Gu Yi and Ye Hao returned to the county town the next day.
On the way, Ye Hao took Gu Yi to take a photo, which would serve as their wedding picture.
Ye Hao was wearing his uniform from the military, and Gu Yi wore a dress.
The days passed quickly, and by the time they received the photo, Ye Hao had to return to the military the following day.
"Hao Hao, eat more, and take care of your health when you’re outside."
Ye’s mother said, placing a big chicken leg in Ye Hao’s bowl.
Every time Ye Hao returns home is the happiest time, and his departure the saddest.
"Mom, don’t be sad. Once I finish my studies and return to the military, you’ll be able to join as family members. I’ll come to take you over, and we’ll be together as a family."
The dinner was a bit silent that night.
After returning to their room, Gu Yi began to pack Ye Hao’s things.
Ye Hao stepped forward and held Gu Yi’s hand.
"Yiyi, once I leave, the house will be hard on you. Once I get to school, I’ll write to you. Take care of yourself and don’t overwork."
"Okay, I know. You also take care there. Our family’s situation is better now, so don’t worry about us. Eat well and spend when you need to."
"Yeah, I’ll work hard. Once I graduate, I’ll apply for you to join the military with me."
"Alright, I’ll wait. By then, we’ll have a place in a big city."
Ye Hao hugged Gu Yi tightly.
Gu Yi’s eyes also warmed up, unsure of how to comfort him or herself.
For now, all she could do was work hard to earn money, resolving Ye Hao’s worries, and preparing herself to do what she wanted when she reached B City.
After Ye Hao left, Gu Yi’s life returned to being busy.
On this day, Gu Yi was busy in the shop, and two men in their thirties walked in and found a seat.
"Boss, six rice dumplings, four meat and two red date, plus two bowls of porridge."
Ye Qian brought out their order from the kitchen and placed it on the table in front of them.
Unlike others, they didn’t start eating right away. It seemed they were studying the dumplings, occasionally pointing and whispering to each other.
Gu Yi initially didn’t notice them, but as the customers left, they were still eating and discussing as if they were deliberating something.
Gu Yi didn’t pay attention to them, instead helping Ye Fu clean up the tables.
Once everything was cleaned up, those two were still there.
After a while, they called to pay the bill.
Gu Yi happened to be nearby, so she stepped forward.
The man with glasses asked.
"Two bowls of porridge are 2 cents, each rice dumpling is 4 cents, six for 24 cents, totaling 26 cents."
The man with glasses listened, gave her 30 cents, and Gu Yi returned 4 cents to him.
"Are these dumplings made by yourselves?"
The other man suddenly asked.
"Yes, they’re homemade."
Gu Yi didn’t ask why he wanted to know. After answering, she prepared to leave.
"Would you be willing to sell the recipe?"
Gu Yi only then seriously looked at him. He gave off a very sunny vibe, yet there was a shrewd businessman’s gleam in his eyes. Although dressed casually, Gu Yi could tell the fabric was not cheap, and the craftsmanship was sophisticated.
"Do you want to buy the recipe?"
"Yes, I wonder if you would be interested."
The man didn’t hide his intentions but seemed confident Gu Yi would sell the recipe.
"Can I ask how you plan to use it after purchasing?"
The man was taken aback, apparently not expecting Gu Yi’s question.
"Hello, here’s our business card. My name is Yang Lin, and I live nearby. This is our company’s boss. Our headquarters is in B City, and I’m responsible for operations here in R City."
The man with glasses quickly handed a business card to Gu Yi.
Gu Yi looked at the card: Yang Lin, Manager of R City Branch, Good Taste Food Co., Ltd.
She knew of Good Taste from her previous life. Although it wasn’t well-known now, it later became one of China’s top 500 companies and successfully went public.
Their boss was a Chinese American named Liang Yesheng.
Gu Yi glanced at the other man. Could he be Liang Yesheng?
"I’m Liang Yesheng, and here’s my business card."
The other man introduced himself to Gu Yi.
It really was Liang Yesheng; it felt like a major opportunity had landed in her lap, waiting to see if she could seize it.
"Are you planning to produce and sell the recipe yourselves?"
Liang Yesheng paused, surprised by Gu Yi’s use of the term "sales."
"Yes, after you sell us the recipe, you cannot sell it to anyone else."
Seeing Liang Yesheng didn’t speak, Yang Lin quickly responded to Gu Yi.
"I’m curious why you’re interested in my recipe?"
Although Gu Yi was confident in her skills, she didn’t expect such a legendary figure to take notice.
"Well, my parents live nearby. They ate here and said it was excellent. Knowing our company is in the food business, they told me, and since our boss was visiting, I brought him here to taste it."
Yang Lin explained to Gu Yi.
"After tasting, I found the flavor excellent, with great market potential."
Liang Yesheng echoed Yang Lin’s sentiment.
"Rest assured, even though the recipe can’t be sold to others, we won’t stop you from making them yourself."
"I can give you the recipe, but I don’t want money. I want a share of your company, just five percent. I also have other recipes and some technologies to offer."
Now, Liang Yesheng was even more astonished, not expecting Gu Yi to propose such a collaboration.
Yang Lin couldn’t make the decision, so he looked at Liang Yesheng for guidance.
The room fell silent.
"I need to see what other recipes and technologies you have to convince me to give you a share."
Eating Gu Yi’s meat dumplings reminded Liang Yesheng of his mother.
Back then, when they lived in the United States, his mother would make dumplings for him every Dragon Boat Festival in China.
He didn’t have much taste for sweet dumplings, but he loved the savory ones his mom made, tender and delicious.
After his mother passed away, he never tasted that again, until finding it with Gu Yi today.
This motivated him to give Gu Yi a chance.
Yang Lin was shocked to hear Liang Yesheng say this.
Though a Chinese American, Liang Yesheng had lived in China since high school.
Yang Lin knew him because they were university classmates.
Good Taste was founded by Liang Yesheng without any support from his family.
He had told Yang Lin he didn’t want anyone meddling in his company. He even refused his cousins’ offers to invest and collaborate.
While he hadn’t directly agreed with Gu Yi, if she had what he needed, he would agree.