Chapter 394: Eighty's Gourmet System (32)

With so many customers pouring in all at once, Xie Yang couldn't even keep up with boiling the Autumn Pear Paste.

Moreover, someone's wife had taken a jar of Autumn Pear Paste to visit relatives in a neighboring county, and for several Sundays after that, residents from that neighboring county would always travel for half a day by bus just to come and buy it.

When they couldn't find the way, they would ask: "How do I get to the snack bar here that sells Autumn Pear Paste?"

Chunhe Lane Red Flag Snack Department: It seemed to have lost its name, but it also seemed to have gained a brand-new one.

Because of this, the Autumn Pear Paste that was originally planned to be sold until the end of winter or early spring sold out just as the year was coming to a close.

This left the residents from the neighboring county who had traveled from afar wringing their hands in regret:

"How could it be sold out already! I had such a hard time getting time off work to come buy it!"

A regular customer who frequented the snack bar chimed in: "Nothing to be done, who told you this was a limited edition!"

Then, they earnestly reminded the other person: "Next time you see the small blackboard saying 'limited edition,' hurry up and come buy it; once you miss this village, you won't find this shop! Really! I've encountered this several times! I didn't even get my fill of the Walnut Kernel Bread the first time."

"..."

Perhaps because Xie Yang helped the Nongchang solve that batch of unsellable autumn pears in less than two months, the Nongchang director highly agreed with the words of the livestock farm director, believing that Comrade Xiao Xie was indeed a capable person.

Consequently, whenever the Nongchang had seasonal produce hitting the market, they would have the livestock farm's delivery driver bring some over to Xie Yang.

Xie Yang couldn't just take them for nothing, so she would return some food items sold at the snack bar.

Once, the Nongchang sent over a basket of chestnuts, and Xie Yang simply returned two jin of Chestnut Crisp Cake.

It was also baked in the oven.

At first glance, it looked a bit like Suzhou-style mooncakes, but the texture was closer to wife cakes, only the filling used was chestnuts.

After dividing a basket of chestnuts into Chestnut Crisp Cakes among a few close families and sending a few jin to the Nongchang and the livestock farm, there weren't many left, so she didn't sell them.

Unexpectedly, after the Nongchang director's wife received them, she tasted one and thought it was delicious, so she asked the director:

"Where was this crisp cake bought? Buy some more; it's quite good for giving as gifts when visiting relatives during the New Year."

The director: "..."

Could he say it was a return gift from Xiao Xie's snack bar?

What gift?

Chestnuts!

However, this opened up a new line of thinking for him.

This morning, Xie Yang sent the two children to the Yuhong Class and stepped through the snow, which wasn't yet very thick, to the snack bar.

She was mulling over the idea that if the snow kept falling, she would discuss closing the shop early for the holiday with Xiao Rong.

She had to work at the snack bar, and on such cold days, she couldn't rest easy leaving the two children home alone, so she had to send them to the Yuhong Class early in the morning.

Facing the cold wind and stepping through the snow to work and school every day was truly a hardship!

In this kind of weather, wouldn't it be more delightful to sleep in under the covers?

The more she thought about it, the more she felt the plan to start the New Year holiday early was feasible, and Xie Yang decided to discuss it with Xiao Rong today.

Anyway, she had earned quite a bit over these past few months, and taking a few extra days off for the New Year was the best reward for a worker.

"Chef Xie!"

"Chef Xie, there's a phone call for you!"

Just as she reached the entrance of the Gad Steel Factory, she saw the gatekeeper uncle waving to call her over.

"A call for me?"

"Yes, at the Factory Director's office on the second floor; they said to call back as soon as you arrived."

Who could it be?

Someone was actually calling her?

Xie Yang was puzzled, but she quickened her pace and went to the Factory Director's office.

Once the call was connected and she heard the Nongchang director state the purpose of the call, Xie Yang: "..."

Was it too late to hang up now and claim she hadn't received it?

What did it have to do with her that the Nongchang had so many chestnuts they couldn't fit them in the Warehouse!

