All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

The woman looked at the chicken cutlet that Lei Dongbao handed her with some disgust. The white man next to him gestured for her to take it, and the woman reluctantly took it. It was a little hot, so the woman threw it directly to the white man next to her!

The middle-aged white man looked at the chicken cutlet in his hand, frowned, and smelled it. It did smell quite fragrant, and the aroma seemed delicious. He swallowed hard, but finally couldn't resist the temptation and bit off a small piece of chicken from the edge!

Seeing the cautious look on the middle-aged white man's face, the other black man didn't even dare to smell it, and looked warily at the chicken cutlet in his hand.

The white man took a small bite and chewed it gently. All eyes were on him, including the old white man who had been crying earlier. The old white man had finished his chicken cutlet, licked his lips, and looked on with a look of great satisfaction. He then looked at the middle-aged white man and encouraged him with a smile.

Chew once, twice, three times. Before he knew it, the middle-aged white man's eyes changed. He looked down at the spot he had bitten down on to confirm that it was indeed a chicken product. He obviously sped up his chewing and swallowed the chicken in his mouth in a few bites!

The middle-aged white man stopped talking and took a big bite, taking a third of the chicken cutlet. A unique sense of satisfaction appeared on his face. The men around him understood immediately and swallowed hard. They finished the chicken cutlet in a few bites. The middle-aged man licked his lips with a hint of lingering satisfaction and gave Lei Dongbao a thumbs up.

"It's really delicious, this is definitely the best chicken cutlet I've ever had, it's fantastic!"

The middle-aged white man's praise finally made some people realize that this thing was really that delicious.

As they spoke, everyone's eyes turned to the black man once again!

The black man looked at the chicken cutlet in his hand and, without hesitation, stuffed it into his mouth. This black man had a big mouth, and he stuffed the whole chicken cutlet into his mouth in a few bites before he started chewing!

The expression on the black man's face quickly became interesting as he chewed and swallowed; his eyes widened like a bull's, round and bulging, filled with disbelief.

Without a doubt, the chicken cutlet won over the black man. After finishing his meal, the black man wiped away a tear, burped, and stepped forward to say to Lei Dongbao.

"Excuse me, sir, your chicken cutlet is really delicious. Do you have any more? I'm not full yet. I'd like to have eight more pieces, no, at least ten!"

Lei Dongbao glanced at his watch and saw that it was about time. He and his companion opened the other two air fryers, inside which were neatly arranged eight chicken legs. The aroma drew the attention of many people!

Lei Dongbao wasn't so kind; he directly shouted at the crowd.

"Everyone, the tasting event has ended. If you wish to purchase, please pay Mani. Each chicken leg is five US dollars. Welcome to buy!"

Lei Dongbao's words were in English, which the Chinese people didn't quite understand, but the foreigners around him stopped in their tracks when they heard that a chicken leg cost five US dollars. They thought it was too expensive.

Fortunately, the old white man just opened his wallet, handed over twenty dollars, and said...

"Give me four! These chicken legs are so delicious, I think five dollars is well worth it!"

Lei Dongbao quickly wrapped the package for the foreigner with a smile and thoughtfully asked if he needed any seasoning. The white old man's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward, smelled the seasoning that Lei Dongbao handed him, and hurriedly asked Lei Dongbao to sprinkle some seasoning on him. The aroma was instantly irresistible!

The old white man couldn't wait to dig into the chicken leg as soon as he got it. He took a bite of the chicken, and his satisfaction was palpable!

There were only eight chicken legs in total. The old white man took four, and the remaining black man and middle-aged man, who had just tasted the chicken, saw the old white man starting to eat and stepped forward together, almost in unison, and said...

"I want four too!"

Lei Dongbao chuckled and quickly said.

"Don't rush, everyone. These four chicken drumsticks can be divided equally among you. Two drumsticks each. Please start eating. Gentlemen, this equipment is called an air fryer. Unlike other ovens, an air fryer can bake delicious chicken drumsticks in just fifteen to twenty minutes. Please wait a moment!"

