"Here’s the thing — Yuan just graduated, and the company was going to transfer him up to Capital City. The kid thought it was too far from home, so he quit and came back. Now he wants to lease one of the village ponds and open a fishing spot."
"That’s great news."
The usually stiff Chen Wenbin visibly relaxed at that, reaching for a Hua cigarette from the pack on the desk. "All the young ones in the village keep running off to the city. It’s getting quieter every year. Honestly, nothing would make me happier than seeing young people come back and start something here."
Father and son exchanged a glance and smiled.
This was in the bag.
"The thing is, we only have three ponds in the village, and both the Old Pond and the small pond already have fish stocked in them. The big pond might be tricky to work out." Chen Wenbin’s brow creased slightly.
"The small pond right next to the big one — that’s the one my older brother’s using."
Chen Jun, reading the room perfectly, leaned over and lit Chen Wenbin’s cigarette, then pulled up a chair and sat across from him. Chen Yuan stepped forward and stood behind his father.
"Look at me, how did I forget about that."
Chen Wenbin tapped his forehead. "Given how close you two brothers are, just have a word with Chen Kingdom and it’s sorted. The village committee has no objections."
Chen Jun was about to speak.
But Chen Yuan smoothly stepped forward, picked up the kettle sitting nearby, and refilled Chen Wenbin’s teacup without missing a beat.
"Here’s the thing, Uncle Bin — my uncle’s definitely fine with it. But he mentioned that the pond is village property at the end of the day, and he’s been using it to raise fish for years now. He figures he already owes quite a bit."
"So that’s why we made the trip ourselves. Whatever policies apply, we want to go through the proper channels — we can’t go making trouble for the village committee."
Chen Wenbin’s hand paused mid-reach for his cup, mildly surprised by how naturally Chen Yuan had moved.
Then he turned Chen Yuan’s words over in his mind, and suddenly broke into a smile.
"A college kid through and through. Brother, you’ve raised yourself a fine son."
Chen Jun hadn’t quite figured out why Chen Yuan had said what he said, but hearing Chen Wenbin praise his boy, he couldn’t keep the grin off his face no matter how hard he tried.
"Since you’ve come to the village committee, I’ll back you up all the way. I won’t pry into the fishing spot business — I take it you’re here for the official lease contract."
Chen Wenbin pulled open a drawer and rummaged out a few documents. "That’s easy enough to arrange. But since it’s a contract, all the proper details need to be filled in — the committee has to keep it on file, after all."
Chen Jun sensed there was something more behind those words, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Chen Yuan smiled from the side. "We’ll do it all by the book. Uncle Bin’s supporting my venture, so of course I’ve got to support the committee’s work too."
"You little—"
Chen Wenbin laughed, pointing at Chen Yuan a few times, then picked up his pen to start filling things in — only to set it back down again.
"Yuan, if I remember right, you did an associate’s degree, didn’t you."
Chen Wenbin asked out of nowhere.
Chen Yuan’s eyes shifted slightly, a quiet spark of satisfaction rising in his chest. "That’s right, Uncle Bin."
"The government’s support for associate’s degree graduates starting their own businesses is actually quite generous."
Chen Wenbin slid the documents back into the drawer. "Tell you what — come back to the village committee tomorrow with your ID and diploma, and I’ll get everything sorted for you in one shot."
"Thank you, Uncle Bin."
Chen Yuan casually lit a cigarette. No alcohol on hand, otherwise he definitely would’ve raised a glass.
By the time they stepped out of the village committee office, the sun was nearly gone. The heat had let up at last, and quite a few villagers were out for evening strolls. The father and son made their way home, stopping to exchange greetings with people along the way.
"Yuan, did you really need to bring up your uncle just to get a lease contract?"
Back home, Chen Jun had finally worked out what Chen Yuan had been getting at — the kid had basically handed Chen Wenbin a blank check and told him to fill in whatever number he liked.
His older brother had been using that small pond for years. If the village committee decided to make an issue of it, it could easily run close to ten thousand yuan. Wasn’t that just throwing money away?
"Winning alone isn’t winning. A deal where both sides win — that’s a real win."
Chen Yuan had spent ten years in sales in his previous life. He understood this better than anyone.
"Besides, Uncle Bin came through in a big way. He didn’t just agree to handle the paperwork — he brought up the policy for associate’s degree graduates himself. There’s something in that worth more than we’re losing."
Chen Yuan smiled, genuinely pleased with how things had turned out.
