Chapter 207 - 185: Project Payment

Chapter 207: Chapter 185: Project Payment

"No problem, go with that schedule and send it straight to the staff group chat."

Chen Yuan zoomed in for a closer look.

It was a rotating day-off system — sometimes two people off in a day, sometimes just one. When two had the day off, they were never from the same team; one came from the meal prep side and one from the fish pond side, making sure neither operation was ever short-handed.

"Brother Haonan, send me the catch log."

Before long it was past eleven, and Chen Yuan started processing the guaranteed-return payouts. He tallied up all the recorded rewards and worked through them one by one.

He didn’t use cash — the Old Pond’s guaranteed returns were just too high, around thirty thousand per session, which meant sixty or seventy thousand a day. There was no way to keep that kind of cash lying around the house.

Besides, the fishing ground had grown enough that flashing red bills wasn’t necessary to get people excited anymore.

And bank transfers were just faster.

"Ha, lucky me — I’ve got one on the line right now, a real rod-bender. Boss Chen, go ahead and settle the others first. Let me land this one and we’ll sort mine out after."

In the middle of it all, one of the anglers happened to hook a fish.

Chen Yuan skipped him and moved on to the next person.

Anyone who hooked a fish during that window, Chen Nan would log separately and tally at the end. The process was simple enough that nothing got mixed up.

Once he finished settling with Chen Nan’s side, he moved on to Chen Hongjun’s side, then did a final combined count to catch anyone who’d hooked something in the last stretch. It was all wrapped up quickly.

"Hop on, hop on — I’ll run you over to the parking lot!"

The guaranteed-return payouts weren’t even fully settled before it was already time to clear out. Chen Nan and the other staff handled the bulk of it, and by the time everything was squared away, most of the anglers had already left.

The remaining staff knocked it out in a single run.

"Alright everyone, head home and get some rest. Mr. Liang, Brother Haonan — you two are off tomorrow. Don’t worry about the fish farm or the pond, just stay home and recharge."

After everyone had cleared out, Chen Yuan called over to Chen Nan and Chen Youliang from beside their three-wheelers.

"We’re already busier than usual with the storms — there’s no rush on the days off. Let’s wait till the rain clears up."

Chen Nan wasn’t keen on taking the day off.

The work at the fishing ground wasn’t heavy or exhausting, and since they only ran one session, there was already downtime built in. Besides, taking days off in the middle of a downpour didn’t exactly feel like a break.

Chen Youliang felt the same way.

"A day off is a day off — it’s a perk you’ve earned. The schedule’s already been posted in the group chat, everyone take a look. On your day off, don’t bother coming in."

Chen Yuan said with a smile.

There was no more small talk. The rain was coming down hard and it was getting late — time for everyone to get some sleep.

"Who knows how many more days this rain’s gonna last. Everyone get to bed!"

Back home, Chen Jun was just shaking off his raincoat. He glanced outside at the downpour and told Chen Yuan and Chen Li to get to bed.

...

The heavy rain stretched on for a solid week, with violent wind and rain every single day.

But it came and went in bursts rather than pouring non-stop, and the three-wheelers had canopies fitted, so while things were busier than usual, it never got out of hand.

And with the rotating days off, everyone got the chance to rest and recover.

"Finally cleared up. Nothing beats a sunny day — sure, it’s a bit hotter, but doing the same work feels so much easier."

On the first clear morning after the storms, Chen Yiheng stood with a cigarette dangling from his lips, grinning after the rush of getting everyone checked in.

During the past few days of rain, the anglers had been leaving home earlier, many arriving before their usual time, which pushed back the end of the check-in rush and stretched everyone’s working hours.

Today, with the sun out, things were back to normal. Everyone rolled in around six-thirty, and a few runs had them all dropped off at the pond by seven o’clock.

"Good thing it finally cleared up — any longer and the rice in the fields would’ve started sprouting."

"The stuff still in the fields is one thing, but I’ve had my early-harvest rice spread out on the living room floor every day. Sometimes I have to run a fan on it, and some of it’s already started to sprout anyway."

"Big sunny day today — get it out and dry it off quick!"

The staff were in good spirits, smoking and chatting away. Xu Juan and the other women didn’t seem to be in any hurry to head home either.

Chen Yuan joined in on the conversation.

"Boss Chen, hurry up and do the draw!"

Once the anglers had finished getting set up, they started pestering him to pull the lucky number, so he made his way over to the draw machine.

After the lucky angler was drawn, Chen Yuan hopped on his three-wheeler and headed over to the small pond.

When there were two people at the Old Pond, Chen Yuan would head to the small pond in the morning and let his dad and the others handle the meal prep at home. If it was just one person, he’d stay at the Old Pond.

It all depended on the schedule.

"Ring ring ring~"

He’d just arrived at the small pond when his phone went off in his pocket.

"Uncle Bin~"

It was Chen Wenbin calling. Chen Yuan was a little surprised.

