"Chen kid, are you alright? Did that scare you?"
"Everyone, be more alert from now on. If anyone comes causing trouble, come straight to me. Chen Yang is one of our village people. If he's bullied in the village, we'll lose all face."
Shen Fuguo carefully examined Chen Yang, confirming he was unharmed before breathing a sigh of relief. He had been worried sick when he heard people were causing trouble at Chen Yang's house.
"Thank you, Old Branch Secretary, thank you, fellow villagers."
"I, Chen Yang, sincerely thank you all!"
Chen Yang looked at the Old Branch Secretary and the villagers who had crowded his yard, his heart filled with immense gratitude. Although he had helped the villagers earn money, he had earned even more through them. When he was in trouble, both the Old Branch Secretary and the villagers had rushed to his aid immediately. He truly appreciated this bond.
"No need for thanks. If it weren't for you, Chen Yang, helping us sell fish and make money, my family wouldn't have had enough to eat this year. Now we can even afford meat."
"We aren't ungrateful people. We remember all the kindness you've shown us."
"From now on, if anyone dares to bully you, we'll be the first to stand up!"
"That's right! We won't stand for it. Anyone who dares to touch Chen Yang, I'll beat him up!"
Shen Laifu was very emotional. He had been the first to grab a hoe and rush to Chen Yang's house. When he shouted, all the villagers of Shenjiaba followed suit. Shang Dabiao, who had almost reached the edge of the village, heard this thunderous roar and thought Chen Yang had changed his mind and was going to fight him. He was so scared he fell face-first, smashing his teeth on the ground and filling his mouth with mud. He even lost two front teeth. Crucially, he didn't dare to stop, scrambling and crawling away from the village. Next time, he'd rather die than come back to Shenjiaba Village. From now on, if he saw Chen Yang, he'd just go around him!
After a round of thanks, Chen Yang finally saw the villagers off. At that moment, he felt a warmth in his heart; true friendship shines in times of trouble. At this moment, he felt that helping to save the grain and leading everyone to catch fish to make money was all worth it. They were all simple and grateful villagers!
"Chen Yang, are you alright?"
"Daddy, nobody is allowed to hit my daddy!"
Just then, Shen Xue arrived, breathless. She had been frantic when she heard someone was causing trouble. If anything happened to Chen Yang, how could she live? Although the little child didn't understand what was happening, in her small world, Daddy and Mommy were the best people to her. She had to protect Daddy!
"I'm fine, I'm fine!"
Seeing Chen Yang, and the knocked-down fence, Shen Xue couldn't hold back anymore. She rushed into Chen Yang's arms. She had been terrified just moments ago!
"Wuwuwu~"
"How could they be so unreasonable? Are you hurt anywhere? Let's go settle the score. We'll call my dad and second uncle. We have men in our family too, I..."
Shen Xue held Chen Yang tightly. She had been truly afraid that something might happen to him. He was just an educated youth, he had barely worked the land a few times. If he really got into a confrontation, he would surely be at a disadvantage. She was terrified of Chen Yang getting hurt.
"Alright, alright, I'm fine."
"That kid is much worse off than me. The Old Branch Secretary gave him a good scolding."
Chen Yang looked at the woman clinging to him, his heart filled with tenderness. She must have been terrified when she heard the news.
"Daddy, Yan Yan will protect Daddy too."
The little one grabbed a small wooden stick from somewhere and stood in front of Chen Yang, baring her teeth and widening her eyes, trying her best to look fierce. She looked fierce, but adorable.
"Thank you, my little 'wine jar'."
Chen Yang looked at the endearingly clumsy little child, unable to help but laugh and cry. He held Shen Xue with one arm and the little child with the other, planting a kiss on her soft, rosy cheek.
"Daddy will protect you and Mommy. You just need to grow up well."
"Me, eat a lot, grow big, protect Daddy!"
After declaring her protection, as if feeling shy again, the little one quickly buried herself in Chen Yang's arms, only her bright, lively eyes peeking out, blinking.
"Look at how you've raised the child. I'm a man. Protecting my wife and child is my responsibility. Why would I need you to protect me?"
Chen Yang smiled helplessly, tapping Shen Xue's fair, smooth forehead. This silly woman actually wanted to risk her life for him.
"Hmph, I don't care. I simply won't allow anyone to bully you."
"Besides me, no one is allowed to bully you."
Shen Xue pouted, rarely acting so spoiled in Chen Yang's arms.
"Alright, alright, I'll only let you bully me."
Chen Yang was both amused and exasperated. Faced with these two silly mother and daughter, he was at a loss.
"Let's go to town, deliver the fish, and pick up the new clothes."
"Yan Yan, Daddy will take you to get new clothes. Are you happy?"
Chen Yang tickled the little one who was shyly hiding in his arms. The child giggled uncontrollably, her laughter echoing.
"Happy."
"Yan Yan gets to wear new clothes!"
The little one danced with joy, like a little fairy.
The old donkey brayed. The two donkey carts were loaded to the brim, and ten large plastic barrels were filled to capacity. Chen Yang's aquatic product purchase volume seemed to have reached a saturation point. He was acquiring three to four thousand jin a day. Some families could catch over a hundred jin a day, while others only caught ten to twenty jin. As time went on, even if more people caught fish, the yield would likely not increase significantly. After all, there were only so many rivers and surrounding ponds. The fish would be caught less and less. The flood season would pass quickly, and after July, catching a thousand jin a day would be considered good. However, Chen Yang didn't plan to continue buying indefinitely. He figured he'd stop after July and leave the rest to his father-in-law. Even a tiny piece of meat is still meat, and it's better to help his father-in-law than to let outsiders benefit. As for him, he would fully invest in Zhang Weiyang's used radio business in Qinghe City. If this business went well, he could follow Zhang Weiyang's footsteps, gradually expanding to the surrounding provinces of Xiang, Gan, and E. Then, he could go south to Guangdong province, venture into VCD players, television factories, and perhaps even air conditioners and refrigerators, washing machines. The home appliance market in China would remain booming for decades to come! By the time the 21st century arrived, with sufficient capital, he could even return to his previous life's profession: real estate. In later generations, housing prices would grow exponentially, a fact Chen Yang understood deeply. He regretted many times in his past life for not decisively bidding on several plots of land. Otherwise, not only could he have built a 780-meter landmark building in Shenzhen like the Mengxue Tower, but he could have even built a 999-meter world's tallest building, surpassing the Burj Khalifa. He skillfully handed a cigarette to Liu Hua, who opened the door, and Master Zhang weighed the fish, while Hu Hui calculated the accounts. Chen Yang was already familiar with the process. A total of 3,900 jin of large and small fish, bringing in over 2,300 yuan.