Chapter 27 - 28: Big Shot

Chapter 27: Chapter 28: Big Shot

Chen Yuan walked out of the village committee office with a grin plastered across his face.

This visit had made one thing clear — Chen Wenbin was taking the fishing ground a lot more seriously now. Every word he’d said carried an undercurrent of support, and it went well beyond the usual encouragement you’d give someone starting a business.

The two of them were more at ease with each other too, like the awkwardness had melted away. It felt like a genuine closeness. If anything ever came up with the fishing ground down the line, at least he wouldn’t be stumbling around in the dark.

He got home, splashed some water on his face, and felt like a new person.

"Dad, what did Uncle say?"

He walked into the main room to find Chen Jun and Tang Ying sitting at the table, each cradling a cup of tea, chatting about something or other.

"He’s on board, but he won’t take a salary. Said if the place makes money, just throw him a share — and if it doesn’t, he’s happy just helping out."

Chen Jun pulled out a cigarette and handed one to Chen Yuan, then patted the long bench beside him, signaling him to sit. He wanted to hear what his son thought.

"That’s actually great news."

Chen Yuan dropped onto the bench with a grin.

"What’s so great about it? Your uncle’s just worried the business won’t hold up. He doesn’t want us locked into paying wages if things go south — this way he’s just doing us a favor."

Tang Ying shot Chen Yuan a look.

"I get that, but Uncle’s being smart about it. The way things are going, a cut of the profits is going to beat a fixed salary by a mile."

Chen Yuan understood perfectly well — his uncle was looking out for them. No salary meant no losses if things went sideways, and if the money rolled in, everyone got a piece. It was a fair deal all around.

But Chen Yuan had no doubts about the fishing ground.

All he could think was: Uncle’s generosity today would be worth a mountain of gold tomorrow.

"Don’t go getting a big head just because you had one good day. Keep your feet on the ground, one step at a time. You let that ego run loose and see what happens."

Chen Jun’s expression turned serious in an instant. The last thing he wanted was for his son to get carried away.

When this all started, he’d just been supporting Chen Yuan’s venture. With the fish already in the pond as a safety net, even if it flopped, the losses wouldn’t be devastating — just some wasted time.

But the second day of business had been an absolute explosion. Nobody had seen that coming.

And the better it went, the more tightly wound Chen Jun became. He worried Chen Yuan would lose his head, and he worried just as much that the fishing ground might still fall apart — and then he’d never hear the end of it from the village.

Before the opening, he’d told himself they had something to prove.

Today, they’d proved it.

Now they had to keep proving it.

"Relax, we’re nowhere near the finish line yet. This is no time to be floating on air," Chen Yuan said, cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, grinning at some private thought.

"Boy, I’m telling you — there’s never a time to float."

Chen Jun swung a kick at him.

Chen Yuan dodged it this time, spinning around and plopping down next to his mom.

Tang Ying sat holding her teacup, watching the two of them with a warm smile on her face.

Her son was home, the fishing ground had a future, and the family was laughing together — wasn’t this exactly the life she’d always wanted? The only thing that would make it better was if her daughter were here too.

She made a quiet resolution: once the fishing ground was steady on its feet, she’d bring her daughter back. The whole family, together, looking after the place. Nothing extravagant — just happiness and having everyone under one roof.

"Your aunt had an idea — put together a menu so the anglers can pick their dishes in advance. That way everyone knows what’s in their lunch box and it’s easier to prep. Your mom and I think it makes sense. What do you think?"

Chen Jun took a sip of tea and looked over at Chen Yuan.

"Absolutely, I was already thinking the same thing at lunch. You guys can work out the dishes between you — doesn’t need to be a long list, just make sure the food is good. That’s the priority."

Chen Yuan made sure to stress that point.

"Don’t you worry about that. Your aunt has plenty of signature dishes up her sleeve. Your customers are going to be more than happy."

Tang Ying had nothing but admiration for her sister-in-law’s cooking — not just anyone got to run the kitchen at a village banquet.

"Mom’s cooking is pretty damn good too."

"Oh hush, like I need you to tell me that."

Tang Ying gave Chen Yuan a swat, though the smile spreading across her face said it all. Everyone loves a compliment — and one from your own son hits a little different.

They chatted for a while longer, and when Chen Yuan noticed it was already past three, he said goodbye to his parents and headed toward the pond. It was time for the Fish King to put on a show.

