Even though it was quite late, there were still quite a few night owls who had just finished their revelries and came for late-night snacks.
As it happened, two tables of young customers arrived, a mix of men and women, still smelling of alcohol, likely having not had enough fun at the club and continuing their high outside.
Seeing the business coming, Huang Fusheng chatted with Li Haochen for a bit before rushing into the kitchen.
"Miss, I'd like to pay."
"Hello, our boss has already settled the bill for your table."
Just as Li Haochen had guessed, Huang Fusheng didn't collect any money. However, Li Haochen was prepared, having a rough idea of how much their meal and drinks had cost.
Li Haochen didn't imitate those stunts from Douyin, placing the money on the table and using a cup to hold it down before quietly leaving.
That kind of move was either for fools or for those whose brains had been squeezed. Leaving money on the table? It would be a miracle if it wasn't taken.
He took out five hundred yuan from his pocket, launched a surprise attack, threw it in front of the cashier, and bolted.
"Hey... Don't run!"
The cashier behind him chased after Li Haochen with the money. From an outsider's perspective, it looked like someone was skipping out on the bill. Several warm-hearted men joined the pursuit, shouting loudly, but their speed wasn't exactly impressive.
Seeing the cashier stop, those men also halted, doing high-knee kicks and feigning exhaustion, their eyes fixed on her bulging chest. "Miss, are you... alright?"
"Uh... I'm fine, thank you all."
However, the woman inwardly sneered, "They get tired after running just a few dozen meters? How quick..."
It was well past midnight when Li Haochen returned home. He tiptoed inside, intending to get clothes to shower. A sticky note was already on his room door: "Your clean clothes are in the bathroom, Shin-chan, (^_^) giggle!"
He didn't know why Murong Yanran liked these kinds of underwear. Recently, she had even bought two pairs of SpongeBob and Minions for Li Haochen. When he put them on, the eyes would jiggle, making him feel rather awkward.
The next day, at broad daylight, Li Haochen was awakened by the frantic ringing of his phone. As he looked at it, his face twitched.
He scrambled out of bed, washed up, and grabbed his net bag, rushing to the entrance of Butterfly Bay. He didn't even have time to eat his cherished breakfast.
Entering his space, Li Haochen hastily put on his snorkeling gear and dived in.
"So many Siganidae?"
The underwater scene startled Li Haochen. A large school of young Siganidae were gathered around the base of the coral reef, searching for tiny food particles along the sides.
The numbers were considerable, easily over a thousand. This was the largest school of fish Li Haochen had discovered in his space's ocean so far.
As he swam along, besides Siganidae, he also spotted the young of the colorful wrasse and yellow sea bream. Their numbers were sparse, not many, but this discovery delighted Li Haochen immensely.
"Not bad, not bad. I can already smell tons of cash, hehe!"
It was too early to talk about money; the fish schools were still too small. Li Haochen didn't indulge in further daydreams and decided to focus on something more practical, like sea snails.
Li Haochen had brought a small net bag this time, which he could use to scrape along the coral reefs, much like painting a wall. Although many slipped through from the sides, the sea snails were very dense. A single scrape would yield a dozen or twenty, and in a few swipes, he'd have several catties, greatly increasing efficiency.
Besides the sea snails like conches and periwinkles, Li Haochen also collected quite a few drills and periwinkles. This way, his shop wouldn't look too monotonous. More choices were an important way to attract customers. If there was only one type, even dragon meat would eventually become tiresome.
As for the more expensive ones like turban shells and rock crabs, their numbers were also considerable, but the base population was too small. If he were to sell them, the consumption rate would far exceed the reproduction rate, and within a few days, they'd likely be depleted. It was better to let them solidify their foundation first.
He collected a net bag of each of these four types of sea snails and also broke off two to three hundred catties of mussels. These were the most abundant in his space. Fortunately, the mussel bamboo poles at home were already made. Once they were delivered, he could start large-scale aquaculture in his space. In a year or two, he could indulge to his heart's content.
"Xiao Nian, come over to move the snails and deliver the goods to Sheng Ge."
Li Haochen brought out these sea snails without changing his clothes. He still needed to go in again. He was returning to his hometown tomorrow, so he had to prepare enough stock for the next few days for his shop.
Not long after, Gu Xiaonian arrived in his three-wheeled vehicle. Without much time for conversation, he loaded the sea snails onto the cart and hurried to the market. Several repeat customers were waiting for the sea snails, so there was no time to waste.
After locking the gate, Li Haochen re-entered his space. He wasn't in such a hurry this time; there was still plenty of time.
"It's been a while since I've taken a good look at Jiuzhou Island."
Li Haochen walked slowly along the beach. The demand for coconut products had decreased significantly, so he hadn't picked many. Many coconuts had ripened, and some had even fallen.
He picked one up, shook it, and it made a rattling sound. The coconut water was still very abundant.
He threw the coconut back onto the sandy ground, patted the sand off his hands, and said with some emotion, "It's a shame, such a large coconut grove, it would be great to move it outside."
After walking only a few steps, Li Haochen stopped. "Move it outside?"
This one casual remark seemed to open a new door for Li Haochen, and he immediately burst into laughter, "Yes, why didn't I think of this, hahahaha!"
Excited and agitated, Li Haochen hugged a tall coconut tree beside him and shouted with joy, "Out."
"Holy crap..."
He did get out, and the idea was sound, the coconut trees were also brought out. But without the support of the soil, as soon as the coconut trees emerged, they began to press down towards Li Haochen. He exclaimed in shock. Fortunately, his reaction was quick, and he instantly went into the space with the coconut tree to avoid disaster, and then immediately exited the space to escape the calamity.
"Damn, I almost killed myself," he said, looking at the mangled awning behind the gate, his face turning dark. "I have to install it again. Consider it paying for safety, sigh!"
Entering the space again, looking at the mess around him, Li Haochen felt a lingering fear. If he hadn't reacted so quickly, he would probably have been turned into a flattened patty.
Of course, the scene just now was merely an experiment by Li Haochen. If a coconut grove suddenly appeared like that, it was likely that satellites from various countries in space would be emitting question marks.
Li Haochen's hometown was a coastal area, with ten villages and eight surrounding it. There were countless barren coastal lands. If they could be integrated for planting coconut groves, it would have considerable development potential. However, normally, planting from seedlings would only begin to yield fruit in seven to eight years, which was too long.
But he had ready-made ones in his space. As long as they were transplanted outside, it would be a huge fortune.
This unintentional attempt also helped him find a new path for the development of his hometown. Combining it with the bamboo processing plant, with a two-pronged approach, both the village and the surrounding areas would benefit.
"I need to think carefully about how to operate this."