Talking about the amusement park actually brought the two closer together.
To break the silence in the car now that the conversation had opened up, Qi Li began asking Jiang Hai about his estate in the United States. In her view, the estate was very important—not just as Jiang Hai's property, but because it was the main source of meat for her four restaurants. It was crucial.
"There's no problem with the estate. The cattle for next year have already been bought: 15,000 bulls, plus 4,000 calves. Next year, we expect to sell around 2,000 bulls, so altogether, that's 17,000 bulls. I've reserved 1,000 bulls just for you. If that's not enough, just let me know and I can squeeze out some more," Jiang Hai said after thinking for a moment.
Actually, when Jiang Hai was raising the bulls, he still felt somewhat dissatisfied with Qi Li. But because of the matter with Ai Xiaoxi, his hostility toward Qi Li had lessened. The cattle had been reserved—only a thousand—but if that wasn't enough, he could always provide more.
"That's enough—one thousand will do. After all, I'm not planning to open another branch. But besides beef, our restaurant is still missing some high-end items. I'm afraid sooner or later, customers will get tired of just beef," Qi Li said hesitantly. Hearing her, Jiang Hai chuckled.
"I have plenty of high-end goods—big lobsters over 30 kilograms, especially long sea cucumbers, two-headed abalone, and the fish I raise will be ready next year. There should be salmon, grouper, king crab, nine-segment shrimp, tuna, and around July next year, Yangtze River knife fish and large yellow croaker will also be available in batches," Jiang Hai said as he and Qi Li calculated the high-end seafood from his fishery.
After that calculation, Jiang Hai was stunned for a moment. There really were a lot of high-end products in his fishery.
Although Jiang Hai's fish were farmed, except for the imported seedlings, these fish were grown in a natural-like environment. Take salmon for example. Jiang Hai's salmon were Atlantic salmon, bought at three years old.
In fact, the salmon we traditionally refer to is Atlantic salmon. There is no true salmon in the Pacific Ocean. Ninety percent of the so-called salmon in Asia are actually trout. This fish looks almost identical to salmon; the only difference is that Atlantic salmon have small black spots on their dorsal fins, while trout have black spots only on their bodies, not on the dorsal fin.
Because of this, many merchants call trout "salmon," such as red salmon. But calling it salmon doesn't make it true salmon—the difference is significant, though few people know this. Norway is the largest exporter of Atlantic salmon.
At first, Norwegian salmon didn't sell well because the main consuming countries—mostly island nations that eat sashimi—were used to eating cooked salmon, not raw. But over time, Norway exported salmon to these countries and helped them develop a taste for raw salmon. The biggest boom came in the 1980s when Norway launched a 15-year plan to export large amounts of seafood to island countries, completely changing their eating habits.
Later, China also became a major market for salmon. This fish is not endangered, but it's difficult to catch and lives only in the Atlantic Ocean. It's hard to fool those who know the difference.
That's why salmon consumed in the Pacific region—including China, island countries, and South Korea—is farmed salmon.
However, farmed salmon don't eat wild shrimp or plankton, so their flesh is white. To get that characteristic red color, they have to be fed astaxanthin artificially. Too much makes the salmon unnaturally red, too little means they can't be sold for a high price.
It's a complicated issue, and Jiang Hai wasn't sure whether artificial astaxanthin was harmful to humans. Fortunately, he didn't have to feed his fish these additives because his fishery had plenty of small shrimps naturally.
Jiang Hai's aquatic grass absorbed spiritual energy, much like the grass in his manor, attracting large amounts of plankton that feed on seaweed.
In turn, the plankton attracted many other organisms. Besides the small squids and octopuses Jiang Hai raised, his fishery was full of Arctic sweet shrimps that swam there on their own.
Their numbers were huge, forming the bottom of the food chain. The fish in Jiang Hai's fishery had plenty to eat.
