Chapter 59 - 60: Blond Punk, The Plan Has Changed

Chapter 59: Chapter 60: Blond Punk, The Plan Has Changed

At the village entrance.

Wang Heng stood in front of the signpost, directing passing drivers toward Chen Yuan Fishing Ground while scrolling through the group chat, a sharp gleam flickering in his eyes.

It was the gleam of excitement.

"Blond Punk, change of plans~"

Wang Heng pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Brother Wang, you’re up early today."

When Chen Yuan arrived at the village entrance, he spotted Wang Heng putting his phone away and assumed the call hadn’t gone through to him.

But there were no missed calls on his phone.

"Boss Chen’s pond is the only one worth showing up early to — and after today, there won’t be any freebies left to grab."

Wang Heng was a familiar face by now, and he ribbed Chen Yuan with the easy comfort of an old friend, naturally sliding a cigarette his way.

"Then we’d better hurry — still half an hour of free fishing to squeeze out."

Chen Yuan took the cigarette and jerked his head back toward the road. Three minutes to the pond, lines in the water at eight-thirty sharp — half an hour of fishing on the house.

Wang Heng laughed out loud. He just loved the easy banter with Boss Chen.

But then he waved his hand.

"Not heading to your pond today."

"How come?"

Chen Yuan looked puzzled.

"Heh heh~"

Wang Heng pointed at the eye-catching signpost in front of him, a sly grin plastered across his face.

It clicked for Chen Yuan immediately.

Who was Wang Heng, exactly?

A genuinely elite angler — the kind who had working arrangements with restaurant owners, practically a professional fisherman. The moment he caught wind of a newly opened fishing ground, he had to scope it out thoroughly.

A new fishing ground was the best source of supply.

Pure, gleaming money for the taking.

Chen Yuan even wondered if what Blond Punk had said — "Wang Heng rules the north" — meant that Wang Heng had literally come from the north, working his way south and thoroughly bleeding every pond owner along the way.

Zhou Jianming, this really isn’t personal — you just walked straight into the crossfire yourself.

Chen Yuan almost felt sorry for Zhou Jianming.

"Well, I won’t keep you from making money then, Brother Wang. Let me refund your session fee."

Chen Yuan reached for his phone to send the money back.

"Don’t, Boss Chen — this isn’t on you. It’s my own choice not to come. There’s no reason for a refund."

Wang Heng quickly waved him off.

At any other pond, he’d have made sure to get that fee back no matter what — if they refused, he’d make a scene at the water’s edge. Given how packed Chen Yuan Fishing Ground was, the last thing Chen Yuan needed was that kind of mess.

But Boss Chen was the real deal.

Sincerity deserved sincerity in return. Wang Heng genuinely couldn’t bring himself to take the money.

"Besides, if you refund me today, are you going to refund everyone else tomorrow? Give it time and some schemer will book a spot just to get a refund without ever showing up — that’s a headache your fishing ground doesn’t need."

Wang Heng brought it up matter-of-factly.

He’d been around enough fishing grounds north and south to know the tricks people pulled.

"Fair enough, Brother Wang — I’m up a hundred yuan for nothing, then."

Chen Yuan thought it over and didn’t push the issue.

And honestly, this was worth thinking through properly — whether session fees for reservations were refundable, and under what conditions. He’d need to sort that out, or he’d end up exactly in the situation Wang Heng described.

"I’m not walking away empty-handed either~"

He’d already pulled in over a thousand on the first day, after all.

The two of them shared a knowing look and burst out laughing.

"Come on, I’ll give you a lift~"

Chen Yuan flicked away his cigarette butt and patted the cargo bed of his three-wheeler.

"You go on ahead, Boss Chen — I’m waiting for someone."

Wang Heng turned him down.

It wasn’t hard to guess who. Chen Yuan figured it out immediately, and suddenly he felt a pang of genuine pity for Zhou Jianming.

Wang Heng from the north, Blond Punk from the south — master and apprentice hitting a brand-new fishing ground together. They’d probably walk away with four or five hundred pounds of fish. Who knew if Zhou Jianming could hold up under that.

At this rate, I won’t even need to lift a finger — the man’s going to collapse on his own.

"Alright then, I’ll go get my customers sorted. Come fish anytime — there’ll always be a spot held for you."

Chen Yuan called out and pedaled off toward the village entrance. From a distance, he spotted someone climbing off the rural bus at the stop across the road, lugging a tackle box and a load of gear, straining to hoist it all up.

"Chen Yuan Fishing Ground?"

Chen Yuan didn’t recognize him — probably a new customer.

"That’s the one — you need to head that way, buddy."

The angler asked with a friendly smile.

"Hop on, I’ll take you to the pond."

Chen Yuan patted the cargo bed. The angler hesitated, half-convinced he’d get charged for the ride.

That hesitation turned to surprise, though, when a car rolled up alongside them, the driver’s window coming down to reveal a regular who called out with a laugh that Boss Chen was at it again — picking up customers as usual.

"You’re Boss Chen?"

"Ha, get on~"

Chen Yuan stepped forward and hauled the tackle box and gear into the cargo bed himself. He wouldn’t have dared touch someone’s stuff before identifying himself — anglers treated their gear like treasure.

