Chapter 158 - 155: Old Pond Activation

Chapter 158: Chapter 155: Old Pond Activation

"If we want to go the leisure route, then the Flower Sea Fruit Forest alone isn’t enough. I think we can add more recreational attractions."

Chen Li looked at Wang Tao as she spoke.

"Recreational attractions? Sis, tell me more."

Chen Yuan’s interest was piqued, as if struck by an idea.

"As the saying goes, you have to make use of your local resources. The Old Pond has plenty of water, and there’s enough open space here. We should put the water resources to good use."

"Sis, you mean... hot springs?"

Chen Yuan realized.

"Summer is the peak season for water activities. Since we have such abundant water resources, why not use them? I believe that if we build hot springs, they’re sure to attract a lot of visitors."

Chen Li nodded.

"That’s a great idea."

Wang Tao clapped his hands excitedly.

He was already getting his hopes up when Chen Li mentioned adding more attractions, but when he heard her talk about using the Old Pond’s open space and water resources, he was absolutely thrilled.

He’d had ideas for this empty lot for a while but hadn’t found the right time to discuss them with Chen Yuan. Miss Chen’s suggestion was exactly what he had been thinking.

He had a feeling that working with Miss Chen in the future would be a very pleasant experience.

"So, President Wang, you approve of this suggestion too?"

Chen Li was equally delighted. She believed Chen Yuan when he said they had a partner, and ideas need funding to become reality. That was why she had looked at Wang Tao while making her proposal.

She was truly seeing Wang Tao’s company as their financial backer.

"Of course I approve. The appeal of hot springs in the summer is undeniable."

Wang Tao nodded vigorously and continued.

"Why do so many fishermen sneak off to fish? It’s simply because they’re afraid of their families nagging them about neglecting their responsibilities. You go out to have fun by yourself, leaving the kids and a pile of chores behind—who wouldn’t feel resentful?"

"But just imagine, if the fishermen could bring their wives and kids along to have fun, wouldn’t that solve the problem? And it would generate more revenue for us, too."

Hearing Wang Tao’s words, Chen Yuan thought it made a lot of sense.

The jokes about fishermen getting a big-catch reward and going home triumphant might be just for fun, but they highlighted a real issue.

Many people don’t understand fishing and think of it as a frivolous pursuit.

There’s an old saying: "Fishing will make you poor for three years, bird-keeping will ruin your life; once you learn to chase rabbits with dogs, you’re on a path of no return." Even the ancients believed fishing was a distraction that sapped one’s will to work.

So for many fishermen, especially after they have a family, it’s really not easy to go fishing. After all, with kids and a mountain of chores at home, on what grounds do you get to go out and have fun?

But if we build these recreational attractions and tie them into the membership benefits, won’t the fishermen bring their families along? Won’t that solve the problem?

"They used to say that it was easy to make money off the elderly, but in this day and age, it’s easiest to make money off kids. City kids can’t stand being cooped up at home, so their parents have no choice but to take them out to play. It satisfies the kids’ need for fun, and the parents get to relax a bit, too."

Chen Li spoke about her experiences from her old job.

The clerks at her store who were married with children would always take their kids out on their days off. They were always either exchanging parenting tips or discussing fun places to go. Before they knew it, they’d be making plans to go together.

There’s no other way. If you don’t take your kids out, they’ll drive you crazy at home.

Besides, kids these days like to show off. When they’re playing with their friends, one will say, "I went to such-and-such place, it was so much fun!" Won’t the one who didn’t go start a fuss with you?

Can you put up with that?

A lot of the time, adults’ recreation is really just about accompanying their children.

"So, we shouldn’t just build hot springs, cold springs, and swimming pools. We should also build a water park, and even an indoor playground."

Chen Li had seen so many children’s play areas in shopping malls.

The admission fees weren’t cheap, but business was still booming.

Kids these days aren’t like they were when we were young.

"Boss Chen, let’s do it!"

