CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32: I’VE RESERVED THIS FISH POND

Silver coins manufactured in the eighth year of the Republic, aren’t those "Yuan Datou"?

Chen Yiyang checked online and found that a "Yuan Datou" from the eighth year of the Republic was valued at about two thousand on the market.

This price is quite good. A jar full of "Yuan Datou" must have at least a hundred coins.

Thinking of this, Chen Yiyang took out his phone and called Zhou Jianjun.

"Mr. Chen." Zhou Jianjun’s enthusiastic voice came over the phone.

Every time Chen Yiyang contacted him, it was for an easy and profitable job, which made it hard for him not to be enthusiastic toward Chen Yiyang.

"Still up this late?"

"Just finished a delivery, just got home."

"I need you to do something for me tomorrow," Chen Yiyang said to Zhou Jianjun. "A friend recommended a fishing pond to me. Could you go and check the cost for reserving the pond tomorrow morning?"

"Sure." Zhou Jianjun readily agreed.

The next morning.

Chen Yiyang knocked on Xu Qing’s door.

Xu Qing, who hadn’t been awake for long, answered the door with messy hair and a one-piece pajama set.

"Did you stay up late last night?" Chen Yiyang asked curiously.

"Yeah. I have to go to work at the pet store later," Xu Qing said, walking ahead in her slippers.

Chen Yiyang glanced around the room.

The room was very clean, with two cats lounging in a corner, watching Chen Yiyang and meowing a few times.

"Didn’t you only have one cat before?"

"The other one belongs to my roommate. She’s still sleeping," Xu Qing explained to Chen Yiyang. "We have a three-bedroom apartment that we three girls rent together."

Because it was a shared apartment, Chen Yiyang didn’t linger in the living room, as he didn’t want to accidentally run into another roommate who might come out of the bedroom unkempt.

So Chen Yiyang followed Xu Qing into the bedroom.

The bedroom wasn’t large; a bed and a computer desk took up almost all the space.

Hans lay in the gap between the bed and the cabinet.

"Those two cats love to bully him, so I keep him in my bedroom. I take him for a walk whenever I have time after work," Xu Qing explained.

Seeing Chen Yiyang, Hans excitedly ran to his side and wagged his tail, much more enthusiastic than last time.

"Oh buddy, have you realized how nice I am after being bullied by cats?" Chen Yiyang petted Hans’s head.

"Ah, I still feel so tired; no matter how much I sleep, I can’t wake up," Xu Qing said, shaking her head as she sat on the bed.

"I’ve been learning massage recently. Want me to give you a massage to wake you up for sure?"

"Eh, I don’t believe you," Xu Qing immediately saw through Chen Yiyang’s intention.

But after thinking it over, she said to Chen Yiyang, "Just rub my shoulders. I’m sitting in front of the computer all day at work, my shoulders feel like they’re not even mine anymore. Feels like zombie meat when I squeeze them."

Shoulder massage works too.

Chen Yiyang sat behind Xu Qing and reached out to press on her shoulders.

"Ah, ah!" Xu Qing cried out.

"Did I hurt you?"

"It’s fine, keep going. I want it a bit painful like this."

"Do you want me to introduce you to a masseuse? She’s a girl too and quite good," Chen Yiyang said while massaging Xu Qing.

"Don’t recommend anything that costs money to me," Xu Qing promptly refused.

"Alright, then I’ll learn the skills from her and massage you next time."

Chen Yiyang massaged Xu Qing’s shoulders for seven or eight minutes, and his thumbs were starting to feel sore.

Then he followed her arms down with his hands.

Finally, he embraced Xu Qing in his arms.

"I haven’t showered yet, I must smell," Xu Qing said while scrolling on her phone.

"I like this smell,"

"Pervert."

"Mhm."

Chen Yiyang’s actions became bolder, and he finally pressed Xu Qing onto the bed and kissed her.

Everywhere he touched was so soft and smooth.

At this moment, even Hans was lying under the bed, pretending to be dead, tail between his legs.

There was a knock on Xu Qing’s bedroom door.

"Qingqing, do you have anything to eat? I’m starving,"

Xu Qing took the opportunity to push Chen Yiyang away, and he could only helplessly roll over and lie on the bed.

"Go back to your room, I’ll make you an egg pancake in a bit," Xu Qing said as she opened the bedroom door and leaned against the doorframe talking to her roommate.

"Love you the most, a smooch for you," Xu Qing’s roommate said, grabbing Xu Qing’s cheeks for a kiss, then happily went back to her room.

"Continue?" Chen Yiyang looked at Xu Qing with anticipation.

"Another one’s going to wake up soon, let’s save it for next time,"

"Okay then." Chen Yiyang could only attach the leash to Hans’s collar and bid farewell to Xu Qing.

Originally, Chen Yiyang wanted to exchange oral bacteria, but Xu Qing insisted on not doing it without brushing her teeth, so he had to let it go.

He put Hans into his car and drove back to the rental apartment.

Zhou Jianjun called.

