The four of them finished their meal with gusto, each of them showing a look of satisfaction.
Chen Jixing praised: "I didn't expect it to taste so good when cooked! Usually the chefs on our ship only make steamed buns and dumplings, but never ramen. Sometimes I can't even eat a bowl of noodles for several months, which makes me feel uncomfortable when I'm craving for it."
Lao Luo licked the corner of his mouth, still feeling unsatisfied.
"Pulling ramen noodles is not an easy job. It takes a professional chef to knead and pull the noodles. It's not easy to do it anywhere."
"The fried noodles are all ready-made." Chen Xingling explained with a smile: "It's fine to keep them sealed and eat them for a few months. Even if they get damp by accident, they still taste good when cooked."
Lao Luo nodded and asked about the price again.
Chen Xingling pointed with two fingers and answered, "One dollar and twenty cents."
Lao Luo raised his eyebrows, then smiled hesitantly.
"Girl, let's be honest. Good quality flour is only 23 cents per pound. Some flour is only 20 cents. You are just a piece of dough..."
The conversation stops here, and there is no need to say more.
Chen Jixing's eyes flickered slightly, and he couldn't help but say, "But this thing is delicious, like a biscuit, but bigger than a biscuit. It's cheaper than a biscuit, and it can be cooked like noodles."
“It’s really crispy.”
“It’s so delicious!”
The other two people smiled and added their own comments in order to have fried noodles to eat after getting on the boat.
Chen Xingling knocked on the fried noodles and explained: "It's not easy to make fried noodles. You need to knead the dough and let it rise, then knead it and pull it into noodles, then roll it up and fry it, let it dry and finally air-dry it for storage. You can have a full meal for two or three cents, and one noodle can make a big bowl. But it has many steps and requires a certain amount of cost and craftsmanship. The point is - it has a very long shelf life. If it is well sealed, it can be stored for several months, which is very suitable for ocean voyages."
"Yes!" Chen Jixing added: "Even if it gets wet by accident, you can still cook it and eat it."
However, Lao Luo was reluctant to accept the offer because the price was a bit high.
"You said that there are more than a hundred of us and we need to eat a lot of food every day. How can we prepare too little? Buying thousands or tens of thousands of yuan at a time, it will cost about 2,000 yuan... It's too expensive."
Chen Xingling almost jumped up when he heard this, but quickly suppressed his excitement.
"Is that so... After all, you are my fourth brother's good brother and good colleague, so you should give me the most favorable price. If the quantity is large, it will be cheaper. If you buy 10,000 pieces, it will be 3 cents cheaper per piece."
After listening to this, Lao Luo remained silent, buried his head and counted with his fingers.
Other colleagues on the side chuckled quietly.
Chen Jixing raised his eyebrows, asking his sister whether she could really make it so multifaceted.
Chen Xingling nodded firmly.
Seeing that his sister was confident, Chen Jixing immediately signaled to his colleagues.
"Lao Luo, just agree to it! It's so hard to find a food we like, it would be great to have it occasionally to change the taste!"
"Really? Really? Really?! I'm sick of eating fish and shrimp, and the chefs in the kitchen only cook a few dishes! We're on the sea all year round, making so much money for the company - can't they make some delicious food for us to try!"
"Lao Luo, the key is that this noodle has a long shelf life! This is a valuable advantage! When encountering big waves or typhoons, this noodle may be able to be used in emergencies."
Lao Luo glanced at them and asked seriously, "Girl, can you make 10,000 pieces of noodles in half a month? With such a large quantity, can you ensure delivery?"
"Yes." Chen Xingling nodded. "I have a few friends in the city who can help me. With someone to help, I can buy a big oil pan. The weather has been sunny recently, so I should be able to finish it in ten days."
After hearing this, Lao Luo was finally satisfied.
"Okay, then let's sign an agreement and deliver the goods on time in half a month. According to traditional rules, I will pay you a deposit of one-fourth of a cent first."
Chen Xingling smiled happily and grabbed the cloth bag beside him.
"I have a pen and paper here, and I can write the agreement right away."
Lao Luo also acted decisively. He pushed the dishes and chopsticks on the table aside and started writing.
Chen Jixing was not very reassured and could not help asking, "Do you need our help?"
