Hard work after winning the lottery

"We can start on the weekends and find two quick and efficient helpers. Uncle Tang and Uncle Man are both good at slaughtering sheep. We can pay them by the day."

Then, she looked at her mother, who had already come in and was sitting down, and her tone became softer and more confident.

"Mom, I've done the math regarding the investment."

"The initial investment for the stove and equipment should be around ten to twenty thousand yuan. As for the site, that open space by the lake belongs to our village collective. I'll talk to Secretary Zhang, and the rent will definitely not be expensive."

"Our biggest cost is actually our sheep. But we raise them ourselves, and that's our biggest advantage!"

She paused, giving her family time to process it, before revealing the most important point.

"Think about it, a processed live sheep sells for seven or eight hundred yuan on our online store right now. But a whole roasted lamb can easily sell for over a thousand five hundred yuan, or even more, in a restaurant in the city!"

"We have the best sheep and the most beautiful scenery, so why can't we make this money ourselves?"

"We can't just be satisfied with being a raw material supplier. We want to take the 'Xishan Muyun' brand from online to offline, so that every tourist who comes to Baixi Village can taste the deliciousness of our mutton and remember us!"

"This is called extending the industrial chain and increasing added value!"

Hua Shu and Hua Mutou fell silent.

Although they didn't understand concepts like "industrial chain" or "added value," they understood that "a sheep can be sold for twice the price."

Li Guifen was also moved by the prospects described by her daughter, but she still felt a little uncertain.

Seeing the wavering on her family's faces, Hua Yun knew that the time was right.

She convinced them.

Or rather, it was her confidence and promising future that convinced them.

That night, Hua Yun barely slept a wink.

Her family's support was just the first step; there were many more things waiting for her to do.

The first thing she had to do, and the most crucial thing she believed in, was technology.

Roasting a whole lamb may look simple, but it actually involves a great deal of skill and expertise.

The heat, the time, the marinade, and the sauce—each one determines the final success or failure.

She could figure it out on her own, but that would be too slow and the cost of trial and error would be too high.

She's going to become an overnight sensation.

She wants to create a unique and irreplaceable flavor in Baixi Village.

In the stillness of the night, the three children had already drifted off into sweet dreams.

Hua Yun sat in front of the computer, the light from the screen reflecting on her focused face.

She opened a webpage she had saved for a long time; it was the official website of a very well-known domestic catering technology training institution.

She found a recipe for "Secret Imperial Roasted Whole Lamb" priced at 38,800 yuan, along with a complete video tutorial on the process.

Below the price is a row of gleaming gold characters: "Exclusive secret recipe, a century-old tradition, one trick to success, eat your way through the world."

Hua Yun's mouse cursor hovered over the "Buy Now" button for a long time.

She took a deep breath and no longer hesitated.

"Click".

A crisp click of the mouse rang out clearly in the quiet of the night.

A payment success page popped up.

Hua Yun leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

The recipe and tutorial videos were downloaded to my computer quickly.

Hua Yun clicked on one of the videos and put on her headphones.

In the video, a master chef dressed in a white chef's uniform and wearing a tall hat is facing the camera, explaining the selection criteria for sheep in standard Mandarin.

"For roasting a whole lamb, the best choice is a lamb from the current year, ideally around six months old, weighing around thirty catties (approximately 15 kg). Any more or less and it will be tough, any less and it will be bland..."

The master craftsman's voice was unhurried, each word as if measured with a ruler, precise and steady.

Hua Yun watched with extreme focus, even taking out her notebook to jot down key points.

She needs someone.

A person who can perfectly translate these theories into reality.

A true roast lamb master is one who can command respect and carry the torch for this craft.

Several elders in the village who loved to experiment with cooking flashed through her mind.

Uncle Huashi?

No, Uncle is good at slaughtering sheep, and he's fine at cooking big pot stews, but for this kind of delicate work, his rough hands probably won't be able to handle the heat properly.

Uncle Man?

No, that won't work either. Uncle Man is impatient, and the most important thing for roasting a whole lamb is patience.

Hua Yun's brows furrowed slightly, and her fingertips tapped the table unconsciously.

This person must be technically proficient, reliable, and someone you can absolutely trust.

A name, without warning, suddenly jumped out from the depths of my memory.

Uncle, Li Ye.

Hua Yun's eyes suddenly lit up.

How could she forget her uncle!

Her uncle, Li Ye, was her mother Li Guifen's younger brother.

When he was young, my uncle was not a peaceful farmer.

He went to work as an apprentice in the kitchen of a big restaurant in the city, starting from chopping and preparing vegetables. With his cleverness and perseverance, he learned a lot from the chef.

Hua Yun still clearly remembers that one year during the Spring Festival, her uncle came home to visit relatives and personally made a dish of "Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions".

The sea cucumber was soft, chewy, and had such a rich scallion aroma that it could steal your soul.

At that time, the whole family gathered around that dish, and even used steamed buns to soak up all the broth at the bottom of the plate.

Grandpa Hua clicked his tongue and kept praising, "With A-Ye's skills, it's a waste that he's not opening a big restaurant!"

But later, as my grandparents got older, they started to develop some minor health problems.

Without saying a word, my uncle quit his job in the city and returned to the village.

Over the years, he has stayed with his grandparents, cultivating a few acres of meager land. Occasionally, he is invited by villagers to be the chef for weddings and funerals, but his amazing culinary skills seem to have been buried by the years.

Yes! That's him!

There's no one more suitable than my uncle!

Once the thought popped into my head, I couldn't suppress it anymore.

Hua Yun checked the time; it was already late at night.

She turned off the computer, forced herself to lie down, but her mind was in turmoil as she pondered how to bring it up with her uncle.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

After dressing the three children and feeding them, Hua Yun gave her mother a few more careful instructions before riding her electric scooter and speeding towards her maternal grandmother's house.

On a country road in the early morning, the air is filled with the fragrance of grass and earth.

When we arrived at my grandmother's house, the gate was ajar.

As soon as Hua Yun opened the door, she saw her uncle, Li Ye, squatting by the well in the yard, huffing and puffing as he repaired an old water pump.

He was wearing a faded blue overall, with the sleeves rolled up high, revealing his strong, dark forearms, and a fine layer of sweat on his forehead.

"uncle!"

Hua Yun called out with a smile.

Li Ye looked up, saw it was her, and a look of surprise appeared on his face, followed by a grin.

"Yun girl, what brings you here today? Did the sun rise in the west?"

"I missed you, so I came to see you and your grandparents." Hua Yun parked the car and walked over.

"Stop being so glib." Li Ye wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, stood up, and said, "I know your nature of never coming here unless you need something. So, what is it?"