The benefits of using the harvesting artifact were obvious. In less than half an hour, over two hundred had been picked, though this was also because the coconuts grew in clusters. Picking them one by one would have been quite a task.
Another advantage was constantly looking up, which was a better way to prevent cervical spondylosis than playing badminton. Just look at Li Haochen; even after stopping, he was still looking up at the sky, proving its benefits!
"It's a good thing I could bring this artifact in, otherwise...!"
Li Haochen shivered as he looked at the coconut grove stretching over a kilometer.
Speaking of this coconut grove, Li Haochen found it strange. Coconut trees usually take five to six years to start bearing fruit, but the ones planted in the space had only been there for a year, or rather, two years, because the time flow inside was twice as fast as outside.
These two years had resulted in a harvest of coconuts, leaving Li Haochen full of questions. He couldn't quite understand it, but he gladly accepted this unknown phenomenon. These were practically golden ingots.
Don't underestimate these mere three thousand-odd coconut trees. They bore fruit all year round, with each tree producing over a hundred coconuts. The sheer quantity was impressive, and the price wasn't low either, provided they could be sold.
Li Haochen started picking from the edges. After picking just ten trees, he stopped, smiling contentedly at the over five hundred coconuts.
"If this beach extended for tens of kilometers, then these coconuts would be like picking up money, hehe!"
Li Haochen daydreamed foolishly, though it was just a thought. If there really were tens of kilometers of coconut groves, Li Haochen would probably not open a coconut shop.
In his words, why bother? Tens of kilometers of coconut groves for one person to pick? Even working twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year without a break, he probably wouldn't finish.
Looking at the small mountain of coconuts piled on the beach, Li Haochen felt a bit daunted. After thinking for a moment, he left the space, found a long rope, and re-entered. He strung all the coconuts onto the rope.
Holding the rope and coconuts with both hands, Li Haochen felt a sense of anticipation. He silently willed himself to go out.
He opened his eyes and looked at the hundreds of coconuts in the yard, bursting into laughter.
"Good thing it didn't disappoint me. This will be much more convenient in the future."
After some effort, he finally managed to load all these hundreds of coconuts onto a three-wheeled vehicle. The entire vehicle sank a few centimeters lower, showing how heavy they were.
As soon as he opened the courtyard gate, he saw Murong Yanran and Ruan Shanshan walking in.
"Yanran, class is over? Ah, Shanshan is here too..."
"Mm, there was only one class this afternoon, and since there was nothing else to do, I came back early." Murong Yanran walked in, holding Ruan Shanshan's arm.
"Haochen, you're not going to blame me for being a third wheel again, are you? Hehe!"
"Uh... no, no. My lightbulb just broke today, so you've come at the perfect time. Hehe!"
Murong Yanran gave Li Haochen a sideways glance and playfully scoffed, "You're never serious. Where are you going?"
Li Haochen scratched his head and replied with an awkward smile, "To send these coconuts to the shop. Uh... I peeled a few young coconuts and put them in the fridge. They'll be ready to drink in a while. Just poke the top with a small knife. I'm heading out now."
"Okay... buy groceries on your way back!"
"..."
The design of the pedestrian street was very reasonable. All the shops had a four-meter-wide cargo passage at the back, accessible only to tenants.
Li Haochen took out his pass and smoothly drove the three-wheeled vehicle in. During this time, a small pickup truck carrying a load of coconuts also passed by. The man in the pickup truck cast a thoughtful glance at Li Haochen's coconuts, then at Li Haochen.
The journey was smooth and unobstructed. After a few minutes, he arrived at the back door of the shop. He opened the security door and, carrying a string of coconuts in each hand, strained to bring them inside.
"Heh... here we go!"
It took over ten minutes to move this entire cartload of coconuts into the space. In reality, Li Haochen could have used the space's function to go to the shop and then take out the coconuts. However, for safety reasons, fearing that someone with ulterior motives might become suspicious, he decided after much consideration to use the electric three-wheeler to transport them.
After moving the entire cartload of coconuts, Li Haochen was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked, and he sat in the shop, panting slightly.
"Honestly, it's quite tiring. Should I go into the space and pick some more?"
Li Haochen thought it was a good idea. He walked over and closed the doors and windows tightly, nodding with satisfaction. Just as he was about to enter the space, a small red dot in the corner made him break out in a cold sweat.
"Holy crap, I almost forgot about this."
Li Haochen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and palms with lingering fear, breathing a sigh of relief. "If this had been captured by the surveillance cameras, I don't even know which secret location I would have been sent to for dissection. From now on, I must be more discreet when entering the space. It's better to be tired than to be caught. At most, I'll buy a small truck when I make money."
Li Haochen cut open the strung coconuts one by one and placed them in a large basin for cleaning. After draining the water, he put them on the Ruidao green coconut peeling machine.
Sizzle~
In less than five seconds, a young coconut was basically prepared, though there was one final step... cutting the bottom.
Li Haochen placed the bottom of the young coconut on the sharp blade, and with a "clack," the entire snow-white young coconut was completed. The entire preparation process took only ten to twenty seconds. If two people cooperated, the time would be even faster.
One by one, young coconuts appeared in the freezer. Soon, the entire freezer was packed with them. After making a freezer full of young coconuts, Li Haochen stopped working, because the shop wasn't solely his. He couldn't do the work for everyone else. Doing so would be considered overstepping, which is a major taboo in cooperation.
After finishing these tasks, Li Haochen locked the door and drove the three-wheeled vehicle to the market...
...
Where there are people, there is a martial world. As soon as Liang Minfeng and the others posted on their social media about the shop's upcoming opening, countless replies and comments poured in.
"Oh wow, you've all become bosses, I really couldn't tell!"
"Wow... I didn't realize the richest person was around me?"
"Congratulations, congratulations...!"
"Can I get a 10% discount tomorrow?"
"You'll get a bone fracture if you're lucky..."
...
There were both positive and negative comments, but most were congratulatory. Only a few envious individuals who couldn't stand others doing better made a few snide remarks to vent their frustrations.
However, even the congratulatory comments weren't always sincere. More often than not, they were made out of politeness and the understanding of social obligations. Who knew if they might become successful one day, making it easier to ask for favors?
As the class advisor, Luo Bin, upon learning that Chen He and the other three had opened a shop on the pedestrian street, praised them extensively in the class group chat. He also made it a point to visit this office and that office, making a big fuss throughout the campus, as if afraid no one would know that he was the teacher of students who had opened businesses and become bosses. If people didn't know, they might think Li Haochen and the others had opened a listed company, given his enthusiasm...
As it turned out, with the promotion by the classmates and Luo Bin, the shop received considerable attention even before it officially opened. This advertising blitz left Li Haochen and the other three feeling dazed, as it was something they hadn't anticipated. If they had known Luo Bin would go to such lengths to publicize it, they certainly would have bought him two good cartons of cigarettes to show their gratitude.