Looking at the blue crab, Li Haochen couldn't help but recall catching a blue crab here before, then bringing it and its several concubines into the sea in one go. After so long, it should have reproduced quite a bit.
After dividing these catches into separate boxes for farming, he began his spatial work for the day.
The number of coconut seedling plantings was steadily increasing. Fortunately, the work on the bamboo pillar mussel seedlings had been completed, which would allow for much longer installation time for the farming net cages. However, the more than one hundred net cages completed earlier had all been used, and there was now a shortage.
Today, Li Haochen dedicated all his time to the installation of farming net cages, which was his top priority. Both Butterfly Bay and the upcoming Niuwei Village beach were serving this project. Li Haochen even considered going back to take over Moon Bay outside Lijia Village.
That area was huge. If he could turn it into a super fish trap, his spatial sea's seafood production would increase exponentially. However, he abandoned the idea because the risk of exposing his secret there was too great.
He changed into his diving gear, brought the materials, and plunged into the sea. He surfaced every so often to get more materials. Later, Li Haochen simply pushed all the steel from the floating bridge to the seabed, and surprisingly, this speeded things up a bit.
After spending six or seven hours inside, he emerged with a smile. Ten farming net cages had been completed that afternoon, and Li Haochen was very satisfied with the efficiency.
After tidying up, he walked towards the villa. As soon as he entered the door, his eyelids twitched, and his heart felt heavy.
Seeing Li Haochen's troubled expression, Murong Yanran ran over and asked, "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"It's nothing, maybe I'm just a bit tired. I'll go up and take a hot bath, and I'll be fine."
While bathing, his eyes twitched again. The scene felt familiar, and a bad premonition lingered in his mind, making him lose the desire to continue bathing. He quickly dried himself, put on his clothes, and walked out.
"Haochen, it's time to eat!"
"Coming!"
Seeing that Murong Yanran was fine, Li Haochen breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself, "It seems I'm just overly tense."
"Why do you seem a little nervous? Should we go to the hospital?"
"It's fine, I'm ready for a big fight tonight. I'll go in and get the dishes!"
"Crash~"
The crisp sound of broken ceramic startled Murong Yanran outside. She rushed into the kitchen, finding shards of ceramic all over the floor. Li Haochen stood there blankly, holding his phone.
"Haochen~ Haochen, don't scare me. What happened?"
Seeing his lost and dejected look, Murong Yanran's heart ached. She grabbed Li Haochen's arms and shook him forcefully.
After a minute or two, Li Haochen slowly came to his senses. When he saw Murong Yanran, his tears flowed like a breached dam. He hugged her tightly, crying out with immense grief, "Great Grandpa... he's gone..."
Murong Yanran understood the pain of losing a loved one. She held him tightly, sharing his sorrow and tears as the best comfort.
After a long while, Li Haochen recovered from his grief. He wiped Murong Yanran's tears and said, "I'm sorry for scaring you just now."
Murong Yanran pursed her lips and shook her head, her eyes red. "My condolences!"
"I... I'm fine. I'll go back first."
"I'll go with you!"
Li Haochen thought for a moment and said, "It's better if I go back alone. It's not appropriate for you to come back, and the hotel needs looking after. Don't worry, I'll hire a car."
"Then... be safe."
Li Haochen went back to his room, packed a couple of changes of clothes, said a few words to Murong Yanran, and then hurried out. While packing, he had already called Wei Dayong, the car rental person, and by the time he reached the village entrance, Wei Dayong was already waiting.
Seeing Li Haochen, Wei Dayong was somewhat happy. This trip was worth two thousand yuan. Just as he was about to greet him, he noticed the deep sadness on Li Haochen's face and immediately stopped smiling. Having been in the bus business for so many years, he could tell that this expression indicated family misfortune or a major event. He nodded slightly, then opened the car door for Li Haochen to get in.
"Thank you!"
After getting into the car, Li Haochen closed his eyes and remained silent. The atmosphere in the car was rather oppressive.
In the middle of the night, Wei Dayong drove the car into a service area. He had been driving for five or six hours and was feeling a bit drowsy. He couldn't continue in this state and needed to rest for a while, but he had to ask Li Haochen first.
"Boss Li, how about we rest for a while before continuing?"
Although Li Haochen was in a hurry, he understood. He nodded and went to the service area to use the restroom.
After washing his face, he felt slightly better. He hadn't eaten anything since hearing the bad news last night, and now his stomach started to grumble. Li Haochen went to buy some food. Despite his sadness, he knew he couldn't neglect his health. After eating, he came out with an extra portion of food, two bottles of Red Bull, and two packs of cigarettes.
"Uncle Wei, have something hot to warm you up."
Li Haochen placed the hot food, cigarettes, and drinks he bought on the passenger seat and then squatted by the roadside, sighing a few times as he looked at the dark night.
"Want a cigarette?" Wei Dayong walked over, lit one for himself, and then offered one to Li Haochen. "I usually smoke a few when I'm in a bad mood."
Without thinking, Li Haochen took the cigarette, put the filter in his mouth, and Wei Dayong helped him light it.
Looking at the burning tip and inhaling the unique scent of nicotine, Li Haochen took a deep puff and then coughed violently. The spiciness was unbearable, and it made his eyes water.
Li Haochen shook his head, extinguished the cigarette butt on the cement ground, and said with a bitter smile, "Thanks, Uncle Wei."
After resting for about an hour, they set off again. This time, there were no more stops. During the journey, he received a call from his uncle asking when he would arrive.
As noon approached, he finally arrived at the village entrance. Li Haochen didn't ask Wei Dayong to drive further in. He paid the fare, picked up his backpack, and started walking home. Along the way, he encountered some villagers, but he didn't greet them, just nodded from a distance and continued walking.
Upon reaching his Great Grandpa's house, a shed had already been erected in the open space outside, and a Huagu Opera troupe had been hired to perform mourning songs and beat funeral drums.
"I'm back!"
Li Haoyang saw Li Haochen walk in and patted his shoulder, saying with a heavy heart, "Great Grandpa passed away peacefully. Come and see him off for the last time."
Putting down his luggage, Li Haochen walked in with a heavy heart. His Great Grandpa's body was laid out in the living room, his face serene. He walked around the body, offered incense, and then walked out.
The task of wearing mourning clothes and wailing did not fall to their generation of grandchildren. His Great Grandpa had no children in his lifetime, so this duty fell to his uncle and aunt.