The crowd gradually dispersed. Li Haochen did not take the full catch of fish to be weighed and priced, as he was the only one registered for the Xingchen. When he returned with Xie Baolian and the others, their catch was not counted.
By the time Yang Tao had weighed all the sea fish and taken them back, it was past ten in the evening. Li Haochen did not forget to leave two sea bream and two jin of small squid at the management office. "Uncle Ming, on duty tonight?"
"Haochen, well done!"
Li Haochen smiled. "Uncle Ming, these are from my fishing trip. Fresh, take them home and cook them."
Wang Xiaoming, accepting the fish and small squid, grinned happily. "Oh right, Haochen, I just got a call from upstairs. That berth number 888 is exclusively yours now. You won't have to pay rent or management fees anymore, hehe!"
"Uh? Here we go again..." While not having to pay rent made Li Haochen extremely happy, he felt a bit uneasy. "Uncle Ming, who is your boss?"
"Heh, how would I, a security guard, get to know him? Alright, just use it with peace of mind. Not having to pay money, isn't that good? Honestly, hahaha!"
Li Haochen scratched his head and smiled. "That's true. I'll get going then. I'll bring some more for you to try next time I catch fish."
"Oh dear, that's two berths' rent lost at once. It pains me, hehe!" Watching Li Haochen leave, Wang Xiaoming said this, but there was no sign of pain on his face.
Looking at the sea bream and small squid in his hands, his mouth watered. He immediately made a phone call. "Hello, Xiao Liu, come over to the security room, get these seafood processed and delivered. Bring my treasured Maotai too. I'm happy today, let's have a couple of drinks, hehe!"
Murong Yanran and the others had driven their car and left first. When Li Haochen returned to Dalong Village on his electric bike, he was startled by the scene before him.
The entire village was brightly lit, and all the villagers were sitting on the steps at the village entrance. Seeing Li Haochen return, several solemn elders walked forward. "Haochen, come and cross the fire pit to enter your home."
Li Haochen was somewhat touched. Although he didn't know what the ritual was for, he followed suit. This meant he had gained the recognition of Dalong Village.
In a large fire pit, unknown leaves were burning. Under the guidance of the village chief Huang Haide, Li Haochen completed the ritual.
Many elders praised him and then went home to sleep, as they were old.
Although the ritual was simple, it was solemn.
At his doorstep, Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian were already waiting for Li Haochen outside.
The two women shouted in unison, "Hero, welcome home."
Li Haochen smiled, walked up, hugged the two women, and kissed their cheeks. "Home... it feels so good."
As soon as he entered the house, a familiar atmosphere washed over him, bringing comfort to his entire being. Li Haochen took a thorough look around before taking a shower.
Lying on the bed, he finally had time to check his phone. The numerous missed calls warmed his heart. However, it was late, so he decided to reply to them all tomorrow.
He slept soundly and woke up at noon. Li Haochen stretched. "Ah... sleeping at home is still the most comfortable."
Coming out of his room, he saw a note on the table, indicating that Murong Yanran had returned to the hotel and Xie Baolian had gone back to work.
Seeing that it was already noon, Li Haochen was too lazy to cook. He heated up the breakfast Murong Yanran had left for him.
After eating, it was a phone call marathon lasting over two hours. He replied to everyone who had called him. Of course, most conversations were brief, except for those with his uncle Li Dehai and his homeroom teacher Liang Qiujin, which were quite long.
From the calls, he also learned that his cousin's wedding was scheduled for the 12th of next month. Li Haochen calculated the time; there were only two weeks left.
In the afternoon, Li Haochen rode his electric bike to the warehouse. There were very few items left inside; it was likely they had adopted a limited release method again.
After checking the safety, Li Haochen entered his space and started working with the fruit-picking artifact. Of course, he didn't pick as relentlessly as before. Having just returned, he didn't want to overexert himself, so he stopped when he felt it was enough.
He picked for about two hours, roughly four to five thousand pieces. After taking them out of the space, he notified Xiao Nian to come and pick them up.
After locking the door and just about to ride home, he received a call from Xie Baolian. "Hello, Mom... Oh, is that so? Alright, I'll tell Yanran."
After hanging up, he called Murong Yanran. "Still busy?"
"Just finished packing and am preparing to head back."
"Mom called me and asked us to come over for dinner. I'm taking a taxi there now. Wait for me at the entrance of the government compound."
Li Haochen and Murong Yanran had a brief chat before hanging up. He changed into neat and presentable attire and took a taxi to the government compound.
When he arrived, Murong Yanran was already at the entrance. After paying the fare, Li Haochen walked over. "Have you been waiting long?"
"No, I just arrived. Let's go in quickly, Auntie just called to hurry us."
After going through several strict security checks, the two successfully entered. They arrived at Building Number One, where Xie Baolian was already waiting at the entrance.
"Auntie, why the sudden invitation today? We weren't prepared at all."
"Do you need preparation to come home for a meal? It's mainly because Uncle Ling has no arrangements tonight, so he has time to invite you over for a simple meal. Alright, go in quickly. He's the one cooking today, hehe!"
As soon as they entered, the kitchen hood was whirring loudly, mixed with the sounds of woks and spatulas stir-frying.
A moment later, Ling Hanfeng came out with two plates of dishes, wearing an apron. With dishes in hand, he looked nothing like the mayor of Binhai City.
"I didn't hear you come in while I was cooking. Come and sit down quickly, dinner is ready, hehe!"
After placing the dishes, Ling Hanfeng went back in and got a bottle of unknown wine. "Haochen, would you like some?"
"Sure..."
As soon as the wine cap was opened, the room was filled with fragrance. Just from the aroma, Li Haochen knew this wine was extraordinary.
Ling Hanfeng poured only two small cups, about one liang each. He and Li Haochen each took one, while Xie Baolian and Murong Yanran drank beverages.
The food was ordinary and common, not stunning, but it had the taste of home.
After a few rounds of drinks, Ling Hanfeng patted Li Haochen's shoulder, feeling very pleased. "You've done well. A man should bear such responsibilities."
"Uncle, I..."
"What do you call me?" Ling Hanfeng frowned, feigning anger.
Xie Baolian, standing nearby, nudged Li Haochen and winked.
"Dad..."
"Hmm..."
Xie Baolian immediately glared at Ling Hanfeng. "What's wrong? You're still throwing your weight around after coming back? Believe it or not, you're sleeping on the couch tonight."
"Pfft..."
The small mouthful of white wine Li Haochen had just taken sputtered out. He quickly covered his mouth and chuckled.
"Yanran, you can't spoil him too much. You need to put your foot down when necessary. I'll teach you how tonight when we're in the room."
"Okay..." Murong Yanran looked at Li Haochen and grinned slyly.
Li Haochen broke out in a cold sweat and quickly picked up his wine glass. "Dad, let's drink..."
"Right, right, let's drink..."