1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 701 The Treatment of a Daughter-in-Law!

Gong Xue stayed in Beijing for less than two days before leaving in a hurry.

In the last two days, she has clearly felt that this home is different from before.

The happy times the three of them used to have are gone forever. Sister Linlin is very busy now, dealing with work at the TV station and taking care of little Li Zheng.

The current Linlin has lost her former playfulness and boldness, and instead has become more dignified and composed.

So is this what changes after becoming a mother?

After Gong Xue left, Li Changhe didn't stay long, since it was almost August and Downing Street's visit to China wouldn't be long.

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, many things now require Li Changhe to oversee things, or rather, to stabilize morale; he cannot disappear for too long.

Soon, Li Changhe returned to Hong Kong Island and began making various preparations.

Before we knew it, it was mid-August.

Having completed the formalities in Shanghai, Gong Xue returned to Hong Kong Island.

Upon returning to the villa, Gong Xue's first action was to have the maid bring out the newspaper, intending to read the latest gossip from Hong Kong, especially the poignant love story of Xiao Baosheng that she hadn't finished reading.

Unfortunately, no matter how many newspapers she searched through during that period, she couldn't find any further updates.

"Hmm? Ah Yang, did you contact the Oriental Daily News?"

When Li Changhe returned that evening, Gong Xue, holding a newspaper, asked him curiously.

Seeing her enthusiastic expression, Li Changhe couldn't help but shake his head.

“The newspapers on Hong Kong Island are pushing their luck. If you don’t warn them, they will fabricate more stories, and other newspapers will follow suit.”

"So I spoke with their president."

"Don't bother with those gossips. If you want to see Rosamund Kwan, I'll take you to meet her another day."

"Let's go, we're going to Uncle's house for dinner tonight."

Li Changhe greeted Gong Xue.

Knowing that Gong Xue was coming back today, Aunt Huang Xiuying from the Bao family called Li Changhe early this morning and asked him to bring Gong Xue to their house for dinner that evening.

If we're talking about ranking the people in Hong Kong who most welcome Gong Xue, Li Changhe thinks he can only rank second, while Huang Xiuying is definitely number one.

After all, Huang Xiuying knew some of Li Changhe's identity and understood that Bao Zeyang, nominally their uncle and nephew, was actually family.

Especially this niece-in-law, who married into the Bao family, but there's no one left in that branch of the family, so Xiaoxue is wearing the same hat as her daughter-in-law.

Huang Xiuying has only four daughters and no sons. Her daughters married their sons-in-law, and although they respect her, they definitely feel that their sons-in-law are different from their daughters-in-law.

In addition, Gong Xue's identity as a Shanghai native means she has truly won over Huang Xiuying.

Therefore, Huang Xiuying treated Gong Xue much better than she treated Li Changhe, and the sense of closeness was very obvious.

"Why didn't you say so earlier? I'd like to go upstairs and change my clothes first."

Gong Xue then ran upstairs, changed into an outfit she had bought in Hong Kong, and came down a moment later. She and Li Changhe then leisurely walked towards Bao Yugang's house next door.

When Li Changhe and Gong Xue arrived, there were already quite a few people at home, including the eldest sister Bao Peiqing and the second sister Bao Peirong and their families.

Su Haiwen was also there, but his second brother-in-law, Wu Guangzheng, had not yet returned.

As the chairman of Wharf Holdings' board of directors, his work is even busier.

"Xiaoxue is here, come and sit down."

"Mum"

After Gong Xue came in, she sweetly called out to Huang Xiuying.

For her, there was no possibility of having a biological mother-in-law on Hong Kong Island, so this second aunt was basically equivalent to her mother-in-law.

Grandpa

Then, Gong Xue sweetly called out to Bao Zhaolong, who was sitting next to her.

The old man was clearly pleased to see Gong Xue and spoke to her in traditional Wu dialect.

Although Li Changhe had learned some of it, to be honest, sometimes he still couldn't understand the dialect very well.

"Auntie, haven't Uncle and the others returned yet?"

Seeing that Bao Yugang and the others were not there, Li Changhe asked with some curiosity.

“Your uncle just started his journey back. He called earlier to say he’s on his way and should be here soon. Please have a seat and chat with your brother-in-law.”