Listening to Chen Li’s endless stream of ideas, Wang Tao was so excited that his hand trembled as he reached for a cigarette.

’Miss Chen’s proposal is even more ambitious than the project I had in mind.’

’This is basically up to the standards of a hot spring resort.’

Chen Yuan took the cigarette Wang Tao offered, tilted his head to light it, and then looked out at the wide expanse by the Old Pond under the moonlight. He gave a wry smile and said,

"I was originally planning to use this area for parking. Not only is there no parking outside my aunt’s yard, but with 112 fishing spots planned for the Old Pond, where are all the cars going to park?"

The number of fishing spots didn’t reach the two hundred plus they had anticipated.

The Old Pond had more twists and turns, unlike the smaller, squarer pond. It was more like an oval, or even a long strip, only about forty meters wide.

If you measured the perimeter along all its curves, it was much longer than a rectangular pond. With the addition of floating bridges, if they really maximized the space, getting over two hundred spots would have been no problem at all.

But the Old Pond was for monster fish, and Chen Yuan was preparing to stock it with hundred-plus-pound giants.

Therefore, Wang Tao prioritized safety. The spacing between fishing spots was increased to five or six meters, and only two floating bridges were built, spanning the entire Old Pond and increasing the open area.

Overall, although there were less than half the number of spots they had expected, the spacing was much wider. There was at least ten meters between an angler and their neighbors on either side, making it easier to reel in a fish. It was also safer.

"We can design an underground parking garage."

Wang Tao offered a solution.

"I need to ask for approval on this. I’ll tell you the outcome tomorrow. For now, the priority is the Flower Sea Fruit Forest project and the work in the village. Let me know if you need anything."

Chen Yuan took a deep drag from his cigarette and made his decision.

He hadn’t considered this angle at first, but his sister’s and Wang Tao’s words had instantly opened up new possibilities. Hot springs weren’t just for summer.

They would definitely complement the fishing ground perfectly.

But the prerequisite was still getting approval from Uncle Bin. He didn’t know if they could handle a project this big, but since Uncle Bin had approved the fishing ground’s development path—and he was the one who’d suggested the leisure route in the first place—he should be able to support it.

"I have faith in you, Boss Chen."

Wang Tao beamed. With those words from Boss Chen, it was as good as a done deal.

"Alright, alright, stop flattering me. Go on and get busy. I’m going to check on the Old Pond."

Chen Yuan tossed his cigarette butt and walked towards the Old Pond.

Wang Tao knew Chen Yuan was going to "activate" it, so he tactfully started discussing the details of the Flower Sea Fruit Forest with Chen Li, as well as the plans for the hot springs, water park, and children’s playground.

The more they talked, the more excited they became.

’Miss Chen is practically my lucky star.’

In the end, the two of them simply went straight to the Flower Sea Fruit Forest.

"My sister is certainly enthusiastic."

A smile appeared on Chen Yuan’s face as he watched Chen Li go off directly with Wang Tao.

He felt more and more certain that asking his sister to come back and help was the right decision. The results were even better than he could have imagined.

’System, activate the Old Pond.’

Averting his gaze, Chen Yuan began to activate the Old Pond.

Having activated the smaller pond before, activating the Old Pond was a breeze. An overhead view of the Old Pond appeared in his mind, as if branded directly onto it.

His consciousness completely covered it, and the entire Old Pond instantly turned green. The notification sound for a fishing ground activation chimed, and then the system’s information panel appeared.

’Whoa, the Old Pond still has this much stock left.’

Chen Yuan looked at the "Fishing Ground" section and saw that "Chen Yuan Fishing Ground" was now subdivided into "Small Pond" and "Old Pond." The upgrade progress bar was still there, unchanged.

The fish stocks below had changed.

They were now listed as "Small Pond Fish Stocks" and "Old Pond Fish Stocks."

Under "Old Pond Fish Stocks" were: Crucian Carp: 1387, White Strips: 4396, Common Carp: 23, Grass Carp: 21, Bream: 18, Silver Carp: 16, Bighead Carp: 12.

