Chapter 63 Pei Che was so nervous that he could hardly hold the microphone.
Before Su Dayong answered the phone, he was checking the sales situation of the new mooncakes and new breads sent from below as well as the public feedback survey. He was smiling so hard that his eyebrows were not visible when the phone next to him rang.
He picked up the phone and said "Hello", and the person on the other end could still hear the smile in his voice.
"Lao Su, what's the good news that makes you so happy?"
The person who called was a deputy director of the Revolutionary Committee's office group, named Qi Guangming. He and Su Dayong were from the same village and they both joined the army. Although they were not in the same unit, they were both assigned to units in Fengning after demobilization, so they naturally had more contact.
This time, someone asked him to fire a food factory employee, knowing that he had this relationship with Su Dayong. He thought it was a waste of talent to ask a deputy factory director to fire a new employee who had just joined the factory. But the person who brought up this matter was the grandson of their old leader, so he had to take it seriously.
"It's Guangming!" Su Dayong's smile did not fade in his voice, "Are you calling me to ask for the goods too?"
Supplies are in short supply. Once there is something rare that cannot be snatched up or bought, people will use their connections to find a way to get it.
The new products produced by the factory this year are the hottest and most sought-after items recently. Not to mention others, even my own relatives have come to my house countless times, relying on this relationship to agree to buy them for others, just to do me a favor and to save face.
As for whether there was anything else in his plan, he didn't know.
I have received many calls in the past two days, asking if I can go through his way to buy some new mooncakes and bread.
I wonder who entrusted Qi Guangming to do this.
Qi Guangming smiled and said, "You know what, the mooncakes and breads produced by your factory this year are really good. Not to mention my picky mother-in-law who praises them highly, even I who don't like snacks think they are delicious. Your food factory is very popular this year. At the end of the year, there will be a meeting in the city, and your food factory will definitely be one of the units that will be praised."
But he was not here to ask for goods. From where he sat, those things that others had to fight to buy were not only delivered to his home in a continuous stream, but they were also in no shortage of them. Take the new products released by the food factory this year, for example, not only had his family eaten two or three rounds of them, but they also had enough left for the holidays.
"Haha!" Su Dayong laughed.
Although he has heard a lot of praise for this year's new products, Ding Dayong still feels a little proud when he hears this evaluation from his old friend.
But soon, he could no longer be so proud.
"Who are you talking about?"
After the two exchanged greetings, Su Dayong finally listened to Qi Guangming's purpose of the call, which was to ask him to help fire an employee.
Su Dayong was not unfamiliar with this kind of favor entrustment, nor did he find it strange. He worked his way up from workshop director to his current position, and he had used many calculating tactics when competing with others. Didn't the person who competed with him back then also find an opportunity to arrange a sinecure for that person after he had secured the position of deputy factory director!
What are you afraid of? If you can compete with him, then you must be capable. You are just afraid that he will achieve something and then climb up to become a threat to you!
But why does the name Qi Guangming mentioned sound so familiar?
Qi Guangming: "Ding Guo, you just joined the company not long ago, so you should still be an apprentice, right?"
Su Dayong held the microphone and his eyes fell on the application form submitted by the factory union for the post-holiday commendation conference. The name mentioned several times on it was the one Qi Guangming had just mentioned.
"Old Su?"
Qi Guangming didn't hear Su Dayong's response for a long time, so he shouted and asked, "Is this difficult?"
Su Dayong smiled and sighed, "Guangming, I'm not trying to be perfunctory with you, this is really difficult."
Would it be difficult for a deputy factory manager to kick out a new employee?
Qi Guangming reacted quickly, and immediately realized that there must be something he didn't know about. He lowered his voice unconsciously and asked, "Is there someone behind this girl?"
But if we rely on connections, I guess it won't be as strong as the connections on his side.
"That's not the case." Su Dayong smiled bitterly, "Guangming, you just said that the new product our factory released this year is delicious, and you also got a lot of attention for it, right?"
"Yeah, what's the matter?" Qi Guangming didn't understand why the topic turned to this again.