"Mr. Chen, I asked about the fish pond. It’s privately owned. You just pay twenty bucks for fishing, and you can fish all day."

"How much to rent the pond for a day?" Chen Yiyang inquired.

"They’re not renting it. If you want to rent, you’ll have to rent the entire pond and clear it. They’ll provide a water pump, but the cost could be several thousand."

"Alright, got it." Chen Yiyang sat down to think for a while.

Since the pond is private, digging through it directly would definitely be stopped.

Even if no one stopped him, theoretically, what he digs up wouldn’t belong to Chen Yiyang.

So, he needed to come up with a perfect excuse to rent the entire pond legitimately, and then dig up the stuff from the bottom after clearing it.

Thinking of this, Chen Yiyang called Sun Xingguo to ask where he was, then drove over.

"Haven’t seen you for days, now a manager?" Chen Yiyang was surprised to see Sun Xingguo.

It had only been a few days, yet Sun Xingguo had shed his previous slump, looking refined and dressed in a suit, standing straight in front of a hot pot restaurant.

"Thanks to the friend you introduced me to last time, Mr. Chen," Sun Xingguo gratefully shook Chen Yiyang’s hand.

"That day when you asked me to watch a movie, it was probably so I’d accompany that friend of yours, right? We hit it off well, and she thought I was talented and recommended me for the manager position at this hot pot place."

"Nothing else happened?" Chen Yiyang asked.

"What else?" Sun Xingguo looked puzzled.

Hmm.

Chen Yiyang thought, wasn’t there supposed to be a lonely rich lady involved? Didn’t she fancy Sun Xingguo?

If she didn’t, why set him up with such a great job?

Initially, Chen Yiyang sought out Sun Xingguo to help dig up the fish pond together.

But seeing that Sun Xingguo was temporarily on the right track, he didn’t mention it.

He then turned to find Chang Yuning.

"Is that your boyfriend?"

Still wearing yoga pants, Chang Yuning was chatting with a colleague outside the private gym club.

Chen Yiyang waited in his car nearby.

"No, we’re just friends." Chang Yuning replied politely and hopped into Chen Yiyang’s car.

"What’s up today?" Chang Yuning pulled out a makeup mirror to check her makeup after getting in the car.

"Taking you fishing, wanna go?" Chen Yiyang started the car.

"It’s after four in the afternoon, you’re taking me fishing? You’re not planning to find a deserted place to bury me, are you!"

"Not using you for free, you can count the three thousand you owe me as payment this month."

"Suddenly so generous, aren’t you trying to woo me." Chang Yuning put away her makeup mirror, leaned her face close to Chen Yiyang’s, their eyes met.

For a moment, Chen Yiyang noticed that her eyes seemed watery, like a spring pool.

"I have a special mandate." Chen Yiyang coughed lightly.

"Let’s clear the conditions first. Wearing a maid outfit is fine, but nothing else." Seeing that Chen Yiyang had no intention of wooing her, Chang Yuning withdrew immediately.

"You’ve got quite the experience, huh?" Chen Yiyang teased her, earning a sharp pinch on his thigh from Chang Yuning.

Chen Yiyang continued, "You need to help me act a scene, I’ll send you the rough lines and plot in a bit."

Chen Yiyang drove Chang Yuning straight to Shuihe Village.

By the time they arrived, it was nearly five o’clock.

"Brother, it’s a bit cold, lend me your jacket." After getting out, they felt the chill, so Chang Yuning grabbed Chen Yiyang’s sleeve.

"Sure, sure, perform well later." Chen Yiyang handed his coat to Chang Yuning.

Chang Yuning was wearing yoga pants on her bottom half with a tank top under a cropped jacket on top.

She took Chen Yiyang’s coat and tied it around her waist.

Guess she only worries about her tummy not being cold.

"Mr. Chen." Zhou Jianjun approached, handing fishing gear to Chen Yiyang. "I bought these in a nearby town, quality is average."

"No problem, I don’t know much about fishing anyway."

After taking the fishing gear, Chen Yiyang went straight to the pond owner.

"Twenty per person." The pond owner, a man in his fifties or sixties, glanced at Chen Yiyang’s group of three and added, "Fishing or not, as long as you’re by the pond, you pay."

Chen Yiyang decisively paid, then found a spot and set up a stool, prepared some bait, and started fishing.

Beside him were a few other anglers, who seemed to have been fishing for half the day already.

Seeing Chen Yiyang arrive, one angler approached him quietly, "Brother, if you just paid, ask if you can get a refund."

"What’s up?" Chen Yiyang looked at the angler.

"This pond’s a scam," the man said. "I’ve been fishing here all day and it’s all tiny fish as big as your palm.

The pond owner claimed there were thousands of fish, but all we’ve caught are little fingerlings, hardly any big ones. Totally cheated this time."

"Why aren’t you leaving then?" Chen Yiyang asked, puzzled.

"The closest fishing spot is hours away from here, too lazy to move.

We paid already; even if he’s a scammer, he ought to put some big fish for show, just in case we reel in one."