“Sure,” Sun Bingnan was the first to respond, “I’ve always heard Lanlan say how delicious your beef sauce is, I’ve never had a chance to try it yet.”
Lin Chuxia smiled, directed people to light the fire and set the pan, and got to work.
Rendering the oil for the beef sauce is crucial.
A good half pot of oil was poured into the big pot, the oil was heated, and then in proportion, coriander, green onions, and onions were added, followed by the spices: star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon, and finally her secret spice mix.
In no time, a fragrant aroma filled the air.
Once everything was fried to a golden color, the spices were scooped out, and the oil was ready.
While the oil was being rendered, Lin Chuxia had already instructed Ma Yongli and Su Wensong to process the beef into small granules.
Now they poured the beef into the oil to fry off the moisture.
This process was quite slow and the oil splattered from time to time, so it was easy to get burned if one wasn’t careful.
Pang Yongli stepped in very considerately and took the large spoon from Lin Chuxia’s hand, “Mr. Lin, just say the word, and I’ll do it.”
This job was actually something Lin Chuxia intended to train Pang Yongli to do later, so allowing him to do it now was perfect for teaching him.
She directed him to stir the beef in the oil while keeping an eye on the fire.
What kind of oil temperature was just right, approximately how long the beef should be fried, and what it should look like.
Once the beef was almost done and the aroma even more intense, she had him scoop it out.
Then came the main event; she poured minced garlic, minced ginger, and minced hot peppers into the hot oil, cooked until the aroma was released, and then added the fried beef granules, soybean paste, sweet flour sauce, and salt, continuing to simmer.
“Damn, this is way too fragrant.”
Sun Bingnan had been tending the fire, eyeing the pot full of red oil beef sauce, and swallowing his saliva several times.
“Just give me this sauce for lunch today, I don’t need any other dishes, I could eat five buns.”
What Su Wensong saw, however, was the market potential once such beef sauce was mass-produced.
He had tasted the sauce from the Old Food Factory before, and even without tasting their own, he could assert that it definitely couldn’t compare to theirs from Xiyang.
Seeing that it was almost ready, Lin Chuxia threw in a big handful of sesame seeds into the pot for Pang Yongli to mix well.
“It’s ready.”
Lin Chuxia personally dished up a bowl and put it on the table, and had Su Wensong arrange various sauces bought from the marketplace, including the one from the Old Food Factory.
“Come and try it out. See how our sauce differs from the others and if there’s anything that needs to be improved.”
Sun Bingnan couldn’t wait to sample them with his chopsticks, and the others picked up their chopsticks too.
To clearly distinguish the quality of their own beef sauce, they tasted theirs last.
Each person would express their opinion after tasting each sauce.
When they got to the last one, all were impressed.
“The meat is tender and chewy, with a rich aroma,” Pang Yongli commented.
“They’re all spicy, but I felt something was lacking in the previous ones, our beef sauce combines spiciness with aroma, and the scent of the oil is most pronounced,” Su Wensong also said.
Finally, it was Sun Bingnan’s turn. Everyone waited for a while but didn’t hear him comment, only to see him happily munching on more with his chopsticks.
Realizing something, he looked up to see everyone watching him, gave a sheepish grin, “Delicious! I could use a bun right now.”
Everyone laughed.
Lin Chuxia had confidence in her own culinary skills, as she had practiced them in her previous life.
Su Wensong was her diehard fan, and from the moment Lin Chuxia suggested it, he believed there would be no issues. Pang Yongli praised the beef sauce endlessly after trying it.
And Sun Bingnan showed everything through his practical actions.
The leftover beef sauce naturally became an added dish for the employees at lunch, resulting in the cafeteria’s other dishes being largely untouched. Many workers even reluctantly packed some away to take home for their families to try.
Lin Chuxia did not discourage this, as it served as a form of indirect advertising.
Now with the machinery and the beef sauce, the next step was mass production.
Lin Chuxia had already discussed the staffing and recruitment for the beef sauce production workshop with Su Wensong the day before; she left the rest for him to handle.
With the beef production line sorted, Lin Chuxia then turned her attention to another matter.
This was something she had been contemplating for a long time, and her determination solidified the last time she went shopping for clothes with Sun Lanlan in the city.
She called Jia Liang over.
Jia Liang had been working with Hou Xiaobao in the ready-to-eat food courtyard, and when the Xiyang Food Factory was established, the pair was transferred there.
However, as Hou Xiaobao lacked skills in sales, he was assigned to other positions, while Jia Liang, along with Sun Bingnan and Qin Wu, remained in the marketing department.
After several months of operation, Xiyang ready-to-eat food had built a reputation, the market was maturing, and increasingly, merchants were proactively placing orders. The marketing department’s staff began to relax, and to seek more achievements, they had to explore broader markets.
Given the current production capacity of Xiyang Food Factory, the current market was just right, so the marketing department could downsize.
“Mr. Lin, you were looking for me?”
Su Wensong went to arrange other matters, and Lin Chuxia was alone in the office.
Lin Chuxia nodded, pointed to the chair beside her, and asked him to take a seat.
“How have you been recently? Are you facing any difficulties in work or life?”
Mentioning this, Jia Liang laughed heartily while stroking his Bald head, “Mr. Lin, what a question. Do I look like someone with troubles? I have a stable job now, earning a salary of sixty to seventy yuan a month, enough for me and my old mother to spend freely. If there really is a problem, it’s that my mother keeps on urging me to find a wife. She nags so much my ears have calloused. I’m thinking about living at the company like Houzi.”
Jia Liang, now in his early thirties, used to be irresponsible and beyond his mother’s control. She also thought that with his previous behavior, he would only be tricking any girl who married him.
But now that he had a proper job and a stable income, of course, she wanted him to settle down.
Lin Chuxia smiled, “I really can’t help with that, but you’re not getting any younger. If there is someone suitable, it’s time to consider it and let Aunt Jia hold a grandchild early.”
“I would like to, but who would want to follow me, just the way I am?” If they didn’t know about his past, it might be okay, but he couldn’t hide the truth, or it would be like deceiving someone into marriage.
But whenever it was brought up, no one was willing to consider him. Besides, at age 32, the prospects he’s left with are either widows or damaged goods.
Having been the head honcho for many years, Jia Liang still had some standards. He’d rather remain single than settle.
With that, Lin Chuxia decided not to dwell on his personal issues any longer and talked to him about opening a branch in the city.
Jia Liang’s eyes lit up, “No problem, Mr. Lin, I’ll do a good job,” which would also give his mom fewer reasons to nag him for a few days.
“Then start looking for a location in the city starting tomorrow. The standard should be the same as in Ancheng County. It doesn’t have to be on a busy commercial street, but it must be in a populated area important for daily life. It’s best to look for properties owned by governmental units or housing authorities, but if there are suitable options, we can consider buying…”
Jia Liang made a note of each point; he wasn’t very educated, but he was sharp-witted.
Moreover, after interacting with him, Lin Chuxia discovered that Jia Liang had high emotional intelligence.
That’s why, despite both having unimpressive appearances, while Houzi couldn’t secure a single deal, Jia Liang, looking like a bandit, could.