As soon as Xia Wan raised her head, she saw several elderly people with half-gray hair and vigorous spirits standing not far ahead.

The old men stared wide-eyed at her, looking like starving wolves who hadn't eaten for days and were eyeing a plump lamb. Their focus was on the bubbling meat sauce in the iron pot in front of her.

"Ahem... Well, I just made some seasoning sauce. Would you all like to try it and give me some valuable opinions and suggestions?" Xia Wan coughed a few times awkwardly before cautiously asking.

After all, being stared at so intently by such a group of people is truly unsettling.

Although someone had told her before that the factory already had similar beef sauce products, she was very confident in the meat sauce she made because it smelled much better than the one the factory already had!

Upon hearing Xia Wan's words, one of the old craftsmen, surnamed Liu, took a small step forward with a suspicious look on his face, sniffed hard, as if trying to inhale all the fragrance in the air.

He sniffed it greedily, muttering to himself, "Seasoning sauce? You mean this stuff is used as a seasoning when stir-frying dishes?"

Judging from his expression, he seemed eager to bury his head in the pot and get a closer look.

Seeing this, Xia Wan pursed her lips and explained, "Uh... no, Chef Liu, this seasoning sauce isn't specifically for stir-fries. Actually, I plan to use it as a seasoning sauce for instant noodles."

In about ten more minutes, the meat sauce will be completely cooked, so please be patient and wait a little longer.

As she spoke, she pointed to the neatly stacked instant noodle cakes placed to the side.

However, these flatbreads clearly failed to attract the attention of the experienced chefs, mainly because the rich aroma of the meat sauce was too overpowering, successfully stealing everyone's spotlight.

"Instant noodles?" Upon hearing this, Master Zhao's lips curled downwards, and his face showed a hint of disgust and disappointment.

He shook his head and said with a slightly dissatisfied tone, "I've tried that stuff, and it's really not good! It's nowhere near as good as the beef sauce we make at our factory! Even if you take the factory's beef sauce home and mix it with noodles, it'll taste much better than instant noodles!"

Upon hearing this, the others also showed a hint of disappointment on their faces.

Although some of them may not have personally tasted instant noodles, they have more or less heard about them from others, who say that they are not only expensive but also have an unsatisfactory taste.

The crowd secretly wondered if this young woman was naively convinced that her unknown sauce could magically transform unpalatable instant noodles into something delicious.

With this in mind, those with more straightforward personalities couldn't hold back and spoke up directly.

"Master Xia, in my opinion, you shouldn't waste your energy on this nonsense! That instant noodles are really not tasty, and not many people are willing to spend money on them these days."

She was being quite tactful; if she weren't afraid of upsetting the young girl, instant noodles would truly be disliked.

"That's right! And even if someone wants to buy your sauce packet, they still have to buy instant noodles at the same time. But the problem is, who knows if these two products can be successfully distributed and sold in the same supply and marketing cooperative? If not, then all our efforts will be in vain."

Another tall, thin man wearing glasses chimed in.

Xia Wan had no idea that people in this world and this era disliked instant noodles so much!

As expected, the history she had heard from the old people was very different from what she had heard. Only now did she feel like she had traveled into a parallel world!

At this moment, another person chimed in: "Besides, I see you've added a lot of beef to this sauce, so the cost must be high. Plus, the supply of beef is very limited. Even if your sauce sells well, buying the ingredients will be a problem!"

Xia Wan had been listening to their conversation absentmindedly; their words were like a gentle breeze brushing past her ears, not attracting much of her attention.

However, when someone casually mentioned that the supply of beef was extremely limited, the words struck her like a bolt of lightning, leaving her stunned and filled with astonishment.

It is important to understand that in this special era, cattle were a key force in agricultural production, undertaking important tasks such as plowing fields and pulling carts, and were as indispensable as the pillars of a family.

How could people easily slaughter it for food?

Thinking of this, Xia Wan couldn't help but feel annoyed that she hadn't considered this point thoroughly before.

Normally, only old oxen that are too old and weak to work, or those suffering from incurable diseases, will face slaughter and become food on people's tables.

Even so, the quantity of such beef is still quite limited.

If Xia Wan had followed her original plan to create a delicious beef sauce packet and pair it with braised beef flavored instant noodles, the amount of beef required would not have been too much, but obtaining enough raw materials would have been no easy task.

What's more noteworthy is that people in this era generally preferred fatty meat, believing it to be more fragrant, satisfying, and nutritious; in contrast, most of the meat on a cow was lean, so it naturally became less popular.

At this moment, Xia Wan's expression was serious and focused, her gaze fixed on the old master who had given his opinion.

She nodded repeatedly in agreement and said sincerely, "You're absolutely right! It seems that beef really isn't easy to buy. We'll have to think of a solution to this problem later."

However, upon further reflection, these should be matters for the leaders and the purchasing department to worry about. After all, she is just a food researcher whose job is to develop and improve product formulas, not to be responsible for material procurement.

In the short time it took for everyone to finish speaking, Xia Wan added a lot more ingredients to the pot, and the sauce was ready in no time.

The sauce, freshly made, had an irresistible aroma that made everyone present salivate.

Xia Wan glanced at the time; there were still a few minutes left on the dehydrated vegetables.

She glanced at the group of people surrounding her, scooped up a spoonful, and handed it to Mr. Liu, whom she knew quite well.

"How about you try this sauce? Give me some pointers."