Her own Shuisheng had also brought out chestnuts; it was enough for the three of them to roast chestnuts around the stove to get through the winter.

The director continued on the other end of the line:

"... My wife said the chestnut cakes you made are better than any pastry sold at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. I was thinking that since the Nongchang's chestnuts are just piling up, we provide the chestnuts, and you are responsible for making them into cakes; you can just offset the cost of the chestnuts with the chestnut cakes for me. It's almost New Year's, and we have to give out benefits to the staff anyway; my wife said chestnut cakes would be great as benefits, and it saves us from spending money on other things. What do you think of my proposal?"

"..."

Not great!

She only wanted to start her holiday early!

But the other party was the Nongchang director, and in the future, if the snack bar lacked fruits or vegetables, she would still have to rely on his help.

After all, in this day and age, private Planting farms hadn't developed yet, and the snack bar's ingredients all relied on the Nongchang and livestock farm for allocation and distribution.

As someone running a snack bar, she couldn't afford to offend the Nongchang director.

Xie Yang sighed toward the sky.

Fine! A few more days of work it is!

Once this batch of chestnut cakes is sold, she's taking a holiday!

Xie "only wants to lie flat and hibernate" Yang went to work roasting chestnut cakes with this resentment.

She hoped that Mingjiang City would soon open up the rights to contract rural farmland; she wanted to rent a plot of land to do some Planting herself.

Not only would she grow her own vegetables and melons, but she would also set up a small livestock farm and raise chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, and sheep.

She would supply the ingredients needed for the snack bar herself!

Calculating it this way, the money on hand seemed far from enough!

Leasing land for large-scale Planting and animal husbandry is no small sum.

Still have to work hard! Keep grinding!

Xie Yang put on her clean chef's uniform, straightened her chef's hat, rolled up her sleeves a few times, and threw herself into the baking of Chestnut Crisp Cakes with Liu Shen.

"Oh my! What smells so good?"

"What good thing is the Hongqi Snack Bar selling again?"

"Good stuff! Chestnut Crisp Cake! Chef Xie cut a piece and shared it among us who were there; the taste is really not bad! It looks a bit like a mooncake, but it tastes even more fragrant, sweet, soft, and glutinous."

"Then I'm going to go weigh some out, just consider it preparing New Year's goods in advance!"

Once they heard about preparing New Year's goods, even more people went to buy.

The Snack Bar's baking kiln never rested, batch after batch, yet supply still couldn't meet demand.

The purchasing agent from the Gad Steel Factory even came to find Xie Yang: "Chef Xie, the Factory Director said the chestnut cakes you make are delicious, and also said the Nongchang and the livestock farm have both placed orders with you to distribute as New Year's goods for the staff. Let me ask you, if our factory also places an order with you, is the quantity enough??"

"..."

It is enough!

But if it comes to this, there will be no need to sell to the public.

After the residents heard, they were resentful: "If I had known, I would have bought more a few days ago! Now they say they aren't selling to the public anymore!"

"Doesn't your Gad Steel Factory have chestnut cakes as year-end benefits? Our textile factory was a step slow; when we had the purchasing agent go find Chef Xie, she said there weren't enough chestnuts. If you want to eat them, wait until next year."

"It seems this chestnut cake is also a limited edition!"

"..."

Xie Yang and Liu Shen were busy for a whole week, and finally cleared out the stock of chestnuts sent from the Nongchang.

After finishing this wave, she completely wanted to take a vacation.

"Mom! Mom! Get up quick!"

The next morning, Musheng shook Xie Yang awake:

"Musheng is dressed, going to Yuhong Class!"

See, she said the Yuhong Class was still very useful.

The little guy has only been going for half a year, and can already speak fluent long sentences.

Xie Yang gratifiedly reached out her hand, hugged the little guy, and kissed him.

The air is really cold!

It's so cold she wants to shrink back into the warm quilt again.

Why don't houses in Mingjiang City build a Fire Kang like in the north?

It's too cold, don't want to get up!