An intense, rich aroma wafted out, instantly captivating everyone present.
Kong Laifu took a deep breath and sighed, “I’ve been making Caozi Cakes for twenty years, and it turns out I’ve been doing it all wrong.”
He was the one reputed to be the most skilled master craftsman in the entire province.
Just by the scent alone, his Caozi Cakes were completely outclassed.
“How did you do this?” he asked.
Cheng Hui stood by the baking tray that had been taken out, inspecting the finished products.
They were uneven in size, the heat control was slightly off, and some had dry cracks.
“The ingredients still aren’t sufficient, and the technique is lacking. Please bear with it and give it a taste,” she said to the crowd, sidestepping the question.
Everyone was already too eager to wait. Ignoring the heat, they each picked up a piece to try.
It was Tao Juan who exclaimed first, “How is it so soft? So tender? I’ve never tasted Caozi Cakes this delicious in my life!”
She wanted to shout out her grievances loudly!
Just moments ago, she had nearly been reduced to tears by the scolding outside!
The others remained silent, avoiding her gaze…
Now, they too were stunned by the softness and tenderness of the Caozi Cakes. They had never dared to imagine that cake could be made so soft and tender, like cotton! And there was an indescribably sweet fragrance to it.
Sun Laifu could no longer contain himself and pressed excitedly, “How on earth did you do it? Using just thirty eggs? One jin of flour with six eggs? We’ve tried that recipe too! It never produced this kind of flavor! In fact, it felt a bit rough on the throat.”
Cheng Hui merely smiled and said nothing.
Gao Zhi couldn’t help but tug at her padded jacket, covering her pants pocket.
There were still five boiled eggs hidden inside! In reality, only five eggs were needed per jin of flour.
This was truly Cheng Hui’s secret recipe. Otherwise, to make a chiffon cake this soft and delicious, one would need 15 to 30 eggs per jin of flour!
Her repeated silence made everyone realize she had no intention of revealing it.
And rightly so—this recipe was far too important! Not only could it save their factory, but with it, she could secure a job at any pastry factory.
Guo Dajun became overwhelmingly enthusiastic again, shaking Cheng Hui’s hand excitedly. “From now on, you are the deputy director of our factory! What should we do next?”
“What do you think?” Cheng Hui asked.
Guo Dajun replied without hesitation, “I’ll take these Caozi Cakes to the County Food Factory. This time, they’re sure to give us the raw materials to continue production!”
Cheng Hui smiled faintly at him. Even after being pushed to this point, he was still so naive?
But having a naive superior was a good thing for her—it made him easier to persuade.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Cheng Hui said. “These Caozi Cakes were made on the spot by my Little Sister-in-law under my guidance. It was her first time making them, and she didn’t perform at her best. The ingredients were also somewhat lacking. They haven’t reached the standard I was aiming for. How about I make a few more batches to ensure consistency before you go and present them?”
Everyone was taken aback. A novice’s first attempt? And they were already this delicious, yet still not up to par? What would they be like at their best?
Their anticipation soared instantly.
After a moment’s hesitation, Guo Dajun agreed.
He was now brimming with confidence, certain that these Caozi Cakes would impress the County Food Factory’s leadership. Making them even better would only enhance their appeal, and a little more time wouldn’t hurt.
“Then keep going!” he said.
This time, he was exceptionally generous, bringing over all the remaining flour, eggs, and white sugar for her to use freely.
“I’ll also need milk. If milk isn’t available, powdered milk will do,” Cheng Hui said.
Everyone exchanged glances, perplexed. They had never added such a precious ingredient to their Caozi Cakes before.
Guo Dajun gritted his teeth. “I’ll go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and buy a can for you! You don’t need much, right?”
“One 500-gram can of milk powder can be mixed with 100 jin of flour,” Cheng Hui replied.
Guo Dajun felt a pang of heartache.
A hundred jin of flour cost only about 20 yuan, but 500 grams of milk powder cost 5 yuan! The cost had suddenly increased by a quarter!
But to save everyone’s jobs, he endured it!
