Chapter 247 Think carefully, and you'll find that only the best products come out of Yanxuan.
Springtime in 1977.
On a spring morning, the sun, like a giant duck egg yolk, slowly rose from the thin mist over the sea, its golden rays gradually spilling onto every corner of the Feiyan Textile Factory.
The workers, dressed in dark blue overalls, blended into the gray walls of the factory. Bright golden forsythia bloomed in the corner, an embellishment that resembled the colorful scarves tied around the necks of the female workers.
The textile workshop echoed with the rhythmic hum of machinery, while the food production workshop wafted with a rich aroma. Workers on the early shift and those working the night shift greeted each other warmly; the former had just come out of the canteen, while the latter were heading towards it with anticipation.
"Hurry up and go, the shumai this morning was delicious!"
“Every time I finish a night shift, I pack a few to take home for my daughter to eat.”
"Here, I have a fresh tea egg. How about I give you one to tide you over?"
...
In springtime, the Feiyan Textile Factory is not a cold, serious factory, but more like a large, busy, and warm family commune.
The vibrant energy of spring, intertwined with the burgeoning creativity within the factory, has led this once-new island textile factory step by step into its sixth year. In another four or five years, it will be a ten-year-old factory.
Time flies!
The imitation wool short coats sold well in winter and were selected by foreign trade companies as a benchmark for a prominent position at the Canton Fair. Although there are various problems, it is actually at a relatively advanced stage in terms of chemical fiber imitation wool and chemical fiber brushing technology.
At that time, international technology was not very mature, and this imitation woolen short coat had many advantages. Of course, the biggest advantage was that it was very cheap.
Besides this winter coat, Qin Xiangxiang also had the factory workers develop a type of knitted flared trousers. These were made of synthetic fibers woven to resemble hand-woven fishing nets, with wave patterns embroidered on the cuffs. These flared trousers were extremely elastic, allowing for easy movement, and their novel design made them very popular with the female workers.
At this year's Spring Canton Fair, Qin Xiangxiang secured more foreign trade orders by wearing a short coat and bell-bottoms. As usual, she submitted an application, pleading poverty year after year, requesting the introduction of more machinery.
They always ask for a small share – but they always manage to snag quite a few good things.
"If we don't get the good stuff, our factory will lose too much money doing foreign trade! Factories that do foreign trade retain very little foreign exchange, and many textile factories are unwilling to do such a thankless task..."
But hehe, if they do well, they can become pioneers in foreign exchange earnings and naturally make many demands. For the sake of the country's foreign exchange earnings, the machines should be supplied first, which is what they deserve!
The biggest surprise that spring brought Qin Xiangxiang was the discovery of Qian Meiying.
Qian Meiying was once just an ordinary textile worker. Her family was not well-off and had a heavy burden, so she was quite frugal with her food and drink... It was difficult for ordinary workers in the Feiyan Textile Factory's canteen to save money on their meals; it required extreme willpower to resist the temptation of delicious food.
Most people can't help it.
Qian Meiying resisted the temptation of the fresh, hot food in the canteen by using her homemade pickles. While the people at the next table were eating braised pork from the factory canteen, she ate her own pickles without moving an inch.
Others laughed at her for being poor and shabby, but she deeply attracted the attention of factory director Qin Xiangxiang.
Qin Xiangxiang has a strong curiosity about food, so she took the initiative to come over and say she wanted to try the pickles. After tasting them, she was immediately amazed.
Therefore, she felt that Qian Meiying should not be buried in the textile factory workshop; the food factory, or rather the textile factory canteen, was her true way out.
"Director Qin, what good are my pickles? I just want to save money because my family is too burdened. I don't know anything else."
"This dish goes well with rice, but it's not very tasty. You're just trying something new."
"If I had the money, of course I'd want to eat braised pork, who wants to eat pickled vegetables!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "There's an art to pickling vegetables, and you're quite knowledgeable about it!"
"The pickles you make can benefit the public!" And benefit Qin Xiangxiang's mouth and tongue.
Encouraged by Qin Xiangxiang, Qian Meiying began to try to develop some new pickles. These pickles had to be deeply rooted in local ingredients on the island and by-products from the factory, following several principles such as "delicious, long shelf life, and distinctive features".
Qian Meiying was the first to develop a dish called "Crab and Herring Stew", which is a side dish made with ingredients such as small swimming crabs, herring, wine lees, coarse salt, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Qin Xiangxiang was deeply impressed by the Three-Cup Herring, and the pickled dish that Qian Meiying made with herring was even more unique.
It has a salty, savory, and spicy flavor, a soft and chewy texture, and a rich variety of flavors. It's simply the perfect dish to eat with rice on the island.
The only downside is... well, the smell is pungent.
But just like stinky tofu, the stinkier it is, the more fragrant and alluring it becomes, and the more delicious it tastes.
This "Crab Stew with Sauce" is a heavily seasoned dish. Another popular choice is "Shrimp, Mushroom and Bamboo Shoot Sauce". Made with shrimp, diced bamboo shoots, diced shiitake mushrooms, fermented black beans and chili peppers, this sauce has the widest appeal. The shrimp oil infuses the sauce with a rich and savory aroma, and the mushrooms and bamboo shoots are juicy. It's delicious whether used to mix with noodles, stuff in steamed buns, or stir-fry.
The cheapest snack to accompany drinks is Qian Meiying's "Wine-Scented Kelp Knots," made with the lees from the rice wine brewed in the factory, as well as garlic cloves, white sugar, and thick kelp, resulting in kelp knots with a wine-scented aroma.