After saying that, Lei Dongbao wrapped it in brown paper and handed it to the two men. The two men paid the money readily, sprinkled on the seasoning, and couldn't wait to start stuffing it into their mouths. All the Chinese people around were stunned!

Although they couldn't understand English, they all recognized the US dollars in Lei Dongbao's hand. They were all people who frequented the Canton Fair, and they were all there for those dollars!

Four chicken drumsticks cost twenty dollars, two chicken drumsticks cost ten dollars?

So that's five dollars for a chicken leg?

Holy crap, this is outrageous! It's highway robbery!

Seeing Lei Dongbao snatch money right in front of them, everyone's eyes turned red, especially the fast food vendor Guangpu, whose eyes were practically popping out of their heads!

He only sells a boxed lunch with a chicken leg for 80 cents in Chinese currency, and people often say he's robbing people. But compared to Lei Dongbao in front of him, he's just a little brother!

Occasionally, foreigners would give him US dollars. If he was lucky, he could receive several tens of US dollars after the Canton Fair. He knew that in some places, one US dollar could be exchanged for ten Chinese yuan. Having been in this circle for years, he naturally knew the places. Fifty Chinese yuan for a chicken leg? That's fucking outrageous!

As Guangpu's boss looked at the US dollars in Lei Dongbao's hand and then at the air fryer on the table, a little thought began to emerge in his mind!

As Lei Dongbao spoke, he continued to work. Since the food was already marinated, there was no need to add oil. He simply wiped the pot and put the chicken cutlets and drumsticks directly into the air fryer!

While operating the equipment, Lei Dongbao also explained it to the foreigners around him. Sure enough, after his operation, a group of twenty or thirty people had gathered around, but most of them were Chinese. It seems that Chinese people are born to love watching a spectacle.

However, occasionally some foreigners are gradually attracted to the fair. The foreigners at the Canton Fair are not only white, but also black, Latin American, and even mostly Asian.

Among them are Hong Kong and Macao, as well as Chinese businessmen in Southeast Asia, and even Japanese. These people look the same as Chinese people, but it is very easy to distinguish them from Chinese people.

You can tell just by looking at their clothes. The way Chinese people dress and their taste in clothing are almost instantly distinguishable.

Indeed, practice is the only truth. If it were inside an exhibition hall, no one would pay attention to such a black, round thing. Even if someone found it strange, it wouldn't sell for a high price.

Now that Lei Dongbao has done this, the value of this thing must be convincing!

As Lei Dongbao spoke, he instructed Yang Xun and the others to hand out flyers for their products to the foreigners around them. The flyers, of course, featured an introduction to the air fryer, presented entirely in English with pictures and text!

Some Chinese onlookers also wanted the flyers, but Lei Dongbao told Yang Xun to ignore them. "This stuff has no market in China right now. If I show you, do you even understand it?"

Besides, even if they could understand it, they probably wouldn't want to buy it; instead, they'd be focused on how to imitate it.

Sure enough, a dozen minutes later, Lei Dongbao opened the air fryer again and took out chicken cutlets one by one.

They were five US dollars each, no cheating, no bargaining. Thanks to the live advertisements from those foreigners, even at such a high price, they attracted a large number of foreigners to come and buy them.

Before long, the chicken cutlets were sold out, and the chicken legs were cooked. They continued selling. It's the same all over the world: the more people buy, the more popular the business becomes. As the second batch of chicken cutlets and chicken legs sold out, the business became increasingly popular. A group of foreigners were enjoying their food nearby. Their satisfied expressions and exaggerated eating habits made the surrounding foreigners even more eager to come and watch.

Lei Dongbao looked at the resentful look in the eyes of the Guangpu boss next to him and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Then he shouted to the group of foreigners.

"Gentlemen, if you're having chicken drumsticks, why not have a beer? We sell beer right next door, feel free to go and buy some!"

The foreigners thought it made sense, so they all went to the next stall, each with a bottle of ice-cold beer and a chicken leg. The taste was wonderful!

