I Build a Top-tier Fishing Destination

Chapter 24: Chapter 25: Drooling

Villagers were trickling back home from the hillside fields, and the sight of all the commotion around the fish pond left them stunned. Those words they’d tossed around that morning now sat in their throats like fish bones — impossible to swallow, impossible to spit out.

A lot of them got home, grabbed their tea cups, and either squatted or stood in their doorways watching all the action. Some wandered over to their neighbors’, pointing at the fish pond one moment and glancing toward Liu Fang’s house the next, murmuring who knows what to each other.

Chen Yuan didn’t give the rubberneckers a second thought. He finished setting up the sun umbrella, then hauled the water jugs over from the three-wheeler and brought the thermos along too, before hollering over to the anglers.

”Gentlemen, if you want something to drink, come grab it here. If you want something cold, head to my place. Need anything at all, just come find me directly. If I don’t reply on WeChat, give me a call — I don’t mind being bothered.”

The anglers burst out laughing, joking that they’d harass him at two in the morning.

”Mr. Qin, how’s the fishing going?”

Chen Yuan smiled and walked over to Mr. Qin’s spot.

”Caught a few, they’re in the keep net. See if they’re to your liking.”

Mr. Qin gestured toward the keep net submerged in the water.

Chen Yuan lifted it up and took a look — damn, there were four or five fish in there. From the time they’d exchanged greetings to right now, no more than half an hour had passed, and Mr. Qin had already pulled in that many.

This man was good.

Not the absolute best, maybe, but easily top-tier.

”The grass carp would make great sliced fish — I’ll take two back with me. Tonight we’ll cook one up ourselves, and I’ve got some good liquor waiting.”

Chen Yuan pulled out two grass carp and flashed Mr. Qin a grin.

”Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.”

Mr. Qin’s eyes lit up like headlights, and he licked his lips, nodding enthusiastically.

After a quick goodbye, Chen Yuan grabbed the two grass carp, hopped onto the three-wheeler, twisted the throttle, and zoomed off toward home.

”Mom, how’s it coming along?”

The moment he got back, Chen Yuan clutched the grass carp and scurried eagerly into the kitchen.

”The chicken’s still stewing, everything else is just about ready. I was just waiting on your fish. You’re doing both of them?”

Tang Ying eyed the two grass carp — each one four or five pounds — wondering if that was too much.

”Of course not — we’ll slice one for lunch and save the other for dinner tonight.”

Chen Yuan grabbed a bucket, tossed one of the grass carp in, and was about to fill it with water to keep the fish alive until evening.

”Don’t bother keeping it alive. If we’re eating it tonight, I’ll just fillet both of them now. Why do the same job twice?”

Chen Jun rolled up his sleeves, took the bucket, grabbed a knife, and headed over to the sink.

Around the house, the kitchen was basically Tang Ying’s domain — but whenever it came to fish, shrimp, eels, or loach, Chen Jun always handled them, since Tang Ying couldn’t stand dealing with them.

She wouldn’t even kill a chicken.

”How’s Uncle’s place coming along?”

Chen Yuan popped a slice of sausage into his mouth.

”I didn’t ask, but don’t worry with your aunt there. Your aunt’s cooking puts mine to shame.”

Any woman who grew up in the countryside knew how to throw together a decent meal, but his aunt’s cooking was something else entirely — whenever the village held a banquet, she was always the one they called in to run the kitchen.

”Actually, that’s exactly what I wanted to bring up. Mom, Dad — the fishing pond is only going to get busier from here. The two of you might not be able to keep up in the kitchen on your own. I was thinking of bringing Uncle and Aunt on to help — give them a cut of the profits, or pay them a proper wage. What do you think?”

The idea had been forming in his head for a while now, and he figured he should run it by his parents first and see if they had any objections.

”Fine by me.”

Tang Ying had no objection at all. Chen Jun, who was outside working on the fish, thought it over for a moment before walking back in and speaking up.

”It’s a good idea in principle — but it all depends on whether the fishing pond can hold steady as a business. If things fall through, the whole arrangement gets messy.”

When business was good, everyone made money, no problem. But what if things went south? How would you divide the profits? How would you cover wages?

Pay too little, and you’d be wasting your older brother and sister-in-law’s time. Pay too much, and you’d be digging yourself into a hole.

”Dad, don’t worry about the fishing pond. This is just the beginning — it’s only going to keep growing.”

His dad’s concern was fair, but Chen Yuan’s confidence was just as real. With the system on his side, the world was his oyster.

