Chapter 106
In an era of tight supply of meat and eggs, egg soup is considered a good thing in normal times, let alone in the cold winter when people have had enough of radishes and cabbages.
Zhou Jiani washed the tomatoes, made a cross on the top and blanched them in hot water, peeled the skin neatly, and cut them into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan, sauté ginger and garlic until fragrant, add diced tomatoes and stir-fry over low heat until a thick soup is obtained.
The fragrance filled the entire corridor.
Many neighbors gathered here to watch Zhou Jiani cook.
Someone asked in surprise: "Nini can cook now?"
And he does it so skillfully.
After hearing this, everyone realized that this boy, who had been spoiled by his family and had never had to do housework, had not only become a cadre in a short period of time after going to the countryside, but had also learned how to cook well.
Originally, Yu Huifang wanted to do it, but Zhou Jiani thought it would be better for her to do it herself to show her sincerity. Once she showed her skill, everyone's discussion would not be focused solely on the vegetables.
Sure enough, everyone is praising her now.
Yu Huifang didn't feel proud at all, but rather looked distressed.
When the tomatoes are almost done, pour water in and cook.
Three eggs were cracked. The eggs were provided by Old Zhou's family. The neighbors felt a little guilty, but they couldn't say anything.
After the water boiled, Zhou Jiani began to season the food, then lowered the heat and cooked it for a while longer. Just after turning off the heat, she poured the egg liquid in, and beautiful egg flowers formed in the pot.
Several neighbors even found her cooking method novel.
This one laughed and said, "I always pour the egg drop soup while the pot is boiling."
The man laughed and said, "I cut the tomatoes into big pieces, stirred them twice, and then poured water on them without peeling them. This is the first time I've seen them done this way."
Zhou Jiani cuts the fish into small pieces and stir-fries them patiently, making the soup both sandy and juicy. Even without thickening, the soup looks thicker than usual.
Another neighbor said, "I do peel tomatoes before frying them, but I used to just scrape them with a spoon, which was tiring. Today, I learned from Nini that blanching the skin before peeling is easier than scraping with a spoon."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "If you don't want to blanch it with hot water, just use chopsticks to blanch it on the stove. It will be easier to peel. I happened to have freshly boiled water at home, so I blanched it."
The tomato soup is ready. Beautiful egg drops are floating in the red soup. Sprinkle a handful of chopped green onion leaves in it before serving. It not only looks good but also tastes delicious just by looking at it.
They kept one bowl for themselves and shared the rest with everyone.
Of course, there was no place for the Liu family.
But as a result, Zhou Jiani had to deliver the food after lunch.
Give it to Director Huang first.
Director Huang had not yet come to work at this time, so Zhou Jiani sent him off generously, using the name of the Qianjin Brigade.
Director Huang looked at the fresh vegetables Zhou Jiani handed over, feeling surprised and a little embarrassed.
I didn't expect that the information I was looking for at the time would be fed back so long later.
But these vegetables are so fresh. I can’t bear to throw them away, but I feel guilty about accepting them.
Director Huang smiled more kindly than ever before: "Jia Ni, this is really... you guys are growing really good vegetables. Thank your team for me. It must be difficult to grow these vegetables in this cold winter. I admire you, I really do. If you need any information in the future, let me know and I will definitely help you."
Zhou Jiani said with a smile: "You're welcome, Director Huang. This is what you deserve."
Director Huang's wife was extremely enthusiastic and invited Zhou Jiani to her home. Zhou Jiani waved her hand and declined politely, "No, Auntie. The neighborhood office and my high school teacher helped us find a lot of information back then. Now that we have results, shouldn't we all share the joy of this harvest? I won't bother you anymore..."
Only Director Huang himself knew how perfunctory he was at the time. It was only when he received the thank-you letter that he hurriedly asked someone to help him get some information, so the dish was very hot.
Thinking about what else I can do for the team.
If they talk about buying vegetables at this time, they are not helping the team, but asking the team over there to help them. After all, everyone knows how rare cucumbers, tomatoes and other things are at this time.
While his wife was chatting with Zhou Jiani, Director Huang was racking his brains. Finally, as Zhou Jiani was about to say goodbye, an idea struck him, and he said, "Jiani, the factory has a batch of defective blue cloth. There's a problem with the printing and dyeing. The color is dark in some places and light in others. If you want to buy it for someone, just ask. I won't accept a receipt, but I'll give it to you at the price with the receipt."
