The two women whispered in the covers, perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, saying everything, very boldly.
Liu Zijun, now a young wife, spoke without restraint, saying anything that came to mind. With her experience, she was naturally adept at such matters, speaking eloquently and vividly.
Murong Yanran nodded frequently, humbly receiving her advice.
"Hic... Yanran, if you follow my advice, you'll definitely win him over quickly, hee hee!"
"Oh, I... I won't! It's too shameful, hic...!"
As the alcohol took hold, both women babbled on in a daze before falling asleep embracing each other.
The next day, Li Haochen woke up early and prepared breakfast for the two women. He left a note and headed to the construction site.
"Uncle Bo, Auntie, starting so early? Have you had breakfast?"
"Oh, Haochen. Yes, we've eaten. The project is progressing well. In a few more days, it will be completed, and then we can start on the bridge deck and guardrails."
Li Haochen looked at the frame, which was more than half done, and nodded with satisfaction.
After leaving, he drove directly to the pedestrian street branch. Business had improved slightly over the past two days, gradually picking up, which indicated an increase in repeat customers.
"Anian, how much inventory do we have left?"
"Boss, it should last for another two or three days. If business returns to its previous level, it would probably only last for one day."
Li Haochen fell into thought. Now that Liu Zijun was living at home, it was inconvenient to move coconut fruits from home into his space. Moreover, the shop stayed open until almost eleven at night, which was also too late.
"It seems I need to rent a factory."
He couldn't think of a good solution for the moment, so Li Haochen put it out of his mind. He believed in letting things take their natural course, a trait that prevented him from getting stuck on problems.
The branch sold over seventy young coconuts that morning, which Li Haochen was very pleased with. Compared to the neighboring Coconut Palace, it was nothing, but given the price, it was understandable.
He gave Anian some instructions and called Chen He, telling him he wouldn't be coming for meals during this period.
After all, with Liu Zijun living at home, it was inconvenient to eat at the shop. It was better to cook at home. Why look at a few pigs when there was a beautiful woman to be with? What a fool that would be. Beautiful things always made people happy and hungry.
Seeing that it was still early, Li Haochen drove his three-wheeled vehicle around the neighborhood, looking for a suitable factory.
He spent the whole morning searching but couldn't find anything suitable. It wasn't that there were none, but the places were too large, covering over a thousand square meters, and they weren't for commercial use, just warehouses, and the prices were exorbitant. He turned and left.
He went to the wet market and bought a lot of meat and vegetables. He noticed the seafood and conch specialty store next door. The prices were outrageously high. A mere four taels of whelk cost 230 per jin, while clams were 28, and even small mussels were 5 yuan. It made Li Haochen want to open a conch shop immediately, as he had plenty of conchs in his space.
He decided against it. He didn't want to trouble himself. One coconut stall was already keeping him on his toes; how could he manage multiple shops? If he wasn't busy in the future, perhaps, but who could say no to more money?
He mounted his vehicle, enduring the scorching sun, and hurried home. "I really need to get a driver's license. This weather is terrible."
After a while, he faintly heard the sound of hawkers shouting their wares, spreading intermittently around him, becoming clearer as he got closer. "Clearance sale! Don't miss out! Selling at a loss to go abroad, pots, pans, rice cookers, induction cookers, refrigerators, televisions, everything..."
Li Haochen looked from a distance. Wasn't this the place he had eaten at with Huang Haibo a few days ago? A going-out-of-business sale?
Li Haochen drove closer. Good heavens, a dense crowd of elderly people had gathered, blocking the way completely.
Here, someone complained that a plate had a slight scratch, but refused to let go, insisting on finding fault with the seller to get an even lower price.
The entire scene was chaotic and noisy. Some were even taking advantage of the chaos to pilfer small items like chopsticks and spoons. The owner was so angry he stomped his feet. He wanted to chase them, but feared more items would be stolen, making it not worth the trouble. He could only pick up the loudspeaker and curse at the few old thieves who were walking away.
Having been cheated once before, the owner was clearly much more cautious. His eyes were wide open, and his head was constantly scanning left and right like a fan on the oscillation setting.
The sharp eyes of these elderly people, honed over decades, were not to be trifled with. Anything that caught their fancy was undoubtedly a good item, as evident from their wrinkled, smiling faces.
Before long, most of the items were snatched up, leaving only the slightly flawed or damaged ones. The few larger items, like pots and stoves, were bought by those planning to enter the catering industry.
"Peh~"
The middle-aged man took out all the cash from his waist pouch, spat a little saliva on his index and thumb, and began counting.
"Uncle, can I ask you something?"
The man frowned. "Uh, where was I?"
"Alright, I'll have to count again." He looked angrily at Li Haochen, displeased. "What is it?"
Li Haochen knew he was in the wrong. He bowed apologetically and said, "Sorry, uncle, for interrupting your business. I wanted to ask about this shop..."
"Go ask the district manager. This is their area." The man didn't give Li Haochen a chance to finish, quickly saying this before continuing to count his money.
After thanking him, Li Haochen rode his bike home. If he didn't return soon, he feared the two "divine beasts" would do something to him.
Murong Yanran had changed her image today, wearing tight shorts that reached mid-thigh, paired with a fitted short-sleeved sports top, perfectly accentuating her figure. She felt so shy that she almost hid. She didn't have such clothes; they were Liu Zijun's. Moreover, she had been coerced into wearing shorts that barely covered her bottom, making her so shy that she burrowed into the covers and dared not come out. It was too revealing, and she didn't dare wear it in front of Li Haochen, fearing he would misunderstand.
She changed back into the shorts and fitted sports top, looking in the mirror, feeling shy and beautiful, somewhat anticipating Li Haochen's reaction.
"I still think those hot pants from earlier were better. If you shake your little butt a little, he'll definitely fall under your spell, hee hee!"
"Oh, you're going to kill me! I won't wear them!" Yet, Murong Yanran had a fleeting thought of Li Haochen seeing her in those hot pants.
"Ah, what's happening to me?" Murong Yanran touched her hot cheeks and shook her head.
"Reversing, please be careful..."
Hearing the sound, Murong Yanran ran out impatiently, her large, watery eyes fixed on Li Haochen.
"Yan..."
Li Haochen looked at Murong Yanran before him and couldn't even speak. All that could be heard was a sound from his throat, and saliva almost dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Seeing his reaction, Murong Yanran was overjoyed and giggled, "Do I look good?"
"Ver... very good!"
Recollecting himself, Li Haochen quickly went to close the courtyard gate tightly, stating with a serious expression, "You can't wear them outside."
"Mmm, I'll only wear them for you to see," Murong Yanran said, her face flushed, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"What are you mumbling about?"
"Uh, nothing."