Chapter 84 - 85: The Fine Tradition Left by the God of Wealth

Chapter 84: Chapter 85: The Fine Tradition Left by the God of Wealth

"Boss Chen, how do you want to call this one — does it count as landing the Fish King or not?"

The anglers around him were all grinning as they looked over at Chen Yuan, more than a little amused by the thick stack of red bills in his hand.

Boss Chen had the cash all ready to go, and the Fish King had the nerve to slip off the hook and go splash — right back into the water~

You could argue it counted as landing, since the fish did come up.

You could also argue it didn’t, since the Fish King got away.

It all came down to what Boss Chen had to say.

"It counts. Of course it counts."

Chen Yuan pushed through the crowd and crouched down next to the angler who was still sprawled on the ground, counting out the red bills one by one.

"The Fish King was always going to be released anyway — saved me the trouble of putting it back myself. As long as the Fish King makes it onto the bank, the release bonus is valid. This money’s yours, no question~"

Chen Yuan counted out ten bills as he went and stuffed them straight into the angler’s hand.

There was something almost forceful about it.

"Holy shit, that’s Boss Chen for you — practically shoving the money at the guy like he’s scared the customer won’t take it~"

"You don’t get it, do you? Boss Chen’s got a serious money-laundering quota to hit. He finally gets a chance like this — of course he’s gotta stuff the cash in your hand~"

"Try giving it back and he’ll probably fight you over it~"

"Boss Chen, you going to tell us you don’t have a laundering target to meet~"

Everyone watched in amazement as Chen Yuan crossed the distance in a few quick strides and pressed the money into the customer’s hand.

Any other fishing ground and the owner would’ve found a dozen excuses to hold onto that cash. You could argue until you were blue in the face — fish got away, doesn’t count, end of story.

But not Boss Chen. He was practically terrified the guy would refuse, catching him off guard and jamming the money into his hand before backing up a couple of steps like he was afraid of getting it shoved back at him.

Look across every fishing ground in Chong City — which other owner came close to this kind of generosity.

Had to give it up for him~

"Boss Chen, this—"

The angler who’d hooked the Fish King was still on the ground, looking a bit dazed. The bonus hadn’t even crossed his mind yet — he was just gutted about losing the fish.

Hadn’t even had a chance to snap a photo and show it off.

"Just take it. No need to be polite with Boss Chen~"

"Count yourself lucky you ran into Boss Chen. At any other fishing ground, getting that bonus would’ve been a pipe dream~"

"Seriously though, thank your lucky stars you were here. Boss Chen has the release policy — if a hundred-pound Daqing got away from you on some random reservoir, you’d be kicking yourself for the rest of your life~"

The anglers laughed and ribbed him good-naturedly.

The angler got up off the ground without any further fuss, gave Chen Yuan a quick thanks, and tucked the money into his pocket.

Then he made a beeline for the vending machine, scanning up several packs of Hua cigarettes and a whole pile of water bottles — nearly cleaned the thing out.

A fine tradition passed down by the God of Wealth.

Land the Fish King and you treat the whole pond — smokes and drinks all around. Chen Yuan and Chen Dequan both got their share, and Liu Fang, who didn’t smoke, was handed a bottle of Coke, which left her a little flustered.

"Heh, thanks man — gotta borrow some of that Fish King luck. Next time it’ll be me~"

"Call it a luck transfer. Next round’s definitely mine~"

The anglers accepted the cigarettes and drinks without a second thought, throwing out all the right lines — borrowing luck, passing it on, the whole bit.

"Hey, quit smoking and drinking for a second — did anyone get photos?"

Chen Yuan cracked open his Coke and took a long pull, then swept his gaze around the pond.

"Ha, house rules, man — we know the drill. Boss Chen wants proof? Just check the group chat — photos from every angle you could want~"

The anglers called back with a laugh.

Chen Yuan gave the whole pond a satisfied thumbs up.

This crew knew what they were doing — saved him the trouble of digging through the security footage.

Though Chen Dequan was already outside nodding at him, having snapped plenty of shots himself.

The night fishing session went on.

Chen Dequan and Liu Fang continued making their rounds by the pond, while Chen Yuan settled back into his spot under the umbrella on the slope, lit a cigarette, and pulled out his phone to scroll through the group chat.

"Holy crap, the bite is insane tonight — this is already the Fish King’s second run."

"That’s summer for you. Morning and evening the fish are active, but in the daytime heat they just sit there staring at your bait and won’t touch it."

"Go to sleep, go to sleep. Get an early start tomorrow."