The price is cheaper if you bring a ticket, but you have to pay more if you don’t collect the ticket.
Not only did they not charge her a ticket, but they also paid her the price for a ticket-bearing customer, which was very considerate of them.
Zhou Jiani's mind was filled with joy as fireworks went off. She had been waiting for this kind of cooperation. She immediately said with a smile, "Director Huang, I'll ask for some for the villagers in our brigade. Don't say you're not interested. If you can help them buy some cheap cloth, everyone will be so grateful to you."
The first time Zhang Baosheng came back, he was thinking about buying a small handkerchief that didn't require a ticket, so that he could go back and sew a handkerchief to wear.
Besides, let alone in the countryside, even in the provincial capital, once the defective cloth that does not require tickets is released, people will fight to get it.
With a handful of vegetables, she helped the team get two pieces of defective cloth.
After setting the time to pick up the goods, Zhou Jiani said goodbye and left.
Director Huang closed the door, picked up the fresh and prickly cucumber and looked at it, then looked at the two red tomatoes and the green pepper next to it. The more he looked at them, the rarer they seemed to him.
Normally, two months ago, we would have eaten quite a lot of these dishes, but now they look different.
"Hey, don't stir-fry the cucumber. Crush it and mix it with some garlic water, okay?" Director Huang discussed with his wife.
In cold weather, eat cold cucumbers.
If he didn't want to eat it as a dish, he would just wash it and chew it raw. Now, wouldn't he be able to taste the refreshing cucumber flavor?
While they were figuring out how to eat it, Zhou Jiani went back to get the other two portions and went out. She found a place to store the portion for Teacher Meng in the warehouse first, and then took the other portion to the street office.
Director Ge was deeply impressed by this young comrade. Even after being reported, her situation was quickly reversed. She later wrote a thank-you letter, and her family even came to express their gratitude. While that was just their job, their attitude and recognition filled them with a sense of accomplishment.
I didn't expect that the sense of accomplishment would have a sequel. I bit the bullet and helped find some information. People successfully grew vegetables and even sent me a message to express their gratitude. I was so happy that I couldn't stop smiling.
Zhou Jiani didn't stay here for long. After chatting with Director Ge and others for a while, she said goodbye and went to Meng Wen.
In addition to vegetables, she also took some rice noodles and vermicelli from the warehouse when she visited the teacher.
The largest amount of vegetables was given to Teacher Meng. Teacher Meng was very attentive when helping to find the information, especially the handwritten notes, which were also used in daily farming. The farmers in the village were all impressed after they got to know him thoroughly.
Everyone is eagerly waiting for the spring farming season to begin. Then we will select a piece of land for experimentation and try what others have suggested.
Meng Wen was also happy, not only because of the vegetable results, but also because she was genuinely happy to see the students actively involved in rural construction. She also saw a complete transformation in Zhou Jiani. She just complained that she was given too much.
She said angrily, "It's not easy for you fellow villagers to grow some vegetables, why do you take so many? Take some back to eat when you leave. The teacher will be happier just to see the results than to eat them himself."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Don't worry, teacher. I left them at home. They're a token of our team's love. What would it be like if I took them? Besides, you helped me a lot back then and I'm indebted to you. You borrowed a lot of the information from other people, so it's not convenient for me to visit them all. Please thank them for me when you have time."
Meng Wen glanced at the student and guessed that she should have seen something.
The source of some of the information was rather special, and she couldn't tell Zhou Jiani about it.
Zhou Jiani's words showed that she knew what was going on and had no intention of digging into the matter.
Since she was told that, Meng Wen didn't refuse. She made her a bowl of malted milk, went into the house, and brought out a few notebooks. "These are notebooks I borrowed from others and copied. They're not all about farming. Two of them are about animal husbandry, including feed ratios, livestock feeding, and how to deal with common diseases."
Zhou Jiani's eyes lit up, and she took it with both hands as if it were a treasure, and said with a smile, "Thank you, teacher."
"You're welcome!"
The teacher and student chatted for a while, and then Zhou Jiani said goodbye and left.
After Zhou Jiani left, Meng Wen picked up some vegetables and wrapped them in newspaper. She looked at the rice noodles and took a few sheets of rice noodles, broke them into pieces, cut the noodles into pieces with scissors, and wrapped them in newspaper. She put on a shoulder bag, stuffed the things in it, and went out.
