In the morning, Li Haochen woke up feeling much better, though his body was still weak. He saw Murong Yanran sleeping on the sofa, her face etched with worry. Not wanting to wake her, and still not fully recovered, he returned to his room and lay on the bed playing with his phone.
He scrolled through Kuaishou, then Douyin, finally settling on Bilibili. He wasn't deliberately looking for this platform; he wasn't particularly interested in anime. He landed here because of a short film that evoked a deep memory from his childhood: "Second Uncle."
The plot was similar, but sadly, he could no longer feel that kind of love. He watched the video again, his mood growing heavy. Tears welled up unconsciously, wetting the pillowcase, and he drifted back to sleep in a daze.
When he woke again, it was almost noon. Perhaps it was because he had cried, but his cold seemed to have cleared up. His body felt re-energized, and his nose was no longer blocked.
When he came out, the two women had already gone to work. However, breakfast had been prepared: a light and simple salted pork bone and dried vegetable congee, both delicious and cooling.
After eating his fill and just as he was about to head to the construction site to check on the progress, a message tone sounded: "Alipay has received 970,000."
He excitedly opened Alipay and confirmed it was true. This made Li Haochen beam, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He had already guessed this was his share of the profit.
"No wonder the fourth one said the profit would be enough to cover the down payment. They should each get around 400,000." Thinking of his brothers also earning well, he felt he hadn't failed the promise he'd secretly made.
Earning nearly a million early in the day, his mood was understandably elated. He immediately made the final payment, putting the matter to rest. The payment felt satisfying, a fleeting sense of being a magnate, though his wallet felt considerably lighter afterward.
In a great mood, he bought two packs of good cigarettes and went to the construction site. Everyone was gathered around eating lunch. Li Haochen walked over, looked at their meal, and nodded in satisfaction. "Captain Wang, you're eating."
"Boss Li…"
"Boss Li…"
Seeing Li Haochen arrive, Wang Lunhao and his team started to stand up to greet him. Li Haochen quickly stopped them. "No… I'm not your leader. You don't need to bring workplace etiquette here. Just treat me like you would any friend. I won't be happy if you do that, hehe!"
"Boss Li, have you eaten? Want to join us?"
"Captain Wang, you all eat. I've already eaten. After you finish, take a smoke break and then get back to work. It's quite hot today."
Li Haochen didn't stay long at the construction site. After a quick tour, he was very satisfied with the project's progress. The foundation had already been laid, and in front of it lay the vast sea. It was easy to imagine that once the houses were built, they would be a feast for the eyes.
Leaving the construction site, he headed towards the back mountain. He had originally intended to gather some pine needles for firewood, but he spotted countless moso bamboo growing at the foot of the nearby hills. This sparked an idea in Li Haochen to make mussel cultivation poles.
This was a very ancient method, and if made properly, it could last for three to five years. Furthermore, mussels would grow better on these than on cement poles. The only drawbacks were the complicated and time-consuming production process, the large amount of bamboo required, and why it had been gradually phased out.
Li Haochen was eager to start cutting bamboo and making the poles, as the weather was perfect for speeding up the process. However, the bamboo wasn't his, and he couldn't just start cutting. A few stalks wouldn't be an issue, but if he took many, the owner would naturally be displeased, even if the bamboo wasn't worth much.
Li Haochen took out his phone and took a photo, sending it to the Dalong Village group chat. "Uncle and Aunties, whose moso bamboo is this? I need some bamboo."
"Drip drip drip…"
As soon as Li Haochen sent the message, someone replied in the group. "Little Chen, that's my bamboo. If you need it, just cut it. Cut plenty. It won't grow if it's not cut, hehe!"
"Oh, thank you, Uncle Li!"
After sending the message, Li Haochen clicked on the profile picture on the left and added Huang Yongli to his contacts. It was accepted in less than two seconds. He wondered if the man was just too idle at home.
But then again, it made sense. His children and grandchildren were in the city, and his wife had passed away. Living alone in the village as a "left-behind" elder must be lonely. He probably spent his days waiting for messages from his descendants.
As soon as they became friends, Huang Yongli's chatterbox opened, and he couldn't stop talking, not even accepting the several hundred yuan red packets Li Haochen sent.
Li Haochen was patient, interjecting occasionally but mostly acting as a listener. They chatted for over an hour. Li Haochen didn't complain about Huang Yongli's long-windedness, treating it as volunteer work.
When he asked Huang Yongli to accept a red packet again, Huang Yongli said, "Consider this bamboo payment for relieving my worries. If you want more next time, you'll have to keep chatting with me, hahaha!"
"Thanks, Uncle Li. You're always welcome to chat anytime."
Huang Yongli's everyday stories stirred Li Haochen's longing for his own family. He picked up his phone and called his uncle and his former teacher, Liang Qiujin. He didn't talk for long, just wanting to hear their voices.
After hanging up, he went home to get a chopping knife. He wouldn't cut just any bamboo; he needed to assess its age. Old bamboo was suitable, but tender bamboo was not. Identifying it wasn't difficult; one could tell by the bamboo nodes and leaves. Old bamboo had darker, slightly yellowish nodes, and the leaves were the same.
This bamboo forest was vast, and most of it was old bamboo. Li Haochen didn't have to search much and cut a large pile, around a hundred stalks. He measured them, leaving about five meters in length.
He took a long bamboo stalk, split it into eight sections, scraped out the pith, and the remaining bamboo strips became very strong binding material.
These hundred-plus bamboo stalks were too heavy. Li Haochen bundled them into three large bundles. It took him over ten minutes to move them to the Changxi Creek in the back mountain at the edge of the village. He then went home to find a hammer and smashed each stalk before throwing them into the water to soak.
The process of making these mussel bamboo poles was quite intricate, involving three soaking and three sun-drying stages. The soaking and drying times couldn't be too long; it was usually two soaks and one sun-drying. After drying, there was a final step of spiral binding to complete the process.
By the time he finished, it was almost five in the afternoon. He took a shower and then entered his personal space to retrieve the lobster and the red grouper he had brought back from his fishing trip a couple of days prior.
The lobsters were large. One was filleted and diced for fried rice, and the other was steamed with garlic and vermicelli. The shells and heads were used to make a flavorful broth. The red grouper had its two fillets cut into slices, and the fish was then reassembled with the fillets placed back. With a few small black fungus mushrooms, he prepared an old-fashioned steamed fish.
"Wow… it smells so good."
Murong Yanran and the others came in just as they smelled the aroma. They saw Li Haochen stir-frying something in a large pot. Murong Yanran walked over and chided him, "You still have a cold. You should have waited for me to come back and cook."
"I'm all better now. Look… even Wu Song could defeat him." Li Haochen flexed the muscles in his arm, putting on a show of strength.
"Wu Song, huh? If you're so capable, tell Aunt Lian about your cold last night."
"Ugh…"