Chapter 4: I Guarantee You've Never Tasted Shrimp Like This!

“Then let’s go, we’ll head to True Essence Seafood Restaurant,” Chu Lin said as he finished fastening his seatbelt.

“Let’s see if those prawns are really as delicious as everyone says,” Huang Bin replied, starting the car and driving out of the Bureau of Industry and Commerce parking lot.

Chu Lin took out his phone and transferred 8,000 to Huang Bin.

In the world of middlemen, unless there’s a special agreement, the standard commission is usually 2%.

Though Huang Bin had explicitly said that between brothers there was no need to talk about money, Chu Lin couldn’t simply take advantage. After all, Huang Bin had invested real time and effort. Not exploiting a friend is the most basic form of mutual respect.

Soon they parked outside the nearest True Essence Seafood Restaurant. This branch was noticeably smaller than the flagship on Feifu Road.

As soon as Huang Bin got out and checked his phone, he saw the payment notification. “Chu Lin, I told you not to worry about that.”

“Stop with the nonsense. Let’s get inside,” Chu Lin called, already walking into True Essence.

Seeing this, Huang Bin grinned and followed him in. Even though he hadn’t intended to profit from his friend, the gesture warmed his heart.

The waitress led them to a table. Chu Lin scanned the menu and immediately spotted a featured dish: Premium Atlantis Prawn, 100 yuan per portion!

Seeing the name, he knew it was the prawns he supplied.

After ordering the Premium Atlantis Prawn, Chu Lin and Huang Bin selected a few more dishes.

True Essence served quickly. Before long, Chu Lin saw the plate of Premium Atlantis Prawns brought to their table, but the portion was definitely less than a kilo.

He supplied at 60 yuan per kilo, yet judging by the amount, True Essence had doubled the price on resale.

Still, they had chefs, the venue, and their own costs. If they could sell it, they deserved to profit. No need for envy.

Huang Bin had already started on a prawn, and after the first bite, he exclaimed, “These Premium Prawns from True Essence really live up to their reputation—they’re incredible!”

He urged Chu Lin, “Come on, try one. Trust me, you’ve never had prawn this good!”

Chu Lin smiled and took one, tasting it carefully.

With its attributes—deliciousness plus one, freshness plus one—even a simple boil made it tasty, but after meticulous cooking, the flavor was elevated again.

It was no wonder True Essence used these prawns as a featured dish to attract customers.

By the time they finished their meal, night had fallen.

Huang Bin, in high spirits, suggested, “Now that we’re full, how about hitting a bar later? I just met a couple of girls, and they’ll bring their friends.”

Chu Lin knew Huang Bin’s main reason was to spend that 8,000 to treat him. Of course, Huang Bin also wanted to have fun.

Ever since he’d been cheated on by the class beauty, Huang Bin had changed from a one-woman man to a warm-hearted guy, always looking to cheer up girls. The bar had become his venue for that.

Normally, Chu Lin would have gone—he’d just broken up himself.

Men always have such needs.

But he’d just bought the shrimp farm and had things to handle, so he politely declined and asked Huang Bin to take him home.

Back at the dorm, he received a call from his uncle—most likely about the ancestral house.

He answered, and his uncle’s voice came through. “Xiao Lin, I’ve chosen two auspicious days to start work on the ancestral house—one is the day after tomorrow, the other is the 25th. Which do you think is best? Also, I’ve decided we don’t need to rebuild the whole thing, just fix the collapsed part.”

Those from the countryside have feelings for their ancestral homes that city dwellers can’t understand. Even renovating an ancestral house must be done on a special day, for fear of bad luck.

“Uncle, let’s tear it down and rebuild completely. And if we’re rebuilding, let’s do it well,” Chu Lin proposed. He hadn’t had the means before—even simple repairs were a struggle, so he’d had to let his uncle compromise.

Now things were different. With options, he wanted the ancestral house rebuilt with dignity, giving his family both face and substance in the village.

He knew his uncle wanted a proper rebuild too.

“Xiao Lin, there’s no need to force it. Don’t put pressure on yourself,” his uncle said anxiously, aware of Chu Lin’s financial situation. He didn’t want a house rebuild to ruin his nephew’s life.

“Uncle, I mean it,” Chu Lin said with a smile. “I have no problem now. Just give me some time. Let’s start on the 25th!”