The owner of Guangpu was overjoyed by Lei Dongbao's shout and immediately got to work. The refrigerator full of beer was quickly sold out, and in the end, he had to send someone to quickly move more from nearby homes!

Beer and fried chicken legs are a perfect match!

The foreigners didn't act like outsiders either, taking a sip of beer and a bite of chicken leg, and chatting with the people around them about Lei Dongbao's actions from time to time. As more and more people gathered, it gradually felt like a party!

More and more Chinese people gathered to watch the spectacle. Lei Dongbao took turns operating the four air fryers. The only downside was that these were family-sized air fryers, not very big. Each one was just the right size to roast eight chicken legs. Every time a chicken came out of the fryer, Lei Dongbao was raking in dollars, and many foreigners even paid him in advance.

It was past six o'clock, and the exhibition hall had already closed. Many foreigners were leaving the exhibition hall one after another. It was dinner time, and as soon as they left the exhibition hall, they could see a group of people gathered on the roadside. The special aroma gradually spread with the crowd. Whether out of curiosity or because they were really hungry, Lei Dongbao's business was exceptionally good!

Lei Dongbao's actions quickly caused a traffic jam. The security guards at the Canton Fair soon noticed the anomaly, and the leaders in charge all came out and squeezed into the crowd. They were puzzled to see a group of foreigners drinking beer and eating roasted chicken legs.

Upon seeing Lei Dongbao accepting large sums of US dollars from foreigners, the leader's expression changed drastically. He pushed through the crowd and reprimanded Lei Dongbao.

"Which organization do you work for? Who gave you permission to set up a stall here?"

Lei Dongbao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and revealed his purpose, adding that he was just doing publicity!

When the leader heard that Lei Dongbao was the director of a large state-owned factory, his tone softened a bit. He glanced at the air fryer next to Lei Dongbao, then looked at the foreigners around him who were already enjoying their meal. He frowned, stepped forward, and spoke to Lei Dongbao.

"You'd better take your stall down right away, it's seriously obstructing traffic!"

As he spoke, the leader noticed the US dollars in Lei Dongbao's hand and became even more displeased!

Lei Dongbao looked down at the two buckets, where there were only a few chicken legs and cutlets left, then smiled and nodded, indicating that he would close up shop immediately!

Amid the dissatisfaction of many foreigners, Lei Dongbao sold the last batch of chicken legs before allowing everyone to start packing up the stall.

Seeing that Lei Dongbao had already packed up his stall, the leader left with a sullen face.

As soon as Lei Dongbao finished tidying up, several foreigners stepped forward. These were naturally merchants who had been waiting for a long time.

For more than an hour, they had been observing Lei Dongbao's actions and comparing the flyers in their hands with the air fryer on the table. They were already very interested in the thing that Lei Dongbao had put away, and everyone handed over their business cards!

Lei Dongbao had already prepared his business cards, and he handed them out one by one with a smile. He also told them that it was not convenient to discuss business now, but if they needed to discuss business, they could come to his guesthouse after 8 p.m. tonight to meet in person!

Before Lei Dongbao left, the Guangpu boss was a little reluctant to see him go. He asked Lei Dongbao for a business card and told him to come back early the next day to set up his stall!

After saying that, Lei Dongbao called on everyone to pack up their things and ran away in a flash, leaving many foreigners staring blankly in the direction where Lei Dongbao disappeared!

Lei Dongbao's performance this afternoon, which lasted for more than an hour, has gradually gained traction. Through word of mouth among foreigners, many businesspeople have begun to hear about this amazing air fryer.

What makes it so amazing is that this air fryer is not only easy to operate, but also faster and more convenient than a traditional oven. Most importantly, this air fryer seems to have a magical power to bake exceptionally delicious food.

Many foreigners who tasted it firsthand had their eyes light up as they described the deliciousness to their companions. Many of them were at a loss for words and had to describe it as the most delicious food they had ever tasted in their lives.

