Chapter 85: Superior in Every Way

Chapter 85: Superior in Every Way

The Provincial Cannery was established in 1957, originally a pre-revolution egg factory. At the time, China's canned goods exports to the Soviet Union were substantial, leading various local governments to see potential and build numerous canneries.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. The trade environment with the Soviet Union deteriorated rapidly, severely impacting the canning business, forcing many to switch to domestic sales or seek other export channels.

The Provincial Cannery evolved from a small egg factory into its current form, occupying 5.7 acres and employing over three thousand workers and their families.

They primarily produce meat and vegetable cans, but with the decline in export business, most of their products now go to the domestic market.

To capture more of the domestic market, they've recently added fruit cans, though they still struggle to compete with Qingzhou's specialized fruit canners.

Though Zheng Yingju is proud when he goes to the city, he feels somewhat insecure deep down.

Now that Tang Yuan and Feng Chen are visiting the cannery for inspection, he is trying to regain his confidence by warmly welcoming them, hoping to broaden their horizons and impress them.

Ma Huiyou is particularly fond of Tang Yuan, treating her like a younger family member, personally guiding her through the factory's various workshops.

He proudly explains, "Our factory used to lack a slaughterhouse, relying on meat directly from the meat processing plant. Later, we added a slaughterhouse, allowing us to source live pigs directly from the communes, saving costs."

He enthusiastically introduces the different sections of the processing workshop, detailing the steps from slaughter to production: pre-processing, canning, degassing, sealing, high-temperature sterilization, cooling, and inspection.

"Our factory has a complete set of equipment, including tin-cutting machines, glue machines, edge-sealing machines, automatic lid-making machines, automatic can-making machines, automatic can-sealing machines, and a full set of stainless steel cooking equipment."

Tang Yuan and Feng Chen listen attentively.

In her previous life, Tang Yuan had interned at large food factories domestically, including fully automated canning lines, and attended international conferences, gaining extensive experience.

In her view, some of the production steps at the Provincial Cannery are subpar, and the layout of the workshops is not optimal.

For instance, although there are two entrances and exits, workers do not follow the rules, and some even walk around in work clothes meant for the production area. How can this ensure food hygiene?

She even saw workers from the slaughterhouse enter the pre-processing area in dirty work clothes, and then move to the canning and packaging areas!

This is a disaster!

Of course, such practices were common in those days, as most factories hadn't yet faced stringent foreign quality inspections, and domestic shortages meant that even spoiled food couldn't be wasted.

So it's normal for food workshops to lack hygiene awareness; it's a widespread issue.

Having any food is considered good, let alone demanding more.

That's just not feasible.

In the current domestic market, whether you step on pickles or a rat falls into soup, or meat drops on the floor, people don't care much. They're accustomed to shortages and will grab whatever is available without concern.

But for exports, it's different.

Foreign countries, regardless of their own food safety standards, impose strict requirements on imports from China, being extremely picky and demanding.

This is likely why the Provincial Cannery's export share has been shrinking—a significant reason could be these issues.

It's unclear if the factory leadership has realized this.

As they visit the cooling area, they move on to the temperature-controlled inspection room where several quality inspectors check for leaks and dented cans.

At this moment, Zheng Yingju has something to attend to and informs Ma Huiyou before heading back.

Tang Yuan opens her mouth to speak, but he quickly runs off.

Ma Huiyou smiles, "Little Tang, what's your question?"

Tang Yuan: "Director Ma, when we moved from the slaughterhouse to the pre-processing area, we changed into work clothes and boots for hygiene and to prevent introducing too many bacteria, right?"

Ma Huiyou nods, "Yes, our factory takes hygiene very seriously. The slaughterhouse is far from here, unlike some factories where the slaughter area is adjacent to the production area."

Tang Yuan: "Then why did Comrade Zheng return the same way? It seems he's going back to the pre-processing area."

The pre-processing area deals with raw meat, while the canning and pre-sealing area leads to high-temperature sterilization. These two areas should be strictly separated.

Ma Huiyou laughs, "No worries. After the meat is canned, it undergoes high-temperature sterilization, ensuring hygiene."

Tang Yuan: "…"

Do you really understand the inspection standards for exported meat products?

Several flies fly over, circling around them, seemingly about to land on Ma Huiyou's face. He quickly waves them away.

Lu Jiankang and the two office staff accompanying them realize something and close their mouths, which were about to speak.