Not long after, Bao Yugang returned, along with Wu Guangzheng.

"Alright, that's all for today. I think everyone's here. Shall we ask Aunt Wu to serve the dishes?"

"Okay, let's serve the food. Let's eat and chat at the table."

Bao Yugang nodded.

Afterwards, the servants began serving the dishes. The dishes on the table were mainly Shanghainese cuisine, but then Li Changhe was served a few Sichuan and Shandong dishes as well.

Huang Xiuying clearly remembered Li Changhe's taste; he liked strong flavors. Shanghai cuisine does have some dishes with strong flavors, but Huang Xiuying knew that Li Changhe wasn't used to them.

Because they specifically asked the kitchen to prepare several Sichuan and Shandong dishes for Li Changhe.

"How are you two going to eat together from now on? Will you even be able to eat together?"

At the dinner table, Huang Xiuying couldn't help but speak up.

Before Li Changhe could speak, Gong Xue smiled and said, "Mother, I've lived in the capital for several years, and I'm actually quite used to Shandong and Sichuan cuisine."

She doesn't actually have a strong attachment to Shanghai cuisine, after all, she went to the countryside in Jiangxi Province when she was young, and later went to Beijing.

To put it bluntly, during her years in Shanghai, she didn't get to try many local specialties. After all, back then, being able to eat your fill was a good thing; who cared about the variety of dishes?

"Alright, as long as you can eat together, that's fine. But if you ask me, we still need to find a good cook in the kitchen. She should be able to cook some dishes from different cuisines."

Huang Xiuying then spoke up with a smile.

Li Changhe nodded: "We can have Xiaoxue find one later, or arrange for someone in the family to go to a big restaurant and learn from the head chefs."

"By the way, Uncle, Xiaoxue and I are planning to go to the United States in the next couple of days."

Li Changhe then turned to Bao Yugang and said.

After listening, Bao Yu looked at Li Changhe with surprise: "Going so early?" "I plan to take her to the United States for a while, and then I also want to look into buying some farms or something in the United States or Canada."

"That way I'll have a place to relax in the future."

Li Changhe then revealed his plan.

Su Haiwen, who was standing to the side, became interested: "Vic, do you want to buy a farm?"

"I think Tennessee is beautiful. I went there with my friends when I was studying at the University of Chicago. It's very pretty."

"Tennessee is nice, but it's too far east. I actually prefer to buy on the west coast of the US, or in Canada?"

Li Changhe pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Ah Yang, I recommend a place to you. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s in the heart of British Columbia, Canada, called the Okanagan Valley. It’s about 400 kilometers from Vancouver and a little over 100 kilometers from the Washington State border in the United States. It’s not far from California.”

"Most importantly, the scenery there is beautiful, with mountains, valleys, and lakes, and the orchards are fantastic. Fruits and ice wine are local specialties, and they taste amazing."

“Your third sister used to go there to sketch. I visited her there and I still miss that place. If you’re thinking of buying a manor, I recommend you take a look there.”

"However, there is one thing: the climate there is a bit worse than in the United States. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. But I don't think you live there permanently, so it shouldn't have much of an impact on you."

At this moment, the second sister, Bao Peirong, introduced Li Changhe.

Actually, she really wanted to buy a manor there, but she didn't have the money before. The shipping magnate used to be quite strict with his daughters and didn't want them to indulge too much in a life of luxury and pleasure.

After getting married, although she became wealthy, she also had to focus on being a wife and mother, and gradually gave up the idea of ​​enjoying life.

But when Li Changhe mentioned it today, it suddenly reminded her of that place.

“Okanagan? Okay, I’ll go to Canada after I get to the US.”

Li Changhe said with a smile at this moment.

He wasn't really familiar with that area, and he had originally planned to find an agency there as well.

“You know, running a farm isn’t that easy. In Europe and America, there are strict restrictions on agriculture.”

"And we also have to find farmers and such, which is troublesome, and there are many laws and regulations involved."

At this moment, Bao Yugang couldn't help but speak up.

Li Changhe smiled and nodded: "Uncle, I know all this, but it's alright, I have a way. At worst, I can find some Chinese people over there, or bring some people over from the mainland."

