Vol. 1 - Ch. 10 - Bread Production Line

"Director, this whole set of equipment will cost at least 100,000 yuan. My suggestion is that we don't need to make such a big fuss right from the start. We can make it semi-automatic and semi-manual to see how the market accepts it first. In this way, even if the market is not good, we won't lose too much."

Li Yunlong's suggestion wasn’t selfish at all. He stood from the perspective of the food factory. As the head of the workshop, it was very likely that he would be in charge of the new bread workshop after it was built. However, he wasn’t optimistic about the bread market. It was just that Shu Ping brought it up and it was difficult to refute it. After seeing her schedule today, he thought she was too aggressive. It would cost a lot of money for something that she had no idea about. How many loaves would she have to sell to make the money back?

Shu Ping didn’t impose her will on him. Although she had made plans in her heart, she knew that Li Yunlong's suggestion wasn’t selfish. To avoid disputes, she put the topic aside first.

"I don't know much about equipment, but my brother is a mechanic, so I'll ask him for his opinion. You can arrange for someone to clean up the back of the factory first. You never know when it’ll be needed."

Li Yunlong had no objection to this matter and agreed readily. He thought that although Shu Jun had no experience, he was a famous university student and would not fail to see the problem. As a brother, he was more suitable to speak than an employee.

Shu Ping, a person of action, had just decided to go to the provincial capital to find Shu Jun. She would arrange for the warehouse to sort out the goods. She planned to let Huo Feng drive there. When they leave, they won’t drive empty. He would take some goods to the provincial capital to sell. Then she would consult with Shu Jun and bring back suitable equipment directly.

She knew that in the eyes of many people, the factory was very profitable and there was no need to make trouble. But she knew too well that with the economic development, these products of the Hongyuan Food Factory would be eliminated by the market sooner or later. Who would eat fruit candies and peach cakes in the future? Even if it was brown sugar and white sugar used by every household for cooking, when the large supermarkets were opened everywhere and the customers gained brand awareness, they would choose familiar products instead of food factories like Hongyuan that weren’t much better than small workshops.

Being high up, one could climb far, but it was also lonely. She could communicate these words to Shu Jun without any obstacles, but she could not make the employees in the factory understand it. Even if they listened to her without objection, it was because she was the factory director, not because they really understood it. There were definitely many people who thought the same as Li Yunlong.

This busy schedule lasted until lunchtime. When Shu Ping arrived at the canteen, the workers lined up in an orderly manner at the window. When they saw her coming, they all wanted to give her a seat. Shu Ping declined one by one and let the workers who came later than her line up in front of her.

"No, factory director, how can we dare cut in front of you?"

"What's there to be embarrassed about? I took the initiative to give way. I just want to eat more of the leftovers at the end. Don't grab them from me."

The workers all knew she was joking. There was no limit on the food in the factory. They ate until they were full. If there was any leftover food at the end of the night, the workers were allowed to pack it up and take it home. They were determined not to leave leftovers and not waste food.

Villagers often said that the food factory not only supported the workers but also the workers' families and it could save a lot of food in a year.

Today's dishes include celery fried pork slices, pickled cabbage noodles, chili eggs, potato stewed chicken, winter melon pickles, and beef bone soup. Aunt Liu Yanfang personally prepared it for her. The bowl was full and almost overflowed.

"Aunt, don't prepare rice for me next time. Eating so much will delay my weight loss."

Liu Yanfang hated to hear her say the word "weight loss" the most. For the older generation, young girls should be plump to look good. Those who were skinny and didn't have more than two taels of meat on their bodies were unlucky.

"That won't do. I told them that I don't care about others, but you have to call me when it's your turn. Look, your chin has become pointed again these days. How can a young girl not eat more? Wait until you grow up to my age before talking about weight loss."

Everyone in the kitchen had eaten in advance, and Liu Yanfang had eaten too. Shu Ping sat with Hu Huiying and Li Yueling with her rice bowl. Who knew that the two were gossiping about Huo Feng?

Li Yueling said in a thin voice, "He's 25 and still single. I think he's in good condition, but why hasn't he found a wife at this age? I went to ask someone and they said he came back from the army last year and could have been promoted to company commander, but he retired to take care of his mother. It's not that no one introduced him to a girl, but his mother held him back. Girls nowadays are much more pampered than we were back then. Eight out of ten want to marry big bosses or marry city dwellers. Their family doesn't even have a house, and they have to take care of a patient who has been paralyzed in bed for years. It's not just one or two years, but the rest of their lives. They have to think about it carefully."

Hu Huiying was older and considered different issues from younger girls. She thought Huo Feng was a good person with a good temper and lots of technical knowledge. Even if the Huo family was facing difficulties now, it was only temporary.

"There is no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world. Everyone wants to marry a big boss, but how many big bosses are there to marry? People in the city are also picky. If they aren’t the best, they won’t want you. Then they’ll be the ones who suffer. When they meet their match in the future, they’ll know how good it is to have a man who lives a down-to-earth life."

She often said these words to her brothers and sisters at home, but no one liked to hear them, saying that her ideas were old-fashioned and outdated and could not keep up with the times. What era was this? Was this the "materialism" and "money worship" mentioned in the newspaper?

Li Yueling also agreed and was thinking about introducing her cousin to him.

"My cousin is honest, but a little fat. I'll try to introduce him to her after a few days when we get to know each other better. I don't know if it’ll work out."

Shu Ping, who had met Li Yueling's cousin, had a face full of question marks. What did she call a little fat? With a height of less than 1.6 meters and a weight of more than 150 kilograms, the picture of the two standing together was unimaginable.

Li Yueling looked around and didn't see Huo Feng. She asked Hu Huiying in confusion, "I don't see him. Did you mention to him to eat in the cafeteria?"

"Oh, I really forgot."

She had not been in office for long and hadn’t recruited many new people. The cafeteria of the food factory was well-known, so she forgot to remind him of this matter.

Hu Huiying looked at Shu Ping, afraid that she would blame her for not doing things properly.

Shu Ping naturally wouldn't blame her for such a small matter, but after knowing that Huo Feng's mother was paralyzed in bed, she felt that the factory had to show some humanistic care and provide targeted care.

"If you forgot, then forget it. Remember to tell him when he comes in the afternoon. Also, tell him that the food in the cafeteria is allowed to be packed and taken home. His mother's condition definitely doesn’t allow her to cook at home. It's better to pack it up from the factory and take it home. If he is on a business trip, we can find another way to send it."

Hu Huiying was amazed. She felt that she was a half-baked HR person who didn't have even one-third of the meticulousness of the factory director. She was simply growing so old in vain.

"Okay, when he comes in the afternoon, I’ll definitely explain the factory director's intentions clearly. Entering our factory, it's really a blessing."

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