Tang Yuan raises an eyebrow slightly; it's late September, and there are still flies in the production area.

How can you boast about your hygiene conditions?

Feng Chen, on the other hand, is more curious about the machinery. Throughout the tour, he has been learning about each machine—its name, purpose, and working principle.

Tang Yuan isn't skilled in these areas, so he excels.

Due to the influence of his past cultivation technique, although he isn't as powerful as before, his mental and physical abilities far surpass ordinary people, and his memory, comprehension, and learning speed are faster.

Sensing a slight tension in the atmosphere, he returns to Tang Yuan's side.

Ma Huiyou also realizes something and chuckles awkwardly, "Just a few flies, nothing to worry about. Other factories have more flies; we're already quite clean." He turns to Lu Jiankang, "Engineer Lu, right?"

Lu Jiankang's neck stiffens, but he nods, "We can improve further."

But during summer, it's unavoidable. The windows need to be open for ventilation, and with meat products inside, flies will inevitably come in.

Leaving the workshop, the secretary in charge of receiving guests smiled and said, "Director Ma, everyone must be hungry. The cafeteria has prepared lunch for us. Shall we go eat first?"

Tang Yuan and her group had arrived at the factory last night and had come to visit the workshop right after breakfast this morning.

Ma Huiyou quickly responded, "Yes, let's go eat first. We can visit the other workshops this afternoon."

After they left the packaging workshop, Zheng Yingju hurried over from another side.

He smiled warmly at Tang Yuan and Feng Chen, "Let's go to the cafeteria and taste our chef's specialties. Try our canned goods and compare them with yours."

Tang Yuan and Feng Chen had already tasted their canned goods. To start a cannery, one must know both their own strengths and weaknesses. Ji Hongyue and Guo Yan had bought several brands of canned goods for everyone to sample.

Tang Yuan felt that it was somewhat late for the Provincial Cannery to have gone bankrupt in the 1990s; it must have been losing money for years.

Their canned goods were quite ordinary. The meat cans had an overpowering flavor of spices, likely due to an imbalanced seasoning mix, and the texture of the meat was also mediocre, probably because of an uneven use of additives.

This was a typical case of using good meat but failing to produce high-quality meat products.

Their taste and texture were inferior to those of a well-known brand of luncheon meat in Shanghai, making it even less likely for them to stand out in exports.

The ten pigs from the Forward Brigade had also been made into canned meat, which had been stored in the cooling room and were now ready to be consumed.

How could Tang Yuan not see through Zheng Yingju's ulterior motives? She did not show it, instead expressing gratitude for his care.

Zheng Yingju, wanting to appear magnanimous, decided to show these two "country bumpkins" around.

The secretary responsible for hosting was a close friend of Zheng Yingju's wife. Seeing Zheng Yingju being particularly enthusiastic towards Tang Yuan, and Tang Yuan chatting amiably with him, she became somewhat displeased.

Tang Yuan was naturally unaware of these subtle actions. She and Feng Chen followed Ma Huiyou and Lu Jiankang to the cafeteria.

"Director Ma, Secretary Wen is back and will join us for lunch at the cafeteria. He wants to chat with the two farm officials," a staff member ran over to inform Ma Huiyou.

Upon hearing this, Ma Huiyou quickened his pace and said to Tang Yuan and Feng Chen, "Our Secretary places great importance on your visit. Secretary Wen went to the Municipal Committee for a meeting this morning but came back specially to meet you."

He also informed them that Director Lu had been on a business trip to the south for more than half a month and would likely return in a couple of days.

There would be an opportunity to exchange ideas then.

Tang Yuan smiled, "We happen to be planning to study foreign languages at Provincial University. When Director Lu returns, we definitely want to learn from him."

Director Lu was the main director, and there were three deputy directors under him.

Ma Huiyou had risen from being a workshop director and was more technically knowledgeable, which is why he was sent to Yuanan City for a conference.

At this point, Tang Yuan turned to Zheng Yingju, "Comrade Zheng, please help us introduce us to a university foreign language teacher."

Zheng Yingju replied, "Sure."

He didn't know any foreign languages himself, but introducing a teacher was something he could do.

Hmph!

The group quickly headed to the cafeteria, where Secretary Wen had already taken a seat in a private room upstairs. Seeing them arrive, he greeted them with a smile.

Secretary Wen, around fifty years old, had a lean face, a scholarly demeanor, and a warm and friendly attitude.

