The next morning, over a dozen people arrived as scheduled. While Chen He and his group were moving the items for the camping trip, Li Haochen and Murong Yanran brought their children to the guardhouse.
The two little ones, upon seeing Wang Xiaoming, scurried over and clung to him, "Grandpa Ming, do you have candy?"
"I want some too, Grandpa Ming!"
"Yes, yes, yes, Grandpa was prepared, hahaha…"
Wang Xiaoming was overjoyed. He handed over two large bags of snacks he had prepared to Li Haoran and Li Wenxuan, holding one child in each arm, which made them giggle uncontrollably.
"Uncle Wang, you spoil them too much."
"I'm happy to, hehe!"
It was evident that Wang Xiaoming genuinely liked Li Haochen's children. Perhaps it was a case of loving the owner and extending it to the house.
"Alright, we're setting off. Ranran, Xuanxuan, say goodbye to Grandpa Ming."
When Li Haochen and his group returned to the boat, Chen He and the others had already moved all the supplies aboard. The items were so numerous that the entire deck was piled high like a small mountain. One might have thought they were fleeing to a deserted island.
"I say, the three of you, are you planning to live on a deserted island for a year or half a year?" Li Haochen's expression darkened, and he said speechlessly.
"Nonsense… you don't know the first thing about living," the three said in unison, giving Li Haochen the international gesture of disdain.
"Fine, I don't know about living. You guys can move it onto the island later." Li Haochen shot them a glance. With so much stuff, relying on those kayaks, how many trips would it take? They'd soon find out how tough it was.
"Let's go!"
Li Haochen, holding his son, sat in the captain's seat and placed his hand on the horn button. He pressed down hard, and a deafening horn blast echoed across the dock. The little one became interested and pressed it again. Li Haochen quickly stopped him, patiently explaining, "Ranran, you can't press the horn twice when driving. Daddy will tell you when and how to press the horn…"
Under Li Haochen's careful guidance, the little one nodded as if understanding, then obediently ran back to the room to play with his sister.
By a little past three in the afternoon, they finally reached the outskirts of Dunhuang Island. Li Haochen's old bones were nearly worn out. He hadn't driven a boat in a long time, and this long trip had consumed a lot of his energy.
"We've arrived. Everyone get ready to disembark."
"Oh my, we're finally here. I'm so tired of sitting."
"Alright, hurry up and help move the stuff. Do you think we haven't heard your snoring from the moment we boarded until now?" Zhang Xiufen glared fiercely at Liang Minfeng and kicked him in the leg, "What are you waiting for?"
"Going now…"
Watching the two of them, everyone laughed. This was their way of interacting; they were truly affectionate. Li Haochen and the others weren't envious because they had their own ways of showing marital love.
While they were busy, Li Haochen had already prepared the kayaks. By the time all the people and items were transported to the island, the sun was already setting.
"Now you know the suffering of bringing so much stuff, right? This morning you were all so smug. We have to do this again the day after tomorrow. You really don't know the first thing about living, huh, haha!"
"Ah, we have to do it again?"
"No…"
Having experienced the pain of carrying, the "three musketeers" were miserable and simply lay on the beach like corpses.
Although it was tiring, bringing so much stuff had its advantages for Chen He and the others. Looking at those large plastic water containers, they wouldn't need to set up freshwater devices and could comfortably take a bath.
After setting up the tents, the men went to gather dry firewood and move stones to build stoves, doing the heavy work. The women, of course, prepared the ingredients and seasonings. The children were thrilled; with all the tools, they were so engrossed in playing with sand that they didn't want to leave even when hungry.
The evening activities were very rich. Besides barbecuing, fireworks were an essential part. They had bought over a dozen boxes, enough for adults and children to enjoy to their heart's content.
The beautiful fireworks added a lot of romance and warmth to the dark night.
Late at night, after the children were asleep, Li Haochen and the other men began their sand crab hunting. Coming here, how could they miss out on sand crab congee? While they were busy catching sand crabs, Murong Yanran and the other women started a fire to cook the congee, as they too were craving it.
In recent years, they had all been busy, and their time together was limited. They cherished this rare trip exceptionally.
After a three-year absence, Chen He and his three companions had a remarkably abundant catch of sand crabs, which impressed Li Haochen somewhat.
"Not bad, you actually caught so many."
"Of course, who do you think you're looking at? Your Brother Feng…"
"Rubbish, who got pinched just now, almost crushing the sand crab with a thousand pounds of force, hahaha…".org
"Damn it, boss, I can't be friends with you anymore…"
Dealing with the sand crabs was naturally left to Li Haochen; otherwise, they would likely let out spine-chilling screams.
Soon, a wave of fragrance wafted throughout the island, whetting the appetites of the eight people.
A large pot of sand crab congee was completely devoured by the few of them. The ones who ate the most were surprisingly not Liang Minfeng; Chen He and Liu Dehui took the first two spots. Their intentions were clear to everyone; this was a great tonic. After eating their fill, they naturally returned to their camps to try for a baby.
That night, the sounds of love filled the air, composing one romantic and beautiful melody after another.
The next morning, while everyone was still in a deep sleep, Li Haochen woke up early. Facing the first rays of dawn, he took a deep breath, feeling refreshed.
Picking up his buckets and clamps, he headed towards the nearby reef area. The tide was receding that morning, making it the best time to search the reefs.
"So many?"
Upon reaching the reef area, Li Haochen was astonished by the abundance of sea snails clinging to the rocks or nestled in the crevices. "Could it be that no one has visited this island in years?"
Without thinking too much, he felt it was even better. With such richness, he could carefully select the largest ones to take back and savor. "What a pity, if only I had space…"
Thinking of his space, Li Haochen was lost in thought again, which made him nostalgic for the days when he had it. After a long while, he sighed again, "Alas, it's completely gone."
Regaining his composure, he delved back into the reef area to search. As he walked, Li Haochen reached a more distant area. The tide was already rising, and the water reached his calves. Looking at his full bucket of harvest, he smiled with satisfaction.
Just as he was about to head back, some strange splashing sounds caught his attention. "What's that noise? Could a big fish be stranded?"
Following the sound, he saw a giant sea turtle not far away, splashing its flippers against the water.
"A sea turtle?"
What Li Haochen found curious was that it wasn't stranded or injured. It was just splashing the water and making noise, and it seemed to be looking at him, its eyes as if it recognized him.
"Why do I feel a sense of familiarity? Could it be the one I rescued before?"
Li Haochen walked over. The sea turtle stopped splashing and stared at him with bright, alert eyes. Suddenly, it made a move that Li Haochen didn't expect.
It shed tears from its eyes and whimpered, looking extremely pained. Fearing it was in trouble, Li Haochen reached out to stroke its head. Just as he was about to check for injuries, the sea turtle's neck suddenly made a gulping sound, and it opened its mouth wide, letting out a soft cry.
At that moment, Li Haochen was stunned by a round bead that the sea turtle held in its mouth. A familiar aura washed over him, giving him a sense of connection through blood.
He rubbed his eyes again. It wasn't a dream. Li Haochen, filled with disbelief and excitement, exclaimed, "This… this is the spatial bead!"