Food Intelligence King

Chapter 137 The intelligence has also been adjusted, and the mooncake mold is in perfect harmony (3,000 words)
Because Chen Zhou has been researching food a lot lately, he has a variety of seasonings stored at home.

Among them, Ms. Lin's commonly used brands fall into two categories, and with Chen Zhou's suggestion, she has settled on a few specific brands.

These two types of sauces are used to make housewife salads and mixed salads, respectively.

On Sunday morning, Lin Yifan and her husband got up together and prepared breakfast for Chen Zhou while he washed up.

Ms. Lin looked at the two types of sauces and hesitated for a moment.

She took out the small jar that Chen Zhou had given her yesterday.

This should be good. Lin Yifan thought to herself.

The air contracted due to the temperature difference, and she had to use a little force to unscrew the lid.

Ms. Lin took a small spoon, scooped some out, and poured it onto the leafy greens.

The rose petal jam contains honey, and simply pouring it out isn't clean enough. Even gently tapping it with a small spoon a couple of times doesn't produce very good results.

However, the combination of red and green is quite pleasing to the eye.

"Isn't that a bit too little?"

Ms. Lin scooped up another spoonful.

But after putting both spoonfuls of sauce on the vegetable leaves, she felt a little reluctant; Ms. Lin really cherished this little jar of roses.

So she scooped the top piece back into the small bottle.

"No, no, let's add some more."

Ms. Lin was a little hesitant and tried the procedure several times.

Chen Zhou had just finished washing up and was drying his face with the washcloth his wife had specified. After he finished, he saw Ms. Lin fiddling around in the kitchen.

Although he wasn't really looking forward to the rose-flavored salad, he thought his wife was quite cute.

The store resumed normal operations on Sunday.

However, this was not a normal Sunday. Because of the work-off schedule, many people had to go to work.

It was another slightly chaotic morning.

Customers, who were usually scattered, have gathered again, forming two peak periods: morning and noon.

The store's current menu, besides the steamed buns that it has always made, includes...

Some snacks have become part of the rotating menu.

Braised pork rice has become a staple during the lunchtime period because it is quick and easy to prepare.

The customer base is relatively stable; some delivery riders from the surrounding area will have a good meal here.

The price is reasonable, and the ingredients are of high quality. A large portion costs 18 yuan, and you can add meat separately if needed.

In addition to steamed buns, the store has also added decent full-course meals, marking a significant step forward for the community canteen.

Since four pieces of information were updated last time, the next piece of information should be on Monday.

So when Chen Zhou was busy with work in the morning, he didn't think about the intelligence.

But after glancing at it by chance, he discovered that the intelligence report had been updated today.

They didn't even remind me at 7:30.

The intelligence team may have also been reassigned.

A good system that abides by laws and regulations should indeed be like this.

As usual, Chen Zhou took a look.

First of all——

[Food News (Rare)]: In addition to providing sweetness, sugar also has the following functions: it can balance other flavors such as sourness and bitterness; the caramelization and Maillard reactions at high temperatures add color and aroma; and high concentrations of sugar can inhibit the growth of microorganisms.

A piece of information about sugar.

In the past, both the production process and the cost may have restricted the circulation of sugar in ordinary people's homes.

It's a rare find.

But things are different now; people are seeking sugar substitutes and low-sugar diets. Clearly, they're consuming too much sugar.

This time, Chen Zhou doesn't plan to make the mooncakes too sweet.

Whether it's making candied fruit peel or preparing the crust and fillings for the next step, he is very restrained in his use of sugar.

Article Two —

[Diner's Update]: Kang Haoran is about to participate in the 5,000-meter event at the Haibin No. 2 Middle School Sports Meet. His parents will go to the community canteen to buy steamed buns to cheer him on.

After being reminded by the intelligence,

Chen Zhou recalled that the period before October 1st was indeed usually the time when schools held their autumn sports meets.

The opening remarks, "The golden autumn brings refreshing breezes and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus," are something I've heard since elementary school, all the way to university.

Kang's parents are quite nice.

Chen Zhou couldn't help but reflect on why he hadn't thought to cheer for Chen Taotao's kindergarten sports meet.

On second thought, she seems to be able to eat her own cooking every day, so it's alright.

As for this student Kang, he can be described as excelling in both academics and sports.

Chen Zhou only knew that he had joined the Climbing Ivy Literary Society, but he was unaware that he had also made achievements in sports.

I didn't expect someone so short to be so capable.

If the kid himself came, Chen Zhou might invite him to lunchtime when there were fewer people around, and treat him to a meal alone.

He was the recommender for the community canteen at No. 2 Middle School.

Just considering those people who looked familiar to Chen Zhou, at least a dozen of them were brought over by Kang.

Finally, Chen Zhou's targeted intelligence was not neglected due to his time off, which was quite gratifying.

[Market News (Targeted)]:
The company specializes in making Cantonese-style mooncake molds and processes molds for a local listed company. It has extensive experience and can provide a variety of solutions. Custom-designed patterns will be shipped after the National Day holiday.

The Quang Minh Plastics Factory in Son Ha Province is located in the national plastic pellet production base. Contacting them may allow us to develop new business opportunities for the company.

Seaside Creative Workshop Food Mold Company. Small-batch custom molds are slightly more expensive. The company has limited business, but the quality is excellent, and they can expect to complete the work on the same day the design is provided.

