Chapter 1598 - 1569: A Feng Shui Treasure Land

Marcus Quinn noticed that ever since Arrin arrived at Anfield Village, she had become more lively and cheerful, even more concerned about the Holiday Village matters than he was. This made him somewhat happy, and he responded only after she finished putting on her shoes.

In the front yard, Uncle Shui was nervously asking Aunt Shui to make tea. Watching five or six people get out of the car, each one seeming quite distinguished, including the familiar agricultural expert, Mr. Weng, who had specially come last time to inspect the soil and had sent many organic seeds afterward.

Uncle Shui became even more nervous upon seeing this, hoping that Marcus Quinn would come out soon.

Now, Mr. Weng had been to the Holiday Village before and almost couldn’t recognize it after coming back a month later. Though it was late at night, the Holiday Village had installed street lamps and ground lights during its renovation. The garden trees were wrapped in colorful lights, making the entire village illuminated like a fairytale castle, with a night view that didn’t fall short of the provincial capital’s.

Mr. Weng almost thought he had come to the wrong place, but seeing the navigation was correct, he hurriedly led the group through several twists and turns to find Marcus Quinn’s farm.

The whole village had been remodeled, and the Quinn family’s estate naturally also underwent significant improvements. On both sides of the estate, small scenic fountains were built, with exotic stones brought from outside. Water trickling down the stones flowed over the white pebble stones in the pond, surrounded by some flowers and plants. Water lilies were planted in the narrow pond, looking much better than the previously bare entrance.

"Mr. Weng, is this the small village you were talking about?" The people traveling with Mr. Weng had heard him mention on the way that the village was relatively backward and they should adjust before driving to the county for lodging that night. Once arrived, what kind of angelic beautiful village was this? It seemed Mr. Weng had a misunderstanding of the word ’backward.’

Mr. Weng laughed dryly twice and said, "Young people are amazing, transforming this village in just a month."

"Let’s hurry and find out where those fish are. Let’s get down to business." The most urgent was Oliver Zolotov, an expert in fish physiology and aquaculture.

When Marcus Quinn posted videos and photos on his social network, everyone saw the fish was indeed beautiful, entirely golden, with a slender body swimming agilely and shimmering with a golden light, ten times more beautiful than koi and far more slender. While others might have watched out of curiosity, Marcus Quinn’s network mostly consisted of academics who spent their lives researching, so the curious wanted to understand. Thus, everyone kept sharing it.

In Mr. Weng’s circle, there were naturally fish experts, and upon seeing this, his phone blew up with calls. Oliver Zolotov, a quick-tempered and impatient person, hastily tried to add Marcus on WeChat but failed. Mr. Weng kept trying to contact Marcus but couldn’t reach him either. Probably Marcus wasn’t checking his phone. Oliver Zolotov, anxious as ever, slapped the table and personally rallied people to head over that very night.

As Marcus came out with Arrin, they saw a stern-looking, short old man in his 60s rush up and ask, "Young man, is the fish you caught today still here?"

"Old Zhou, don’t be so hasty. Now that we’re in Anfield Village, it won’t run away." Mr. Weng quickly pulled him back and smiled at Marcus, "Marcus, this is Mr. Zhou, the fish expert from the provincial capital. Is the fish you posted today still here?"

"It is." Marcus glanced at the phone lying on the table, swiped it open, and indeed, saw the messages exploding. He didn’t bother to check them, instead introduced the three experts, along with three assistants and drivers who came along. Mr. Weng specializes in agriculture, Mr. Zhou in ichthyology, and the other was Mr. Jiang from the Agricultural Institute, who came to conduct research.

Marcus led everyone to the canteen. Fortunately, there were street lamps and ground lights along the way, so even at night, it didn’t require additional lighting.

"Marcus, the last time I came, the village was pitch black, but these street lamps are nice, even tree lamps." Mr. Weng smiled at Marcus and Uncle Shui, with whom he was familiar, seeing the lights all along the way.

"Arrin is afraid of the dark, so we installed quite a few lights in the village." The typically silent man walking in front unexpectedly blurted out this sentence.

Everyone: "..."

What kind of public display of affection is this?

Then they noticed that Marcus had been holding the hand of the young girl beside him the entire time. Even at night, the girl had jet-black hair and fair skin, with a delicate palm-sized face. Standing next to the 1.9-meter-tall man, she looked even more endearing.

Old as they were, watching young couples in love suddenly made them nostalgic for their long-gone youth.

The group, with a combined age reaching hundreds of years, felt their hearts breaking.

Arrin, noticing everyone looking at her, gave a shy smile and tugged at Marcus, gesturing for him to tone it down and stop saying more.

The man lowered his eyes to look at her. Seeing her ears had turned red, he stopped speaking.

It only took a few minutes to reach the canteen, and the door wasn’t locked. Most villagers didn’t lock their doors, given how good the security was. If anything happened, the whole village would come out; it wasn’t necessary to lock doors.

