Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, Li Haochen smoothly sailed the Starship out of the dry dock. With a solid foundation, he quickly got the hang of it, steering the vessel steadily. He dared not accelerate as there was no fuel yet, merely utilizing the residual oil to maintain an economical speed towards the Binhai Ferry Terminal.
Fortunately, the distance wasn't far. Trembling with anxiety the entire way, he finally reached the terminal. My goodness, row upon row of ships were densely packed. Anyone with trypophobia would likely collapse. Moreover, many vessels bore out-of-town license plates, presumably here for the competition. Among them were ships worth tens of millions, making Li Haochen's mouth water.
Compared to those massive offshore fishing boats, over twenty to thirty meters long, Li Haochen's JY500 was like a little brother.
There's no place like home. Li Haochen didn't overly envy others' boats; he was already very satisfied with his own, which was fully equipped and very good-looking.
After circling for a while, he finally found a spot to moor the boat. As soon as he disembarked, a staff member approached him, "Brother, your JY500 is quite nice."
Li Haochen took out a pack of cigarettes and offered one, "Heh, you're quite knowledgeable, elder brother."
Perhaps thanks to the cigarettes, Li Haochen's subsequent mooring procedures were swift and smooth. Four thousand five hundred a month was truly not cheap. Looking at the two to three thousand ships, those so-called landlords from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou seemed weak in comparison.
After completing the procedures, the staff member enthusiastically introduced him to a fueling company and a bait and ice company. At this point, Li Haochen knew why the man was so enthusiastic. Since he needed these services anyway, it didn't matter where he bought them, and perhaps the staff member could even help his fishing boat in the future.
Li Haochen immediately called to have the boat fully refueled. Only when it came time to pay did his face constantly twitch. Due to international conflicts and ongoing warfare in a certain country, oil prices had skyrocketed. Diesel prices had reached 8 yuan today, costing him 16,000 yuan to fill the tank.
Li Haochen didn't buy bait. He wasn't going to fish for tuna, so why buy bait? Several hundred per box, very expensive. Antarctic shrimp for a little over ten yuan each was better.
He didn't need ice either, as the boat had a small seawater ice-making machine, which was sufficient.
Leaving the terminal, Li Haochen went to the Binhai Grand Hotel to find Murong Yanran. He was mistaken for someone registering for the competition by the staff. Unable to resist the enthusiastic young lady, he filled out the registration form.
Upon arriving at Murong Yanran's office, he saw she was still busy and decided not to disturb her.
With nothing to do, he began to ponder the banquet. He had just bought a major item, and the boardwalk was also completed. Both significant events deserved a celebration. As for the guest list, he had already thought of it.
Returning home, he made phone calls one by one. Since there were quite a few guests, his home didn't have enough tables and chairs. He went to a small furniture store and bought two large round tables and over twenty plastic stools. Fortunately, he encountered Huang Haibo returning from installing anti-theft bars, otherwise, he wouldn't have known what to do about the tables and chairs.
Murong Yanran returned home a little past eleven at night, dragging her weary body but with a smile on her face.
"Tired?" Li Haochen walked over and took her bag.
"Yeah, so tired, but it's very fulfilling."
"Alright, go take a bath and come out, I'll give you a massage. I've hung your clothes inside for you."
"Oh, what... what? You took my clothes? Then... un... underwear?" Murong Yanran's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, then she asked with a blushing face, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"Of course I took them. Didn't you help me with mine last time? Don't make such a fuss, go take a bath."
"Ah... oh." Murong Yanran covered her face and quickly fled into the bathroom. Looking at the underwear and pants hanging on the wall, she blushed furiously.
When Murong Yanran emerged from the bathroom, Li Haochen was already waiting for her with a hairdryer.
"What's wrong? Your face is so red?"
"It's all because of you," Murong Yanran mumbled.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, hurry up and blow-dry my hair."
The hot air from the hairdryer carried Murong Yanran's hair, making it flutter. The water molecules, playfully carried by the hot air, landed on Li Haochen's face, smelling pleasantly fragrant.
Perhaps because she had cut her hair short, it dried quickly this time. Afterward, it was the usual routine: one person lying down and the other massaging. "I went to see you today."
"?"
"I saw you were too busy and didn't go in. And when I got to the hotel, your staff mistook me for someone registering for the fishing competition. They were so enthusiastic that I filled out the form. Maybe I'll catch the first prize, hehe!"
"Heh, that's great. No point letting good fortune flow to outsiders, hee hee!"
"How's the banquet you're hosting tomorrow?"
"All the invitations have been sent out."
"Zi Jun moved out, and it does feel a bit lonely now."
"Ah... oh!" Murong Yanran covered her mouth and yawned.
"It's so late, go get some rest."
"Carry me, hee hee!"
The next morning, Murong Yanran woke up before Li Haochen again, prepared breakfast, and without waking him, ate and kept it warm before driving back to the hotel.
She had to be present for the banquet today, so she returned early to complete her day's work as quickly as possible.
After waking up and eating the lovingly prepared breakfast, Li Haochen headed straight to the market. It took him over two hours to procure enough ingredients. His small electric scooter was so full that there was no space left, and it was difficult to even turn the handlebars.
Upon returning home, as soon as he put the ingredients down, he put on his fishing rod and creel and rushed to Butterfly Bay. After fishing for over an hour and catching seven or eight fish weighing two to three pounds each, he headed back.
He also entered his spatial dimension and picked up quite a few sea snails.
Murong Yanran also returned home very early to help. Xie Baolian, his elderly mother, couldn't be absent either. She had specifically taken leave that afternoon to help.
Fortunately, the two women came to help in the afternoon. If it were just Li Haochen alone, they probably wouldn't have been able to start the banquet until eight in the evening.
At six in the evening, the shops Yipin Stewed Soup and Ye Qinxiang had closed their doors. Everyone came to Li Haochen's house as guests. It didn't matter if business was missed for a day or two.
"Third brother, congratulations, congratulations." The voice arrived before the person. Without a doubt, it had to be Liang Minfeng.
A group of over a dozen people walked in majestically, likely having arranged it beforehand.
"Congratulations..."
Chen He and the other two men, along with Liu Zijun, gave 8888 yuan red envelopes. For them now, this amount was just a few days' earnings.
He originally wanted to invite Huang Haide and Huang Haibo, but considering they weren't very familiar with Chen He and the others, he didn't extend the invitation. He would find another time.
Not long after, Luo Bin and over a dozen classmates also arrived. They pooled together a large red envelope, which Luo Bin handed to Li Haochen.
These classmates were very envious of Li Haochen's success and admired him greatly. Even when he became successful, he didn't forget to help out some struggling classmates.
"Haochen, congratulations. I didn't expect you to buy another big boat without anyone knowing, haha!"
"Teacher Luo, classmates, please have a seat. I apologize for not being able to attend to you properly."
"You go ahead and be busy, we can manage ourselves."