r18novel Chapter 31 Hairless Fish
Chapter 31 Hairless Fish
Sitting in the car, you can see the four large characters "Happy Abode" on the giant rock as you approach. Two large trucks are parked in front of the pond, covered with blue tarpaulins. You can tell at a glance that they contain cycads and Buddha's hand citrons. The midday sun is still incredibly hot. Although it's early autumn, it's not much different from summer, except for a slight chill in the morning.
Zhang Niu got out of the car and walked towards his father. A crowd had already gathered in the front yard. "King Kong" lay obediently at the door, watching everyone in front of him, dutifully performing its duty of guarding the house.
Near the fruit trees, some of the people who had come with the truck started eyeing the small turtles by the pond. Perhaps it was just for fun! Besides, there were eighteen small turtles there. Every single person who tried to catch them was scared away by "King Kong." The truck driver was smart enough not to go to the pond again, while "King Kong" lay back down in front of the gate, continuing to watch the restless creature. The other people who had come with the truck were amazed; a wild boar actually protected its own property.
Old Zhang, who had been dealing with the deliveryman, could finally breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Zhang Niu return. He was truly struggling to keep up with the man's incessant questioning; it was as if he were a primary school student asking a teacher a question.
Boss Wang said to Zhang Niu beside him, "Come on, I'll take you to meet my friend so you can get to know each other. We're both in the contract business anyway, so we can help each other out if needed."
"Thank you. Zhang Niu has quite a few questions about the contracted land. He'll need to ask around and discuss it with someone."
They led Zhang Niu to the people watching the baby turtles by the pond.
"Weijian, what are you looking at? I've brought my friend who has contracted this land over. You two should get to know each other." He called out to his friend.
The middle-aged man who had been squatting by the pool stood up, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his clean-shaven nose. One couldn't help but wonder if it was the CEO himself who had come.
"Hello. My name is Weijian. I have contracted land on another hill. I came here today and thought I'd take a look at your place. I found your location to be quite good. I feel like you could easily set up a resort here next year." He launched into a long speech.
"You're the second person I've said that. Someone else said the location was good last time. But I think we should probably skip opening a resort! I prefer some peace and quiet," Zhang Niu replied.
"I never expected you to be this kind of person. You're quite interesting. But the animals you keep are quite intelligent, especially your big wild boar." He pointed to the dog at the door.
Zhang Niu was a little embarrassed. "Everyone says that. I feel I'm pretty sensible and obedient. Otherwise, who would dare to keep one at home? Wild boars are known for their bad tempers." Zhang Niu looked around the front yard and didn't see any wild boar piglets. He guessed the mother boar had taken them out to find food. He couldn't even imagine what kind of expressions they would have if a few more wild boar pups and wolf cubs came out.
"Your father brought me in when I got out of the car. I was quite startled by the wild boar. I almost ran back to the car." After stopping and looking around, Wei Jian said, "Your place is near the mountain, and there are wild boars guarding it. I think this place is very safe. Animals don't dare to come near the mountain. I'm even a little envious."
Today, a large truck arrived, perfect for loading cycads and Buddha's hand citrons, and it was covered with tarpaulins. Since the journey from Lingnan to here is quite long, some precautions have been taken along the road. Tarpaulins are one of them.
The cycads on the truck are only about 40 or 50 centimeters tall. The stems aren't very big either, spreading out in an umbrella shape. The barbs are strip-like and hard, somewhat like the saw blades we use at home.
Wei Jian brought quite a few movers with him this time, which really made Zhang Niu happy.
After a flurry of activity, the cycad and Buddha's hand citron were all placed in the open space in front of the courtyard. It was midday. Wei Jian arranged for the driver to take everyone back first.
At noon, Zhang Niu caught a large white duck in the duck shed and also caught a bighead carp in the space pool. He made fish head soup for lunch. It wouldn't be right not to treat them to a meal since they helped him transport goods and move things. Although there weren't many dishes, they still filled two large plates.
There happened to be some liquor that Boss Wang had given him in the trunk of his car. The village chief and the others hadn't gone back either. They all ended up sitting at the table. Even Zhang Niu, who wasn't much of a drinker, poured himself a small glass. They say you can build relationships over drinks, and it's true.
The village chief and his companions are all drinking heroes. Despite their age, they can easily down a pound of liquor. My father is the same. Wei Jian, with his glasses, looks refined, but he's actually the best drinker there. Even if Boss Wang and the others joined forces, they wouldn't be a match for him.
Watching Zhang Niu keep looking, I glanced at his stomach. Why wasn't it getting bigger?
As everyone was drinking, when Boss Wang mentioned that the duck sold for 120 yuan here, everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected the duck in front of them to be so expensive. Wei Jian, sitting next to him, immediately asked Boss Wang, "You didn't buy your 'divine duck' here recently, did you?"
Zhang Niu cursed inwardly, thinking, "Even if Boss Wang is drinking, he shouldn't have said this out loud. Looks like I'm in for trouble." And his words soon came true.
Slightly tipsy, Mr. Wang said, "Yes, I also have to thank Brother Zhang. Without him, my business wouldn't be so booming."
The village chief also learned that Zhang Niu's ducks could sell for 120 yuan each. He was thinking about going back and talking to the village committee to see if the village could also learn to raise ducks.
Wei Jian's gaze shifted to Zhang Niu. No wonder he'd seen so many ducks being raised by the pond earlier. He'd thought it was just a small-scale operation, but it turned out the famous "Fairy Duck" of the city was being raised here. Wei Jian knew quite a bit about the Fairy Duck. It was a must-have for high society. He'd heard that even high-ranking officials who had tasted it praised it highly.
The booming business attracted a large number of copycats, but none of them could shake the position of the "Fairy Duck." However, it did cause the price of live ducks to rise significantly, making duck farmers quite wealthy this year.
Wei Jian seemed to have grasped the market trend. He felt that if he learned something from this experience, he could sell his livestock more easily back home. He was just a little hesitant, though, about whether he could actually learn anything.
After finishing his glass of baijiu, Zhang Niu served himself a bowl of fish head soup, which tasted even better than the big head he'd gotten from Shengming last time. The village chief, who loved fish, picked up a piece and noticed that this time the fish had fewer small bones. "Even though big fish have fewer bones, there are still a few," he wondered. "It's impossible to eat several pieces and not encounter a single bone, right?" he thought, asking if everyone else felt the same way. They hadn't noticed at first, but after tasting a few pieces, it was indeed as the village chief had said—only large bones remained, the small bones were gone.
Zhang Niu tried it himself. He couldn't find any small bones. He then realized that the space could actually make the small bones in the fish meat disappear. This effect seemed quite effective. People who eat fish are afraid of many small bones, especially small crucian carp. Large crucian carp are the same; the tail area is full of small bones. Unless you're someone who's particularly skilled at eating fish, you really wouldn't dare try it.
The astute owner, Mr. Wang, seemed to have spotted another path to wealth; the large, boneless fish would surely be a bestseller in his restaurant. He'd still have to inquire after the meal. It seems this brother Zhang really is my lucky star.
Second update. Yesterday I took a friend to the train station but couldn't get a ride back. I wrote this at my friend's place but couldn't upload it. I'm uploading it now. I'm really sorry. My new book was featured online yesterday. Thank you all for your support, and I'm shamelessly asking for recommendations and favorites.