Chapter 122 - 123: Mental Activities Before Fishing

Chapter 122: Chapter 123: Mental Activities Before Fishing

The office was shrouded in smoke. From the outside, one could only make out two hazy figures.

When Chen Yuan emerged, he even brought a cloud of smoke with him, looking as if he had just escaped a fire.

"Phew~"

Stepping out of the village committee office, Chen Yuan let out a long breath as he watched the setting sun, a slow smile spreading across his face.

Putting aside Chen Wenbin’s level of support, the fishing ground was now developing on two fronts. With Chen Wenbin leading the way on the recreational side, it would save him a lot of trouble.

Moreover, he could now apply for county-level support, which meant not just policy backing but also financial aid. The benefits this would bring back to the fishing ground were enormous.

’Uncle Bin handed this part over to me as a form of compensation outside the contract, but the county’s funds are still limited. Apart from Uncle Bin’s portion, I’ll have to cover the rest myself.’

If you’re going to do something, do it right. Pinching pennies would just lead to a half-baked mess.

Besides, with the system as his safety net, he had the confidence to be extravagant.

"First, deliver the bait, fishing rods, and other things to me. Then I’ll take you to see the construction project."

Hopping onto his tricycle, Chen Yuan summoned the system and purchased enhanced bait, fishing rods, and other equipment, then called Wang Tao.

He would leave the construction to Wang Tao; the system’s mission was the most important thing right now.

Whether the fishing ground could undergo a major transformation all depended on how well he completed this wave of missions.

"Why are you back so late?"

After settling these matters, Chen Yuan rode his tricycle home. He had just reached his front gate when he saw his dad squatting outside the courtyard, smoking and glancing in his direction from time to time.

"There was a lot to discuss, so we talked until now."

He hadn’t noticed how quickly time passed at the village committee office, but now the sun was about to set. They had unknowingly chatted for three or four hours.

"Eat first. We’ve already eaten."

Chen Jun ran to the kitchen and brought the food he had saved for him to the main hall.

They had originally planned to wait for Chen Yuan to eat together, but they knew he was at the village committee office discussing important business and had no idea when he’d be done. Not wanting to rush him, they decided to eat first.

Tang Ying and the others had gone to the vegetable patch, leaving Chen Jun to tidy up at home.

"This is how it should be."

Chen Yuan washed his hands and went straight to the table to eat. His dad thoughtfully brought him a bottle of cold beer.

"How did the talk go?"

Chen Jun asked, sitting down beside him.

"I secured the Old Pond without a hitch. The big pond will still take some time, but it’s not as much trouble as it was at the beginning. This is the perfect time to get the Old Pond up and running."

Chen Yuan shoveled down his food, occasionally taking a swig of beer. It was quite refreshing.

"That son of a bitch Zhou Jianming finally caved."

Chen Jun stubbed out his cigarette, his mood instantly improving.

"It’s not like he had a choice, even if he wanted to resist."

Chen Yuan briefly explained what had happened. Chen Jun didn’t say anything, but he looked at his son with a strange expression.

"By the way, Dad, I have to go out for a few days, so you’ll probably have to watch the fishing ground during the day. If you get too busy with the cooking, you can call Aunt Juan over to help in advance."

Chen Yuan quickly changed the subject, bringing up his plans for tomorrow.

’I know what Dad’s thinking just by looking at him. Zhou Jianming’s son is only two years older than me, the same age as my older sister, and he’s about to get married—a shotgun wedding, no less.’

’Then he looks at his own son... he’s definitely going to have a few words to say.’

"Leave the fish pond to me. Don’t worry about the cooking. With Aunt Liu helping, it’ll be fine."

Before they hired any staff, it was just a few of them at noon, and they managed to keep things running just fine.

"So if someone catches a Daqing, I just give them one thousand in cash, right?"

"Yep. Remember to take a picture and post it in the group chat. Also, I need to rest up and sleep early tonight, so you might have to help close up after the night fishing session."

"No problem."

Chen Jun nodded, not asking what Chen Yuan was going out to do.

He was still thinking about Zhou Jianming’s son getting married.

"RING RING RING~"

But before he could get a few words in, Chen Yuan’s phone rang.

"Wang Tao’s here. Dad, can you help wash the dishes? I’m going to take him to see the breeding site."

Chen Yuan quickly got up and ran outside, not even stopping to light his usual after-dinner cigarette.

"That rascal~"

Chen Jun watched Chen Yuan flee in disarray and couldn’t help but smile wryly.

’Well, the kid’s grown up now. He can worry about his own affairs. I can’t be bothered to nag him.’

Of course, this was because their family’s financial situation was gradually improving, so he wasn’t as worried as before. With Chen Yuan’s current status, he wouldn’t have any trouble finding a wife.