"I heard in the group that Boss Chen’s service was something else — now I’ve seen it firsthand. The reputation’s well-deserved."

The angler grinned and offered him a cigarette, giving Chen Yuan a big thumbs-up.

"Anyone who comes by rural bus, or whose taxi driver refuses to pull all the way in — Chen Yuan Fishing Ground picks them up, no question." Chen Yuan took the cigarette and lit it with a sharp click.

"Now that’s what I’m talking about — I’ve been to plenty of fishing grounds and never once got service like this~"

The angler was even more pleased now.

Setting out to fish never felt like much of an effort. You were full of energy then — you could practically sprint to the water’s edge with all your gear. The excitement of getting your bait ready, rigging your line, and casting out was hard to beat.

But packing up afterward and hauling everything back? That was a different story. Having someone take care of the heavy lifting at the end of the day — now that was genuinely great.

Chen Yuan’s face lit up at that last remark. He’d worked in sales before, and he knew that one of the most powerful things a product could do was invite comparison.

What you have that others don’t — that’s your edge.

Today this angler came to Chen Yuan Fishing Ground and thought the service was great. Even if he forgot about it by tomorrow, the moment he showed up at some other ground and found no such service, Chen Yuan Fishing Ground would come straight back to mind.

Put the two side by side, and the difference was obvious.

Did anyone even need to ask which one he’d choose?

"Chen Yuan Fishing Ground is committed to making this pickup service a lasting tradition."

Chen Yuan kept the cigarette dangling from his lip and quietly made up his mind — the pickup service was here to stay.

Three minutes and he was back at the house. His dad and uncle were already busy, and a few anglers were hanging around the courtyard gate, smoking and chatting without a care in the world.

"Hop on, gentlemen — I’ll take you to the pond."

Chen Yuan had only brought one person this trip, but there was easily room for a few more. Not racing — picking up.

By the time he reached the pond, Chen Dequan was already heading back on his three-wheeler. They were all moving non-stop, yet there was no sense of chaos — the whole pickup operation ran with a kind of quiet, unhurried order.

As nine o’clock approached, Chen Dequan rode up to the gate of Chen Yuan’s house, squeezed the brakes, and rolled to a smooth stop beside him.

"Parking’s full on my end."

"No worries — should be just about everyone by now."

Chen Yuan pulled out a cigarette and handed one to Chen Dequan. Just then, Chen Kingdom came riding back on his three-wheeler from the pond with Chen Jun, and Chen Yuan passed one to each of them without missing a beat.

"Pretty much, yeah — I counted two spots still open at the fishing ground."

Chen Jun hopped off the cart, took the cigarette, and said.

"Still one person short."

Wang Heng had gone to work over Old Pond, and one booking still hadn’t shown. Chen Yuan was thinking about sending a message to check who it was and whether they needed picking up.

But just as he pulled out his phone, a car came around the corner.

"Whoa, didn’t the session start at nine? How are there already this many cars here?"

The car pulled over and the driver rolled down his window, a look of disbelief on his face. He checked the time — still before nine — and realized he was somehow already behind the crowd.

"Ahem — Boss Chen, where do I park?"

The young guy looked over at Chen Yuan and the others, not zeroing in on anyone in particular. He was probably taking a guess that Boss Chen was somewhere in the group — and even if he guessed wrong, someone would point him in the right direction.

"Over here~"

Chen Jun waved him over. There was still a gap outside the courtyard — just enough room for one more car.

"I’ll take this one to the pond — you guys hold it down here."

Chen Yuan finished his cigarette, said his piece, and wheeled the three-wheeler around to pull up next to the parked car. Just this last angler, and the morning’s roster would be complete.

"Grab your gear and throw it in the back — I’ll take you to the pond."

The angler got out of the car, and Chen Yuan slipped him a cigarette.

"Cheers~"

The angler thanked him and popped the trunk. Out came a tackle box, a fishing chair, a sun umbrella, bags of bait in all sizes, mixing bowls — and then two enormous woven sacks stuffed full of bait. This guy’s setup made even the God of Wealth’s gear look modest.

"No need to bring all that — the fishing ground’s got it covered."

The angler rummaged around in the trunk and ended up pulling out just one rod and a large bait bowl.

Chen Yuan had half-figured this guy might be a serious pro.

Then the angler slapped one of the woven sacks and grinned at Chen Yuan. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

"Give me a hand, boss."

Chen Yuan couldn’t figure out why anyone would haul this much bait, but he helped hoist the sacks onto the three-wheeler all the same, then told the angler to climb on and headed straight for the pond.

Lucky for them, this angler’s reserved spot was on the road-side bank — the three-wheeler could pull right up to it. Otherwise, lugging those enormous sacks by hand would’ve been a real workout.

"Wow, place is already packed — does that mean I got ripped off by showing up on time~"

The angler looked out at the rows of fishermen already set up, shaking his head with an exaggerated sigh.

Every extra minute of fishing was money in the bank, after all.

How much had he lost by being punctual?

The other anglers roared with laughter, then turned to shower Chen Yuan with praise~