Starting from 1950

"Comrade Natalia's question is very professional," Zhou Zhengxian affirmed, then stepped aside to let Su Yang stand in front of him. "Come, let me introduce you. This is Comrade Su Yang, the original conceptor and main technical advisor of our 'Defend the Country Noodles'. He is most familiar with the entire process, so it is more appropriate for him to answer your question."

All eyes instantly focused on Su Yang, who was wearing a faded Zhongshan suit and whose face still had a touch of boyish innocence.

A flicker of undisguised astonishment and doubt flashed in Natalia's blue eyes behind her glasses.

She sized up Su Yang for several seconds before speaking, "This... young comrade, are you the technical lead? Director Zhou, are you sure you're not joking?"

As soon as she said this, everyone couldn't help but look at her.

The reason is simple: Natalia speaks Chinese. Although her pronunciation isn't perfect, her expression is clear enough, and she even has a slight Northeastern accent.

"Comrade Natalia, you can speak Chinese?" Wu Xinxue asked subconsciously.

Before Natalia could speak, Victor, the pilot who always had his nose in the air, scoffed and chimed in, also speaking Chinese, though not as fluently as Natalia: "How could mere Chinese stump our Comrade Natalia? She's fluent in eight languages."

Upon hearing how impressive Natalia's skills were, Wu Xinxue, recalling the difficulties she herself had faced learning Russian, couldn't help but ask, "Which eight languages?"

Victor glanced at her but didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Zhou Zheng and said, "Director Zhou, the translator you found is of very low quality."

Zhou Zheng quickly explained, "Comrade Victor, recently too many of you have come to our various units in Shenzhou to provide guidance, and we don't have enough translators..."

"That's not a reason. Also, please address me as 'Captain Victor.' You are dealing with an active-duty Air Force pilot." Victor interrupted Zhou Zheng with a haughty wave of his hand.

Zhou Zheng frowned slightly, feeling somewhat dissatisfied, but he refrained from expressing it on his face.

Wu Xinxue, standing next to her, turned pale and lowered her head, looking aggrieved.

Su Yang could no longer hold back. He looked directly at the arrogant pilot and said calmly, "Don't you speak Chinese? Why do you need a translator?"

"Comrade Natalia's proficiency in multiple languages ​​is admirable. However, our Comrade Wu Xinxue is not a professional translator; she is an excellent broadcaster in our factory. She only took on this extra responsibility because there was a shortage of Russian-speaking personnel in the factory. Her efforts and courage deserve respect."

Seeing Su Yang supporting her, Wu Xinxue felt a warmth in her heart, but also some worry.

Victor seemed surprised that this teenager dared to directly contradict him. His sharp, hawk-like gray-blue eyes swept over Su Yang with scrutiny and a hint of displeasure at being interrupted: "Young comrade, I was talking to Director Zhou."

The atmosphere instantly became even more tense.

Natalia suddenly spoke, her Chinese with its distinctive rolled "r" sounds, which just happened to ease the tension.

"Language is a tool for communication; the content itself is what matters." She turned to Su Yang, her gaze behind her glasses filled with professional inquiry, choosing to temporarily ignore his age.

"Comrade Su Yang? Director Zhou said you are the main person in charge of this 'Defend the Country Noodles' technology. Could you please explain in detail how, under this... relatively primitive level of industrialization..."

She gestured to the busy but poorly equipped workshop, "How do you ensure product standardization? For example, the firmness of the dough, the consistency of the texture after rehydration? Also, how do you control specific parameters? Humidity? Temperature? Duration?" She pointed to the earthen drying room that was in operation, "With just this kind of simple equipment, the fluctuations will be very large."

A series of professional and incisive questions were thrown out, and Zhou Zheng, Wang Cui, and the others were on tenterhooks.

Wu Xinxue forgot about her grievances and looked at Su Yang nervously, worried that he wouldn't be able to answer.

Everyone knows the importance of Natalia's opinion.

Su Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Technical issues are much easier to deal with than an arrogant attitude.

He met Natalia's scrutinizing gaze without the slightest panic. Instead, he took two steps forward and pointed to the area where steamers were being taken out of the steamer.

"Comrade Natalia, your question hits the nail on the head." Su Yang's voice was calm and clear. "Standardization is indeed our biggest challenge at present. But we are not without basis."

He walked over to a worker who had just opened a steamer and picked up a steaming hot, wet flatbread.

"Please look here. Through repeated experiments, we have strict requirements for the dough ratio: the ratio of water to flour, and the amount of salt and edible alkali added, all have fixed ranges. Master Li Dabenshi is our technical consultant. With decades of experience in pastry making, he can roughly judge the hardness and gluten strength of the dough by touch."

He gestured to Li Dabenshi, who was nervously instructing others on kneading dough not far away.

Li Dabenshi immediately straightened his back, trying to adopt an authoritative posture, although the beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed his nervousness.

"As for the steaming process," Su Yang pointed to the steaming stove, "we don't have precise temperature control, but by controlling the amount of firewood and the size of the vents, as well as recording the time it takes for the center of each batch of dough to cook through, we try to maintain a relatively stable steam temperature and steaming time. Experienced workers can judge whether the dough is cooked through by observing its color and feel."

Natalia nodded slightly, quickly jotting something down in her notebook, signaling him to continue.

"Drying is the key challenge." Su Yang led everyone towards the drying area, where a wave of heat hit them. "As you can see, our drying room is very basic, but we've figured out some simple methods. First, we strictly control the moisture content of the steamed dough and drain off any excess water. Second, we divide the drying room into different temperature zones—a high-temperature zone near the heat source for rapid shaping and dehydration, a medium-temperature zone for slow drying to maintain the structure, and a low-temperature zone for final cooling."

He picked up a freshly baked, lightly browned, non-fried flatbread and handed it to Natalia.

"Squeeze it and see how it feels."

Natalia took the bread, carefully feeling its firmness and crispness, then broke off a small piece and chewed it. "Hmm... the firmness is acceptable, it has a certain crispness, and it should maintain a good texture after rehydration."

"But this standard is not enough," she couldn't help but say.

Su Yang laughed and said, "So you've come to help us. With your technology and industrial strength, I'm sure it won't be difficult for you to industrialize something this simple, right?"

Natalia neither nodded nor shook her head, her expression ambiguous.

She walked to a makeshift worktable next to her, on which were some powder samples wrapped in rough oil paper.

Actually, she was more interested in the powder packets.

She received the "Defend the Country Noodles" sample two days ago. She didn't pay much attention to the noodles, but she was surprised to find that adding the powder packet when making borscht could actually elevate the flavor to a whole new level.

"Currently, we use a mixture of dried and shredded scallions, minced ginger, a small amount of dried and chopped vegetables, and salt."

Su Yang picked up a small paper package and opened it. "Moisture prevention is the biggest challenge. The sealing of oil paper is limited, and it is very easy for it to get damp and clump together, especially in humid environments or during bumpy transportation. Right now, we can only rely on the driest possible packaging environment and require it to be consumed as soon as possible."