Chapter 85 - 86: Fully Loaded Service

Chapter 85: Chapter 86: Fully Loaded Service

"Uncle Chen, Aunt Liu — once you’re done here, head back and get some rest. One person is plenty for the early morning shift. You’re both pulling night sessions, so make sure you take turns sleeping during the day."

With the night fishing session wrapped up and everyone cleared out, Chen Yuan sent Chen Dequan and the others home to rest.

He then rode the three-wheeler back to his uncle’s place to return it before finally heading home.

The house was dark. His parents had long since gone to bed.

The anglers had been pretty considerate about it too — nobody made a racket when they left. They all slipped away quietly without disturbing any of the neighbors.

Chen Yuan kept the lights off as well, using the faint glow of his phone to navigate, only flicking on the light once he reached his own room upstairs. He took a quick shower and collapsed onto the bed.

"Sleep. Just sleep."

He glanced at the time — nearly twenty to one. He set his alarm and was out the moment his head hit the pillow.

He’d set the alarm for six-twenty, figuring he’d sleep as long as he could. Instead, he was wide awake just after six. His body clock had apparently made itself at home.

Still, it was over ten minutes later than yesterday.

Even his dreams couldn’t keep to a schedule, it seemed.

"It’s still early — why didn’t you sleep in a bit more?"

He came downstairs after washing up to find his parents already carrying bowls of noodles into the main room. Three bowls — one of them clearly his. They must have heard him moving around upstairs and thrown his portion in right away.

"Body clock. Nothing I can do about it."

Chen Yuan pulled up a chair and dug in.

"If you’re tired, just sleep longer. We’ve got it covered in the mornings, and Chen Dequan can spare someone too. You don’t have to drag yourself out of bed every single day."

Tang Ying’s voice was full of concern, and the worry showed in her eyes.

Business at the fishing ground had been genuinely great, and they’d made good money these past few days — but the workload was real. Especially now that the night sessions were running, her son was staying up to see everyone out.

She just didn’t want him burning himself out.

"Yesterday was a bit hectic because it was the first night session, but it’ll get smoother as we go. And I can always rest during the day — overall, it’s not going to wear me down."

Chen Yuan waved off her concern.

Compared to his previous life, this was nothing. Not even close.

"How does that vending machine work? I checked it this morning and the cigarettes and drinks are already running low. It’s going to need restocking every day."

Chen Jun slurped up a mouthful of noodles and looked over at Chen Yuan.

He’d developed a habit lately — every morning after washing up, he’d take a stroll around the pond to see if anything needed sorting out.

This morning he’d noticed the cigarettes and drinks were selling fast. He’d wanted to restock it himself but had no idea how the machine worked.

"We’ll go together in a bit."

Chen Yuan couldn’t be the only one who knew how to do it. If he ever had to step away, someone else needed to be able to handle restocking — otherwise they’d be back to doing everything by hand, which was a waste of time and effort.

"Alright."

Chen Jun nodded and put his head back down. A few minutes later, both bowls of noodles were gone. Father and son drained the last of the broth at the exact same moment, set their bowls on the table at the exact same time, and let out the exact same satisfied grunt.

They moved like they’d been cast from the same mold.

"Off to the pond~"

"Let’s go restock~"

They both spoke at once, then both laughed.

Tang Ying watched them, shaking her head with a smile.

But honestly, it was a pretty sweet sight~

They were up and out in no time. Chen Yuan grabbed a carton of cigarettes and a case of water, Chen Jun hauled a few cases of cola, and they loaded everything into the cargo bed of the three-wheeler and rode off toward the pond.

"Dad, once we’re done here this morning, I need to make a quick run into town. Can you keep an eye on things while I’m gone?"

After showing Chen Jun how to restock the vending machine, Chen Yuan brought it up.

He’d decided that bonus payouts needed to be in cash — cold, hard bills. A number on a screen just didn’t hit the same way. Red banknotes had a visual punch that nothing else could match.

Problem was, there wasn’t much cash at home. He needed to go make a withdrawal.

"How long will you be?"

Chen Jun gestured for Chen Yuan to hop into the cargo bed as he climbed onto the bike.

"Just pulling some cash. Won’t take an hour."

Chen Yuan fished out a cigarette and handed one to his dad.

"That’s fine then."

It wasn’t that he minded watching the pond — it was just that if Chen Yuan needed to be away for a while, they’d all have to shuffle their schedules around. After all, there were also the lunch box sides to prep.

Chen Jun twisted the throttle and they were back home in no time. His uncle and aunt were already there waiting for the first customers to arrive. Chen Yuan hopped off and handed his uncle a cigarette, and the three of them stood by the roadside, puffing away like a trio of chimneys.

They hadn’t even finished their cigarettes before cars started turning in — and not just one or two, but a whole string of them, one after another.

"Let’s get to it."

All three of them dropped their cigarette butts at the same moment, and the day’s work officially kicked off.

Chen Yuan and the others got busy hauling gear and shuttling anglers down to the pond, while Tang Ying and Lin Cuiju helped direct the incoming cars and unload equipment.

