Chapter 125 - 126: Coming to Your Home to Stock Up

Chapter 125: Chapter 126: Coming to Your Home to Stock Up

SWOOSH~

At Fisherman, two anglers in a corner were flicking their rods with a swoosh. They looked like expert anglers getting one bite after another, but in reality, their hooks came up empty every time.

"This makes no sense. It’s been over three hours, and my float is just sitting there like it’s been welded to the water."

"Could this pond be empty?"

The two looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion.

"Bullshit. This pond may not have many fish left, but it’s still got some stock. Just yesterday, two masters had a competition here and pulled in a few hundred pounds, and they threw them all back. How could there be no fish?"

"Haha, that’s no excuse for getting skunked, you know."

A nearby angler chuckled teasingly.

SWOOSH~

Another angler suddenly yanked his rod. It was just a large crucian carp, but at least it was a fish.

"See? What’s this if not a fish? As long as you have the skill, you’ll catch something. Only guys who get skunked make excuses about the pond being empty."

The angler held up the large crucian carp, showing it off to the other two.

The expressions on the two "experts" darkened.

’To think that we, renowned fishing masters, would be mocked for our poor skills and called skunked old-timers. We’ve never been so humiliated!’

"You fish the bottom, I’ll fish the surface. Whatever else, that hundred-plus-pound Daqing is still in this pond. Let’s just focus on getting it first."

"Alright."

The two brought out their best techniques, refusing to believe they couldn’t catch anything.

...

"Sigh, my arm’s actually getting a little sore. Fishing is exhausting."

In stark contrast to the "experts" who were getting skunked, Chen Yuan maintained an excellent catch rate. In just an hour and a half, he had already caught nearly twenty fish.

His right arm was getting a little sore.

His fish basket held at least several dozen pounds of fish. At this rate, catching a hundred pounds in half a session would be no problem.

"Damn."

The few scattered anglers nearby, including a couple who had arrived later, were all consumed by envy, jealousy, and hate.

’Tired?’

’I fucking wish I was tired. Let me experience it for a change!’

’The well-fed don’t know the hunger of the starving.’

"Fisherman’s business model is a bit different from mine."

During a lull, Chen Yuan stuck a cigarette in his mouth, glanced over Fisherman’s three ponds, and muttered to himself.

They didn’t have fixed sessions here. Instead, each session was just four hours, and the timer started the moment you cast your line. The advantage was that anglers could arrange their time freely, fishing whenever they arrived.

But that only worked if you had a limited number of customers and plenty of fishing spots. Given how popular Chen Yuan Fishing Ground was now, that kind of business model wouldn’t be suitable.

There weren’t even enough spots to go around; how could there be an opportunity to just show up and fish?

’I’ll have to see how things go when the Old Pond opens. If it’s not completely packed, I could consider this model.’

Even if the spots at the Old Pond were spaced five meters apart, with proper planning and some floating bridges on the large water surface, he could fit at least two or three hundred spots.

It would definitely be hard to fill two ponds to capacity.

This model would be more flexible, allowing anglers to better manage their time.

"Hey brother, what brand of bait is that? Where’d you buy it?"

Just as Chen Yuan was muttering to himself, the angler to his right walked over with a smile, pulling a cigarette from a pack and offering it to him.

The skunked angler couldn’t take it anymore.

He had arrived before Chen Yuan but was still getting skunked, while Chen Yuan had already caught ten or twenty fish. This wasn’t just getting on the board; this was cleaning out the owner.

Seeing the temperature slowly rise, he knew the fishing would only get worse. He didn’t want to go home empty-handed, so he came over hoping to beg for some bait to try.

"Haha, this is my own custom brand. It’s not for sale, but if you want to try it, fellow angler, you can take some."

Chen Yuan understood what he was after and wasn’t stingy. He took the cigarette and gave him a bit of bait.

"Thanks, thanks so much."

The angler was incredibly grateful and even asked to add Chen Yuan on WeChat. Even though it was a custom brand not for sale, what if it went on sale one day?

Chen Yuan naturally didn’t refuse; all anglers were potential customers.

He didn’t take out his phone, just gave his number to be added.

The sun climbed higher, and the temperature rose with it. Especially sitting by the pond, the reflection off the water made his skin feel like it was burning.

Not only was it uncomfortable for the people, but the fishing was also affected. He hadn’t had a bite in over ten minutes.

"Change your technique."

Wang Heng and the others’ voices sounded out.

Chen Yuan followed their instructions, sliding his float down a bit, lightening the sinker, and casting out again with fresh bait.

SWOOSH~

Just as expected, changing his technique had an immediate effect. Not two minutes later, his float shot straight down.

The rhythm was back, and the streak of catches continued.

