After Hei Ya was dealt with, Ye Tiancheng didn't give it much thought. He followed the same sequence as before, but this time he didn't personally handle anything, instead delegating all the work to Xiao Pang Zi.
"You're going to turn that pit into a fish pond, Brother Ye. Tell me honestly, are you planning to start over?"
Xiao Pang Zi made this guess because he saw Ye Tiancheng's ambition returning. Ye Tiancheng couldn't be bothered to reply and simply rolled his eyes.
"If I had ambition again, I wouldn't be doing this small job. How much money can a fish pond make? It will only deepen people's impression of me as a farmer. I'm just thinking that many villagers are unemployed, and I want to create a livelihood for them. I won't do any of the work myself; I'll have you do whatever needs to be done."
Ye Tiancheng's frankness left Fatty somewhat speechless. While it was true that older brothers often utilized their younger ones, Ye Tiancheng's directness put a psychological burden on Fatty.
"Brother Ye, you know very well that you and I are not on the same level. I might gain some benefits by following behind you, but if you want me to take the lead, forget about the current ventures; I'll lose all your capital."
"It's just a fish pond, you're thinking too much. I'm not asking you to undertake any major projects. Xiao Pang, remember this: following me requires developing a strong heart. You can't be afraid of everything. Do you want to follow behind me your entire life and never become a leader yourself?" kuAiδugg
Yan Da Zhuang listened, and there was some truth to Ye Tiancheng's words. Regardless, he still hoped for some development. While it was good to have shelter under a big tree, seeing Ye Tiancheng's perpetual daze made him seem to lack ambition.
"Alright, this is the first time you've entrusted me with organizing a project from the start. It seems this fish pond is the beginning of all my endeavors. I will definitely work hard."
While Xiao Pang was full of fighting spirit, Ye Tiancheng naturally didn't want his good brother to bear too much pressure. He passed on all his past experience in managing fish ponds, leaving Xiao Pang utterly bewildered.
"Brother Ye, I sometimes truly wonder if you have God's perspective. How do you know everything?"
"Enough with the flattery. Go manage the fish pond properly. Furthermore, I'm planning to open a restaurant for you. With your excellent cooking skills, you should have your own career."
Although Xiao Pang was happy, hearing Ye Tiancheng say this made him feel a bit desolate. It seemed Ye Tiancheng was truly preparing to retire from the martial world.
"Brother Ye, don't worry, I will definitely not let you down."
As a man, Xiao Pang naturally wanted to earn money and then establish a family. Now that Ye Tiancheng was giving him an opportunity, Xiao Pang was determined to seize it.
Following Ye Tiancheng's instructions, Xiao Pang took a few subordinates to buy fish fry from five hundred kilometers away. The reason Ye Tiancheng made Xiao Pang go through such trouble was that these fish were wild, and they were the "Yan Zhi Hong" that Ye Tiancheng had previously praised.
With these fish, Xiao Pang was sure to make his first fortune.
Xiao Pang left with his subordinates, and with no one else in charge, the horticultural center became disorganized. Su Mu Xian had shares in the farm-to-table restaurant and naturally had to manage business matters. Unable to reach Ye Tiancheng by phone, she had no choice but to go to his shack to find him.
Due to the barrier, Su Mu Xian couldn't get close to me. Combined with the rumors she had heard recently, Su Mu Xian became somewhat panicked.
"Brother Ye, I heard from others that you seem to be unable to go on. Are you planning to end your life? Please don't do anything rash. Even if no one wants you, I definitely want you."
Since Ye Tiancheng began cultivating, his hearing had become increasingly acute. Hearing what Su Mu Xian said, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Brother Ye, can't you just meet me? Do you hate me that much?"
Su Mu Xian even started crying. Ye Tiancheng, as a man, couldn't stand seeing a woman cry for him. Men who bully women are all scumbags.
Unable to bear it for a moment, Ye Tiancheng finally opened the barrier and let Su Mu Xian in.
Upon seeing Ye Tiancheng, Su Mu Xian was very excited. "I finally see you. No matter how rich or powerful a magnate is, I can always find a way to see them. But you are different. I don't know where you got this security system from. I've consulted many experts, but none of them could figure it out, nor could they get in."
"Don't study me when there's nothing to study. You won't be able to figure anything out. I'm more mysterious than you can imagine."
Su Mu Xian's arrival at least allowed Ye Tiancheng to feel some human presence. Moreover, compared to Hou Ming Zhu, this young girl was indeed more genuine. For instance, upon arriving, she sat down obediently, didn't complain about the environment being shabby, and her eyes showed no hint of disdain.
"Brother Ye, you can't abandon our farm-to-table restaurant. Sales have declined significantly now, the supply from the horticultural center is insufficient, and without your guidance, the operations are not as smooth as before. When will you return? I've been looking forward to it."
"I don't plan to come out of seclusion for now. I'm quite content watching the pear trees here. Anyway, I can support myself just by planting pears, so why would I exert myself so much? I'm tired of all the scheming."
