"Liu Yifeng bought those crayfish that were about to die, didn't he? These crayfish don't look like they're about to die at all, and they've grown so big."
The one speaking was a villager who had helped Liu Yifeng move the crayfish that day. He had clearly seen that Liu Yifeng's crayfish were of average size and were on the verge of death.
Yet, in less than a week, the crayfish had nearly doubled in size and were all vigorous and lively. How was this possible?
How did he do it?
"I've lived for forty years, and this is the first time I've seen such large crayfish. Could it be that this breed of crayfish is different from ordinary ones?" someone asked, puzzled.
"What breeds of crayfish are there? They just vary in size. But these crayfish are all large; they don't look like the batch Liu Yifeng bought before. Do you think perhaps the previous batch of crayfish died, and fearing we'd laugh at them, Liu Yifeng secretly bought this new batch?" one person offered their idea.
But it was quickly negated: "Impossible, these crayfish are clearly not cheap. Where did Liu Yifeng get the money to buy so many? And he bought quite a few before. Even if they died, it's impossible to dispose of them so quickly and replace them with a new batch."
In the end, everyone concluded that this batch of crayfish was indeed raised and nurtured by Liu Yifeng. In just a few days, they had sold for twenty thousand yuan. Weren't they about to get rich?
Consequently, many people wanted to learn Liu Yifeng's crayfish farming techniques so they could also make some money. That morning, the threshold of Liu Yifeng's house was worn down by visitors. Villagers brought fruits, snacks, and other gifts, subtly hinting that they wanted to learn crayfish farming from Liu Yifeng.
However, Liu Yifeng had no intention of revealing his core techniques. He did mention, though, that he planned to scale up and might need to hire a few people to help manage the farm, offering wages. This rejuvenation powder was taught to Tong Tong by a certain expert. Revealing it casually would be disrespectful to him. Moreover, this rejuvenation powder was truly miraculous; if word got out, who knew what trouble it might attract.
Seeing that Liu Yifeng was unwilling to divulge anything, everyone left disappointed.
"Liu Yifeng refuses to teach us the farming techniques, clearly afraid we'll steal his business. What a sly fox," Liu Xinzhou said with displeasure. He had been unemployed for nearly a year and had finally spotted a business opportunity, only for Liu Yifeng to deny him any chance.
"Alas, we can't blame him. As the saying goes, 'teach the apprentice, starve the master.' If I had such powerful farming technology, I wouldn't reveal it easily either," one person expressed understanding.
"Then what do we do? Just watch Liu Yifeng make money all by himself?" Liu Xinzhou, having heard Liu Yifeng made over twenty thousand yuan, was already restless.
"It's just raising crayfish, what's so difficult about that? If he can do it, so can we. He bought dying crayfish and raised them so well. We'll buy good quality shrimp and feed them well; we'll surely do better than them," Liu Peng said.
However, a large portion of people were hesitant to take such a risk, as they had never farmed before. If they failed, they would lose a lot of money. Only a few of the younger ones decided to test the waters. They planned to buy a few hundred catties and try raising them in their own fields.
When Liu Yifeng learned that these few people were preparing to farm on their own, he kindly advised them. He explained that the reason he could raise the crayfish so well was due to the rejuvenation powder that Tong Tong poured in. No matter how they tried, they wouldn't be able to raise crayfish like him, and they might even lose many of them.
But the few individuals not only ignored his advice but also cursed him, saying he was clearly afraid they'd steal his business and calling him selfish for only caring about his own wealth. Liu Yifeng wasn't a patient man either. Since they had said so much, he stopped trying to persuade them. After all, it wouldn't be him who suffered losses. They would only learn the meaning of "refusing good advice leads to loss" when they suffered losses. Conversely, even if they had listened to him now, they would likely still believe he was preventing them from getting rich.
When Liu Chasheng learned that Liu Yifeng's crayfish had earned a lot of money, he directly handed over his car keys. "Yifeng, Uncle doesn't know your crayfish are this profitable. I tasted the crayfish you made yesterday, and they are indeed very delicious, much better than any I've had before. I know your business will surely grow bigger and bigger, and it's inconvenient without a car. Uncle will lend you this car for a while, you can use it to transport crayfish however you need," he said, handing the car keys to Liu Yifeng.
However, Liu Yifeng did not accept them. "Uncle, it's not necessary. I've already borrowed Qiangzi's old minivan."
"Qiangzi's minivan is so run-down, it's embarrassing to drive. Listen to Uncle, return it to him, and drive mine." Liu Chasheng insisted.
Looking at his uncle who was so willingly lending him the car, Liu Yifeng suspected ulterior motives. Last time, his uncle had reprimanded him for using his minivan to transport crayfish. Now, he was actively bringing him the car keys. As the saying goes, "When a person acts out of character, there's a demon behind it." Perhaps his uncle had something he wanted to ask of him.
"Uncle, I don't need the car. After all, I'm transporting crayfish, and it's not good to get your new car smelling of fish. If you have something to say, just say it directly."
Seeing his nephew's directness, Liu Chasheng sat on a stool, a bit embarrassed. "It's just that Uncle stays at home all day with nothing to do, and I also want to raise some crayfish to sell with you. What do you think?"
Actually, Liu Yifeng had already guessed his intentions, so his words weren't surprising. However, if his uncle were to raise them, the matter of the rejuvenation powder couldn't be kept secret. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to refuse, as they were family, and they saw each other frequently.
"What, is this difficult for you? Are you afraid Uncle will steal your business? Don't worry, I'll take them to the town or county to sell myself. I definitely won't approach your employers or affect your business," Liu Chasheng guaranteed.
"Uncle, it's not that I don't want to teach you. It's just that crayfish are not that easy to raise. If you feel you have nothing to do, you can help me manage the farm. I'll pay you a salary." Liu Yifeng replied.
Liu Chasheng immediately showed his displeasure. "How much salary can that be? I know you earned over twenty thousand yuan all at once. Why do you eat the meat and are unwilling to even give Uncle a sip of the soup?"
Liu Yifeng didn't know how to explain. At that moment, Liu Chunsheng walked in from outside. "Third brother, don't make things difficult for your nephew. I'll tell you the truth: this farming technique was taught to Yifeng by an expert, but the condition is that he cannot reveal it to anyone, otherwise, he'd have to pay a hefty breach of contract fee."
To avoid affecting their family relationship, he had to find such an excuse. This way, Yifeng wouldn't be put in a difficult position, and Third Brother wouldn't force Yifeng to teach him how to raise crayfish. Frankly, his own son was doing business outside and earning hundreds of thousands a year, yet they hadn't included Yifeng in their success. Now, seeing his nephew raising crayfish, they wanted a piece of the pie. In this world, nothing came that easily.
"Really? You're not lying to me?" Liu Chasheng was somewhat skeptical. Where was it so easy to meet such an expert, and they just happened to teach Yifeng how to raise crayfish?
"Can I lie to you? Yifeng didn't major in aquaculture. If it weren't for the expert's guidance, how could he possibly know how to raise crayfish?"
This explanation did have some logic, but Liu Chasheng was still unwilling to give up. "Can't you secretly teach me? If you don't say, and I don't say, the expert surely won't know."