Fatigue driving wasn't limited to cars; it applied to boats as well. If not for the coffee and Red Bull, Li Haochen would have collapsed long ago. Even with these aids, their effectiveness diminished over time, especially during the afternoon when the sunlight reflecting off the sea was unbearable.
Midway, Li Haochen couldn't hold on any longer and stopped the boat to rest for half an hour before continuing.
It was late autumn, days were short and nights were long. It was only 6 PM, but the sky had already turned dusky. Li Haochen switched on the navigation lights, stood up, and stretched his neck and back. After nearly six hours of driving, even the most comfortable seat would make one's back ache.
An hour later, his phone started to get a signal, and he could see faint lights on the shore. Though visible, they were still far away, requiring another one to two hours of travel.
Li Haochen picked up his phone and called Murong Yanran, but she hung up immediately. He called again, and she hung up again. Li Haochen felt vexed, "What are you doing, driving?"
While he was wondering, his WeChat pinged. Murong Yanran sent a photo of herself and Xie Baolian making dumplings, accompanied by a "stealing a laugh" emoji. Xie Baolian also sent a photo of dumplings with her making a V-sign. This made Li Haochen quite annoyed.
Li Haochen immediately came up with a mischievous idea and typed a message: "Mom, I found another super huge piece of ambergris, probably dozens of pounds, worth over a hundred million."
Less than five seconds after sending the message, Li Haochen received an urgent call from Xie Baolian. "Hello, son, when will you arrive? We're coming over now. No, I'll call a few more people. Wait for us, and don't get off the boat when you arrive."
"Uh... Mom, I was just kidding. Do you believe anything I say?"
"You lied to me?" There was a pause on the other end, followed by a murderous roar, "Li... Hao... Chen, how dare you lie to me? You made my mask fall off. I'll twist your ears off when you get back, hmph."
"Hello, hello, hello~" Li Haochen heard the heavy beeping sound of the line being disconnected and felt a chill down his spine. "Should I... should I stop the boat and stay overnight before going back?"
The thought only flickered through his mind. He would still go back, at most he'd have to eat a bowl of eel rice upon his return.
Li Haochen picked up his phone again and called Yang Tao, informing him about the significant catch and asking him to arrange for a larger truck to receive it.
A little over an hour later, the Binhai dock was clearly visible. Li Haochen slowed down, quickly went into his space, and brought out all the fish baskets, throwing them into the live bait tank. This way, they wouldn't die anytime soon.
Upon entering the dock, Li Haochen slowly navigated in at a low speed. As soon as he docked the boat, Yang Tao and his apprentices walked over, seemingly having waited for a while.
"Brother Yang? What brings you here?" As Li Haochen stepped out of the cabin, he saw Yang Tao leading a few people towards him and asked curiously.
"There aren't many customers dining at this hour. I just heard you had a great catch, so I came to see."
"It's okay. They're all in the live bait tank and the ice cabin. You guys handle it. I'll go get my electric scooter and we can chat later." With that, Li Haochen picked up a lobster and a rockfish and headed towards the security room.
Yang Tao and his apprentices walked over. Upon seeing the scene inside the live bait tank, they gasped uncontrollably. Every time they lifted a fish basket, they would let out a breath. In such a short time, they must have inhaled enough cold air.
"This... Brother Li is too awesome."
"What are the 'Three Terrors of Chinese Angling,' what is the 'Number One Fishing God,' I'll only worship Brother Li from now on. He's too amazing."
Even though Yang Tao had been dealing with fish for over a decade, he had never seen so much high-value seafood before. He wasn't just impressed by Li Haochen; he was worshipful, as he himself was also a top angler.
"Alright, let's quickly tally and settle up. What time is it? Do you still want supper?"
"Master, are you treating?"
"Do you expect me to? Don't always throw money into bars. Save some, you know."
The young man remained silent, scratching his head sheepishly.
"Alright, go help out quickly."
There were indeed a lot of fish, so Yang Tao had to lend a hand. Fortunately, five people had come, otherwise, they might not have finished tallying until early morning.
After finishing the tally in the live bait tank, everyone moved to the ice cabin and was immediately astonished by the group of red snapper over a meter long.
"This... Master, should we consider buying a boat to go out to sea?" the young man asked Yang Tao with a hint of envy, swallowing hard.
"Yes, I think so too. Master, you should make the decision. I'd sell a cashew to raise money." Another young man chimed in.
"Never mind you guys, even I'm envious and jealous. The key question is, do we have the ability? If we did, I'd put all my savings into buying you a boat."
"Uh... then let's forget it. With my skills, I can barely catch a few small fish."
"Then it's settled. Let's get to work."
It took the five of them half an hour to tally all the catches from these two cabins. Red groupers, sea breams, golden leopard coral trout, spiny lobsters, etc. Yang Tao meticulously recorded them in his notebook, his calculator clicking away. It took him a full five minutes to calculate the total, which came to 183,567 yuan. This figure stunned everyone.
Li Haochen carried the lobster and a fish to the security room. After a brief chat with Wang Xiaoming, he rode his electric scooter out of the dock, intending to fill his stomach first.
He ate a plate of steak rice, then had a bowl of cold jelly by the dock before returning to the Starship. By this time, Yang Tao and his crew had finished their work and were preparing to return to the hotel.
"Haochen, you're back just in time. Here's the tally sheet. Please take a look."
Li Haochen didn't look at the detailed data, skipping directly to the final total. Ten thousand, hundred thousand? Seeing this six-digit number shocked him.
"Brother Yang, did you make a mistake? eighteen thousand is so much?"
"Heh, you think it's too much? Don't worry, it's all calculated at market price, no special considerations."
"I'm relieved if you say so. Thank you." Li Haochen expressed his gratitude, then hesitated, took out his phone, and transferred 3,000 yuan to Yang Tao via WeChat. "Brother Yang, everyone had to come and help me tally tonight. Thank you for your hard work. This is a small token of my appreciation. You can all go have some supper."
"You're doing this again, aren't you? Fine, since you're making big money, we won't refuse. Heh heh!"
After Yang Tao and his crew left, Li Haochen tidied everything up, locked the cabin door, and walked down. As soon as he got on his electric scooter, a small car in the distance shone its high beams at him. Li Haochen had to raise his hand to block the glare and pushed his scooter forward to argue. However, he saw Murong Yanran leaning against the car door, striking a very sexy and alluring pose. She beckoned him with her index finger, "Handsome, want a ride?"