”If you say so, I’ll have a word with your uncle once things settle down a bit.” Chen Jun agreed.

Truth was, he was very much in favor of it. His older brother had broken his leg on his account, and because of that he couldn’t handle heavy work anymore, which had left the whole family in a tough spot financially.

Chen Jun had carried that guilt for years, always looking for a way to make it up to him. He hadn’t managed to do much over the years, but choosing to stay in the village — that itself was his way of saying something.

If this worked out and gave his brother a steady income right here in the village, that would be the best kind of payback he could offer.

”Alright, I’ll leave that to you, Dad. Mom, get the sliced fish going — I’m heading over to Uncle’s to check in.”

Chen Yuan pulled out his phone and shot a few videos — nothing but mouthwatering food: the stewed chicken bubbling away, the raw fish slices ready and waiting to hit the pot.

He tossed them into the group chat without a second thought, and within moments the anglers were practically drooling at their phones.

”Holy crap, now that’s a spread.”

”A whole pot of braised chicken, poached sliced fish — and what’s that, stir-fried cured pork? And cured spare ribs? Two massive bowls of it.”

”I’m starving just looking at this. My mouth is actually watering.”

”This is the side dishes, right?”

”Must be side dishes for two tables.”

”Even split across two tables it’s insane value — both tables combined come to 500 yuan, but look at those portions. In the city, they’d charge you 888 a table for this, easy. Probably more.”

”Boss Chen is the real deal.”

”Boss Chen, what’s the deal with our lunch boxes? What’s included?”

”Can’t wait for the lunch boxes.”

Chen Yuan saw the anglers’ reactions and broke into a satisfied grin. Chen Jun caught the messages in the group chat too, and his smile was practically stretching around to the back of his neck.

”Lunch boxes coming right up — stay tuned.”

Chen Yuan typed his reply in the group chat, then dashed to the main room to grab a pile of food containers.

”Don’t bother with those — I already took them over.”

Chen Jun called out from across the room.

Chen Yuan put them back and trotted off eagerly toward his uncle’s house.

”Uncle! Aunt!”

He was shouting before he’d even stepped through the door.

”Yuan, almost ready!”

Chen Kingdom’s voice drifted out from the kitchen — he’d obviously seen the group chat messages too. Chen Yuan had added the whole family to the group.

”Wow, looking good.”

Chen Yuan stepped into the kitchen, first fishing out a cigarette and handing it to Chen Kingdom, then casting his eyes over the dishes lined up on the stovetop with a satisfied grin.

That’s just how it worked in the countryside — once a dish was done, you set it on the stove, where the residual heat from the burner kept everything warm so it wouldn’t go cold. Especially in winter, every household did the same thing.

”Once this is done I’ll move on to the vegetable dishes. Everything will be ready well before noon.”

His aunt worked the massive wok with total ease, like she could do it in her sleep.

”You’re a lifesaver, Aunt.”

Chen Yuan grinned, pulled out his phone to shoot another video, and posted it straight to the group chat. The anglers who’d been waiting all this time erupted all over again.

”Oh come ON, is that red-braised pork? My absolute favorite.”

”I’m eyeing that twice-cooked pork with garlic shoots — look at that belly pork, perfect fat-to-lean ratio. You can tell just from the color and glaze it’s going to be incredible.”

”That shredded pork with yellow chives looks amazing too.”

”And there’s chili chicken in the wok — Boss Chen, are you seriously telling me this is all for the lunch boxes and not a full sit-down meal?”

The anglers were starting to second-guess themselves.

They could already count four meat dishes, each one better than the last — and if you threw in all the vegetable dishes sitting in the bowls, it was pushing close to ten dishes total.

They’d figured a lunch box would come with maybe two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, tops. Nobody expected this much food, and the quality was through the roof.

Was all of this really for them?

”Two meat, two veg — pick whatever you like. All-you-can-eat.”

Chen Yuan posted the reply in the group chat, and the anglers absolutely lost it.

”No way — that’s seriously what’s going in the lunch boxes?!”

”Two meat, two veg, mix and match — Boss Chen, all I can say is, you’re an absolute legend.”

”The words ’all-you-can-eat’ alone just earned Boss Chen a five-star review from me.”

”Five stars, no question.”

The whole group chimed in as one, flooding the chat with nothing but praise for Boss Chen’s generosity.

Even the anglers who hadn’t made it out were singing Boss Chen’s praises, and more than a few of the ones who lived nearby were seriously tempted to floor it over there and talk their way into a free lunch.