Back to 2008: I Helped My Dad Become the Richest Man

Choosing a pig is a skill. Luo Xinde originally thought that he should just choose the biggest and heaviest one, as that would show that his pigs were well-raised.

"No way." Master Liu immediately rejected his idea. "Hotel cooking emphasizes the balance of ingredients. If you bring over a 300-pound fat pig, covered in fat, the head chef will frown at the sight of it. What we need are pigs with standard body shape and a perfect fat-to-lean ratio."

Master Liu led the Luo family around the pigsty. His eyes, like a ruler, swept over the back, belly, and hindquarters of each pig.

"That's it." Finally, he pointed to a pig rooting for food by the trough.

The pig didn't look like the biggest, but it had a very well-proportioned body, a straight back, a compact belly, and long, powerful limbs—it looked like an "athlete."

"This pig weighs about 190 pounds. After slaughter, the lean meat yield will be high, the layers of pork belly will be distinct, and the marbling of the tenderloin and shoulder pieces will definitely be beautiful. Whether it's braised or stir-fried, the taste will be top-notch," Master Liu gave his professional assessment.

"Okay! That's the one!" Luo Xinde immediately made the decision.

The chosen "lucky pig" was immediately moved to a separate pen and began to enjoy "single room" treatment.

For the next two days, Li Minxia gave it special treatment, feeding it specially prepared food and warm boiled water, making it very comfortable.

The day after tomorrow, before dawn, the Luo family all got up.

Getting the pig to the city was a problem. They didn't have a special vehicle for transporting pigs. Luo Xinde wanted to ask Uncle Chen to use his hand tractor to take it there, but Luo Xiyuan immediately rejected the idea.

"Dad, no way. We're delivering goods to a five-star hotel. If we drive a tractor there with a stinky stench in the truck bed, people will immediately think we're unprofessional, and that will create a bad first impression," Luo Xiyuan said.

"What should we do then?"

"Rent a car," Luo Xiyuan said. "I already contacted Uncle Wang from the town's transport team yesterday. He has a small van with a clean cargo bed, which is perfect for us. I told him the rental fee is two hundred yuan, and he'll be responsible for delivering it to our destination."

After listening, Luo Xinde felt a surge of emotion. He realized that his daughter always thought things through several steps ahead of him.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Uncle Wang from the transport team drove a clean blue pickup truck to the farm gate on time.

Getting a live pig weighing nearly 200 pounds onto the truck was another ordeal. Luo Xinde and two workers used all their strength to coax and herd the pig into the truck bed using a specially made sloping wooden plank.

"Dad, I'll go with you to the city this time." Luo Xiyuan was wearing a clean white shirt and looked very energetic.

"What are you going to do? You still have to go to school." Luo Xinde disagreed.

"I've taken the day off today," Luo Xiyuan said firmly. "I'm the one who contacted Manager Wang. In case he has any problems, I can put in a good word for you. Also, I want to see for myself what the kitchen of a five-star hotel is really like."

Luo Xinde thought about it and felt that his daughter made sense. With his daughter by his side, he felt more at ease.

"Okay. Minxia, ​​you and Xiaowen stay home and look after the house. We'll be right back."

And so, Luo Xinde and his daughter Luo Xiyuan boarded Uncle Wang's truck and embarked on their journey to the city to "deliver gifts."

Throughout the journey, Luo Xinde was filled with anxiety. He worried that something might happen to the pig on the way, and then he worried that when they arrived at the hotel, the hotel wouldn't want their pig, and then the more than 1,000 yuan would be wasted.

"Dad, don't be nervous." Luo Xiyuan noticed her father's anxiety. "Just remember one thing: we're not here to ask for favors; we're here to showcase our products. Our pigs are the best. You need to have that confidence."

"Hmm," Luo Xinde replied verbally, but he was still unsure.

The truck traveled for over an hour on a bumpy road before finally entering the city. The towering buildings and bustling traffic dazzled Luo Xinde.

