Chapter 8: The grooming battle interrupted by catnip biscuits during trial production.
The factory, which was originally quite rudimentary, only contained one cat food production machine. Although it occupied a lot of space, it still gave off a shabby feeling.
The upgraded Factory No. 1 has been meticulously planned and divided.
The functional areas are clearly and simply divided into sections, connected by large steel doors, some of which have small doorways for employees with a cat-like personality.
The production process is divided into several different areas: raw material processing, pretreatment, processing, cooling, and packaging. Small signs with precautions are hung on the doors of each area.
It looks very professional and impressive.
Shi Wan curiously approached to examine the machines. They were all fully automated, but unlike ordinary machines, they had several extra robotic arms.
Next to the drive button of the robotic arm is a flat platform, like a small tray.
At first, Shi Wan was wondering what it was, but then a sudden thought struck her: it must be the cat employee's workstation...
It seems this farm really does require the cats to work hard...
Shi Wan first put the raw materials into the raw material processing area, and then returned to the planting area to prepare for on-site recruitment of employees to start their jobs.
When Tangyuan saw her return, it skillfully and easily leaped onto Shi Wan's shoulder and rubbed against her shoulder.
Shi Wan reached out and touched it. "Tangyuan, we can start trial production at Factory No. 1. We need five little ones to work there. Can you help me choose one?"
Tangyuan tilted her head. "Production? Grass?"
"It's cat grass biscuits and some pumpkin puree. It'll be sweet when you make it, and it can also help you get rid of hairballs," Shi Wan explained simply.
Tangyuan wandered around the group of cats, sniffing them again and again. When she finally came out, she was followed by five cats and stopped in front of Shi Wan.
Shi Wan touched each one one by one. "Have you chosen? Shall we go to Factory Building Number One now?"
She thought of something, ran to the open space she had just been in, and took the remaining cat beds from the stroller.
The workstations look hard and uncomfortable, so we should prepare backrest pads for the employees as a perk.
When they entered the factory, Shi Wan first led the animals to the disinfection area at the entrance.
After being fully disinfected, the cats all looked terrified, their eyes wide open, as if they had been startled.
Tangyuan was no exception; it jumped onto Shi Wan's shoulder in a flash and refused to get down.
Shi Wan put bibs with the logo of Factory No. 1 on each cat as work clothes and gave them a simple word of encouragement.
This includes, but is not limited to, praise, grooming, and empty promises.
The little ones sat in a row, obediently looking up at Shi Wan, their motionless expressions so adorable that Shi Wan couldn't resist taking out her phone to take a picture of them.
They were then assigned different positions based on their personalities.
A raccoon with sharp eyes, a pure white left front paw, and a tattooed right front paw, looked very imposing. It sat firmly in the raw material processing area, its tattooed arm slamming down on the button of the robotic arm.
The raw materials that Shi Wan had prepared in advance were picked up by the robotic arm and sent for weighing and intelligent screening.
Those that pass inspection will be sent for cleaning, while those that are too small, have poor taste, or have wormholes will be discarded and put into a large bucket for Shi Wan to compost.
The main focus is on avoiding waste.
The pre-processing area was staffed by a hairless cat, and Shi Wan chose a fluffy little nest for it that fit perfectly on the platform.
The pre-processing mainly involves cleaning, peeling, and cutting into pieces. Shi Wan specifically told Tang Yuan to remember to select one of the few hairless cats available.
The purpose was simply to prevent cat hair from appearing in the produced products...
In the next processing area sat a British Shorthair, looking a bit goofy. It lay there lazily, its paws resting on the button, and remained still, appearing to be in a very stable mood.
The cooling room is relatively simple. While waiting for the cooling to finish, a preliminary quality inspection can also be carried out. So, an orange-skinned dog was put into service.
Even on a farm with less-than-ideal conditions, it still acted with an air of authority, its eyes fixed on the conveyor belt behind the glass. Shi Wan always felt that it was about to crawl in and have a feast.
For the final packaging stage, a Siamese cat was brought in. It's known as the "Filipino maid of the cat world" because of its caring nature and high intelligence. Shi Wan felt very reassured leaving this last step to it.