"Fair enough."
Chen Jun nodded in agreement.
He didn’t fully understand the ins and outs of these policies, but he knew there had to be some decent perks involved. With Chen Wenbin willing to help, they certainly weren’t coming out the worse for it.
That thought made him glance over at Chen Yuan.
In his eyes, Chen Yuan had always been just a kid. But the way he’d handled things tonight — he was more worldly than his own father. Maybe graduating from college really did mean growing up.
...
Early the next morning, Chen Jun and his wife loaded up their three-wheeler with the vegetables they’d sorted the night before and headed into town.
Chen Jun had originally planned to go with Chen Yuan to the village committee, but after last night, he’d had a change of heart. His son had grown up.
After breakfast, Chen Yuan gauged the time, tucked two packs of cigarettes into his pocket, grabbed a straw hat and tossed it on his head, then headed straight for the village committee office.
"Morning, Uncle Bin."
Chen Yuan walked in grinning from ear to ear, holding out a Hua cigarette like they were old friends.
"Haven’t had a Hua in ages. Had one yesterday and damn, it hit the spot."
Chen Wenbin didn’t stand on ceremony — he took it and lit up right away, waving for Chen Yuan to sit down.
"These are all I’ve got left — two packs. Take them, Uncle Bin. Next time I head into the city for market day, I’ll bring you a couple of cartons." Chen Yuan pulled out both packs and set them on the desk without hesitation.
"Bribing a village official on committee grounds. You’ve got some nerve, kid."
Chen Wenbin said it with a smile.
"A couple cartons of smokes? That’s barely anything — hardly counts as a bribe. Besides, you’re my uncle. A nephew showing a little respect to his elder with a few packs of cigarettes is nothing. Unless you’d rather I start calling you Secretary."
Chen Yuan flicked the ash off his cigarette and gave a casual shrug.
"You slippery little thing."
Chen Wenbin chuckled and casually slid both packs to his right side. The way things had been said, refusing to take them would’ve been the same as refusing to acknowledge the kid as family.
He opened the drawer and pulled out the contract, handing it to Chen Yuan.
"Look it over. If everything’s good, fill in your details and then settle the lease fee. Your ID and diploma — hand them over so I can make copies."
Chen Yuan passed both documents to Chen Wenbin, then picked up the contract and flipped through it. When he got to the lease term and saw it read ten years, a quiet rush of pleasure hit him.
Village ponds were collectively owned property. By rights, they couldn’t easily be leased out to individuals, and even when they were, three to five years was usually the absolute limit.
The longer the term, the harder it was to predict market conditions.
Uncle Bin had put down ten years with a single stroke of the pen. That was real loyalty.
Then Chen Yuan looked at the lease price, and his jaw nearly dropped.
"Uncle Bin, are you sure this lease price is right?"
Not too expensive — too cheap.
Normally, a one-acre pond ran about six hundred yuan a year. Two acres would be twelve hundred a year, and over ten years that’d be twelve thousand.
But the contract stated the full ten-year lease came to only five thousand yuan.
Dirt cheap didn’t even cover it.
"It’s right. You’re forgetting about this."
Chen Wenbin smiled and held up the diploma in his hand. "Fish farming counts as a physical industry. For the first three years, subsidies can cover up to fifty percent of all operating costs — rent, utilities, sanitation, property management, all of it."
Chen Yuan was genuinely grateful.
Without hesitating for a second, he picked up the pen and filled everything in, then pulled up the account number listed in the contract and transferred the five thousand yuan then and there.
Chen Wenbin finished making the copies and handed the diploma and ID back to Chen Yuan, then sat down, looked over the contract, and brought the official stamp down on it with two solid thumps. He picked up one copy and handed it across.
"One more thing — a fishing venue counts as a commercial operation, so you’ll need a business license. If you trust me to handle it, you can give me a signed authorization and I can get it sorted for you today."
"Uncle Bin, what are you even saying — you’re my uncle. Of course I trust you." Chen Yuan picked up the kettle and poured Chen Wenbin a cup of tea, a genuine gesture of thanks.
Chen Wenbin patted his hand, feigning mild disapproval at the fussing, then pulled out the authorization paperwork and had Chen Yuan fill it in.
"Alright, go on, get out of here. And in the future, drop the song and dance when you’re in front of your Uncle Bin — it’s not necessary." He waved Chen Yuan off after collecting the forms.
"Understood, Uncle Bin. I’ll come by to see you again soon."