Marcus turned on the canteen’s lights, and Mr. Zhou hurriedly ran forward, only to find the prized, possibly golden fish species casually placed in a broken wooden bucket with only half a bucket of water. He immediately slapped his thigh in despair. They were treating such a rare species like this! Luckily, the fish looked quite lively and full of spirit.

"Bring the equipment over quickly," Oliver shouted, then carefully took the net bag from his assistant, put a beautiful fish species inside, and placed it in the research tank he brought for this occasion. After catching one fish, seeing there were so many, his hands trembled with excitement. While catching, he reprimanded Marcus Quinn, saying, "How can you just put the Gold Thread Fish in a wooden bucket? These fish are extremely delicate, difficult to raise, and only survive in specific water. Is your water tap water or something else?"

Marcus Quinn didn’t get angry at the reprimand. Seeing this old gentleman so anxious about the fish, Water Uncle and Water Aunt also became quite anxious. However, Ada lightly curled her lips and said, "Oliver, there are plenty of these fish. We just casually caught many of them, and there are plenty in the lake behind the village."

Upon hearing this, Oliver’s grip on the net bag slipped, and the fish fell back into the wooden bucket, splashing water all over his face.

Oliver stared dumbfoundedly at the young girl and asked, "Is what you’re saying true?"

Ada nodded and pointed to the pool in the canteen, where there were plenty of fish too.

Oliver threw the net bag back to his assistant and hurriedly ran to the poolside, seeing the pool full of fish. The precious Gold Thread Fish was mixed with various carp, black fish, and chub, nearly causing him to black out. Such wasteful extravagance—these brats were going to be the death of him.

"Oliver, these fish belong to Marcus Quinn," Elder Weng said, grabbing the obsessed researcher Oliver, laughing, "It’s already midnight. Even if you want to research, you have to wait until the morning. Plus, you need Marcus Quinn’s approval."

Marcus Quinn calmly said, "No worries, feel free to research. But what exactly is the deal with these fish?"

Half an hour later, Oliver finally calmed down, realizing that these fish could live for so many years and grow this large, so staying a night would be fine. The group returned to the estate and explained the situation.

Turns out, the Gold Thread Fish had long been extinct, categorized as a first-class national rare fish. Due to particularly harsh conditions needed for their cultivation and survival, they have always been extremely scarce, with one being worth a fortune, only appearing at national banquets.

The flesh of the Gold Thread Fish is tender, indescribably delicious, rich in various nutrients. Eating this fish regularly can delay aging and extend lifespan, hence also called Longevity Fish. It’s called Gold Thread Fish because its belly glows in the dark.

Seeing Oliver so excited, Ada and the others realized these fish were indeed valuable and unique.

Ada instantly became happy and said, "Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Is it really the Gold Thread Fish?"

"No mistake, the head is just bigger, a bit larger than the ones in the reference images I studied, but the basic features match," Oliver declared confidently.

"Marcus Quinn, let’s eat Gold Thread Fish tomorrow," Ada looked at Marcus Quinn with glowing eyes.

"Sure," the man replied with a smile without a second thought.

"You can’t eat them; these fish are extinct," Oliver said anxiously. Once his research is done, if these are indeed Gold Thread Fish, they’ll have to be transported to the Imperial City. Not even national banquets serve Gold Thread Fish.

"There are so many, why can’t we eat them? Besides, since they’re extinct, they might only survive in Anfield Village. Eating one or two doesn’t matter—the lake has plenty," Ada said with a smile. "Oliver, don’t you want to taste the fish? Plus, Marcus Quinn’s cooking skills are excellent."

Oliver was swayed by her words, and his old-age cravings started acting up. At his age, with not many desires, good food was the only savior.

Oliver found her arguments reasonable. It’s impossible to transport the fish to the Imperial City. What if they can’t survive there? So he laughed heartily, "Then I’ll stay in the village and won’t leave until my research is done. Just calculate the expenses and cover them."

"Alright, then you’re our Holiday Village’s first guest during the trial opening, and you get a 50% discount," Ada said joyfully, then looked at Elder Weng and others. They all expressed their desire to stay instead of going to the county. Seeing Gold Thread Fish in this village means there might be more good things later. Such a beautiful Holiday Village, they have to claim a spot first.

These old scholars are each sly and cunning.

Thus, research was put aside first. Ada excitedly led everyone to check the rooms. Six people came and stayed in three houses. Ada initially wanted to save them room costs, but these old folks insisted on picking a single large bedroom with a courtyard, enchanted by the sunbathing and chess-playing potential. Indoor was as beautiful as anything. Each chose a large bedroom with a courtyard and wouldn’t share. Hence, Ada arranged three houses, each expert staying with their respective assistant.

The Holiday Village’s room fees were naturally the main costs. A standalone house with a large bedroom costs 1288 per night, while the upstairs secondary bedroom costs 888 per night. Even with a 50% discount, the six of them staying one night cost over 3000.

On the first day of the Holiday Village’s trial opening, the income was exactly 50,000.