This is really refreshing and appetizing when eaten with braised meat. It's crisp and chewy, with a special aroma of wine that makes it so addictive that you can't stop eating it. It's even more tempting than meat.
Qian Meiying has her own unique way of making pickles, and she is especially experienced in making wild vegetables in a way that saves money—she can sit at the same table as Zhuang Xiaoman in this respect.
As the farm manager, Zhuang Xiaoman led the factory workers and their families to form a "wild vegetable gathering team" in the spring to search for wild vegetables on the hillsides around the factory area, adding fresh dishes to the canteen's spring supply.
Zhuang Xiaoman: "Wild vegetables! Free! Cheap!"
Wild vegetables are cheap, but cooking them well is an art. If you don't cook them well, they become a "bitter memory of the past".
Qian Meiying's specialty is "Sesame Oil Malantou" (a type of wild vegetable). She blanches fresh Malantou, squeezes it dry, and then marinates it with a little salt and a touch of precious sesame oil. The resulting sesame oil Malantou is refreshing and delicious, and most people can't make this flavor.
Qin Xiangxiang couldn't replicate Qian Meiying's skills either, so she had to eat something ready-made. "Some people really have a unique talent for making pickles!"
She asked Qian Meiying to develop another mustard green filling, a mustard green and minced pork filling, which is one of the more widely used fillings in spring. Qin Xiangxiang liked it very much, but she felt that there was still room for improvement in the recipe, with the aim of perfecting it - to eat better!
But she said, "We want to provide dual-income families with the convenience of easily cooking at home. Our factory has a cold storage facility, and the canteen provides fresh wontons and dumplings. Everyone can buy them and cook them fresh, so they don't get soggy when they get home!"
Qian Meiying: "The mustard greens are blanched, chopped, and seasoned with dried shrimp for extra flavor, while the pork adds a touch of sweetness..."
"Let's make more kinds of fillings, and let everyone at the factory taste them and vote. We'll keep the one that's the best!"
Qin Xiangxiang took this matter very seriously, and soon everyone agreed that a shrimp and mustard green filling was excellent for making wontons and dumplings.
The factory's food standards have soared again, without adding any cost; the only difference is that the fillings have become more delicious.
In this regard, Qin Xiangxiang has always strived for perfection—delicious! It has to be even more delicious! And even more delicious!
Qian Meiying also used goji berry sprouts to create a spicy stir-fried goji berry sprout dish that amazed everyone.
Goji berry sprouts have a slightly cool and bitter taste, which can clear heat and improve eyesight. They are usually used to make goji berry sprout and egg soup.
This spicy stir-fried goji berry sprouts is a clash of ice and fire.
Sauté dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns in hot oil until fragrant, then quickly pour the hot oil over blanched goji berry sprouts to release their aroma. Finally, add soy sauce and vinegar to soak them.
The flavor is very stimulating, making it especially suitable for workers who like strong flavors to enjoy with their drinks. It's even better when paired with marinated seafood.
...
These pickles and fillings began to be served in the textile factory's canteen, and sales there skyrocketed.
"The money I earned working in the factory was spent on the factory canteen..."
"These pickles are so delicious! I'm going to buy some to take home to my family."
"Isn't the point of living to eat?"
Zhuang Xiaoman: "How could I have endured those days before? If I were to go back now, Zhou Lu wouldn't be able to borrow a single penny from me; she'd eat it all!"
Qin Xiangxiang packed several kinds of pickles from the fruit cans at home and took them home. Li Jianzhi took these pickles to his naval comrades to try, and they were very well received, with everyone scrambling to get them.
While adrift at sea, aside from everything else, a bite of pickled vegetables is a lifesaver; even pickled cucumbers are fought over by everyone. Many naval personnel surprisingly don't like to eat meat; during meals, they all love to eat vegetables—fresh vegetables, pickled vegetables…these are things that everyone scrambles to eat after disembarking.
As for seafood, fish, luncheon meat, canned meat... well, it's a long story.
Li Jianzhi: "Wife, you developed so many pickles, all for my sake?"
Qin Xiangxiang felt that he was being a bit presumptuous, "For the sake of my own mouth."
Li Jianzhi: "Your textile factory will become rich selling pickles in the future."
His wife's "golden hoe" had actually unearthed so many good things, from Master Lu's Suzhou embroidery and tapestry to Qian Meiying's pickles; she dug up all sorts of good stuff and brought them back to him.
"Little Fatty, Sui Sui, and Little He Miao and Lan Lan, your mother is a modern version of 'Zheng He's Selected Products'!"
"Think about Yanxuan!"
"High-quality products are guaranteed."
By summer, news of the resumption of the college entrance examination had spread like wildfire. Although it had not been officially announced, the news of the meeting to discuss it had already become widely known.
Is it possible that the college entrance examination will be reinstated? This year? Or next year?
After waiting and waiting, the official news of the resumption of the college entrance examination was released in newspapers and on the radio.
"Is the college entrance examination really going to be reinstated?"
"Huh? So soon? Exams are already this year?"
At this moment, Xue Jianjun, the propaganda officer of Feiyan Textile Factory, and the brilliant man Qin Xiangxiang mentioned who had written "On Pig Farming and Philosophical Speculation," put down his pen and sighed softly.
The college entrance examination was scheduled for December, and at that moment he was writing a book: "The Echoes of Spruce."
It's only just begun.
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