Chapter 98 - 99: Main Body

Chapter 98: Chapter 99: Main Body

Chen Yuan woke up promptly at six in the morning. After washing up, he slipped on his slippers and went downstairs. Just as he stepped out of the main room, he saw Chen Jun on his tricycle, a cigarette dangling from his lips and a brilliant smile on his face.

"What’s got you so happy?"

Chen Yuan asked curiously.

His dad’s smile was so wide he could barely keep the cigarette in his mouth. ’Did he find some money or something?’

"That construction crew you found is pretty good. Wang Tao really knows his stuff. They nearly finished the main structure in one night. No deliberate delays at all."

Chen Jun walked into the courtyard, unable to stop his brilliant smile.

Although he knew yesterday that the crew would be working at night, he hadn’t expected them to make such incredible progress in a single evening.

He had worked in construction before—in fact, as a basic builder right on the front lines—so he knew what a normal project timeline looked like.

Even though it was "just a toilet" on the small hill, and the project didn’t seem that big, it covered over a hundred square meters and involved cutting into the mountainside. To get the main structure nearly done in just a few short hours...

They weren’t just not slacking off; they were working their butts off!

"Didn’t you say Wang Tao was unreliable?"

Chen Yuan found this quite amusing.

Just a few days ago, his dad had been calling Wang Tao unreliable, taking a whole bunch of pictures of him and even photographing his ID card for safekeeping, terrified that Wang Tao would pull some kind of stunt.

And now, he’d won his dad over in a single night.

More accurately, in just a few hours.

"Well, you can’t judge a book by its cover."

Chen Jun’s smile didn’t fade as he headed for the kitchen.

Tang Ying was calling them for breakfast.

"After we get everyone checked in, I’m heading to the vegetable patch."

After breakfast, the family of three waited in the courtyard. Chen Jun spoke as he pulled out a cigarette.

Chen Yuan had left the items in the main room last night, so his parents must have seen them when they got up. Now that the vegetable seeds were here, they definitely had to be planted.

"I’ll go with you. I can pick some vegetables to bring back while I’m there."

Tang Ying was clearly worried that Chen Jun would just carelessly work the plot, do a sloppy job, and waste the seeds her son had bought. She had high hopes for them.

If they were really as good as her son said, the vegetable patch would save them so much trouble.

"Fine, we’ll go together."

Chen Jun lit his cigarette without objection. The morning check-in was early these days anyway. They’d be done by 7:30, which still left an hour or two before people started ordering lunch.

Plenty of time to take care of other things.

While they were talking, his uncle and aunt arrived. Chen Jun casually pulled out a cigarette and handed it to Chen Guo. The three "chimneys" went back outside the courtyard to smoke and wait.

After they finished their cigarettes, they heard the sound of approaching cars.

"Time to get to work."

Chen Yuan tossed his cigarette butt, ran back inside to grab the bait and mixing basin, and took them straight to the pond. Then he returned to greet the customers and guide them to their spots.

"Whoa, Boss Chen, you work fast! I saw the Fish King’s video last night and this area was still bare. This morning, it’s already this tall."

As the anglers arrived at the pond, their attention was immediately drawn to the structure that had shot up from the ground.

Even though it was fenced off, making it hard to see inside clearly, the main structure was already four or five meters tall. The sight alone was impressive.

’They built this in one night?’

"Boss Chen, are you sure you’re just building a toilet?"

The anglers were stunned.

Although most of them were newcomers visiting Chen Yuan Fishing Ground for the first time, the group chat was always buzzing with discussions about the service and amenities here.

The life jackets, sun umbrellas, and mosquito repellent incense were praised to the high heavens. The boxed lunches, side dishes, and overall service also received unanimous acclaim.

If they could give it a rating, every angler who had been here would have given it a perfect score.

They had also heard about the toilet being built on the small hill. Ever since the foundation was laid, the anglers had been curious, constantly discussing what kind of scale Boss Chen was aiming for with this restroom.

A foundation of over a hundred square meters, a chunk carved out of the mountainside behind it, and now a structure four or five meters high... This thing was more spacious than their own damn houses, and you’re telling me it’s just a toilet?

"My goodness, Boss Chen is way too extravagant! Building a toilet on this scale..."

"My apartment is just over eighty square meters with ceilings less than three meters high. It can’t even compare to Boss Chen’s toilet. It makes me want to cry this early in the morning."

"My girlfriend asked why I didn’t wash my face after getting up. It’s because I’m washing it with my tears."

"I think I finally get that meme about ’not even being able to afford a toilet.’ Because I really can’t afford this one."

One of the anglers posted a photo in the group chat. Even though you couldn’t see what was behind the fence, the four-and-a-half-meter ceiling height alone was enough to shock everyone in the group.

