"Haochen, you're back."
Murong Yanran walked over and took the bags of groceries from Li Haochen's hands.
"Yeah, where's Shanshan?"
"She just got a call for an interview."
"Oh, I bought her some vegetables too. Well... I'll go take a shower first, and then cook later." After speaking, Li Haochen, carrying a bath towel and underwear, walked into the bathroom.
Before long, cheerful singing could be heard from the bathroom. A few minutes later, a refreshed Li Haochen emerged, wiping his hair and humming a little tune with a happy expression on his face.
"Clang clang clang..."
The clanging sound of a spatula stir-frying in the kitchen attracted Li Haochen's attention. He walked over curiously.
"Ah..."
A sharp scream sent Li Haochen like an arrow from a bow, and he rushed into the kitchen.
"Yanran, what's wrong?"
Murong Yanran's fingers were red, and she clutched her earlobe, tears welling up in her eyes, looking pitifully at Li Haochen.
Li Haochen took Murong Yanran's hand and walked to the faucet, letting the cool tap water wash over her reddened little hand. The cold water quickly covered the burning sensation on her fingers. It felt cool and comfortable.
"If you get burned, you must rinse it with cold water for a while."
Li Haochen gently and carefully rubbed Murong Yanran's small hand and took out a tissue to dry the water droplets. "Don't come into the kitchen anymore. You just enjoy yourself; I'll handle everything."
"I don't want to be a pretty vase..." Murong Yanran pouted and mumbled.
"Be good. I'll apply some medicinal oil later, and you'll be fine."
Li Haochen took off the apron from Murong Yanran and put it on, then walked into the kitchen.
Murong Yanran smiled as she watched Li Haochen's back. Then, she pouted, unwilling to be outdone, and took out her phone to open Xiaohongshu, intently reading various cooking methods for gourmet food.
...
The next morning, Li Haochen drove Murong Yanran to the back door of the shop. Upon entering, Chen He and the others were already in place. The three of them were wearing new clothes and had stylishly slicked-back hair, shining brightly.
"Third brother, how do we look?"
"Cool. If we added a cape and black sunglasses, and maybe some chocolate, we'd totally be channeling Chow Yun-fat."
The three of them's eyes lit up, and they heartily agreed with Li Haochen's suggestion, showing a strong inclination to get equipped immediately.
The four large freezers were already filled with young coconuts, which they had prepared the previous night when they couldn't sleep. They were now perfectly chilled, and a sip would be absolutely refreshing.
Several large flower baskets had been placed at the shop entrance. Two of them were from Murong Yanran, two from Zhang Guifang, and one from Ruan Shanshan. Ruan Shanshan, who was not well-off, also sent one, which touched Li Haochen. Even more astonishing to Li Haochen and the other three was that their homeroom teacher, Luo Bin, had also sent two flower baskets.
The heavy lifting was naturally handled by the boys, while Murong Yanran and Zhang Guifang were busy with delicate tasks like pasting window decorations and posters.
"Congratulations, esteemed bosses! Wishing you abundant wealth and prosperity!"
Ruan Shanshan walked in, holding hands with a sweet-looking girl wearing light makeup.
"Thank you, please come in and have a seat. Oh... and who is this beauty?" Li Haochen walked over and asked the girl next to Ruan Shanshan.
"Oh... this is my friend Zhang Qianqian, whom I met while working part-time. She's a student at the neighboring Finance University. We happened to run into each other on the way, so I brought her along to join the fun."
Just as Li Haochen was about to speak, Chen He and Liu Dehui had already brought out stools and drinks, walking over with smiles. With Li Haochen acting as the intermediary, everyone had basically gotten acquainted.
Chen He and Liu Dehui's ingratiating behavior made it obvious what their intentions were. Li Haochen, seeing that the two girls seemed quite compatible with them, intended to play matchmaker.
Liang Minfeng also understood and kept addressing them as "boss," which gave the two single guys a great sense of pride. Moreover, with such a title, the girls did look at them with a bit more respect, labeling them as young and promising.
Binhai was a coastal city with pleasant weather year-round and beautiful scenery, attracting a constant stream of tourists for summer vacations. Binhai University was a landmark tourist attraction in the city; anyone visiting Binhai would inevitably visit Binhai University, and the pedestrian street adjacent to it was the biggest beneficiary.
Although it was late autumn, the lingering heat wave showed no mercy to Binhai. By nine in the morning, the sun was already high in the sky, with temperatures soaring close to thirty degrees, so hot that the air above the asphalt road seemed to distort.
But no matter how hot the weather, it couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of young men and women for shopping.
As if on cue, the street, which had been sparsely populated moments ago, became crowded within half an hour.
The auspicious time for the opening of Ye Qinxiang was chosen by Liang Minfeng. It was 9:05 AM. Why not 9:00 AM?
Liang Minfeng explained that it was to align with the prosperity stars and the paths to wealth in the birth charts of the four individuals, to determine the year, month, day, and hour of the opening, and to check the auspicious卦象 (gua xiang - divination charts). He said that the auspicious day's five elements and their stems and branches should not clash with the owner's three spheres, and it was important to choose days where auspicious and noble spirits converged.
This fellow spoke with such conviction and authenticity, it made one wonder if he had ever worked as a fortune-teller under a bridge.
"Master Liang, can we begin yet?"
Liang Minfeng put on a scholarly, enigmatic air, like a master of metaphysics. He waved his hand grandly and announced in a resonant voice.
"The auspicious hour has arrived. The God of Wealth is in position. Begin!"
Li Haochen and the others, who had already lined up at the shop entrance holding celebratory cannons, were filled with excitement and anticipation. Upon receiving Liang Minfeng's command, they simultaneously pressed the triggers.
"Bang~ Bang bang~"
Several deafening sounds echoed around them, and countless small, colorful confetti fluttered in the wind, appearing exceptionally dazzling under the sunlight.
"Congratulations, congratulations."
"Shared joy, shared joy!"
The four of them congratulated each other, their hearts brimming with hope and anticipation for the future.
The dynamic and passionate music had already attracted many tourists to stop and watch. Ruan Shanshan and Zhang Qianqian, who were experienced, were already distributing a large stack of promotional flyers among the crowd. The others, upon realizing what was happening, also joined the promotional army.
Despite their enthusiastic efforts, the effect was minimal. Many people were watching, but not many were buying... yet. The reason was simple: the price. Fifteen yuan for one discouraged many.
Seeing this harsh reality, everyone felt deflated, like a rooster that had lost a fight.
"Third brother, should we lower the price...?"
Chen He and Liu Dehui also looked expectantly at Li Haochen, their eyes conveying the same thought.
"Don't you believe in my coconut products?" Li Haochen smiled, unfazed by the slow business, remaining composed.
"This..."
Li Haochen looked at everyone's worried faces and sighed. "Alright, how about this? If there's no improvement by the afternoon, we'll lower the price, okay?"
"That's the only way."
Ruan Shanshan and Zhang Qianqian, who had come to help, also felt awkward. They didn't say anything, continuing to smile and hand out flyers outside.