Chapter 53: Creativity
Tomatoes contain a lot of moisture, so they roasted slower than other vegetables. However, under the slow heat of the charcoal, they gradually shriveled, ultimately reducing to a small piece.
Xia Lu Nong replaced the charcoal once, lifting the pot lid to use long chopsticks to take a piece out. After letting it cool, he tasted it slowly.
Kong Zhi, sitting by the stove and tending the fire, noticed Xia Lu Nong frowning with a strange expression and asked, “What’s wrong? Is it not tasty?”
Xia Lu Nong didn’t know how to describe the taste, so he simply offered a piece to Kong Zhi, “You try it.”
Kong Zhi glanced at the tomato, bit into the edge, and after tasting it for a moment, he concluded, “The flavor is okay.”
“It’s not bad.” Xia Lu Nong tasted another piece and frowned, saying, “It just seems to be missing something.”
The tomatoes were sweet and sour, with a slightly stronger sweetness than sourness. After being roasted into sun-dried tomatoes, they still maintained that flavor.
Coated in meat sauce and grease, the sweet and sour tomatoes took on a meaty aroma that lingered in the mouth.
It was definitely acceptable, but to Xia Lu Nong, it felt too bland; it wasn’t that it tasted bad, but it lacked a memorable quality. There wasn’t that irresistible urge to keep eating.
For people in this era, this snack still seemed to lack something.
Kong Zhi remarked, “If you’re not satisfied with this version, the sun-dried tomatoes that are still drying without the meaty aroma and grease will probably taste even blander.”
“Good point,” Xia Lu Nong said, feeling troubled. “I’ll think of something else.”
Kong Zhi suggested, “If you’re uncertain, once this batch of sun-dried tomatoes is done, we can have people taste them and find out.”
“Fair enough,” Xia Lu Nong replied. “Let’s hold off on cutting the remaining tomatoes for now. We can ask around later. I have a feeling that roasting these sun-dried tomatoes might not be very popular; we should check with others.”
Xia Lu Nong’s instinct came from a gut feeling that often proved more accurate than results from careful consideration.
Hearing him say to pause, Kong Zhi simply nodded and continued stoking the fire.
Xia Lu Nong took out a bowl and a half of the roasted tomatoes, biting into one and then giving one to Kong Zhi. The more he ate, the more he felt that these sun-dried tomatoes were acceptable, but he couldn’t help but frown and mutter to himself, “Weird. What exactly is off about this?”
Before long, the first batch of sun-dried tomatoes was ready. Xia Lu Nong put them in a small basket and took Kong Zhi outside to offer some samples to passersby.
Whether familiar or unfamiliar, people at the base were generally willing to help when they received their request for taste-testing.
Everyone remarked that the sun-dried tomatoes were delicious.
When Xia Lu Nong asked if they would be willing to trade five pounds of rice for one pound of sun-dried tomatoes, most people immediately expressed their unwillingness.
Xia Lu Nong kept lowering the price, and only when he reached the point of two pounds of rice for one pound of sun-dried tomatoes did about one or two out of ten people agree.
Carrying the basket and returning with Kong Zhi, Xia Lu Nong said, feeling frustrated, “I guessed right; no one wants to trade. Although we can earn a bit by trading two pounds of rice for one pound of sun-dried tomatoes, considering the labor and fuel costs, it would be better for us to go out and gather supplies directly.”
Kong Zhi asked, “What about all those tomatoes in the field?”
“I’ll think of something.”
“Why not raise something? Aren’t they raising pigs over at the cafeteria?”
“Raising pigs is too troublesome, and it stinks.” Xia Lu Nong shook his head vigorously. “Besides, it would be too wasteful to feed tomatoes to pigs.”
When the two returned, Xia Lu Nong saw a bowl full of cut tomatoes and felt like he was onto something, yet it also felt like he grasped nothing at all.
When Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian returned, they saw him looking gloomy and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“This type of sun-dried tomato doesn’t seem to be very popular.” Xia Lu Nong handed the dried tomatoes to his brother. “I don’t know what went wrong.”