Hearing his certainty, his uncle finally agreed. “Alright, I’ll get people ready.”

“Thanks for handling everything, Uncle.” Chu Lin hung up and let out a deep sigh.

Sure enough, when you have money in your pocket, many problems cease to be problems.

Afterwards, he began to consider the shrimp farm.

Although he’d bought the farm as a cover for the game map, that didn’t mean it had to sit empty.

If you’re going to act, act convincingly.

So the shrimp farm still needed to operate.

That meant buying seedlings, feed, equipment—all sorts of things.

Especially aerators, oxygenators, temperature controllers, filtration devices. Shrimp farming required water temperatures of 20–30°C, with a pH between 7.5 and 8.5.

Chu Lin checked: with each shrimp pond at two acres, aerators alone would cost thousands per pond, and a full set of equipment would be over ten thousand.

His remaining 100,000-plus could only buy enough equipment, seedlings, and feed to run five ponds.

But the farm had about two hundred ponds.

Now he understood why shrimp farming was said to be so costly, and why seven out of ten shrimp farms lost money.

No matter what, he’d start with the few ponds he could operate.

He ordered equipment from a company in Min City, and contacted a supplier for seedlings and feed for five ponds.

His balance, which had just thickened, immediately dropped to nearly zero.

But it was worth it.

Soon after placing his orders, the game notification chimed:

[Current Atlantis map is level 1. One conventional animal, prawn, can be refreshed. Animals have been refreshed!]

Chu Lin immediately entered the game and packed up the prawns.

...

Early the next morning.

The same refresh notification appeared. He went to the shop, entered the game, packed the prawns into seafood boxes, and hauled them out.

When Liu Fa arrived, they delivered the prawns to the True Essence transfer warehouse together.

On the way, Chu Lin said, “Master Liu, tomorrow we’ll need to deliver to a new location, out by the seaside in the suburbs.”

Liu Fa quickly replied, “Boss Chu, that’s a bit far, so it’ll cost more than 150!”

Chu Lin knew the trip would be twice as long. He thought for a moment and asked, “Master Liu, how much do you earn with this small truck each month?”

“Usually about 9,000,” Liu Fa answered. He took odd jobs at the market—not much money, but no long hauls, so it wasn’t too tiring.

Chu Lin nodded. “Master Liu, I’ll pay you 10,000 a month, reimburse gas, offer bonuses and attendance. How about working for me full-time?”

He really needed a reliable delivery driver. Liu Fa was honest.

“Boss Chu, are you serious?” Liu Fa’s face lit up, then he added, “We’ll need a contract.”

He had no doubts—Chu Lin supplied True Essence, never cheated him a cent over the past ten days. As long as there was a contract, he’d do it.

His current odd jobs were unstable. Now, a steady job at 10,000 a month—he’d be a fool not to take it.

Chu Lin smiled. “Alright. After delivery, come with me to the suburbs.”

They dropped off the prawns at the True Essence warehouse, settled up, and Chu Lin gave Liu Fa the address of the shrimp farm.

Liu Fa drove there and was shocked by the 500-acre size. “Boss Chu, your shrimp farm is huge! No wonder you can supply so many prawns to True Essence every day.”

He didn’t know anything about shrimp farming or that the farm was just a shell. He assumed Chu Lin’s prawns came from here, and didn’t question why Chu Lin delivered from a seafood shop if he had a farm.

It wasn’t that Liu Fa was foolish—he was just straightforward and didn’t overthink things.

As he saw it, having a farm and selling from a market shop was normal. Now, with a better channel through True Essence, the shop wasn’t needed—no problem.

Seeing Chu Lin’s capabilities only made him more confident in the job.

He felt he’d found a benefactor.

Chu Lin didn’t explain; instead, he said, “Master Liu, from tomorrow, just come here. I’ll have the contract ready.”

“Alright, from now on I’ll work for you, Boss Chu.” Liu Fa nodded and drove back to the city.

He’d taken another job last night, so even if he was quitting, he needed to finish today’s work.

Chu Lin stayed at the shrimp farm, not planning to return to the dorm.

The farm had a two-story prefab building for office and lodging. He surveyed the environment and, after tidying up, found it was no worse than his current rental.

Plus, there was a large courtyard.

He planned to live here from now on—it would also make it easier to bring prawns out from the game.