She didn't rush to the First Textile Factory. She postponed her trip for two days before calling Xin Guangrong, taking the basket and going to the First Textile Factory.
Xin Guangrong had guessed that they were supplying goods to the supply and marketing cooperative that day because he had also bought a lace basket for his family and knew their products were beautiful. Now, holding the round pumpkin woven basket in his hand, he couldn't stop praising it: "This basket is also beautiful. Have you sold it in any department stores? If so, I'd like to help promote it."
This basket has a lid, and the handle on the lid looks like a broken pumpkin vine, slanting in the middle, but it looks very nice overall.
When he opened the lid, he found that there was a partition inside, and it was movable. He could take it out and decide whether to use it or not. He was surprised and said, "Wow, the design of this basket is exquisite. It can be used to store melon seeds, peanuts, etc. during the New Year."
Very beautiful, especially exquisite.
Xin Guangrong immediately judged that the price of this basket should be higher than the lace blue.
Yes, it has an extra cross partition and the price is about the same as the ingot basket.
The Yuanbao basket has an additional base and a lid, so it is a little more expensive than the solid lace blue and hollow lace blue. The price of this pumpkin basket is based on the Yuanbao basket.
Zhou Jiani discussed with the villagers and planned to add some patterns.
But this one is the original color.
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "You're right. This function was originally designed with this in mind. Normally, you can remove the partitions and put some needles and thread on them. During Chinese New Year, you can put some sunflower seeds, peanuts, and candies on the table. It will look great too."
Xin Guangrong became more and more satisfied the more he looked at it, and couldn't let it go. He said, "Yes, yes, this basket is beautifully made. It will look good anywhere." He added, "I feel like this product won't lose its value if it goes to the Friendship Store."
Why did she prepare to add patterns? That was what she was looking for. When the new sample was made, she would send one to Director Zou.
But this time, she must not only bring a basket, but also floral cloth. She was not polite at all. Not only was she not polite, she also asked to visit the factory.
"No problem, please come in."
She is the daughter of a colleague from a sister company and they both work in the sales department. Moreover, this girl is very smart in her words. Now she has given him such a beautiful basket. Of course, Xin Guangrong would not refuse.
As they walked in, Zhou Jiani smiled and nodded at the basket in his hand, then pointed to the open space next to him and said, "The transport team's truck was parked there, and the craftsman responsible for this product was standing there with me waiting."
Xin Guangrong smiled regretfully and said, "I didn't know it at the time. Next time I see you, I'll definitely introduce you to me."
This basket is so beautiful that even a grown man likes it so much. When he takes it home, his wife will love it even more.
Zhou Jiani walked around and visited, looking at several new patterned fabrics they had produced, which were indeed beautiful.
Xin Guangrong said with some pride, "These two gray patterned fabrics were independently developed by the factory. The one on your left with the blue maple leaf pattern was developed by the Hai City Textile Factory. We learned their technology."
Through Xin Guangrong's introduction, we learned that in addition to being exported, these products also have cooperation with Haishi Garment Factory, and the suits made of this cloth are displayed on the counter of Haishi Department Store.
The fabric with a blue background and maple leaf pattern is really beautiful and will not feel outdated even in later generations.
This was the piece of cloth Xin Guangrong promised to leave for her.
Zhou Jiani would definitely not refuse, but the cloth was not good-looking enough to be used in weaving baskets.
The pattern is so open and closed that its beauty cannot be seen on the small stool cover.
Zhou Jiani looked at the maple leaf pattern fabric and praised it, "It's really beautiful. I've been to the department store several times, but I've never seen fabric with this pattern."
Xin Guangrong smiled and said, "This batch of cloth is a task order. Although it is produced by us, it has not yet been distributed to our local area. But it will definitely be in our local department store before the New Year."
Zhou Jiani asked, "Will it be launched in city-level department stores?"
Xin Guangrong smiled and said, "Why? Want to help your local unit get orders?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Seize every possible opportunity."
She also knew it was useless. These days, cloth products are in short supply, not sold. Even the locals can't get enough. Furthermore, expanding into the surrounding areas wouldn't reach Zhengfeng City. Unless she had accurate inside information and actively contacted distant units, she might be able to secure an opportunity.
Xin Guangrong did not respond, as he did not have the authority to do so. However, he said that he would help her keep an eye on the factory documents and would notify her once he received news that resources were being allocated to municipal units. She would then ask their local units to apply for them proactively, so that the chances of priority distribution would be greater.
