News of the several large, several jin wild yellow croakers at the Binhai Grand Hotel spread like wildfire, drawing a crowd of rich patrons who vied to acquire them. Ultimately, they fell into Li Yandai's possession, though the exact price paid remains unknown. That evening, the influential patrons who had competed for the fish were all invited to sample the delicacy, with Li Yandai being the biggest beneficiary, needless to say.
At this moment, the large screen on the main stage of the Binhai Pier Sea Fishing Competition displayed the first set of results: First Place, Li Haochen, ¥142,026.
He was currently topping the leaderboards, though this was only because his Starfish was the first to return.
The two arrived home past ten in the evening. Seeing Xie Baolian's car was gone, he asked in confusion, "Yanran, did Aunt Lian go back?"
"Mm, she said this morning she had some things to attend to and would be back in a few days."
"Ah… oh…"
Li Haochen yawned incessantly, his fatigue evident. "Is that so? Then I'll go take a bath first. I'm so tired."
"Hurry and go. I'll give you a massage when you come out."
Half an hour later, when Li Haochen emerged, Murong Yanran was already sitting on the sofa in a thin nightgown. After Li Haochen sat down, she walked behind him and began to massage his shoulders.
Murong Yanran's touch was not strong, but it was incredibly comfortable, as if a little elf were dancing on his body.
After ten minutes, Li Haochen was already dozing, his eyelids struggling to stay open even with the help of a toothpick. He had no choice but to give up on enjoying it further. He returned to the bedroom and, less than ten seconds after lying down, was already emitting soft snores.
The next morning, Li Haochen woke up to the sun already high in the sky, blazing brightly. Murong Yanran had already returned to the hotel for work, and of course, a loving breakfast had been prepared.
Ten hours of high-quality sleep had Li Haochen feeling refreshed and full of energy. While eating the loving breakfast, he busied himself replying to the thousands of messages he had received the previous night.
There were messages from high school classmates, school teachers, and his brothers and sisters from Li Family Village. Nearly everyone he knew had sent a message, and even Li Qianrong had sent one.
Seeing the greetings and blessings from these familiar relatives, friends, classmates, and teachers, he couldn't help but feel touched.
The popularity of Li Haochen's video had even reached their distant hometown. The elders of Li Family Village were greatly gratified, and their county's education system had even organized a special lecture on learning from classmate Li Haochen.
After breakfast, Li Haochen rushed to the warehouse. Coconut meat was once again in short supply. The influx of tourists, coupled with the closure of Mu Shaoyang's coconut meat shop, had made Li Haochen's two Coconut Fragrance shops bustling with customers. Even Liu Zijun's One-Flavor Stewed Soup business was exceptionally popular. The three shops consumed at least three thousand young coconuts daily.
He locked the door and meticulously checked everything once more. Assured of safety, he entered his personal space. As usual, he first took a stroll around Jiuzhou Island.
Li Haochen was somewhat excited because the speed at which Jiuzhou Island was growing had increased, by about 25 centimeters. Furthermore, the conch population was also reproducing very well.
"It's time to provide some conch for Yanran's hotel. Over 20 jin a day should be no problem."
Without delay, Li Haochen exited his space and went to a nearby fishing tackle shop to buy several net bags and fish guards. While purchasing these items, Li Haochen considered buying fish traps and crab cages. Since they wouldn't exceed 20 jin, he could bring them into his space, allowing him to use them covertly the next time he went out to sea. However, the thought of his video saving the sea turtle made him abandon the idea instantly.
Especially those three lively yellow croakers, they had already attracted a lot of attention. He still felt a chill thinking about it. "I'll never do things like that again. It's okay to earn a little less money."
He re-entered his space and spent over an hour gathering more than a hundred jin of conch, setting them aside. Picking up the fruit-picking artifact, he continued his work. After another six or seven hours, he had picked at least twenty thousand young coconuts before stopping.
It took another hour to transport the young coconuts out and organize them. Just as he finished and locked the door, he received a transfer notification from the Binhai Grand Hotel for a total of ¥320,000.
This amount was not actually set by Murong Yanran, but by Yang Tao. He had offered ¥300,000 for the three large yellow croakers yesterday, and when combined with the other sea fish, that was the total. Murong Yanran also supported this, not because Li Haochen was her boyfriend, but based on business principles and integrity.
Li Haochen happily accepted the payment, not offering any insincere remarks like "you've paid too much." He felt he had earned it and was at peace with it.
With his mood uplifted by the substantial sum, he rode his electric bike to the pedestrian street. Passing a beautifully decorated fruit shop, he went inside. Hmm… the prices were just as beautiful. He bought two portions each of Musang King durian at ¥110 per jin, Rose Scented Green Grapes at ¥68 per jin, and Chilean Yellow Cherries at ¥389 per jin, spending ¥2,750.
However, he felt no pang of regret. Having just earned so much money, what was wrong with spending a little? Moreover, he was buying them to benefit his employees who were working hard to help him earn more, as well as his brothers and sister-in-law. He shouldn't be so calculating. In business, generosity leads to greater fortune.
Upon arriving at the branch store, he saw an unexpected person, which surprised Li Haochen a bit.
"Luo Xiaoling?"
"Ah… Hao… Haochen!" Luo Xiaoling hadn't expected to run into Li Haochen here and became flustered for a moment.
"Xiaoling, you go back first. I'll pick you up after work tonight… Ah, Boss, you’ve… you’ve arrived."
Li Haochen watched the two with interest, causing both Xiaonian and Luo Xiaoling to blush.
"I… I'm going back to work."
Luo Xiaoling, being shy, couldn't handle it and mumbled a sentence before leaving the coconut shop.
Seeing Luo Xiaoling leave, Li Haochen walked over and patted Xiaonian's shoulder. "She's a good girl. Don't fail her, or I won't let you off."
Xiaonian relaxed slightly, then said with determination, "Don't worry, Boss. I'm not playing around; I'm serious."
Li Haochen had noticed Xiaonian's performance during this period and understood him to some extent. Although he lacked formal education, he was a diligent and responsible person.
Li Haochen simply nodded and said no more. As for how they met, it was self-evident. One delivered coconut, the other was an employee at One-Flavor Stewed Soup. It was only natural for sparks to fly between them.
"You've all been working hard recently. When A-Long and the others return, tell them that starting next month, everyone will get a ¥200 increase. Keep up the good work!"
After chatting with Xiaonian for a while about the store's affairs, Li Haochen left a portion of the fruits and rode his electric bike to the main store.
"Third Brother!"
The moment Li Haochen entered, Chen He, Liu Dehui, and Liang Minfeng rushed forward and gave him a big hug.
"Have you eaten? Come over and sit." Liang Minfeng pulled Li Haochen towards the dining table.
Li Haochen indeed hadn't eaten and didn't stand on ceremony, taking Ruan Shanshan's chopsticks and bowl to start eating. Looking at the rich spread of dishes on the table, he teased, "Oh ho, you bosses are living the good life now. You're even willing to eat those large prawns worth over a hundred yuan."