on This

Chapter 121: Chapter 122: You Won’t Lose Out on This

Chen Yuan had switched his phone to silent while getting fishing tips.

It was the most important thing on his list — tied directly to his quest and its rewards. He’d even skipped the village committee meeting for it. No way was he letting anything interrupt that.

Now that he pulled his phone out, he found a string of missed calls.

All from Uncle Bin.

"Hey, Uncle Bin, sorry about that — had something come up at the pond and didn’t have my phone on me. I’m free now, heading over right away."

Chen Yuan called back immediately, and by the time he hung up, he was grinning ear to ear, barely stopping himself from throwing a fist in the air.

He’d had a hunch the moment he saw the missed calls. After hearing Chen Wenbin’s tone on the phone, that hunch was all but confirmed — Uncle Bin had good news, no question about it.

Almost certainly about the Old Pond.

"Uncle Chen, mind if I borrow the three-wheeler keys?"

It was only after hanging up that Chen Yuan realized Chen Jun and the others had already ridden the three-wheelers back. The only one still parked at the pond was Chen Dequan’s.

"Take it, boss."

Chen Dequan jogged over and fished the keys out of his pocket, then added, "Boss, maybe leave a spare set hanging outside your office — that way whoever needs a vehicle can just grab them. Makes things easier."

Not a bad idea.

Chen Yuan filed it away.

He shoved in the key, twisted the ignition, and tore off toward the village committee building like the wind.

"Uncle Bin!"

Same as always, Chen Yuan knocked once and walked straight in, sliding a pack of Hua cigarettes across to Chen Wenbin as he called out.

Chen Wenbin was actually being productive today — glasses on, hunched over his computer, typing away at something or other.

"You’re here. Give me two minutes."

Chen Wenbin glanced up with a smile and waved at Chen Yuan to set the cigarettes on the desk.

"Sure thing."

Chen Yuan chuckled and placed the Hua to Chen Wenbin’s right, then grabbed the thermos and topped off his tea before pulling up a chair and sitting down.

He twisted open a Coke and drained the last third of the bottle in one go.

"You should cut back on those fizzy drinks. Too many additives — not good for you. You’re running a business now; you’ve got a lot on your shoulders. Take care of yourself."

Less than two minutes later, Chen Wenbin took off his glasses and gave Chen Yuan a light scolding as he watched him finish the Coke, the way an elder fusses over someone younger.

Chen Yuan laughed it off and tossed the empty bottle into the bin.

When he saw Chen Wenbin reach for the Hua on the desk, he immediately pulled out his lighter and leaned over.

"You little—"

Chen Wenbin couldn’t help shaking his head with a smile. His brother Chen Jun and Tang Ying were both straight-laced people. How’d they end up raising such a slick kid?

"Zhou Jianming’s caving."

Chen Wenbin lit his cigarette and got straight to the point. "It’s not just the pressure from the village talk — apparently his son’s getting married too. Shot-gun wedding, at that. And the girl’s family isn’t making it easy. They’re demanding an apartment in the city as the marital home. That all takes money."

And this was nothing.

Give it a few more years, and the cost of getting married would be truly brutal. Never mind the sky-high bride price — you’d still need a car, a home, and savings to your name.

And if the girl’s family was picky, you’d better have a stable job too, with a five-figure monthly salary as a bare minimum.

Marriage was becoming something most people simply couldn’t afford.

"So what’s Zhou Jianming saying?"

None of that was Chen Yuan’s concern, though. He just wanted to know what price Zhou Jianming was looking for this time.

"He’s genuinely backed into a corner this time. He just wants his lease fee back. And he said if you’re willing, he’ll throw in all the fish in the pond at below-market price — a package deal."

"I’m not interested in his fish."

Chen Yuan shook his head.

Before today, he might have been fine with that arrangement. But now he had the real-time quest to think about.

If he completed it, his catch would be multiplied a hundredfold. Stocking the Old Pond wouldn’t even be a question, let alone the small one.

"Keep your fish. He drains the pond himself — he doesn’t lose, I don’t gain, no one has anything to complain about. But the lease fee—"

By nature, Chen Yuan would’ve loved to dictate the price and make sure Zhou Jianming knew exactly who held the cards here. But one glance at Chen Wenbin, and he reined himself in.

He knocked off a token five thousand yuan and left it at that.

"Pretty much what I expected. I’ll have a word with Zhou Jianming in a bit — this should be a done deal."

Chen Wenbin looked at Chen Yuan with a satisfied smile. The kid knew when to stop pushing.

Then he pulled open a drawer and took out a document.

