Chapter 73 - 74: You’ve Been Scammed

Chapter 73: Chapter 74: You’ve Been Scammed

Chen Yuan woke up at exactly six in the morning.

Not because of an alarm — his dreams wouldn’t let him sleep in.

He got dressed, washed up, and headed downstairs.

The moment he hit the bottom step, he spotted his old man sitting at the table in the main room, cigarette in hand, puffing away. The place was thick with smoke — no telling how many he’d already burned through.

"What’s going on, chain-smoking this early in the morning?"

Chen Yuan waved the haze away from his face, wondering why his dad looked so gloomy.

Did Mom find his secret stash of cash?

"You got played."

Chen Jun glanced at Chen Yuan, his expression dark and sour.

"The hell are you talking about?"

Chen Yuan blinked, then let out a dismissive smirk.

How exactly did I get played?

He dragged a stool over and sat down across from Chen Jun, genuinely curious about who was supposed to have screwed him over.

"Where’d you find that construction crew? Can you still get ahold of them?"

Chen Jun stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and asked, dead serious.

That look on his face gave Chen Yuan a strange feeling — the last time his dad had been this serious was years ago, when he’d agreed to let his sister drop out of school and go work in the city.

"Yeah, I can."

Chen Yuan was confused, but answered without hesitation.

"You sure?"

Chen Jun didn’t look convinced.

"Dad, just tell me what happened. Stop dragging it out."

Chen Yuan said flatly.

"Those sons of bitches went and blasted right into the hillside — carved out a massive hole, like they hollowed out the whole damn mountain. If that’s not getting played, what is?"

Chen Jun slapped the table and let it out.

Chen Yuan jumped slightly, but the pieces fell into place.

His old man must’ve gone down to the fishing pond first thing this morning.

Since the materials were limited, there wasn’t much that could be built at the pond or on the slope just yet, so Wang Tao had decided to start by cutting into the hillside.

When Chen Jun saw that gaping hole, it scared the hell out of him.

They were supposed to be building a restroom — what was all this blasting about? If there was a landslide or something, the whole pond would be done for. Worst case, a bunch of anglers could end up buried alive.

That wasn’t a construction project — that was a trap.

And besides, would the village committee even sign off on something like that?

He’d been sitting here burning through cigarettes one after another, only holding off from waking Chen Yuan because he’d wanted to let the boy sleep a little longer.

"Is that all? Relax, the crew is working off the blueprints. I already ran the design by Uncle Bin — he said it was fine."

Chen Yuan laughed it off and got up, heading toward the kitchen.

Breakfast first — guests would be arriving soon.

"The village committee actually approved it?"

Chen Jun was stunned. They greenlit blasting into a hillside? That wasn’t some small thing — that was serious business.

And looking at that foundation — over a hundred square meters — that couldn’t possibly just be for a restroom.

What on earth was he building out there?

"Approval or not, this isn’t something to take lightly. Quality has to be airtight — every inspection needs to pass."

Chen Jun followed him into the kitchen, his face still tense, though not as dejected as before. Some of the weight had lifted off his chest.

"Obviously."

Tang Ying had porridge simmering and was in the middle of pan-frying flatbreads. One had just come off the heat, and Chen Yuan snatched it up to try a bite — it was scalding hot, and he fumbled it from hand to hand before giving up and setting it down, shaking out his fingers.

"What’s the rush? It’s still early — let it cool for two minutes."

Tang Ying handed him a damp cloth and told Chen Jun to scoop the porridge into bowls to let it cool down faster.

"On it, on it."

Chen Yuan grabbed a basin, filled it with cold water, took three bowls from the cupboard, ladled the porridge in, and set the bowls in the basin. That way they’d cool down much quicker.

When you’re running a business, every minute counts.

By the time Tang Ying finished the flatbreads, the porridge had cooled to a comfortable temperature. The three of them just ate standing in the kitchen — nobody could be bothered to move to the main room.

They wolfed it down, got the dishes washed, and it was exactly six-thirty.

"Want one?"

Chen Yuan pulled out his pack and offered Chen Jun a cigarette.

"I’m good."

Chen Jun waved it off. Four or five cigarettes before sunrise — he was practically a chimney at this point.

Chen Yuan stifled a grin, lit one for himself, and crouched just outside the courtyard gate, eyes fixed on the bend in the village road.

Today was the first time he was trying a split-session format, with the daytime session starting at seven. He wasn’t sure if the anglers would make it in time, or if any of them had slept through their alarms.

Then again, knowing anglers, it probably wouldn’t be an issue.

Sure enough.

He hadn’t even finished his cigarette when he heard a horn, and a car came rolling around the bend.

"Boss Chen?"

The car pulled up to the courtyard gate, and the window rolled down to reveal a young, good-looking face.

