Zhao Hongmei finally finalized her promotional plan. After getting Su Xiaotian's approval, she headed to Tianjin with her team and goods.
Zhao Hongmei's reasoning was simple: the departments in Beijing that could supply goods were likely saturated. Even with her best ideas, she wouldn't achieve much.
However, Tianjin was different.
Three days after Zhao Hongmei left, Dong Yan'an found Su Xiaotian, feeling quite lost, and shared her latest problem.
She wanted to develop a spicy flavor, but for some reason, she felt something was missing. The spiciness was sufficient, but after adjusting the aroma multiple times, it still felt inadequate.
She felt she might be stuck in a rut but couldn't pinpoint where the problem lay.
Although she had discussed it with colleagues, their research directions were different, focusing on traditional braised dishes.
"Wait a moment, let's braise a batch with your spice packet to taste," Su Xiaotian suggested after some thought. "However, let's not test this recipe at the factory. You can take the spice packet to my aunt later and have her braise it."
Dong Yan'an immediately produced the prepared spice packet, saying, "I have the spice packet ready. This packet is enough to braise five catties of meat and seven catties of vegetables."
"Alright, let's braise five catties then. But instead of meat, how about we try pig trotters?" Su Xiaotian mused that braised meat might not absorb flavor well, so trying pig trotters might be better.
Dong Yan'an didn't see any issue with Su Xiaotian's suggestion. If they could braise delicious pig trotters, that would be truly excellent.
Traditional braised pig trotters tasted good, but they always felt like something was missing. She wondered if a spicy flavor would improve it.
Seeing Dong Yan'an agree, Su Xiaotian immediately said, "Once it's braised, we'll try it tonight. It's a shame we can't have alcohol; otherwise, a couple of ounces would surely enhance the flavor."
Thinking of spicy pig trotters made Su Xiaotian crave alcohol.
"Since when do you have a liking for drinking?" Dong Yan'an was surprised to learn that Su Xiaotian had a fondness for alcohol.
She suddenly felt that even after living in the same dormitory for so long, she still didn't truly understand Su Xiaotian.
This young girl's life seemed to be more colorful than she had imagined.
"Take two packets of the spice and have my aunt braise ten catties of pig trotters. We'll invite Director Lei and a few others to taste it tonight."
Su Xiaotian thought that five catties of pig trotters were a bit too little, so ten catties would be better. This way, more people could taste the flavor.
As the saying goes, three cobblers with their wits combined equal a Zhuge Liang. Moreover, none of the people in her factory were truly cobblers.
Since they were braising pig trotters for the evening, Su Xiaotian decided to invite Director Lei and others to the farm for dinner in advance.
When they heard Su Xiaotian's invitation to dine at the farm, several of them were somewhat skeptical.
What could be so good about the farm?
After all, it housed pigs and chickens, and the smell couldn't possibly be pleasant. How could they eat in such a place?
In recent years, although they knew the farm was also part of their young boss's enterprise, they had hardly ever visited it. The pork, chicken, and eggs needed by the factory were regularly slaughtered and delivered from the farm.
Despite their reservations, they couldn't refuse the invitation from their young boss. Including Lei Gaocao, no one declined, and everyone promised to be there on time that evening.
Su Xiaotian also finished her work as quickly as possible and went to help Wang Xianghua.
The farm now had over a dozen workers and also supplied meals daily. Therefore, a cook had been hired.
When Su Xiaotian arrived with Dong Yan'an, Wang Xianghua was busy with the cook.
"Xiaotian, why are you here at this hour? It's still early!" Wang Xianghua looked at the sun outside, confirming it wasn't yet dinnertime.
"I came to help in advance because we're having guests tonight," Su Xiaotian said with a smile, ready to roll up her sleeves and start working.
"You don't need to help. You and Yan'an can go play over there!" Wang Xianghua felt that Su Xiaotian had been too busy lately and had lost weight. Since she had some rare free time, she should rest.
However, Su Xiaotian was unwilling and insisted on helping.
"How about you go to the vegetable garden behind and help me pick some vegetables?"
Picking vegetables? Su Xiaotian was quite familiar with this task. In the past, their family had a vegetable garden with various vegetables, and Su Xiaotian's favorite chore was picking them. She hadn't had the chance in the last couple of years.
The two girls took their vegetable baskets and went to the vegetable garden behind the farm as Wang Xianghua instructed.
The vegetable garden was indeed quite impressive. It had all sorts of seasonal vegetables: beans, eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes, as well as spinach, bok choy, cabbage, scallions, and chives. It was well-stocked.
"So many vegetables!" Dong Yan'an exclaimed, "They're growing so well, much fresher than the ones bought at the market."
"Of course. We're here in the afternoon. If it were morning, they'd look even more vibrant and dewy." Su Xiaotian hadn't expected her aunt to cultivate a vegetable garden at the farm. But then again, she could understand it.
It was said that Chinese people have a special love for growing vegetables. In later generations, there were people living in villas who insisted on growing vegetables instead of flowers. There were also people who transformed their balconies into vegetable gardens during months of staying home. Therefore, it wasn't strange for her aunt to turn this empty space into a vegetable garden. Moreover, the vegetables from this garden looked much better than those from the market.
Thinking that this was a farm, Su Xiaotian understood. Fertile land produced good crops, and vegetables were no different.
Su Xiaotian picked about ten of the ripest, largest tomatoes, then three or four cucumbers, followed by beans, eggplants, and so on. Finally, she didn't forget to cut a large bunch of chives. When her family's financial situation wasn't as good, her grandmother used to make chive pockets to improve their meals. With a large bunch of chives and a little lard, the taste was incredibly fragrant. Even now, thinking of it, Su Xiaotian could still recall the aroma of chive pockets.
"Xiaotian, that's a lot, can we finish it?" Dong Yan'an asked, seeing Su Xiaotian picking vegetables with such gusto.
"It's not much. Yan'an, you should pull up a cabbage too." Su Xiaotian not only diligently harvested from the vegetable garden herself but also enlisted Dong Yan'an's help. Dong Yan'an's family was from the city, and they had to buy their vegetables. Except for winter storage cabbage, they rarely bought so many vegetables. Seeing Su Xiaotian's generous harvesting, Dong Yan'an couldn't remain calm.
"We can wash these tomatoes and eat them directly later. The cucumbers are good for a refreshing salad to cut through the richness. I feel like having chive pockets, and this bunch of chives is perfect. As for the beans and eggplants, they can be stir-fried or served cold! We have many people tonight, so let's make a few more dishes to ensure Director Lei and the others have a good meal." Su Xiaotian had meticulously planned how to use all the vegetables.