"Hmm, this crispy meat would be better with a bit more salt. It’s not bad now, it’s just a bit light on flavor."
Crunch crunch.
"This fish was steamed a tad too long, the flesh is a bit tough, but still okay. I’m telling you, you can’t steam fish for more than ten minutes, otherwise the meat gets tough and not tender."
Crunch crunch.
"These ribs..."
Smack!
Cheng Su finally couldn’t stand it and slammed her chopsticks down hard on the table, looking menacingly at Ning Ge, not even a good meal could shut this guy up!
Ning Ge shrank his neck, zipped his mouth shut with his hand, and buried his head to eat.
"Fourth Young Master Ning has such picky taste, our common folk’s food might not suit your palate, so don’t force yourself." Cheng Su moved all the dishes to Qi Taiguo’s side of the table.
Ning Ge, watching the crispy meat fly away, grinned sheepishly, "I didn’t say anything wrong, just a little critique for improvement, right?"
Cheng Su huffed and stood up to get more rice.
Seeing this, Ning Ge immediately sidled up to Qi Taiguo and whispered, "Big brother, you really have it rough; I think sister-in-law’s temper isn’t too great!"
Qi Taiguo gave him a cool glance and said, "If you’re not eating, go for a walk downstairs, it’s good exercise, and you’ll heal faster."
Then you can scram!
Ning Ge, hitting a brick wall, looked embarrassed.
"Today, Friendly Food Company came looking for me, wanting to buy the pineapple jam recipe," Cheng Su told Qi Taiguo.
Qi Taiguo was surprised, "Did you sell it?"
"How could I? Right now, the restaurant has specifically reserved a section just to make jam," Cheng Su swallowed the food in her mouth and continued, "I’m also thinking of looking for strawberries to see if I could make something new!"
"Strawberries, Qing City doesn’t seem to have any production sites."
"Yeah!" That was exactly the issue Cheng Su was struggling with, but since she planned to do it, she had to look around.
Ning Ge, who had perked his ears up the whole time, pointed at the pineapple jam on the storage shelf, "Is this jam made by you, sister-in-law?"
Cheng Su bristled, "Any problems with that?"
"No, I just find it quite tasty," Ning Ge said, trying to please her.
That’s more like it, kid.
"So, it sounds like you’re planning on getting into the jam business?" Ning Ge asked again, "I’ve noticed that foreign dining tables are seldom without jam, but it seems like none of our domestic food companies have produced any good jam."
Cheng Su and Qi Taiguo both looked at him at the same moment.
Ning Ge puffed out his chest, a proud look on his face, "Don’t judge me by my lack of achievements, I’ve had a few years of foreign education."
"There are no domestic jams for export yet?" Cheng Su, intrigued, asked.
"There are imports, but they’re very expensive, not affordable for the average person. As for exports, I really haven’t heard of any," Ning Ge said as he took another piece of crispy meat, chewed it thoroughly, and swallowed, "But sister-in-law, if you’re thinking of expanding in that direction, it won’t be easy. From what you said, you’re just processing in a small workshop right?"
"Nowadays, food processing is strict, and food for import and export are even more strictly monitored. If you want to grow big, I’m afraid it won’t be easy. Not to mention exporting, even to distribute nationwide without support from a big company, you couldn’t do it either, right?" Ning Ge continued: "How much did the food company offer for the recipe?"
"Five thousand yuan!"
"What?"
Qi Taiguo and Ning Ge looked at her in astonishment; five thousand yuan was not a small sum, and she wasn’t even tempted?
Qi Taiguo felt it was a bit of a pity, and Ning Ge’s gaze at Cheng Su changed somewhat.
In those times, five thousand yuan was a fortune. Cheng Su, rumored to be just a village girl without even a complete high school education, had withstood such a temptation?