"Welcome to First Stew Soup," Liu Zijun greeted them as more people began to trickle in. Since preparations were made in advance, Liu Zijun didn't need to busy herself in the kitchen and sat by the cash register, chatting with Murong Yanran.
Seeing Li Haochen arrive with three girls, they understood the situation. Murong Yanran had already told her about it, and she agreed with finding more part-time staff to help, which would ease the burden on her and Murong Yanran, even if it meant earning a little less.
"Yanran, Zijun, let me introduce you. This is Li Yanmin, and these are Luo Xiaoling and Zhao Xiaoxi. This is my girlfriend, Murong Yanran, and this is her partner, Liu Zijun."
"Welcome to the three of you," Murong Yanran said, extending her hand to shake theirs one by one. Liu Zijun did the same.
"Hello, bosses."
A Lian and A Hong, busy in the kitchen, also took a moment to come out and greet them before returning to their work.
"It's almost mealtime. You should eat first. Can you start working later?"
"Yes, we can."
"No problem."
"Haochen, what do you want to eat?"
"I..." Ever since being dragged out to be a test diner yesterday, Li Haochen felt a chill looking at the steamed rice. He quickly fled out the door. "I won't eat. I'm not hungry. I'm leaving now."
"This guy!"
Around 6 PM, Binhai Plaza was bustling with activity, especially the top-floor dining area. First Stew Soup had a strong start in the morning, with many shop employees returning. Due to limited space and few seats, many opted for takeout.
With the addition of Luo Xiaoling and the others, even the busy dinner service could be handled smoothly.
Li Haochen went downstairs to Dagu Rice Noodles and ordered a bowl of big bone rice noodles. It cost 36 yuan, which was a bit pricey, and the taste was just average.
With more people, Li Haochen no longer needed to be there; he also needed to earn money. Murong Yanran's card only had a little over 200,000 yuan left. Combined with the tens of thousands from his coconut shop, it was barely enough to cover the final payment for the boardwalk.
He took a taxi back to school to pick up his little Aima. As he was leaving, he encountered Li Qianrong on the campus road. She was still in Zhang Zhihao's car, laughing and chatting as they passed by.
Li Qianrong also saw Li Haochen but pretended not to. She was in no position to mock or ridicule him now.
Returning home, Li Haochen gathered his tools and headed to his usual spot. He had bought two packets of bait today because Murong Yanran's shop wouldn't close until at least 10 PM, and one packet of bait wouldn't be enough for those few hours.
Many people were night fishing tonight. Li Haochen found an empty spot and prepared to start. To prevent the fishing rod from being dragged away again, Li Haochen specifically found a nylon rope to tie the fishing rod's handle to a concrete block, a few meters long, which didn't affect his fishing.
It was the same old routine: bait the hook, cast to the side. With a swoosh, it flew far. Judging by the sound, it was at least forty meters.
As he was reeling it in, Liang Pinliang also walked over with his fishing gear. "Haochen, night fishing again?"
"Oh, Brother Liang, you too?"
"Can't help it. Besides smoking, this is the only thing I can't quit, even if I catch nothing. Heh heh!"
After a brief chat, Liang Pinliang left, not wanting to disturb Li Haochen's fishing. Of course, as he left, he didn't forget to mention selling him any fish he caught.
Li Haochen reeled in with anticipation, but when the hook was close to the shore, there was no reaction. His usually infallible first cast ended up empty today. Where was his promised golden finger?
Without thinking, he continued baiting and casting. After three consecutive casts without a bite, Li Haochen felt a bit dejected. "Have I passed the beginner's phase?"
Fortunately, he caught a fish on the fourth cast, which brought him some relief. The fish wasn't large, only about four liang of golden drum fish. These fish were priced reasonably, around 45 yuan, but had a limited customer base and a unique bitter-sweet taste.
Baiting and casting again, this time the golden finger seemed to have returned. After reeling in a few meters, the line suddenly tugged, bending the rod significantly. The line darted left and right, and it took him five to six minutes to reel it in.
With a dark body and a ferocious dorsal fin, it was still fierce even when pulled into mid-air. "Not bad, not bad. This black seabream is at least two jin."
If Sister Hai had taken a liking to him, how could his luck be bad? With fish biting one after another, Li Haochen was overjoyed. During this time, Liang Pinliang came to collect fish once. Li Haochen only kept a black seabream weighing over two jin and a sea bass, selling the rest, earning another 860 yuan.
As he was baiting the hook and casting to the side, his eyes were suddenly hit by the glaring headlight of a fisherman nearby. His movement paused, and the bait landed a few meters away.
Shaking his head, Li Haochen, his vision restored, looked at the fisherman and muttered curses. "Damn it, no manners. No wonder he's always catching nothing."
He reeled a few times, and the rod tip actually bent slightly. "Huh, caught a fish too? But... why isn't it struggling? It's probably a plastic bag or something again."
The pull wasn't strong, and it was reeled in quickly. Without a headlight, only moonlight, he saw a rough outline. "A chain? Those people are really something, throwing anything into the sea."
Just as he was about to unhook it and throw it in a trash bag, the fisherman next to him shone his headlight at Li Haochen again. Just as he was about to retort, a flash of gold blinded him.
"Gold..." He felt himself cover his mouth, glanced at the fisherman next to him, and seeing no unusual reaction, he felt a little relieved.
Li Haochen turned his body to face away from the fisherman behind him. After looking around, he stealthily took the gold chain.
Overly excited, his hands trembled. He fumbled several times before finally putting it in his pocket.
Clutching his pocket, his mind was filled with the fleeting glimpse he had just seen. He had no intention of fishing. To avoid arousing suspicion from the fisherman next to him, he casually cast his right hand, pretending to be fishing.
"Swoosh~"
The fishing line suddenly tightened, and the rod tip bent into a sharp curve. "Damn, I didn't want to catch a fish..."
He had no choice but to reel it in. Suppressing his excitement, he focused on battling the fish. Fortunately, it wasn't far, only a few meters from the shore. Despite its ferocity, it couldn't withstand Li Haochen's urgent desire to check the gold chain. He didn't care if the fishing rod was damaged, tightly gripping the handle and shaking it vigorously. Two minutes later, he reeled in a large sea bass weighing six to seven jin.
At this moment, Li Haochen felt no excitement for this large sea bass. He casually untangled it and threw it into the fish protection net. He touched his pocket again, felt the contents, breathed a sigh of relief, and efficiently packed up his gear and headed back.
"Haochen, aren't you selling your fish anymore..." Liang Pinliang saw that Li Haochen's fish protection net was heavy. Just as he was about to walk over, Li Haochen picked up the gear, twisted the accelerator, and sped away. Liang Pinliang was filled with regret. "Why are you going so fast? I haven't collected the fish yet."
Watching Li Haochen disappear into the darkness, he quickly took out his phone and sent him a WeChat message.