"To be honest, these new products were developed by the little girl named Ding Guo. She is now a big star in our factory. If she hadn't been employed for so short a time, she would have been qualified to be promoted to an officer based on her performance this time. The factory discussed this matter at a meeting the day before yesterday. We should make good use of this talent and focus on training her in the future. If I fire her with such a talent, not to mention that she won't pass the test of the secretary and the factory director, I will be eaten up by several workshop directors as well."
Qi Guangming was stunned.
He knew very well about the recent popularity of Fengning Food Factory, but he never expected that this popularity was brought by Ding Guo.
It was difficult for Su Dayong to fire such a famous person just because of nothing.
But how can I explain this to my old leader’s grandson?
His life was saved by his old leader.
"That kid really gives me problems." Qi Guangming smiled bitterly.
But this was the first time that the kid had solemnly asked him to help deal with someone, and he couldn't do it well. How could he save face?
He lowered his voice and asked, "Lao Su, can't you just operate it?"
Su Dayong also had a headache.
He owed Qi Guangming a favor. If it were someone else, he would have kicked that person out of the factory by now, but that person was Ding Guo, so the matter was really tricky.
He did not refuse outright, and said, "Let me think about it."
Qi Guangming: "Okay, what if this person made a mistake himself..."
The hint was obvious and pointed the way forward, but Su Dayong was not optimistic.
Even if the girl really made a mistake, as long as it wasn't murder or arson, the factory wouldn't fire her directly based on her abilities.
Moreover, the more outstanding his performance in the factory during his employment, the higher his position will be when he is transferred to another job in the future.
That requires capable employees to create brilliance for the factory.
But before Ding Guo, the factory hadn’t seen such a sensation for several years?
Su Dayong was reluctant to give up Ding Guo, a talented person, but he had to repay his old friend's favor, so he really had to think about it carefully.
Ding Guo didn't know that because of her, the deputy factory director was so worried about the plan that he couldn't even eat.
She received another letter and package from Comrade Pei Che.
Ding Guo's head twitched as he watched.
This is just a way of life, how much allowance can be used to live in such a wasteful way?
The key point is that she had just figured out the return gift and made a small batch, which was not yet good enough to show off, and now a new package was thrown at her.
I have to tell Comrade Pei that the deliveries are so frequent and the pace is too tight, which is causing a lot of pressure on my sister.
The next day, Ding Guo took advantage of his lunch break to go to the post office and call Pei Che's unit.
Pei Che had already left his phone number in the letter so that Ding Guo could contact him if he had any questions. However, Ding Guo felt that there was nothing worth spending money on the phone. Since they were already communicating via letter, he could have said all the trivial matters in the letter. Why would he need to make a phone call?
It is very difficult to make a long-distance call these days. After going through many layers of transfers, you may not be able to get through, and even if you get through, you may not be able to find the person.
So she didn't find anyone.
Pei Che had a training mission and was not in the army. He didn't know when the mission would end. Ding Guo hung up the phone, paid the bill, and turned to leave.
When Pei Che finished training and returned to the army, he heard that a female comrade named Ding from Fengning called him. He was so anxious that he didn't even have time to eat. He repeatedly asked his immediate superior what Comrade Ding Guo wanted to talk to him about.
Hearing the leader say that there was nothing wrong, he didn't believe it. He must have not listened carefully enough, so he asked someone to tell him exactly what Ding Guo said, and muttered in a low voice at the end: "Why didn't you ask for a phone number for me?"
His leader laughed angrily: "How do you know I didn't ask? I asked, but the female comrade didn't say anything. She said she would call you when she was free."
Ding Guo was not being pretentious, she just really didn't know her factory's phone number.
Pei Che refused to give up. He sat at the phone and dialed several numbers in succession. He went through a lot of trouble to find the phone number of Fengning Food Factory.
When people asked him whether it was the phone number of the first, second or third factory, he was confused. Ding Guo only said that she joined the food factory but did not say which factory it was.
"Please check them all for me."
He had legitimate reasons. He felt that Comrade Ding Guo was not the kind of person who would call him easily. Since he finally called him, it must be something important that he needed his help with. What if he was delayed?
The next morning, not long after Ding Guo started work, her team leader came over and called her, asking her to go to the factory committee to answer a phone call.
Ding Guo was so busy and focused that he didn't react at first: "Looking for my phone number?"
Who would call her?
