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

Luo Xiyuan's words were like a pebble thrown into Sun Dahai's stagnant heart.

"Master Sun's sausage?" he murmured, repeating the words, his cloudy eyes brightening slightly.

For many years, no one has mentioned "Rose Dew" sausage anymore. He himself has almost forgotten how spirited he was back then, wearing a white work uniform in the drying room filled with rows of sausages.

After the meat processing plant went bankrupt, he became a man abandoned by the times, his dragon-slaying skills rendered useless. Poverty and his son's lack of ambition completely succumbed to despair, leaving him only able to numb himself with alcohol.

He had considered returning to his old trade. But making sausages requires good ingredients, a suitable location, and equipment—all of which cost money. As a laid-off worker, where would he get the capital?

The young girl in front of him said she wanted to help him regain his former glory.

"Little girl, you've got quite the nerve." Sun Dahai looked at Luo Xiyuan, his wariness lessening slightly. "Do you know what it takes to make a good sausage? My recipe requires pork from the hind leg of a pig slaughtered that very day, with a precise 3:7 fat-to-lean ratio. The wine must be Tianjin rose liqueur. And the casings have to be salted pig small intestines. Can you even get your hands on all that?"

He was testing Luo Xiyuan.

"Master Sun, we can handle all of that," Luo Xiyuan replied confidently. "We have our own pig farm, and the quality of our pork is the best in the county. Jinhaiwan Hotel is one of our exclusive suppliers. Whatever kind of meat you need, we can provide it. As for rose liqueur and sausage casings, as long as they're available on the market, we can definitely buy them for you. Money and raw materials are not a problem. Right now, the only thing we lack is your recipe and technique."

Sun Dahai fell silent. He hadn't expected that this seemingly unremarkable young girl would own her own pig farm and be a supplier for Jinhai Bay.

This strength should not be underestimated.

He glanced at the piece of pork belly that Luo Xiyuan had handed him. In just one look, he knew it was top-quality. The perfect marbling, the vibrant color—something someone who had spent his entire life working with meat could recognize at a glance.

He began to waver.

"Why...why are you looking for me?" he asked hoarsely.

"Because we want to make the best sausages in the whole county. And you are the one who can make the best sausages." Luo Xiyuan's answer was direct and sincere.

These words struck a chord with Sun Dahai, hitting the spot he cared about most.

He is a craftsman whose greatest pursuit in life is for his skills to be recognized.

"You guys... let me think about it." Sun Dahai didn't agree immediately, nor did he close the door again. He took the piece of pork and the wine, turned around and went into the house, leaving them with a lonely figure.

"There's a chance!" Luo Xinde said excitedly to his daughter in a low voice.

"Dad, don't be too happy yet. People with such abilities are very arrogant. It's not that easy to persuade them to come out of retirement," Luo Xiyuan said.

That's how my first visit ended.

Two days later, Luo Xiyuan asked her father to go again.

This time, Luo Xinde didn't mention the collaboration; he simply went to chat with Sun Dahai.

He brought Sun Dahai two packs of good cigarettes and a chess set.

Sun Dahai initially ignored him, but Luo Xinde, being thick-skinned, didn't get angry and simply set up the chessboard and played against himself.

Sun Dahai watched for a long time, then finally couldn't hold back any longer and walked over to say, "Your chess playing is terrible! The horse moves in an L-shape, and the bishop moves diagonally, don't you understand?"

"Hehe, Master Sun, I was just playing randomly. Why don't you give me some pointers?" Luo Xinde readily offered his seat.

The game of chess lasted a full hour. Sun Dahai was a highly skilled player, and he utterly defeated Luo Xinde.

After winning the game, Sun Dahai was in a much better mood and became more talkative. He chatted with Luo Xinde about his glorious days at the meat processing plant and about his son who was giving him headaches.

Luo Xinde listened patiently, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

As he was leaving, Sun Dahai suddenly asked, "Your daughter's name is Luo Xiyuan, right?"

"Yes, yes, Master Sun, you have a really good memory."

"Hmm." Sun Dahai nodded and didn't say anything more.

When Luo Xinde returned and told Luo Xiyuan about it, Luo Xiyuan knew that the matter was about 70-80% settled.

The third time, Luo Xiyuan decided to go by herself.

She didn't bring any gifts, but instead brought her laptop.

When she knocked on Sun Dahai's door, he was drinking alone, a plate of peanuts on the table. He was taken aback when he saw it was Luo Xiyuan.

"Master Sun, did I disturb you?" Luo Xiyuan asked with a smile.

"What are you doing here again, you little brat?" Sun Dahai's tone was much gentler than the previous two times.

"Master Sun, I'm not here to advise you. I want to show you something."

Luo Xiyuan didn't stand on ceremony and directly opened his laptop on the old dining table in his house.

She opened a folder. Inside was a business plan she had spent two days creating.

The project proposal is titled "Master Sun's Sausage Brand Revitalization Plan".

"Master Sun, look," Luo Xiyuan turned the computer to him, "This is the brand logo I designed for our sausages."

On the screen, a logo designed with calligraphy appeared, simple yet elegant, with a small seal next to it engraved with the four characters "Made by Sun Dahai".

"This is the product packaging I designed. We don't use plastic bags; we use oil paper and cotton thread, taking a retro approach to highlight our craftsmanship."

On the screen, another beautifully designed packaging image appeared, looking like a high-end gift.

"This is our slogan: 'Fifty years of craftsmanship, the taste of home in our memories.'"

"This is our market positioning: we don't compete with ordinary sausages in the market; we aim for the mid-to-high-end market, the gift market. We want 'Master Sun' brand sausages to become a proud specialty of Qinghe County, the most impressive gift for people to give when visiting relatives and friends during festivals!"

"This is our sales channel plan: initially, we'll sell in our own specialty stores. In the middle stage, we'll partner with large hotels like Golden Bay to stock our New Year's gift sets. Later, we plan to open a Taobao store and sell our sausages throughout China!"

As Luo Xiyuan spoke, she operated the computer. Her tone was low, but every word struck Sun Dahai's heart heavily.

Sun Dahai stared blankly at the things on the screen that he had never seen before, yet felt incredibly familiar with.

Brand logo, product packaging, slogans, market positioning...

He felt that his craft, which had been buried for many years, had come back to life and was shining brightly in the hands of this young girl.

His heart was pounding wildly.

"Master Sun," Luo Xiyuan closed her laptop, looked at him with sincere eyes, "I know you don't want to return to your old trade. You just lack an opportunity, you lack someone who can truly understand the value of your craft and carry it forward."

"I, and our Luo's Farm, are willing to be that person. What we need is not just your recipe, but you yourself, your living brand. Without you, Sun Dahai, there would be no 'Master Sun' brand sausages. This brand belongs to you."

Luo Xiyuan has finished speaking.

A long silence fell over the room.

Sun Dahai lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

After a very long time, he raised his head, his cloudy eyes already brimming with tears.

He suddenly grabbed the bottle on the table and drank the remaining half-bottle of liquor in one gulp.

Then, he slammed the bottle down on the table and said three words:

"I did it!"