"Got the land sorted for your breeding operation. It’s at the far end of Hou Village — the hillside plot plus the slope behind it. All yours to develop."

"Heh, thanks, Uncle Bin."

Chen Yuan grinned and flipped through the contract. The planned area, the lease price — everything was spotless.

"That land’s well-suited for open-range breeding, but you’ll need to stay on top of environmental compliance."

Chen Wenbin took a drag and reminded him — environmental regulations were the number one concern with any kind of farming operation. Fail that inspection and they’d shut you down on the spot.

"Got it."

Chen Yuan signed and sealed the contract without hesitation.

"One more thing."

Chen Wenbin leaned forward, glanced toward the door, then lowered his voice.

"I made the rounds while I had the chance. Opinion in the village is split. The folks you hired are supportive, but the others are on the fence. Then there are the ones who’ve moved away — some don’t care about the pond at all, but some must’ve caught wind of how well your fishing spot is doing and are looking to squeeze you."

Chen Yuan frowned at that.

Sure, the current buzz in the village was aimed at Zhou Jianming’s Old Pond — but the big pond was very much on his radar too.

"All in all, it’s still an uphill battle."

Chen Wenbin kept his voice low.

Chen Yuan nodded, brow still furrowed, though he wasn’t particularly surprised. It would’ve been the real shock if the big pond had been easy to get.

"What’s the deal with the ones asking for high prices?"

The villagers could wait — what Chen Yuan was curious about now were the ones who’d left and were still trying to drive a hard bargain.

It was the way of the times. Countless rural families had made their way to the cities, and Yu City Village was no different. Of the original five hundred-odd households, fewer than a third probably still had anyone living there year-round.

The ones who’d settled elsewhere with their own homes and lives barely made it back even for the holidays. The village’s resources were the last thing on their minds. Those were the easiest ones to negotiate with.

Zhou Jianming was probably feeling that same pressure — and with his son’s shotgun wedding on top of it, he’d finally realized he was sitting on a grenade and wanted to get rid of it.

"Either they want a cut of the revenue, or they want to sell high and cash out their stake."

Chen Wenbin shook his head with a wry smile. Either way, the asking prices were outrageous — highway robbery would’ve been an understatement.

"A cut of the revenue? What do they think I am, an ATM?" Chen Yuan let out a quiet laugh.

He had considered that kind of arrangement — but only with the village committee. Some random individual sticking their hand in his pocket could dream on.

"No point rushing this. I’ll keep working on it."

Chen Wenbin laughed. There was no way he’d agree to those terms either, let alone Chen Yuan.

"Thanks, Uncle Bin."

Chen Yuan laughed along with him.

"One more thing."

Chen Wenbin tapped the ash off his cigarette, and a bright smile spread across his face. "A while back I filed a proposal with the county — wanted to plant some highly ornamental flowers and trees around the village. Got the response today. County approved it."

"That’s great news."

Chen Yuan’s face lit up at that. If he wanted his two-pronged plan to work, the leisure side of things had to be built around the village itself.

Uncle Bin was helping him take the first step.

"Have you lined up a construction crew for the Hou Village breeding site yet?"

Chen Yuan paused, turning the question over. What was Uncle Bin getting at?

"This was a village application — so naturally the village handles the work."

Watching Chen Wenbin’s meaningful smile, Chen Yuan caught on instantly.

"Uncle Bin, leave that with me. I’ll have my crew take care of it while they’re at it."

Chen Yuan grinned.

"Alright, I’ll leave it in your hands then. Your crew does solid work, so get things ready on your end and I’ll handle things at the county level."

Chen Wenbin stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and said with a cheerful smile, "Negotiate with the crew however you need to. Don’t give me that ’while they’re at it’ line — there’s something in this for you, and you know it."

Chen Yuan understood exactly what Chen Wenbin meant. Back when he’d taken over the Old Pond, Chen Wenbin had said he wouldn’t let him down. The signed contract didn’t leave much room to maneuver, so he was finding other ways to make it up to him.

"Thank you, Uncle Bin."

Chen Yuan smiled genuinely.

"Any thoughts on the planting side of things?"

Chen Wenbin interlaced his fingers, his expression turning more serious.

Chen Yuan’s arrival had given him a real shot at delivering results for the village — something he hadn’t had before. That was exactly why he’d been pushing so hard with his applications up the chain.

Every step of the way, he wanted to make sure the village committee and Chen Yuan stayed in lockstep. So what Chen Yuan thought mattered a great deal.

"How much funding did you get approved, Uncle Bin?"

Chen Yuan straightened up, matching his tone. When it came to real business, he was all focus.

Because funding was everything. You could only work with what you had.