Seeing Ye Tiancheng, so young, completely devoid of fighting spirit, greatly surprised Su Mu Xian. This was why Ye Tiancheng appeared so detached when he met her, but he had never been so dejected before.
"If you're going to try and persuade me to come out of seclusion, then forget it. I haven't had enough time here yet and don't plan to return to work and tire myself out so soon."
It's likely that people all over the world dislike working, and Su Mu Xian could understand this. However, Su Mu Xian still hoped to persuade Ye Tiancheng to return to work. Besides the benefits and her ties to the Su family, Su Mu Xian also had personal feelings involved – a girl's selfish desires.
"It's okay if you don't work, but can you come out and visit more often? Don't always make me unable to see you. Even if I just see you, without saying anything, just looking at you."
Ye Tiancheng shook his head helplessly. He didn't understand why these people were so infatuated with him. Feelings were the most useless things. He himself had become dispirited due to the departure of a beloved woman. Love wasn't a good thing, yet these people rushed headlong into consuming this pain.
"There's no use in looking at me. I'm a very heartless person. I advise you to stay away from me. Women who get close to me never have a good ending."
Su Mu Xian was also very clever and knew who Ye Tiancheng was referring to. She was actually quite curious about the story between that special woman and Ye Tiancheng, but she deliberately didn't mention it. She'd rather die of suppression than let Ye Tiancheng remember that person again.
"Alright, let's not talk about unhappy things. The reason I came to find you is that I received news about you, and I thought you were making some moves. Your subordinate, that fatty, is driving your incredibly beat-up pickup truck to get fish fry. Did you not come up with the idea for this fish pond? Are you venturing into a new field again?"
Ye Tiancheng smiled faintly. "How could that be? I sold my most beloved saplings. How could I care about such a small fish pond? Even if I worked myself to death, I wouldn't earn much. I'm just following the will of heaven, and at the same time, allowing more people to have jobs."
Ye Tiancheng had discovered that by acting independently and not following the plans from his dreams, many deviations were slowly self-correcting. This made Ye Tiancheng somewhat fearful. He had already suffered greatly from trying to change his fate and didn't want to repeat the same mistakes. He just wanted to live a peaceful life.
"Brother Ye, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Your magnanimity has always been broad. Your desire to do charity proves that your vision is wider than others, and you are destined for even greater success."
Seeing Su Mu Xian looking at him with admiration, Ye Tiancheng couldn't bear to shatter her dreams about him. He didn't have that many great ideas; he just wanted to be lazy day by day. As long as he didn't have to use his brain, it was considered taking care of him.
"My greatest success is simply living comfortably every day. The rest will proceed according to the program. My life has already been predetermined anyway, so striving further is useless."
Ye Tiancheng was indeed a bit afraid of changing his fate, which was why he deliberately spoke this way.
"Don't overthink it, Brother Ye. The weather has been good lately. Why don't we go out and have some fun together?"
Ye Tiancheng didn't want to leave this small dwelling. Only here could he feel safe and free from anxiety.
"No. You go do your thing. Don't entangle your life with mine."
Seeing Ye Tiancheng's resolute refusal, Su Mu Xian changed her strategy. Sometimes, offering a warm welcome to a cold reception required a certain approach; one couldn't just keep being foolish.
"How about this? I know you're tired of the previous things. What you're most interested in lately is this suddenly appearing sinkhole and managing the fish pond. I have prior experience in this. Why don't I go help Xiao Pang?"
"Whatever you want, as long as there's no pay."
With Ye Tiancheng's cold demeanor, if he didn't refuse, it meant he agreed. Su Mu Xian was overjoyed.
"Brother Ye, don't worry, I will definitely help you manage the fish pond well."
Su Mu Xian left with great joy. Although Ye Tiancheng hadn't done anything, he saw hope.
Not long after, Xiao Pang returned with the fish fry. The sinkhole that Hei Ya had created was also filled with water. When the fish fry were released, everyone found it particularly novel, and the entire village came to watch.
"I heard this Yan Zhi Hong is very dangerous. Someone was poisoned by it before, and many people were affected. The market doesn't recognize it now. I don't know why they brought back this Yan Zhi Hong. It looks like a carrot, but it's actually deadly if eaten."
If it weren't for a villager reminding Ye Tiancheng, he would have almost forgotten. He recalled the previous solution and quickly found "Hu Zhi Zi" from the mountains to eliminate the viruses in these fish.
Afterward, he processed the Yan Zhi Hong into dried fish. The final sales destinations were Tian Fu Hotel and the farm-to-table restaurant.
When the first batch of dried red fish entered the market, people were not very receptive. However, with aggressive promotion of the dried red fish, many who tried it found it to have miraculous effects. Gradually, dried red fish became the best-selling new product.
The reason for such a miraculous function was that dried red fish could treat kidney deficiency, bringing good news to many men with such ailments.
In this era of fast consumption, men were gradually falling into decadence amidst the pleasures of life, and their bodies were constantly being depleted. They earned money, but their bodies failed them in the end. What everyone needed was such a tonic.