txolops Chapter 21 Expanding Production
Chapter 21 Expanding Production
Eight o'clock in the morning.
In a rented room in an urban village, the morning light has just begun to illuminate the living room.
"Bang bang bang".
There was a knock on the door.
Lin Chen opened the iron gate, and Wang Hai, wearing a faded short-sleeved shirt, stood outside looking energetic, carrying several steaming meat buns and soy milk.
"Good morning, Brother Chen!"
Wang Hai had a loud voice, clearly indicating he had a good night's sleep last night. "I just bought it at the street corner. You and Tangtang should eat it while it's hot."
Wang Hai placed the breakfast on the folding table.
Good morning, Uncle Fatty!
Tangtang had changed into a clean set of old clothes and sat obediently on a small stool, waving her little hand at Wang Hai.
"Tangtang is such a good girl."
Wang Hai smiled and ruffled the little girl's hair, then pulled up a stool and sat down. He looked at Lin Chen, who was washing his hands, and said, "Brother Chen, the twenty catties of old rice we bought the day before yesterday were completely gone yesterday afternoon."
What are your plans for today? How much stock do you need?
Lin Chen dried his hands with a towel, walked to the table and sat down, taking out a meat bun and handing it to Tangtang.
"Prepare a little extra today, make a hundred servings."
Lin Chen took a sip of soy milk and said in a calm tone.
"One hundred servings?"
Wang Hai's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, "I agree!"
Brother Chen, you didn't see it yesterday, but when you were packing up the pot, there were more than a dozen people in the lobby of the building staring at you expectantly.
Those are all customers who are holding onto their money but haven't spent it!
Lin Chen calmly analyzed, "Yesterday, many people in the building were temporarily provoked by the actions of the planning department and that female secretary."
This indicates that a significant portion of the potential customer base in Yintai Building remains untapped.
"Once the news spreads throughout their organization today, the number of customers who missed out yesterday, plus the new customers attracted today, will definitely be even greater than yesterday."
Lin Chen put down the paper cup. "One hundred servings is just enough to handle this overflowing market, and it won't exceed my physical limit for one person with one pot."
Any more, and the cooking time and serving speed become unpredictable.
"That makes sense!"
Wang Hai slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "One hundred copies, that's ten thousand yuan in revenue!"
Brother Chen, you've calculated this perfectly.
"Let's eat quickly, then we'll go to the market!"
Half an hour later, at the East District Farmers Market.
The market was bustling with activity in the morning.
Wang Hai pushed the small cart, leading the way with practiced ease, and the three headed straight for the grain and oil store.
The owner of the grain and oil store was watching short videos on his phone when he looked up and saw Lin Chen and his two companions. He quickly came over to greet them.
"Hey boss, what would you like to order today?"
The boss remembers these people; they just bought twenty catties of old rice the day before yesterday.
"The old rice from the day before yesterday, a whole bag, 100 jin (50 kg)."
Lin Chen walked to the corner, pointed to the shriveled, aged rice, and spoke calmly.
The boss paused for a moment, then immediately beamed: "Alright!"
"A whole bag weighs 100 jin (50 kg), I'll give you a discount, 180 yuan!"
Wang Hai asked in a low voice, "Brother Chen, a hundred servings of fried rice won't use a hundred catties of raw rice, right?"
Yesterday, we only used 17 jin (8.5 catties) for 80 portions.
"One hundred servings of fried rice require approximately twenty-two kilograms of raw rice."
As Lin Chen took out his phone to scan the QR code to pay, he explained, "I'll only steam 22 jin today."
Keep the rest at home for future use.
"From now on, we'll set up our stall every day. It'll be more cost-effective to buy a whole bag directly, and it'll save us from having to go to the grain and oil store every day."
"Yeah! My brain..."
Wang Hai suddenly realized what was going on, and he hoisted the 100-pound bag of old rice onto his shoulder and carefully placed it into the cart.
After buying the rice, the three of them went to the poultry section.
"Boss, bring me eight trays of free-range eggs!"
Choose eggs that are uniform in size and have firm yolks.
Wang Hai's loud voice was full of confidence.
Eight trays of eggs, a total of 240, are enough to make 100 servings of fried rice, with some left over.
The stall owner grinned from ear to ear, tied the eggs together with rope, and stacked them in his cart.
Finally, Lin Chen personally selected four large bundles of fresh scallions with thick white parts from the vegetable section.
The delivery was completed at 10:00 AM.
The three returned to their rented apartment with their loot.
After putting down his things, Wang Hai didn't even drink a sip of water before picking up the bucket and rag.
"Brother Chen, the kitchen is yours now."
I'll go wipe the tricycle clean inside and out again, and fill the gas cylinder completely. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly when I set up my stall this afternoon!
After saying that, Wang Hai picked up the bucket and ran downstairs.
Inside the rented room, food preparation officially began.
Thanks to yesterday's experience, and with the two large commercial rice cookers borrowed today, everything proceeded smoothly.
Lin Chen weighed out 22 jin of old rice from the 100-jin sack with extreme precision.
Wash the rice, put it in the pot, and turn on the power.
Chop the scallions, put them in a box, and seal it.
The whole process was smooth and seamless.
While cooking rice, Lin Chen also made a simple steamed egg custard for Tangtang to tide her over.
At noon, accompanied by the beeping of the rice cooker, the rich and pure aroma of rice filled the entire house.
Lin Chen poured all the cooked rice, weighing several dozen kilograms, onto a flat bamboo tray. He quickly spread and loosened it with a wooden spatula, then turned on the floor fan and blew it at maximum speed onto the bamboo tray.
The food preparation process was described in a swift and brief manner, without any unnecessary actions.
2:30 p.m.
The cooked rice, made from 22 jin of raw rice, had been completely cooled down by the continuous blowing of the fan.
The moisture was completely removed, and the rice grains became extremely dry and firm, with each grain distinct.
"Bang."
The iron gate of the rented room was pushed open, and Wang Hai walked in, covered in sweat.
Although he was soaked to the bone, his face showed extreme excitement.
"Brother Chen, the car is clean!"
The gas cylinder has been replaced with a full one!
Wang Hai walked to the kitchen door, looked at the three large bamboo trays of dry rice, and the eight trays of neatly stacked eggs next to them, and couldn't help but rub his hands together.
"All the ingredients for one hundred servings of fried rice are ready!"
Wang Hai took a deep breath, unable to contain his excitement, "Brother Chen, everything is ready, we're just waiting to set up our stall this afternoon!"
Lin Chen stopped using the wooden spatula and put all the thoroughly cooled rice into a clean, large stainless steel insulated container, then sealed it tightly.
He took off his apron, washed his face, and changed into a clean white short-sleeved shirt.
Looking at the prepared ingredients on the ground, Lin Chen's eyes were calm and profound.
Today's inventory has reached its current limit, and the flow of customers in the Yintai Building Plaza is destined to experience a real surge.
"Take a break."
Lin Chen glanced at the clock on the wall, his tone calm.
"Make sure you're well-rested before heading to the building this afternoon."