Not long after, all the invited friends arrived on time. Boss ladies Ruan Shanshan and Zhang Qianqian also came to help, as they were familiar with the place and felt at ease.
Soon, delicious dishes were served: steamed crabs with roe, steamed black sea bream in soy sauce, blanched sea prawns, scallops with vermicelli, and sea conch chicken and goose, among others. It was incredibly sumptuous. Without the help of the few women, Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian would have been overwhelmed.
No banquet is complete without drinks and cigarettes. Li Haochen fetched two packs of Hongshuangxi and distributed them. He had initially thought of buying Huazi, but decided against it, feeling it might appear ostentatious. So, he opted for the less flashy yet festive Hongshuangxi. He also chose a moderately priced Wuliangchun Golden Label, costing over two hundred yuan a bottle.
"Thank you all for coming. I wish everyone good health," Li Haochen raised his glass, expressing his gratitude to everyone present.
"Yes, good health is the most important. Cheers!"
"Cheers…!"
Glasses clinked and conversations flowed. The entire banquet was filled with a warm and relaxed atmosphere. The amount of alcohol was just right, not so much as to get everyone excessively drunk.
After the meal, everyone sat in the courtyard, sipping Kung Fu tea and chatting about life. Soon, they bid farewell as it was getting late.
When Luo Bin was leaving, Li Haochen gave him several sea fish and a few pounds of snails to take home. Luo Bin initially refused, but felt reassured upon learning that Li Haochen had caught them from the bay he had leased.
Li Haochen called several ride-hailing cars. Only after seeing his teachers and classmates safely in their cars did he return home.
Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian were already in the kitchen washing pots and spatulas. Fortunately, disposable bowls and chopsticks were used for the banquet, otherwise, the cleaning workload would have been exhausting.
"Auntie, I can handle the rest. You've been busy all day and must be tired. Take a break, and I'll take you back."
"Go out quickly, there's just a little bit left."
Ushered out by the two women, Li Haochen sat on the sofa and started watching "Boonie Bears." He had to admit, it was quite entertaining.
After a while, Xie Baolian came out and brought in a bag of things from the car. "Auntie, what is this?"
"Clothes."
"Clothes?"
Murong Yanran came over, took Xie Baolian's luggage, and said, "Auntie Lian is staying for a while."
"What?" Li Haochen jumped up, rolling off the sofa.
"Auntie, did you have a fight with Uncle?"
Xie Baolian rolled her eyes at Li Haochen and pretended to be angry, "What, you don't welcome me? If you don't welcome me, I'll leave."
Li Haochen quickly ran over and held Xie Baolian's arm, "Welcome, welcome! How could I not welcome you? You can stay forever. Come on, don't be angry, give me a kiss…"
"Go, go, go. If you want a kiss, go find Yanran. You said it yourself, I'm staying forever. Hehe!"
Murong Yanran went to help Xie Baolian set up her room, while Li Haochen massaged her shoulders. "Auntie, does Uncle know?"
"I told him when I came. He's always busy and never eats at home, so I'm glad to have some peace. It was quite uncomfortable there, I didn't dare speak loudly, and there were too many rules, I wasn't used to it."
"Auntie Lian, everything is ready. The towels and toothbrushes are all new. If you need anything else, just tell me."
Xie Baolian was increasingly pleased with Murong Yanran. She stretched and said, "Alright, I'm getting old and can't sit still. I need to catch up on sleep, or I'll age faster. You two continue, just pretend I'm not here. I'm used to wearing headphones to sleep, hahaha!"
Li Haochen stumbled, almost falling. Well, the little demon had just left, and now a big demon had arrived.
The next morning, accompanied by the two women, Li Haochen brought many offerings to the dock. Upon seeing the boat, the two women couldn't take their eyes off it and happily ran up to look around.
After a sincere offering, the two women clamored to go out to sea. Li Haochen had no choice but to let them, as long as the fuel was full, a leisurely cruise would be fine.
Li Haochen sat in the captain's cabin and sounded the horn. "Toot~" The long blast echoed, inspiring a sense of ambition.
The boat slowly left the dock, gradually picking up speed. The vessel proudly lifted its bow, like a runaway celestial steed galloping across the waves. The buildings behind gradually shrank. The sea breeze whistled past, and the calm sea was cut by a long wake as the boat surged forward, evoking the spirit of riding the wind and breaking the waves to set sail for the vast ocean.
Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian stood at the bow of the boat, spreading their arms, embracing the sea breeze and the dawn.
"Ah…"
Shouts of exhilaration erupted from the two women, releasing their pent-up negative emotions.
After playing for a while longer, they headed back, as it was almost time for work. They reluctantly gazed at the vast, boundless sea ahead.
After parking the boat, Murong Yanran and the others drove back to their respective workplaces.
Since the sea fishing competition was the next day, Li Haochen removed the two newly installed nets. He had originally planned to bring a full set of diving equipment, fish cages, and crab cages, but these were prohibited in the competition. He had to postpone these ideas. Naturally, fishing nets and longlines were also banned.
This sea fishing competition was unprecedented, not only in recent times but throughout history. It had already risen to a higher level, attracting the attention of provincial authorities, and Ling Hanfeng had also received praise from provincial leaders.
Due to the increased scale of the competition, media from all over the country would be live-streaming it online. Given the importance of the city and province's reputation, anti-cheating measures were extremely strict. Getting caught would not be a trivial matter; it would result in the permanent revocation of licenses, a truly severe penalty. Of course, participants could also choose to withdraw midway by simply notifying the organizing committee, which was quite a humane approach.
After packing everything, he locked the cabin and rode his little E-Moped home. The two women were not returning for lunch, so Li Haochen casually prepared something to eat. After eating, he went to the supermarket for a major shopping spree. He needed many things: toiletries, change of underwear, and bedding. Rice, flour, oil, and salt were also essential. Since they were departing the next day, he would have to go to the market early tomorrow to buy vegetables and meat.
He called a Didi to help move the purchased items to the dock. With the cost of a pack of Furongwang cigarettes, he borrowed the security guard's tricycle. It took over half an hour to load all the items onto the boat. After storing the supplies, he locked up, returned the vehicle, and went home.
As soon as he returned home, he received calls from Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian, informing him that they would not be home for dinner. "Alright, I'm alone again."
On this long night, after eating a simple meal of noodles, Li Haochen took a bucket and shovel and headed to the beach to catch sand crabs. He was afraid Murong Yanran might want to eat them in the future and wouldn't be able to find any. Today, he played the villain, catching all of them, regardless of size. After scouring the beach several times, he returned home contentedly. The half-bucket of sand crabs was poured into the spatial beach. In less than two months, the spatial sand crabs would be enough to satisfy their appetites.