The punishments had already been directly announced by Yu Zhou, and not a single person raised an objection at this point.
Perhaps there would still be a few people who were unhappy, but one could not deny that in the current dried fruit factory, Yu Zhou was the authority, and the only authority.
As the boss, no matter what decision Yu Zhou made, even if he directly dissolved the factory, they would have no recourse.
Now, he had simply imposed some penalties. Even if the employees did not understand them, they still had to be implemented when the time came.
Yu Zhou certainly knew that acting this way might lead to criticism of him as factory manager, but he was not afraid.
He continued to chat casually with the few people behind him, strolling through the dried fruit factory.
"Has the research and development of new products been completed? Especially for sunflower seeds; this is our top priority moving forward."
"Whether we can make a splash depends on these fragrant sunflower seeds."
Yu Zhou said to Liang Xiaohai, who was behind him.
The dried fruit factory was his first venture, and he naturally took it very seriously.
The reason he hadn't inquired before was firstly because he had been attacked and hospitalized, and secondly, he did not want to put too much pressure on them.
With pressure on research and development, the probability of problems occurring might be even greater.
However, it had been half a month since he took over the dried fruit factory, and if he didn't inquire now, he would feel uneasy.
"In terms of flavors, we have developed three types. However, these three all share a characteristic, or perhaps a drawback."
"Manager Yu, please come with me. You'll understand when you see it."
Liang Xiaohai's heart leaped with joy when he heard Yu Zhou finally asking about the new products.
Indeed, the development of fragrant sunflower seeds had not been entirely smooth, but it was not without results.
Especially on such a critical juncture, everyone had turned their attention to the new products mentioned by Yu Zhou. In such a situation, if they didn't present a result, Liang Xiaohai himself would feel incompetent as deputy factory manager.
Now that Yu Zhou had finally asked, he naturally wanted to provide a satisfactory answer.
"It's okay to have problems. Which new product development can be completely free of any hiccups?"
"As long as they can be resolved, what I fear is that you don't even know the current status of the new products. Since there are already three varieties, let's go take a look!"
Yu Zhou did not reprimand them at this moment.
After all, he understood better than anyone that the process of a product from research and development to market, and even to becoming a sensation, was not a smooth one.
Even with his experience from his previous life, there were too many intricacies involved; it was not that easy.
Thus, the group headed towards the workshop.
The development of new products this time was not secret, as they currently lacked the conditions for it.
Because of this, they were going to ordinary workshops.
The lively scene of stir-frying sunflower seeds and the pervasive aroma instantly assailed them.
Just by smelling it, Yu Zhou's eyes lit up.
This aroma was not merely pleasant.
Because the scent now perfectly matched his memory of fragrant sunflower seeds.
It was exactly the same as the fragrant sunflower seeds he had envisioned.
With this thought, he paid no attention to the gazes of those around him. He casually grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from the pile drying nearby and began to eat them.
Mmm, this taste was indeed quite similar to the fragrant sunflower seeds of later generations.
One couldn't say it was identical, but at least there were no major discrepancies. Moreover, it gave a feeling of being more palatable and having a lingering aftertaste.
With this quality, could these sunflower seeds be considered a success?
Yu Zhou had tasted stir-fried sunflower seeds from this era before, but the spices used in those were very limited. Most were plain, and even if there were other flavors, they were certainly not outstanding.
However, the fragrant sunflower seeds they had developed this time were completely different. They had the taste of fragrant sunflower seeds from later generations. Even if it wasn't an improvement, it would certainly leave people with a lingering taste.
With this product, Yu Zhou wouldn't guarantee it would be a sensation that caused a frenzy in the market, but he was confident that its sales would not be a problem.
"Not bad. This new product, you said it had drawbacks? What are they?"
Yu Zhou turned back and asked Liang Xiaohai. He was puzzled. The taste of these fragrant sunflower seeds was definitely good.
Furthermore, there were not just one, but three varieties with such a taste. What did this indicate? It showed that they were indeed diligently developing new products.
Under such circumstances, could there still be any drawbacks? Well, it wasn't that Yu Zhou was ignorant, but he truly couldn't understand what they were referring to.
Seeing Yu Zhou's satisfied expression, Liang Xiaohai was naturally delighted. However, even so, he did not conceal the drawbacks for the sake of face or credit.
Therefore, he stepped forward, looked at the piled-up sunflower seeds, and said directly, "It's not really a major weakness."
"However, if it continues like this, I fear it might affect the product's reputation, so I still think we should be cautious."
"These fragrant sunflower seeds are indeed palatable, and we have made a series of improvements based on the taste you described earlier."
"However, we have been unable to change its slightly salty characteristic. To put it this way, eating one or two handfuls is fine."
"But if you eat three or four handfuls, you will feel it. It's extremely salty."
He had also been trying to resolve this issue, but no matter how he researched it, this characteristic could not be removed.
Because once it became less salty, the entire fragrant sunflower seed would change flavor, losing its current astonishing taste and sufficient savoriness.
It would become like a flavor-enhancing plain sunflower seed.
"Just this?"
However, to Liang Xiaohai's surprise, Yu Zhou was clearly taken aback when he heard this.
If you were to say they strived for perfection, then this was indeed the case, and Yu Zhou believed in and recognized their spirit of research.
But, were excessively salty fragrant sunflower seeds truly a drawback?
Yu Zhou, having been reborn, did not think so. In fact, the mainstream of fragrant sunflower seeds in the future would be like this.
It was true that one couldn't eat too much, and eating too much would make one's throat dry, but what was this?
These were sunflower seeds. Who would eat sunflower seeds as a meal?
Even many snacks in later generations, such as spicy strips, were saltier than these fragrant sunflower seeds.
Could this be considered a drawback?
"Have you considered what the positioning of fragrant sunflower seeds is?"
Yu Zhou shook his head with a wry smile and began to ask Liang Xiaohai.