Chapter 34 - 35: The Menu

Chapter 34: Chapter 35: The Menu

Seeing how packed Chen Yuan Fishing Ground had become, Zhou Jianming and his wife were so eaten up with envy it was like a bad case of constipation — painful and impossible to get rid of.

They were equal parts jealous and resentful, and honestly would’ve loved nothing more than to see the whole operation run into the ground and shut down.

They’d been stewing over it just moments ago, grinding their teeth, and had even started tossing around the idea of copying the model — turning their own pond into a fishing ground too.

After all, they had Ten Mu Pond. Didn’t a big stretch of water like that blow a two-mu pond out of the water?

They had the idea, but no clue how to pull it off — and then Liu Fang showed up. It was like a pillow materializing right when you were about to doze off.

And wouldn’t it be better to have Liu Fang take point on this, rather than do it themselves?

"Here, Aunt Liu, have some watermelon."

Zhang Guiying carried a basin of watermelon into the main room. Liu Fang glanced over — it was a whole watermelon. She was pleased.

"Aunt Liu, you pull this off and I promise we’ll split the earnings. You won’t be shortchanged."

Zhou Jianming slid the basin of watermelon toward Liu Fang.

Liu Fang was very satisfied with his attitude. On top of that, Zhou Jianming was promising a cut of the profits — now that was something worth getting excited about.

"You just make sure you net the fish tonight. Leave the rest to me. This’ll work out, guaranteed."

...

Chen Yuan had no idea that Liu Fang was over at Zhou Jianming’s place cooking up a scheme involving his fish pond. Right now, the whole family and Mr. Qin’s crew were happily eating and drinking together.

"You pain in my ass, I need to talk to you about something."

After dinner, Qin Fen pulled Chen Yuan out into the courtyard.

"I’ve got something to talk to you about too — but you go first."

Chen Yuan fished out a cigarette and lit up. A smoke after a good meal was basically a religious experience. Non-negotiable.

"I noticed in the group chat that a lot of the fishing guys couldn’t get spots for tomorrow," Qin Fen said, taking the offered cigarette and lighting it. He dragged over a stool and they both sat down.

"Here’s what I’m thinking — we’d like to keep fishing, right up until midnight tonight, then head back out tomorrow morning around five or six and go until nine. Just count it all as one session. If we happen to land the Fish King, no prize needed. That way you free up four spots and make a bit more. What do you say?"

Chen Yuan’s eyes went wide. He instinctively glanced back toward the main room.

Mr. Qin and the others were sitting around with their teacups, chatting with his dad and uncle — but their eyes kept drifting over toward the two of them. Clearly, the old guys were itching to get back out on the water.

These men were seriously hooked.

Then again, these were guys who could stake out a reservoir for days and nights on end. Not many people could match that kind of dedication.

"If you want to fish, go fish. Forget about paying — I’m doing fine for money right now. Just think of it as a fun visit."

The old boys were in high spirits, and Chen Yuan wasn’t about to rain on their parade.

Besides, Mr. Qin liked his liquor but knew when to stop. A night fishing session was no problem for him.

"Business is business, friendship is friendship. We’re paying for the fishing spots — and add in the overnight stay too. Just tell me the total and I’ll transfer it all at once."

Qin Fen happily pulled out his phone, ready to send the money.

"If you want to go down that road, then the Fish King prize has to count too. That’s also business."

Chen Yuan looked at Qin Fen with an amused grin.

That stumped Qin Fen completely.

If it was strictly business, then early-morning and late-night fishing fell outside the fishing ground’s regular hours. But if they didn’t pay for the spots, meals, and lodging, that would just be embarrassing.

All three of the old guys would tear him apart for it.

"Stop hemming and hawing like a couple of old women," Chen Yuan muttered.

He stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and walked back into the main room, smiling over at Mr. Qin and the others.

"Mr. Qin, you want to fish, just go fish. Relax and have fun while you’re here — no need to stand on ceremony. Those were your words, weren’t they?"

Chen Jun and Chen Kingdom both looked a little surprised.

Still fishing this late?

But neither of them let it show. Instead, they cheerfully urged Mr. Qin and the group to head out and enjoy themselves.

"We really are causing too much trouble."

The three elders looked a bit sheepish.

"Hey, make sure you pay for the fishing and the room and board," Mr. Qin called over to Qin Fen.

Before Qin Fen could get a word in, Chen Yuan was already laughing.

"Forget the money — though fair warning, if you actually land the Fish King, don’t expect me to hand over that prize."

"Of course not. This isn’t even during regular operating hours, so there’s no prize to speak of. But we still need to pay what we owe."

