Li Haochen knew that their shower would take a long time. After tidying up the fishing rods and cleaning the deck, Li Haochen picked up the landing net and walked towards the side of the ship. He had seen many small squid swimming around earlier, and catching some for a late-night snack would be perfect.
The fishing lamp had already been turned on, its strong light illuminating the sea surface like daylight. Unidentified creatures occasionally flickered on the water. Li Haochen placed the large landing net into the sea. The net was a full 80 centimeters in diameter, purchased specifically at Zhoushan.
A gentle easterly wind blew that night, and the water was clear. Many phototactic fish and shrimp floated up towards the light, gathering in increasing numbers. Most of them were small silverfish or small white shrimp that hadn't grown much. A few bold mud carp chased the small white shrimp into the net. However, Li Haochen's main target, the small squid, were few.
Li Haochen waited patiently. After about ten more minutes, feeling it was time, he suddenly lifted the net. The small squid that had just entered the net realized their predicament and thrashed their cute tentacles wildly within the net. But it was too late; high-temperature boiled water, soy sauce, chili peppers, and finally stomach acid awaited them.
He emptied the contents of the landing net and picked out the small squid, placing them in a plastic bucket. Since Murong Yanran and the others were on the ship, Li Haochen couldn't access his spatial dimension. The other small fish and shrimp were poured into the live-well to feed the fish.
Half an hour later, Murong Yanran, with Xie Baolian by her arm, came out. Seeing Li Haochen leaning over the side of the ship, she curiously walked over, "What are you doing?"
Li Haochen shushed her and focused on the few small squid that had just entered the landing net. He suddenly lifted it, happily laughing when he saw over ten small squid at the bottom, "Hahaha, not bad, caught over ten this time."
"Oh, go away, go away, don't splash water over here. We just showered," Murong Yanran said, pouting slightly, as Li Haochen suddenly lifted the landing net, splashing a lot of seawater, almost getting them wet.
Li Haochen smiled sheepishly, put the small squid into the plastic bucket, and continued to hold the landing net in the sea.
Xie Baolian sat on a lounge chair, shelling peanuts and drinking a beverage. Murong Yanran, however, was more curious. She walked to Li Haochen's side, picked up a small squid, and placed it in her hand, "Wow, so cute."
"These are called 'xiao guanzai' (small tube squid); they're actually young squid that haven't grown up yet. They're freshly caught and very delicious. I'll cook them for a late-night snack later."
"Really? Then I must eat more. I wasn't full earlier."
"You're hungry already?"
"It's all because of you, you ate it all up." Murong Yanran shot Li Haochen a glare and walked back to sit beside Xie Baolian, also eating peanuts.
The two women chatted happily, their laughter filling the air, adding color to the monotonous night sea.
After more than half an hour, Li Haochen decided he had caught enough small squid. The bucket was full, easily weighing ten pounds.
He carried the small squid into the kitchen, divided them into several portions using zip-lock bags, and put them in the freezer. The rest were poured into a washbasin and rinsed with clean water. While they were draining, Li Haochen quickly went to take a hot shower, which took only a few minutes.
Li Haochen boiled a pot of water, blanched the small squid in it for about ten seconds, then scooped them out. He prepared two plates of soy sauce, one with chili peppers and the other with wasabi. The steaming dishes released a very fragrant soy sauce aroma.
The smell drifted outside, and Murong Yanran came downstairs, holding her stomach, "Wow, it smells so good, I'm starving."
"Yanran, bring the small table out onto the deck. I'll cook some noodles too."
Li Haochen took out a packet of spaghetti, blanched and drained it. He then stir-fried minced beef with tomatoes and onions. Once it was almost done, he added the spaghetti, letting the noodles absorb the sauce. A little cilantro was added, making it a dish that appealed to all the senses.
"Coming, coming!"
Li Haochen carried out the noodles and squid. The two women had already opened a bottle of Golden Ice Valley and placed it nearby.
"Are you two addicted to drinking? You drank at dinner, and now again?"
"Don't you understand romance? With such a beautiful night sky and two gorgeous ladies, how can there be no wine?"
"Just admit you're greedy for alcohol, no need to make it sound so elegant."
"What are you mumbling about?"
"No, no, no, I was saying what a pleasure it is to have such beautiful scenery, fine wine, and delicious food – a truly happy life."
Xie Baolian gave him a big eye-roll, but she didn't skimp on the wine that night, pouring Li Haochen a large glass.
"Eat quickly, these small squid won't taste good if they get cold," Li Haochen said, placing a few small squid onto the women's plates.
The moment they tasted it, the women's eyes widened, "This is so delicious! I've never tasted such sweet and fresh seafood before."
Indeed, eating a late-night snack in this environment had a special ambiance.
The large plate of squid and noodles was quickly finished by the three of them. Murong Yanran licked her fingers, still wanting more, "Haochen, why don't you keep catching them tonight? We won't need to buy vegetables when we get home tomorrow."
Murong Yanran's suggestion was immediately seconded by Xie Baolian. However, their persuasion and subtle threats couldn't sway Li Haochen. They had to give up, but as a punishment, Li Haochen's wine was divided between the two women, and he also had to clean the dishes. They, meanwhile, comfortably lay on the deck watching the stars, living a life of leisure.
When Li Haochen came up after washing the dishes, the two were whispering to each other. As soon as they saw Li Haochen, they stopped talking immediately. Murong Yanran's face was rosy, looking particularly beautiful.
"What secret can't I know?"
"I won't tell you, I won't tell you, hee hee!" Murong Yanran triumphantly sang a nursery rhyme.
"Tch, I don't care anyway," Li Haochen said insincerely, his curious eyes betraying him.
Soon, sleepiness crept in. Seeing that it was already midnight, Xie Baolian and Murong Yanran returned to the bedroom to sleep, while Li Haochen slept on the tatami mat in the cabin.
He had a good night's sleep and woke up past nine in the morning. A faint aroma was already wafting from the kitchen.
Although Li Haochen was awake, he wanted to catch up on sleep. Unfortunately, his stomach protested, and he reluctantly got up to brush his teeth and wash his face.
When he came out, Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian were already eating.
"We didn't wait for you. We were starving."
The breakfast was simple, prepared by Murong Yanran that morning: plain congee with salted beans and milky steamed buns. After several meals of rich food, this light congee was truly refreshing, especially with the salted beans, which were very appetizing.
Li Haochen walked over, took the bowl and chopsticks prepared by Murong Yanran, and drank three large bowls of congee with several steamed buns before leaning back in his chair with satisfaction.
After resting for half an hour and tidying everything up, Li Haochen sat in the captain's seat, started the engine, and once the anchor chain was fully retracted, he honked the horn. With a long blast, the "Starry Night" slowly set sail towards Binhai Wharf, "We're going home."