Chapter 4

As the fishing boat moved forward, the appearance of the small island became clearer, but Qin Shaou's heart, which had been filled with enthusiasm, grew colder.

He had thought that this fishery would be a paradise, but what he saw was a desolate island with a decent size.

From the boat, he could see some bungalows and buildings on the island, but they were sparse. Albach said that was Farewell Town, and Qin Shaou felt that the town might have a population similar to two villages back home, probably less than two thousand people.

Because it was early spring, the island, not far from the Arctic Circle, was still in winter, with snow covering the ground everywhere. There was also a small snow-capped mountain that took up half of the island, completely covered in white snow.

Around the island were six or seven small docks, all of which were messy and dirty, with damaged fishing nets tangled on the rocks and crudely made small fishing boats随意停靠在海岸上。

However, Albach was right about one thing: the air here was very fresh. After getting used to the faint fishy smell of the seawater, there was indeed a sweet taste.

"Damn, it's so primitive," Qin Shaou said with a bitter smile.

His fishery was at the southernmost end of the island, surrounded by a fence made of maple wood pieces of varying lengths, forming an estate. The area was quite large, about ten square kilometers, or ten thousand acres. If this were in China, it would be very valuable, but unfortunately, this was Canada, probably one of the cheapest places in the world for land.

When they arrived at the fishery, Qin Shaou couldn't move in because the houses hadn't been cleaned for a long time.

Albach sent him to a small, traditional inn in the town to rest, saying he would take him to file taxes and complete the necessary procedures in the afternoon.

Qin Shaou was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep as soon as he got to the inn.

In his dream, Qin Shaou was on a luxury cruise ship, surrounded by beautiful women from all over the world, commanding the winds and waves. Suddenly, someone shook him awake. When he opened his eyes, he saw Albach's stern old face.

"Let me sleep a bit more, I'm so tired," Qin Shaou said, hugging his pillow tightly.

Albach smiled and took out a Nokia phone to show him a photo. The photo was of a beautiful woman with a gentle smile, the flight attendant who had comforted him on the plane.

"Did you take a偷拍?" Qin Shaou asked.

Albach shook his head and said, "When you reach my age, you'll know, young man, women are like bones! But I believe this photo will cure your laziness."

Indeed, seeing the gentle and beautiful flight attendant, Qin Shaou woke up.

Albach explained, "You need to adjust to the time difference, so you can't sleep during the day. Even if you're very tired, you have to endure it. When night comes, you can have a good sleep. I swear to God, you'll adapt to Canadian time after that."

Qin Shaou scratched his head and said with a sheepish smile, "Mr. Albach, I don't think it's necessary. I plan to sell this fishery and take the money back to China."

"Very regrettable, young man," Albach said with a smile, not looking down on him. "It seems you haven't studied your grandfather's will carefully. His will states that the fishery cannot be sold. If you insist on selling it, the St. John's government will forcibly take it over!"

Qin Shaou was taken aback. "Grandpa, what kind of joke is this? You really want me, your unworthy grandson, to inherit your legacy? You should see if I have the ability and talent for it!"

Albach encouraged him, "Cheer up, young man. Your grandfather and I were close friends. He told me he believed you would make this fishery world-famous and bring glory back to the Newfoundland fishery."

Qin Shaou's face fell, and a thousand horses galloped through his mind: "What good does his belief do me?"

"Let's go, we'll go to the town's tax office to confirm the taxes you need to pay," Albach finally gave Qin Shaou a heavy blow, making him realize that there are no free lunches, only iron cakes!

"Do I have to pay taxes? I asked you before, and you said Canada has no inheritance tax!" Qin Shaou exclaimed.

Albach smiled and said, "That's true, Canada has no inheritance tax, but there is a probate tax."

The probate tax is a fee charged when a will is validated by a court to transfer assets such as investments and property. Although the executor of the will has the legal right to handle the estate, the court's validation is required for the transfer of assets, and this validation comes with a fee.

Albach told Qin Shaou that in Newfoundland, the tax rate applies to estates over 25,000 CAD, with a rate of 14,000 CAD for every 1 million CAD, 28,000 CAD for 2 million CAD, and so on. This means Qin Shaou would have to pay 520,000 CAD in probate tax, which is about 3 million RMB.

