That evening, Wang Wenfeng returned home with potato chips and tea.

Fang Li watched him return with bags and packages and teased him, "You seem like a gigolo. You spend your days playing with Chunlan, and when Chunlan is happy, she gives you some snacks to bring back."

After listening to Ms. Fang Li's description, Wang Wenfeng thought back carefully. At first, the two of them were sitting together chatting and playing with the dog, a picture of peaceful contentment. It wasn't until he started cleaning the house that Zhan Chunlan, though somewhat embarrassed, remained lying in her chair, only occasionally offering words of concern.

"It seems so." Wang Wenfeng nodded.

"Third brother, how can you still laugh?" Wang Wenchuan was a little confused. He had heard from his mother that his third brother would help his sister-in-law with housework every time he went over. He had never seen his third brother so diligent at home before.

"Your third brother has a sister-in-law now, why can't you smile?" Fang Li looked at her silly fourth brother with some worry, wondering if this silly boy would be able to marry... oops, whether he could find a wife.

"These are potato chips that Chunlan fried herself. They're quite good for passing the time when you're bored." Wang Wenfeng walked into the kitchen, put a plate of potato chips on it, and placed it next to Ms. Fang Li.

Fang Li looked at the golden-brown, curled potato chips on the plate, picked one that was neither too big nor too small, and put it in her mouth.

"Crunch~ Crunch"

"Mmm, it's pretty delicious, crispy and fragrant, and quite addictive."

While they were talking, Ms. Fang Li ate several potato chips in a row, which made Wang Wenchuan's mouth water. He immediately stepped forward, grabbed a few chips, and threw them into his mouth.

"Wow~ It's really good, but it's a bit rough on the lips."

"If you eat two fewer slices at a time, it won't hurt your mouth." Wang Wenfeng shook his head at the sight of him starving, saying he couldn't bear to look at him.

"Third Brother, is there any more? I'll take it to my office tomorrow," Wang Wenchuan asked hurriedly as he saw him about to leave.

“You’re working now, not a student anymore, so why are you still so fond of showing off?” Wang Wenfeng had always thought that his younger brother would become more mature after graduation. When he met Zhan Chunlan, she was younger than Wang Wenchuan but more mature. He always thought it was because of her work, but after Wang Wenchuan graduated and started working, he realized that it was not the case at all.

"So what if I'm at work? My third sister-in-law is perfect, can't I even brag about her?" Although Wang Wenchuan is inferior to his third brother in many ways, he has recently become quite adept at manipulating him, as long as he mentions his third sister-in-law.

"Suit yourself! The rest are in the kitchen, go find them yourself." Hearing this, Wang Wenfeng couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

Ms. Fang Li watched her two sons bickering and pouted, "Hmph, when I want to eat, I'll just go find Chunlan myself. What's the use of begging him!"

That day, as soon as Zhan Chunlan arrived at her office, she learned that the factory had received another urgent task: to develop potato chips.

Zhan Chunlan was somewhat surprised. It was like during the seven-day National Day holiday, the teacher said there would be a diagnostic test when school started, and it turned out to be something she had already reviewed.

In the office, Deng Bitong was one of the most well-informed people. Zhan Chunlan gestured to her, "What's going on?"

Deng Bitong replied in a low voice, "I heard that it was the foreigners in Haicheng Building who really liked to eat that stuff. They ate all the imported potato chips at Friendship Store, but they still insisted on eating it. The people in Haicheng Building had no choice but to report it, and in the end, the task was assigned to them. All the food factories in the surrounding area received this task."

Upon hearing such an outrageous reason, Qin Shengli gave him the look of an old man on the subway looking at his phone: "Are these potato chips really that delicious? Would they rather starve to death than eat anything else? Are those foreigners really that principled?"

Zhan Chunlan understood somewhat. She guessed that those people did it on purpose. If they didn't know there were no potato chips, it would be fine, but once they found out, they would definitely make such a request to humiliate and suppress them. They love doing this kind of thing the most and are best at. If they can't even provide a small potato chip, how can they carry out cooperation in the future? It's just a means to an end.

Despite these thoughts, she still changed her clothes and went into the laboratory.

Actually, making potato chips is really simple. Anyone with a little cooking skill can make them quickly, either by seeing them or hearing about them.

Zhan Chunlan didn't take it to heart at first. She had previously fried potato chips for herself, which were delicious and very simple.

But they were quickly proven wrong. In three days, none of the potato chips produced by any of the food factories met the requirements, and the foreign guests said that they were not the kind of potato chips they wanted.

Including what Zhan Chunlan did.