This little Siamese is a bit too clingy. Its wet blue eyes are fixed on Shi Wan, its dark little face is always facing Shi Wan, and its barking is sweet and frequent, like a little chatterbox.
"Can I call you Wanwan too?"
"Should we eat this kind of grass, even if it's human?"
"people……"
Like a curious child, he kept asking questions.
Shi Wan resisted the urge to pet its paw; it wasn't appropriate to disturb her employees during work hours, especially since this was a legitimate cat company!
"Of course! Call me whatever you want!"
"They're produced so they'd be eaten..."
After answering Xiao Siam's questions, Shi Wan went to the final finishing room, checking on the employees through the small monitors while waiting for the finished products to appear.
She didn't rest during this time; she booked a courier service to send the samples for quality inspection.
I already told you, this is a legitimate cat company!
The machine is not very noisy, and after being separated by layers of vacuum glass, it is almost inaudible, which is also a form of protection for the employees.
When the finished product arrived, the glutinous rice balls were already lying impatiently on the table, fast asleep.
Her white belly was turned inside out, her little chubby flesh soft and plump, which Shi Wan couldn't bear to touch.
Tangyuan got annoyed by being pinched, glanced up at her, lay back down, twisted around, and continued to snore.
One hundred portions of cat grass, along with some sweet potato and pumpkin, without any added meat, yield approximately one hundred and fifty cat grass biscuits, each weighing about four to five grams.
It's not very big. The packaging bag that the system kindly gifted is completely transparent, with a big cat paw on the back and a few cartoon characters on the front: "Meow Meow Mimi Farm" and "Cat Grass Biscuits" in the middle.
Since the product hasn't been sent for quality inspection yet, some essential information that needs to be printed on the packaging hasn't been printed.
Shi Wan selected a few pieces to be set aside as samples for quality inspection.
The machine had automatically shut down. She carried a basket of finished products, hoisted the sleepy Shi Tangyuan onto her shoulder, and picked up several employees to leave work.
Back in that simple little wooden house, Shi Wan looked around and chose two of the cutest kittens from among the eagerly waiting ones.
One is a show-quality, beautiful seamount bicolor Ragdoll cat with a round face, soft and smooth fur, and big, bright blue almond eyes. It is absolutely gorgeous.
The other one was a curly-haired cat with big ears that made it look like an elf, and it playfully jumped around Shi Wan.
Add to that the good-looking Shi Tangyuan, and those three are enough to make up for it.
Shi Wan took out three catnip biscuits, turned on her phone to record a video of the three well-behaved cats sitting in a row.
The kittens were very cooperative and accommodating. Facing the approaching camera, they ate catnip biscuits and even took the time to whimper and act cute.
The cats ate with gusto, and after they finished, the three of them huddled together, snuggling up to Shi Wan and acting all cute. They were clearly very satisfied.
Shi Wan happily sent the video to Wang Zhizhi before taking catnip biscuits to feed the cats waiting eagerly outside.
Halfway through feeding, the phone in Shi Wan's pocket started vibrating incessantly. When Shi Wan opened it, she saw that Wang Zhizhi had sent more than a dozen voice messages.
Finally, there's a video.
Holding catnip and hairball remedy, Wang Zhizhi knelt humbly before her beloved orange tabby dog, her voice sounding utterly pitiful.
"Bao'er, Jianguo, Mommy begs you, please eat a bite, Bao'er, if you don't eat the hairball paste, Mommy will be so worried..."
"You think you weigh 15 pounds and have 3 pounds of hair in your belly...?"
"Building a nation..."
The large orange cat merely glanced disdainfully at the humble Wang Zhizhi, then nimbly twisted its chubby body to the other side.
Shi Wan almost burst out laughing.
The next voice message was Wang Zhizhi's tired voice, "I'm tired... really..."
"It's the same cat grass, so why won't Jianguo eat it... I can force-feed Gou Dan and Zhu Tou a little bit, but Jianguo really won't eat it... I'm so worried..."
Shi Wan also accompanied Wang Zhizhi to take Jianguo to the pet hospital several times, all because it frequently gagged and then suddenly vomited.