Since the fishing ground was now providing rods, the anglers had brought noticeably less gear, and the whole process felt a bit easier than the day before.

"Looks like the ground really could supply the rest of the gear too."

Chen Yuan turned the thought over in his mind.

If the fishing ground provided everything, anglers would only need to bring a fish bucket to carry their catch home. For those who were only in it for the Fish King, they could roll up completely empty-handed.

It would make things easier for the customers and give them a better experience overall — and it would save his crew a whole lot of hassle too.

No point sitting on the idea. Once the morning rush was done, he’d post a survey in the group chat asking what bait everyone usually used, then compare that against what was available in the system shop.

"Boss, we’re full on our end~"

Chen Dequan had made four trips, ferrying every angler who’d parked at his place — people and gear alike — to the pond.

Nobody knew where the guy had found the space, but he’d apparently cleared out a spot that fit nearly twenty cars. Things on their end had been noticeably smoother than usual this morning because of it.

"How’d you sleep, Uncle Chen?"

Chen Yuan gave a nod of approval. Once all the guests were settled in, he lit a cigarette for Chen Dequan. Chen Jun and his uncle drifted over too, making it a four-chimney operation.

"Not bad."

Chen Dequan took the cigarette with a grin. He looked surprisingly sharp — none of the dragged-out look you’d expect from someone running low on sleep.

"Make sure you’re getting proper rest. You and Aunt Liu can take turns — there’s no reason you both have to be up every single morning."

Chen Yuan made a point of reminding him.

Yesterday was only the first night session, so one day might not feel like much. But going to bed in the early hours and getting up at six every single day? That was barely five hours of sleep — even someone made of iron couldn’t keep that up indefinitely.

"That’s exactly what I told her. We’re going to swap off the morning runs — I’ll send her tomorrow."

Chen Dequan said it with a smile.

Good.

Chen Yuan nodded, then pulled out his phone and posted a survey in the group chat asking what bait everyone typically used and whether they had any special preferences.

"Boss Chen’s asking about our bait preferences — is he actually going to start providing bait for us?"

One of the anglers at the pond spotted the message and looked up at Chen Yuan.

Plenty of others were in the middle of mixing their bait, and when they heard that, they all turned to stare at him in surprise.

"Boss Chen’s really going to provide bait?"

"Bait’s one of those things — convenient when it’s there, a total pain when it isn’t. And it’s heavy to lug around. If Boss Chen starts supplying it, that’s one less thing to worry about."

"Heavy Chummer’s going to be over the moon~"

"If I can head out with empty hands, who’s going to be able to prove I went fishing?"

"Zero evidence~"

The anglers ran with it, laughing and riffing off each other.

They also started ribbing Chen Yuan to hurry up and get the fishing chairs sorted. The little side tables for eating weren’t strictly necessary — most anglers were perfectly happy holding a lunch box. But if the fishing ground eventually supplied a full kit of gear, life would be genuinely easy. The ones with families at home could come and go without leaving a single trace. Now that would be the dream.

"Consider it done. Bait bowls, bait, fishing chairs, somewhere to eat and take a breather — the fishing ground will have all of it. Bottom line: Chen Yuan Fishing Ground is going full service. You show up light, we handle the rest. Makes life easier for everyone~"

Chen Yuan committed to it without hesitation. This was already part of his plan, and he’d have it sorted within the next couple of days.

"Now that’s what I’m talking about."

The anglers gave it a thumbs up all around.

Service like this? Honestly hard to top.

"We want to hear from everyone — if you’ve got suggestions or requests, put them out there. Whatever Chen Yuan Fishing Ground can make happen, we will."

Chen Yuan stubbed out his cigarette, tossed it in the trash, and swept his gaze across the full length of the pond.

"Let’s start with the bait — get your votes in, everyone. Chen Yuan Fishing Ground will pick the five most popular options and provide them free of charge every session."

Everyone already knew Boss Chen was generous — he’d been giving out rods for free, after all. So the bait being free was pretty much a given. But hearing the word "complimentary" out loud still got the anglers cheering and clapping.

"Dad, keep an eye on the pond for me, yeah?"

By the time the cigarettes were done and the bait survey was set up, Chen Yuan and the others were ready to head off.

Chen Jun stayed behind at the pond while Chen Dequan and Chen Kingdom headed home. Chen Yuan hopped on the three-wheeler and made straight for town.

He didn’t want to pull too much, so he withdrew twenty thousand in cash.

A thousand per session — that was enough to last ten days.

By the time he got back from the bank, it was nearly nine. The survey had mostly run its course, so Chen Yuan picked out the most popular bait options and bought them directly through the system.

He also threw in a complete set of bait bowls while he was at it.

He didn’t ask Wang Tao to deliver right away. Same as with the vegetable seeds yesterday — he’d have everything brought over together once the construction work continued. No rush for the next couple of days, no point making extra trips.

"Bait’s sorted, bait bowls are ordered alongside — should be arriving in two to three days."

Chen Yuan made the announcement.

Whether in person at the pond or in the group chat, the response was the same — applause all around~