Li Hao Chen did not immediately install the netting; instead, he first assembled all the frames.
This project was labor-intensive and time-consuming; it couldn't be completed in just a few days.
Time flew by, day after day. Apart from cultivating one to two thousand coconut seedlings and tying one to two hundred mussel seedlings, Li Hao Chen spent all his time constructing these net cages.
Indeed, concentrating on one project yielded remarkable results.
In just a week, the entire seabed was covered with steel frame cuboids, stretching for several kilometers. It was quite a breathtaking sight, and even Li Hao Chen found it hard to believe that he had accomplished such a massive undertaking alone. Although the netting wasn't installed yet, he felt a sense of pride.
On this day, Li Hao Chen spent the entire day successfully enclosing two net cages with netting. With the help of several large buoys, the netting on the surface was pulled up from the center, resembling a giant yurt.
Returning to shore, he carefully scooped the sea bass and black bream from the large cages he had placed a few days earlier into fish bags and transported them to the two completed net cages for rearing.
Each cage was over 200 square meters, suitable for rearing about 20 fish. More would not be advisable, as there wouldn't be enough natural food to sustain them.
This method was similar to how the Japanese farmed tuna: catching young fry for rearing, and then harvesting them for sale when they grew larger. However, Li Hao Chen didn't need to feed them daily. The food brought by the currents and the small fish and shrimp that swam through the netting were sufficient, ensuring their wild quality.
The net cages designed by Li Hao Chen were quite ingenious. Each compartment had an entrance. When it was time, he could simply open the entrance and place some bait, and the fish inside would be drawn to it, entering the pre-prepared traps.
Furthermore, these net cages served another important purpose: fish storage. As the resort opposite the Binhai Grand Hotel neared completion, Murong Yanran's hotel would undoubtedly face tough competition. The key to victory might very well lie in the seafood he was storing.
It was never wrong to plan ahead.
That night!
Li Hao Chen fell asleep with his head on Murong Yanran's lap. She tenderly caressed his slightly weary face, her heart filled with concern.
Although she didn't know what he was busy with every day, she knew it was somehow related to her.
Moreover, she noticed that Li Hao Chen had become more profound since his return from Ao Island, but she didn't ask. She was content to be the woman behind him.
"Even if I fall into the abyss and become a demon, I will never leave you in this life."
This was Murong Yanran's inner conviction, an unshakeable belief.
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was the twenty-fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
On this morning, Murong Yanran did not go to the hotel, and Xie Baolian also took leave. In fact, it didn't matter if she took leave or not now. The director had transferred her to a relaxed position. As the mayor's wife, how could she continue to work as a cashier and receptionist?
The three of them worked together: one wiped tables and windows, one swept and mopped the floors, and one washed and hung clothes, all pitching in for a thorough spring cleaning.
They were supposed to do this on the twenty-eighth, but since Li Hao Chen had to return to his hometown, they decided to clean a few days earlier.
Although the villa was very large, everything was new, and there wasn't much that required a deep clean. It was mainly about wiping away dust, washing dishes, and clearing weeds and dead branches from the yard. The difficult part was the small courtyard rented in the village; it would take at least two days to finish.
Actually, when the villa was ready for occupancy, Li Hao Chen had considered returning the courtyard. However, Murong Yanran had vetoed it, as she had sold her own villa a while ago. She had also said that if they ever argued, she would have a place to stay.
Li Hao Chen himself didn't believe this reason. How could he possibly argue with Murong Yanran? He cherished her dearly.
The real purpose was for her to use it as a bridal chamber for their wedding, as Xie Baolian had told him one day.
Upon learning this reason, Li Hao Chen immediately called Huang Meiyuan, who had already gone abroad, to arrange for the rent to be extended.
Huang Meiyuan was overjoyed when she heard this news, wishing she could return and kiss Li Hao Chen. Having a tenant who offered to increase the rent was something one couldn't find even with a lantern. She wished Li Hao Chen would even ask for several times the price.
The villagers envied her for going abroad to enjoy a comfortable life, sending back some US dollars to various people during holidays, appearing so glamorous. Little did they know that she had to wash dishes in restaurants abroad. At over fifty years old, wouldn't it be better to enjoy her life domestically? Glamorous on the outside, but heartbreaking on the inside – another vivid example of being driven abroad by her children to babysit.
The three of them finished cleaning the villa in just half a day. However, the small courtyard in the village proved to be quite a challenge for them. After lunch, they worked until 8 p.m. and had only managed to clean the first floor, leaving them exhausted and sprawled on the sofa, unwilling to move. They were too tired to even cook dinner. Fortunately, Meituan could deliver there; otherwise, they would have starved for the night.
The next day, Li Hao Chen took on the remaining cleaning tasks himself. Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian had already woken up early and gone to work, not even having prepared breakfast, showing how enthusiastic they were about their jobs.
Upon returning to their respective offices, they didn't forget to send Li Hao Chen a "good luck" emoji and an 888 yuan red envelope.
With such generous red envelopes, he tackled the cleaning with the vigor of a cheat code. One moment he was dealing with a quilt, the next a mosquito net, and in less than three hours, he had cleaned the entire second floor, inside and out.
At noon, Li Hao Chen casually cooked something to eat and headed to the city. He was returning to his hometown tomorrow, so he needed to buy New Year's goods.
The city was indeed bustling, especially during the winter break. The majority of people strolling on the streets were young, youthful faces, clearly students.
Looking at their attire, Li Hao Chen felt like an old man. They all seemed so wealthy, with things like Aj sneakers and iPhone 14 Plus almost becoming standard. A single outfit like that would cost ten to twenty thousand yuan. Were families so affluent nowadays? It was truly unimaginable.
Upon arriving at the supermarket in Binhai Plaza, the festive atmosphere of the New Year greeted him. Everywhere was adorned with Chinese red: large red lanterns, couplets, Chinese knots, and so on. Even the packaging for candies and biscuits had new designs. The supermarket's broadcast system was playing Sam Hui's "Gong Xi Fa Cai" on repeat.
The supermarket was a sea of people. If you wanted to buy something, you had to squeeze your way through.
As it happened, Li Hao Chen waited for half an hour just to buy some peanuts, melon seeds, and pistachios, but couldn't even get in. By the time it was his turn to enter, the nuts were either broken or only shells remained.
Li Hao Chen browsed for a bit and then lost interest. It was better to buy branded goods in cans, even if they were exorbitantly priced.