My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 88 Grand Opening

"You don't need that big rice cooker you brought on the train, right? Bring it over tomorrow, and we'll use two rice cookers to cook rice. When you have time, go to the market to stock up on more seasonings, pick out a few large containers for vegetables, and buy some compartmentalized disposable lunch boxes." Hu Yi got up and paced around the room. "You're the head chef, so you'll decide the menu every day. Think about the flavor combinations and try to make sure there's no repetition for any of the seven days of the week, or at least a new dish every day."

"Alright!" Li Baoqing jumped up. "Old Hu, we're going to make this business a huge success no matter what, and show that little brat Wang Shen what we're capable of!"

"Don't get agitated. We're doing takeout to make money, not to spite him." Hu Yi smiled faintly. "Speaking of which, we should thank Wang Shen. If he hadn't interfered, I wouldn't have made this decision."

A few days later, with everything ready, the two posted carefully designed "GG" signs under various dormitory buildings and started their takeout business.

Thanks to their brief experience working at the Huanghai Hotel, the two of them had gained considerable experience in kitchen operations. Li Baoqing had cooked for Hu Yi and Zhou Dali every day for the past two years, and had also received some pointers from the Huanghai chefs. While his skills weren't quite up to par for a head chef at the hotel, he was quite adept at preparing everyday takeout dishes. Therefore, their fast-food business quickly gained a good reputation upon opening. In the first week, they sold over fifty boxed meals, much to their delight.

Hu Yi and Li Baoqing were greatly encouraged and worked with increasing enthusiasm. By this time, Moscow had entered early winter, and they often had to brave the wind and snow to go to the market to buy groceries. Every day after class, they would return to their dormitory and begin preparing meals. Hu Yi was responsible for washing and chopping vegetables, while Li Baoqing was responsible for stir-frying and washing the pots. Then, the two took turns going out to deliver the meals, keeping themselves extremely busy.

Now Li Baoqing can only return to his apartment after 9 p.m., and Zhou Dali is too lazy to cook, so he simply comes to Hu Yi's house to eat with them after class, and occasionally helps with grocery shopping or food delivery.

Yu Feifei and Xia Yan would visit them in Building 10 when they had free time. Although they couldn't help with cooking or running errands, they could help with promotion.

Yu Feifei printed out many easy-to-use food ordering guides for the two of them, then carefully cut them into small slips of paper, so she could distribute a few with each delivery. Xia Yan even became their spokesperson in Building 6, not only going door-to-door in the Chinese preparatory students' rooms to distribute the guides, but also frequently encouraging her friends to order food together.

It wasn't just Chinese people ordering food. Although they only posted Chinese signs, foreign students were sometimes drawn to the kitchen by the aroma wafting through the hallway and couldn't resist buying a portion to try. Omar and his friends, in particular, would come by every few days to check out the day's side dishes, and if they liked them, they would pay for a few boxes, becoming their most frequent foreign customers.

Of course, things weren't entirely smooth sailing. Han Shangyun, their roommate, initially had reservations about their fast food business, mainly because cooked dishes left in the room for a long time would inevitably develop an odor, which would affect their sleep at night.

Hu Yi deeply agreed, understanding that if he wanted to continue this business in the long run, he needed the understanding and support of his roommate. So he bought several bottles of air freshener and sprayed it every half hour every night to keep the room smelling fresh as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Hu Yi often invited Han Shangyun to have dinner together. Han Shangyun wasn't a particularly diligent person, so he was naturally happy to have his meals prepared for him, but he was still a little embarrassed and would always decline.

Hu Yi then feigned indifference: "Hey, we made too much food today, we definitely won't be able to sell it all, and it's a waste if we don't eat it. Can you help us finish some?"

Han Shangyun felt a little relieved and took out his kimchi to have dinner with everyone. Sometimes when his Korean friends came to have dinner with him, Hu Yi would ask Li Baoqing to cook a dish separately and bring it to the table. When he wasn't busy, he would also sit down with them and have a few beers.

As time went on, Hu and Li became very close to Han Shangyun and his Korean friends, and Han Shangyun became too embarrassed to dwell on the faint smell of food in the room anymore.

During their casual conversation, Hu Yi told Li Baoqing about how he and Li Baoqing had lost money, and then complained, "Cang Weng, to be honest, I only have less than three hundred dollars left. Life may be very difficult in the future."

"Three hundred US dollars? Li Erlei?!" Han Shangyun was shocked. "I didn't know that was the case. Do you need money? I can lend it to you."

"No, no need," Hu Yi waved his hands repeatedly, his tone very sincere. "Li and I sell dinner, and we can earn enough money. It's just that the smell in the house might bother your daily life and rest. You won't mind, will you?"

"No! It's perfectly fine!" Han Shangyun waved his hand dismissively. "The smell in the house doesn't matter. Go ahead and cook."

I understand your situation!

Having successfully won the understanding of their roommates and with the support and encouragement of their friends, Hu Yi and Li Baoqing's fast food business thrived. They busily made their way into the new year, and upon reflection, they realized they had sold an average of about twenty meals a day throughout December.

They operate from dormitories, and apart from raw materials, there are almost no other economic costs. A rough estimate puts their earnings at about fifty rubles per boxed meal.

Based on this calculation, their daily profit was around 1,000 rubles, which amounted to 30,000 rubles per month. They split it 50/50, so each of them received about 15,000 rubles, which, at the exchange rate at the time, was equivalent to more than 500 US dollars, far exceeding their initial expectations.

"Old Hu! We're really awesome!" Li Baoqing couldn't contain his excitement. "At this rate, we can earn at least several thousand dollars by summer vacation! Your idea is brilliant!"

"It's alright for now. Let's stay calm and take it one day at a time." Hu Yi appeared quite calm: "The exam is coming up soon, so we need to get through this hurdle first."

Hu Yi's concerns were not unfounded. For the past two months, the two of them had focused their main energy on the fast food business, inevitably falling behind in their studies. In particular, Professor Sergei's class was scheduled for the last period on Friday afternoons every other week, ending too late. Meanwhile, the boxed meals had been selling better and better lately, with people often calling early to order, so he gradually neglected that boring course that was interfering with his earning potential.

Fortunately, Sergei's classes weren't included in the final exams of the previous semester, and Hu Yi had a solid foundation, so the other exams were relatively easy for him. Although it wasn't realistic to get all fives like he did in the first semester of preparatory school, his overall grades were mostly fours and fives.

Li Baoqing is in a worse situation. His studies have reverted to the state he was in when he was in Maji Preparatory School. He listens to the lectures in a daze and has no interest at all.

At first, he would think about copying Zhou Dali's homework every night before going to bed. Later, his workload of cooking and delivering meals increased significantly, and he earned more money. When Li Baoqing returned to his apartment at night, he only wanted to drink a few bottles of beer to relieve his fatigue. He often forgot about his homework, and the next day when he went to school, he would inevitably be scolded by his teacher.