"Comrades Tang and Feng, how was your visit? Any impressions?"

In such situations, Feng Chen usually kept quiet. In his previous life, as the top combatant in the base, he didn't need to flatter anyone, and the top brass treated him respectfully.

Since he never bothered to think up topics to please others, he remained silent now when dealing with leaders from various units.

If he were to speak, it would simply be: "Pretty good."

That would lead to an awkward silence.

So he admired Tang Yuan, finding her adept at handling all situations.

Tang Yuan began chatting with Secretary Wen, "Your factory is truly impressive, large in scale, with many employees and excellent benefits. It's very enviable."

Secretary Wen joked, "Since you like it so much, why don't you transfer here?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yingju instantly tensed up and laughed, "Secretary, you're putting Little Tang in a difficult position. Even the Municipal Committee couldn't get her to transfer."

She was quite independent.

Secretary Wen was slightly surprised, looking at Tang Yuan and seeing her clear eyes, determined gaze, and serene demeanor. He quickly understood.

There were always idealists in the world who did not seek high office or better prospects in the city but were willing to use their knowledge to change the plight of their hometowns.

He too had such ideals when he was young.

Now, in his fifties, he had settled down in this distant cannery far from home.

Thinking about this, he became even warmer towards Tang Yuan and Feng Chen, discussing the ecological farm and the cannery with her.

Seeing how close Secretary Wen was to Tang Yuan, Zheng Yingju instantly became jealous and occasionally interrupted to prevent Secretary Wen from appreciating Tang Yuan too much, lest he actually transfer her over.

If she transferred, she would surely threaten his position.

Ma Huiyou personally went to the kitchen to check on the dishes and asked the secretary to fetch the marked cans from the workshop.

The ten pigs could make a lot of canned goods. These were samples from the Forward Brigade, to be presented at factory meetings and Municipal Committee meetings, sent to other major factories for evaluation, and used as samples for foreign merchants.

Each can eaten meant one less can, so they were marked to prevent others from touching them.

Returning to the private room, he smiled at Tang Yuan and Feng Chen, "We've also prepared braised pork and canned meat for you to taste our chef's skills."

Tang Yuan smiled, "The chefs at a major factory are at least fifth-level workers, with superb culinary skills. I'm sure it will be delicious. I can hardly wait."

After a moment, someone brought over several cans of canned meat.

Ma Huiyou smiled and said, "Before we eat, why don't we try these two types of canned meat?"

Secretary Wen, who was also aware of the ten pigs, laughed and asked Ma Huiyou to open one for everyone to taste.

Ma Huiyou personally picked up the can opener, gripped the tin can at about two-thirds of its height, and wound it around in circles before removing the top part, revealing the luncheon meat inside.

As he opened the can, Ma Huiyou proudly said, "Our factory has been continuously improving over the years, gradually adding new equipment. Now we have automatic can-making machines, automatic lid-stamping machines, and automatic sealing machines—all the most advanced in the country."

Zheng Yingju added, "Many other factories still cut tin by hand and hammer the cans together."

Tang Yuan: "I'm young and inexperienced, so don't try to fool me. I don't believe you."

In the 1950s, some factories might have cut cans by hand, but once domestic machinery manufacturing took off and mature production lines were established, that wouldn't be possible anymore.

This isn't making matchboxes!

Even if you had the skills, how many could you make in a day?

Would all the workers in the factory just starve?

Seeing Tang Yuan's skeptical expression, Secretary Wen laughed and smoothed things over, "That's old news now."

Several cans were laid out, and Ma Huiyou used a clean knife to slice thick pieces and arranged them on two plates.

The aroma of meat wafted through the air.

Ma Huiyou smiled and said, "Without telling you the difference, see if you can taste it yourselves."

Secretary Wen warmly invited Tang Yuan and Feng Chen to try.

Tang Yuan picked up a piece with her chopsticks and tasted it, then another piece.

To be honest, most people couldn't tell the difference in texture, as the raw meat is ground into a paste, seasoned, and steamed at high temperatures for over an hour, resulting in similar textures regardless of the type of meat.

However, there were slight differences in the meat, which Tang Yuan could discern.

This batch didn't have the strong spices and industrial flavorings she had tasted before; the flavors were more subtle, making the quality of the meat more apparent.

Feng Chen had a more sensitive palate and immediately identified the difference, pointing to one of the cans. "This one is more fragrant and fresh."

