"You can take it and share it. Uncle doesn't have anything good. I'll bring you something delicious next time when I have the chance."
Old Xu was in tears, and he reached out to rub his sore eyes.
"Aren't you going to thank your uncle?"
Seeing his daughter standing there obediently waiting for him to speak, Old Xu originally intended to refuse, but when he thought of how his family had suffered so much with him over the years, he couldn't bring himself to say no.
That's all.
There's always a way to express gratitude.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhao!"
Old Xu's eldest daughter knew they had something to talk about, so she didn't linger any longer and left, holding the mung bean cake like a precious treasure.
Zhao Youcai didn't waste any time. "If I provide you with soybeans and processing fees, how long will it take you to produce high-quality dried tofu?"
Old Xu lowered his head, his fingers tracing patterns on the wooden table in the yard, and soon a smile appeared on his face.
"As long as the soybean supply is sufficient, we can produce at least 300 jin a day."
Dried tofu doesn't contain as much water as tofu, so 300 jin (150 kg) of dried tofu is indeed quite a lot.
Even for an experienced tofu maker like Lao Xu, it would take a whole day to make this much.
In addition, his family doesn't even have a donkey to pull the millstone. What if they get exhausted from relying solely on manpower?
But if Zhao Youcai really succeeds in making a deal at the Thousand Harvest Festival, 300 catties of dried bean curd a day simply won't be enough to sell.
We still need to produce more things. As for how to proceed, we'll have to see what happens at the Thousand Harvest Festival.
"There's no rush right now. Let's make ten days' worth first, one hundred catties of dried tofu per day will suffice."
Zhao Youcai took two ten-yuan bills from his pocket, placed them on the table, and stood up with a smile.
"I'll have my eldest son deliver the soybeans in a bit. You just need to send me 100 catties of dried tofu every day. If you make too much, I won't be able to process it all and it will spoil easily, which would be a waste."
Zhao Youcai was genuinely afraid that if this honest man delivered 300 jin a day and something bad happened, he wouldn't be able to afford the compensation.
Old Xu's hand trembled violently, and he felt like he couldn't breathe as he looked at the two ten-yuan bills.
Having lived to such an old age, he had seen large denomination bills before, but he had never actually owned one.
Now, the two large bills of RMB lie quietly on his table; they are the wages Zhao Youcai paid him.
"No! You're giving too much."
Putting aside the fact that buying all these things wouldn't cost that much, and moreover, the raw materials were provided by Zhao Youcai.
"Just leave it here for now. If it sells well later, I'll give you more wages."
Zhao Youcai wouldn't say things like, "Your family is too poor, I'll give you more." A little kindness is appreciated, but too much can breed resentment. You can't do good deeds that turn out badly.
Putting everything else aside, just based on Zhao Youcai's generosity in not delaying wages, any sane Old Xu would know to work hard.
As long as the dried bean curd is made well, you're sure to reap the benefits of getting rich by following Zhao Youcai.
"I'm going back now. You go ahead with your work, no need to see me off."
Zhao Youcai had quite a few things to do. For example, he first went home and had his daughter-in-law peel half a small basin of potatoes, and then he made some dough.
Then make hot and sour potato slices and spicy gluten, let them cool, and let your family taste them and give some feedback.
Zhao Youcai was very confident. These were all spicy snacks that were popular in later generations. Who didn't have the childhood memory of going to the corner store to buy spicy strips?
As for the spicy dried tofu, we'll have to wait for Lao Xu to send it over.
The whole family ate with great relish and couldn't stop eating.
Zhao Youcai adjusted the packaging machine in the small room and packaged the hot and sour potato slices and spicy gluten.
And that's how these little snack packets came to be!
The only drawback is that the weight of the snacks I packaged varied greatly, so I had to weigh them manually before packaging, which was quite labor-intensive. I need to think about how to improve this.
"What do you think the price should be if we were to sell these?"
Although the Zhao family members each had their own ulterior motives, they were all honest people.
The price he announced made Zhao Youcai so angry that he almost took off his shoes and swung them at everyone on the spot.
"Potatoes aren't that expensive, it's the flour that's a bit pricey, but we don't use that much. Big meat buns in town only cost three cents each, we can still make a profit by pricing them at one cent a pack."
Zhao Youcai clutched his throbbing forehead, his veins bulging.
These silly kids!
What else would he sell for a mere penny a pack?
Are you only calculating the price of raw materials, without taking into account labor costs and packaging machine costs? Is oil free?
With such an honest nature, trying to turn his life around through business is simply a pipe dream. He probably won't even be able to afford four dishes before he dies!
Suddenly, Zhao Youcai had another idea.
In later generations there was gutter oil, but today there is oil that is reused and fried again because people are reluctant to throw it away. Is that too much to ask?
"Put these items that have been deep-fried for the first time in the pot and let them cool before storing them in this box. Put the remaining items that have been deep-fried for the first five times together, and pile the items that were deep-fried until the oil was completely unusable together."
Food safety must be strictly controlled when it comes to things that go into our mouths.
People in China can just try it once in a while; they can just eat the first batch of fried food.
These oily, salty snacks, which are not good for your health, would definitely be loved by people in foreign countries who are used to eating large, choking bread.
As international friends, if you love to eat, eat as much as you want, and buy as much as you can.
...
Days passed by, and Zhao Youcai's schedule was always packed.
Besides the instant noodles and three kinds of spicy strips that are still in mass production, Zhao Youcai also took the time to study the production method of ham sausages, which include both pork and chicken sausages.
I also need to go to the textile factory to check on the progress of making hair clips using scraps of cloth and useless broken copper and iron wire, and occasionally give some aesthetic advice.
I also need to find time to go to the neighboring county to check on the progress of the various bowls, plates, and cups made of new Chinese-style enamelware, as well as the progress of the gift boxes at the cardboard box factory.
Just before Zhao Youcai was about to exhaust himself to the point of losing weight, everything was prepared and packed into a specially made shockproof foam box.
Zhao Youcai, along with the factory directors of the steel mill, textile mill, enamelware factory, and cardboard box factory, the purchasing directors of each factory, and Captain Qi, who was in charge of their safety and translation work, boarded the train to Beijing to attend the Thousand Ears Festival.
This was Zhao Youcai's first meeting with all the well-known factory directors in the province. Everyone greeted Zhao Youcai in a friendly manner for a few words before they sat down in their respective groups.
"Comrade Zhao, how are you?"
Director Cao of the military region's procurement department specially wore a military uniform, and the stars on his shoulders shone brightly in the sunlight.
"Battalion Commander Cao." Zhao Youcai knew when to address him. "I'm just a little excited, everything else is fine."
A cold sneer came from somewhere, and it was quite noticeable in the otherwise quiet carriage before departure.
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