Chapter 96 - 97: Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself

Chapter 96: Chapter 97: Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself

After his chat with Xu Bai, Chen Yuan had some plans for both the little pond and the Old Pond.

Of course, one person’s opinion was a limited sample. He planned to ask more customers to get a wider range of opinions and find the right path forward.

But either way, having some ideas was a good thing.

Chen Yuan was in a pretty good mood. He hummed a little tune as he rode home, and just as he walked into the courtyard, he saw his dad sitting on the doorstep of the main house, smoking a cigarette.

"You’re going after the Old Pond?"

"That’s the plan. I’ve already worked things out with Uncle Bin, so we should be able to secure it."

Chen Yuan took off his straw hat and hung it on the wall outside.

He hadn’t mentioned the Old Pond for the past couple of days because nothing was set in stone. It still wasn’t a done deal, but his parents had surely overheard some of his conversation with Xu Bai earlier.

There was no point in hiding it anymore.

He trusted his parents not to spread it around, and he had already told Xu Bai to keep it quiet too.

"Do you have that much money?"

Chen Jun beckoned Chen Yuan to come sit down, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and offering it to him.

"The reservation fees have come in over the last couple of days. With that and my own savings, I figure it should be just about enough."

Chen Yuan sat down beside him and took the cigarette.

"You still have to set money aside for other things. Construction costs money, and the fish in the pond are being caught quickly, so you’ll have to restock soon. If you get the Old Pond, you’ll need fish for that too. All of that costs money. How could that little bit you have possibly be enough?"

Chen Jun shook his head.

He’d been mulling it over for a long time, ever since he heard Chen Yuan express interest in the Old Pond at lunch.

The Old Pond wasn’t like the little one. The contract fee alone would be tens of thousands. On top of that, he still had construction to do here at the little pond and was getting ready to restock it. These were all significant expenses.

The bit of money Chen Yuan had was nowhere near enough.

Even if they scraped together the entire family’s savings, it might not be enough.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself. I think doing a good job with the little pond is great as it is. It’s not too late to think about expanding once things here are truly stable."

Chen Jun offered his advice as he smoked.

In his opinion, it was a bad idea to go for the Old Pond right now. What if he stretched his finances too thin and everything collapsed at the slightest pressure?

"Besides, do you really think Zhou Jianming will hand over the Old Pond that easily?"

Chen Jun snorted.

The two families already didn’t get along. Now that his own fishing ground had failed, seeing their business booming... and now they wanted to take over the Old Pond to get even bigger? It would be a miracle if he agreed.

"It’s true that finances will be tight, but the little pond brings in daily income, which can absolutely keep up with our development needs. And if things get really tough, I can always launch a membership program to bring in some cash upfront."

When it came to funds, Chen Yuan wasn’t worried.

Although some things had to be paid for in cash, he could spend points in the System Shop, where they had five times the purchasing power of real money.

As for Zhou Jianming...

"Zhou Jianming already went to the village committee yesterday asking for his money. I’m the one backing Uncle Bin on this. If I pull out now, it’ll put him in a really tough spot."

Chen Yuan lit the cigarette dangling from his lips.

He wasn’t worried about Zhou Jianming refusing to give up the Old Pond. Zhou Jianming was definitely more desperate to settle this than he was.

Chen Jun’s brow was still furrowed.

"As it stands, the little pond has more or less broken even after just a few days. Everything we make until the next restock is pure profit. Yes, the initial investment for the Old Pond is high, but if we develop it properly, we can definitely earn a lot more. And in the worst-case scenario, if it doesn’t take off, it’ll just eat into the profits from the little pond. We won’t really lose anything."

Chen Yuan explained his reasoning to his father.

"I agree with our son’s idea. As the saying goes, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. Now that the little pond’s business has stabilized, we should definitely look to expand. It’s safer to have multiple ventures."

Tang Ying walked over, carrying a kettle of water and a teacup.

Her reasoning was simple. A single pond had its limitations. If business took a downturn one day, the family would be right back where they started.

But with another pond, they’d have another leg to stand on. Even if it didn’t take off, at least the two ventures could support each other.

"Alright, then. Since both of you are for it, I’m for it too."

Chen Jun stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, effectively giving his consent.

"We’ve made almost ten thousand from the boxed meals these past few days. After splitting it with your uncle, there are still a few thousand left. I’ll transfer it to you in a bit. From now on, I’ll transfer half of all the meal money to you."

Tang Ying placed the teacup beside Chen Yuan. It was to help him sober up.

"There’s no need. I’ll ask you if I’m really short on cash."

Chen Yuan picked up the teacup and blew on the surface. He knew what his mother meant. Preparing to take on the Old Pond would cost money, and she was worried he didn’t have enough.

But he really didn’t need it.

"Whoa, it’s already 2:40. I bet Uncle and Chen Dequan are already over there. We should get ready to head over, too."

