Wait, buddy, are your fish made of gold?

That afternoon, just as Chen Lin finished putting away the last of the clutter, two low but powerful engine roars came from the village entrance.

An obsidian-black Mercedes-Benz G500 led a silver Audi RS7 into the quiet Chen Family Village at an unhurried pace.

The two luxury cars, worth nearly four million yuan combined, stood in stark contrast to the humble farmhouses around them. They finally pulled to a precise stop beneath the rather plain wooden sign for the Farmhouse Courtyard.

The car doors opened.

A man of twenty-five or twenty-six stepped out of the Mercedes-Benz, dressed head to toe in Off-White, his eyes carrying a hint of amused scrutiny.

A younger man hopped out of the Audi. His features bore some resemblance to the first man's, but his expression was more brash and restless.

Three stylishly dressed women got out as well. Two immediately linked arms with the brothers, while the third, just as attractive, was clearly one of their girlfriends' friends.

Chen Lin's eyes brightened slightly at the sight.

His very first customers were people who drove luxury cars of this caliber.

A good omen!

He immediately went over to greet them, wearing a warm smile that was neither fawning nor aloof.

"Welcome to the Farmhouse Courtyard! Are you here for a meal or some fishing?"

The man driving the Mercedes-Benz was Tang Xiaolong. He studied Chen Lin with interest, then glanced at the clean but simple courtyard by the entrance before speaking.

"You're the owner? You're so young!"

His younger brother, Tang Xiaohu, had no patience for pleasantries and immediately piped up.

"Bro, why waste time talking? We've been out having fun all morning. I'm starving! Let's order!"

The five of them had just left the Jade Spring Mountain scenic area to the east. They were all fairly well-known members of Yicheng's local rich-kid circle, and their two greatest passions in life were good food and having fun.

For an authentic taste of river fish, they would drive hundreds of kilometers to a city downstream. To sample genuine Yunnan mushrooms, they would hop on a plane straight to Yunnan.

There wasn't a restaurant in Yicheng, big or small, that they hadn't visited.

On their way back to the city, Tang Xiaolong had happened to spot the eye-catching Farmhouse Courtyard billboard beside the road. Its advertising made extravagant claims, and on a whim, he had turned around and driven in.

For true food lovers like them, the setting came second. Flavor was everything.

Chen Lin led the five of them to the newly built solid-wood table in the courtyard and seated them.

"What would you like to eat?"

Tang Xiaolong waved a hand with an air of confidence.

"There are five of us. You decide! We don't need a menu. Just bring out your best specialties!"

Chen Lin nodded, already knowing what to serve.

He turned away and called his second aunt, Liu Shuqin, giving her a few brief instructions.

Before long, Liu Shuqin arrived carrying a basket of vegetables. Seeing the guests, she simply gave them a gentle smile before heading straight into the kitchen to get to work.

While they waited for the food, Tang Xiaolong and Tang Xiaohu grew eager to try their hands at fishing.

"Boss, take us to see the fishing spot."

"Sure thing!"

Chen Lin led the five of them through the house to the fish pond in the backyard.

Brand-new fishing platforms made of treated timber stood neatly around the pond, with several sets of new fishing gear already laid out.

Tang Xiaolong's girlfriend had sharp eyes. She immediately spotted a wooden sign beside the pond and instinctively read it aloud.

"Fishing rates: one hundred yuan per jin?"

She cried out, her voice changing pitch as though she had seen something utterly absurd.

At her words, the others all looked over.

Tang Xiaohu's gaze landed on the wooden sign. Once he read the words, his impatient expression instantly became an incredulous sneer.

People who could afford a G500 and an RS7 certainly weren't short of money, but that didn't mean they were suckers.

At an ordinary stocked fishing pond, even one that charged by weight, twenty yuan per jin was about the upper limit. A hundred yuan per jin was something they had never seen before.

Tang Xiaohu blew up on the spot, pointing right at Chen Lin's nose as he let loose.

"Wait, buddy, are you robbing us? A hundred yuan per jin? Are your fish made of gold or dragon meat?"

