After Zhou Fuqing sold the glass bottles to Zhang Tianxing, he kept thinking about it. What exactly was Zhang Tianxing trying to do?
Did he not have confidence in the development of crayfish? That shouldn't be the case. Crayfish were currently on a strong upward trend with a bright future.
No, crayfish were seasonal. This young President Zhang seemed to have opened up a new path.
Could it be related to his acquisition of Wu Jiuping's beverage factory? However, the Wu family saw no value in further investment in that beverage factory. Did President Zhang have the ability to turn lead into gold?
Furthermore, even if he produced beverages, he wouldn't need glass bottles from me. These were mainly supplied to the cannery.
Was President Zhang going to produce canned goods? As soon as this thought arose, Zhou Fuqing knew his judgment was probably nine-tenths correct.
However, given Zhang Tianxing's past achievements, it could be said that crayfish had grown from nothing to their current status under Zhang Tianxing's leadership.
Zhang Tianxing deserved significant credit for the influence crayfish held today.
Therefore, Zhou Fuqing remained skeptical about Zhang Tianxing's venture into canned goods.
At this time, the cannery's performance was only average. He couldn't understand why Zhang Tianxing would bother with a cannery.
As soon as the news of Zhang Tianxing preparing to produce canned goods spread, it caused a huge stir in this small community.
"Extra! Extra! Top News! Crayfish Founder Zhang Tianxing Switches Industries, Prepares to Enter New Canned Goods Market."
"Is this a breakthrough for crayfish, or its swan song? What is Zhang Tianxing's intention with this move? Read our commentary column."
"Is this a distortion of human nature, or a degeneration of morality? Let us delve into the past and present of crayfish, and talk about Zhang Tianxing through crayfish."
In an instant, Zhang Tianxing was thrust into the spotlight, and crayfish once again became a topic of central discussion.
This infuriated several popular figures in the entertainment industry. Damn it, for the past month, the trending searches and headlines had all been about crayfish.
Was it easy for their artists to release a song or run an advertisement?
They even had to communicate with the "Great God" in advance to avoid conflicts. Who knew that man proposes, but heaven disposes?
They avoided the "Great God" but failed to escape the tidal wave of crayfish. The crayfish had already caused the downfall of several entertainment figures.
They couldn't become the central topic of society. Just as something was starting to gain traction, the crayfish would stir up trouble again.
Moreover, the influence and impact of crayfish were quite significant. They in the entertainment industry dared not provoke them. These were official media outlets, and they couldn't afford to offend them.
They could only retreat time and time again in the face of the crayfish. These crayfish were already so delicious, and they in the entertainment industry also needed to eat. The deliciousness of crayfish was indeed remarkable, it was just that they stole their thunder, which was not good.
Everything else was perfect, but that one point made countless people in the entertainment industry sigh with regret.
Finally, as Zhang Tianxing, the soon-to-be college student, was about to start school, the entertainment industry breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Good heavens, if Zhang Tianxing didn't go to school soon, it would be National Day. They hoped no more complications would arise then.
It was not easy for people in the entertainment industry. Seizing an opportunity was even more difficult.
However, Zhang Tianxing understood one thing: no matter what one did, it all boiled down to focus. It depended on whether you could stick with it.
It was relatively convenient to collect pears and apples here. There were also orchards. The lack of transportation in this era made it impossible to export many things far away.
Whether canned goods could be made well depended on two aspects: first, the raw materials, specifically the quality of the fruit; and second, the ingredients used.
If you made canned goods with rock sugar versus industrial saccharin, although both were sweet, there was a distinct difference between the two.
The taste was not significantly different, but the cost was vastly different.
Zhang Tianxing tasted them and immediately decided, "Use rock sugar. Make conscience canned goods."
Lao Luo, a newly hired worker, said, "Boss Zhang, think carefully. The cost of using industrial saccharin and rock sugar is different. Our four salaries are all accounted for."
Zhang Tianxing smiled. "Master Luo, you were invited by my second uncle. You know your character, my second uncle. I won't owe you any wages."
Master Luo nodded. "Of course, I know your character. But I've worked for others for half my life and seen a lot. Sometimes, it's not as simple as wanting to pay wages. If you go bankrupt, you'll have nothing and be heavily in debt. How will you pay? You won't be able to borrow money."
Liang Cheng opened his mouth and then closed it again. This Lao Luo was also an honest person, a veteran worker.
"That's not a problem. Even if our cannery goes bankrupt, we still have the profits from the crayfish to pay wages."
Hearing this, Master Luo's furrowed brow relaxed. "That's fine. It's your money anyway; you're the boss, you have the final say. My only request is to be paid on time. Whatever you say, we'll do. We will absolutely follow your rules and regulations."
"Good. That's exactly what I want to hear. Making canned goods is easy, but making them well is difficult, especially high-quality canned goods with large, tender pieces of meat. It requires smoothness."
Upon hearing Zhang Tianxing's requirements, everyone present began to comply. Liang Cheng asked with some concern, "Tianxing, should we produce a batch first and then purchase the fruit?"
Zhang Tianxing thought about it. If the existing production line were to operate at full capacity, they could produce quite a lot in a day, probably over a thousand bottles. The matter of purchasing fruit needed to be put on the agenda.
"By the way, Tianxing, what is the shelf life of these canned goods?"
"What the heck! Zhang Tianxing only now remembered this important question. If high-temperature instantaneous sterilization couldn't be achieved, the shelf life would be very short.
He estimated that his canned goods might turn into rotten water before they could even be sold. It seemed he would need to add some preservatives.
The best method would be high-temperature instantaneous sterilization, which would eliminate the need for preservatives. But where could he find such equipment now?
He could only resort to the method of simmering in syrup for sterilization. As long as it achieved the effect of sterilization, coupled with a high-sugar environment, and then sealing the bottles, the shelf life of the fruit canned goods would be no problem.
However, none of this was a problem. Discovering problems was not the issue; the important thing was that they hadn't started mass production yet, so there were no irreversible losses.
Zhang Tianxing wiped his sweat. He had been careless. If he had started production, his sweet water cans would have turned into rotten water. Then, not only would he have to give up on crayfish, but he would have to change his name.
He could only say that he was still too young. Being a foreteller did not mean being omniscient. The saying "ginger is still old and spicy" was indeed true.
It seemed he could only adopt the method of a slow donkey trot, exploring as he went. Who made him not an expert scholar? He had to start all over again. Fortunately, he had seen many pigs, and could be considered someone who, though he hadn't eaten pork, had at least seen pigs run.
The immediate priority was to have Liang Cheng take over the barbecue stall. For the cannery, he would play around with it himself for now, to see if he could make something out of it.