Chapter 176 - 177: The Idea of Raising Pheasants

Chapter 176: Chapter 177: The Idea of Raising Pheasants

The money for Jianshan Villa was secured, so there was no need to worry about that anymore. The problem, however, was that he still hadn’t figured out how to fund the road construction.

And that was a huge problem!

All this running around had been for the road construction funds. And now, at the end of it all, that money was still nowhere in sight.

After dinner, Li Yang received a call from Zhao Xuechu.

"Your fish delivery certainly helped ease the pressure over here, and they taste great, too. But could I make one more request? We need some wild game."

Li Yang jumped. "Are you kidding me? What do you mean, ’get you some wild game’? Do you have any idea how illegal that is?"

"I know!" Zhao Xuechu said, sounding a little embarrassed. "But do you have access to any? You could buy it from local sources."

Li Yang shook his head. "Where would I even get it for you? I can’t!"

’If you were just talking about catching a few snakes, that would be no problem.’

’But pheasants... you’d surely need a large quantity. Even if I could catch one or two, that would hardly be enough, right?’

’So it’s better to just refuse from the get-go.’

"Then you could raise them!" Zhao Xuechu said, revealing her true motive. "I know very few people can successfully raise pheasants. If you were to build a pheasant farm, with your skills, you’d definitely make a name for yourself. It would be another business constantly making you money. Wouldn’t that be great?"

Li Yang chuckled. "Easy for you to say. I don’t know how to raise pheasants. Besides, where would I even find the chicks?"

"I’ve got that covered!" It seemed Zhao Xuechu had come prepared. "If you don’t know how, I can introduce you to an expert. If you can’t find chicks, I can source them for you."

Only then did Li Yang understand. ’She’s already got it all figured out for me.’

"President Zhao, is this really necessary?" Li Yang asked.

"You don’t understand. People are tired of eating regular chicken, fish, and pork; they all want a change of pace. You’re right, we can’t sell wild fowl, but farmed ones are perfectly legal. Why don’t you give it a try? Knowing how fast you can raise things, I think you could make a fortune. A single pheasant can sell for several hundred yuan."

Li Yang was obsessed with money; right now, nothing interested him more.

Her words immediately piqued his interest. "Are you serious?"

"Would I lie to you?" Zhao Xuechu replied. "So, how about it? Want to give it a try?"

"Uh, let me think about it..." After hanging up, Li Yang mulled over the idea.

’Come to think of it, this really could be a long-term moneymaker.’

’Alright, let’s do this.’

Having made up his mind, Li Yang immediately called Zhang Rong. "Aunt Rong, do you have any friends who know how to raise pheasants?"

"What do you take me for, a psychic?" Zhang Rong was so exasperated she nearly fainted. "You really do ask me about everything, don’t you? How would I know all that!"

Li Yang let out a sly chuckle. "Well, I don’t know many people who are as good to me as you are, Aunt Rong. You’d agree, right?"

The flattery worked wonders. Zhang Rong, clearly pleased, thought for a moment before saying, "Well... how about this. Come over tomorrow. I can introduce you to a friend, and you can see if she’s able to help you."

"No need to wait for tomorrow, I’ll head over right now," Li Yang said, his eyes lighting up the moment he heard there was a promising lead.

"Don’t you dare!" Zhang Rong knew exactly what was on his mind and immediately shut him down. "Go to bed. Don’t come over. And even if you do, don’t come looking for me. I won’t have anything to do with you."

Caught in the act, Li Yang gave a hollow laugh. "Aunt Rong, I just missed you is all..."

Zhang Rong was completely exasperated. She scoffed, "You little rascal, always spouting nonsense at me. I’m going to bed."

With that, she hung up with a sharp CLICK.

Li Yang was a little disappointed. ’Aunt Rong, how could you be so cruel to me?’

Early the next morning, Li Yang drove over to see Aunt Rong.

When he arrived at the villa, Su Yunmeng had already left for work, leaving Aunt Rong home alone.

"Aunt Rong..." Li Yang stepped forward to greet her, then asked conspiratorially, "Sister Su isn’t home? Well then, that’s perfect..."

"Perfect for what!" Aunt Rong grumbled, setting a plate of fruit in front of him. "Sit down. Or did you forget you wanted to know how to raise pheasants?"

Li Yang gave another hollow laugh. "I do, I do! Of course I want to know."

"Then behave yourself," Aunt Rong said, rolling her eyes at him.

Li Yang obediently sat down.

"Very few people raise pheasants," Aunt Rong began. "As far as I know, no one in Ruizhou farms them. They’re difficult to raise, and the initial investment isn’t small, either. You need to be sure about this."

"It’s fine!" Li Yang said with a smile. "I’m aware of the risks."

"Here." Aunt Rong took out a business card and placed it on the table. "This is a college classmate of mine. She’s a university lecturer specializing in animal husbandry. When it comes to raising pheasants, she’s the best there is. The only catch is, you have to get her to help you."

"What do you mean?" Li Yang asked in surprise as he picked up the business card and glanced at it.

"Because she doesn’t particularly like men!" Aunt Rong said with a giggle. "If you go asking her for help, I wouldn’t be surprised if she just slapped you across the face."

"No way. How can she be a teacher, then?" Li Yang shook his head.

"That’s different. Teaching is her job, her duty. But you approaching her for help is a personal matter. It’s not the same thing at all," Aunt Rong said with a sly grin.