The three women also stared at Chen Lin with hostile expressions, their eyes practically spelling out the words "rip-off joint."

Tang Xiaolong didn't lose his temper, but his expression darkened too. He looked up at Chen Lin, his tone taking on a note of scrutiny.

"What kind of fish are you raising here, young man? If you dare charge that much, you'd better have a reason. Yangtze River knife fish? Wild grouper?"

Faced with their questions, Chen Lin remained completely unruffled and answered calmly.

"Crucian carp, common carp, grass carp, bream, and topmouth culter. Just everyday fish."

"That's it?"

Tang Xiaohu was so angry he laughed. He scoffed, his voice rising several notches.

"Unbelievable! I thought you were raising something rare in this pond! For these lousy fish, everyone else charges twenty yuan per jin at most, and you want a hundred? Do you really take us for idiots?"

The corner of Chen Lin's mouth twitched, his eyes showing an utterly unconcerned calm.

"Can anyone else's fish compare to mine?"

Every fish in this pond had been raised on diluted spirit spring water. Never mind their flavor and texture-eating them regularly offered tremendous health benefits.

Honestly, at a hundred yuan per jin, he felt he was selling himself short.

Seeing Chen Lin's almost contemptuous confidence, Tang Xiaolong actually calmed down, his brows drawing together.

He had met plenty of business owners. They were either obsequious or full of bluster, but this was the first time he had met someone like Chen Lin, whose eyes remained calm under questioning, as though to say, "You people don't understand."

"Young man, what exactly is so special about your fish?"

Rather than answer directly, Chen Lin took a different approach.

"How about this? You two can start fishing for fun. Once you've eaten, if you think the fish aren't worth the price, today's meal is on me! You don't have to keep a single fish you catch, either. Just release them back into the pond, and I won't charge you a penny!"

He didn't believe they would be willing to release their catch after tasting fish raised on spirit spring water.

Tang Xiaohu turned to Tang Xiaolong. "Bro, look at him! Now he's playing mind games with us! Fine! Let's see what's so extraordinary about these fish!"

With that, the brothers each chose a set of fishing gear, stepped onto the platforms, and began setting up their rigs and mixing bait.

Just then, the surface at the center of the calm pond suddenly exploded!

Boom!

An enormous dark shape shot out of the water, tracing a breathtaking arc through the air. Its black scales gleamed like metal in the sunlight before it crashed heavily back into the pond!

The surge it threw up slammed against the bank like a landslide crashing into the sea!

"Wow! That's a huge fish!"

"Oh my God! What was that? A submarine?"

The three women screamed at the sudden spectacle, but their faces were filled with amazement and excitement.

Tang Xiaolong and Tang Xiaohu sprang up from their fishing seat boxes in shock. They stared openmouthed at the enormous ripples spreading across the water, nearly dropping their rods into the pond.

How could such a small pond hold something that massive?

And judging by what they had just seen, that fish was bursting with energy. Its sheer brute strength was terrifying!

Tang Xiaohu's heart pounded, and a thought rose unbidden in his mind.

I've got to catch that monster today! Let's make this greedy owner really feel the sting!

The two quickly finished their preparations and began fishing.

Seeing that they were settled, Chen Lin left them alone and returned to the kitchen to help his second aunt.

Just as the brothers made their first casts, before they even had time to light a cigarette-

An indescribable aroma suddenly wafted out of the kitchen!

The fragrance was overwhelmingly potent, almost alive. It instantly cut through the air and invaded everyone's nostrils with an irresistible force!

It wasn't the aroma of ordinary cooking.

It was an utterly pure, soul-stealing savoriness!

Just one whiff sent their mouths watering uncontrollably!

Tang Xiaolong and his four companions froze in unison, as though someone had cast a spell on them.

A second later, all five perked up and instinctively took a deep breath, their faces filled with disbelief.

Tang Xiaohu even forgot the fishing rod in his hands. He sniffed hard, his eyes going round.

"What is that? Holy shit... how can anything smell this good?"