After a few sips of tea, he glanced at the grandfather clock in the main hall and urged his parents to get ready to head to the fishpond.

"You go rest for a bit. We have enough people for the session change right now. Chen Dequan and the others are watching over the night fishing session, so it’s fine if you’re not there."

Chen Jun told Chen Yuan to go rest.

Chen Yuan had a few drinks at lunch and still reeked of alcohol. A couple of sips of tea weren’t going to sober him up. He needed to rest when he needed to rest; it’s not like they couldn’t manage without him.

"Go on and rest. You’ll have to be busy later tonight when the session ends."

Chen Yuan insisted he was fine, but Tang Ying ended up pushing him toward the stairs.

Unable to argue, he had no choice but to go upstairs and rest.

His tolerance for alcohol still wasn’t great at his age. A few glasses of baijiu had indeed made him drowsy. He took a shower but didn’t bother with his laundry, just set an alarm for five, turned on the air conditioner, and crashed into bed.

A hot summer afternoon is perfect for a nap. Not two minutes later, snores could be heard from the room.

When the alarm rang at five, Chen Yuan unlocked his phone to open up the reservation slots. He lay in bed for a while longer before finally sitting up with a yawn.

’First, I should wash my clothes.’

Chen Yuan shuffled into the bathroom in his slippers.

He wasn’t in a hurry to buy the materials. The meal orders would be coming in soon, which would net him another eight hundred to a thousand points. Besides, Wang Tao wasn’t coming until nighttime, so there was no rush.

By the time he came out after doing the laundry, the meal ordering window had just closed. Chen Yuan lit a cigarette, summoned the system, and went straight to the Shop, quickly buying all the necessary materials.

He had already confirmed the list with Wang Tao that morning, so there was no need to hesitate. He went on a shopping spree, spending all thirty-thousand-some points in a matter of minutes.

’And I’m fucking broke again.’

Chen Yuan forcefully ground the cigarette butt into the ashtray, grumbling under his breath.

He’d worked so hard to save up over thirty thousand points, and now they were gone in an instant. It was like watching his long-saved money suddenly vanish. The feeling was unsettling.

Still, he had to admit, the system’s Shop, the ability to spend points, and the five-times purchasing power were all incredibly helpful.

It would be much harder otherwise.

"Looks like a customer is having chicken tonight!"

Pocketing his phone, he shuffled downstairs in his slippers. Just as he stepped out of the main house, he saw Chen Jun coming from the backyard, carrying a basin of chicken blood and a large bowl of giblets.

"The authentic free-range chicken is really popular."

Chen Jun was all smiles.

The profit margin on the á la carte dishes was higher than on the boxed meals. With more people ordering them the last few days, the profits were substantial. How could he not be happy?

"This is the good stuff. We can cook up a pot tonight. I’ll clean the giblets."

Chen Yuan stepped forward, took the large bowl, and headed straight for the sink.

Stir-fried giblets were incredibly delicious, and they were even better paired with an ice-cold beer.

’They must have killed at least two chickens.’

Chen Yuan thought, looking at the quantity in the bowl. One chicken definitely wouldn’t yield this much.

’Looks like the customers really love it.’

But then again, it made sense. It was already hard to find authentic free-range chicken in the city. Without some connections in the countryside, you couldn’t necessarily get one even if you wanted to.

Since Chen Yuan Fishing Ground offered it, of course customers would want to indulge.

’At this rate, Uncle’s chickens won’t be enough to feed all the customers. I’m afraid we’ll have to get some chicks and start raising them in advance, or we’ll run out.’

Chen Yuan muttered to himself as he washed. He could bring it up tonight.

"I’ll cook the giblets!"

Once they were clean, Chen Yuan carried the bowl and hurried into the kitchen.

Chen Jun was tending the fire at the stove opening and helping wash vegetables. Tang Ying was pouring oil into two woks, planning to cook two dishes simultaneously.

"I’ll stir-fry the dishes for the boxed meals first. Why don’t you get the garlic sprouts and chili peppers ready?"

"You got it!"

These ingredients were essential. The giblets had to be stir-fried with enough spice to have that perfect kick.

After getting those ready, Chen Yuan took out a cigarette and handed one to his dad. He then grabbed a burning piece of kindling from the stove’s firebox to light his own cigarette, then lit his dad’s before tossing the stick back in.

"The vegetable seeds will be delivered tonight, but it’ll probably be a little late. We can plant them tomorrow, okay?"

Chen Yuan said, smoking his cigarette.

He also mentioned the idea of buying chicks. Since the customers loved the authentic free-range chicken, they couldn’t let their stock run out.

"No problem, I’ll talk to my brother about it. But at this rate, I reckon what we can raise at home won’t be enough to meet demand. If we secure the Old Pond and business is good, they’ll be in even shorter supply."

Chen Jun was suggesting it would be best to find a plot of land to raise them in a proper enclosure.