It was only half past seven — the village committee office wasn’t even open yet. Uncle Bin calling this early... it couldn’t be anything urgent, could it?

"Yuan, you free? Swing by the village office for a bit~"

"Of course, I’ll head over right now~"

Chen Yuan agreed right away, and that little knot of worry in his chest loosened up.

Chen Wenbin’s voice was relaxed, even cheerful. Whatever it was, it sounded like good news.

"Sis, can you keep an eye on the small pond for me?"

He thought for a moment, then picked up the walkie-talkie and called Chen Li directly.

They were both on the same channel, so they could talk straight away.

"Copy that, I’ll be there in two minutes."

Chen Li’s voice crackled through the walkie-talkie with a faint hiss of static.

Once Chen Li arrived, Chen Yuan jumped on his three-wheeler and headed home first. He shot upstairs, grabbed a few packs of Hua cigarettes, stuffed all the cash in the house into an envelope, then headed straight to the village office.

"Uncle Bin, you’re dedicated — already on the clock at seven-thirty."

He was well-acquainted with the place. His voice carried into the office before he even walked through the door.

"Oh, Uncle Bin, looking sharp today — you look so young. If I called you ’uncle’ out on the street, people would think I was wrong in the head. You’re clearly a ’brother,’ not an ’uncle’~"

He stepped into the office to find Chen Wenbin in a crisp white dress shirt, slacks, and black leather shoes that had clearly been polished — they practically gleamed.

Even his stubble was shaved clean and his hair was neatly combed. Gone was the usual casual look; he had the full air of an official about him.

"Stop taking the piss~"

Chen Wenbin shot him a look, but his grin was ear to ear. He picked up the pack of cigarettes from the desk and held one out to Chen Yuan, then tucked one between his own lips.

"So, Uncle Bin, what can I do for you today?"

Chen Yuan leaned in and lit Chen Wenbin’s cigarette, then lit his own and took a drag, pulling a chair over with his foot as he asked.

"Where the hell did you pick up that smooth talk of yours?"

Chen Wenbin pointed at him twice and shook his head with a laugh.

Sharp as a tack, this kid. Slippery as they come.

Chen Yuan just grinned.

He wasn’t being smooth — he was just being honest.

"The county’s released the project funds. Give me your account number and I’ll transfer it to you right now."

Chen Wenbin took a long drag and got down to business.

"Wow, that fast? They’re sending the money without even doing an inspection first?"

Chen Yuan was genuinely surprised.

When Uncle Bin had called, he’d been racking his brain trying to figure out what could possibly bring someone calling this early in the morning.

He hadn’t expected it to be good news like this.

Government departments were usually buried in red tape, with processes that could drag on longer than you’d ever imagine. Chen Yuan hadn’t even counted on getting the project payment anytime soon.

He certainly hadn’t expected it to hit his account before the project had even been inspected.

"What do you think I got dressed up for?"

Chen Wenbin said with a smile.

Chen Yuan got it immediately. No wonder Uncle Bin was in the office so early, dressed so formally — someone from the county must be coming today.

But that was none of his business. Chen Wenbin would handle that side of things, and with the connections Uncle Bin had above him, it would go smoothly.

He quickly typed out his account number and sent it to Chen Wenbin, who wasted no time — he transferred the project funds on the spot.

It came through as a corporate account transfer, too.

"Why is it this much?"

Chen Yuan glanced at the incoming payment notification and looked at Chen Wenbin in surprise.

When they’d talked things over before, he’d asked how much the county would be allocating. He’d originally planned to set aside a cut for Uncle Bin, but now, not only had the full amount come through — there was extra on top of it.

"Told you I wouldn’t shortchange you on this."

Chen Wenbin tapped the ash off his cigarette, still smiling. He’d seen the quality of the work the construction crew put in and figured the county’s original budget wouldn’t cover it, so he’d put in a request for additional funds.

"This is too much."

Chen Yuan smoked in silence for a moment, then stood up, closed the office door, and walked over to Chen Wenbin. No beating around the bush — he pulled open the desk drawer and dropped the cash-filled envelope inside.

"The construction crew was a partnership from the start, and building out the leisure area was always about growing the fishing ground anyway. So as far as we’re concerned, Uncle Bin, the project you brought us was already a bonus. We’re happy as long as we come out ahead — and we really do appreciate everything you’ve done~"

Chen Yuan said with a cheerful smile.

Chen Wenbin was caught off guard. He knew exactly what was in that envelope, and judging by the weight of it, it was no small amount.

What surprised him most was that Chen Yuan had come prepared — cash ready in advance, no bank transfer trail, not a single trace left behind.

The kid had his head screwed on right. No question about it.

"We’re all our own people here, no need for all the thanks. The work was done well, and money earned is money deserved — every bit of it."

Chen Wenbin leaned forward and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, then smoothly slid the drawer shut.