Xiao Nian and the other two were full-time employees, and a boss who didn't utilize their staff wouldn't be much of a boss. Therefore, Li Hao Chen had already made plans to have all the coconuts sent here for them to prepare as tender coconuts, and then transport some to the main store.
This would lighten the workload for Chen He and the others, and the store wouldn't need as many people to manage it, allowing for rotational shifts.
Before entering the spatial dimension, Li Hao Chen made sure to disable all surveillance systems. After all, if the network were to be hacked, it would be disastrous.
Upon entering the dimension, Li Hao Chen didn't immediately start picking coconuts. Instead, he began to circle the edge of Jiuzhou Island.
"Hmm, not bad. The conches are increasing. In another year or so, we'll definitely be able to consistently supply one or two restaurants."
Li Hao Chen had only explored a tiny fraction of the entire dimension. The vast, boundless sea before him was the real treasure.
"There's too much to do. I should focus on getting the coconut shop organized first." He shook his head and picked up the fruit-picking artifact, ready to work.
After several days of picking, his experience with the artifact grew, and he became increasingly proficient. Li Hao Chen could now pick coconuts with remarkable speed. With a simple extension and press, he could gather a bunch. Harvesting a thousand or so coconuts only took about half an hour.
As he picked, he seemed to lose track of time…
"Huh, why don't I feel as tired today?"
He looked at the estimated 4,000 coconuts with a sense of pride and walked over to tie them up with a rope.
The branch store's spatial dimension wasn't large, so Li Hao Chen didn't tie up too many, about 600 or so, piling them beside him.
"Cuckoo… cuckoo!"
"What's that sound?"
Li Hao Chen followed the sound and saw the cuckoo clock on the wall chiming.
The cuckoo clock continued to call. Ignoring it, he untied the rope, preparing to enter the dimension again. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind, and he glanced at the clock again.
"Holy cow… it's 12 o'clock?"
Seeing the screen full of missed calls on his phone, he didn't dare answer. He quickly turned it off. The thought of his friends' teasing, which would be endless, sent a shiver down his spine. He gave a shudder.
Li Hao Chen loaded the coconuts into the vehicle while contemplating how to make his escape.
He cautiously approached the back door of the main store, tiptoed to unload the coconuts at the entrance, knocked a few times, and quickly climbed back onto the three-wheeled vehicle.
"When Lao San comes in later, you know what to do!"
Chen He and Liu Dehui exchanged mischievous smiles, already prepared, waiting for Li Hao Chen to enter.
"Knock, knock, knock…"
"Who is it!"
Seeing no one respond, Liang Min Feng walked over and pushed the door open.
"Crash!"
"Holy crap!"
Liang Min Feng tripped over the pile of coconuts stacked at the door, and his large frame crashed into the pile, scattering coconuts everywhere.
"Lao San, don't run…"
Chen He and the other, hearing the commotion, emerged to see Liang Min Feng sprawled like a turtle on its back. "Pfft, hahaha!"
"Hahaha, Lao Si, so you have this kind of preference!"
Instead of helping him up, the two of them immediately took out their phones to capture the wonderful moment and post it on their social media. They thought the caption for today would be great, feeling pleased with themselves. After a moment of fanciful thought, they slowly went over to help Liang Min Feng up.
"Phew… good thing I ran fast, otherwise…"
Li Hao Chen quickly rode away on his electric three-wheeler, immensely satisfied with his foresight.
Back at the branch store, he entered the dimension again to retrieve another six to seven hundred coconuts, loaded them onto the vehicle, and silently delivered them to the back door. He employed the same tactic again, but the three who had ambushed him this time were once again thwarted.
Another failed attempt left Liang Min Feng extremely frustrated, and he muttered curses.
At noon, he had lunch with Murong Yan Ran in the canteen again, which sparked a wave of intense envy. Everything tasted bland; even the canteen's signature dish, Sour Fish, lacked flavor.
"Are you full?"
"Yes. I'll head back to the dormitory for a nap then. I can't be late for Old Man Gu Shi's ancient history class."
After bidding farewell to Murong Yan Ran, Li Hao Chen arrived at the main store. He breathed a sigh of relief seeing that no one was calling out for him. He figured that as brothers on the same journey, they wouldn't be bogged down by trivial matters; they were just looking for some fun in their leisure time.
The girls had classes today, so they didn't come by at noon. Moreover, they were already very skilled, and the three of them managed the operations with ease.
"Boss, after all the coconuts are processed, I'll move the peeling machine and the slicer over to the branch store."
"What? What about here?"
"It's like this: from now on, all coconuts will be delivered to the branch store, and they will be responsible for this task. In the morning, they will prepare the tender coconuts and then deliver the main store's share. They can open the store at noon. I'm paying them wages, so I might as well exploit them a little, right? Experiencing the role of an evil capitalist, hehe!"
The three's eyes lit up. "Wow, that's really great."
"Yeah, we won't have to come so early from now on."
"Look at me, my waist has gotten so thin," Liang Min Feng said, pointing to his barrel-like waist.
"…"
In the afternoon, more people came to the pedestrian street, and the store's business began to get busy. Everything was prepared, and they were not flustered at all.
When a customer arrived, they would take out a tender coconut, use a small knife to poke a hole near the eye, and insert a large straw. It was a simple display of skill.
When there were many customers, he had to divide his attention to keep an eye out for any walk-outs. National素质 had improved significantly, and while such behavior still occurred, it was rare. Although he hadn't encountered any yet, he had to be vigilant. This was all money, after all, fifteen yuan per coconut.
Li Hao Chen stayed at the main store until past three o'clock and then slipped away. In truth, he wasn't of much use there; the three people in the main store were sufficient.
Upon arriving at the branch store, he was surprised to see Xiao Nian and the other two at the shop.
"Didn't I tell you to come tomorrow?"
The most mature-looking one, A Long, scratched his head and said with a sheepish smile, "We had nothing to do at home, so we came to see if there was anything else that needed doing."
The actions of the three made Li Hao Chen look at them with a bit more respect. If they were genuinely dedicated to the store, he might consider rewarding them in the future. He decided to observe them further.
"Heh, well done. If you work hard, you'll have houses, cars, and money in the future."
The three rolled their eyes, inwardly scornful. "Believe you, I don't. How can 3,500 yuan buy a house and car in Binhai, where the average housing price is 25,000 yuan?"
They remained indifferent. Anyone could say nice things; it was just words. Employees shouldn't take their boss's compliments too seriously, especially when he was just selling coconuts.
Li Hao Chen knew what they were thinking and didn't bother to explain. With his spatial dimension, giving them a chance at prosperity was as simple as pie, just like Chen He and the others. They were now steadily moving towards becoming rich and handsome, and those "iron rice bowls" couldn't even compare; they were so weak. Of course, this was all contingent on their genuine sincerity.