"The daytime session opens at seven — how much earlier are you going to get there? Unless you head over for night fishing right now~"

"Fair point. It’s still early — let’s see if our buddy can pull it off. He should be using Boss Chen’s custom rods by now~"

Sure enough, the anglers were keeping a close eye on those custom rods.

Choosing tonight to let the Fish King bite had been the right call.

This was definitely going to earn him some serious goodwill.

He took a drag and scrolled quickly past the usual pointless chatter, skimming through the Battle Fish King messages until he reached the stretch where the Fish King had been brought up.

"That guy’s good — actually wrestled the Fish King to the bank."

"His technique might not match that master from this afternoon, but the rod quality made up for the gap. Honestly feel a bit sorry for the master — if he’d waited until these custom rods showed up, he would’ve landed the Fish King for sure~"

"That’s just timing and luck~"

"Not bringing my own rod tomorrow. Boss Chen never lets you down."

"With custom rods like these on offer, who’s hauling their own gear out there~"

Beyond the congratulations for landing the Fish King, every other message was wall-to-wall praise for the rods.

Unanimous approval from the angling crowd — goodwill through the roof.

"Oh no — the Fish King got away~"

Then came the posts about the Fish King escaping, and the group was full of disappointed reactions. People debated whether it still counted as a successful catch and whether the release bonus applied.

Then a photo of Chen Yuan pressing a stack of cash into the customer’s hand appeared in the group, and another wave of goodwill rolled in.

"Boss Chen really is something else."

"Only fishing ground worth going to is Chen Yuan Fishing Ground. Only boss worth trusting is Boss Chen~"

"Applause~"

The glow of the screen lit up Chen Yuan’s wide grin. With all this goodwill piling up, the anglers had developed a real sense of belonging when it came to Chen Yuan Fishing Ground.

Even the ones who hadn’t made it out tonight were singing its praises.

That was something.

Customers already felt good about the place before they’d even experienced it firsthand. Nail that, hold onto these advantages, and Chen Yuan Fishing Ground would do just fine.

"Wow, it’s already past eleven — night fishing really flies by~"

He finished scrolling and checked the time — somehow it was nearly half past eleven. Closing time was just around the corner.

Phones were starting to go off all over the pond. Some anglers answered, saying they’d be home in a bit. Others hunched over their screens typing replies. A few just switched theirs off entirely.

Not a single one made a move to leave.

Typical. Nothing in the world could shake an angler’s resolve — except maybe the fishing ground closing and forcing them out the door.

"Time flies — almost midnight already."

"Pack it up, pack it up — live to fight another day~"

As midnight drew near, the anglers conscientiously began reeling in their lines. The rods weren’t theirs, but they still made sure to put everything away properly.

Boss Chen was good to them — they weren’t going to be any less decent~

"Brother Wang, fish a little longer — I’ll drive you out when we’re done."

As the anglers started wrapping up, Chen Dequan and Liu Fang got busy, and Chen Yuan walked over to Wang Heng. A few of the guys had come by bus, so they’d have a wait ahead of them.

"No need to trouble yourself this late, Boss Chen. It’s a short walk out, I’ll manage on my own. Besides, you’ve got the daytime session tomorrow — finish up and get some rest."

Wang Heng smiled and shook his head.

The two of them knew each other well enough by now — when Wang Heng could take a ride he wouldn’t think twice about it, and he’d even call Chen Yuan himself sometimes. But Boss Chen had a full day ahead of him tomorrow.

It wouldn’t be right to hold him up.

"Master Wang, whereabouts do you live?"

A nearby angler asked.

"Out near Chongping~"

Wang Heng answered while packing up his rod.

"No way, I’m out that way too — didn’t realize a legend was right in my own backyard."

The angler’s eyes lit up and his whole manner warmed instantly. "Ride with me, Master Wang — we’ll head back together."

"I’ll just grab a cab, thanks."

Wang Heng smiled and shook his head.

"We’re all fishing buddies here, Master Wang — don’t be a stranger. I’ve actually been wanting to ask you about the rods, and pick up a tip or two on technique while I’m at it. If you’d rather not, just pretend I never asked."

Put like that, what could Wang Heng say? He gave in and told the guy not to worry about it.

"I’m out near Huaiyuan — anyone heading that way? Looking for a ride~"

The other anglers who’d come on the rural bus saw their opening and started calling out on the spot.

Surprisingly effective — there really were people going that direction, or close enough to it, and the whole problem of getting home was sorted out in seconds.

They were all fishing buddies with the same passion. Dropping someone off on the way was no big deal, and the ride home gave them a chance to chat and swap fishing stories — not a bad way to end the night.

Chen Yuan took one look at how things had sorted themselves out and didn’t push any further. He pitched in carrying the day’s catch and got busy seeing everyone off.