Secretary Wen nodded in agreement, "I agree."

Zheng Yingju looked pleased; it must be their own slaughtered meat!

Even when he had tasted better pork in the countryside, Zheng Yingju stubbornly believed it was due to the chef's skill rather than the quality of the meat.

Lu Jiankang shared the same opinion as Secretary Wen.

A flash of embarrassment crossed Ma Huiyou's face before he regained his composure. The better taste of the pork from the Forward Brigade was within his expectations, as he had tasted the non-canned pork, which indeed had a richer flavor.

The ten experimental pigs were prepared in different styles, including rich and aromatic ones and lighter, more delicate ones.

After tasting, everyone found that the lighter style, without too many seasonings, clearly showed the freshness of the pork from the experimental brigade. However, the heavily spiced and flavored cans didn't show much difference.

Secretary Wen, Ma Huiyou, and Lu Jiankang tasted thoughtfully, falling into deep contemplation.

Did this mean their formula... wasn't good enough?

It seemed the canned formula had masked the natural freshness of the meat. This... should count as an inadequate formula, right?

How could they have used it for so long without noticing or thinking to change it?

Most of what they put on the market was the richly flavored variety.

This time, the lighter style was only made because Secretary Wen was meticulous and thought it best to compare multiple flavors, distinguishing them from other heavily seasoned canned meats. This one only had salt, a little pepper, and bay leaves, without any overpowering seasonings.

Secretary Wen frowned deeply, looking at Ma Huiyou and Lu Jiankang, puzzled. "Why didn't we notice this before?"

Zheng Yingju replied, "Secretary, isn't this pretty delicious? It's so fragrant that every time we sell it domestically after exporting, it sells out quickly in the high-end counters of department stores. We can't keep up with demand."

Of course, this was exaggerated. These cans didn't require coupons and were sold at three times the price in high-end counters.

Usually, a can cost 1.2 yuan, but in those counters, it was 3.6 yuan. Few bought them at that price; they only sold well at the original price.

Tang Yuan found his pride and complacency in product development quite frustrating.

Under a planned economy and seller's market, they became complacent, not considering consumer needs and preferences, focusing only on output.

When resources were scarce, this didn't expose many issues, but once supplies became slightly more abundant and private enterprises emerged, seeking profit by catering to consumer preferences, the shortcomings of state-owned enterprises became evident.

Rigid systems, arrogant service attitudes, and limited product ranges.

Like sardines without the stimulation of catfish, they would die in comfort, eventually leading to bankruptcy or restructuring.

Tang Yuan felt that state-owned enterprises couldn't disappear entirely, as that would leave private enterprises unchecked, pursuing profits recklessly.

The best approach was for state-owned and private enterprises to balance each other, benefiting consumers.

Of course, how this played out depended on policies and their implementation. Poor governance could lead both state-owned and private enterprises to bleed, always hurting the consumers.

She smiled and softly said, "Comrade Zheng, could it be that the distribution is too limited?"

A single can of meat costs over a yuan, which wouldn't have a market in the countryside, where even fruit cans costing 50 to 80 cents rarely sell.

In the city, only well-off dual-income families occasionally buy them; most workers earn around 30 yuan a month, barely enough to support a family. What would they buy with that?

These aren't bicycles, watches, Huili shoes, or silk scarves that young couples need for their weddings, which they would borrow money and gather coupons to buy no matter how expensive or hard to get.

Canned meat isn't essential.

So the main market for canned meat in this era is still abroad; we need to find ways to expand into foreign markets.

In economically well-off countries, the middle class has already started paying attention to dietary health, seeking organic, eco-friendly, and pollution-free products. If you sell them canned meat with added flavorings, they will definitely reject it.

To sell to them, you must emphasize no preservatives, no artificial flavors, purely green and natural, healthy, nourishing, and delicious.

The extent to which residents of China, now more affluent, pursue organic, green, and natural products is evident to everyone.

Of course, this is all time-specific and heavily influenced by economic conditions.

Producing goods requires maintaining market sensitivity at all times, making your products as close as possible to consumer needs.

Tang Yuan knew that these concepts were too advanced for Ma Huiyou and others; they wouldn't be aware or think about it. Even if she forced these ideas on them, they wouldn't accept them and might even see her as causing trouble.

After all, consumers today have very little say; they just want what they can get, regardless of quality.

Secretary Wen had some thoughts on this, a problem he had been pondering.