A few minutes later, he returned with a glass jar of milk powder, bought with his own money, and carefully handed it to Cheng Hui.
The others lingered in the room, hesitating and reluctant to leave.
In any food factory, recipes were never kept secret—everyone worked together openly and transparently.
Relying on one person to do everything was impractical; it would be exhausting.
But this Commune Food Factory was too small, with only one oven that could bake two trays at a time, each holding 50 cakes.
One person could manage the workload.
Cheng Hui addressed the group, “One-on-one teaching is more effective. I’ll teach her first, and later, the two of us can teach the rest of you together. It’ll be faster.”
Hearing this, everyone left feeling satisfied.
With this skill, they could find jobs at other food factories…
No one was truly foolish.
Gao Zhi, however, was unhappy. As soon as the others left, she protested, “Sister-in-law, are you really going to teach them? They’re not like me! Be careful—teaching your apprentice too well might leave the master starving!”
“Do I look like a fool?” Cheng Hui sat down leisurely and brewed herself a cup of milk powder.
The milk powder from the 1970s had a pure, rich milk aroma—so delicious it made her want to sigh!
The baby in her womb seemed to love it too, kicking her gently several times.
Cheng Hui’s smile widened.
She would teach them, but certainly not now.
Seeing the countless schemes reflected on Cheng Hui’s face, Gao Zhi felt reassured.
“Have some too,” Cheng Hui offered.
Gao Zhi was overjoyed. “Really? Can I?”
Without waiting for Cheng Hui’s confirmation, she began devouring the cakes like a whirlwind!
Each fist-sized Caozi Cake disappeared in two bites!
Judging by her enthusiasm, one tray wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her.
“Eat less for now. It’s not good to indulge like this from the start. Once I’ve secured my position as the factory director, you can eat as much as you want,” Cheng Hui advised.
Gao Zhi choked up, her eyes welling with tears.
Sister-in-law was truly too good to her…
But her ambition was a bit overwhelming! So she didn’t want to be the deputy—she wanted to be the director?
……
After eating and drinking their fill, the two continued working.
This time, Cheng Hui took charge personally—measuring the ingredients and mixing them herself, only letting Gao Zhi act as a human egg beater.
The second batch came out of the oven even more delicate and tender.
And with the addition of milk, the flavor improved by more than a notch!
She baked two more batches, using up all the eggs before stopping.
The later batches tasted slightly better, but given the available ingredients, this was the best they could achieve.
Guo Dajun was thrilled at the sight of several large baskets filled with Caozi Cakes. The output was much higher than before.
Previously, they produced about 1.5 jin of Caozi Cakes from 1 jin of flour—roughly 15 cakes.
Now, Cheng Hui’s method made them fluffier, yielding 25 cakes per jin of flour, each the same size as before but in greater numbers.
The common folk would surely be happier buying them.
Who would dare say that the Hongqi Food Factory’s Caozi Cakes were no good? Who would dare use that as an excuse to fire them!
“I’ll deliver these to the County Food Factory right now!” Guo Dajun exclaimed, picking up a freshly baked basket and preparing to leave.
“Wait a moment,” Cheng Hui said. “I don’t think now is the right time either.”
Everyone turned to look at her.
“Director Guo, since I’m already the deputy director now, let’s divide our responsibilities. From now on, you’ll handle personnel matters, and I’ll manage production and sales. How does that sound?” Cheng Hui said.
Guo Dajun felt a wave of relief, and the wariness in his gaze toward Cheng Hui completely vanished.
Youth means inexperience and naivety~
Managing people is what real leadership is about! That’s what makes someone a true director!
Managing tasks is just thankless labor!
“Fine, fine! From now on, you’ll have the final say in production and sales! I’ll follow your lead!” Guo Dajun said.
“Good,” Cheng Hui replied. “Then listen to me: for now, we won’t deliver to the County Food Factory. We’ll use all this flour to make products, sell them, and use the money to pay everyone their back wages.”
With just one sentence, she had won everyone over to her side!
Seeing the fierce, eager looks in everyone’s eyes, Guo Dajun gently set down the basket.