Qin Shaou was furious and shouted, "You lied to me!"

Albach said sternly, "You can give up the fishery and receive a 12.8% subsidy from the government, which means you can still get a lot of money."

"But," he continued, looking at Qin Shaou intently, "do you know how the Great Qin Fishery was established? It was your grandfather, a foreigner with yellow skin, who, under countless white eyes and oppression, used his wisdom, perseverance, diligence, and foresight to earn it with great hardship! Son, your grandfather is the most upright man I've ever met! Do you understand what I mean? Don't disgrace such a man!"

Qin Shaou said, "Do you think I want to disgrace him? But I have less than 20,000 RMB on me, and my family has at most 200,000 RMB in assets. How can I pay 3 million RMB in taxes?"

Albach sat next to him and said, "The tax is already nine years overdue, and it doesn't matter if it's another nine years. Do you understand what I mean? You have enough time to make money with the fishery!"

Qin Shaou wasn't a coward. Since there was still a glimmer of hope, why not give it a try?

The town's tax office was only open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Albach asked why, and was told that the town was poorly managed, and the government couldn't afford to pay the salaries, so they had to reduce the working hours of civil servants to cut costs.

Qin Shaou was both amused and frustrated. It seemed the leaders in Canada were having a tough time, which added to his concerns about the future of his fishery.

Albach drove his old Ford car around the town, showing Qin Shaou the environment and helping him relax.

After a few twists and turns, the car arrived at a lake. The ice on the lake had just melted, and the water was crystal clear, with some floating ice blocks like mirrors.

The lake was picturesque, with green water plants and white ice blocks. Occasionally, water birds flapped their wings and flew around, and fish leaped out of the water, making it a beautiful and fertile scene.

Albach introduced, "People only know that Ontario has many lakes, but Newfoundland has many too. This small lake is called Treasure Lake, and it's said that many treasures were once sunk here..."

"I really want to jump in and see if I can find anything," Qin Shaou said dejectedly.

At that moment, a fishing boat slowly approached. A short and sturdy middle-aged fisherman waved to Albach, "Hi, Mr. Schurman, are you and your friend here to spear fish? Come on, let's do it together."

Since they were just there to relax, Albach took Qin Shaou onto the fishing boat and introduced, "Spear fishing is a recent activity in North America. Come on... oh, damn!"

Before he could finish, the boat startled a large carp about a meter long. The carp, startled, leaped out of the water, catching the three people on the boat off guard. The fisherman and Albach instinctively dodged, while Qin Shaou stood dumbfounded at the stern and was hit by the carp's tail, which was like a fan, and was swept into the lake.

"Quick, save him!" Albach shouted anxiously.

The carp's tail was rough, and its spines were as sharp as knives, cutting Qin Shaou's chin.

Qin Shaou felt as if he had been hit by a small car, performing a fancy flip and falling into the water. No one noticed, and at that moment, the blood from his chin dripped onto the Heart of Neptune hanging from his chest!

As he fell into the water, Qin Shaou felt a deep blue before his eyes, as if he had entered not the clear lake water but a vast sea. The lake water filled his nostrils, and he even smelled the briny scent of the sea.

Then he saw the Heart of Neptune floating in the water, and the blue light he saw was coming from it!

The blue light flashed and, in front of Qin Shaou, the Heart of Neptune transformed into a dense blue light and entered his body!

Qin Shaou was pulled back onto the fishing boat, looking dazed. At that moment, a hazy image appeared before his eyes:

Ripples in the water, sea grass swaying, a few catfish about the length of a palm happily emerged from the mud at the bottom of the lake, opening their mouths to search for food and algae in the stirred-up mud. When he looked up, he saw a boat-shaped object floating above him—wasn't that the fishing boat he was on now?

But, what was happening? How could he see the bottom of the lake and even feel the emotions of the catfish?!

&&&& I hope everyone will follow this book. I believe it will not disappoint readers who enjoy rural leisure and farming stories.

Page Flip AD Start

Page Flip AD End