7
For the next few days, I wandered around the area, looking for a suitable job, but found nothing. There were many lotus ponds in the village, which gave me an idea. I could build a fish farm. Half for raising fish, and the other half for a high–end fishing spot to attract premium customers. It could also boost the local economy.
I looked at my bank balance and started to build a blueprint for the fish farm in my mind. But I was a novice in this field, and it was a bumpy road.
My daily task became sitting on my doorstep, lost in thought.
My neighbor, Mrs. Chen, walked over with an apple. Seeing that I didn’t respond, she waved her hand in front of my face. “What’s wrong, dear? You’ve been distract- ed all day.”
“Tell me,” she said kindly. “I’ll help you.”
“I want to invest in a fish farm, but there are some things I don’t understand.”
I said it without expecting her to be able to help, just to reassure her. But to my surprise, she clapped her hands in delight.
“A fish farm? That’s a great idea!”
“My nephew, Zachary, is an expert in this. He’s coming over for dinner later. I’ll introduce you. You can ask him for help.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. Mrs, Chen chuckled. “What? You think I’m lying?”
¡ quickly shook my head and agreed to the meeting. It was like a dream come true. I didn’t hesitate I went straight to Mrs. Chen’s house to help with dinner.
When Zachary arrived, his boots were caked in mud. He must have just come back from inspecting a fish farm. He walked in and saw me squatting on the ground, washing vegetables. He froze for a second, then walked back out to check the house number before coming back in.
The awkward atmosphere was broken by Mrs. Chen’s arrival.
“Zachary, you’re here! This is Sophia. She wants to invest in a fish farm, and you’re the expert, right? I asked her to come and ask you for some advice.”
Knowing that this was Zachary, I stopped what I was doing, stood up, and walked towards him. “Hello, Mr. Chen. I’m Sophia Lin.”
Zachary wiped his hands on his clothes and shook my hand. “Hello.”
He seemed very approachable. His clumsy movements were almost endearing.
After dinner, Zachary suggested we go and see the fish farm I was planning to lease. I was touched. He was so busy, he could have easily made an excuse to get rid of me.
changed my clothes and went with him to the fish farm.
“Your fish farm is thirty acres. The water depth should be maintained at 2.5 meters. You should use 150 kilograms of quicklime per acre to clear the pond. Your water depth is not enough for raising fish.”
I took notes as he spoke, nodding and asking questions. “Are there any requirements for the types of fish?”
Zachary thought for a moment before answering. “Generally, for a fish farm of this size, you should have about 2000 crucian carp, 1500 bream, and about 20 silver carp per acre. But in the beginning, you can start with fish that are easier to raise. Don’t worry about the workers. I’ll introduce you to some experienced people. As for the high–end fishing spot you want to build, you need to divide the pond into zones. Beginners and experts can’t be in the same place. If beginners can’t catch anything and see others catching fish, they’ll get discouraged. There’s also a social–type fish farm where fishing isn’t the main purpose. When you’re attracting cust- orters, you need to pay attention to the content of your advertising ”
Chapter 2
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Zachary talked to me for the whole aftemoon. I thought he was just a nouveau riche who had made his fortune from raising fish. But after getting to know him, I found out he had a PhD in agriculture. He had even published several SCI papers on aquaculture.
With Zachary’s help, my fish farm and fishing spot began to take shape. The beginner’s pond was always half–price, and even if a customer didn’t catch anything, as the owner, I would give them a fish. That’s where the breeding farm came in handy. The second pond had no fishing fee, but the fish caught were sold by weight, which greatly satisfied the customers. The subsequent ponds had restaurants, and the luxury versions even had water entertainment projects.
My funds were a bit tight, but with Zachary’s help in the early stages, I was able to manage. The fish farm soon became profitable, and my net worth soared.
