Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 445: Chapter 279: Hot Spring at Night

’An image ambassador?’

’Doesn’t that mean I’ll have to take photos?’

At the thought, Lin Chen’s expression immediately stiffened.

But having someone familiar with the area show him around was definitely better than wandering aimlessly on his own. Left with no other choice, he could only nod and agree for now.

They could discuss the collaboration later. There were plenty of ways to repay a favor.

Zhao Pengfei arrived quickly. After all, Salt Spring Island was only a little over one hundred square kilometers in area.

"Huh? You’re alone?"

As soon as the car stopped, Zhao Pengfei looked around, confused.

"We had hot pot for lunch, and on the way here, she ate a huge bag of bread. She’s in a carb coma, sleeping at the hotel. I was bored, so I came out for a walk by myself."

"She’s got a great appetite! A good appetite is a blessing. It’s rare to meet a foreigner who loves our Great Xia food so much. Chef Lin, you’d better act fast."

"...Are you here to be a matchmaker or a tour guide?"

"Hahaha, my bad, my bad. I can’t help it. You two were just so shippable on the show, you had amazing chemistry. There are tons of posts about you two online. A lot of people are rooting for you as a couple."

Of course, he was aware of this. He had looked it up online the day the competition ended.

The only thing he felt slightly relieved about was that, so far at least, Erica’s parents hadn’t called him.

At least, that’s what she said.

After getting into Zhao Pengfei’s car, he led them on a simple tour of a dozen or so of the larger farms along the central road of Salt Spring Island. More than half of them were owned by Chinese farmers.

The entire terrain of Salt Spring Island is relatively flat, with only small hills at most and no mountain ranges. Coupled with its island location, the climate is humid with ample sunshine and rainfall, making it very suitable for growing crops.

With the addition of greenhouse technology and high-tech methods, almost any crop could be grown successfully.

The farms looked pretty much the same as in the videos he’d found online. They all fenced off a plot of land with one or two buildings on it—one for living and one for storage.

The warehouses were usually built near the crops, but the houses could be built anywhere they pleased.

However, after touring the area, he discovered that the most commonly grown crops were various types of berries.

Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cherries.

North America’s cold climate is naturally suited for berries. They had a ready market and didn’t require too much care, making them the most popular choice among farmers.

Next were mainstream fruit trees like grapes, apples, and oranges, used for making juice and wine.

There were also livestock farms, though relatively few. Most were hobby farms, with very few truly professional operations, but those were incredibly large in scale.

He even saw two farms raising Angus cattle, which supplied high-quality Angus beef directly to many of the surrounding Western restaurants.

But he soon noticed a problem.

After wandering around for half the day, aside from learning about the local resource market, he didn’t seem to have found much inspiration.

Or rather, he hadn’t seen any agri-tourism businesses like the ones back home.

"Agri-tourism, huh? You don’t really see that around here. After all, managing a farm is tiring enough. It’s not realistic to also divert energy into running a restaurant. Besides, the restaurant business is a deep-water game. You don’t just need kitchen experience; you also need management skills and a head for business."

"A normal person wouldn’t go out of their way to hire a chef and open a restaurant on their own farm. The risk is too high."

This was Zhao Pengfei’s explanation for his confusion.

Besides that, there was another reason: capital.

Opening a restaurant isn’t hard, but making it a big success is extremely difficult. It requires a continuous chain of funding, as well as an excellent back-of-house and management team.

The people who could afford to open farms here were generally business owners with their own industries. Managing their existing businesses and the farm already kept them busy enough; they weren’t likely to suddenly jump into the restaurant industry.

Only an unemployed bum like him, who’d gotten rich overnight, would come up with an idea like starting an agri-tourism business.

There was also another very practical problem: the overall environment was different.

Back home, with its rapid development, agri-tourism was a way for city dwellers to return to nature and relax on weekends. Whether for a family outing or a gathering with friends, it was always a good option.

But things were different abroad.

Abroad, people lived in houses with their own yards. It was very common to plant flowers in the backyard, and some even grew vegetables. They also had to regularly mow their front lawns. For foreigners, who are generally lazier by nature, these chores were already enough; anything more would just be a burden.

The appeal of making them drive an hour or two specifically to experience farm life just wasn’t strong enough. It would only work on Da Xia People.

In other words, if he wanted to buy land in a remote suburb here and build a farm, the first thing he had to figure out was the business model.

He had to come up with a way to attract both Da Xia tourists and foreign tourists. Otherwise, relying on the support of his fellow countrymen alone would likely not be enough to make the business big and successful.

"I have a business meeting tonight, so I won’t bother you two. If you’re free tomorrow, want to grab a meal together?"

"Let’s skip the meal. Next time. I plan to set off for Albany Port first thing tomorrow morning to check out the area. Then I’ll go have a look at Albion Port. Anyway, don’t you go sea fishing over there often? I’ll treat you to a meal then."