Xia Huo Qu washed his hands after fetching water from the kitchen and picked up a piece of dried tomato to taste. “The flavor is okay.”
“It is indeed okay, but when I offered it to people on the street, nobody was willing to trade rice for it.”
Yan Xi Nian also tried a piece and asked, “Do we have to exchange it for rice?”
“It can be rice or flour. We’re running low on rice now.”
As Xia Lu Nong spoke, he brought out their dinner for that evening — tomato lamb bone noodles, along with stir-fried bacon with bamboo shoots and stir-fried eggplant, but the green beans were replaced with cold cucumber salad.
Yan Xi Nian picked up another piece of dried tomato and threw it into his mouth, walking alongside him. “It probably won’t be easy to exchange for rice; food is so precious now, people are reluctant to part with it.”
“What about those who aren’t just ordinary folks?”
Yan Xi Nian said, “The non-ordinary folks mainly refer to those single men who often go out foraging. They have food on hand and are generous, but they tend to eat fewer snacks.”
Snacks?
Xia Lu Nong suddenly had a realization and looked up at Kong Zhi, finally figuring out what was wrong.
Why wasn’t this sun-dried tomato popular? He had misidentified the market!
This type of sun-dried tomato was a relatively healthy snack, but it wasn’t the kind that would be well-received.
It was too bland!
There were actually snacks available in the base.
Before the great disaster, information was too advanced. With a little effort, people could easily make common snacks like spicy strips, instant noodles, and pickled chicken feet, and now they could be exchanged at the base.
However, these snacks were too expensive for most people to trade for.
Tomatoes were hard to make into something with the rich flavor of spicy strips or instant noodles. After misidentifying the market, it was natural that they couldn’t compete with spicy strips, instant noodles, and pickled chicken feet.
Xia Lu Nong let out a long sigh. “I finally understand.”
His mind raced, and he grasped the situation in an instant.
Kong Zhi looked at him.
Xia Huo Qu asked, “What did you figure out?”
“I understand why our sun-dried tomatoes can’t be exchanged!” Xia Lu Nong pulled out other snacks for comparison, explained his conclusions, and finally summed up, “If I had to make an effort to exchange for something delicious, I wouldn’t exchange for sun-dried tomatoes either!”
Yan Xi Nian hadn’t expected him to arrive at this realization so quickly. He curiously asked, “Since you’ve misidentified the market, how do you plan to change it?”
“It’s simple; we just need to reposition it as a staple food.” Xia Lu Nong asked, “Brother Xi Nian, have you heard of chili cakes?”
“I have a vague impression.”
“This is a type of local snack made with rice flour and vegetables. Peppers, pumpkins, and eggplants can all be made into chili cakes, and tomatoes should work too.”
Yan Xi Nian asked, “So it can be eaten like a meal?”
“Pretty much; it definitely has a stronger filling effect than plain sun-dried tomatoes!”
Xia Lu Nong had a new idea. The next day, he simply cut up all the tomatoes and laid them out in the sun to dry them as much as possible.
While drying the tomatoes, he also took some rice to the cafeteria to grind into rice flour.
Since the power plant was still under construction and there were no machines at the cafeteria, everyone had to rely on manual labor to push the stone mill for grinding.
Xia Lu Nong couldn’t do it alone, but fortunately, Kong Zhi was there to help him push the mill and provide practical improvement suggestions.
With Kong Zhi’s help, Xia Lu Nong came up with several versions and quickly produced a version of tomato chili cake with minced meat.
This version of tomato chili cake included rice flour, giving it a good chewiness.
The main ingredient of rice flour is starch, which becomes more fragrant the more you chew it, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste.
After tasting it himself, Xia Lu Nong felt like a true genius.
He straightened up, placed the whole plate of tomato chili cakes in front of his brother, and pretended to be calm as he said, “Brother, why don’t you try the taste of this one?”
Xia Huo Qu picked up a piece, looked at him, and then glanced at Kong Zhi.
