Wu Butong had never suffered such humiliation before. He had been bested by Zhang Tianxing twice now.
He returned home in a furious mood, utterly displeased. His usual methods of throwing money around had proven ineffective, leaving him at a loss for what to do.
Seeing Wu Jiuping return home, he tried to slip away, but Wu Jiuping called out to him.
"Did you go to see Zhang Tianxing?"
"Yes, that brat doesn't know what's good for him. He said everything would be handled according to regulations, and whoever is capable can take the lead."
"Oh, I see. You don't need to worry about this matter anymore," Wu Jiuping said calmly.
"Brother, are you really going to pay a deposit of a hundred thousand yuan? That's not a small sum, and it's clearly a setup to fleece people."
"We'll pay it first. I'm determined to secure this crayfish association; it will be of great benefit to my overall plans. Besides, after paying this hundred thousand, Zhang Tianxing will have to live long enough to spend it."
Hearing this, Wu Butong obediently shut his mouth. Since Wu Jiuping had made up his mind, he would leave the subsequent matters to his brother and continue to be the playboy he was.
He had been in Zhonghai for too long and hadn't gone out to have fun in ages.
Wu Jiuping thought to himself that if Zhang Tianxing insisted on following the rules, then so be it. He, Wu Jiuping, didn't believe he couldn't win over a few crayfish businessmen with money. By then, the entire crayfish association would be his.
What was a hundred thousand yuan? For the Wu family, that was merely Wu Butong's monthly allowance, so they had the confidence.
However, even mountains of gold and silver could be spent. The fortune left by the older generation couldn't be squandered by them; they had to find ways to turn policies into wealth.
Under heaven, no merchant is not profit-driven. By then, those in the crayfish association would realize that following Wu Jiuping would bring them benefits.
That Zhang Tianxing was simply a novice, merely riding on the coattails of being the first to popularize crayfish.
Wu Jiuping burst into laughter. "Crayfish, artificial breeding ponds, Zhang Tianxing, I will defeat you in the very area you are most skilled in, and you will learn that in the face of capital, all else is powerless."
It's just contracting shrimp ponds? My brother will also contract one, and it will be even bigger than yours. Then people will see who is stronger and who is weaker.
By then, the position of chairman will be within my grasp. Others will not be qualified. I will use the crayfish industry to elevate my family to a new height.
No sooner had he thought of it than he acted. Wu Jiuping quickly headed to Yan Cun Township, requesting to contract one hundred mu of shrimp ponds, near Liang Cheng's ponds.
First, he would ensure the scale surpassed Liang Cheng and Zhang Tianxing's.
This way, there would be a comparison, and everyone could immediately see the gap in their strengths.
"Liang Cheng, you have an opponent who has come to your doorstep. They've contracted one hundred mu of shrimp ponds near yours, double your current area. There'll be a show to watch soon."
"Get lost!" Liang Cheng said irritably. Just as he feared, this was clearly an unwelcome guest. It was as obvious as a louse on a bald man's head.
However, guests were still guests. Everyone could raise crayfish, just as Zhang Tianxing said, there were plenty of profitable businesses in the world, and he couldn't monopolize them all.
"Liang Cheng, be honest. Do you have confidence? We're all contracting because of Zhang Tianxing. He said if we don't make money, he'll compensate us three hundred yuan per mu."
Liang Cheng spat indignantly, "A true man keeps his word. Tianxing wouldn't lie. Even if the monk runs away, the temple remains. I still have to live in this village. If I can't find Tianxing, find me. I'll stand by his word."
Hearing Liang Cheng's words, everyone felt reassured. The arrogance of Wu Jiuping's party suggested they were not on good terms with Liang Cheng.
Liang Cheng was from their village. Wu Jiuping was an outsider. What good was a powerful dragon from afar if it couldn't be commanded in their own territory?
However, if they retreated now that someone had come to their doorstep, they might as well give up on this land.
Liang Cheng glanced at Wu Jiuping, "Are you also in the business of raising crayfish?"
Wu Jiuping nodded, "The inaugural crayfish festival was a success. As a Zhonghai native, I am proud of crayfish, which is why I've invested my entire fortune into it. I heard this place is known as the 'Hometown of Crayfish,' so I came here to raise them. I hope for your continued support in the future."
Liang Cheng snorted, "Boss Wu, with such a grand undertaking, you are a role model for me to learn from. We are all inferior."
*Look at you, thinking you're so great just because you have some money. I, Liang Cheng, have seen much more. Back in Russia, those famous traders treated us with respect.*
*You, Boss Wu, coming here to be my neighbor, copying everything I do, just on a larger scale, and speaking with a hint of superiority. This is clearly an attempt to step on me. I smell a conspiracy here.*
Liang Cheng looked at Liang Juan, "Sister, what's the background of this Young Master Wu? Why did he contract hundreds of mu of shrimp ponds in Yan Cun Township right next to ours? And whatever we do, they do the same. Why are they competing with us in everything?"
"Don't pay them any mind. Their true colors will show eventually," Liang Juan said. If she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't dwell on it.
As long as they did their own jobs well and there were no disruptions on their end, there wouldn't be any major problems.
Liang Cheng still felt uneasy. He found Zhang Tianxing and explained the situation.
"Tianxing, I suspect that Young Master Wu has ulterior motives."
"Second Uncle, your guess is correct. That Young Master Wu wants to become the chairman of the crayfish association." Zhang Tianxing hadn't expected the opponent's move to be so swift.
It seemed they were determined this time.
However, was Wu Jiuping prepared? Becoming the chairman of the crayfish association was not a simple matter.
He wouldn't be so naive as to think that by raising crayfish on a larger scale than him, he would be able to defeat him.
The crayfish farming business was deep and complex. If one wasn't an expert, getting rich in this line of work was difficult. Zhang Tianxing would tell him:
"You're overthinking it. There's no easy money to be made."
However, this Wu Jiuping was quite cunning. To replace Zhang Tianxing as the chairman of the crayfish association, he was doing everything Zhang Tianxing was currently doing, but on a significantly larger scale.
This way, in every aspect, he would comprehensively suppress Zhang Tianxing, thus allowing him to question Zhang Tianxing's position as chairman.
Liang Cheng saw this situation very clearly. He understood that these young masters were like stubborn dog-skin plasters, troublesome to deal with.
He hadn't expected this young master to also be interested in crayfish. Zhang Tianxing had suffered a completely undeserved calamity.
"Second Uncle, don't worry about him. Like my mother, focus on our own affairs and don't mind others. Let the wind and rain rage, I will remain unperturbed."