Only marginally less handsome than Chen Yuan, of course.

"Park it right here."

Chen Yuan stepped forward. As soon as the guy got out, Chen Yuan had a cigarette ready for him.

"Am I too early?"

The angler accepted it with a grin.

"Any later and I’d have thought you boys were standing me up."

"Haha, classic. Boss Chen really does live up to the reputation."

It was this angler’s first time here in person, but he’d been active in the group chat for a while and knew plenty about Chen Yuan Fishing Ground — and Boss Chen himself.

Turned out the guy was exactly as fun and straightforward as advertised.

"Pull your gear out and toss it in the cart. I’ll take you down to the pond."

Chen Yuan finished his cigarette and wheeled the three-wheeler over.

"Maybe wait a bit?"

The angler checked the time.

It wasn’t that the session hadn’t officially started — he knew Chen Yuan Fishing Ground wasn’t big on formalities, and you could cast as soon as you arrived.

But it was already past six-thirty, and the other anglers would be rolling in soon. Making a solo trip for just him seemed like a waste.

A few minutes wasn’t going to kill anyone.

Just enough time for a smoke.

"Fair enough."

Chen Yuan noticed the guy holding up his cigarette and got the hint. He was happy to wait another couple of minutes.

One cigarette’s worth of time was all it took — a string of cars came rolling in one after another, the anglers arriving in a pack like they’d all coordinated their timing. Chen Yuan and the others suddenly had their hands full.

Seven o’clock start times didn’t attract many early birds. Someone like Mr. Qin showing up ahead of schedule was genuinely rare.

It was just like office workers on a weekday morning — when the clock-in time is eight-thirty, you won’t find many people showing up at six or seven. Everyone floods in right at the last minute.

"Park over here — come in a little more. There you go, that’s it."

"Leave your gear in the cart, I’ll take you all down to the pond."

Chen Jun directed the parking while he and Tang Ying helped unload the anglers’ gear. Chen Yuan rode the three-wheeler, shuttling equipment and passengers down to the pond.

Chen Dequan’s side of things was just as organized.

"Damn, that’s one hell of a hole."

"What’s Boss Chen building — he’s not about to blow up the mountain and bury us all, is he?"

"Heads up, folks — watch how much you keep today. Best practice catch-and-release, or Boss Chen might light the fuse and entomb us all in the pond."

"Boss Chen’s got one thing to say: let’s see who’s brave enough to keep a fish today."

The anglers piled off the cart at the pond and immediately spotted the massive cavity blasted into the hillside. Every face lit up with surprise.

Everyone knew Boss Chen was putting in a restroom, but that foundation stretched over a hundred square meters, and the hole carved into the mountain looked nothing like what you’d need for a toilet block.

This looked more like someone was building a house. Or a hotel.

"Hey, you all said it — I’m camping right here today. Let’s see who’s got the nerve to keep a single fish."

Chen Yuan shot back with a grin.

The anglers burst out laughing.

This was exactly why Chen Yuan Fishing Ground was such a good time. Boss Chen was just that kind of person — easygoing, quick with a joke, never stiff or uptight about it. He’d give as good as he got and keep things lively.

Swap him out for any other fishing ground owner, and the best you’d get was a polite smile and a "fish whatever you want, if you can land ’em, they’re yours."

Not a drop of personality.

"Creak—"

Chen Dequan pulled up on his three-wheeler with another load of anglers, smiling as he called out, "What’s your spot numbers, folks? I’ll haul your gear over for you!"

"No need to trouble yourself, uncle — we’re already at the pond. Our spots are right across the way, we can manage."

"My spot’s right here, I’ve got it."

"Yeah, uncle, dropping us at the pond is more than enough. We can see our spots from here — we’re pumped up right now, I’d take a swing at Tyson if he walked up."

"Go pick up the next group, uncle!"

Having a dedicated shuttle was already more than they could ask for. Their spots were right there — it would’ve been embarrassing to keep asking for help with their gear. The anglers hopped off the cart, grabbed their equipment, and made a beeline for their spots.

Chen Dequan smiled and didn’t push it. He gave Chen Yuan a quick wave and turned back around.

Chen Yuan was the same — when he crossed paths with his uncle dropping off guests, he didn’t stop to chat. Everyone was too busy getting people settled.

"I’m heading to the village entrance to pick up the walk-ins — you’ve got things covered here!"

After a few runs, Chen Yuan hopped on a three-wheeler and headed toward the village entrance. Not every angler drove — those who lived close or had easy bus access just took public transit.

The morning looked hectic from the outside, but everything ran like clockwork. Not a single hiccup. By the time seven o’clock rolled around, every angler was already in position.

Rods in the water, bait set — let the fishing begin.