Li HaoChen's eyes reddened slightly. If it weren't for the stevedores present, he would have rushed forward for a "Parisian U-turn, then another U-turn."
"Wife, you've moved me beyond words. How about I pledge myself to you in return? Hehe!"
Murong Yanran raised her hand, tidied a strand of hair from her forehead, and smiled faintly. "If you win the championship in the winter fishing competition, I might consider it. Hee hee!"
"Uh... only *might* consider it."
"Alright, hurry up and go get the luggage. I've already packed it." Murong Yanran, blushing, nudged Li HaoChen inside.
Inside the house, upon seeing the two large suitcases, Li HaoChen's mouth twitched, and his face darkened. "Are you expecting me to drift out there for a whole year?"
"Just take it when I tell you to, don't be so wordy." Murong Yanran put her hands on her hips, pouted, and feigned anger, her demeanor identical to Xie Baolian's.
"Alright, alright, if my wife says so, how can I refuse? It's just... what about those goods outside? The boat can't fit them."
"It's all arranged. SF Express will be here shortly to pack and ship them. Just give me a call when you arrive, and they'll be delivered to your doorstep."
Murong Yanran walked forward, helped Li HaoChen straighten his collar, and smoothed the wrinkles on his sleeves. "Call me when you get there, and... you have to accept video checks at any time, understand?"
"Then will you video me when I'm showering? Will I answer? Hehe!"
"Such a smart mouth... Alright, let's not delay any longer; we still have to go to the dock to pick up the goods." Murong Yanran gave Li HaoChen a roll of her eyes before opening the trunk.
The Smart's trunk space was indeed not large. The suitcases had to be forcefully shoved in, and only one could fit. The other had to be placed in the back seat.
Half an hour later, just as they arrived at the dock, the delivery driver called. "Hello, yes, yes, just drive straight in..."
Murong Yanran drove the car next to the Star Chen, and after some effort, they managed to move the two large suitcases into the cabin room. As Li HaoChen turned around, Murong Yanran presented him with a delicate jewelry box. "This is for you."
"What is it?"
"Open it and see."
Upon opening the box, a deep blue color amazed Li HaoChen. He immediately beamed with joy, holding it, almost reluctant to let go.
"Does it look good?"
"Mmm."
"Let me put it on for you."
Murong Yanran took the wristwatch and carefully fastened it onto Li HaoChen's left wrist, instantly enhancing his entire aura.
"Handsome?" Li HaoChen, in a moment of inspiration, struck a signature James Bond pose.
"Handsome, you just need a suit. Otherwise, I'd pounce on you, hee hee!"
Just as Li HaoChen was about to speak, a shout came from outside the ship. Murong Yanran walked forward, hugged Li HaoChen, and kissed him. "I'm heading back to the hotel. Be careful out at sea, and remember to call me when you arrive."
"Mmm, you be careful too. Don't push yourself too hard, and remember to eat on time, okay."
Watching Murong Yanran's retreating figure, Li HaoChen felt a pang of reluctance.
"Boss..."
"Uh... sorry, I was just thinking about something. Could you help me move this into the cabin?"
The stevedores were quite helpful. Although it wasn't their responsibility, they still did it. The amount of goods was substantial, filling the entire cabin, leaving only a narrow passage.
As they left, Li HaoChen gave each of them two hundred yuan. They accepted it willingly, which was understandable; earning their keep through labor was only natural.
The journey from Binhai back to his hometown would take about two days. Therefore, Li HaoChen filled the fuel tank and added four additional fuel cans as a precaution. While refueling, he took a taxi to a nearby supermarket to buy some rice, flour, canned goods, vegetables, and pork. He didn't have time to go to the market, so he made do.
Back on the Star Chen, the fuel tank was full. The recent triple drop in oil prices had brought it back to the seven-era. 7.98 yuan per liter was a significant drop from the previous 8.57 yuan. Filling the tank this time saved him over a thousand yuan.
After filling the water tanks, Li HaoChen raised the anchor and started the engine. With a long blast of the horn, the Star Chen slowly departed, heading towards Gen.
Looking in the direction of home, his thoughts were a whirlwind, his emotions fluctuating. He missed home, but he longed for his roots even more.
Li HaoChen's decision to sail home this time, while partly driven by a desire to show off, was primarily motivated by a wish to help his uncle.
Giving money directly would surely be refused, so Li HaoChen planned to catch some seafood during these two to three days for the banquet, not only to bring him honor but also to alleviate some of his financial burden.
Around noon, the Star Chen anchored outside Dunhuang Island. Li HaoChen took the opportunity to cast his fishing lines and traps while the ship drifted.
Li HaoChen didn't intend to stay long here, so he wasn't focused on fishing. He returned to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Since he hadn't prepared thoroughly before setting sail, lunch was rather simple: steamed pork belly with shrimp paste and a soup of cabbage.
Shrimp paste was a testament to the ingenuity of fishermen, incomparable to salted fish. Many people found shrimp paste pungent, but that was often because they bought the wrong kind – the watery shrimp paste.
The method for making genuine, high-quality shrimp paste was incredibly complex, requiring favorable weather and precise execution.
The small white shrimp from July and August were the best ingredients. After washing and picking out small杂鱼, the crushing process involved repeatedly pounding and mixing in a clay basin for an hour, then drying for an hour, repeating this cycle. When a wooden stick inserted into the mixture could stand upright without falling, the first stage was complete.
It was then covered with fly netting and left for two days before repeating the initial pounding process. The final stage involved sun-drying for three days. Therefore, unfavorable weather could result in a completely different taste. So, it was truly not easy to taste good shrimp paste.
Li HaoChen scooped all the rice into a bowl, mixed in the shrimp paste sauce. Even without other meat or vegetables, he could eat several bowls; it was that delicious.
After eating and cleaning up, over an hour had passed. After a ten-minute rest, Li HaoChen went out to collect his traps.
Perhaps due to the lack of visitors recently, the trap harvest was quite satisfactory. Eight groupers were caught in the three fish traps, though they were not large, weighing around one to two pounds each, far from the ones caught in the outer seas.
The crab traps also performed well, yielding three orchid crabs, four local blue crabs, and two conch shells weighing five to six taels. The eel traps brought a pleasant surprise: three thumb-sized mud eels.
"Mud eels? Not bad. I'll stew them tonight for nourishment, hehe!"
Mud eels were actually called Eating Crab Toothfish, a type of eel. They were incredibly delicious, often stewed with chicken and medicinal herbs. Larger ones were also braised or stir-fried. They were said to be a divine food for men, very expensive, with prices increasing with size, ranging from 300 to 500 yuan.
The longline fishing proved to be the most successful. The very first hook yielded a good catch: a tiger grouper weighing four to five pounds. After reeling in the entire longline, the haul consisted of fifteen fish and a large squid.
Looking at the catch from over an hour's work, Li HaoChen felt the urge to stay put. However, the thought flashed and vanished. Going home was important, and daylight hours were for traveling. With the divine bait in his possession, he could battle again at night.
Checking the time, he packed up his gear and set sail towards Wuzhou Island.