Chapter 89: Bowing Down for Five Pecks of Rice!
Mr. Tang nodded: "Alright, then we won't do it. If the government is no longer fair and just, then our original intention of coming for notarization cannot be achieved. So why should we put up with this?"
"Let's go, Miss Zhou. All of Tang's businesses are in Peach Blossom County. He can run away, but he can't hide. Besides, with Miss Zhou's abilities, if I were to cheat you, even if you hide at the ends of the earth, Miss Zhou will find me."
"Walk!"
The two of them took a step and didn't look back even once, and they walked faster and faster.
Clerk Du was in a hurry.
If they don't come to get the notarized document, where will he get the extra income?! If he doesn't have extra income, how will he support his spendthrift wife?
"Hey! Mr. Tang! Miss Zhou! Wait for me!"
Clerk Du caught up with her, grinning obsequiously, "Miss Zhou, I was just in a fit of anger and said some hurtful things. But after thinking about it, what you said is truly wise and insightful. I'm timid and afraid of losing my position, but I'm even more afraid of becoming a sinner in the eyes of the people of the county."
I'll go to the workshop with you, but not to investigate or verify anything; I'll go and bring those three people back! Miss Zhou, Boss Tang, I'm not afraid you'll laugh, but I am a little greedy, though. A gentleman loves money, but he earns it honestly; I still have my bottom line.
Fifteen minutes later, the three arrived at an old street in the west of the city. Zhou Mujiao looked at it a few more times and recognized it. Wasn't this the street behind the dyeing workshop?
Mr. Tang explained, "I didn't really intend for it to be right next to the dyeing workshop. It just so happened that all the suitable sites were in this area, so I had someone buy the whole street. If we need to expand in the future, we can do it directly on this street without having to find another place. With the workshops concentrated here, it will be more convenient for Miss Zhou to come and inspect in the future."
"Mr. Tang is more experienced and has thought things through thoroughly."
Zhou Mujiao praised it, and the three of them entered the workshop.
Zhou Mujiao didn't need to worry about the venue or the people. Boss Tang was a businessman, and he handled everything personally, so there was naturally no chance of anything going wrong. If he couldn't even handle such a small matter, then he wouldn't have been able to build such a large business.
Zhou Mujiao went straight to the equipment room.
Modern automated or semi-automated equipment is naturally out of the question. The blueprints she provided were innovatively modified based on the characteristics of similar devices currently available. Although it was only a matter of five or six days, given Mr. Tang's abilities, it shouldn't be difficult for him to produce two of them.
Sure enough, in the equipment room, two brand-new rice and vegetable steaming machines were quietly sitting there. They were quite long, and each machine could steam three pots of rice and three pots of vegetables at the same time.
The rice steamer has a relatively simple function, which is to steam rice and cook porridge. The vegetable steamer has more functions, and you can manually adjust the heat to choose whether to fry, deep-fry, boil, or braise.
This is a device that integrates rice steaming, rice portioning, lid filling, and conveying. From the moment the rice is cooked to the moment it is sealed and packaged and arrives at the ice cellar, from high temperature to flash freezing, the whole process takes only 15 minutes. Even in the freezing winter, the rice is still warm when it arrives at the ice cellar.
Boss Tang knew what this was for and how to use it, but he didn't know what the ice cellar was used for.
Clerk Du was even more confused, and the three yamen runners who had arrived before them were even more bewildered. They only knew a few characters, and they recognized each item in the workshop individually, but when put together, they had no idea what was going on.
After Zhou Mujiao finished her inspection, she glanced at Chief Clerk Du, who understood. He then led his men around the area and left.
Mr. Tang couldn't wait: "Miss Zhou, please demonstrate it quickly! I'm getting impatient!"
Is there any more rice and dishes?
"Yes! Yes! It's just cold, is that okay?"
"I want it cold."
The principle behind self-heating rice is actually the reaction between the water bag inside the food container and the heating agent packaged in non-woven fabric.
Ancient smelting technology was limited, and the smelted products were mostly iron and copper, so there was no tin foil. Therefore, Zhou Mujiao found another material that could easily conduct heat to make the food box. The materials needed for the heating agent, such as quicklime, coke powder, activated carbon, and salt, were not difficult to find.
The heating agent heats up within three to five seconds after contact with water, with a maximum temperature of 150 degrees Celsius. The longest heat retention time is up to three hours. In modern times, Zhou Mujiao had eaten it twice and felt that the taste was just average. Now that it was ancient times, seasonings were scarce, and the workers made it casually without adding oil or meat. The taste was even less comparable to that of modern times.
Mr. Tang took a bite and looked on incredulously. How could the food be heated up in the blink of an eye?
Without fire or smoke, just by adding some water, the rice heated up!
Although the food doesn't taste good, if you were in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of heavy snow, and had a bowl of this in a dilapidated temple, just seeing the steaming hot food would bring tears to your eyes. The taste would be secondary; as long as it filled your stomach, that would be enough.
"Mr. Tang, did you see clearly how I did it?"
"The steps aren't difficult. The real treasure is the one wrapped in cloth, isn't it?" Boss Tang stared intently at the small cloth bag.
"That's right."
Zhou Mujiao chuckled: "The heating method can be written in the instruction manual, and the precautions and the shelf life of the rice should also be indicated."
She took out three pieces of paper from her small chest bag: one was about the materials needed for the heating agent and the principle of self-heating rice production; another was a template for the instruction manual; and the third was a questionnaire.
I understand the first two, but what's with this questionnaire?
"Boss Tang needs to arrange for someone to investigate and collect the people's purchasing intentions and prices, so that the price can be set accordingly. The price cannot be too low or too high. If it is too low, there will be no profit and we will work for nothing. If it is too high, no one will buy it, and we will also work for nothing."
In modern times, a self-heating meal costs between ten and thirty yuan. For men, the portion size is just right, while for women, half a portion might be enough. However, modern people's appetites are different from those in ancient times. Modern people constantly consume fruits, milk tea, and snacks, so they eat less staple food. In ancient times, people relied on staple foods to feel full and energetic.
Therefore, the quantity and price cannot be determined by the producer on a whim. There must be sufficient market research samples, and after comprehensive research, an optimal price can be selected.
"Not long ago, Mr. Tang saw Xiao Liu leading a group of people handing out flyers on the street. They must have been conducting surveys to collect truly useful information?"
"right."
Boss Tang stared at Zhou Mujiao for a while, then let out a long sigh: "I'm so glad I'm not like Boss Su or Boss Zhu, otherwise I would have missed the chance to make a fortune!"
"Miss Zhou, please rest assured. This self-heating rice, and the products that will be launched later, were all developed under my leadership, Mr. Tang. My cooperation with you is simply because I admire Mr. Zhao's talent and wish to forge a good relationship with him, since he has the makings of a top scholar!"
Zhou Mujiao chuckled: "Mr. Tang is a straightforward person, alright then! Mr. Tang is busy, so I'll be going now. If the little girl wakes up and doesn't see me, and she's unfamiliar with the place, she might be scared."
As she passed by Boss Tang, she quickly slipped a piece of paper into his hand. Boss Tang was taken aback, but remained expressionless as he escorted her to the door. Then, he found a secluded room and took out the last piece of paper Zhou Mujiao had given him.
Upon seeing the contents of the paper, Boss Tang's eyes widened instantly, and his breathing became rapid.
What other amazing treasures does Zhou Mujiao possess?!
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