Chapter 1996: Dumplings
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xia He nodded in understanding. That night, Auntie Wang cooked many dishes, including dumplings. Gao Ming had grown up in Country M, but there was a period of time when he returned to Hu City for two or three years. Ever since then, he could no longer get used to the food in Country M and had a craving for food from his hometown. When Gao Ming took his first bite of the dumplings, tears welled up in his eyes. It had been a long time since he had the taste of home.
“This is so delicious!” Gao Ming said excitedly.
“If it’s delicious, then eat more. This is Sister Wangs signature dish! The dumplings she makes are especially delicious and have the taste of our hometown. The last time she made this, the other employees at the farm ate some as well and they all said it was nice,” Qiao Mei said.
In Sky City, Gao Ming had always been in the food and beverage business. He really wanted to open a restaurant serving traditional food from his hometown. He felt that it would meet the needs of his fellow countrymen and also be acceptable to the people of Country M.
“Are all the farm employees from our home country?” Gao Ming asked perceptively.
“No, most of them are locals,” Xia He replied.
Gao Ming thought for a long time and said, “Is there any special method to make these dumplings? Or any secret recipe?”
“I’ve been doing it the same way all these years. Perhaps the proportion of my ingredients is different from what other people do,” Auntie Wang said after thinking for a long time.
“l don’t mean to be rude, but 1 run a restaurant and I’m curious about such things. Have your neighbors ever tried the food which you usually eat?” Gao Ming asked.
“Yes, they have. Some of them can’t get used to it. Dumplings are the only food which they unanimously find acceptable,” Xia He said.
The main reason why the neighbors liked the dumplings was because they were made using the vegetables planted by Qiao Mei. Even if they were served only the raw vegetables, they would still find it extremely delicious. However, Xia He did not intend to tell Gao Ming the secret behind it.
After the meal, Gao Ming stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and looked into the distance in a daze. If he could market these dumplings well, it might be a very good business opportunity. However, there was still not enough market research done on this. If only a small number of people liked to eat these dumplings, his investment might fail.
In the letter which Xia Zhe wrote to Qiao Mei, he mentioned that Gao Ming had different business ideas from the Gao family. He had always wanted to break free from the Gao family’s restraints and do his own business, but he never managed to do it.
“Big Brother, what are you thinking about alone?” Qiao Mei asked as she walked over to Gao Ming.
“It’s nothing. For me, it has been a visit full of surprises. 1 originally wanted to come and see if you are doing well and to talk to you about Fang Chen. The ruthless way he dealt with the Zhang family makes me a little worried about your situation,” Gao Ming said.
Qiao Mei felt a sense of warmth. She did not expect Gao Ming to come to the small town to look for her because he was concerned about her happiness. She smiled and said, “Big Brother, he’s very nice to me. Don’t worry, he’s a trustworthy person.”
“As long as you like him,” Gao Ming said.
“l can see that Big Brother has some ideas about Auntie Wangs dumplings. Big Brother, do you want to try selling them in Sky City?” Qiao Mei asked.
“l guess you can say that. Business hasn’t been very good recently. If these dumplings end up being popular with the locals, it can only be a good thing.
When the time comes, we can create our own brand and market it widely,” Gao Ming said excitedly.
“Why don’t we give it a try in this small town first?” Qiao Mei said.
“It’s not that easy to open a shop selling food. There is a long process and it takes a long time. This is not something that can be done quickly,” Gao Ming said with a sigh.
“l have a friend who runs a snack shop. Why don’t we give it a try at her place? If it works out, we can think about how we want to expand the business in the future. If not, then it doesn’t matter,” Qiao Mei said.
“Really? That’s great! Then we’ll have to trouble Sister Wang to teach us how to make dumplings,” Gao Ming said.
“We’ll do it tomorrow,” Qiao Mei said.
The next day, Butler Xu and Luo Yu went to the town center to buy a lot of flour, oil and seasonings, as well as some huge cooking pots. These were all essential items if they wanted to run a business. Qiao Mei drove Gao Ming to Alice’s shop. Alice had already returned from her vacation. She was currently running the shop together with her child.
“Hi! Long time no see!” Alice greeted Qiao Mei happily.
“Alice, how was your trip? Didn’t you say you wanted to take a good break? Why are you back so soon?” Qiao Mei asked..