The last time his nephew brought him a bag of peach crisps along with some cake, Liu Yuan had been completely stunned after tasting them. After asking his nephew where the pastries came from, Liu Yuan’s heart began to stir.
His nephew was naturally Doctor Liu from the dermatology hospital. Doctor Liu vaguely knew that Liu Yuan had not been doing well lately, so this was like sending help in a snowstorm. At first, Liu Yuan was still not at ease, so he personally went to observe Jiang Chan. When he saw that the small pastries Jiang Chan made were almost never the same from day to day, he became even more tempted.
If he could invite such a great talent into his factory, would his factory be saved? He no longer hesitated and immediately told Jiang Chan his identity.
Jiang Chan had noticed Liu Yuan a long time ago. There was no helping it. Everyone who came to buy her pastries was a familiar face, so Liu Yuan, such a stranger, naturally caught her attention.
Especially since this man always wore a deeply worried expression, and only when he saw her pastries did a light of hope appear in his eyes. Jiang Chan was absolutely certain she had not misread that.
Once Liu Yuan explained his purpose, Jiang Chan immediately understood. The two hit it off right away. Liu Yuan wanted to invite Jiang Chan to the factory as a technical instructor, but Jiang Chan did not see it that way.
Right now, she and Xiao Hua were in the provincial capital. Although Zhou Dayou’s family had not come looking for her yet, there was no guarantee they would not run into each other someday. The best course was to leave the province once she had earned enough money.
The country was so vast. Where could she not go? Jiang Chan’s plan was to sell her pastry recipes, but there was no need to say this to Liu Yuan yet. She would wait until she had actually seen his factory before deciding. That was why today’s visit happened.
When Liu Yuan saw Jiang Chan, he looked as though he had found a savior. He stepped forward and grasped both of Jiang Chan’s hands. “Sister Jiang, I’ve finally been waiting for you. Please, have a seat.”
Jiang Chan raised a hand. “There’s no need to sit yet. Let’s go take a look at the workshop first. I’ll look at the situation before we talk.”
Liu Yuan could not have wished for more. He immediately jumped up. Jiang Chan held Xiao Hua’s hand and followed Liu Yuan into the workshop. The workshop was not small, but there were not many people, and it was very quiet.
Liu Yuan gave a bitter smile. “Our food factory used to be a state owned enterprise that was restructured. The equipment is all there, but recently our market share has dropped badly. I really had no other choice, which is why I wanted to ask you to help think of a solution.”
Seeing Liu Yuan arrive, the workers had already stopped what they were doing. They gathered around him, looking at this elderly woman dressed plainly.
Jiang Chan walked over to the finished goods area, where rows upon rows of peach crisps were stacked.
As a traditional snack, it was only natural that Liu Yuan’s food factory also produced peach crisps. Jiang Chan broke one in half, handing one half to Xiao Hua and slowly tasting the other half herself.
Xiao Hua took a bite, and her small face immediately scrunched up. “Grandma, it’s too sweet. There’s too much sugar, and it’s a bit soft. It’s not crispy enough.”
Even as she said that, Xiao Hua still frowned and finished eating her half of the peach crisp. She was a thrifty child and could not bear to waste food.
Jiang Chan clapped her hands. “Let’s look at the other products. We’ll talk after we’ve seen everything.”
She took Xiao Hua along and walked through the factory with Liu Yuan. Jiang Chan quickly formed a general understanding in her mind. Liu Yuan’s factory had very complete equipment and was already operating at scale. The problem was the lack of good pastry recipes. The products they made were heavy on oil and sugar, making them cloying.
Jiang Chan patted Xiao Hua’s head. “Go wait to the side. Grandma will direct them to make some pastries.”
At first, everyone was a little unconvinced. But once Jiang Chan began directing things in the workshop, she moved with confidence and authority, sending everyone spinning around. In less than two hours, four kinds of pastries had been produced.
Aside from the traditional peach crisps and sponge cake, the other two were red bean pastries and sesame cakes. Jiang Chan clapped her hands regretfully. “It’s a pity there isn’t enough time. With the materials and equipment you have here, it wouldn’t be a problem to make ten or twenty kinds of pastries.”
As each pastry was produced, Liu Yuan’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. After tasting them one by one, Liu Yuan kept giving Jiang Chan a thumbs up.
Where had this great talent come from? With this level of skill, his factory was truly saved.
The workers also gathered around to taste them. If they had been indifferent before, after tasting the pastries, they were completely astonished. Xiao Hua was extremely proud. “My grandma is the best!”
Liu Yuan grabbed Jiang Chan. “Master Jiang, shall we talk in the office?”
He no longer called her Sister Jiang. This showed that anyone with real skill would be respected anywhere.
Jiang Chan sat down in a chair, and Liu Yuan went straight to the point. “Master Jiang, I want to hire you as a technical consultant for Xinxin Food Factory. The monthly salary would be five hundred yuan. What do you think?”
Jiang Chan remained calm. “I will not stay long term at any single factory. You can see my situation. Xiao Hua’s face needs treatment, and sooner or later I will leave this place.”
Liu Yuan grew anxious. “Is there really no other way?”
The fish had bitten. “There is. I could contribute technology as capital. I sell you my pastry recipes, and you convert them into corresponding shares for me.”
Liu Yuan hesitated immediately. If he gave shares to Jiang Chan, the company would no longer be his alone. Besides, how many pastries could Jiang Chan really make?
Seeing Liu Yuan hesitate, Jiang Chan began counting on her fingers. “I can make many kinds of pastries. Egg yolk pastries, scones, peanut lava buns, sesame cakes, gorgon nut cakes, walnut cakes…”
As she listed them one by one, Liu Yuan’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. He was a decisive man. He slapped the table. “Alright. How about fifteen percent of the shares?”
Jiang Chan did not even blink. “Thirty percent. I will not interfere in your operations or management. I only provide the technology. You give me dividends at the end of the year.”
Thirty percent. Liu Yuan felt deep pain, but thinking about the future Jiang Chan had laid out, he had to be willing even if it hurt. The two discussed it and signed the contract on the spot.
Before entering the factory, Jiang Chan had been a poor person with less than one hundred yuan to her name. After meeting Liu Yuan, she had instantly become a shareholder in a company.
What did this mean? It meant that as long as a person had skills, no matter what happened or what situation they fell into, they could survive anywhere.
This only strengthened Jiang Chan’s determination to learn all kinds of skills in the future. Skills were never a burden.
After the contract was signed, Jiang Chan immediately took up her role. This time, Xiao Hua did not follow Jiang Chan into the workshop. She sat in Liu Yuan’s office reading. Grandma was doing serious work, and she could not cause trouble.
Jiang Chan stayed busy at Xinxin Food Factory all the way until the twenty fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, finally completing the first batch of brand new pastries for the factory. She said she was only providing technology, but she held nothing back, teaching everything hand in hand.
Looking at the products filling the warehouse, Liu Yuan was overjoyed.
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Thanks for the chapters!