Li Shusheng was highly respected in life, so many people came to pay their respects. The ceremony continued until three in the afternoon. After Li Dejun read the eulogy, the body was placed in the coffin. Several elders in the village, responsible for such matters, carried the coffin to the prepared grave. Only after two years, when the flesh had decomposed, could the coffin be exhumed and the remains placed in an urn, thus completing the funeral rites. Only then could a feast be held.
Many villagers came to help and pay their respects. Therefore, his eldest uncle hired chefs specializing in wedding and funeral banquets to prepare lunch and dinner.
Although it was a funeral, everyone's mood was not overly somber. The elder had lived a long life and passed away peacefully, which was considered a great blessing.
Li Haochen had no appetite for food. He returned home and sat on a chair, reminiscing about his great-uncle's past...
"Sigh...!"
After a long silence, Li Haochen sighed heavily and returned to his room. He called Murong Yanran. Their conversation was brief, mainly to reassure her. After hanging up, he lay on the bed to rest. He hadn't slept for a day and a night and soon fell asleep.
He woke up the next day, went to check, and saw that the rituals had been performed. After a brief glance, he turned and walked away. Li Haochen feared being overcome by emotion. He returned to Li Dehai's house, ate some congee, and then went out for a walk. He felt too constricted at home.
With no particular destination, he simply walked along the village paths. Unconsciously, he reached the coconut grove outside the village. He hadn't been back for some time. The trees, which were once waist-high, had now grown so tall that he couldn't reach them. This discovery brought Li Haochen a slight surprise, but also some astonishment. "Could it be that things brought from the space grow at the same rate as those within the space?"
After much thought, this was the only explanation that made sense. Otherwise, why would they grow so quickly?
"If this is true, they will bloom next year and can be on the market by the end of the year."
Li Haochen decided to conduct thorough experiments when he returned. If this were indeed the case, he could accelerate his progress towards his ten-billion-dollar goal.
Without delving too deeply into the matter, he continued walking until he reached the end of the coconut grove. Li Haochen climbed down and sat on the edge of the cliff.
He sat there for the entire morning, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below and feeling the gentle spring breeze.
A few cries of seagulls brought Li Haochen back to his senses. He stood up and shouted towards the sea a few times, "Ah~!"
After a few cathartic shouts, his mood improved considerably. People eventually die, and dust returns to dust, earth to earth. Living well is the best way to honor those who have passed.
"Time to go back!"
When he returned to his eldest uncle's house for lunch, Li Dehai came out with a plastic bag and said, "Haochen, your great-uncle left this for you."
Through the worn, transparent plastic bag, he could see a thick stack of colorful bills, likely all the money his great-uncle had saved in his lifetime.
Li Haochen took the plastic bag. He didn't think about the amount or what was inside, nor did he want to. He simply held it tightly in his hand, his eyes welling up.
"Don't be too sad. Your great-uncle passed away of old age; that's a blessing."
Despite these words, he still felt a pang in his heart.
After lunch, Li Haochen returned home. He packed the money into a box and took it into the space to store it.
Upon exiting the space, he rode his small Aima to the factory. Even before entering, he could hear the deafening roar. He went inside and saw all the machines working tirelessly. The villagers were all busy as bees, but their faces wore smiles of joy. Li Haochen smiled; all their hard work was worth it.
Without disturbing them, he quietly left.
Li Haochen pushed his small Aima, looking at the brand-new double-lane asphalt road beneath his feet. He smiled brightly. With the road open, wealth would follow.
Indeed, since the opening of this new road directly to the town, the business volume of the bamboo product factory and his eldest uncle's food workshop had increased. The surrounding villages also benefited. It could be said that their village had better development prospects because of this road.
It took him half an hour to circle the new road before heading back. Li Haochen was very satisfied with the road, but the name of the road and the inscription on the memorial tablet made him a bit embarrassed. "Haochen Road, sigh! I told them not to do such things."
Helplessly, Li Haochen returned home. He packed his luggage, went to offer incense to his great-uncle one last time, said goodbye to his uncle and the others, and then got a ride back to Binhai with Li Rentong.
The next day, around noon, he finally returned to Binhai. Back home, he took a long, hot bath. Afterward, he called Huang Haibo and the others to deliver materials.
The materials arrived. This time, the quantity was immense, piling up in the hundreds of square meters of the courtyard like small mountains. Li Haochen wanted to use busyness to numb the lingering sadness in his heart.
That afternoon, Li Haochen was like a tireless robot, working without any pause, constantly moving between the space and the seabed.
It was in this state of sorrow that he completed three to four days' worth of work in a single afternoon. It truly was a case of transforming grief and anger into strength.
After this afternoon's release, Li Haochen's heart felt clearer. It was time to let go. Life is short; one must cherish the people around them and live well.
With a somersault, he jumped up from the pontoon. With a thought, he returned to the rocky area of the space, a new ability he had accidentally discovered.
In the space, he could reach any location with his mind. However, that was all it could do. The restriction on bringing items in remained absolute.
"Ah, this damned space, why is it so tormenting!"
Although this ability was somewhat of a chicken's rib, it did bring him some convenience. For example, after finishing the seedling work, he could directly fly to the pontoon to install the net cages, eliminating the need to swim.
However, he was also a bit annoyed. If he had discovered this ability earlier, he wouldn't have had to waste money building this floating raft.
He broke off some small mussels from the space and placed them in the crevices of the rocks in Butterfly Bay, wanting to see if they would grow as he expected.
Back home, Murong Yanran had already prepared dinner and was waiting for his return. The moment she saw Li Haochen, she smiled like a peach blossom in the spring breeze. At this moment, her eyes were only on him, and his eyes were only on her. They embraced and kissed.
"You're back?"
"I'm back!"
That night, they did not engage in physical intimacy. They simply held hands tightly and slept with smiles on their faces.
The next morning, they woke up together. Their eyes met, and they smiled faintly. They washed up and cooked breakfast together, just like in the past...
Watching Murong Yanran's departing figure, Li Haochen smiled calmly. "Cherish all of this, work hard, Li Haochen!"
Back in the house, he picked up his phone and called Huang Haibo and the others, asking them to send as much material as they could. He was going to work himself to the bone.