The phone number on Lei Dongbao's business card was unfortunately the office number for Jinzhou Second Machinery Factory. Many foreigners called it, but the person on the other end was completely confused. Finally, they remembered the address Lei Dongbao had given them, and they couldn't wait to get ready to go and ask what that air fryer was.

When Lei Dongbao returned to the guesthouse, he looked at the business cards in his hand and immediately beamed with joy. He had collected more than twenty business cards this time. What surprised Lei Dongbao the most was the business card of the white old man from the beginning. He was the purchasing manager of an American supermarket. He didn't recognize the name of the supermarket and guessed it wasn't a big supermarket. But Lei Dongbao believed it was a good omen!

Lei Dongbao was lost in thought when the door was pushed open. The deputy mayor of Jinzhou, who was leading the team, and his secretary walked in, their faces grim as they looked at Lei Dongbao.

Before Lei Dongbao could react, the other party asked.

"Lei Dongbao, do you have any sense of organization and discipline? The organizer just complained to me about you, saying that you disrupted the exhibition order outside the exhibition hall and accepted money from foreign businessmen. What exactly happened?"

Lei Dongbao finally understood what was going on, but he didn't take it seriously. He smiled, took out a thick wad of US dollars from his briefcase, and waved it at his leader.

Is this what you mean?

Chapter 72: The cost is too high, there's no other way!

Chapter 72 of "Love in the Courtyard": The cost is too high, there's no other way! The US dollars in Lei Dongbao's hand were dazzling, and the deputy mayor Zhang, who was leading the team, lingered on them for several seconds.

Finally seeing the playful smile in Lei Dongbao's eyes, Old Zhang realized what was happening and quickly scolded him.

"Lei Dongbao, you're a Party member, do you have any Party spirit left? Our Jinzhou delegation came here with a mission, and you're still causing trouble?"

Lei Dongbao laughed heartily, stood up with a smile, and quickly said.

"Old Zhang, don't be angry. This is just an appetizer. The main event is tomorrow!"

Old Zhang, however, did not share Lei Dongbao's leisure. He walked over, casually found a bed to sit on, and somewhat irritably took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Just as he was about to light one, Lei Dongbao quickly said...

"Stop smoking! There aren't even windows in this place, the smoke will linger for ages!"

The difference between domestic and foreign guests is huge. Lei Dongbao's room is very small, with two bunk beds for four people. There are two beds in the room, and the remaining space is just enough to put some personal items.

Lei Dongbao shared a room with Yang Xun and a few others.

Yang Xun and the others had already taken a shower and were chatting in bed when they saw their leader arrive. They tried to get up, but Lei Dongbao waved them off and told them to stay in bed.

Old Zhang put away his cigarette and said with a somewhat somber expression.

"Today is the first day of the year, and the start isn't great. Out of our dozen or so companies, only one embroidery factory sold two hundred embroidered pieces, which isn't even $10,000 in sales. The other companies haven't even opened for business yet. Lao Lei, you guys need to step up your game! At the Spring Canton Fair, Jinzhou secured $1.97 million. This time, the leadership has given me a target of at least $2 million in orders!"

After listening to Lao Zhang's words, Lei Dongbao stood up. He felt really hungry, so he quickly looked at the two buckets in the corner, where there were still more than a dozen chicken legs. Thinking about it, he moved an air fryer from the side, put it on the stool, and said while he was busy working on it.

"Don't rush, Lao Zhang, it's only the first day, there's still a long way to go. Those foreigners are shrewd; they've been observing for the first few days. Don't worry, you need to use plenty of bait when fishing!"

Old Zhang was so flustered by Lei Dongbao's nonchalant tone that he stood up abruptly, wanting to scold him, but then he saw Lei Dongbao being too shameless. Finally, seeing Lei Dongbao pick up a chicken leg and put it in the air fryer, he couldn't help but ask curiously.

"You used this to set up your stall this afternoon?"

Lei Dongbao smiled and nodded, then said with a smile.

"Business was pretty good today. We made over three hundred US dollars in just over an hour. Didn't you see? Those foreigners were having a blast!"