"I actually ran into Aunt Liu this morning. She wouldn’t stop asking questions."
Chen Yuan had experienced Liu Fang’s motor mouth before. It was truly something else.
"See? I told you it was her."
Tang Ying slapped Chen Jun’s arm, wearing an I-told-you-so expression. Having found her target, she was about to march over and give Liu Fang a piece of her mind.
"Mom, there’s no need to get angry. They can say whatever they want. We just need to live our own lives well. Don’t work yourself up over it."
Chen Yuan gently held Tang Ying back and started massaging her shoulders.
"But I am angry."
Tang Ying fumed, "I can ignore them for saying it was stupid of you to open a fishing ground. I can even tolerate the rumors that you got in trouble in the city and couldn’t make it there. But now they’re telling people in the village to be wary of us trying to find you a wife! They’re looking at us like we’re thieves!"
Chen Yuan was speechless.
’Is the director of the rumor mill really that vicious?’
"Oh, Mother. Look at me—dashing and debonair, handsome and suave, talented and brilliant, with looks that rival Pan An. They call me the number one handsome man in Yu City. Are you really worried I won’t be able to find a wife?"
Chen Yuan tilted his head and flipped his hair.
Tang Ying burst out laughing.
"What kind of nonsense is that? What have you been learning all day?" Chen Jun shot him a sidelong glance. If Chen Yuan were still a child, he would have definitely gotten a slap on the back of the head.
"My son *is* handsome. What’s wrong with that?"
Tang Ying staunchly defended Chen Yuan on this matter.
Chen Jun was left with no retort and had to change the subject. "We don’t know much about the fishing ground, so just tell us if you need any help. You better do a good job for me. Even if you don’t make a fortune, you have to make us proud."
In truth, he had expected this situation. From the moment Chen Yuan came back and said he wanted to open a fishing ground, Chen Jun had anticipated there would be village gossip.
He had thought it would just be talk about Chen Yuan being incompetent and slinking back to the village, but he never imagined they would stoop to making up rumors and even treating his family like thieves, afraid they would show up to propose a marriage.
It was impossible not to feel a little choked up with resentment.
Chen Yuan smiled and nodded, not really caring about the rumors. Actions speak louder than words. Once the fishing ground was successful, all the rumors would fall apart.
All the gossip would turn into compliments.
After dinner, his uncle came to visit. He had obviously heard the village gossip as well and came to see how they were doing, asking a few questions about the fishing ground.
Chen Yuan had already taken out his phone to see if he had any customers.
His WeChat Moments had a lot of comments. Some called him Boss Chen, others asked why he had decided to return to the village to open a fishing ground, but not a single person asked about the fishing ground itself.
The group chats were even livelier.
Especially his university WeChat group.
"Whoa, Boss Chen, impressive! The rest of us were unemployed after graduation, but Boss Chen became a boss right after graduation."
"My man, Brother Chen!"
"Please carry me, Boss! I can even warm your bed."
"Get lost, you oaf. Stop being disgusting. Boss Chen wants a sweet girl to warm his bed. I can fly abroad overnight and definitely won’t disappoint Boss Chen when I return."
It was all teasing, with the occasional passive-aggressive remark.
These days, what capable young person would ever go back to the countryside?
Someone even tagged Chen Yuan directly.
"Chen Yuan, didn’t your internship lead to a full-time offer? That was a big company with a promising future. Why would you go back to the village to open a fishing ground?"
"Don’t be reckless. It wasn’t easy for your family to put you through school. Don’t let down your parents’ expectations."
It seemed like a concerned inquiry, but it was really a lecture delivered with a condescending attitude. A quick look revealed it was Li Chen, who always treated the class president position like he was a government official. Chen Yuan just laughed it off.
He exited the group chat and saw a notification in his contacts. He opened it to find five friend requests, which he happily accepted.
"Hello, Pond Owner. How’s the fishing there? Are there any bait restrictions?"
"Pond Owner, do you really have a Fish King there?"
"What kind of fish is the Fish King?"
"Is it really over 100 pounds?"
These were the real anglers. All their questions were about fishing, and almost all of them were after the Fish King. The system’s gimmick was clearly working.
