This person was known to Su Xiaotian; he was the workshop director responsible for production at the factory.
His name was Kong Xingguo, and like her, he had chosen to stay in the capital after graduating from university instead of returning to his hometown.
Ordinarily, this man seemed unremarkable, very by-the-book, with the air of an old scholar.
Who would have thought that such a person would also have a penchant for spicy food?
Su Xiaotian didn't speak, merely smiled faintly and continued to observe the others.
Some were grimacing, clearly unable to handle the spiciness.
Others had their mouths slick with oil, indicating they genuinely enjoyed the flavor.
A portion of the group was chewing slowly, and among them was Lei Gaocao.
These people had likely grasped the essence of Su Xiaotian's intention.
They were seriously contemplating the flavor profile.
Su Xiaotian herself picked up a piece of spicy pork trotters and began to savor it slowly.
Overall, the taste was quite good.
But as Dong Yan'an had said, it ultimately lacked a certain something.
The spiciness was certainly present, but the aroma was missing.
For those who lived for spice, this might not be a significant issue. However, for those who weren't particularly adept at handling chili peppers but enjoyed a bit of heat, it was somewhat unacceptable.
Su Xiaotian pondered for a long time, concluding that the problem likely lay with the chili peppers.
In her previous life, she had worked in hotels and occasionally helped out in the kitchen. Of course, she knew that even among chili peppers, the taste differences could be substantial.
Some chili peppers were primarily spicy, while others naturally possessed an inherent fragrance that left a lingering aroma in the mouth when chewed slowly.
The spicy flavors that became popular nationwide in later years largely originated from the Sichuan and Chongqing regions, where chili peppers were known for their natural fragrance.
The chili peppers Dong Yan'an had chosen clearly lacked this quality.
While this issue could be resolved through other ingredient combinations, Su Xiaotian felt it would be better to address it at the source, allowing the natural aroma of the chili peppers to take center stage.
What kind of chili peppers should be sourced to achieve this goal?
Su Xiaotian fell into thought.
Seeing Su Xiaotian frown and ponder while eating, Lei Gaocao guessed that she had identified a problem.
He couldn't fathom how a teenage girl understood so much.
She was truly an all-around talent!
Such an outstanding girl, why wasn't she his own?
Su Xiaotian was unaware of the thoughts of Director Lei, who sat opposite her. She was contemplating which chili peppers would be suitable.
After some thought, Su Xiaotian suddenly recalled a type of chili pepper she had eaten in her hometown. It wasn't very spicy, but it was full of fragrance, and that fragrance was quite unique.
Perhaps it was worth a try.
With the chili pepper issue resolved, Su Xiaotian continued to taste carefully.
The spicy flavor lacked a certain sweetness, inevitably making the aftertaste insufficient.
It felt merely dry and spicy when eaten, which wasn't ideal.
Su Xiaotian chewed slowly, pinpointing the shortcomings bit by bit.
Su Xiaotian's palate, honed by Grandma Su's excellent cooking since childhood, was practically at the level of a master food critic.
Soon, she had identified most of the existing deficiencies.
After everyone had eaten a piece of spicy pork trotters, especially Kong Xingguo, who had already devoured two large pieces at the fastest pace, Su Xiaotian looked at everyone.
The group naturally knew that this meal wasn't just for free.
Indeed, there was a test.
They just didn't know what the young boss intended to test them on.
When Su Xiaotian posed the question, several people visibly relaxed.
This question was easy to answer.
They, the leadership, were not ordinary workers. They could clearly see that Su Xiaotian was no ordinary person.
They never dared to deceive or be perfunctory with the young boss.
The group began to discuss animatedly, sharing their opinions on the spicy pork trotters.
Su Xiaotian listened, her lips curving into a smile.
The saying "different people, different tastes" was vividly demonstrated here.
Indeed, everyone had a different preference: some found it too spicy, others not spicy enough, and some felt the flavor was too monotonous and that Sichuan peppercorns should be added.
In short, everyone had different views and ideas.
Dong Yan'an, holding a small notebook, diligently recorded everyone's thoughts.
The young girl was very excited; most people were satisfied with this flavor, and the issues raised were minor details that needed modification.
For Dong Yan'an, who was engaged in this kind of research for the first time, this was undoubtedly great affirmation.
However, while recording, she felt that much of it might not be useful.
Dong Yan'an believed that these ideas might not be of much use for this particular flavor, but perhaps they could be applied when developing new flavors in the future.
For instance, would adding enough Sichuan peppercorns create a new mala flavor?
Su Xiaotian was also carefully analyzing the useful content from everyone's comments.
Su Xiaotian possessed a strong ability for broad knowledge and memory, so she didn't need a notebook.
She organized everyone's thoughts in her mind, point by point.
This discussion lasted for half an hour.
When Wang Xianghua came to serve the dishes, she couldn't help but urge them on. Only then did Su Xiaotian conclude the day's discussion, saying they would continue another day.
After everyone had finished discussing the spicy pork trotters, they officially began their meal.
It had to be said that spicy pork trotters had considerable market appeal.
Even though the group had raised so many points of dissatisfaction, the first dish to be finished was a large platter of spicy pork trotters.
Next came the glistening, reddish braised pork belly.
For people in later generations, braised pork belly with its rich sauce, soy sauce, and alternating layers of fat and lean meat might not be much, but for people of this era, regardless of good or bad conditions, it was incredibly appealing.
Not to mention the braised pork belly cooked with the Su family's secret recipe, its flavor was incomparable to others.
Everyone ate with relish, praising the dish.
After finishing the braised pork belly, came the vegetable dishes, which served perfectly to cut through the richness.
However, everyone had a feeling: why were even the ordinary vegetable dishes so delicious?
Since they were so delicious, of course, they had to eat more.
Wouldn't it be a loss to eat less?
Driven by this mentality, everyone's pace of eating quickened.
Su Xiaotian herself didn't eat much. Besides the pork trotters, she only had tomatoes, cucumbers, and leek pancakes, and she was already quite full.
Lei Gaocao and the others had previously thought the factory canteen's food was good, but in comparison, it paled in significance.
"Young boss, your family's food is truly delicious!" Lei Gaocao exclaimed, "I'm curious to know which master chef made this. Should we try to recruit them to cook at our factory?"
Su Xiaotian chuckled, covering her mouth. "That might not be possible. The one cooking today is my aunt; she's the head of the farm and one of the owners!"
Hearing Su Xiaotian say this, Lei Gaocao was somewhat disappointed.
"Actually, the factory's master chef is good, but communal meals, no matter who cooks them, can't achieve the same deliciousness as small-scale cooking."
Communal meals, regardless of who prepares them, couldn't produce such excellent flavors.
Hearing this, Lei Gaocao couldn't help but start calculating in his mind.
Should he try to build a relationship with the farm and come over for a meal every few days?
It should be possible, right?
Then, he wouldn't bring these burdens along and would sneak over by himself.
Little did he know that at this moment, he wasn't the only one with the same idea.
Almost everyone whose taste buds had been conquered by Wang Xianghua that day had the same thought as Lei Gaocao.