Mr. Qin held firm.

"Mr. Qin, don’t worry about it. Think about it this way — you all came specifically for the Fish King. Even without the double-prize payout, that would’ve cost me four thousand yuan. So honestly, I’m the one coming out ahead here."

Chen Yuan pulled out his cigarettes and passed them around, joking that they shouldn’t blame him for being calculating or stingy.

"You, Chen~"

Mr. Qin pointed at him, wagging his finger again and again, his whole face lit up with an appreciative smile.

Chen was something else. Here he was letting them eat for free, sleep for free, and fish for free — and yet the way he spun it, it sounded like he was the one getting the better deal. Nobody felt the slightest bit awkward about it.

"Well, since you’ve put it that way, I won’t make a fuss. Here’s the deal — we fish the odd hours, no need to pay for the spots, and no prize if we land the Fish King. But we are paying for meals and accommodation."

Chen Yuan started to say something.

Mr. Qin waved him off. "Chen, if you argue with me on this, I’m leaving tonight and I won’t be coming back."

"Meals and accommodation, we’re paying for those. We can’t just show up and mooch off you like that."

"Exactly. We’re not young men anymore — we’ve got our dignity. We’re not going to freeload on everything."

The two old men spoke one after the other, both completely firm about it.

They’d come along with Mr. Qin, and technically had no real connection to Chen Yuan’s family. If they genuinely took everything for free, they’d never be able to live with themselves.

"Alright, I won’t push back either. But I’m saying this upfront — just pay the normal rate. I’m not taking a single yuan more."

Chen Yuan shrugged and gave in.

Too much of a good thing could backfire.

He could see all three of them were dead serious. If he kept insisting, they might actually pack up and leave that very night.

"And I’m not giving you more even if you wanted it," Mr. Qin said with a laugh.

Then he held up four fingers. "Four hundred even. And don’t fuss over the meals — we all eat at the same table. Don’t think it’s too little, Chen."

A hundred per person, meals and lodging included.

That wasn’t exactly cheap — a single room at a city hotel ran a hundred and eighty these days.

Then again, a single room was just that — one room, and two people could squeeze into it for that same hundred and eighty. Chen Yuan was charging per head, so two hundred for one room, and a rural room at that.

When you looked at it that way, it wasn’t a bargain at all.

And three full meals were still on top of that.

Not to mention the liquor Mr. Qin and the others were fond of didn’t come cheap.

All things considered, four hundred was perfectly fair.

"Alright, you pain in my ass, we’re heading out to fish."

Qin Fen held up his phone — he’d already transferred two hundred yuan. Today’s fishing fee still had to be counted since they’d already used the spot, so the extra two hundred made up the difference for meals and lodging.

Chen Yuan wanted to call him back — he still hadn’t brought up his own thing — but Qin Fen had already bolted and disappeared.

Oh well. He’d have to do the spot assignments in a bit anyway. He’d bring it up then. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"City folks really do have one hell of a fishing addiction."

Once Mr. Qin and the others had all left, Chen Jun set down his teacup and shook his head in wonder.

"You’ve got to hand it to Yuan though."

Chen Kingdom smiled and said it with genuine admiration.

From the decision to open a fishing ground all the way down to how he handled people — the kid was something else.

"Yuan, come take a look at the menu your aunt and I put together."

Tang Ying had finished tidying up the kitchen. She came into the main room with a handwritten menu, his aunt following close behind.

"Wow, that’s a lot of dishes."

Chen Yuan looked over the menu — rows and rows of items, at least twenty or thirty dishes on the front, and another ten-plus on the back, all of them proper, hearty dishes marked as house specialties.

Every dish had a price listed beside it.

"If we were going for sheer variety, one sheet of paper wouldn’t be enough. But you said quality comes first, so I left out anything we’re not confident in."

Tang Ying poured two cups of water and waved Lin Cuiju over to sit down.

The family gathered around the table to go over the menu together.

"Are these dishes difficult to make?"

Chen Yuan flipped through both sides and asked.

"The specialty dishes take a bit more work, but the everyday ones are straightforward. And the specialty dishes are mostly about the prep — nothing too complicated once you get into it," his aunt said.

Casual words, but behind them was the quiet confidence of a woman who’d helmed village banquet kitchens for years.

"Perfect. I’ll photograph both sides and post it in the fishing ground group chat. That’ll make ordering a whole lot easier going forward."

Chen Yuan picked up his phone, snapped pictures of both sides, and posted them to the group.

Then he pulled out a few hundred yuan in cash and, under the puzzled gazes of Chen Kingdom and Lin Cuiju, slid the money across the table toward them.