Feeling indebted for the significant help, he couldn't feel at ease without showing some gratitude.
Li Haochen transferred 188,888 yuan to Zhang Zilin via WeChat. Just as he was typing out a few words of thanks, Zhang Zilin’s call came through.
“Hello, what do you mean by sending money?”
“Uh, I…”
“What ‘I’? Don’t get cocky just because you have a little money. Hurry up and treat me to a meal.”
“I… I’m sailing back to Binhai. I’m in the middle of the sea right now. Next time, next time I return, I’ll definitely treat you to a grand meal.”
“Get lost! Ծ‸Ծ!”
Beep… beep… beep…
“Uh? Could she be on her period?”
Returning to the WeChat interface, he was contemplating whether to send those words when he noticed the transfer had been claimed. Below it were a few angry fist emojis and a message: “Add two zeros.”
Damn it, add two zeros? What a demand.
Putting his phone away, he hopped onto his electric scooter and zipped away into the crowd.
Across the street, inside a BMW, Zhang Zilin watched Li Haochen leave. She clutched the steering wheel, sobbing softly.
After a long while, she wiped her eyes and looked at the identification on her ring finger, a wry smile playing on her lips. “In the middle of the sea? Still so straightforward. Heh!”
Outside, the street was bustling with traffic. She gazed out for a long time, then, pushing the lingering figure deep into a hidden treasure chest in her heart, she took out her phone, found the legally recognized partner, and smiled calmly.
“It’s time I learned to adapt to this identity. A married woman.”
After leaving Boguzhai, Li Haochen went to a supermarket, carefully avoiding Wanda Plaza. He would be terribly embarrassed if he ran into Zhang Zilin there.
Back in the village, Li Haochen walked alone towards the small path leading to the back mountain, his mood gradually growing heavy.
The graves were overgrown with weeds, and the tombstones were covered in a thick layer of dust.
He wiped away the dust. Apart from the weeds, Li Haochen sat by the side, looking at the black and white photos, recounting his recent experiences one by one…
In this setting, talking to himself and occasionally chuckling, it was enough to frighten anyone, even in broad daylight.
The sun began to set, casting long shadows as crows cawed.
A few deep caws from the crows lent a desolate air to the graveyard.
He checked the time; he had been here for nearly six hours.
Li Haochen stood up, a touch of sadness in his eyes. Although it had been almost two years, the wound was still raw.
He would be leaving tomorrow. Only Li Dehai and Li Dejun knew about this decision. Otherwise, he’d be returning with sacks full of gifts again tomorrow.
He hadn't forgotten the tasks assigned by Murong Yanran. The day after Li Haochen returned, his paternal aunt had started the pickling process. The weather had been good for the past few days, and the dried vegetables were ready, tied into bundles with packaging twine.
However, the cured meats and sausages hadn’t reached the right stage yet. Li Haochen would need to dry them for a few more days upon his return.
As he was packing his belongings, Li Dejun also came in, carrying two large bags.
“Uncle Jun, what is this…”
“What’s wrong? Can’t your uncle give you anything, hah!”
With no other choice, Li Haochen accepted them.
“That’s more like it. Your second aunt’s dried goods have only been out for a few days, not enough to release the oil, so they’re not edible yet. But your aunt’s are perfectly cured.”
Li Dejun put down the bags and chatted for a while before leaving. He mentioned he had a meeting with a few villages in Sanxiang to discuss joining the cooperative.
The initial plan was to develop only a few villages in their own township. However, they had been persuaded by “Big Pie Brother” to expand. Plans changed, and the project suddenly grew to encompass the entire county. Seedlings, bamboo chopsticks, and mussel farming were all being pushed forward simultaneously, making his head spin.
Especially concerning the bamboo chopstick production, with just one production line, the output for an eight-hour workday was over 30,000 pairs.
The output was decent, but sales lagged far behind. The few shops that Huang Fusheng had managed to secure only consumed about 10,000 pairs a day.
That amounted to only over 300,000 pairs a month.
While the number seemed large, they weren’t worth much. Ten thousand pairs were only worth five to six hundred yuan. Calculated this way, they sold only about ten thousand yuan a month. For the villagers who worked hard, each family earned only one or two hundred yuan.
For this one or two hundred yuan, they had to cut bamboo from the mountain and carry it down every day?
It was possible that after spending the money, they wouldn't even make a profit.
“Sigh, it’s really a headache. I’ll just take it one step at a time.”
Seeing that his packing was almost done, Li Haochen grabbed a flashlight and walked over to Li Dehai’s house.
He saw his uncle mending a fishing net and went over, picking up some thread and a shuttle to help.
“Hmm, not bad. You haven’t forgotten this skill.”
“It’s ingrained, I can’t forget it, hehe!”
“Uncle, what did Brother say about the food processing plant?”
Li Dehai stopped, took a puff of his pipe, and said, “He said he’ll think about it.”
“Yanran Hotel is quite large, and the demand for cured meats, sausages, and dried vegetables can be guaranteed. Although the income might not lead to great wealth, it’s unlikely to be worse than in Modu. With a stronger foundation in her maternal family’s home, it’s also good to have someone to look after her. And a school can be arranged for your aunt to work there. Speak to Brother about it again.”
“I’ll talk to him again tomorrow.”
Seeing that the net was almost mended, Li Haochen drank some water and said, “Uncle, I’ll be heading back now. You should get some rest too.”
“Your father, do you really want Haoyang to come back?”
After Li Haochen left, his paternal aunt, Li Suli, came out, wrapping a thin jacket around herself.
“What, you don’t want him to? We barely see him twice a year, and our two grandchildren are about to be born. If he doesn’t come back, they might not recognize us later.”
“Alas, do you think I don’t want him to? It’s just, when he comes back, his maternal family…”
The influence of her maternal family made Li Dehai feel troubled. He took a deep puff of his pipe and said, “The opportunity has been given to him. Whether he seizes it is up to him. If he misses it, we can’t go looking for Haochen later, understand? He’s helped us enough.”
Li Suli fell silent for a moment, then sighed. “Let’s get some rest. The harvest has been decreasing recently. Let’s go take a look.”
The next day, a strong tremor woke Li Haochen with a fright. Thinking it was an earthquake, he fled outside without taking anything. Seeing a semi-trailer truck not far away, he suddenly realized.
“These speed bumps have to go. Otherwise, a few more jolts and the village will become ruins.”
He walked back into the house, washed up, changed his clothes, and went out.
He arrived at the communal courtyard. They had already started moving the bamboo poles. With his paternal aunt and Uncle Jun’s wife helping today, the speed had increased significantly.
Rural women were no less capable than men. Carrying ten or eight poles was very easy for them.
With two more people, the pace quickened considerably. In less than an hour, everything was moved.
The truck was full, but there were still over a thousand bamboo poles left. They could actually fit on the truck, but being caught for overloading would be bad for Li Rendong. Li Haochen certainly wouldn’t do anything like that.
These few bamboo poles wouldn’t pose a problem for Li Haochen. After all, he still had the “Star” ship, and its deck space was vast.
After loading the remaining bamboo poles onto the truck, he drove to the beach and dropped them into the sea. They were tough enough to withstand any fall without breaking.