This really hit her hard. She had eaten potato chips from later generations and tried all sorts of strange and wonderful flavors. She felt that the potato chips she made tasted pretty much the same, right? They were crispy, crunchy, and fragrant, so how could they not meet her requirements?

The technical staff watched Zhan Chunlan sitting at her desk in a daze, and no one dared to speak loudly. Deng Bitong also looked at her with concern. Since she came to Haicheng Food Factory, this girl had made great strides, independently developing many candies and improving the recipes of several export candies according to foreign tastes. She had hardly encountered any setbacks, except for now, when she was stumped by a small potato chip.

After getting off work, Zhan Chunlan stood in the kitchen, staring blankly at the freshly fried potato chips: "The technique should be fine, right? What exactly didn't meet their requirements?"

As soon as Wang Wenfeng arrived at the courtyard, he was warmly welcomed by Zhan Xiaoman, who hurriedly tugged at his trouser leg and dragged him toward the kitchen.

He followed Zhan Xiaoman's lead to the kitchen, where he saw Zhan Chunlan staring blankly at a plate of potato chips, not even noticing him coming in.

Why are you staring at the potato chips like that?

"I'm checking why my potato chips aren't up to standard." Zhan Chunlan sensed Wang Wenfeng's arrival, but she was lost in thought and didn't pay attention.

"What requirements? Are there requirements for fried potato chips? Isn't it just a matter of them tasting good?"

"These potato chips are meant to be tasted by a group of foreigners. The potato chips produced by several nearby food factories did not meet their requirements." Although Zhan Chunlan was somewhat frustrated, she did not give up. She was always full of confidence and believed that she could definitely make them.

Hearing her say that, Wang Wenfeng also picked up a potato chip and slowly tasted it: "It's very crispy and fragrant. I've had the pleasure of trying imported potato chips before, and I don't think there's a significant difference."

“The difference isn’t particularly big, which means there is a difference. What do you think the difference is?” Zhan Chunlan carefully considered his words and looked at him with some seriousness.

“Hmm… the most obvious difference is the color of the potato chips; yours are a bit darker. Also, there’s the potato itself,” Wang Wenfeng said, recalling the potato chips he had eaten before. He also remembered some friends who had studied abroad. “I have friends who have studied abroad, and they said that foreign potatoes don’t taste as good as Chinese ones. I’m wondering if it’s because the potatoes themselves are different.”

"I understand!" Wang Wenfeng's words instantly enlightened Zhan Chunlan. She seemed to have heard that foreign potato varieties don't have as much starch as Chinese potato varieties, so they don't taste as good when cooked. Moreover, because of the high starch content, they turn out darker when fried.

Knowing where the problem likely lay, she finally felt a little relieved.

At this moment, Zhan Xiaoman stood between the two, anxiously pacing around and jumping up and down trying to attract their attention.

Zhan Chunlan smiled and patted it: "Zhan Xiaoman, why are you so excited?"

Seeing that someone had finally noticed it, Zhan Xiaoman hurriedly retrieved its harness, stood at the door, and kept gesturing for the two to come out.

"You haven't walked it yet today?" Wang Wenfeng could tell from its movements that it wanted to go out.

Zhan Chunlan looked at Zhan Xiaoman somewhat embarrassed: "I was frying potato chips in the kitchen as soon as I got back today and forgot about it."

“Then I’ll take it out. It’s too dark outside now, so you can rest at home.” Wang Wenfeng squatted down, picked up Zhan Xiaoman’s harness, and said to Zhan Xiaoman, “Come here, Daddy will take you out.”

When Zhan Chunlan heard the word "Dad," her ears burned as if they had been scalded by a match. She only dared to give a soft "Mmm" and didn't dare to look up at him.

With his back to her, Wang Wenfeng was in a panic – he couldn't get the strap buckle in no matter what he did. Frustrated, Zhan Xiaoman kept groaning and finally raised her little paw and punched him in the chest.

"Alright, alright, let's go right away." Wang Wenfeng chuckled, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement. He didn't argue with the little guy and picked up the rope to head outside.

The night wind stretched the shadows of the person and the dog long, and the streetlights cast shimmering golden light at their feet. Zhan Chunlan stood there, watching the figure gradually disappear into the night, then suddenly puffed out her cheeks and muttered softly, "Whose dad are you? How boring!"

Even as she said that, a subtle smile crept onto her lips, unnoticed even by herself. The moonlight fell on her flushed cheeks, as if gilding her soft, reproachful remark with a silvery edge—soft, sweet, and reminiscent of strawberry candy.