This was no toilet.

’Is Boss Chen secretly building a hotel or a clubhouse?’

Early in the morning, the fishing ground’s group chat was already in an uproar, with everyone discussing what the site on the small hill would look like when it was finished. The hype was through the roof.

Chen Yuan was very satisfied with the anglers’ reactions.

He didn’t clarify anything in the group chat.

When people have something to look forward to, they want to witness it for themselves. The anglers would definitely be eager to come. And when it was finally completed, the moment the veil was lifted, he believed it would stun everyone.

And once they experienced the amenities at Chen Yuan Fishing Ground, how could any other fishing spot even compare?

Even now, with the bonus of life jackets and sun umbrellas, fishing in the middle of summer wasn’t scorching hot or stressful. The anglers already looked down on other fishing grounds.

If he kept improving the amenities, he could definitely turn these anglers into die-hard fans of Chen Yuan Fishing Ground.

"We’re off to the vegetable patch!"

After getting all the morning arrivals settled, Chen Jun and the others called out a goodbye to Chen Yuan and left.

Chen Dequan lingered for a couple more minutes.

He sized up the fenced-off structure, praising it nonstop.

"Boss, you said there would be a dining and rest area inside. Does that mean we can eat and rest in there?"

A few days ago, when Chen Yuan had mentioned plans for a dining area, Chen Dequan had thought only someone with a very strong stomach would eat next to a toilet. But seeing the main structure today, it was clearly no ordinary, cramped space.

’Maybe it could work after all.’

"It’s meant for the convenience of both customers and staff. When you and Aunt Liu are working the night session, you can take turns resting in there if it’s not busy."

Chen Yuan offered Chen Dequan a cigarette.

"Hehe, you’re a real one, Boss."

Chen Dequan was learning how to suck up.

After finishing the cigarette, Chen Dequan left on his tricycle. Chen Yuan clapped his hands to get the attention of all the anglers around the pond and shouted,

"Everyone! Based on the survey feedback, I’ve selected a few of the most popular types of bait. Starting today, we’re officially putting them out for trial. If the feedback is good, Chen Yuan Fishing Ground will continue to provide bait from now on."

As soon as he finished speaking, applause broke out around the pond.

"Boss Chen’s service is really second to none. He not only provides rods but bait too."

"And the bait is all chosen based on fellow anglers’ suggestions, not that random, low-quality junk that the fish won’t even bite."

If it were any other fishing ground where the owner offered bait, the anglers might not dare to use it. Who knew if the owner had tampered with it so the fish wouldn’t bite?

But Boss Chen was different. He was honest and very generous and would never stoop to such petty tricks. Besides, the bait was chosen by the anglers themselves, so they could tell if it was legitimate at a glance.

"Feel free to try it out and give me your feedback. If you don’t think it’s effective, we’ll just switch to something else."

Chen Yuan said with a laugh.

The anglers came over one by one to pick out their bait, took a mixing basin, and returned to their spots. Soon, everyone had gotten some and eagerly switched to the new bait to try it out.

Chen Yuan hadn’t bought a large quantity. He wanted to see how the trial went first. If the feedback was good, he’d buy more. In any case, Wang Tao could deliver anytime, so restocking wasn’t a concern.

Because of the construction on the small hill, the vending machine and sun umbrellas had been moved to the corner by the road. Chen Yuan had no choice but to bring a small stool and sit there.

’After today’s bookings, I should have about 80,000 yuan saved up. I can go talk to Uncle Bin about taking over the Old Pond.’

Chen Yuan was in high spirits.

’While I’m at it, I can also talk to Uncle Bin about aquaculture. If it’s done right, it could help the villagers increase their income.’

’Also, after I take over the Old Pond and open it, I’ll definitely need to hire more people. This would be a favor to Uncle Bin, help me build a good track record in the village, and win more support from the villagers.’

’It would also increase the villagers’ goodwill toward my family. Look at Chen Dequan and his wife now—not only are they polite, but they’ve also learned how to flatter me. If they could, they’d probably build a shrine to me.’

’But I need to come up with a proper plan for the aquaculture project. I can’t just go in with nothing but talk.’

Chen Yuan muttered to himself, then decided to go back and get his laptop to work on it properly.

In the middle of it all, he kept an eye on the time and released the Fish King. Then he went back to typing away on his computer, even thinking about the plan while eating lunch.

When the afternoon session change came and he had collected the booking fees, Chen Yuan finally closed his laptop with satisfaction. Braving the blazing sun, he hopped on his tricycle and headed straight for the village committee office.

He followed the familiar path to Chen Wenbin’s office.