"Alright then. See you next time, and good luck to you two~"

He had just returned to his hotel room and was resting for a bit when there was a knock on the door.

"You’re back?"

The moment he opened the door, Erica darted into the room. "How did the investigation go?"

He briefly shared the conclusions he’d drawn, and Erica nodded in agreement.

"You know, now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case. But it’s not an absolute rule. A lot of people who live in houses don’t have the energy to take care of their backyard, since the community doesn’t manage it. Plus, if there are kids, going to a farm to plant things and pick fruit can be educational and help strengthen the parent-child bond. I think there’s a market for it."

"You mean, we should focus on attracting children?"

Lin Chen’s eyes lit up. He really hadn’t thought that far ahead, but upon further reflection, it seemed to make sense.

Foreign children are educated differently from a young age, with a focus on developing hands-on skills and critical thinking. If he used that as a starting point and organized some activities, he might actually attract a large number of interested parents to come and experience it.

’In that case, I could also think about whether there’s an angle to attract women.’

After all, the easiest money to make is from the elderly, women, and children. That conclusion was the same in any country around the world.

The two of them searched for information and videos about the Albany Port and Albion Port areas in the room, basically ruling out the possibility of going to Banfield.

The first two could be reached by car. The route not only passed by lakes and mountains, but also eventually led to the port, connecting to the sea.

Going to Banfield, on the other hand, required a huge detour, or a boat trip from Albion Port. The journey alone was too much of a hassle.

Putting themselves in a tourist’s shoes, they wouldn’t want to waste too much time on the road either.

Albany Port was only an hour’s drive from Nanaimo. On the map, it looked as if a cut had been made across the waist of the massive island, with a narrow strait leading directly into the island’s interior.

It was a moderately sized town. Further into the island, you basically wouldn’t see any cities this large; it was almost all sparsely populated small towns.

They discussed it for over an hour, and their final conclusion was that the best place to buy land would be in the mountainous area between Albion Port and Albany Port.

Land in such a remote area would be cheap, yet it was near a highway, had mountains, water, and the sea, and wasn’t far from the city. In terms of value for money, it was perfect.

If they wanted to go out to sea, the port was a half-hour drive away. It took about the same amount of time to get to town, making daily life convenient too.

"That should be enough work for today, right?"

Erica stretched languidly and glanced out the window. The sky had long since turned pitch black.

Along the lake shore, bright, warm-yellow streetlights were lit. Further in the distance, pinpricks of light came from various farms.

Faint starlight twinkled in the night sky, and a bright moon hung high overhead.

Peeking her head out, the night’s sea breeze was fresh and cool. Below the hotel, the hot spring area was constantly emitting clouds of steam.

"You coming or not?"

"Huh? Go where?"

"To the hot spring! It’s included with the room, isn’t it? It would be a waste not to go. We can’t let the money we paid go to waste."

"The h-hot spring?"

Lin Chen secretly gulped.

He’d had a feeling this might happen ever since he saw that the hot spring was included with the room when booking the hotel. But now that the moment had actually arrived, he found his heart inexplicably racing with nervousness.

"Don’t tell me you’ve never been to a hot spring before?"

"I haven’t," he said, shaking his head. "I was working part-time jobs all through school. After graduation, I was always working, even running a stall in my free time. The only traveling I’ve done was a trip to Niagara Falls and once to Blue Mountain for skiing."

"Then what are you waiting for? Let’s go! Hot springs are so relaxing, especially in the winter. It’s the best feeling. Plus, it’s good for your skin. One soak is more effective than ten face masks."

"Wait, wait, what do we wear? We don’t have swimsuits, do we?"

"I do."

"You brought a swimsuit??"

"Of course. If you were going to Panama, you’d definitely bring a swimsuit, right? It’s the beach."

"Well, I don’t have a swimsuit. Why don’t you just go by yourself."

"You’re a grown man, what do you need a swimsuit for? Just wear your underwear and put a bathrobe on over it. That’s what everyone does. Aren’t men’s swim trunks just boxer shorts anyway? No difference."

Without giving Lin Chen a chance to refuse, she grabbed him and pushed him toward the bathroom.

"I’ll give you two minutes. If you’re not out by then, I’ll come in and help you undress myself~"

Seeing her retreating back reflected in the glass door, Lin Chen sighed helplessly. He had no choice but to bite the bullet, take off his clothes, and put on the bathrobe.

After Erica had also changed into a bathrobe, they took the elevator down to the first-floor lobby. A slight breeze blew past, making the lower half of his body feel chilly.

The feeling of going commando made him feel extremely insecure. He quickly tightened his bathrobe, lowered his head in embarrassment, and followed behind Erica toward the hot spring.