Li Hao Chen made up his mind and went to the city design institute to have a detailed conversation with Liu Xuan.
Two hours later, Li Hao Chen had signed a contract with the design institute and paid a deposit of 1.5 million yuan, with the remaining payments to be made in stages.
Leaving the design institute, Li Hao Chen touched his bank card, which only had tens of thousands of yuan, and gave a wry smile. "Buddy, I've emptied you out again. Oh well! Alright, time to go make money at sea. I still owe 3 million yuan for the balance."
Li Hao Chen went to the warehouse to replenish his coconut jelly supplies, then headed to the pier. The afternoon sun was still scorching, but it couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the tourists.
This sea fishing competition had boosted the entire coastal economy. Not to mention the hotels and restaurants, even the mobile vendors were making a fortune.
Li Hao Chen bought a bowl of frozen jelly from an elderly person's stall by the roadside. The taste was authentic, and he knew at first bite that it was definitely made from pure mesona chinensis. He silently praised the conscientious vendor.
Passing by the main stage, Li Hao Chen stopped and looked at the leaderboard. Sea King was still in first place, with an amount as high as 1.08 million yuan, the only boat to break the million mark among all participants. Mountain Wind was surprisingly in second place, with an equally impressive 780,000 yuan, a number that was still out of reach. None of the top eight on the leaderboard were local, which somewhat displeased the local fishing association and officials.
Although there were only three days left in the competition, Li Hao Chen expected little change on the leaderboard, with any shifts likely only among the bottom seven or eight places.
Li Hao Chen even considered withdrawing now and buying fishing nets and crab cages, but then he thought that it was only three days left and gave up the idea. "Just three more days, let's finish what we started."
Many tourists recognized Li Hao Chen. The short two-hundred-meter walk to Star Gazer saw no less than seven or eight people stop for photos. Li Hao Chen was very generous and obliged, enjoying the brief taste of stardom.
After a few days' absence, Star Gazer had accumulated a thin layer of dust. Li Hao Chen meticulously cleaned it. He still had half a tank of oil left from the ten barrels he bought in Zhoushan last time, so he didn't need to refuel, only topping up the water tanks.
After disembarking, he went to the security office, gave Bao Huazi and Wang Xiaoming some cigarettes, exchanged pleasantries, and then rode his bicycle home.
Just as Li Hao Chen arrived, Murong Yanran walked in with Xie Baolian.
"Mom, Yanran, why are you back so early today?"
"I promoted Yang Tao to deputy general manager, and he can handle many matters now. I don't have to be so busy."
"Haha, that's great. Find a couple more assistants, and you can come with me to explore the seas."
"Go, go, don't corrupt Yanran. She's delicate; if you make her all dark and rough, I wouldn't forgive you even if you did." Xie Baolian glared at Li Hao Chen, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared to give him a lesson.
Li Hao Chen sensed trouble and quickly fled.
Xie Baolian gave Li Hao Chen a glare, then walked into the dining room, put on her apron, and started preparing dinner. Murong Yanran also put on an apron and went in to help.
The meal was simple home-style cooking: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, steamed pork ribs, and a dish of preserved tofu with water vegetables. Simple, yet more delicious than any delicacies.
"Mom, Yanran, this is the rendering from the design institute. Take a look."
Li Hao Chen handed over his phone. He didn't dare mention Liu Xuan, fearing Murong Yanran would misunderstand.
"Wow, this Chinese style is beautiful! I love the color combination. The outdoor garden design is also great, and there's an orchard and a vegetable garden. We could be self-sufficient."
"Yes, I like this Chinese style too, but... Hao Chen, how much is this Chinese style?"
"4.5 million yuan, hehe!" Li Hao Chen didn't dare to lie. Xie Baolian would find out from Liu Xuan, so there was no point in deceiving her.
"4... 4.5 million?" Xie Baolian's legs felt a little weak. She had always thought one or two million would be very luxurious, but this amount shocked her.
"Son, how about something simpler?"
"Mom, don't worry. Don't forget your son still has the coconut jelly shop. And it's not a full payment; we have plenty of time to prepare the rest. Besides, I've already signed the contract, and there's no going back, hehe."
"You rascal, but this design is indeed excellent. It's expensive, but so be it. At worst..."
"At worst, what?"
"Hmph, just eat your food. Why worry so much? Eat, eat..."
After dinner, the three of them gathered around the television. Li Hao Chen gathered his courage before speaking, "Mom, Yanran, I want to go out to sea fishing tomorrow."
After saying that, Li Hao Chen dared not even breathe or look up at them.
"Sigh... Go ahead. But think carefully before you do anything, remember you have us at home."
They weren't going to tell Li Hao Chen not to go to sea anymore. The previous incident was just an accidental occurrence, and the chance of encountering it again was very, very small. People could choke to death on water; should they stop drinking water? In this regard, Xie Baolian and Murong Yanran were very understanding.
"Mom, don't worry."
Li Hao Chen didn't make any boastful promises. Just those three simple words held his sole promise to the two women.
Murong Yanran took out two safety talismans from her pocket and hung them around Li Hao Chen's neck. She and Xie Baolian had gone to the temple to pray for them yesterday. The previous one had been lost while saving someone.
"Wear them well and don't lose them."
That night, Li Hao Chen voluntarily offered to give the two women massages, even extending the session, to appease them.
The next morning, when Li Hao Chen woke up, Murong Yanran was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He walked over, tucked a stray strand of hair behind Murong Yanran's ear, and said, "You have dark circles. Go back and get some sleep."
"Mmm, I'll go back to sleep after you've eaten."
To encourage Murong Yanran to go back to sleep quickly, Li Hao Chen wolfed down the large plate of breakfast on the table.
Seeing Li Hao Chen finish his breakfast, Murong Yanran smiled, walked over, straightened his collar, stood on tiptoe, and gave him a kiss. "Don't push yourself if anything happens. You haven't married me yet."
As soon as Li Hao Chen reached out, Murong Yanran turned around with her hands behind her back and skipped back to the room.
"I wanted a couple more kisses. Really, why run so fast!"
After packing all his fishing gear, he rode his electric scooter to the market to buy vegetables and meat for the next few days.
When he arrived at the pier, many crew members were already busy, likely preparing for one last push.
He went to the fishing tackle shop and was dismayed to find a red notice posted at the entrance: "Proprietor celebrating a happy event."
However, it wasn't a big problem. He had plenty of space mussels, which were excellent bait, just a bit more troublesome to use.
On board, Li Hao Chen carefully inspected the ship again. Everything was ready. He blew the ship's horn, and Star Gazer slowly sailed out.
"Fighting for the house, let's go!"