"The other party said he would call back in half an hour. Don't forget to go over later."
After the team leader left, Ding Guo suddenly remembered the call he made to Pei Che yesterday, and his face suddenly became hot.
She was impulsive at the time and wanted to call her neighbor to remind him to learn how to live and that money should not be spent that way.
But today, the impulse has passed and I feel a little embarrassed.
But the call still has to be answered.
After finishing the work at hand, Ding Guo looked at the time and went to the factory committee.
The factory committee is a large office with six or seven people working in it. Many people have heard of Ding Guo because of the factory's new products but have never met her in person. When they saw Ding Guo come in, they greeted her very enthusiastically and praised the new products developed by Ding Guo this year.
If Ding Guo was a shy person, he would have been flattered by the praise. But Ding Guo was not a rookie in the workplace after all. He did not miss the opportunity to make connections and leave a good impression on the factory committee. He responded graciously and also followed their words of encouragement, hoping that Ding Guo would keep up the good work and create more glories, and expressed his commitment and loyalty to the food factory.
If she wants to make a promise, she should say it first to suit the atmosphere. As for when to do it, it depends on her.
They didn't talk for long before the phone rang. Ding Guo hurried over to answer it: "Hello, is this Comrade Pei?"
"It's me, Comrade Ding Guo, hello!" Pei Che's voice came through the microphone. She didn't know if it was distorted or what, but she felt Comrade Pei's tone was a little nervous.
Pei Che was so nervous that he could hardly hold the microphone.
He himself didn't understand. He had had dinner with Comrade Ding several times and had contact with her more than once when he was in the capital. He didn't feel nervous at the time. On the contrary, he felt it was easy to communicate with this girl. How come he suddenly became nervous? His palms were full of sweat as he held the microphone.
Even the opening greeting and the content of the chat that I had been thinking about all night last night were completely forgotten at this moment. I asked dryly: "I went to training yesterday and didn't receive your call. What is the matter with you looking for me?"
After saying this, Pei Che wanted to crawl under the table.
Can't Comrade Ding Guo go to him if he has nothing to do?
Thinking of this, without waiting for Ding Guo to speak, he hurriedly explained: "Actually, you can call me if you have nothing to do..."
Why would you call him if there's nothing going on?
Pei Che raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his heart beating wildly in panic and anxiety.
Phew!
Ding Guo's laughter came from the microphone: "Nothing, I just want to ask you whether sweet or salty fried walnuts are better?"
Look how nervous he is when he calls his handsome neighbor. You can tell he's speaking incoherently even through the phone line. Ding Guo doesn't want to teach him how to live right away, so he simply asks about Pei Che's taste and sends him some snacks that are more suitable for his taste.
Pei Che on the other end of the phone breathed a sigh of relief. Not only did he breathe a sigh of relief, he also grinned. Comrade Ding Guo asked this because he wanted to know his taste?
But both flavors are delicious, of course, he prefers the sweet one.
At this moment, Comrade Pei's IQ instantly reached its ceiling. He didn't say they were both delicious just to be polite. Comrade Ding Guo would have thought it was too fake and thought he was not honest, so he said, "The two flavors have their own merits, but I personally prefer the sugar-fried ones. I'm tired of the sweet ones, so the salt-baked ones can just neutralize it, so the combination of these two is the most perfect."
Ding Guo: ...
Why did I feel that this person was nervous just now, but now he is not nervous anymore?
She smiled and said, "Then I know. I made some sweet potato strips and toasted bread, and I'll make you some fried walnuts and send them over."
Pei Che's mouth was almost stretched to his ears. He asked in a low voice: "Comrade Ding Guo, I sent you another package. Did you receive it?"
Since the topic was brought up, Ding Guo said, "I got it. Don't send things here all the time in the future. It's hard and expensive to collect those things."
Pei Che smiled and said, "It's not difficult, not difficult at all."
It really wasn't hard for him. His comrades-in-arms used to always ask him to exchange tickets, things, etc. Now that it was his turn, his comrades-in-arms naturally didn't say a word.
