Chapter 203: Draft For Ratio Adjustment Of Agricultural Products’ Increased Production Ratio
“Do they really need to hover around me like this?” Xiang Chuan rubbed her temples with a headache. “If they want more recipes, wouldn’t it be better to just contact my father’s Yue Xiang Group for cooperation?”
Hearing this, Xiang Chuan, along with the Class Eight Grade One students at the nearby tables this week, all showed surprised expressions simultaneously.
“Xiang Chuan, haven’t you heard?”
Chou Manman couldn’t help but ask.
“Heard what? The Production Escort Ship downsizing? I did hear that the draft was rejected.”
Moreover, it was the Agriculture Bureau’s top leader who came to thank me personally. Xiang Chuan added in her heart.
“No, it’s the recent issue with the Production Escort Ship.” Nancy smiled. “Didn’t Mandy mention it this morning while we were strolling in the fields? It’s that Agricultural Products Increased Production Ratio Adjustment Draft.”
Ah, there does seem to be something like that.
Xiang Chuan recalled the morning’s events with a bewildered look on her face. She vaguely remembered hearing similar terms.
Ouyang Yating sighed lightly. Her club president was undeniably outstanding in contributions to agriculture and culture, but when it came to politics, she was completely indifferent, unconcerned, and insensitive.
Nancy shrugged, then gestured with her eyes to Ainuo, who was sitting on the other side of Xiang Chuan.
As childhood friends, upon seeing the looks from Nancy and Ouyang Yating, Ainuo knew they were about to cram modern politics into their club president, so Ainuo decisively chose to swap seats with Nancy.
Being sandwiched between these two women on left and right was not the joy of having a beauty on each arm, but a harbinger of the nagging hell about to commence.
Sure enough, Nancy and Ouyang Yating began taking turns explaining this so-called “Agricultural Products Increased Production Ratio Adjustment Draft” to Xiang Chuan.
——
After the Production Escort Ship downsizing draft was thoroughly rejected by the government from top to bottom, a new agenda was immediately put on the table.
That was right around the time Xiang Chuan had just brewed her first vat of soy sauce. Xiang Weiguo had already submitted the legume crops reclassification application to the Agriculture Bureau. When they learned that new staple food crops were coming, the entire Staple Food Production Department was in an uproar.
The popularity of pastries at Yue Xiang Restaurant caused flour sales in the Staple Food Production Department to soar. The staff, who usually felt like they were just coasting, suddenly became as energized as if they had chicken blood, actively pushing for cooperation with the Yue Xiang Group.
At the same time, after the live stream of the Agricultural University Affiliated High School new students’ field training this year, new large-scale planting crops like edible fungi and ginger, as well as new aquaculture—freshwater fish—also excited the Vegetable Production Department and Animal Husbandry Department to the point where they even started voluntarily working 996 hours.
Among them, the Vegetable Production Department stood out the most. With the continuous addition of dishes and recipes from the Xiang Family to the Yue Xiang Restaurant menu, all their vegetables saw increases of over 50%.
Although the Animal Husbandry Department’s influence was not as strong as the other two, the aquaculture of freshwater fish and the growing seafood consumption desires on the main ship and various escort ships gave them the sense of responsibility to meet the Third Fleet residents’ dietary expectations. Establishing freshwater seafood aquaculture was also put on the agenda.
Since all three departments of the Production Escort Ships had seen considerable new changes, the Third Fleet Agriculture Bureau and the captains of each Production Escort Ship discussed and decided to adjust the increased production ratios of the three major departments based on the changes in residents’ dietary habits.
This decision immediately energized the department heads of the three major departments on the six Production Escort Ships, like they had chicken blood.
Adjusting production proportions based on the market meant it would determine their department’s influence within the Production Escort Ships for the coming decades or even centuries.
People are born for that one breath of pride.
To prove the popularity of their department’s agricultural products, the eighteen managers of the three major departments resorted to every possible method.
Some recommended themselves to seek cooperation with the Yue Xiang Group, some hoped the Yue Xiang Group would add new staple food items to the menu, and some even hoped to connect directly with A Bite of China Club through the Agricultural University Affiliated High School principal. (Principal: No way!)
After they fought for a while, they realized that such infighting could go on for centuries without end.
Agricultural products are currently a seller’s market, where market supply and demand determine the status of the three major departments in agriculture. So, what is the biggest factor that can now decide the popularity of agricultural products?
It’s Yue Xiang Restaurant, the Agricultural University Affiliated High School canteen, A Bite of China Club Small Restaurant—combined, it’s Xiang Chuan’s recipes.
If the recipes Xiang Chuan comes up with next require more staple food crops/vegetables/meat, it will decide the final victory among the three departments!
So, when they learned that the Agricultural University Affiliated High School would also hold visits to the Production Escort Ships for first-year and second-year high school students as scheduled this year, the direction of the struggle immediately shifted to “who can become the Agricultural University Affiliated High School first-year high school visit site.”
And now, as everyone knows, the Fourth Production Escort Ship won!
Although the Fourth Production Escort Ship was happy to have won, the burden on their shoulders was heavier, because the three supervisors bore not only their own fates but also the expectations of colleagues from the same departments on the other five Production Escort Ships—
This is why Manager Wu and Manager Hill have been clinging to Xiang Chuan these past two days:
If they could squeeze a few more recipes out of Xiang Chuan, their department would certainly gain an absolute advantage in the Agricultural Products Increased Production Ratio Adjustment Draft!
Simply put, if Xiang Chuan serves more staple food/vegetable dishes/meat dishes, then staple food crops/vegetable crops/animal husbandry will get larger land allocations on each escort ship!
——
“No, I’m not that omnipotent.”
After listening to Ouyang Yating and Nancy’s clear and easy-to-understand explanation, Xiang Chuan had black lines all over her face.
She thought to herself: These unreliable adults think of her as some omnipotent AI? New recipes on demand.
Yes, she did have Geegle, the best search engine from the 21st century before transmigration, with countless recipes inside, but that didn’t mean she could pull out any recipe on the spot!
Want Japanese food? Sure, but do you have seafood? Do you have nori?
Want Western cuisine? Sure, but do you have macaroni? Do you have cheese? Do you have chopped celery?
Want luxurious Chinese food? Sure, but do you have soy sauce, oyster sauce, broad bean paste, cooking wine, five-spice powder, seafood sauce, sour plum sauce?
Modern people’s seasonings and flavoring crops are too scarce, so Xiang Chuan had to first consider if the seasonings on hand could be used or if there were substitute ingredients for whatever she wanted to make.
Not to mention the snail noodles she’d been craving since transmigration day: spices! Big bone broth! Snails! Dried tofu skin! Pickled bamboo shoots! Fried peanuts!
None of these could be produced!
As she thought about it, Xiang Chuan felt sadness welling up from her heart. If not for being in front of the whole class in the Production Escort Ship canteen, she really wanted to throw herself on the ground and wail.
And yet, the Production Escort Ship managers still thought they could squeeze some recipes out of her.
Hah!
“I don’t have that ability!”
Xiang Chuan whined and pounced toward Ouyang Yating, only to be expressionlessly pushed by Ouyang Yating toward Nancy. Nancy, however, was amused and didn’t mind, even feeding Xiang Chuan a few pieces of tomatoes.