The current reality is quite contradictory.

On one hand, there's a shortage of various products in society, and ordinary people have to go through great lengths and rely on connections to buy anything.

On the other hand, factories are seeing declining profits; their earnings cannot cover the substantial welfare benefits for their employees, let alone invest in equipment upgrades. They can only take out loans or seek government subsidies.

Even their factory owes a considerable amount to the bank and the government, unable to operate independently.

Not to mention, providing meals for the employees every day is a significant financial burden for the factory.

Currently, the factory appears bustling and thriving, but Secretary Wen knows better than to look closely. A detailed examination would reveal a cold sweat-inducing truth: perhaps in seven or eight years, maybe ten, the factory won't be able to sustain itself.

At that point...

To change this predicament, the factory needs to increase revenue and cut costs, but neither is currently feasible.

They can't expand into foreign markets to earn foreign exchange, nor can they reduce employee benefits. The children and grandchildren of the first-generation workers also need to be accommodated within the unit, further straining limited positions.

If not for the government's policy of sending educated youth to the countryside, the pressure would be even greater.

Due to continuously declining efficiency, Director Lu went south to study and learn, hoping to find solutions to improve the situation.

The atmosphere in the private room was somewhat gloomy, with everyone eating silently, each lost in thought.

Zheng Yingju couldn't stand the oppressive atmosphere. Not understanding what was going on, he blamed Tang Yuan for being a conversation killer.

He enthusiastically urged everyone to eat and drink, trying to liven up the mood.

But Secretary Wen remained indifferent, ignoring Zheng Yingju's attempts and instead engaging Tang Yuan and Feng Chen in discussions about the ecological farm.

He didn't know why, but he felt that Tang Yuan and Feng Chen possessed something unique that others did not.

This wasn't something cultivated in the rural environment, as he himself came from the countryside and knew how impoverished and backward it could be, incapable of nurturing such knowledgeable and poised individuals.

Curiosity drove him to want to understand them better.

Tang Yuan introduced her brigade's situation and took the opportunity to bring up learning foreign languages.

Secretary Wen smiled, "I can help with that. I know a professor from Provincial University who studied in Japan and is fluent in Japanese and English."

Tang Yuan rejoiced, "That's wonderful, thank you, Secretary Wen."

In her previous life, she loved watching anime, Korean dramas, and American TV shows. Her grandparents didn't restrict her like other parents, so she watched a lot. With a good memory and strong language skills, she self-learned Japanese and Korean, excelling in English at school and able to converse with foreigners visiting China during high school.

Now she wanted a legitimate reason to improve her language skills.

She could explain her knowledge of ecological farms by saying she grew up in the countryside, learning from newspapers, radio, and Ji Hongyue. But foreign languages were different.

After chatting with Tang Yuan, Secretary Wen turned to Zheng Yingju, "Xiao Zheng, as our factory's salesperson, you should also learn a foreign language. Later, accompany Tang Yuan and Feng Chen to university classes."

Zheng Yingju inwardly resented it but outwardly smiled and agreed readily, "Secretary Wen, I've always wanted to study, but work kept me busy. This is a perfect opportunity."

As the meal neared its end, Secretary Wen reiterated, "The canned pork from the experimental brigade tastes better than other pork, especially the light-flavored variety."

He then turned to Lu Jiankang, "Engineer Lu, your technical team should hold a meeting to consider adjusting the formula. Mr. Yamaguchi is currently in the south with Director Lu. In a few days, he'll visit the factory with Director Lu. Please invite him to taste it."

To expand the factory's export business, he and Director Lu had been brainstorming, traveling south to study and meet foreign merchants for potential opportunities.

Southern canneries exported many fruit and mackerel cans, knowing numerous overseas clients in East and Southeast Asia.

Director Lu specifically went south to seek help from an old classmate working in a canning factory to introduce him to clients.

Hopefully, this trip would bring a turning point for the factory.

The meal lasted longer than expected, and after finishing, Secretary Wen continued chatting with Tang Yuan and Feng Chen for a while.

In the afternoon, he personally accompanied them to tour other production lines.

To impress Secretary Wen, Zheng Yingju became even more enthusiastic towards Tang Yuan.

Then Tang Yuan sensed two hostile gazes nearby. She turned and saw a woman with her hair tied up and wearing a work cap glaring at her.

Tang Yuan wondered, how did she incur this enmity?