’At the end of the day, with money in the bank, there’s no need to panic~’

"A new project already? Boss Chen, did you take a mission and get a bunch of points?"

Wang Tao dropped a box he was holding onto the ground. It was full of enhanced bait. He also had a rod bag slung over his shoulder and a large tackle box at his side.

Chen Yuan had bought the complete set.

After all, not all fishing grounds were as well-stocked as his.

"I didn’t get points, but I have a steady daily income."

Chen Yuan wasn’t surprised that Wang Tao knew about the system’s missions. He glanced at the bait, took the rod bag and tackle box back inside, and then grabbed the tricycle key, gesturing for Wang Tao to get on.

"I’ve applied for a plot of barren hillside to raise some poultry. I want to give the customers something visibly ’all-natural’. Take a look and see how we should build it out."

Chen Yuan said as he rode the tricycle.

"Doing it for the customers is no problem."

Wang Tao nodded.

Yu City Village wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t exactly small either. It took them about ten minutes to reach the hilly area of Hou Village.

This area was already wasteland, covered by several centimeters of loose, sandy soil. Few weeds grew here, let alone any crops.

"Boss Chen, what kind of scale are you planning?"

Wang Tao asked, surveying the barren hillside.

"For now, a scale of a few hundred to a thousand, I suppose. But we need to raise them in batches to ensure a new batch is ready every month or two."

Chen Yuan offered Wang Tao a cigarette.

"That’s not a large scale."

Wang Tao took the cigarette and pointed ahead. "And this place is suitable for free-range farming. No need for any major construction. Just get the environmental protection right, and that’s it. It’s a small project. Won’t use many points."

"Anyway, the project is in your hands. You’ve seen the site. Tell me what materials you need, and I’ll buy them right now."

The points converted from yesterday’s and today’s revenue were untouched, sitting in his account ready to be used.

Wang Tao didn’t stand on ceremony.

He walked a lap around the area, glanced at the slope behind it, and then turned back and rattled off a long list of materials, telling Chen Yuan to place the order directly.

"This is what you call ’not many points’?"

After finishing, Chen Yuan shot a fierce glare at Wang Tao.

He had actually believed Wang Tao’s nonsense, thinking it would only cost a few thousand points. In the end, it cost him a full fifteen thousand.

"Heh heh, with a complete incubation base and the technology, Boss Chen can be completely self-sufficient later on. Truly all-natural. It’s definitely not a loss."

Wang Tao chuckled.

"Let’s go. I’ll take you to a few more places. There will be no shortage of projects coming up."

With things settled here, Chen Yuan gestured for Wang Tao to leave with him.

He took Wang Tao on a tour of Yu City Village so he could get familiar with the layout and form some ideas and plans for the planting project.

Finally, they ambled back home. After telling Wang Tao to manage the construction arrangements himself, Chen Yuan rode his tricycle to the fish pond again to return Chen Dequan’s tricycle key.

While he was at it, he redeemed the strong feedback reward.

He was planning to sleep early tonight, so he had used the Fish King’s Bite beforehand, and its effect had already ended.

"Mom, Dad, I’ve got stuff to do tomorrow, so I’m heading up to sleep, ’kay?"

After finishing up, Chen Yuan went back. His mom had returned, and his parents were in the kitchen preparing food for the next day. Chen Yuan called out a greeting and headed upstairs.

By the time he finished washing up, it was already past ten. Lying in bed, Chen Yuan thought about the fishing trip tomorrow. If he could get a massive haul, and then get a hundredfold multiplier on top of that, it would be absolutely amazing.

’Is this what an angler feels like before a fishing trip?’

As he thought about it, Chen Yuan suddenly smiled.

He suddenly understood the mindset of an angler heading out to fish—dreaming of a massive haul before even leaving, while also worrying if all the gear was properly prepared.

It made him want to go downstairs and double-check everything.

’The mental gymnastics before a fishing trip are really something else.’

’Why didn’t I ever feel this way in my past life?’

"Time for sleep, time for sleep~"

The more he thought, the more excited he became, to the point he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to sleep. So he decided not to think about it anymore. He forced his brain to shut down, employed his ultimate sleep-inducing technique, and rolled over to go straight to sleep.

「The next morning.」

Chen Yuan was woken up by his alarm. Perhaps because he was too excited about the system mission—or more accurately, the double reward—he couldn’t help but overthink things last night.

He actually hadn’t managed to wake up naturally this morning.

He scrambled out of bed, threw on his clothes, and rushed to wash up. Then he went downstairs to check all his equipment. After the morning rush of customers had settled in, Chen Yuan said his goodbyes and prepared to leave.

But before he could leave the fish pond, a fellow angler pulled him aside.

His first words made Chen Yuan’s brow furrow instantly.