Chapter 10 – Starting a Career

It was past 10 p.m. when her parents finally came home. Hearing the sound of the car, Wang Yi immediately got up.

She turned on the porch light to guide them in, then set the table. Knowing her grandmother well, Wang Yi was certain her parents hadn’t eaten before returning.

When her parents walked in and saw the dishes already laid out, they were truly moved. Her mother’s eyes even reddened.

This time, her mother was genuinely hurt. She never expected her own mother to just send them back like that, without even asking the other sisters to help. It was only toward her that she was so harsh.

Her father quickly tried to comfort her, saying,
“It’s fine. Our daughter’s cooking is way better than your mom’s. Honestly, I don’t even want to eat her food.”

Her mother wiped away her tears, knowing he only said this to ease her pain.

“Mom,” Wang Yi’s voice rang out, “let me ask you something. Wasn’t it just you and Dad working today? No one else showed up, right?”

Her parents stayed silent, which told Wang Yi she was right.

She continued, “Mom, if you don’t want to do it anymore, just say no. You have the right to refuse. If others can, so can you. All these years you’ve already done enough for their family. You have a son and a daughter — you don’t need to depend on them. From now on, do whatever you want.”

Her father, afraid her words might upset her mother even more, quickly changed the subject:
“Daughter, the dishes you made at noon weren’t from the space, right? You take after me!” he said proudly.

Wang Yi didn’t say anything further. She knew her mother understood now. In the past, if she had spoken against her grandmother, her mother would always scold her.

After dinner, they all rested. Tomorrow they had to harvest the fields. Before bed, Wang Yi gave her parents each a cup of spring water, then went to sleep.

—-

The next day, Wang Yi went out to the town’s main street. Their town had supermarkets and markets with everything you could need.

She bought some beef and onions, planning to make steamed beef dumplings for lunch.

In Northeast China, dumplings are a must for treating guests, and making them is practically in Northeasterners’ DNA. You might not know anything else, but from chopping the filling, mixing it, kneading dough, rolling skins, to wrapping dumplings — that’s the basic skill set. Skip a step, and they just won’t taste right.

She also bought some daylily and cucumbers for a cold dish, and planned to make crucian carp tofu soup.

Back home, the dough was ready. She chopped the beef and onions finely, poured hot oil over the filling, added thirteen spices, MSG, salt, soy sauce, and a bit of peppercorn water. Finally, she dripped in a few drops of the spiritual spring water. Once the dough had rested, it was ready for wrapping.

In the storage shed, she pulled out some dried corn leaves saved from last year’s harvest. After trimming the ends and soaking them soft, they were ready.

Half an hour later, she spread the corn leaves on the bottom of the big pot and started wrapping dumplings.

She was skilled at rolling dough, and in no time had wrapped over fifty big steamed dumplings, each shaped like a little ingot — very cute.

She arranged them in the softened corn leaves, stacked neatly in the pot. Once sealed, she steamed them for 15 minutes.

While waiting, she finished the cold dish, fried the carp, boiled it with tofu and a few more drops of spiritual spring water. By the time the dumplings were ready, the soup was too.

In the Northeast, dumplings must be eaten with garlic dipping sauce. She prepared soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and chili oil, setting them aside.

She placed the dumplings with the corn leaves into a large basin, served the soup and salad in big bowls — today’s lunch was late, but cooking dumplings for nine people was no small task.

Then, she rode her e-bike to the fields.

When she arrived, everyone was waiting. As soon as the dumplings were opened, the fragrance spread everywhere. Even the neighbors in the next field could smell it.

“Old Wang, what’s cooking at your place? Smells amazing!” called Uncle Kang from the neighboring plot.

Grandpa waved him over:
“Kangzi, come eat some! Yiyi made dumplings, come try them!”

Uncle Kang hurried over, even bringing fried fish his wife had made.

“Oh my goodness, these dumplings are fantastic!” he said as he ate.

Everyone was happily eating when suddenly the roar of a car engine was heard.

A black sedan slowly stopped at the edge of the field. Out stepped a well-dressed young man in a suit.

“Who’s that?” everyone wondered curiously.

The young man smiled and asked, “Excuse me, who cooked this food? The smell is incredible!”

Wang Yi stood up, puzzled. “And you are?”

He handed her a business card. “I’m the owner of a countryside restaurant in the city. We specialize in traditional farmhouse cuisine. Passing by today, I was drawn by this aroma. I’d like to invite you to be our chef — your cooking will definitely attract customers.”

Everyone was stunned. Wang Yi glanced at the card and smiled,
“Thank you for the offer, but I just want to stay here, cooking for my family.”

The young man tried again, offering tempting conditions.

But Wang Yi firmly shook her head. “My roots are here. These meals carry the bond of this land. They’re only for my family and neighbors.”

The young man left disappointed, and the villagers happily went back to eating.

But Wang Yi began to think: tourism had developed well in recent years. Maybe she could start her own farmhouse restaurant, lease some land, and build greenhouses to grow vegetables. With her spiritual spring, she could achieve twice the results with half the effort.

She decided to discuss it with her parents later.

Her parents exchanged a look — they could already tell their daughter was planning something new again.

Still, they continued eating. After all, nothing is more important than a good meal.

Back home, Wang Yi thought it over carefully. It seemed doable. She couldn’t just sit idle when she had such resources.

The next morning, she woke up early and pulled her parents into a discussion about opening a farmhouse restaurant and leasing land to grow vegetables.

Though worried, her parents still supported her plan.

In the following days, Wang Yi was incredibly busy.

She first negotiated with the village chief about leasing land, then began preparing materials for the greenhouses.

As for the farmhouse restaurant, she planned to start small by renovating part of her own home as a trial.

Winter fishing season would soon bring tourists from all over the country. She had to act fast.

That afternoon, Wang Yi went into her space to check on things.

The ginseng she had planted had grown strong and lush. She was delighted — the spring water’s effect was truly extraordinary.

If she sold the ginseng on the market, it would fetch a good price and help fund the farmhouse restaurant and farm expenses.

She carefully dug up a few smaller roots to dry and store.

Then, she sectioned off a new area in the space for fruit trees and vegetable seedlings, planning to transplant them into the greenhouses later. Tomorrow, she would buy some fruit saplings.

Ah, starting something new was never easy.