Chapter 20: The Tiny Lotus Bud Peeks Above the Water, Already a Dragonfly Perches Atop

Driving the van Ma Yue had just rented, Du Yu returned home. Since the shop had enough fish, there was no need to rush to the shore today. That night was unusually peaceful and leisurely for Du Yu.

He went to sleep with a calm heart, for tomorrow was a day he looked forward to immensely.

The next morning, even before the rooster crowed, Du Yu was already up, neatly dressed. Although the shop officially opened at ten o'clock, Du Yu woke early around six. It had to be said, when it came to such matters, Du Yu still retained a unique enthusiasm—just like in his previous life.

Passion!

Opening the door, he was surprised to find Wang Xiaowei already waiting outside. He wondered why the boy wasn’t still in bed.

"Let’s get going, Brother Yu," Wang Xiaowei said, rubbing his still slightly sore ear with a silly grin.

He definitely didn’t want to get his ear pulled again.

Du Yu didn’t ask further but teased the little bald head a bit, then got in the van with him and headed to the city.

Du Yu’s driving skills were superb, having driven all sorts of vehicles in his past life to make a living.

Soon, the two arrived at the shop, where Ma Yue had arrived even earlier. After a brief greeting, everyone threw themselves into their work.

Summers in the southeast dawn early. Just after daybreak, the staff gradually arrived, taking their positions and making final preparations.

Ma Yue managed everything with great order.

While helping, Du Yu noticed that although some equipment looked new, it still had various minor issues.

He wondered if the future Lucky Value store would offer repair items.

That aside, Ma Yue himself wasn’t very confident about the grand opening.

To secure a good start, they planned to hand out flyers, hang a few banners at the entrance, and prominently display prized fish like the Eastern Star Grouper right at the front to attract customers.

In the year 2000 in China, information didn’t spread as quickly. If this had been his previous life, they could have easily created buzz with a few people.

But Du Yu didn’t pay it much mind. As the saying goes, good wine needs no bush.

Besides, their alley wasn’t hidden at all. They just had to focus on doing their job well.

After a moment’s thought, Du Yu picked up his phone and made a few calls.

“Hello, Auntie! This is the young man who sold you blue crabs before. Yes, yes... I’ve opened a shop over here in the center. Why don’t you come take a look? We have some rare fish... Okay, bye-bye…”

“Hello, Uncle…”

Du Yu decided to put in a bit more effort.

Ma Yue listened nearby, quite surprised.

Was this a manual effort to create a good opening?

The clock soon pointed to ten.

Du Yu noticed a crowd gathering at the door. He guessed that the troublemakers who caused a scene yesterday had indirectly spread word of their shop.

As the firecrackers ended, people flooded inside. Du Yu randomly picked a middle-aged woman from the crowd and asked, “Auntie, how did you hear about this place?”

“The thugs came here to cause trouble yesterday. We saw Old Shi come to back you up! Getting Old Shi’s approval isn’t easy!” she said earnestly.

Once again, it was thanks to Old Shi.

At that moment, Du Yu spotted Old Shi hiding in the crowd and hurried over.

“Old Shi! You came and didn’t even tell me! I could have come to greet you!” Du Yu said with a bright smile.

“Heh, looks like business is good today, very good! Isn’t it a waste of time for you to come pick me up? I’m just getting some exercise. I’ll stroll around on my own. You go handle things, Xiao Yu.”

After some small talk, Old Shi leisurely went off to browse.

Then three or five more people came in. Du Yu recognized them as those he had called earlier and warmly welcomed them.

“Welcome, everyone! We have plenty of excellent sea fish here. Please take a look!”

“Boss Du, we trust the quality of your fish. I want to ask, do you sell the Eastern Star Grouper?”

Someone immediately recognized the Eastern Star Grouper displayed at the shop’s entrance.

With Old Li supporting him nearby, Du Yu wasn’t worried about any troublemakers anymore. So he had moved those prized fish to the front. He hadn’t expected them to spot it at a glance.

“The Eastern Star Grouper! That’s a deep-sea fish!” an expert declared instantly.

“Not just the Eastern Star Grouper, the other fish in this shop are excellent too. I’ve lived a long time and rarely seen yellow croaker with such vibrant color!” others murmured.

People gathered, whispering among themselves.

Many had only heard of some fish being served at five-star hotels and had never actually seen them. They were surprised this shop had Eastern Star Grouper.

“Of course, everyone, since these fish are on display, they are for sale. The price, however, isn’t cheap.”

“Price isn’t an issue!” a few wealthy customers said immediately.

Du Yu naturally called over Ma Yue and the others to discuss the sales details, since Ma Yue was in charge of that area.

Watching the steady stream of customers, Du Yu was deeply grateful for the system’s slight assistance.

Just like a dragonfly perching on a newly sprouted reed.

This good start meant the shop had made it.

Realizing the booming business, Du Yu guessed he’d need to work harder. These fish would probably sell out in just a few days.

Coincidentally, his Lucky Value store was just short of some points needed for an upgrade. So Du Yu and Wang Xiaowei didn’t linger in the shop.

Du Yu drove the van back home. After changing clothes and preparing fishing gear, they headed to the familiar seaside.

Four hundred and twenty Lucky Points were needed for the next update of the Lucky Value store—a significant amount.

Du Yu had 780 Lucky Points remaining. After some thought, a bold idea suddenly sparked in his mind.

He sent Wang Xiaowei away and spent 200 Lucky Points to exchange for 200 bait pellets, among which 20 were rare fish bait. Then he spent another 200 Lucky Points to exchange for four compressed oxygen balls.

Not for the sake of dark circles, but because the oxygen-filled balls inspired Du Yu to experiment.

Indeed, he wanted to see if these oxygen balls could create a relatively comfortable zone in the sea where they were placed.

Simply put, since most fish prefer oxygen-rich areas, this would be like drawing a comfort circle tailored specifically for fish around the fishing boat!

Even humans sometimes don’t want to leave their comfort zones, let alone fish with only a seven-second memory.

They might forget why they came here the next moment, only knowing the oxygen is abundant and the place is comfortable enough to live out their lives.