If this call was made at the post office, Ding Guo would have emphasized it seriously a few more times. She was not being polite, she really felt that Comrade Pei did not need to spend so much. It is not cheap to send packages these days. The last time she went to the post office to send a package, she felt painful when she paid the postage. Based on Comrade Pei's frequency, she would have to pay extra postage. It would be better to save the money and hand it over to the deposit directly when the two of them really get married... ahem!
Of course, this is based on the premise that Comrade Pei really has feelings for her.
But this was in the factory committee office, and she was surrounded by the "family members" she had just met, so Ding Guo didn't say much. She chatted for a few words and then hung up the phone.
As soon as she hung up the phone, she found that the comrades in the factory committee were trying their best to suppress the gossip in their eyes, and all they asked about were the "fried walnuts" and "toasted bread" she had just mentioned.
They know walnuts, how can they be fried and have sweet or salty tastes?
There is no shortage of bread in the factory. Why do we need to bake it into rusks when it is already made into bread? Is it delicious?
In fact, they really wanted to gossip about the identity of the person who talked to Ding Guo on the phone, but after all, they had just met Ding Guo, so it was not easy to ask such jokes. Fortunately, Ding Guo had a better topic that could divert their attention, so everyone suppressed their curiosity and became concerned about the toasted crackers and fried walnuts she mentioned.
It doesn’t matter to Ding Guo whether the production methods of these two things contribute anything or not, but she feels that there may not be a market for them.
"Roasted walnuts are walnut kernels coated with syrup and roasted. The salty ones are salt-baked. They are my favorite snack, but in the current market, I don't think anyone would be willing to spend money on walnuts roasted with sugar."
Walnuts are rare and not cheap when bought alone. Further processing will inevitably increase the cost and the selling price will also go up. Walnuts are not like bread, cakes, or biscuits that can satisfy your appetite and fill your stomach. After all, they are still related to food. However, only people with spare money can afford snacks like sugar-roasted walnuts.
The key is that the output of walnuts is not high, and the raw materials are also a problem.
You can consider rusks. Toasted rusks are different from normal air-dried bread. Toasted rusks are crispy and have a burnt aroma. They were one of Ding Guo's favorite snacks to kill time before he traveled through the book.
However, toasted rusks are not just cut bread and toasted directly. They are also coated with a layer of milky liquid, which is made from milk, cream, condensed milk, sugar, butter, salt and eggs.
It was only after Ding Guo started working at the food factory that he learned that products such as light cream, condensed milk and butter were already available in China at that time.
These materials can also be found in the system mall and can be purchased as needed.
Ding Guo considered that the highlight of the bread lies in the milk flavor, so he reduced the proportion of other ingredients when making bread, such as eggs and sugar. This not only neutralized the taste of the finished product, but also the cost.
"It sounds good, let's try the bread slices." said an officer named Feng Suqing.
"I think amber walnuts should be delicious, but Comrade Ding Guo's analysis of the market is correct. Bread and pastries can fill your stomach, and walnuts are just like peanuts and melon seeds. People are willing to buy them to add good luck during the Chinese New Year, but who would be willing to spend money to buy them to satisfy their cravings at other times? We can talk to the factory before the New Year to see if we can produce a batch, and take advantage of the excitement of the Chinese New Year to make our food factory famous again."
Although it is a food factory that mainly produces pasta, it is not impossible to process other kinds of snacks.
Others also agreed with this man's proposal.
Ding Guo didn't care. Although she planned to let Aunt San open a roasted food stall in the future, if the food factory came out first, it would lose some of its freshness. But then again, the roasted food stalls were the least afraid of repeating themselves. Melon seeds and peanuts were not original, and they would be inseparable from these two. It would all depend on who could fry the best.
Moreover, walnuts can be made into many ways, such as walnuts stuffed with dates, crispy walnuts and so on.
So even if the factory made roasted walnuts, it would not have much impact on her plan.
As for the dried sweet potatoes she mentioned casually, no one even asked about it.
In this era, no matter how delicious sweet potato strips are, they are unlikely to become a best-seller.
But the rusks have to wait until after the holiday. The Mid-Autumn Festival is getting closer and closer, and the production task is heavy. The workshop is running 24 hours a day and everyone is working overtime. It is not good to distract everyone at this time, so Ding Guo promised the factory committee that he would take everyone to make rusk sample experiments as soon as possible after the holiday.
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