"No need." Chen Xingling whispered in confusion; "I can just find a few good friends to help. Some people will make the dough, and I will be responsible for pulling the noodles. Some people will roll the noodles, and some people will fry the noodles. We can make a lot in a day."
Seeing her promise, Chen Jixing finally felt relieved.
Lao Luo finished writing in a few strokes and was the first to sign his name.
Chen Xingling also stepped forward to sign.
Then, Lao Luo took out a big wallet, took out a few hundred-yuan bills and handed them to her.
"Here is the deposit, count it. Deliver the noodles to the port in half a month, and ask your fourth brother to help deliver it. He knows what to do. After I count the quantity, I will pay you the balance."
"Okay." Chen Xingling smiled and said, "I will arrange to pack every fifty yuan into a bag and seal it. Two hundred yuan each into a large bag, and one thousand yuan into a bundle. It will be easier for you to count it then, saving space. At the same time, you don't have to worry about some of them getting wet accidentally, and the others will also get wet and soften. Ten days later, I will have my brothers use a tractor to transport it to the port and deliver it to you."
"Not bad." Lao Luo showed a satisfied and approving smile and said, "Aji, I can tell at first glance that your sister is a good business man!"
Chen Jixing smiled proudly and whispered, "If everyone likes the food this time, you can continue to place orders for my sister next time. Remember to attract more business for her when you have time."
"That's just my own fault!" Lao Luo shook his head and laughed, "How could you brats not like it? I think it tastes good too!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
…
That afternoon, Chen Xingling took Xiaohu back home.
Xiao Huzi ran upstairs to play with Shanshan, while she swiftly hid in the supermarket to open the instant noodles packaging, carefully counted the quantity, and packed them one by one into clean large bags.
I was busy until the evening and only packed a few hundred pieces.
Chen Xingling did not dare to be lazy. He arranged for his son to go to bed early in the evening and hid in the space to continue working overtime until one or two o'clock in the morning.
The next morning, she asked Jia Shuangqi to take two days of sick leave for her.
Gu Yi and Zhao Xiaoxing went to work, and Xiaohuzi was sent to kindergarten. She hid in the supermarket and was busy for two whole days, plus staying up late at night, and finally managed to scrape together 8,000 yuan.
I was so tired that I could hardly lift my arms. I couldn't stand it anymore and fell asleep at 11 o'clock on the third night.
The next morning, she sent her son to kindergarten and then rode her bike to school.
Seeing that she looked tired and not in good spirits, the class teacher Lin Ming did not ask much questions but only told her to have a good rest and make adequate preparations for the first mock exam at the beginning of next month.
Chen Xingling answered yes obediently.
After resting for two days, her arms finally stopped being so sore, and she hid in the space to continue working.
Until the weekend, Gu Yi saw that she could barely hold the chopsticks in her hands, and he was secretly suspicious.
"Sister-in-law, what happened to you these days? You look pale and don't eat much. Also, did you hurt your hand? Why does it look like it's injured?"
Chen Xingling smiled bitterly and explained: "I've been on leave for a few days recently...I've been making fried noodles to sell for money."
"What? Go to the black market to sell fried noodles?" Gu Yi asked in surprise.
Zhao Xiaoxing also widened her eyes in fear.
Chen Xingling shook his head and gave a rough explanation, saying, "In order to meet the deadline and quantity, I had to work overtime. My hands are sore, and it's not that I'm shaking on purpose... I just can't hold the chopsticks anymore."
Gu Yi and Zhao Xiaoxing frowned and asked hurriedly, "Where is it? We'll go over to help in the evening!"
"No thanks." Chen Xingling said in unison: "I hired a few people to help, and paid them twice their salary. Everyone is working very hard, and it should be finished in a day or two."
Gu Yi and Zhao Xiaoxing had no choice but to give up.
On Sunday afternoon, Chen Wuxing came to pick her and Xiaohuzi up to go to her parents' home.
Chen Xingling explained that she had to go to her friend's backyard to fry noodles and really didn't have time to go, so she asked her fifth brother to send Xiaohuzi there so that her parents could help look after him.
"You go ahead and do your work." Chen Wuxing said, "Leave Xiaohu to us. Remember not to get tired. If we can help you, just give us a shout and we'll be there right away!"
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