I took it to the hospital, and the doctor said it was because it had eaten too much fur and couldn't excrete it.
Wang Zhizhi cried sadly.
She thought for a moment, took a picture of the cat grass biscuits in her hand and sent it to him, "How about I get you some of these cat grass biscuits? These are made on our farm, all-natural and additive-free, with only cat grass and some sweet potato and pumpkin vegetables."
"And it will be sent for quality inspection. If there are no problems, it will be sold on the market. More than 40 cats on the farm have eaten it and there have been no adverse reactions. The palatability test results are also acceptable."
"Would you like to give it a try?"
Wang Zhizhi's message came quickly: "Give it a try, I'm out of ideas."
Where are you? Should I come find you?
Shi Wan thought for a moment, "I'll call Tongchengda for you. We need to send samples for testing anyway. I'm at the farm, which isn't close to the city, so don't bother with that."
Wang Zhizhi sent an OK emoji, "I'll treat you to hot pot another day."
When it was almost time, Shi Wan placed another order for same-city delivery, with the location set to the road at the entrance of the farm.
The first thing that arrived was the courier service. At Shi Wan's request, the package was carefully wrapped and sent out.
After another five minutes, Tongchengda finally arrived.
Shi Wan put the catnip biscuits and two small pumpkins from the farm into a bag and gave it to the rider.
With everything finished, Shi Wan ate some of the bread and sausages she had brought with her, and then hurried off to clean.
This time, she was cleaning the wooden cabin where she lived.
I really want to hire a post-construction cleaning service!
Shi Wan was screaming inwardly.
On the other side, after putting down her phone, Wang Zhizhi started grooming her pets.
There was nothing she could do; none of these cats would eat cat grass, and the few pots she painstakingly planted had almost grown into weeds.
These ancestors all avoided it.
Wang Zhizhi was at her wit's end, so she could only brush their fur more diligently to get them to eat less.
However, he wouldn't cooperate when being groomed. Wang Zhizhi searched the whole house for half an hour before finally catching the tired Jianguo.
He pressed it to the ground and combed it thoroughly.
He let out some gurgling laughter as he combed his hair.
Just as the grooming battle was about to begin, the doorbell rang, so they had to put it on hold for the time being.
Wang Zhizhi went to open the door, panting, and didn't forget to pat the fur off her face.
She could even feel it in her nose.
The deliveryman at the door handed her the bag. "What are the last four digits of your phone number?"
Wang Zhizhi fluently announced, "9344."
The rider turned and left with a flourish.
Wang Zhizhi opened the bag with some curiosity. Inside were several small catnip biscuits, packaged in a transparent plastic bag, which looked very delicate.
Cat grass biscuits are also shaped like cat paws, and the original bright green color of cat grass turns slightly yellow after drying.
“It looks pretty good,” Wang Zhizhi muttered. “It seems like Shi Xiaowan’s farm has a bright future.”
There were also two round little pumpkins in the bag, their skins emitting a slightly sweet aroma, and they looked delicious.
Wang Zhizhi put the pumpkin into the kitchen, and when she turned around, she saw the three that had jumped up high.
She couldn't help but sigh.
But I still went over, opened a bag of cookies, and tried to lure them in with the sound of the bag, thinking it was delicious freeze-dried cookies.
When she tore open the bag, a faint sweet fragrance mixed with the refreshing scent of grass wafted out, and Wang Zhizhi couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"It smells really good, quite unusual..."
She was muttering to herself, just about to raise her hand to trick the innocent kitten, when she heard a few thumps.
Only then did they realize that their ancestors had jumped down from the heights on their own initiative, tentatively approaching while sniffing around.
Wang Zhizhi's eyes lit up—there's a chance!
She squatted down, took out the biscuit. It wasn't very big to begin with; she first broke the small biscuit into three pieces and tentatively reached out to feed them.
The kittens remained vigilant, sniffing carefully, and finally opened their mouths to lick it when Wang Zhizhi was almost holding her breath.
Wang Zhizhi remained motionless, staring intently at the kitten that was smacking its lips.
She was so excited she almost jumped up.
"We ate it! We ate it all!!!"
A note from the author:
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How could someone forget to set a timer...?
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