Chapter 50

Jingang the gorilla sat comfortably on his specially made elevated chair, proudly holding his oversized bottle of milk; he was now quite used to it, and his new friends had always been paying attention to him. No problem, he quickly finished the milk and then waited for the big meal to start.

Actually, Dongnanxibei (the four cardinal directions) were also more or less the same; they were all waiting for the meal to start. These guys were all big eaters and were not easily satisfied; they needed to be well-fed and well-catered to.

"I'm sorry, it was my rudeness," Qiping now felt a bit awkward, as the guests were still waiting, but he needed to take care of the little ones at home.

Actually, it wasn't much for Jingang to drink a bottle of milk; Liangshanbo and Zhu Yingtai had also finished eating, as their food was quite simple. However, Dongnanxibei were now eating their meat soup with rice, and their meals were the same as Qiping's, except they started earlier.

"It's okay, we don't think this is rude at all; it's only natural," Todd didn't think it was rude at all. In fact, he found it quite interesting. Todd and his family were all captivated by Jingang and the others.

"Lola, can you give Jingang a banana? He's ready for lunch now." Actually, the fruit was right there, and Qiping could have passed it over, but letting the little ones pass the fruit was a fun game for the children.

Five-year-old Lola was very happy, peeled a banana, and passed it to Jingang. At first, she was a bit worried, but when she saw Jingang skillfully peel the banana and eat it, Lola and Jason were delighted.

"Qi, does Jingang only need a little fruit? Is he also on a fruit diet like Mom?" Jason's question made the adults laugh, but Catherine was a bit embarrassed. Ten-year-old Jason now understood some things; he knew his mother had a day each week when she only ate fruit.

"His favorite food is actually fruit, and he still needs to grow, so he has to eat a lot," Qiping felt a bit helpless. This was the American way; children would even call their parents by their first names. Well, that was the American custom.

Jingang didn't care about these things; he continued to enjoy his fruit. He quickly finished three bananas and an apple, then picked up his little bowl and started eating. Chimpanzees have a varied diet, though they do prefer fruit.

Actually, Qiping had put a lot of effort into this meal. Americans don't necessarily like authentic Chinese cuisine, even though it has a great reputation. For many Americans, it's too greasy. They don't like steamed or braised dishes, and they prefer less salty, slightly sweet flavors.

As for dining out, that would be considered impolite and lacking in sincerity. It's more sincere to have a dinner party at home rather than at a restaurant. Even though there are many Chinese restaurants in America, their flavors are often adapted to American tastes.

Fortunately, Qiping had some experience. Douglas and the Kate siblings had been here before, so he had some idea of what to do. Grilling some steaks was no problem, and of course, he couldn't completely omit Chinese dishes; he prepared some light stir-fried dishes and some home-style dishes with a bit of a twist.

"This is Mapo Tofu, and this is Kung Pao Chicken. They are quite popular," Qiping was quite proud of his cooking, and the dishes were well-received. "As for the braised pork, it might be a bit greasy for everyone, but Dongnanxibei like the meat soup with rice."

"I think the stir-fried vegetables and tofu taste great. They are completely different from the Chinese restaurants we've been to. I think this is the most authentic Chinese food," Todd, a businessman, had good social skills, and the dishes were indeed very good.

"He prepared these specially for everyone. Chinese cuisine has a wide variety of dishes, and even as Chinese people, Qi and I haven't tried them all. Of course, not everyone can accept all the dishes, as the taste differences are significant," Luo Yi explained, thinking Qiping had done his homework.

Americans don't like leftovers on their plates, which is considered impolite, especially at a home dinner. So, although Qiping didn't prepare a full table of dishes, it was the right thing to do.

After lunch, it was time for the children's nap. Even though it was the weekend, the children's routines couldn't be changed. Qiping had prepared guest rooms, and although Jason and Lola wanted to play with Jingang, they needed a good nap.

Catherine took the children for their nap, and Qiping, Luo Yi, and Todd decided to take a walk. This was Qiping's way of showing off, and it was also why Todd wanted to come. Although Jingang had seen the vegetable garden when he was stealing vegetables, there were still many places in the forest farm worth exploring.

"You should plant some trees here. Otherwise, this place will just become a recreational forest. Your forest farm is now more like a farm, and planting some fruit trees would be appropriate," Todd observed the busy scene of planting fruit trees and thought Qiping's forest farm was well-deserved.

"I'll keep most of the trees on the mountain, but I'll clear some areas. Now, I'm laying the foundation. Later, I'll see what suitable trees to plant; that will be more interesting," Qiping chuckled. The forest farm still had a lot of potential to be explored.

"That doesn't seem cost-effective. The trees on your mountain are quite ordinary and have little development value. You don't have a paper mill or a timber mill, so these ordinary trees can only be sold at regular prices. These hundreds of acres of forest don't earn as much as one season of vegetables," Luo Yi seemed to have misunderstood and thought the mountain could be considered for more profit.

"Lu is right, Qi's forest farm is really good. But I noticed that some areas, like the residence and the vegetable garden, have a great environment, while the mountain doesn't have any special features. I think you should consider cutting down the current trees and selling them for some income, then planting trees with higher economic value," Todd suggested, which seemed to be the most practical and suitable idea.

"No, no, no, we can't do that now." Although Todd's idea seemed normal and what most people would think, Qiping wouldn't do it. "The environment of the forest farm is great, largely because of this forest. I will protect them to the greatest extent possible. It's not easy for the trees to grow to this scale. However, I do need to develop it to some extent to align with my interests."

"Perhaps you know, there are some experts studying my forest farm. Recent research has found that the good environment is slowly expanding. I can't just act recklessly; I hope the environment here will get even better." Qiping was laying the groundwork for the future, hoping to create more beautiful environments in the forest farm.

"In that case, I suggest you don't touch any trees on the mountain. The experts haven't found any definitive results, so it's better to maintain the original ecological environment as much as possible," Luo Yi was envious when he heard this. Qiping was making a big profit, but his thinking had completely changed, and he advised Qiping not to alter the layout at all.

Qiping chuckled. Some things were better left in his heart, but for him, the forest farm would definitely get better, and he had no need to worry.