1994: Starting with unpaid leave

"Spicy strips?"

Frowning, Deputy Director Wan looked up at Dong Jianguo and couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"You're always coming up with something new and interesting."

"Director Wan, Sister Wang, this is something I made this afternoon. It's different from the mass-produced ones from the factory, but the taste is pretty much the same. You two try it first and give me some feedback."

When he was running a chain of supermarkets in Shenzhen, Dong Jianguo had already done in-depth research on various snacks.

He often compiles a list of good snacks sold in supermarkets and then tries to find out how the manufacturers came up with the idea to make these snacks.

Spicy strips are a perfect example.

He not only sells Weilong (a brand of spicy snacks) well in the supermarket, but also Mala Prince (another brand of spicy snacks) is very popular.

So he gradually became interested in spicy strips and even looked up information about them.

Spicy strips originated in Binh Giang County, HUN Province in 1998.

Before that, Pingjiang County was famous for making soy sauce-flavored dried tofu.

However, due to the severe reduction in soybean production in Pingjiang, Hunan caused by the massive floods in the Yangtze River basin in 1998, the soaring prices of raw materials led to the closure of many soy sauce factories.

In order to make a living, some people tried to innovate production by using wheat flour instead of soybean flour.

After several attempts, the flour was finally processed into strip-shaped dough, and the traditional "mala" flavor of Pingjiang was continued by adding seasonings such as chili, Sichuan peppercorns, cumin, sugar, and salt, thus successfully creating the mala-flavored spicy strips.

Subsequently, spicy strips started from the markets of Pingjiang County and gradually spread to thousands of households.

As far as I can remember, the spicy snack industry was built up to a scale of tens of billions of yuan!

What Dong Jianguo made after a busy afternoon was a sweet and spicy flavored spicy strip that later sold just as well as the spicy flavor.

After all, when it comes to eating spicy food, the North is much less enthusiastic than the South.

Moreover, Dong Jianguo had a very clear understanding of the positioning of spicy strips.

The initial target audience for spicy strips was primary and secondary school students.

Although these children are generally short of money, spicy strips are inexpensive to produce and are not expensive, making them a snack that children can afford.

Moreover, the main ingredient is flour, and apart from being a bit heavy on oil and salt, it doesn't do much harm to children's health.

Therefore, the first spicy snack to be used to expand the market should not be too spicy, so as not to make children unable to accept it and develop a psychological aversion to this snack.

As for the spicy version... it's not too late to try re-releasing it later once the market opens up...

Upon hearing Dong Jianguo's words, Director Wan and Sister Wang, a married couple, didn't stand on ceremony and each picked up a stick with their chopsticks to examine it.

This thing looks like meat and skin at the same time, but upon closer inspection, it is clearly not a meat product.

Hold it up to the light and you'll see that the orange-red color is bright and clear, and quite beautiful.

"Then let's try it first!" Deputy Director Wan said, stuffing the spicy strip into his mouth.

First, the tip of your tongue touches the oily sauce, and a slight spiciness instantly awakens your taste buds.

Then, with a gentle bite, the chewy texture of the spicy strip becomes apparent.

This stuff isn't too soft or mushy, nor is it so hard it hurts your teeth; it has just the right amount of chewiness, and the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes.

The spiciness slowly spread in my mouth; it wasn't a dry, unpleasant spiciness, but a complex spiciness with the aroma of oil and various spices.

What's remarkable is that the spiciness also has a hint of sweetness.

The sweet and spicy flavor is irresistible with every bite.

"hiss……"

The couple gasped in unison, exchanged a glance, and both saw surprise in each other's eyes.

This taste is absolutely amazing!

The couple has been eating quite a bit of the pickled chicken feet that Dong Jianguo sent them last time.

But this time, the spicy strips tasted noticeably different from the pickled chicken feet!

It's not as spicy as pickled peppers, but it's a level sweeter.

And then there's the cumin, which plays a crucial role in bringing out the best flavor. Far from making the spicy snack taste weirder, it perfectly combines the sweet and spicy notes!

Without even wiping the grease from the corners of his mouth, Deputy Director Wan hurriedly picked up another cigarette.

"Hey, leave some for me!" Sister Wang said reproachfully, and couldn't help but punch Director Wan.

"What's the rush? There's plenty more here!"

"Yes, Sister Wang, this is just a simplified version I made. I'll send you and your husband two more boxes once the finished product is complete!"

As Dong Jianguo spoke, he casually changed how he addressed Deputy Director Wan.

Director Wan was taken aback:

"Hey, what's this all about? How did I become your brother-in-law?"

"Isn't Sister Wang my sister? Then aren't you my brother-in-law?!"

"Exactly! Xiao Dong calls me 'sister,' and I love it! What, you manage your subordinates at work, and now you want to manage me at home?!"

When Sister Wang spoke, Director Wan gave a wry smile:

"At home, it's fine to shout as much as you want behind closed doors, but outside..."

"Brother-in-law, I understand. We use titles in public! I know the proper etiquette!"

Dong Jianguo had seen "In the Name of the People" before, so he understood this basic knowledge without being taught.

Having resolved the issue of address, Director Wan nodded, then couldn't help but point curiously to the spicy strips in the lunchbox:

"What's this thing made of? It tastes a bit like meat, but it doesn't feel like it when you chew it."

"I made the dough using high-gluten flour..."

"Flour...you can do that?!"

Sister Wang stared blankly at Dong Jianguo, her face filled with disbelief.

The Northeast Plain is vast, and the black soil is used to grow not only rice but also wheat.

Therefore, for people in Northeast China, noodles are just as common as rice.

However, most people usually eat steamed buns, twisted rolls, sesame seed cakes, noodles, etc., so making them into spicy strips...

Sister Wang had never seen this before...

She couldn't help but pick up another one, examine it closely, and exclaimed in praise:

"Jianguo, you're really clever!"

"Sister Wang, you flatter me. Actually, it took me several tries to succeed."

Director Wan patted Dong Jianguo on the shoulder and said sincerely:

"You're a real genius when it comes to cooking!"

"If these spicy snacks were sold on the railway, they'd definitely be just as good as your factory's chicken feet or braised eggs!"

"Once you've made a sample and sent it to me, I'll talk to Lao Zhang for you. It's guaranteed to sell like hotcakes on the railway!"

Dong Jianguo nodded with pleasure:

"Director Wan, I'm relieved to hear that... I'll get some new equipment for the factory when I get back tomorrow and try to get the samples ready as soon as possible!"

"Leaving tomorrow? You've come all this way, why not stay a couple more days?!"

"No, Xiuyun is heavily pregnant and staying at home. I wouldn't feel comfortable letting her go too far away..."

"Isn't your due date still a while away?"

"What do you know?! At times like this, a husband should be by his wife's side. Do you think everyone is as heartless as you?!"

Sister Wang grumbled and turned to look at Dong Jianguo:

"Jianguo, I support you! Go back and spend more time with Xiuyun! I'll come back to see you both during the New Year!"

"No problem, sis! We'd love to have you anytime!"