Information is also a resource, and a very valuable resource at that. Zhou Jiani nodded to express her gratitude.
After looking at a batch of brighter floral fabrics, Xin Guangrong noticed that she looked at each one carefully, sometimes with a thoughtful look on her face. It didn't look like she was buying clothes to make ordinary clothes, so he asked her a few more questions.
Zhou Jiani didn't hide it and said, "For the storage stools we supply to the Friendship Store, I'm planning to launch a series with fabrics, and I'm also planning to add some fabrics to the woven baskets..."
Xin Guangrong found it interesting. But could you add a cloth to the basket? What would that look like?
Zhou Jiani said, "The storage stool lids now come with covers. Since we couldn't find any fabric with particularly beautiful patterns, we bought scraps of fabric from garment factories and pieced them together. It looks nice, but if it were all pieced together, it wouldn't feel fresh, so we have to explore more."
"Patchwork style?" Isn't that just pieces of cloth put together?
But to put it another way, I feel like the level is different.
This week has been interesting, comrades.
Xin Guangrong was increasingly willing to chat with Zhou Jiani. When they talked about business trips, Zhou Jiani heard him say, "I always keep two sets of clothes in my bag. I just carry them wherever I go. Once, I carried the wrong bag and was stunned when I got on the train..."
Zhou Jiani said, "They're all green canvas handbags, so they're easy to mix up. Let's see if the craftsmen in our village can make woven suitcases. If they do, we'll give you a sample. Feel free to make it yourself. Come back and tell us what you think. We can then make adjustments based on your experience."
Woven suitcases have existed for a long time, but they were not common. They are still rare on the market today. They are also relatively heavy and not easy to use.
To plan and make it, I have to study it carefully with several craftsmen, work on the materials, and reduce the weight.
Xin Guangrong has traveled a lot and has seen suitcases before, both leather and wooden. Firstly, they were too expensive, and secondly, he felt that the capacity was not much different from that of a canvas handbag, so he was reluctant to buy one.
But he admired Zhou Jiani's change of thinking. When he mentioned that he once carried the wrong bag on a business trip, Comrade Zhou immediately followed his lead and suggested trying to weave a suitcase.
Even if it was just a polite remark, he felt respected and recognized, and before he knew it, they talked more and more.
I originally just wanted to bring Zhou Jiani in for a tour, but somehow it ended up being a collaboration, and not only did they close the deal, they even bought a piece of defective cloth...
Until he sent Zhou Jiani out, Xin Guangrong was still reflecting on which factor in which conversation made him agree to provide them with several floral fabrics and sell her a piece of defective fabric?
Zhou Jiani came out with a lot of harvest. A piece of defective corduroy cloth was tied on the back seat of the bicycle, and in her bulging bag there was a piece of cloth with a dark blue background and a maple leaf pattern, as well as several pieces of floral cloth that she had selected to make covers.
This piece of fabric with maple leaf pattern is beautiful, but she thought about it in her mind and felt that it would make her look a bit old-fashioned if she wore the clothes herself, but it was just right for her mother's age.
There were a total of ten feet of cloth, which was reserved for Comrade Yu Huifang to make a coat. She would use the rest as hard currency to exchange for something she needed more sooner or later.
She turned a corner and found a place to store the defective corduroy cloth, then rode to the battlefield, found a post office, went in and made a phone call to Comrade Xiao Qiu to ask if there was a bus from the provincial capital back to the city or county town.
She certainly cannot carry things across the open road in the warehouse. As for the shipping costs, they can be included in the cost, so she doesn't have to worry about not being able to sell them.
Qiu Zeming held the microphone and said with a smile, "What's up? Comrade Xiao Zhou, did you find something good?"
Zhang Baosheng was watching with anticipation, and he was very concerned about the call from Comrade Xiao Zhou.
I always feel like good things are going to happen.
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "It's nothing, just three pieces of defective cloth that don't require a ticket. I can't carry it, I really can't, so I have to take a transport truck."
Qiu Zeming raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Okay, I'll ask and call back later."
After hanging up the phone, meeting Zhang Baosheng's curious eyes, Qiu Zeming smiled and said, "Comrade Xiao Zhou got three pieces of defective cloth that don't require tickets. Our team can afford them..."
Before he could even utter the word "ma", Zhang Baosheng shouted, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, absolutely!"