He cranked the throttle all the way and the electric three-wheeler shot toward the pond like a rocket. He slammed the brakes at the corner and the thing drifted — an actual drift — sending the anglers along the bank into an uproar.

"How’s the fishing going, everyone?"

Chen Yuan hopped off the three-wheeler with a swagger, taking in the sight of his beloved Gods of Wealth.

"The bites are great at Boss Chen’s pond — I almost always blank, but today I’ve already pulled in seven or eight. Fat crucian carp, golden as you like. Feels absolutely incredible."

"Bites really are solid. I got two silver carp and a few bream — already more than covered my costs. Just here to mess with the boss for the rest of the session."

"Ha! Same, I’ve already made my money back."

The anglers burst into laughter, hollering about taking Boss Chen for everything he had. Even the ones who hadn’t broken even yet jumped on the bandwagon, joking they were going to wipe Boss Chen out until he didn’t have a pair of underpants left.

"Please. It’s barely a two-acre pond, and with dozens of rods in the water, not one of you managed to hook the Fish King? Your skills are a bit lacking, aren’t they?"

Take me for everything I’ve got?

With skills like yours?

"Holy shit, Boss Chen’s got some nerve."

"He dares to insult us? Brothers, show him what we’re made of — let Boss Chen see some real skill!"

"Get him!"

The anglers rolled up their sleeves like they were ready to throw down.

A little trash talk between the boss and his customers — not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

"Hey, you unlucky bastard."

Qin Fen waved Chen Yuan over.

"What’s up?"

Chen Yuan walked over, bummed a cigarette off him, and crouched down beside him.

"You got a serious angler in this pond?"

Qin Fen leaned in close and lowered his voice, his eyes drifting toward a peg on the far side of the bank.

"How serious are we talking?"

Chen Yuan followed his gaze — and found himself looking at Wang Heng.

That morning, when Brother Wang had helped unload the supplies, hadn’t he said he was just an average angler? Was Brother Wang being modest, or was Qin Fen such a novice that everyone looked like a pro to him?

"From what I’ve been watching, that guy has caught at least forty fish. My guess is his keep net’s got close to a hundred pounds in it by now."

That wasn’t fishing — that was wholesale.

"Only forty? That’s not that many."

Chen Yuan clicked his tongue and lit up his cigarette.

"Are you serious right now? That’s forty fish, not forty pounds. Even at ten yuan a pound on average, that’s well over a thousand yuan — more than enough to bleed you dry — and you’re saying that’s not many?"

Qin Fen stared at Chen Yuan like he’d just said the dumbest thing he’d ever heard.

"I’m not talking about the money. I’m asking whether forty fish is enough to call someone a top-tier angler. When I asked Mr. Qin to help me catch a fish at lunch, he knocked out four or five in half an hour."

Chen Yuan flicked his ash and glanced over toward Mr. Qin.

"That wasn’t just my grandpa — we were all fishing together once we heard you needed some. Grandpa only caught two himself. Even getting a fast run of bites like that was mostly luck."

Qin Fen took out his lighter, lit the cigarette Chen Yuan had handed him, took a long drag, and tilted his chin toward Wang Heng across the way.

"He’s different. He’s been getting runs of bites almost constantly. And you can’t compare half an hour to a full session, can you?"

Chen Yuan nodded — he got what Qin Fen was saying.

Qin Fen’s technique was rough, sure, but he did catch fish. That said, you couldn’t take the few minutes when he was on a run and project that across an entire session.

Consistency was what separated the truly skilled.

And Wang Heng was exactly that kind of angler.

"To his credit, he’s not being greedy about it. Probably realized he’d gone overboard, so he’s been releasing whatever he catches now. Otherwise, by the time the session wraps up, he could walk away with two or three hundred pounds of fish."

Qin Fen clapped a hand on Chen Yuan’s shoulder. "You need to deal with this. If a beast like that sets up camp at your pond, he really could fish the whole thing clean."

Chen Yuan wasn’t particularly worried — he could always spend points to restock the pond. Even if a power angler came every single day, it would be hard to actually dent his earnings.

Still, it was something that needed to be addressed.

If you’re here to have fun, then have fun. There was no point in catching fish just to throw them back.

Chen Yuan Fishing Ground wasn’t big on rules — the whole point was for everyone to have a good time.