Starting from 1950

"Aunt Mei, could you please take a few people and chop the scallions into small pieces, the finer the better? Also, prepare some minced ginger," Su Yang instructed Ruan Sumei, turning to her.

"Okay!" Ruan Sumei immediately agreed and called on several quick-handed female workers to get to work.

Li Dabenshi, meanwhile, kept busy making seven or eight pancakes a day, and soon there were twenty or thirty pancakes on the table.

"What smells so good?" A curious voice came from the doorway.

The workers instinctively made way for them.

"The factory manager is here!"

"Factory manager! Xiao Su and Master Li are frying those...fu noodles!"

Wang Cui and the group leaders went to greet them.

Su Yang didn't move, but first helped Li Dabenshi take the last few pancakes out of the pan before smiling at Zhou Zheng who was approaching and saying, "Factory Director, this is a new dish that Master Li has made. You've come at just the right time, so please try it and give me some feedback."

"Good heavens! This smells amazing!" Zhou Zheng sniffed hard, the rich aroma making even this seasoned veteran's eyes light up.

He pushed through the crowd and strode to the cutting board, his sharp eyes sweeping over the golden, fluffy "novelties" and the oil pan.

"Old Li, Little Su, what are you two up to? This smell... is too tempting! Are you trying to cook for someone else? The factory has repeatedly forbade cooking for someone else, and even more so, it's forbidden to waste collective property!" His tone wasn't very stern, but rather carried a hint of barely concealed curiosity.

Wang Cui quickly stepped forward to explain, "Factory Director, you've misunderstood! This isn't special treatment; Su Yang and Chef Li are experimenting with... a new way of making noodles, saying it might be helpful to the front lines!"

"New noodles? Will that help the front lines?" Zhou Zheng's gaze immediately turned to Su Yang, his eyes filled with amusement. "Kid, what new tricks have you come up with this time? Didn't I tell you to make dehydrated vegetables? Today you're frying dough sticks again?"

Before Su Yang could even speak, Li Dabenshi was already rubbing his hands together, eagerly saying, "Factory Manager, this isn't fried dough, it's Yifu noodles! Su Yang asked me to make it, saying it's an improved version, you can just soak it in boiling water and it's delicious!"

Zhou Zheng looked at Su Yang with some suspicion. He wasn't sure if Su Yang was just messing around this time.

Because there's a huge pot of oil right there, it's definitely not practical to fry this stuff in oil.

"Factory manager, it's not too late for you to try it before criticizing me," Su Yang said calmly, with a confident smile on his face.

"Brother Li, where's the factory manager's lunchbox?"

He looked at Li Yan. These days, whether it's a worker or a leader like Zhou Zheng who frequently attends meetings at other units, everyone has to bring their lunchbox with them wherever they go.

"Here you go!" Li Yan swallowed hard. Seeing that Zhou Zheng didn't object, he took out the factory manager's lunchbox from his bag and handed it over.

Su Yang casually picked up a piece of dough that had been drained of oil and was still warm to the touch from the cutting board, and then picked up the finely chopped scallions and ginger that Ruan Sumei and the others had just cut, and put them into the lunchbox.

"The water's here! The water's here!" A team leader who had tasted the water earlier was very observant and had already gone to the water room to fetch a kettle of hot water, running over.

"Thanks."

Su Yang smiled and took the kettle, pouring the boiling water, along with white steam, into the lunchbox.

The hot water instantly soaked into the pancake, and the steam, carrying the aroma of scallions and pancakes, rose up and spread, adding a touch of freshness compared to the simple fried aroma from before.

"Interesting!" Zhou Zheng said with a smile after taking a few breaths of the aroma, and he also had higher expectations for Su Yang.

Su Yang closed the lunchbox lid with a natural and smooth motion.

"Factory manager, please wait three minutes, Mr. Wang."

"Three minutes?" Zhou Zheng wondered, but he didn't ask.

Those three minutes felt exceptionally long under the watchful eyes of everyone in the workshop.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the lunchbox on the table.

Zhou Zheng crossed his arms, his probing expression undiminished.

Wang Cui, Ruan Sumei, and others were filled with anticipation and trepidation.

Li Dabenshi stretched his neck and flared his nostrils, trying to discern the changes in flavor from the wisps of white steam escaping from the cracks in the bowl lid.

"Time's up." Su Yang lifted the lid.

"That's it? You....."

Just as Zhou Zheng was about to say something, an even richer, more complex fragrance wafted over!

He stopped speaking and looked into the lunchbox. He saw that the originally firm, golden-yellow bread had unfolded and turned an enticing light golden color. The noodles had absorbed a lot of water and had become visibly soft.

Chopped scallions and minced ginger float on the clear, slightly oily soup, creating a simple yet mouthwatering scene.

Su Yang sprinkled a little salt into the food and handed the lunchbox and chopsticks to Zhou Zheng: "Factory Director, please try it!"

Zhou Zheng hesitated for a moment, but ultimately could not resist the enticing aroma and his immense curiosity.

He took the lunchbox, picked up his chopsticks, and under everyone's watchful eyes, carefully picked up a mouthful of noodles, blew on it to cool it down, and then put it in his mouth.

"Slurp—"

The moment the noodles entered his mouth, Zhou Zheng's eyes widened in surprise!

The piping hot noodle soup, infused with the spiciness of scallions and ginger and the rich flavor of wheat, assaults the taste buds, while a warm, comforting feeling of fullness spreads down the esophagus.

This feeling was completely different from the dry and rough texture of fried noodles!

Zhou Zheng slurped down several large mouthfuls, finishing the bowl of noodles and soup clean.

He put down the bowl with a satisfied sigh, still wanting more.

Su Yang's lips curled up as he watched. Instant noodles were a game-changer for people in this era.

The workshop was completely silent; everyone stared intently at the factory manager, awaiting his decision.

"Phew..." Zhou Zheng finally spoke again, "Su Yang, this...this thing does taste good, but deep-frying it...is not very practical. You know the situation in our country."

Su Yang laughed and said, "Factory manager, who said we can only deep-fry it? We can also steam it in a steamer, and then dry it after steaming. It's just a bit more troublesome."

Seeing Zhou Zheng's eyes begin to light up, Su Yang continued his introduction:

"Factory manager, I'll call this noodle 'instant noodles' or 'convenient noodles' for now. The inspiration comes from Chef Li's braised carp noodles and Yi Fu noodles. Its biggest features are speed and convenience: just add boiling water and it's ready to eat in three to five minutes. No need to light a fire or cook for a long time. You can have a hot meal anytime, anywhere."

"Instant noodles...fast food...convenient." Zhou Zheng chewed on the name repeatedly, recalling the scene of just pouring in boiling water and eating it in a few minutes, and the lingering feeling of satisfaction, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

He pondered for a moment, then sighed and shook his head.

"That still won't work. We need to fight more mobile warfare. Boiling water is impractical in most combat conditions, and besides..."

Zhou Zheng rubbed his stomach, looking regretful: "I just ate a piece of this instant noodle, and it's not filling at all. With so much of this stuff, how much of this will our soldiers have to carry for a week's worth of basic rations when fighting mobile warfare? Fried noodles are better; they're filling and don't take up much space."

After hearing what he said, Su Yang chuckled and didn't refute it. Instead, he walked over, picked up a piece of bread, and used both hands to forcefully press it against the table.

"Click-clack..."