"If you're talking about farming, I don't think there's anyone in the world who can compare to us Chinese. As long as there's a piece of land, we can definitely grow all sorts of amazing things."

Li Changhe had already planned it out. Once he bought the farm, he would definitely find a Chinese person to be the core of the farming team. After all, when it comes to farming, the Chinese are absolutely unbeatable in the world.

"And what about production?"

"We can't just spend the whole year on eating, drinking, and having fun for a few days, can we?"

Bao Yugang then asked again.

Li Changhe confidently replied, "Uncle, we have our own supermarket distribution channels!"

"By then, I can plant the world's top seeds and raise the world's best cattle and sheep. Besides supplying our own food and drink, the rest can be developed into a high-end brand and sold in Asia."

"This doesn't require high volume; it's like Bordeaux wines from France, where the focus is on quality."

"Wellcome is already building a high-end membership supermarket sales system. Agricultural products like ours, as high-quality products, can be sold to top customers in Hong Kong Island and Southeast Asia."

“Our farm doesn’t produce much. Even with some promotion, I estimate that demand will definitely exceed supply, and there won’t be any problem with the price.”

"After all, these wealthy families don't really consider the cost of food."

"This can also be sold in tandem. For example, the wines from Château Latour that I acquired in France, along with the fruits I grow in Canada and the cattle and sheep I raise in Australia, can be integrated together to create a family brand."

"For example, exclusive to the Bao family, designated supplier for the Rockefeller family in the United States, or appointed by the Rothschild family in Europe."

"I believe that once this happens, regardless of anything else, the wealthy Chinese and indigenous people in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia will definitely be scrambling to buy it."

Everyone present was stunned when they heard Li Changhe casually mention his business plan.

They are all business elites. Even though Bao Peiqing and the others do not participate in the family business, they are not completely ignorant about business due to their exposure to it.

Li Changhe's idea was very clear. If such a system were implemented, all these families would definitely want to purchase it.

These fruits, these beef and mutton, this rice, no matter how expensive they are, where do they belong?

Even if a family spends three to five million a year on food purchases, is that money?

"Ah Yang, I don't know how your brain is structured!"

"But if you really do build this high-end brand, I'd love to buy it myself."

Bao Peiqing said with a smile.

Bao Yugang shook his head: "You think it's that simple? Actually, it's not that easy. In Europe and America, industry associations first grade various agricultural products."

"Secondly, families like Rockefeller and Rothschild wouldn't let him use their names so easily. These families have been around for centuries, and their family names are a source of honor; they wouldn't commercialize them casually."

After Bao Yu finished speaking, he looked at Li Changhe, wanting to see what other ideas Li Changhe had.

Li Changhe then continued unhurriedly, "Uncle, we don't actually need to completely borrow their family name."

“David Rockefeller, Peter Rothschild, President Riggen, they just need me to give them a few compliments.”

"Promotional texts can be used to play word games. There's not much difference in the promotion of David Rockefeller's designated agricultural products and Rockefeller family's designated agricultural products, because the family spokesperson and the family are essentially the same thing."

"Moreover, such a little trick will not affect their perception. After all, we are only borrowing their personal preferences in the East, not borrowing their family name all over the world."

"Furthermore, the product itself is a niche product, and by playing the scarcity marketing game and having pre-orders, it's actually very easy to sell out."

The best way for the wealthy to differentiate themselves from the ordinary class is to do so in every aspect, and food culture is definitely a core element of this.

High-end agricultural products have become a common trend in later generations. For example, the organic rice produced by a certain celebrity after he retired from the entertainment industry was sold out every year during pre-sales, and there was almost no circulation in the market.

This thing is really too simple for Li Changhe, especially now that he is a well-known figure.

"Alright, you've thought of everything so thoroughly, what else can I say? It's good to go and take a look and buy it. When I retire in a couple of years, I can take your aunt to travel around and experience it."

Bao Yugang was persuaded at this point. He himself was usually reluctant to give up such a luxurious lifestyle, but he did not object if Li Changhe wanted to buy it.

This "nephew" is too good at making money; he can't stop me from spending it as I please, so I can just enjoy it.

(End of this chapter)