CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: DIFFERENT MEANINGS

Jiang Xiaozhuo was trying to guide her eldest uncle and them towards a business path.

The goal of a moderately prosperous life can be instilled in advance.

Sure enough, Li Weimin was deep in thought upon hearing this.

Yes, what this child said is correct. Every year during the farming off-season, people either chat idly at home, do odd jobs, or just laze around at home.

If they went out to do some small business or something like that, listening to his younger sister and brother-in-law, and if the business was good and could make money, then why not give it a try?

Li Weimin’s family has two boys, Jianguo and Jianhui, both are about to reach the age of getting married, but the house is not spacious. He has been single-mindedly saving money, just wanting to build a house for his two sons to get married and start a family.

But making money is not easy.

So, when he heard this, it immediately caught Li Weimin’s interest.

Two hundred yuan a month is no small amount.

Within a year, you could build a big tiled house.

Just thinking about it makes you excited.

Li Weimin hesitantly said, "But, we don’t know how to make food?"

His sister’s steamed and fried dumplings look good, but it would be inappropriate for him, as the elder brother, to not think about helping her out, but instead, to try and encroach upon her new source of income. That wouldn’t make him family; it would make him worse than strangers.

Gu Ruhai, on the other hand, was straightforward and said, "Big brother, why don’t we let Xuemei teach you guys how to make them? We can do this business of steamed and fried dumplings together."

Gu Xiaoqing was amused; his old man would probably never think outside the box, even in a hundred years.

He didn’t even consider how big the town was. In such a small place, if everyone started making steamed and fried dumplings, how much customer flow could there be? It would be better to just give half of the profits to his uncle.

In the end, both families wouldn’t make much money.

Li Weimin seemingly thought the same and shook his head, saying, "Brother-in-law, that’s not right. Don’t say that again. The business is just that small, and people aren’t that many. Before outsiders even know about it, we, as family, are already snatching business from you. Wouldn’t that be a slap in my face?"

Gu Ruhai was embarrassed upon hearing this; he hadn’t thought about that at all; he just didn’t want Li Weimin and them to just watch his family make money.

But he hadn’t considered the finer details.

Yes, how big is this town? If both families sell steamed and fried dumplings, how would his own family still earn money?

Gu Xiaoying returned with a half-pound bottle of white liquor, which was from their own house.

Gu Ruhai poured a drink for Li Weimin and himself.

He felt a bit complicated inside.

Li Weimin downed a drink in one go, feeling frustrated. The path was now visible, but he couldn’t find a direction and didn’t know what to do, feeling so lost.

It’s like a pile of cash lying in front of you, but you just can’t reach it.

Gu Xiaoqing sensed the atmosphere was off; he intended to motivate his uncle to start a business, not just paint a rosy picture to satisfy empty stomachs.

He quickly said with a smile, "Uncle, selling food doesn’t necessarily mean doing our steamed and fried dumplings. Look at the variety of foods sold in the market. Can’t Uncle and Uncle 2 think of some other foods to do business with? Anyway, people won’t buy the same food every day. With something different, everyone’s business can be good, and there are plenty of choices, isn’t that better?"

This was an idea Gu Xiaoqing had long thought of; the variety in his mind wasn’t just one. Picking any at random could work.

Li Weimin’s eyes lit up at once upon hearing this. He looked at Gu Xiaoqing, and in those dark, glistening eyes of Xiaoqing’s, he saw the reflection of his own face with an uncontrollable, excited joy.

Yes, why stubbornly think only about steamed and fried dumplings when there are other foods too.

But after the excitement, worry followed.

Even though it was said like this, Li Weimin was a man over forty, not an exuberant teenager who could be easily agitated.

Upon calming down, he realized where the problem lay.

It seems like such a simple issue, but in reality, everyone at home can make some food; which housewife doesn’t?

In the village, many wives are skilled, especially as cooking is done by the village women whenever there’s a wedding or celebration.

Many skilled wives dare not set up stalls to sell food, and why is that?

They know their culinary skills can only sell within the village. Taking them out, they face critical-palette customers; people from the town or county, or those from the city, are used to finer tastes.

Town folk have far fussier palates than rural folk.

Regular eats barely catch unsophisticated eyes. If it doesn’t taste good, despite low cost, you’d likely just lose money.

It isn’t something just to talk about casually.

Li Weimin understood this truth too, instantly sobering up.

Still, he was curious about how Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei churned out such tasty fried and steamed dumplings. He didn’t believe their skills were so exceptionally good that people paid them so much in a day.

"Uncle, maybe I can go to Grandma’s house another day and help you guys craft some food. You can taste it, and if it’s ok, if it can stand out, you can try making it. The stuffing for our steamed and fried dumplings was something I concocted, and it’s a secret recipe."

Gu Xiaoqing could tell from his uncle’s expression that he had already figured it out.

No one is a fool. There aren’t many sincere people like his dad, Gu Ruhai, but he was glad Li Weimin thought of this.

At least he isn’t slow like Gu Ruhai; he gets it right away and is easy to communicate with.

Li Weimin immediately understood.

Laughing heartily, he said, "Alright, then we’ll be waiting to try Xiaoqing’s skills, don’t let Uncle down."

He poured liquor for Gu Ruhai.

Li Xuemei looked at Gu Xiaoqing, feeling utmost satisfaction. This child has skills and looks all good in her eyes.

Gu Xiaoqing readily agreed, "Uncle, don’t worry. I’ll bring out eighteen skills to arrange good businesses for you and Uncle 2. Soon, we will all have big tile-roofed houses, letting Grandpa and Grandma enjoy life."

This was music to the ears.

Li Weimin and Li Xuemei were all smiles.

The family dined heartily; Li Weimin and Gu Ruhai even finished off the half bottle of white liquor. Pleasantly tipsy and full, Li Weimin declined his brother-in-law’s invitation to stay over, then headed home.

Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei laid down, chatting through half the night before finally sleeping.

This night seemed to herald a different future for the Gu family.