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墨書 Inktalez
Seeing my resolute attitude and considering my father's connections, Manager Wang hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, it can be done. After all, it's just making use of waste. But Qin Yu, you need to think this through. Don't end up bringing back a bunch of stuff that you'll regret."
"Don't worry, Uncle Wang!" I replied, filled with excitement.
With the source of materials secured, the next step was to find a location and tools. The kitchen at home was too small and smoky, which would only invite gossip from my mother-in-law.
I thought of the abandoned vegetable patch behind the family quarters. It was remote and rarely visited. I approached Director Li, who managed the housing complex, and under the pretense of wanting to grow some vegetables to supplement our household expenses, I applied to cultivate that wasteland. Seeing me as a military wife who was proactive and positive, Director Li readily approved my request.
Thus, during the day, I pretended to be a dutiful daughter-in-law, dealing with Lu Jianjun and his mother. They were temporarily subdued, but their covert actions continued. At night, I secretly went to the wasteland, set up a simple earthen stove, and began my "secret venture."
Cleaning pig offal was both a technical and physical task. Following modern methods, I used flour, salt, and white vinegar to scrub away the odor and slime repeatedly. Although my back ached from exhaustion, seeing the once filthy offal transformed into something clean and fresh filled me with motivation.
Next came the marinating process. I had my father procure some sought-after spices from the supply cooperative in the city—such as star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and grass fruit—along with soy sauce, rock sugar, and cooking wine to create my exclusive marinade.
When the first pot of aromatic marinated delicacies was ready, even I couldn't help but swallow hard. The vibrant red color and rich aroma made it irresistible!
I carefully sliced a small plate of marinated large intestine and pig liver, wrapped them in oil paper, and prepared to test the market.
My target customers were naturally those soldiers who had been eating cafeteria food for years and were drooling over meat!
I found a soldier named Zhang Hu who was in the same unit as Lu Jianjun but was honest and came from a modest background. I slipped him some cash and asked him to sneak the marinated food into the training ground or dormitory to see if anyone would be willing to try it.
The results exceeded my expectations!
The next day, Zhang Hu excitedly came to find me. "Sister-in-law! Your marinated food is amazing! As soon as I took it out, everyone snatched it up! They said they've never had anything so delicious! They even asked if there would be more tomorrow!"
I felt relieved! It seemed I was on the right track!
I increased production and worked late into the night at the wasteland every day. To avoid drawing attention, I covered the earthen stove with a large iron pot to minimize smoke. The finished products were stored in large jars buried underground.
Instead of selling directly myself, I had Zhang Hu and a few other trusted soldiers distribute it among their peers under the guise of "helping improve family meals." Of course, it wasn't free; they charged about half of the market price for meat.
This way, I could make money without attracting too much attention while also gaining a reputation for being "capable" and "considerate of soldiers."
In just half a month from selling marinated food, I had secretly saved over a hundred yuan!
To put this into perspective: in 1983, an ordinary worker's monthly salary was only about thirty or forty yuan! This amount was undoubtedly a small fortune!
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