Liu Tong said "yes" along with him, grinning from ear to ear, and said, "Let alone three horses, even ten horses wouldn't be enough to share."
Last time he got more than ten feet of defective cloth, and he had to wait for a long time before his relatives helped him distribute it. In the end, he didn't get to see anything before it was all distributed.
Three horses. He confirmed it and asked Qiu Zeming: "It's three horses, not three feet... Oh, three feet doesn't require a transport team." After saying that, he chuckled.
I asked the transport team and found out that there was a car passing by that night. Zhou Jiani did not follow the car. Zhang Kaishan would be discharged from the hospital in two days, so she helped Zhao Mei on the way and went back together.
Zhou Jiani hurried to the Second Spinning Mill to find Director Huang and buy out the defective cloth. She was also worried that the longer the night, the more trouble she would have. What if Director Huang regretted his decision after eating the food? Humph!
Zhou Wanli was shocked. As he helped his daughter move the cloth, he said, "My goodness! Your father couldn't even find two pieces of defective cloth. My daughter is really too proud."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "It's not that I have a lot of face, it's that our Qianjin Brigade has a lot of face."
To put it in a biased way, it actually embarrassed Director Huang. Well, I will make it up to Director Huang when I have the chance in the future.
Bu didn't even go back to the dormitory area, fearing that the neighbors would gossip about him again, so he took him directly to the transport team and waited there. It turned out to be Zhang Lihai, an old acquaintance, so there was no need to entrust him with anything.
Zhang Lihai, looking embarrassed, was trying to figure out what to ask her. He scratched his head and said, "I've never been able to ask Zeming for help. Well, about the cucumber pickles we had last time, could you please make some pickled radishes for us using that recipe? My colleagues have been thinking about it and often mention the cucumber pickles we had last time."
Zhou Jiani was speechless and said, "Brother Zhang, how long has it been? If you have something to say, just speak up. Why are you being so polite?"
Zhang Lihai was indeed embarrassed. At work, they were responsible for settling expenses with the Qianjin Brigade, but pickling pickles was Comrade Zhou's personal matter, so he had never dared to bring it up.
Plus, I didn’t meet the comrade from last week again.
Sometimes it was him, sometimes it was someone else, who delivered goods to the Qianjin Brigade, and it was always Ze Ming who made the contact.
If they are not running this line in the short term, please help entrust it to other colleagues.
It was a coincidence today. During lunch, one of his colleagues mentioned the pickles that Comrade Zhou had shared with them last time. Now that they happened to meet, he mentioned it.
Zhou Jiani agreed and said, "I'll pickle a batch for you when I get back."
Zhang Lihai had traveled extensively and tasted pickles from many regions. He knew that delicious pickles were made with complex techniques and a lot of ingredients, so he said, "No matter what ingredients you use, just give me the full price and we'll split the bill. Or if you're short on any ingredients or if they're hard to find, just tell me and I'll buy them for you."
Zhou Jiani didn't hesitate and said, "Everything else is fine, but we'll use high-proof liquor to sterilize it, so it won't spoil easily and tastes good. I don't have any liquor tickets left. As for the other ingredients... I happened to buy some chili peppers and peppercorns from Sichuan Province a while ago. If you can handle spicy food, I can make something spicy. It's just that the quantity I bought was limited, so I can only pickle some. You can use ordinary chilies for the rest."
Zhang Lihai immediately said, "Feel free to use it. I'll call and ask my comrades in Sichuan Province to send you some."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Then send more. I won't pay a penny less."
Zhang Lihai waved his hand, meaning that he would take it all, but Zhou Jiani disagreed, so I decided to share some with others.
Zhang Lihai said, "We'll talk about it when the time comes."
Asking others to help should not be in vain. This time, just consider it as a reward for Comrade Zhou’s hard work, and we will charge her separately when she buys something in the future.
Zhang Lihai took out ten yuan and two wine tickets, but the wine tickets in his hand were not valid here, so he went to other brothers to exchange them, and then came back to give them to Zhou Jiani.
"It won't take that much. Five dollars will do."
"Take it. It's better to have some left than to have Comrade Zhou pay for it himself because it's not enough."
After watching the convoy leave, Zhou Jiani and her father returned home. As soon as they entered, they took out a piece of cloth with a maple leaf pattern and handed it to Comrade Yu Huifang. They waved their hands and said proudly, "Mom, we'll each have half."
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