As they were about to part, both felt a bit down. During dinner, the usual cheerful banter was absent, and neither had much appetite.
After a hasty meal, they returned to their respective rooms.
At this moment, a Gulfstream G650 landed steadily at Binhai Airport. Stepping off the plane were none other than Murong Yanran and Li Qianqian.
“Auntie, I’m going home now. Come visit us when you have time.”
“Yanran…” Li Qianqian stopped herself as she spoke. Watching Murong Yanran’s retreating figure, she murmured, “This is the sorrow of great families. I can only cover for you for so long. Your future depends on your own destiny. That old woman from the Chen family is not to be trifled with…”
The mere thought of Zhan Tai Liya, Chen Junlin’s wife, sent a shiver of fear through Li Qianqian, despite her own status among the four great families.
The Zhan Tai family was the head of the four great families, far surpassing the other three. They were, in essence, a dominant force. Moreover, they had intermarried with many other families, including the Chen family, one of the four great families, which spoke volumes about their power.
It was she who had intervened back then, forcing Chen Junlin and his sister apart. If she were to discover Murong Yanran’s existence…
Li Qianqian broke out in a cold sweat. She immediately called her elder brother. “Brother, you need to talk to my sister-in-law and Xiu Yan. Don’t leak any information. If Zhan Tai Liya finds out, Yanran might…”
“Don’t worry, I’ve made arrangements. They’re going abroad for a vacation.”
“Yes, as long as it’s arranged, I’ll do my best to keep an eye on things here too.”
After hanging up, Li Qianqian let out a heavy sigh. Li Haochen’s image flashed involuntarily in her mind. “Little guy, if only you had a more formidable background…”
While Li Haochen was contemplating life in his room, the screech of car brakes outside disrupted his thoughts. He pulled back the curtains, his face instantly lighting up with a smile, and he rushed downstairs.
“Didn’t you say you’d be back in two days?”
Seeing Li Haochen, Murong Yanran dropped her luggage and ran towards him, throwing her arms around him. “I missed home, and I missed you!”
“Let’s go home, I’ll cook you something delicious!”
Li Haochen and Murong Yanran walked into the house hand in hand, Li Haochen carrying a suitcase. Xie Baolian also came out and was overjoyed to see Murong Yanran. “You’re back! Come here and tell me what happened.”
Xie Baolian pulled Murong Yanran towards a nearby sofa, clearly intending to chat for at least an hour. Li Haochen, of course, went to prepare a late-night snack. Regardless of whether one was hungry, the first thing upon returning home from a trip was to savor the taste of home.
As Li Haochen was simmering congee, he grabbed a headlamp and a bamboo basket and headed down to the vegetable patch. It hadn't been tended to for a week, and many weeds had grown, with many vegetables having gone old. The only thing unchanged was the chives, which were still lush and green.
He selected some tender lettuce and cabbage and returned to the kitchen. By then, the rice cooker was already bubbling, with a rich aroma of rice wafting from the vent. Even if he wasn’t hungry, the intense smell of rice made his mouth water involuntarily, saliva oozing out.
After washing the vegetables, he retrieved the instant noodle cake he had soaked while draining the water. He tested its softness; once it was satisfactory, he heated a large wok with oil.
Garlic paste, cured meat, and preserved sausage were added sequentially. As the fragrance erupted, he turned down the heat and added the pre-soaked noodles. After adding seasonings, he stirred them over high heat for two minutes. Finally, he added tender green vegetables and stir-fried for a short while longer before it was ready to be served.
As the noodles were cooked, the white congee was also ready. Congee paired with stir-fried noodles was a perfect combination.
“Stop chatting for now, come and eat. The noodles will be cold and won’t taste good.”
Li Haochen brought the late-night snack out to the living room table. The two women were deep in conversation, showing signs of continuing all night. This wouldn't do; they had been holding back for a week, and it was time to let loose. He quickly interrupted them.
The late-night snack was simple yet profound; it was a meal of home and love. The three of them finished the large pot of congee and the big plate of stir-fried noodles.
After eating, Xie Baolian didn’t continue to chat with Murong Yanran. She couldn’t misunderstand Li Haochen’s slightly wistful gaze.
In the room, Murong Yanran nestled against Li Haochen’s shoulder, her expression troubled. “What do you think if I sell the hotel and the land?”
“What happened?”
Murong pondered for a moment before recounting her aunt’s proposition to invest in the hotel. “What should I do? I don’t want this hard-won familial affection to be strained.”
“Can you bear to part with it?”
“I…”
“Follow your heart; the answer is within you.”
After a long silence, Murong Yanran let out a sigh and then smiled. “What Mother left me, I must protect it well.”
Seeing Murong Yanran’s gloom dissipate, Li Haochen was in high spirits. Tonight was destined to compose some astonishing musical movements.
The next day, upon waking, Li Haochen found that Murong Yanran and the others had already returned to work. The room still held the lingering, intoxicating fragrance from their passionate performance the night before.
He opened the curtains, feeling the early spring temperature, and gazed at the distant sea, a faint smile on his lips. “A new day begins!”
After a loving breakfast, Li Haochen called Huang Haibo and the others to deliver materials for the fish cages. During this interval, he entered his space to process the day’s batch of coconut seedlings.
Not long after he emerged from the space, two large trucks drove into the villa. The quantity this time was even greater, double what had been delivered the first time. Fortunately, the yard was large enough; otherwise, it would have been unmanageable.
After Huang Haibo and his crew left, Li Haochen began transporting the materials onto the floating beds in his space. Although he could enter and exit in an instant, the sheer volume meant it took nearly three hours to move everything. By the time he finished, he was almost dizzy.
This was only a few thousand, and there were over ninety thousand more… Thinking about it sent a shiver down Li Haochen’s spine.
After washing his face, Li Haochen went to the kitchen to prepare lunch and dinner before heading to Butterfly Bay to set traps.
The following time was, of course, dedicated to his space development plan, a daily routine that could not be neglected. As long as he continued this day after day, he would eventually reach the pinnacle.
Returning home after a day of labor, Li Haochen received a call from Xie Baolian. Well, these two women had gone out to enjoy themselves again.
Li Haochen lamented with a song by a famous singer, “Ending a busy day, returning to familiar loneliness… Always the same plot, the same dialogue… Sigh!”
Fortunately, he had prepared dinner in the morning, so he didn’t need to cook.
As he came out after showering, the two women walked in with beaming smiles, their hands laden with several exquisite shopping bags, indicating they had been out boosting the economy again.
“So happy? Did something good happen?”
“Guess?”
“Did you find money?”
“Pretty much, hehe!” Murong Yanran pulled out a scratch-off lottery ticket from her bag and said with a giggle, “I bought two from the lottery machine outside the beauty salon just now, and I didn’t expect to win, hahaha!”