— The information provided is plentiful; targeted intelligence is never a bad thing.

First of all, Guangshi is a very mature company, but it's a bit late to start making mooncakes after the National Day holiday.

Then there are the plastic manufacturers in Shanhe Province. Chen Zhou's size isn't yet up to the business requirements of a company that produces raw materials.

Therefore, the local creative workshop is still the most suitable option for Chen Zhou at this stage.

There are ready-made molds with various patterns on the market, but these cannot highlight the uniqueness of the community canteen version of mooncakes.

Chen Zhou has certain requirements for his products.

After all, when it comes to food, one should strive for a perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste.

Good mooncakes not only need to have high-quality fillings, but also need to be well-made.

Making a mooncake with eighteen pleats is ultimately absurd.

When it comes to designing patterns, the store's staff are multi-talented and act as ready-made graphic designers.

Chen Zhou approached his junior sister: "Hey, do you have some time these next couple of days? I need you to do something for me."

"No problem, senior brother!"

It's rare for my junior sister to agree so readily.

But less than two seconds later, she started chattering again:
"Senior brother, I have to emphasize this: although you've all been so good to me, I'll definitely treat your matter as my own. But I can't help with everything. First of all, I can't do anything illegal; that's my bottom line. And then..."

Chen Zhou quickly interrupted her:
"Alright, I just wanted you to draw a diagram of the mooncake mold. I'll send you the general idea in a bit."

"Oh, no problem then." The junior sister nodded.

Chen Zhou remembered his junior colleague helping with drafting at the design institute and asked her, "Do you have a computer at home?"

The junior sister nodded:

"Yes, I found that the laptop my dad gave me in my junior year of college is still working quite well. A few days ago, I deleted some bird wallpapers and uninstalled a few antivirus software, and it's become much smoother. Doing Photoshop is no problem at all."

Chen Zhou remembered that his junior sister's parents were divorced, and her father, out of guilt, often gave her some financial compensation.

Chen Zhou extended an invitation:
"Are you going home for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year? You have a three-day holiday. If you're traveling alone, come visit Chen Taotao."

The store doesn't offer make-up days, only the actual holidays around the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The junior sister frowned, probably thinking about her family, but ultimately chuckled.

"That would be so embarrassing."

I've never seen you embarrassed. Chen Zhou laughed and said, "Then come to my house the day before Mid-Autumn Festival. I have to go back to my hometown for Mid-Autumn Festival."

"OK"

Chen Zhou thought to himself: Why did my junior sister delete unnecessary antivirus software from her computer recently? I'll have to ask her about that later.

As for the words on the mooncakes, Chen Zhou actually had to trouble Tao Tao's master.

He called them directly.

After a few polite words, Chen Zhou got down to business:

"Teacher Wei, I need to trouble you to write a few words again this time."

There was a moment of silence on Teacher Wei's end.

It seems like she's talking to her spouse.

"It's Xiao Chen. He asked me to help him write a few more words."
-
"I told you you must have misheard me that day! How could Tao Tao's dad let you write something like that? You'd better write another one properly."

"How could I not have written properly? I'm not hard of hearing, so how could I have misheard?"

"Is the old couple about to have a fight?" Chen Zhou quickly explained with a smile.
"Teacher Wei, I'd like to make some mooncakes this time. Could you please write 'May flowers bloom and the moon be full' on them so I can print it on the mooncakes?"

"Okay, so it's the phrase 'a perfect union,' right? No problem."

Teacher Wei smiled and agreed, emphasizing the phrase "a perfect union." She checked the details with Chen Zhou twice.

Then the sound became quieter.

He must have said something to his wife again: "I knew I hadn't misheard!"

"Alright, alright, I'll grind the ink for you."

It wouldn't be long before Teacher Wei sent over the "Blooming Flowers and Full Moon" message. Chen Zhou called out to her on the phone:

"I'll make you a bigger mooncake when we get back, and we can take it with us when Tao Tao goes to class."

Wei Xiaoxi and Chen Zhou were already quite familiar with each other, so she didn't stand on ceremony and replied:
"That's daring."

Chen Zhou thought to himself: Back then, Teacher Wei's handwriting was absolutely flawless.

How practical!

Teacher Wei's calligraphy and paintings were the first to arrive, because they didn't need to be framed; they could just be written on regular-sized paper.

So I sent Chen Zhou several versions.

After returning home, the junior sister also busied herself with the design of the mold, placing the "Blooming Flowers and Full Moon" design on it and adding simple lace trim around it.

There are several diagrams as well.

Then came a long audio recording.

He spoke to Chen Zhou in a rambling voice, explaining his design philosophy.

Although the audio clips don't look long, when converted to text, every single paragraph is at least a page long.

Chen Zhou also quickly contacted the creative workshop mold company.

The other party is a small company that does this as a hobby; making food molds is just a hobby for them.

But the lathes and equipment are complete, and the materials are good.

The several previous finished products sent to Chen Zhou were all quite good.

The creative workshop actually made mooncake molds, which the owner used himself.

Just as the intelligence report stated, they could produce the design within a day once they received the sample drawings.

There are still nearly ten days until the Mid-Autumn Festival, so there's plenty of time.

(End of this chapter)