There were also 7 soft-shelled turtles, a few more than in the small pond. There were even things like crabs and loaches.

’Looks like Zhou Jianming didn’t clear it out completely. He even left some stock for me.’

Chen Yuan smiled.

He wasn’t too surprised.

Zhou Jianming hadn’t drained the pond; he just used nets to get the fish out. There were bound to be some that got away. Besides, the ones that were missed were probably just small fry, no big ones.

And the Old Pond was a ten-mu body of water; there were definitely a lot of small crucian carp and white strips, so they would be the ones most likely left behind.

’I’ll deal with that when his son gets married.’

Chen Yuan didn’t dwell on it. Even if he cast nets now, he wouldn’t catch much, and Zhou Jianming probably knew that too. He decided to leave it as is for now.

Having activated the Old Pond in a matter of minutes, Chen Yuan ran over, hopped on the three-wheeler, and quickly caught up with Chen Li and Wang Tao.

"Sis, are you heading back now?"

Chen Yuan called out from behind them.

"I’m going to take another look at the Flower Sea Fruit Forest. You go back first, I’ll be back in a bit."

It was just past nine-thirty. Back at the mall, they used to close and get off work after ten, so she was already used to working at this hour. It wasn’t a problem for her.

"Alright, I’ll leave the three-wheeler for you."

Chen Yuan thought about it and had no objections. He hopped off the three-wheeler and decided to walk home.

’First, I need to get a few three-wheelers.’

Walking along the country path under the moonlight, Chen Yuan mulled over the preparations for the Old Pond’s opening. First, he called up the system to buy a few three-wheelers.

His dad had mentioned this long ago.

They were already short on three-wheelers, and the shortage would be even more acute after the Old Pond opened. They couldn’t just rely on the employees’ personal ones; the employees needed them for their own use, too.

It wasn’t like they were short on cash.

’I should get some more seeds, too. Mom said they’re working out well. It’s been a while, so I should start planting them on a larger scale, or we might not have enough vegetables later on.’

By the time he got home, he had bought pretty much everything he needed, including the materials Wang Tao had sent a list of. He also took care of the fish that were to be released tomorrow.

’Tomorrow, the fish will be delivered by the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground’s exclusive fish truck, right? I wonder what a level-one fish truck looks like.’

Chen Yuan was actually a little excited. This was a reward from the system, after all.

When he got home, the kitchen light was on. Chen Yuan crept over and peeked inside. His parents were both busy in the kitchen, preparing food for the next day.

They seemed to be in a good mood; he could hear them laughing before he even went in.

Chen Yuan, of course, knew why the couple was so happy. Their precious daughter was back.

"Mom, Dad, you two should rest early tonight. I’ll handle the closing for the night fishing."

Chen Yuan called out from the kitchen doorway.

"You’ve been running around all day, you should get some rest. I’ll go tonight. Where’s your sister?"

Chen Jun, who was peeling garlic, looked up but didn’t see Chen Li.

"It’s fine. I still have to prepare for the Old Pond’s opening, which will probably take a while. By the time I’m done, it’ll be time to close up the night fishing session anyway, so I can just handle it then. Sis is over at the Flower Sea Fruit Forest. From now on, she’ll be in charge of the leisure side of things."

Chen Yuan chuckled.

"You just left your sister alone on the mountain?"

Tang Ying turned around, a little worried.

"Even though it’s our own village, is it really safe for a young woman to be out there alone at this hour?"

"Wang Tao is with her."

"Just the two of them?"

Tang Ying grew even more worried, and Chen Jun’s hands paused in their task of peeling garlic.

’A man and a woman alone outside late at night... I hope she doesn’t get taken advantage of.’

"What are you thinking? The construction team has plenty of workers around. I left the three-wheeler with Sis; she should be back in a bit."

Chen Yuan shook his head with a wry smile.

’If it were anyone else, I might actually be worried.’

’But Wang Tao and his crew aren’t even human. What’s there to worry about?’