The salmon were bought at three years old, so eating was no problem. Recently, Jiang Hai's salmon and other fish had grown quite large and would likely be ready to sell next year.
Of course, Jiang Hai could also let the fish swim back to the river he built for spawning, allowing more salmon to be produced.
But there was a catch: salmon die after spawning, and then they can't be sold for a high price.
So it was a trade-off, but Jiang Hai believed Edward Anderson and his team would find a solution.
"I didn't expect you had so many good things there. Looks like I'll have to check it out soon to see if anything can be used in my restaurant," Qi Li said, stunned by the variety in Jiang Hai's fishery. She hadn't realized there were so many exciting things in his manor.
Lobster, abalone, sea cucumber, king crab, tuna, salmon, grouper, giant grouper, plus the beef Jiang Hai provided—Qi Li suddenly felt she was just around the corner from dominating the high-end catering industry in the imperial capital.
"If you want to visit, you're welcome anytime," Jiang Hai said with a smile. Although Qi Li might feel a bit awkward seeing Afra and the others after visiting, Jiang Hai didn't mind if she wanted to come.
"Okay, but it's already eleven o'clock. There's nothing fun to do now. When do you catch fish?" Qi Li pondered seriously. Honestly, she wanted to go with Jiang Hai right now. But she couldn't, because her family still depended on her to steer the ship. Going to Jiang Hai meant giving up control of Qi's family, which she wasn't willing to do. There was a fundamental difference between Chinese and foreigners: the desire for control.
For example, when foreigners start a company, they hold onto the shares but usually hire professional managers, or trusted people they've trained, giving them a share of the dividends to tie them to the business.
For example, Pra Walton, whom Jiang Hai knew well, manages Wal-Mart, owned by the Walton family.
But for Chinese people, it's different. When a Chinese person starts a company, they want to be in charge. When their power fades, even if their children are useless, spendthrifts, or mentally challenged, the company will be passed on to them. They won't hand over control to a manager in exchange for a share of dividends.
More than 95% of domestic enterprises are family-owned, and Qi's is no exception.
If Qi Li wanted to let go, she could consider it later. But for now, it was impossible.
"It's probably around March, April, or May. You'll have to ask my fishermen for the exact time," Jiang Hai said. He had learned last year that raising fish takes at least a year. If they don't grow well, it could take two years. But because of the spiritual energy in his fishery, his fish grew much faster.
Fish raised for half a year in his fishery were as large as fish others raised for a year and a half. Another half year and they would be as big as those raised for two or three years. Getting fish when the time comes wouldn't be a problem.
"Okay, I'll call you in advance. I'll definitely come when the fishing season starts," Qi Li promised seriously.
At that moment, the car slowly entered Qi Li's residential area and stopped in front of Liu Li's villa. Jiang Hai got out with the things in his hands.
The items were beef and other products from his manor. He sent some to Fu Yuan by express delivery, and Fu Yuan had brought them today.
Jiang Hai kept some at home to eat with Feng Yunchen and Ai Xiaoxi in the next few days. The rest he brought to Qi Li's mother, since she was his mother-in-law in name.
When Jiang Hai and Qi Li entered the villa, they found the household busy. The servants and Qi Li's mother were cleaning and carrying dishes—it was lively.
"Hey, Xiao Jiang is back! Come sit, come sit. It's time to eat," Qi Li's mother exclaimed upon seeing Jiang Hai, her eyes lighting up when she spotted the beef he brought.
She hurried over and took the beef with a smile.
During Chinese New Year, Jiang Hai had given her a lot of beef, but at the time, Qi Li's mother didn't know the beef's value. She thought Jiang Hai was just being filial and didn't pay much attention.
Later, after tasting the beef, she found it delicious and called Qi Li to ask where it was bought, so she could buy some herself. Only then did she learn from Qi Li that Jiang Hai's beef couldn't be found outside.
Let me know if you'd like me to polish or adapt any other sections!