By the time the session was almost over, Chen Yuan had caught well over 150 pounds of fish, with 200 pounds well within reach.

"Haha, brother, this bait of yours is really something else. Thanks a lot for today. Now I can go home with a catch and have something to show for it."

The nearby angler came over to offer him a cigarette. He had only fished for one session, and his four hours were up.

He came to express his thanks, not forgetting to remind Chen Yuan to accept his friend request.

As soon as he started using the bait Chen Yuan gave him, he went from getting skunked to catching one fish after another with a SWOOSH SWOOSH of his rod. In about an hour, he’d landed seven, and none of them were small.

He had successfully gotten on the board.

He might even make enough to cover a pack of cigarettes.

If he could always get his hands on this bait, he could clean out the owner every single session.

’I have to stay in touch with this guy.’

"Brother, could you spare some bait for me?"

Even the other scattered anglers came over. Some offered cigarettes, some offered water, and one even came over holding a lunch box.

He claimed that the food provided by Fisherman was terrible and that this was takeout from outside.

All he wanted was a little bait.

After all, everyone had seen how effective it was.

"Haha, everyone, take some and give it a try."

Chen Yuan wasn’t stingy. He let them add him on WeChat. These were all potential customers, and he was confident he could poach them all for his own fishing ground.

’This is an unexpected bonus.’

’Not only can I clean out Fisherman, but I can also poach his customers.’

’Sweet~’

"Chen Yuan... why does that WeChat name feel a little familiar?"

"There’s that super popular Chen Yuan Fishing Ground lately. This guy couldn’t be the owner of Chen Yuan Fishing Ground, could he?"

"It’s probably just the same name. Why would the owner of a fishing ground go fish at someone else’s place? That’d be ridiculous."

The anglers entered his number to add him on WeChat, and when they saw the name that popped up, it felt familiar. They quickly thought of the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground.

Mainly because they had heard it so much recently. No matter where they went fishing, they heard that name. And from the way other anglers talked him up, he was practically a legend. They didn’t know if it was true or not.

"Heh heh."

Chen Yuan was about to admit it, but that last comment made him feel a bit awkward, so he just chuckled and said nothing.

He went back to fishing.

The task was what mattered.

But now it was noon, when the sun was at its most vicious. The water temperature was soaring, which had a big impact on the fish. Although he was still catching some, his efficiency was much lower than it had been in the morning.

Fortunately, with two masters backing him up, constantly suggesting changes to his technique, and with the boost from his bait and good luck, he could still maintain a decent catch rate.

"Maintaining this frequency isn’t bad either. If I really had to cast my line every minute, this arm would be done for."

Chen Yuan baited his hook, cast his line, then shook out his arm. He pulled out a bottle of mineral water and chugged it down. GLUG GLUG GLUG.

It was too hot in the summer; you couldn’t go without water. He’d already finished three or four bottles today. It was a good thing Chen Yuan was in good shape and used to the wind and sun, or else he would have gotten heatstroke.

’Doesn’t seem like the Fish King has been hooked back home yet.’

While taking a drink, Chen Yuan quickly triggered a Fish King bite.

Even though he was out, he still had to think about business back home. There weren’t many fish left in the pond, and if the Fish King didn’t even make an appearance, the customers would inevitably be disappointed.

’Just hang in there a little longer, fellas. I’ll have you all celebrating soon.’

As time passed, people came and went at the fishing ground. The biggest exodus was around noon, leaving only a few people scattered across the three ponds.

It wasn’t until after three in the afternoon that a few more people trickled in.

"Yo, isn’t that Boss Chen? What are you doing here at Fisherman instead of staying at your own place?"

Among the few new arrivals, someone recognized Chen Yuan. He had just paid his fee and turned around, and was surprised to see him as he scanned the fishing ground.

Hearing the cry of surprise, Chen Yuan couldn’t help but look back.

"Boss Chen? Which Boss Chen are you talking about?"

The short, stout man in the fee collection office, who already had a sour look on his face, instantly raised his gloomy head when he heard the angler’s shout. Then he quickly ran out to look.

"Which Boss Chen are you talking about?"

"Who else could it be? Boss Chen from Chen Yuan Fishing Ground, of course. Looks like he’s here to stock up at your place."

The angler let out a chuckle, paid no mind to the short, stout man, and headed toward Chen Yuan with his tackle box and other gear.

He also hadn’t been able to get a spot at Chen Yuan Fishing Ground; otherwise, who would come to Fisherman? Even if they did, they’d avoid lunchtime and the hottest part of the day.

The only reason he was here was because he heard the bite was good.

’As for the owner, who the fuck is friends with you? I can’t even be bothered to say another word to you.’

The short, stout man was a little flustered.