Starting from 1950

Under everyone's gaze, Su Yang exerted force with both palms, and the golden pancake instantly turned into a handful of fluffy, fine particles, scattering on the table.

"Isn't that enough?" Su Yang looked at Zhou Zheng, whose eyes were burning with confidence, with a confident smile on his face.

This inspiration came from a past life.

Su Yang remembered that when he was in elementary school in his previous life, he always liked to go to the school store to buy those small packets of instant noodles that cost 5 cents each.

Those instant noodles were made by crushing and mixing seasonings together, and they were very popular among elementary school students.

"Factory manager, this stuff can be eaten as dry rations, or you can soak it in boiling water and have a hot meal when you have the chance. Back on the battlefield, some of my comrades complained that fried noodles were too dry and made their throats so sore, requiring them to drink a lot of water, and their stomachs would feel nauseous when they were marching. It would be so much better if it had some chewiness and a slightly salty and savory flavor. Try these pieces; isn't the taste better than dry fried noodles?"

Zhou Zheng didn't need him to say anything; his eyes were already fixed on the pile of golden, crispy crumbs.

He lunged at the table, grabbed a handful of crumbs of bread that Su Yang had crushed, and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing them.

The more he chewed, the more excited he became. Finally, his throat moved suddenly, and he swallowed the food in his mouth.

He didn't rush to speak, but closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and his chest heaved violently a few times, as if trying to calm the turmoil in his heart.

When he opened his eyes again, the factory director, who was known for his authority, had slightly red eyes.

He slammed his hand on the table, making the flatbread on it shatter and bounce. The sound was frighteningly loud, carrying an unwavering determination:

"Good! Good! Good!" Three "good"s in a row.

"Su Yang! You little brat...you've got a head full of treasures!"

He excitedly spun around a little, his gaze sweeping sharply over the equally excited workers around him, finally settling on Su Yang's youthful face:

"This stuff is better than fried noodles! Much better! If only the soldiers on the front lines could eat this..."

Zhou Zheng's voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable authority, "Wang Cui! Ruan Sumei! Li Dabenshi! All comrades in Workshop One! Hear my command!"

"Here!" Wang Cui immediately straightened her back, and Ruan Sumei and all the workers also subconsciously tensed up, staring intently at their factory manager.

"Everyone! Cooperate fully with Su Yang to perfect this..."

He paused mid-sentence, then chuckled at Su Yang, "What did you call this noodle dish 'instant noodles' or 'convenient noodles'? 'Convenient'... it sounds like 'going to the toilet'! We need to change the name!"

Su Yang paused for a moment, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"How about we call it... 'Defend the Country Noodles'?"

"Defend the Country Noodles? What a great name!"

Zhou Zheng clapped first, and the workers followed suit.

As the applause subsided, Zhou Zheng continued to give orders:

"Wang Cui! As the workshop director, you need to organize the manpower for me. The top priority is to immediately start trial-producing this non-fried 'Defend the Country Noodles'! You can experiment with the steaming and drying method that Su Yang mentioned earlier, Master Li!"

Zhou Zheng looked at Li Dabenshi and said, "You work with Wang Cui and Su Yang to share all your skills in kneading dough, rolling out noodles, and cutting noodles, as well as those crucial techniques, without holding back! Don't worry, if this works out, I'll recommend you for commendation!"

He knew that these days, old craftsmen liked to keep things to themselves, so he emphasized the words "asking for credit".

"Don't worry, Factory Director!" Li Dabenshi's face flushed with excitement as he patted his chest and assured them, "I, Li Dabenshi, may not have many other skills, but when it comes to making noodles, I'll hold nothing back! I guarantee our soldiers will eat the most delicious noodles!"

He meant it sincerely.

Li Dabenshi was well aware of his own abilities; the only time he could boast about his family's culinary skills was in the company cafeteria.

If this were a big restaurant, his little bit of knowledge wouldn't amount to anything!

"Good!" Zhou Zheng nodded, then looked at Su Yang with admiration and satisfaction in his eyes. "Su Yang, you're the source of this idea, and you have the quickest mind. Whether this 'Defend the Country Noodles' will succeed depends on you! If you need any support, just contact me or Wang Cui! All the factory's resources will be prioritized for your workshop!"

"Yes, Factory Manager!" Su Yang nodded vigorously.

Zhou Zheng glanced at the remaining pile of flatbread on the table, hesitated for a moment, then his eyes hardened.

"Wrap these up for me. I'll personally go to the higher-ups and tell them that our factory isn't planning on making dehydrated vegetables anymore; we have something better!"

"yes!"

"No! Wait!"

Seeing that Wang Cui was about to make a move, Su Yang quickly grabbed her.

"Factory manager, we need to keep making dehydrated vegetables. We can't let the frontline soldiers only eat noodles. Vegetables can supplement vitamins and nutrients. Besides, dried vegetables go very well with 'Defend the Country Noodles'!"

He originally wanted to say that vegetables can supplement vitamins, but then he felt that Zhou Zheng might not know what vitamins were, so he had to change his approach.

"Furthermore, I have another idea. Just noodles and vegetables are too bland. I want to create a special seasoning packet for instant noodles," Su Yang explained.

Zhou Zheng didn't quite understand either, but he waved his hand dismissively and laughed, "Okay, I'll listen to you then. I won't report to my superiors for now. We'll talk about it after you finish the product."

"And another thing!" Zhou Zheng seemed to remember something, his gaze sweeping across the workshop. "This thing is currently the top secret of our Limin Flour Factory, and even the entire rear area! During the trial production period, everyone must maintain strict confidentiality! Without permission, no process details or samples may be taken out of the workshop! To the outside world, just say it's a trial of a new dehydrated vegetable production process! Understand?"

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison, their faces solemn. Thanks to the propaganda of the past few months, the concept of wartime secrecy had taken deep root in everyone's minds.

After issuing the orders swiftly and decisively, Zhou Zheng patted Su Yang on the shoulder before striding away from the workshop.

After a brief silence, a huge wave of enthusiasm erupted in the workshop!

"Let's get to work! Let's get to work!" Wang Cui's voice trembled with excitement as she waved her arms like a commander about to launch an attack. "Team Leader Jiang! Take some men and clear the drying room materials to the west wall! Team Leader Liu! Immediately go to the logistics department and collect enough flour, salt, and alkali according to the list we just wrote down! Hurry up!"

"Alright!" Everyone was full of energy and got to work instantly.

Some were moving bricks, others were collecting materials; the cadres who had just been arguing about the drying room blueprints were now all engaged in a new battle.

Li Dabenshi had already secretly made himself a flatbread and was eating it with gusto.

"Xiao Su, you didn't put enough salt and alkali when you were kneading the dough. The dough isn't chewy enough, and it will collapse if left for too long," he said to Su Yang while eating.

Su Yang gave him an approving look, thinking to himself that this Li Dabenshi really had some skills.

Having his own workbench, he already knew exactly how to make a decent pancake.

He wanted to remind me to add salt and alkali when I was kneading the dough, but I wanted to do it step by step. Now I've saved myself some trouble.

"Master Li, you're right, we'll do it your way!"

Seeing that he agreed with his opinion, Li Dabenshi felt a surge of pride. He quickly finished the noodles in his lunchbox and began to loudly instruct the female workers in the workshop to knead the dough.

"Come on, girls, lend a hand! Let's make a big bowl of dough! Remember, add the water little by little, and don't skimp on the salt and alkali. The dough should be a bit firm, so the noodles will be chewy and won't fall apart after frying... oh no, steaming or baking!"