The Golden Bay Hotel, located in the most bustling part of the city center, is a magnificent building dozens of stories high, its glass curtain wall shimmering in the sunlight. Looking up at it, Luo Xinde felt like a country bumpkin in the city, even finding it hard to breathe.

Following the instructions, the truck drove to the back alley of the hotel. This was the hotel's unloading area, where various trucks came and went, carrying vegetables, seafood, drinks, and other supplies.

A middle-aged man in a white overalls and a tall chef's hat stood with his hands on his hips, directing the workers to unload goods. He looked very authoritative, and when a porter was a little slow, he immediately started yelling at him.

"Um...excuse me, are you Master Li?" Luo Xinde asked cautiously as he stepped forward.

The man glanced at him sideways and said, "That's me. What are you doing here?"

"We are from Luo's Farm. We made an appointment with your Manager Wang to deliver a pig today."

"Oh, it's you guys." Master Li nodded, his face expressionless. "Where's the pig? Pull it down so I can see."

Luo Xinde and Uncle Wang quickly opened the carriage door and set up the ramp. The pig, having been inside the carriage for a while, had become a little impatient and started grunting as soon as the door opened, it got off the train.

When the pig appeared before everyone intact, several workers who were unloading goods nearby stopped what they were doing and looked over curiously.

The pig was robust, with glossy skin and clean, pinkish flesh, without any unpleasant odor. It was completely different from the pigs they usually saw brought from slaughterhouses, which were covered in mud and grime.

Master Li's eyes lit up. He walked around the pig twice, then reached out his rough hands and patted its back and rump, feeling the firm muscles.

"Hmm, looks alright." He nodded, his tone softening slightly. "Alright, come with me and drive the pigs to the live poultry area over there."

Luo Xinde and Luo Xiyuan quickly followed. The hotel's kitchen was like a huge maze. Everywhere were stainless steel stoves, cutting boards, and all sorts of kitchen utensils they had never seen before. Dozens of chefs in uniform were busy at work, the entire kitchen was well-organized yet filled with a tense atmosphere.

As Luo Xiyuan walked, she looked around curiously. She noticed that the hygiene standards here were extremely high; there wasn't a speck of oil or standing water on the floor. All the ingredients were neatly categorized and placed in refrigerated display cases, each labeled with a label.

They drove the pigs into a separate iron pen.

"Alright, you can go back now," Master Li told them. "We'll take care of the pig. As for the outcome, wait for Manager Wang to let us know."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"Master Li, please wait a moment." Luo Xiyuan suddenly called out to him.

"Is there anything else?" Master Li turned around, somewhat impatiently.

"Master Li, I know you're a senior chef in the hotel's kitchen, and your understanding of ingredients is definitely deeper than ours," Luo Xiyuan said politely. "This pig we have is a Duroc-Landrace-Large White crossbred, raised for 180 days. We hope that when you're preparing this pig, you can pay special attention to its pork belly. Its fat-to-lean ratio should be 7:3, with distinct layers. And its shoulder blade meat should have very beautiful marbling. We believe that the braised pork or char siu made with this kind of meat will taste completely different."

Luo Xiyuan wasn't showing off her limited knowledge; rather, she was using a professional approach to remind the other party to focus on the advantages of her product.

After listening, Mr. Li looked at the young girl in surprise again. He hadn't expected that a girl from the countryside would know so much about the different cuts and characteristics of pork. He had originally just treated this as a routine purchase, but now, he was starting to feel a sense of curiosity and anticipation.

"I understand." He nodded, this time with a hint of approval in his tone. "I'll take a good look at it."

When Luo Xinde left the hotel, he felt like he had just fought a battle and was completely exhausted.

"Xiyuan, do you think... they'll even want our pigs?" he asked, still uneasy.

"Dad, we've done everything we can. The rest depends on the quality of our pork." Luo Xiyuan looked at the towering hotel, feeling a little nervous.

Whether this thousand-plus yuan "stepping stone" can open this magnificent door remains to be seen in the next few days.