Chapter 36: Now That Is What You Call Returning Fully Laden

After confirming the recent details of the shop's operations with Ma Yue, Du Yu hung up the phone. He didn’t stop there; he immediately dialed Han Xinyi.

"Hello, this is Han Xinyi. May I ask who is calling?" A pleasant female voice came through the receiver.

"Sister Han, it’s me, Du Yu. I’ve just brought in a new batch of sea fish, including about a dozen tuna. I thought you might be interested, so I gave you a call," Du Yu said cheerfully.

"H-how many???" Han Xinyi was clearly startled.

More than ten tuna? Even with artificial breeding, it was impossible to acquire so many in such a short time! That meant this young man had caught them himself! She took a deep breath.

"Alright, I’ll come by the shop to see you in a while. We can talk in detail then." When it came to business, Han Xinyi was decisive and readily agreed.

After hanging up, Du Yu couldn't help but look forward to the expression on her face when she saw that there was also a massive bluefin tuna.

A while later, Du Yu and Wang Xiaowei arrived at the shop. Ma Yue had already been there for a bit; she lived in the city, so it was convenient for her.

"Du Yu, how much new stock did you bring this time?" After a brief greeting, Ma Yue got straight to the point.

"Just this much." Du Yu smiled and pointed to Wang Xiaowei, who was diligently dumping buckets of fish into the store’s large display tanks. There were plenty of tanks, so there was no need to worry about space.

Ma Yue watched quietly as Wang Xiaowei filled tank after tank. Just this? Had he gone out and raided a fish nest? There had to be one or two hundred pounds of fish here. Even Ma Yue, who was accustomed to Du Yu’s astonishing hauls, couldn't help but be secretly shocked.

"And there’s this, and these." Du Yu mysteriously pulled out a small bucket and pointed to a large vat on the floor.

Ma Yue walked over for a closer look and nearly suffered a cardiac arrest. Eleven tuna? She couldn't process it for a moment. Then, she noticed a strange tuna with an entirely black back. She had never seen one like it—what species was it?

"This is a bluefin tuna," Du Yu said with a faint smile.

"So it’s a bluefin..." Ma Yue nodded, then suddenly realized what it meant and collapsed into a chair. Was this the bluefin tuna that went for 1,500 yuan per pound on the market?

It took her a while to recover. She understood what this meant for the shop. Ma Yue was thrilled; with this, the store would no longer be what it once was.

"Du Yu, I’m not late, am I?" A pleasant voice came from outside. Her secretary followed close behind.

"Of course not, Sister Han. You’re just in time. These are our new arrivals; take a look!" Du Yu smiled. After experiencing the same shock as Ma Yue, Han Xinyi finally realized the extent of Du Yu’s capabilities.

"So, Sister Han, how much of this stock would you like?" When it came to business, both became much more serious.

"How about this, Du Yu: I’ll take 100 pounds of the regular fish and five of the tuna. As for that bluefin tuna..." Han Xinyi asked tentatively.

"Sister Han, I don’t plan to sell that bluefin tuna for now. I’m going to keep it in the shop," Du Yu said firmly. Han Xinyi nodded in agreement; she would have done the same.

After drafting the contract, they signed it promptly. "Another pleasure doing business with you, Sister Han," Du Yu said, extending his hand.

"Don't be so formal with me, haha." Han Xinyi naturally shook his hand.

At noon, Du Yu treated them to a simple meal, and Han Xinyi transferred the full payment. Including the tuna, the total came to around 2,000 yuan, of which Du Yu received 1,200. After lunch, they parted ways. Du Yu gave Ma Yue several oxygen spheres from the Luck Value Mall, instructing her to drop them into the bluefin tank at regular intervals.

Shortly after, Du Yu and Wang Xiaowei drove the van back to the village.

At the village entrance, a group of middle-aged women were gathered, gossiping.

"Cuifen, I heard that young man Du Yu hasn’t been to his shop in days. What’s going on?"

"How would I know? The boss didn't say anything, and he’s just vanished. The fish in the shop are getting scarcer, and there’s no new stock. I wonder if he’s run off!" the woman named Cuifen replied.

"He went to such lengths to pull the villagers into his business; was he just looking for scapegoats? I reckon the little scoundrel has already taken the money and run!"

"Hey, don't talk like that. Du Yu is..." one of the shop employees tried to defend him.

"You and your 'Du Yu'—he’s not your father, is he? He’s been gone for days! He hasn't been to the shop or the village. That little bastard must have taken the money the young girl gave him and fled!"

"Right! That little brat must have run off with the cash!" Cuifen echoed the crowd.

"Oh? Are you saying that little bastard Du Yu ran off with the money?" Zhao Qinqin chimed in. Her father, the village chief, had suffered a major loss at Du Yu’s hands, but he refused to talk about it and strictly warned her not to provoke him. This left Zhao Qinqin feeling frustrated. She had always looked down on Du Yu as a failed scholar; how could he be so arrogant now? Eager for a chance to ruin his reputation, she joined the fray.

"Exactly! Du Yu hasn't been seen in the village for days, and the staff says the shop is empty!"

"Oh, how could he do this? He’s gone too far!" Zhao Qinqin exclaimed, feigning outrage.

"Indeed, indeed..." The crowd grew louder.

"Look, isn't that Du Yu’s mother, Li Chunhong?" someone pointed out.

Li Chunhong, who had just returned from gathering shellfish, saw the crowd yelling by the side of the road. As they turned and headed toward her, the group began chirping loudly.

"Chunhong, look at your son! He’s truly shameless. He tricked the villagers into that shop of his in the city, and now the scoundrel has run off with the money. Your family still owes the village chief a debt, and your son is not only incompetent but now has no integrity either! You need to rein in that little bastard!"

The group chattered on, and Li Chunhong’s face turned grim.