Life on Cha Liao Island invigorated Gu Qingcheng.
This vitality made each day feel like turning a new page, like opening a blind box, never knowing what events awaited her, but this sensation kept her enthralled and captivated.
She had felt a similar thrill in the early days of establishing Phoenix Village, living each day with the excitement of the village's rise.
Whether it was building an extra mess hall today, or another dwelling tomorrow, or hunting prey, or reclaiming a new plot of land...
Phoenix Village teemed with vibrant life.
Of course, there were still some differences between Phoenix Village and Cha Liao Island. In the nascent stage of Phoenix Village, Gu Qingcheng had no settled abode and had to search around with her people.
After settling on Phoenix Village, it was truly a case of starting from nothing, a rags-to-riches endeavor.
But here on Cha Liao Island, she already had Phoenix Village as a solid and substantial base to rely on. Moreover, her parents were now in Phoenix Village managing village affairs and holding the reins of power, allowing her to act freely on Cha Liao Island.
Compared to the disarray and hardship of starting Phoenix Village from scratch, she now had a fallback on Cha Liao Island.
Gu Qingcheng had once dreamed of becoming an Olympic archery champion, to see the national flag rise on the Olympic stage and shed tears of pride.
But she had never imagined she would one day become a pioneer and entrepreneur in a different time and space.
Yet, she found she could adapt well to any role, perhaps due to the unyielding, challenge-embracing spirit cultivated as an athlete.
The greater the difficulty and challenge, the more fearless she became.
After a good night's sleep, another morning of striving dawned.
The weather on Cha Liao Island was unexpectedly beautiful today. The long-absent sun smiled down, and the mist covering the island had completely cleared.
The sky was a deep blue, and the dry wind, carrying the vaporized moisture from the cool river water, was comfortable and pleasant.
Gu Qingcheng and Old Man Du had arranged to have breakfast together.
Old Man Du mentioned that a new Cantonese dim sum restaurant had recently opened on the island and that its offerings were delicious. He invited Gu Qingcheng to try it with him.
Dining with business partners was also a form of business engagement, and many deals were quietly struck in such settings.
Gu Qingcheng, naturally, would not refuse such an invitation.
Gu Qingcheng arrived at the Meixin Dim Sum restaurant in the heart of the island. She went directly to the second floor, where Old Man Du was already waiting at his reserved table.
"Oh, Old Man Du, you're quite early. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Gu Qingcheng said with a touch of embarrassment.
Although Gu Qingcheng's status and influence on Cha Liao Island were growing daily, Old Man Du was much older than her. She naturally felt sheepish about making an elder wait and quickly apologized.
"I haven't been waiting long, haha, I just arrived myself."
Old Man Du warmly invited Gu Qingcheng to sit down.
"Really? I see this place is very popular, you have to come early to get dim sum, otherwise, how could you get such a good seat?"
Gu Qingcheng remarked as she sat down.
Their current seats, by the window, offered a view of the bustling street life below. Further in the distance lay the Cha Liao Island cargo port.
This cargo port was the venture they had jointly invested in. The port was teeming with people like ants, the river water sparkled, and the green hills rose like ink paintings. In such a scenic location with such excellent views, could one easily secure a seat at such a popular dim sum restaurant?
Therefore, Gu Qingcheng asked this question.
Old Man Du chuckled and said, "The owner of this dim sum shop is from my hometown. I ate his dim sum back home and knew he was a skilled chef.
When he came here, life wasn't easy. He had lost all his assets on the escape route and was short of money, telling me it was hard to even survive.
I told him that with such skill, he was sure to make a comeback, so I lent him some money to open this dim sum restaurant. See, the shop is doing very well, isn't it?
Then, he reserved this exclusive spot for me, one that no one can take away. I can always have it whenever I come."
Old Man Du said with a touch of pride.
So, this exclusive seat was a reward for Old Man Du's kindness and selfless help.
"Old Man Du, you are truly a discerning judge of character."
Gu Qingcheng flattered Old Man Du.
The two engaged in mutual praise, with a hint of informality.
However, Old Man Du knew that Gu Qingcheng's capabilities were far more formidable than his. Her warm conversation with him indicated that their relationship had deepened, and he was genuinely pleased.
At this moment, the delicious fare from the tea house was served.
Steamed spareribs with black bean sauce, brown sugar cake, tripe, phoenix claws, crystal shrimp dumplings, char siu pastry... a table laden with the Cantonese dim sum delicacies Gu Qingcheng had dreamed of.
Old Man Du had noticed during several banquets and social gatherings that despite Gu Qingcheng's slender frame, she had a considerable appetite.
He had been somewhat perplexed before, wondering why someone so thin would eat so much, as thin people were not expected to have such a good appetite.
It was only when he saw Gu Qingcheng drawing her bow to shoot zombies by the riverbank that he understood. All her strength was expended in those activities, though she usually kept it hidden and didn't show it.
Old Man Du greatly admired her.
He had instructed the owner early on to bring out all the shop's signature dim sum delicacies, presenting over 20 dishes.
Although the quantity looked substantial, because Cantonese dim sum dishes were exquisitely prepared, with only a few pieces in each steamer basket or on each plate, the two "big men" could easily finish them all.
They poured hot black tea, eating and chatting.
Regarding the cargo port, Old Man Du mentioned that they had recruited another 200 workers from nearby islands, ensuring the cargo port's construction would be completed on schedule.
At this stage, Gu Qingcheng's role was solely to provide funding and oversight.
After all, every shareholder had a vested interest in making profits. Since they were all tied to Gu Qingcheng's wagon, they wouldn't slack off easily and would work diligently.
The construction of the cargo port was now like a hand-cranked machine. Once the crank was turned and the engine started, it would run with a steady rhythm.
And she, Gu Qingcheng, was the one who had initially turned the crank.
Now that her part was done, the rest was for the machine to operate on its own.
The people Old Man Du recruited were not just laborers but also experts in various civil engineering projects, so the port's construction was progressing smoothly.
With the port's construction truly underway, Shopkeeper Su and the others gained renewed confidence and eagerly paid their dues.
With their own capital invested in the cargo port's construction, these individuals were even more invested and anxious than Gu Qingcheng.
After all, spending 200,000 to 300,000 taels of silver was just a tiny fraction of Gu Qingcheng's wealth, whereas their investment of tens of thousands of taels represented more than half of their personal assets.
Therefore, their commitment to the project shouldn't be measured by the amount of money invested, but by the proportion of their personal assets that the investment represented.