Chapter 8 - 8 Earn Thirty Thousand in Half a Day_1
Lois Abbott had been paying attention to Greg Jensen, and only after she saw him mount his motorcycle and leave did she return to her own office.
This despicable and shameless guy, not content with taking her virginity, had the audacity to come back, which was downright intolerable.
She slumped powerlessly onto the sofa, feeling that living was just too hard.
The people around her were all predatory beasts, and she was just a sheep, with everyone wanting to tear a piece of flesh from her body.
Her father was seriously ill, the hotel business had plummeted, the bank loan was nearing its due date, suppliers were demanding payment and cutting off shipments, and competitors were closing in—she was close to despair.
Most critical of all was the rift with Brandon Brent; no one knew what sort of dirty tricks he would resort to next.
“Do I really have to sell the hotel?”
Lois Abbott couldn’t bear the thought; it was her father’s life’s work—how could she let it be destroyed on her watch?
But if she didn’t sell, where would the money come from to repay the bank loan? Where would the money come from to pay the suppliers?
Lois Abbott sighed deeply and stared blankly out the window, unsure of what to do.
Knock knock knock!
The sound of knocking suddenly interrupted her thoughts, followed by a voice asking, “Ms. Abbott, are you there?”
Lois Abbott quickly sat up, “Come in.”
Purchase Manager Harry Cooper strode in, “Ms. Abbott, why did you send away the guy selling the Dragon fish?”
Lois Abbott was taken aback and said in a daze, “Dragon fish? Are you saying that guy who came by motorcycle was really here to sell Dragon fish?”
“Yes, we had already discussed it over the phone, I just hadn’t gotten around to notifying you.”
Dragon fish?
That guy was really here to sell Dragon fish?
Lois Abbott was stunned!
The Dragon fish she had been searching for so long had been driven away by her?
She suddenly realized her mistake and said urgently, “Call him right now, he can’t have gone far.”
Harry Cooper shook his head, “I just called him but he didn’t answer, probably because he’s angry.”
Lois Abbott quickly said, “Call again! We must buy that Dragon fish! If all else fails, I’ll go find him!”
Lois Abbott knew that Greg Jensen was from Peach Blossom Village because she had seen him when she had been up the mountain before.
Theremarkably handsome and exceptionally sturdy Greg Jensen had left a deep impression on her.
…
The motorcycle taxi driver took Greg Jensen to a neighborhood that had a sense of history.
“The residents here are all retired officials—these people are real connoisseurs, you’ll definitely be able to sell here,” said the driver.
Greg Jensen looked inside and noticed that not far from the entrance to the community, a few elderly men were playing chess in the garden.
Carrying the fish, he walked over and asked, “Gentlemen, would you be interested in a Dragon fish?”
The old men had already spotted him but had not paid him any attention until now, when they finally turned to listen to him.
“Dragon fish? That’s a delicacy, how much do you have?”
Greg Jensen placed the bucket in front of them, “About four or five pounds.”
The old men were all surprised. Abandoning their chess game, they gathered around.
“Wow, it really is Dragon fish!”
“So much Dragon fish, you’re pretty skilled, young man. How did you catch them?”
“How much are you selling them for? If the price is right, I’ll take them all.”
“Hey, Old Wang, that’s not very fair of you! What, are we invisible?”
Hearing this, Greg Jensen immediately brightened up, realizing these old fellows not only knew their stuff but also seemed well-off. It looked like he was finally going to make a sale.
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“Six thousand yuan per jin isn’t expensive, right?”
“Not expensive, sell it all to me!”
“No way! I haven’t tasted this thing for over a decade, I have to reserve at least two jin for myself.”
Seeing that these old men were about to start arguing, Greg Jensen quickly said, “I still have some at home, if you want it I can bring you more tomorrow.”
The old men were shocked again; they thought catching so many dragon fish was already an incredible stroke of luck, and now it turned out this young man had more at home.
“Really?”
“How much more do you have?”
“Of course it’s true, I still have dozens of jin!”
Greg Jensen estimated that there were plenty of dragon fish in the creek and blurted out a number.
“Wow, so many? Could it be that they are farmed?”
“Old Wang, do you even know what you’re talking about? Can this thing even be farmed alive?”
“They couldn’t be farmed alive decades ago, but who knows about now?”
Greg Jensen quickly explained again, “They’re all wild, you’ll know once you try them.”
“Then you must bring them over tomorrow, give me two jin for today!”
“Two jin? Have you no shame? I reckon there’s about five jin in this half bucket, we should just take one jin each!”
“Alright, alright, let’s just divide it up that way and be done with it.”
Greg Jensen was overjoyed to see them settle the matter in just a few words; he then borrowed a scale and weighed out one jin for each person.
At the end, there were precisely five fish left, and Greg Jensen gave one to each of the old men, who were all thrilled.
Greg Jensen received the money and was ecstatic too; thirty thousand yuan had come so easily that he could hardly believe it.
One has to realize that people in the village might not even save thirty thousand yuan in an entire year, yet he had earned it in half a day.
The rickshaw driver saw Greg Jensen come out with the money and, knowing he had sold the fish, said proudly,
“Didn’t I tell you that you could definitely sell the fish here?”
Greg Jensen gave him a thumbs-up, “Master, you really know everything. If it weren’t for you today, I still wouldn’t know where to sell these fish.”
The rickshaw driver felt quite flattered by the comment and laughed, “Haha, I just know a bit more stuff.”
Greg Jensen handed him a hundred yuan, “No need for change. Let’s exchange phone numbers, and I’ll look for you when I come to the city in the future.”
Delighted by Greg Jensen’s generosity, the rickshaw driver agreed cheerfully, “Good, good, just call me whenever you need a ride.”
The two exchanged numbers, and Greg Jensen went to top up his phone credit, then had the rickshaw driver take him to a herb shop, where he bought dozens of types of medicinal herbs.
“Alright, that’s everything, let’s head back.”
The rickshaw driver, seeing him purchase so many herbs, asked curiously, “What do you need so much Chinese medicine for?”
“Of course, there’s a use for it.”
After saying that, Greg Jensen quickly changed the subject, “Do you know who that woman who kicked me out of the Reverie Inn was?”
“That woman should be Manager Lois’s daughter. After Manager Lois fell seriously ill, she took over the management of the inn.”
The rickshaw driver seemed to know quite a bit and spoke with authority.
Upon hearing this, Greg Jensen smiled immediately, knowing his opportunity had arrived!
If he could improve the business of the Reverie Inn, would Lois Abbott agree to his request?
The two chatted while walking back, and before long, they were nearly at Peach Blossom Village.
Greg Jensen asked the rickshaw driver to stop the car early and also told him not to talk to anyone about today’s events.
The rickshaw driver took him to be worried about others going after dragon fish too, and immediately vowed with a slap on his chest, promising not to tell anyone about it.
After thanking him, Greg Jensen, with the medicinal herbs on his back, entered the village. However, at the village entrance, there were quite a few people, and he knew he couldn’t avoid them, so he walked forward confidently.
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