Chapter 170 - 162: Never Thought I’d Have a Company Car One Day

Chapter 170: Chapter 162: Never Thought I’d Have a Company Car One Day

"Pfffft~"

It was Qin Fen calling.

As the very first customer of Chen Yuan Fishing Ground and one of Chen Yuan’s closest friends, Chen Yuan was genuinely happy to hear from him.

"Haha, you poor bastard — I finally snagged a spot!"

"Honestly, I had no idea your place would blow up this fast. Twenty sessions for the Angler Festival, and I missed every single one."

"But hey, everything happens for a reason. Didn’t grab a spot for the festival, sure, but the Old Pond grand opening is honestly what I wanted most anyway. I’m going after that 120-pound Daqing of yours~"

"Oh, and my grandpa got a spot too. We signed up for the night fishing session, so we’ll head over first thing tomorrow morning. It’ll be pretty late by the time we wrap up — any chance we could crash there for the night?"

Qin Fen rattled all of that off in one breathless rush.

He was so loud that Chen Yuan’s eardrum actually ached. He instinctively pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Accommodation’s no problem."

Chen Yuan waited for Qin Fen to finish before answering with a grin.

The house wouldn’t have room, but there was always the guesthouse — his sister hadn’t started running it yet anyway. As for formaldehyde in the new building, Wang Tao had already said it was fine.

"Sounds like things are going well for him."

They didn’t chat long. Qin Fen was coming tomorrow morning, so there’d be plenty of time to catch up properly. And judging by the laughter in his voice, Qin Fen’s path in this life was nothing like it had been in the last one.

He’d ask about it tomorrow.

Chen Yuan said a quick word to Chen Dequan, then hopped on his three-wheeler and headed straight for Old Pond.

Wang Tao had moved fast. The construction crew was already on-site, with several excavators and bulldozers running at the same time — clearly going all in to get things done as quickly as possible.

Chen Li was over there too, though she wasn’t directing the crew at the moment. She was sitting at one of the fishing spots, chatting and laughing with a young couple.

"Hey — Brother Lin!"

Chen Yuan hopped off the three-wheeler and walked over, recognizing the young man almost immediately.

"Haha, Yuan!"

The young man turned at the sound of Chen Yuan’s voice, a wide grin breaking across his face. His hand moved on instinct toward his pocket, then stopped — a slightly awkward look crossing his face.

"Brother Lin, when did you get back?"

Chen Yuan caught on right away and casually offered him a cigarette.

"Got back around noon."

The young man took the cigarette but didn’t light it, his gaze drifting to the woman holding his arm.

"This must be your lady — she’s gorgeous. You’re a lucky man, Brother Lin~"

Chen Yuan had a cigarette hanging from his lips too, but he wasn’t smoking it either. He knew how to read a room.

The young man’s name was Zhou Lin, Zhou Jianming’s son. The woman beside him was obviously his soon-to-be wife — no need to ask.

They were getting married because she was already pregnant. You don’t smoke around an expectant mother.

That’s why Zhou Lin didn’t even dare keep cigarettes in his pocket anymore.

"I actually wanted you to be my best man, but my dad said you’d been slammed with work and probably couldn’t make it. I didn’t really believe him at first — I figured I’d come back and ask you myself. Looking at all this, though, he wasn’t wrong. Either way, no matter how busy you are, you better show up for the wedding banquet. We’ll have a proper drink."

Zhou Lin introduced his fiancée and said all this with a smile — a genuine invitation. ℴ

"Haha, wouldn’t miss it for the world."

Chen Yuan and Zhou Lin had always been close. Growing up, he’d constantly tagged along behind his sister and Zhou Lin — catching loaches, flipping over rocks for crabs, playing in the mud, flicking trading cards~

Zhou Lin had always looked out for him. He never left the younger kids out of anything, and whenever Chen Yuan got picked on at school, Zhou Lin came running faster than his own sister did.

That’s just how it worked in the village. Grudges between one generation stayed between that generation.

Whatever bad blood existed between their parents and Zhou Jianming’s family, it never touched the kids. They’d always snuck off to play together anyway.

Not that the older generation ever really minded. It wasn’t some deep feud, and it had all been sorted out by now anyway.

All good~

"Alright, Brother Lin, take your time fishing. A wedding’s a big deal — just holler if you need anything."

Chen Yuan chatted for a bit, then went off to find Wang Tao.

Zhou Lin had come to fish — he wanted to catch a few crucian carp to make soup for his fiancée. The carp from the family pond were proper wild fish, far better than anything you’d find in the city.

"Haha, sounds good. Might as well make the most of it before you open tomorrow."

Zhou Lin nodded with a laugh.

"Come on, Brother Lin — you’re welcome to fish here anytime, even after we open tomorrow. The spots are spaced out nice and wide, so fish as long as you want."

Chen Yuan genuinely meant it.

Zhou Lin wasn’t going after Daqing. He just wanted some wild crucian carp for a pot of soup. Casting from the grassy bank at the edge of the pond was completely fine and wouldn’t bother any paying customers at all.

Chen Li wrapped up her conversation a little while later and went back to work.

Two hours later, Old Pond was fully prepped and ready. Parasols, life vests, life rings, and mosquito coils were all in place, along with landing nets and fishing rods.

Old Pond had several security cameras set up, so there was nothing to worry about.

Once everything was sorted, Chen Yuan and Chen Li each rode their three-wheelers home. Chen Yuan had number one; Chen Li had claimed number two. Pretty solid, as far as vibes go.

"Yuan’s back!"

The courtyard was already packed when they arrived — people smoking and drinking tea, as lively as a holiday gathering. Chen Dequan was there too.

It was the staff dinner that evening, and of course the old crew had to be included. The packed lunches had already been sent over to the fish pond side of things — everyone had just been waiting for Chen Yuan and his sister to get back.

"Hey, we’re back! Come on inside, everyone."

Chen Yuan ushered everyone in, then ducked off with his sister to wash their hands and faces. The two of them grabbed their bags and headed into the main hall.

Two tables had been set up inside — one just wasn’t going to be enough.

Tang Ying and the other women started bringing out the dishes, while Chen Jun and their uncle fetched the liquor and glasses. The whole place buzzed with noise and energy.

"Old Pond opens tomorrow, so I wanted to get everyone together tonight to go over things — that way nobody’s fumbling around and looking lost when the day comes."

The men and women settled at their separate tables, and Chen Yuan was the first to speak.

"Boss, just say the word."

Chen Dequan was sharp as ever — calling him "boss," deferring with "just say the word" — setting the tone for every other staff member in the room with that one simple exchange.