Chapter 474: New Product
Chapter 474: New Product
After selling his fish and earning over seventy-three dollars, Zhou Chensen carried his bucket and rode his bicycle back to the village.
Upon returning home, he first gave the bucket of fish to his mother, Zhou Mu, and then asked, "Isn't Kang An, Kang Ping's younger brother, still looking for work?"
Some people planned to wait until after the Qingming Festival to find work, or they had gone out but found that making money wasn't as easy as they thought, so they stayed in the city to look for jobs.
The last time Zhou Chensen went home to organize the rice fields, he ran into Zhou Kang'an and had a brief chat. He learned that Kang An intended to wait until after Qingming to start his job search.
Zhou Mu replied, "Yes, your second aunt is planning to find him a wife, but he hasn't found one he likes yet. So, he's staying home to help with the rice planting and will leave after Qingming."
Zhou Chensen said, "I'll go find Kang An and ask him to help with fishing at night. Is Yong Jian still not working?"
Zhou Mu paused for a moment, "Yes, he hasn't left yet. Don't you want to ask your uncle and them?"
With the children around, Zhou Chensen didn't say much. He simply said, "I'm asking Kang An and Yong Jian to help with night fishing, not the evening squid fishing. Li Qingmin and his team will still do the night fishing."
However, he would eventually replace Li Qingmin and his team.
Of course, it would be best if Li Xiuxian took care of this herself.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Mu immediately exclaimed, "That's great! That's great!"
After spending so much money on a boat, they were still hiring people, and there wasn't much profit to be made daily.
Although her son wasn't worried, Zhou Mu was anxious on his behalf!
Zhou Chenglei glanced at his second brother, then continued to focus on carving wood and making drying nets.
He knew his brother had a plan and would handle the situation well.
Zhou Chensen then went out to find people for night fishing.
At this time, Jiang Xia was at the old residence with He Xinghuan, Fen Yi, and Tai Nainai, sampling the small tube squid.
They spent half the afternoon preparing three different flavors of the squid.
Jiang Xia tried all three flavors and then asked He Xinghuan, Fen Yi, and Tai Nainai for their opinions, "Which flavor do you think is the best?"
Fen Yi replied, "I like the spicy one."
He Xinghuan said, "I also love spicy food, but the soy sauce flavor seems a bit bland."
Tai Nainai added, "The spicy one is good, the soy sauce flavor is a bit fishy, and the sweet and sour one is too sour. It made my teeth hurt."
Jiang Xia asked He Xinghuan and Fen Yi, "Do you find it too sour?"
"A little," they replied.
Fen Yi suggested, "I don't like sour food. Why don't we try making a sweet and spicy flavor?"
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "We can give it a try."
Jiang Xia had been enjoying sour flavors recently and didn't find it too sour, but if everyone else felt that way, it was time to make some adjustments.
People in the south preferred sweeter flavors, while those in the north favored saltier tastes.
So, they adjusted the proportions of the soy sauce and sweet and sour sauces, and the group began preparing another pot with the modified flavors. They also made a pot of sweet and spicy squid.
This time, the results were much better. All three flavors received unanimous praise, and even the sweet and spicy squid was delicious.
It was just after school, and Zhou Xie, Zhou Zhou, and Guang Zong Yao Zu rushed into the old residence, attracted by the delicious aroma. They couldn't stop eating.
Jiang Xia asked them which flavor they preferred, and each child had a different answer. Except for Zhou Wenguang, who liked the spicy flavor, the others had varying preferences, some favoring the soy sauce, sweet and sour, or sweet and spicy flavors.
Jiang Xia turned to He Xinghuan and the others and said, "For the first batch, let's make all four flavors and see which ones are most popular. We'll focus on producing the most well-received flavor in the future."
The three of them laughed and agreed, "Sounds good!"
Jiang Xia continued, "Starting tomorrow, I'll purchase a large quantity of small tube squid. Let's make this a big success!"
He Xinghuan's lips twitched slightly at this statement, but she decided to hold her thoughts for now. She would speak to Jiang Xia about it later that night.
After determining the right proportion of seasonings, the group packaged the small tube squids into bags, vacuum-sealing them individually.
Once everything was packed, Jiang Xia said to Fen Yi, "Take a bag of each flavor home for your family and kids to try. See which flavor the children like best."
Jiang Xia directly took three plates of the small tube squids home for her family to sample.
Jiang Xia placed the three plates of differently flavored small tube squids in the kitchen and said to Zhou Mu, "Mom, try the new product and give me your feedback."
She then took two sets of utensils, picked two of each flavor, served a bowl to Zhou Mu, and carried another bowl out, heading towards Zhou Chenglei.
Jiang Xia picked a sweet and spicy piece for Zhou Chenglei to taste.
"How's the flavor?"
"It's delicious," Zhou Chenglei replied.
Jiang Xia then picked a piece with a savory sauce.
"Which one is better?"
"Both are good," Zhou Chenglei answered.
"Which flavor do you prefer?"
"The second one," he said.
...
Finally, Jiang Xia picked a spicy one.
Before Jiang Xia could ask, Zhou Chenglei spoke up, "This one is the best."
"Then let's make more of the spicy and savory flavors. You call Hou Ye later and ask him to come over tomorrow. I plan to buy a large quantity of small tube squids from the fishermen, and we'll focus on processing these squids for the next two months."
Since she couldn't attend the Guangzhou Fair, she wanted to make the most of this small tube squid season.
Even a small profit would be good; otherwise, she was worried about not having enough money for the boat's remaining payment.
Everyone knew that squid was valuable, and the selling price could be higher. Processed squid could earn at least one to one and a half yuan per pound.
Zhou Chenglei turned to her, "Alright, then we won't go to the Guangzhou Fair."
Jiang Xia glared at him and didn't bother to respond. She turned and went back to the kitchen.
Zhou Chenglei smiled, finished carving the wood, and made the call.
For dinner, Zhou Mu stir-fried the small tube squids with chili peppers, boiled some, and pan-fried a plate of white ladyfish. She also made a mixed fish stew and a dish of sweet potato leaves sauteed with minced garlic.
By the time the family finished dinner, it was already past six.
Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chensen prepared another set of tools for light fishing for squid. When Zhou Chengxin arrived, the three brothers, along with their crew, set out to sea.
Today, Zhou Chenglei also invited Zhou Guodong and his brothers to join them.
Four boats from the Zhou family, along with one from Zhou Guodong's family, headed out to sea together, a total of five boats.
The fishermen in the village knew that Zhou Chenglei had successfully lured squids with lights, so many of them went out to sea that night.
Zhou Chenglei still headed to the same area as the previous night. Although it was a bit farther, there were fewer fishing boats, which meant more small tube squids to catch.
Of course, this was the ideal scenario; the reality depended on whether there were squids in that area.
It was all a matter of luck.
If there were squids in the sea, they would come to the light.
If there weren't any squids, no amount of lighting would attract them.
After Zhou Chenglei went out to sea, He Xinghuan and Tai Nai Nai came over.
Usually, after dinner, Tai Nai Nai would come over to watch TV, knowing that they wouldn't be going out to sea the next day.
If they knew the family was going out to sea the next day, Tai Nai Nai and the others wouldn't come, so as not to disturb their rest.
He Xinghuan said to Jiang Xia, "Xia Xia, from now on, you don't need to split the profits from the small fish fry and small squids with me."
Jiang Xia looked at her, "What's the matter? Do you have any plans?"
Zhou Mu also looked over.
(End of Chapter)
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