Chapter 75: The Business Was Not Easy

If you wanted to ask Liu Heming how hard it was to take care of an injured horse, he would tell you very seriously that there was no such thing as the hardest, only harder.

A horse was not like a person. If it felt uncomfortable lying down here, it would always want to stand up. Liu Heming did not dare let that happen, so he spent the whole night half-asleep, keeping an eye on it.

Watching over it was one thing, but he also had to take care of Charming Girl’s eating, drinking, and bathroom needs. If he didn’t, the place would definitely become stinky and unbearable, especially since the weather was so hot. It would have been impossible to stay there.

Fortunately, perhaps because she saw how hard Liu Heming was working, Sasha didn’t hold his and their daughter’s mischief against him too much. She even helped make breakfast the next morning.

Jenny arrived almost as soon as the door opened, and she brought quite a few people with her—all colleagues from the Wildlife Management Bureau. Apart from the cost of some materials, they didn’t charge Liu Heming an extra cent.

The solution was quite simple: they built a frame and partially suspended Charming Girl. Although it was still somewhat uncomfortable and she couldn’t be suspended too high, it at least allowed her to stand up.

By the time they finished all this, most of the day had passed again. Too tired to care, Liu Heming loaded the meat filling and meat bucket into his car and drove straight to Lewis’s small restaurant.

Honestly, all he wanted now was to find a place to sleep properly, but he really couldn’t delay selling dumplings and rougamo any longer. With only money going out and none coming in, life was just going to get harder and harder.

“Dexter, how is that horse you bought doing?” Lewis asked, running out as Liu Heming was unloading the stuff.

“The Wildlife Management Bureau helped design a device, and it works very well. But she still needs a long recovery period. I’m really worried Charming Girl might not resist putting her leg down,” Liu Heming said.

“The baby in her belly is fine, though. Jenny said it would be born in about six months. I hope Charming Girl recovers by then, or there could still be danger in the future.”

“Ah, Charming Girl is lucky to have met you,” Lewis said, patting him on the shoulder.

“Right now, I just hope she recovers quickly and that nothing else goes wrong. By the way, did you set aside the spot for me?” Liu Heming asked with a smile.

“Of course, I took care of it as soon as I got back,” Lewis said cheerfully.

When Liu Heming followed Lewis inside the restaurant, he was speechless. Lewis hadn’t just given him a separate spot; it was a long counter. And the area had been renovated so that people could watch him make dumplings and rougamo directly.

“What do you think? Quite a surprise, isn’t it? With this setup, people will definitely be more interested when they buy,” Lewis said proudly. He thought watching Liu Heming make dumplings was quite entertaining, and making Chinese hamburgers was fun too.

“Dexter, you need to let us try some first, so the girls can recommend them more when taking orders,” Daisy, Lewis’s wife, said, leading three waitresses over.

“No problem, just wait a moment,” Liu Heming replied readily.

His products hadn’t gained any fame yet, and he really needed these waitresses to help promote them.

The ingredients were all ready, and Liu Heming was quite skilled with his hands now. He rolled out the wrappers, filled the dumplings, and boiled them with less water, all in one smooth motion. While the dumplings were cooking, he shaped another portion of risen dough into baijimo and put them in the oven to bake.

“Daisy, what did I tell you? Was I right?” Lewis said with a smile.

“Absolutely, I never knew Dexter’s hands were so clever,” Daisy nodded curiously.

She felt that rolling out the wrappers required a lot of coordination between both hands, but Dexter could roll two at once. It was really impressive.

“Actually, it’s all quite simple once you get used to it. You can try the dumplings first. Since I’m the only one working for now, there’s only one flavor. If people accept them later, I’ll develop more flavors,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

After saying that, Liu Heming scooped the dumplings into large bowls. He didn’t put too many—just six per bowl. It wasn’t that he was stingy; this was just for them to taste the flavor. If he put twenty in a bowl, they probably wouldn’t be able to finish them.

“Dexter, why didn’t you serve me any?” Lewis asked, looking a bit upset when he saw he didn’t get a portion.

“Do it yourself. Eat as much as you want. Dumplings shouldn’t be left for too long; they don’t taste good when they’re cold. It’d be best if you could finish them all,” Liu Heming said, turning down the heat under the braised marinated meat bucket.

Daisy and the others didn’t pay attention to what Liu Heming and Lewis were saying. They were all eager to try the dumplings.

“Hmm, the flavor is really good,” Daisy praised after eating one, then quickly continued working on the dumplings in her bowl.

The taste of these dumplings was different from the ones she had bought at the supermarket before. The filling was flavorful, and the wrapper was chewy. Most importantly, they weren’t greasy at all.

In no time, she realized she had finished all six dumplings in her bowl, even though she had just had lunch not long ago.

The baijimo were ready too. After asking about their preferences, Liu Heming made each of them a rougamo.

To Liu Heming’s surprise, although they also thought the rougamo tasted good, they gave him some suggestions for improvement. This Chinese-style burger was a bit too salty. For long-distance truck drivers, that would be a bit of a burden, since it’s not very convenient for them to drink water or use the restroom.

Liu Heming nodded. It was then that he realized running a business was completely different from eating at home. The business was not easy; there were many things to consider.

His family was from the north, where flavors tended to be stronger, so rougamo naturally tasted deliciously rich to them. But here it was different, and the customer base he was facing was also quite special. This really needed some adjustment.

Also, perhaps he hadn’t fully understood the recipe the System gave him. There were still shortcomings in how he allocated the seasoning amounts.

Once everything was ready, Liu Heming began to imagine scenes of people eagerly buying his food. However, the harsh reality slapped him hard in the face.

Even though the waitresses tried their best to recommend them, whether it was the dumplings or the rougamo, not a single bowl or piece was sold, even though he stayed open until midnight.

It was completely different from what he had imagined. He was utterly baffled, unable to understand why these people seemed so interested, yet none of them actually bought any to eat.