Chen Yuan didn’t even know what kind of fish the Fish King was; he had never seen it.
He asked the system and learned that it was a black carp, and that it was already in the pond.
Chen Yuan was secretly delighted.
’A black carp! That’s great!’
Although black carp weren’t very popular on the market, they were incredibly strong and a real thrill to catch. Many anglers loved fishing for Daqing.
Some anglers would even camp out for days and nights if they found a Daqing in a natural reservoir.
"Pond Owner, are you pulling my leg?"
Chen Yuan replied to each of them. He had expected the anglers to be thrilled to hear it was a Daqing, but their reactions left him dumbfounded.
’What’s going on?’
After asking a few more questions, he learned that in all of Chong City, no fishing ground had a hundred-pound Daqing. Even the ponds specializing in giant catches topped out at fifty-plus pounds, let alone a mixed-stock pond of only a third of an acre.
Chen Yuan was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
’This damn system is awesome!’
The existence of the Fish King gave Chen Yuan Fishing Ground a league-of-its-own advantage. Once the news was confirmed and spread among the angler community, the place would be absolutely packed.
And there was still the reward for the one-thousand-fold return.
He got excited just thinking about it.
But no matter how he explained it, the anglers just wouldn’t believe him. It was incredibly frustrating, like having a pile of silver right in front of him that he couldn’t grab.
"Damn system, where are the high-quality customers you were supposed to find for me?"
Chen Yuan was confident he could make a big splash with the fishing ground, but it was hard to even get the fuse lit. The anglers simply didn’t believe a hundred-pound Fish King existed. Was he supposed to jump into the pond and catch it himself?
RING RING RING.
Just as Chen Yuan was feeling dejected, his phone rang. The caller ID showed the contact name "Spews-Shit."
Seeing this name, Chen Yuan’s face instantly broke into a wide smile. He stepped aside and answered the call.
"Wronged Soul~"
A cheerful shout came from the other end the moment the call connected.
"Fullmouth Spews-Shit."
Chen Yuan shot back without hesitation.
"Wronged Soul" was his nickname. He’d never imagined his good friend would twist his given name, Yuan, into a pun like that.
It would be rude not to return the favor.
So his good friend, Qin Fen, was dubbed "Fullmouth Spews-Shit." "Fullmouth" was the surname and "Spews-Shit" was the given name. Every day he went around "spewing shit" without even using his proper surname.
"I’m telling you, Wronged Soul, why’d you go back to the village to set up a fishing ground? Did you really get wronged during your internship?" Qin Fen asked over the phone.
"Screw you."
Chen Yuan briefly explained the situation.
The two friends bantered for a bit before Qin Fen suddenly asked seriously, "Wronged Soul, give it to me straight. Does your fishing ground really have a hundred-pound Fish King?"
"It does."
"You swear?"
"I wouldn’t even lie to my own son."
"Then wait for your dad. I’m coming tomorrow."
Chen Yuan was a bit dumbfounded after hanging up. He had never seen Qin Fen show any interest in fishing during their university years. Had he changed so much in the last six months?
’Don’t tell me he’s the high-quality customer the system found.’
"Mom, Dad, someone’s coming to the fishing ground tomorrow."
Chen Yuan told his parents the news.
"You have a customer so soon?"
Tang Ying was a little surprised, and Chen Jun looked curious as well.
"Not exactly a customer. He’s a university classmate of mine. He heard I opened a fishing ground and wants to come check it out."
Hearing this, Tang Ying and Chen Jun both just said, "Oh." Their excitement immediately faded. They had thought he had real business, but it was just an acquaintance.
When you start a business, friends and family always come to show support. You can’t really count them as customers.
"Still, it’s a good thing someone’s coming."
Chen Jun said, as if to console himself, then picked up his stool and went inside. "Your mom and I will come back early tomorrow. Since your classmate is coming to show support, you need to be a good host."
Chen Yuan smiled and nodded without saying much more.
He had faith in the fishing ground and faith in the system. He believed that soon, his parents would witness the thrilling sight of a packed fishing ground.