The autumn wind swept fallen leaves across the county town's cobblestone streets, but it couldn't dispel the bustling atmosphere inside the supply and marketing cooperative. Lin Wanqiu had just delivered a new batch of dried fruit when she saw a crowd of customers gathered around the counter. Director Wang was standing on tiptoe weighing the fruit, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. Seeing her arrive, he smiled and waved, "Comrade Wanqiu, you've finally come! This dried fruit is always in high demand; some customers even waited here all morning yesterday because they couldn't get any!"
Just as Lin Wanqiu was about to reply, she caught a glimpse of a red paper pasted on the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative. It read, "New Dried Fruit, Seven Cents a Tael," and was signed "Hongguang Workshop of the County Town." A thought struck her, and she turned to Director Wang, asking, "When did Hongguang Workshop start selling dried fruit?" Director Wang's smile faded slightly, and he sighed, "Just in the last couple of days. Not only Hongguang Workshop, but three or four other workshops have also started making dried fruit, offering prices even lower than yours. Many customers have been attracted to them."
Just then, a woman named Zhang, who often bought dried fruit, came in carrying a cloth bag. When she saw Lin Wanqiu, she hesitated for a moment and said, "Comrade Wanqiu, it's not that I don't want to buy your dried fruit, it's just that Hongguang Workshop's is cheaper. I have many children, so every little bit saved counts." Lin Wanqiu took the cloth bag from her and opened it. The dried fruit inside was dark in color, the flesh was dry and hard, and it had a faint burnt smell. She immediately understood what was going on—these imitators had only learned the basics and hadn't mastered the key processes of sugar boiling and drying. The dried fruit they made couldn't compare to hers at all.
“Sister Zhang, I understand you want to save money,” Lin Wanqiu said, handing her a piece of her own dried apple. “Try this and compare it to the ones you bought. See if they taste the same.” Sister Zhang took a bite, her eyes immediately lighting up: “Yours is so much better! It’s sweet but not cloying, and has the aroma of apples. Theirs is dry, astringent, and a little bitter.” Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, “If you don’t mind, next time you can buy a little less of theirs and some of mine for your child to try. They’ll definitely know which one is better.” Sister Zhang nodded repeatedly: “I’ll buy from you again next time, even if it’s a few cents more expensive!”
After seeing Sister Zhang off, Lin Wanqiu's face darkened. Although her family's candied fruit was of better quality, the sheer number of imitators and their lower prices meant that sales would inevitably suffer in the long run. Shen Tingzhou saw through her thoughts and took her hand, saying, "Don't worry, we anticipated imitators. Didn't you prepare a new recipe? Now's the perfect time to launch it and let them know that imitation won't take you far." Lin Wanqiu nodded, her confidence returning—she had modern candied fruit recipes and various special seasonings stored in her spatial storage, things the imitators didn't have.
Back at the workshop, Lin Wanqiu immediately convened a meeting with the villagers. She told them about the workshops in the county town that had imitated her, and then presented a new recipe: "This time we're going to launch three new types of candied fruit: honey apple candied fruit, licorice hawthorn candied fruit, and osmanthus pear candied fruit. Honey will make the candied fruit more moisturizing, licorice will neutralize the sourness of the hawthorn, and osmanthus will enhance the aroma of the pear candied fruit. These are things that others don't have; we want to create our own unique flavor."
The villagers were excited when they heard this. Aunt Wang rubbed her hands and said, "Comrade Wanqiu, whatever you say, we'll do it! I tasted those imitators' dried fruit last time, and they can't compare to ours at all. With this new recipe, we'll definitely beat them!" Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, "Don't worry, everyone. I'll teach you every step of the way. We must ensure the quality and not disappoint our customers."
The next morning, Lin Wanqiu took out honey, licorice, dried osmanthus flowers, and other seasonings from her spatial storage and placed them on the table. The honey was produced by the bees she had previously kept in her spatial storage; it was golden in color and had a faint floral fragrance. The licorice was harvested from the medicinal herb field in her spatial storage, dried, and sliced thinly, emitting a unique medicinal aroma. The dried osmanthus flowers were picked and dried in her spatial storage in the autumn; they had a rich fragrance, and the entire workshop was filled with the scent of osmanthus as soon as the bag was opened.
She first taught everyone how to make honey-glazed apple slices. Soak apple slices in honey water for two hours to allow the fruit to fully absorb the sweetness of the honey. Then put them in a pot, add a small amount of white sugar, and simmer over low heat. Stir constantly while simmering to prevent burning, until the syrup coats the apple slices and turns a translucent golden yellow. "Don't add the honey too early, or it will burn and affect the taste," Lin Wanqiu explained while stirring. "The heat also needs to be controlled; too high and the fruit will mushy, too low and the syrup won't coat it properly."
Next up was the licorice-infused hawthorn preserves. After removing the pits from the hawthorns, they were placed in a pot with licorice slices and enough water to cover them. They were simmered for ten minutes to allow the hawthorns to absorb the flavor of the licorice. Then, white sugar was added and the mixture was simmered until the syrup thickened. "Licorice makes the hawthorn preserves sweet and sour, and it also aids digestion," Lin Wanqiu said, picking up a piece of cooked hawthorn preserves and handing it to Aunt Li beside her. "Aunt Li, try it and see how it tastes." Aunt Li took a bite; the sweet and sour flavor was just right, with a subtle licorice aroma. She couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so delicious! Even better than the previous hawthorn preserves! The kids will definitely love it!"
Finally, there's the Osmanthus-flavored pear preserve. Put the pear chunks in a pot, add an appropriate amount of white sugar, and simmer until the pear chunks soften. Then sprinkle in dried osmanthus flowers, stir well, and continue simmering for two minutes to allow the osmanthus fragrance to infuse the pear chunks. "The dried osmanthus flowers must be added last, otherwise the fragrance will evaporate," Lin Wanqiu said. "After simmering, place them in a well-ventilated area to dry; do not expose them to direct sunlight, otherwise the pear chunks will harden."
The villagers studied diligently, each taking notes in a small notebook and asking questions whenever they encountered something they didn't understand. Lin Wanqiu patiently answered each question and taught them how to operate the equipment step by step. Shen Tingzhou helped prepare the ingredients and occasionally handed everyone a glass of water. Watching the busy scene in the workshop, he felt gratified—his wife always managed to come up with solutions at crucial moments, leading everyone to overcome difficulties.
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