Kong Zhi remained as silent as ever, with slightly swollen lips, indicating it must be spicy, and it was unclear how many he had eaten or tasted.
Xia Huo Qu took a gentle bite and quickly tasted the diced tomatoes wrapped in rice flour, followed by bits of meat and chili flakes. It was fragrant and spicy, with a slight sourness and sweetness, making it increasingly appetizing.
The flavor of this version of tomato chili cake was absolutely stunning, and Xia Huo Qu hadn’t expected his younger brother to balance the ingredients so well.
The tomatoes inside no longer seemed bland; the sweet and sour flavor instead added a hint of freshness, alleviating the heaviness of the rice flour and meat.
Xia Huo Qu hadn’t tasted such a delightful snack in a long time.
He looked up and met his younger brother’s expectant gaze. After thinking for a moment, he said, “This piece of tomato chili cake is fresh, fragrant, salty, spicy, with a slight sourness and sweetness. It’s really delicious, and the texture is rich. If I tasted it somewhere else and it was three or four pounds of rice for one pound, I would definitely trade for some to satisfy my cravings.”
Yan Xi Nian took another piece and, after the brothers finished talking, said, “Xiao Nong, give me more of this tomato chili cake. Tomorrow, I’ll take it with your brother to the power plant to help you promote it.”
“Sure, I’ll make more.”
Xia Lu Nong hummed a little tune and added, “Actually, it not only tastes good but is also very suitable as a dry food. Look, it contains vegetables, meat, and carbohydrates, with complete nutrients, tastes good, and is easy to carry and eat. Even if you’re on the go, you can just grab a piece and eat while walking, and it’s totally fine.”
Yan Xi Nian couldn’t help but laugh, “Alright, I’ll use this slogan tomorrow.”
Xia Lu Nong looked at him with her big eyes, “I wasn’t making false claims.”
“That was a compliment on how well you said it,” Yan Xi Nian replied. “You haven’t been to the hydropower station yet, right? Want to come check it out and do some promotion yourself?”
“No thanks,” Xia Lu Nong declined immediately. “I’ll make some more tomato chili cakes. We’re going to Yacheng Town in a couple of days, and even if no one at the base wants them, Yacheng Towen is big enough that we’re sure to trade some.”
Xia Lu Nong was very confident; his instincts told him these tomato chili cakes would be popular.
And he was right.
The next day, Yan Xi Nian returned and pulled out a notebook from his inner pocket, handing it to Xia Lu Nong. “Your tomato chili cakes are a hit. I traded 37 pounds of them at a rate of one pound of cakes for five pounds of rice. Take a look.”
“So fast?” Xia Lu Nong was surprised. “Didn’t they hesitate at all?”
“They tried the finished product today. What’s there to hesitate about?” Yan Xi Nian took a sip of tea. “I didn’t let them order too much since I was worried we wouldn’t have enough tomatoes at home. I limited them to five pounds each, and if we run out of ingredients, we can always make it up to them next time.”
Xia Lu Nong flipped through the notebook and saw that most people had ordered five pounds, with only one person ordering two.
He rubbed his chin. “I should be able to make 37 pounds. I’ll finish them tomorrow.”
“Alright, I’ll have them bring the rice after work tomorrow,” Yan Xi Nian said.
After noting down the numbers, Xia Lu Nong returned the notebook to Yan Xi Nian. “Brother Xi Nian, organize the deliveries for the first 15 pounds. I’ll make some eggplant chili cakes tomorrow as samples, and we’ll see if anyone likes them.”
Yan Xi Nian laughed, “Up to you. Don’t overwork yourself though. We don’t lack food at home, so once we use up the tomatoes and eggplants from the field, we can stop.”
“It’s fine, it’s much easier than foraging outside, and I don’t have to worry as much.” Xia Lu Nong’s eyes sparkled. “You guys don’t work too hard either. Once we trade for this batch of rice, things at home will be more comfortable.”
Xia Huo Qu looked at Xia Lu Nong and, for the first time, felt a sense of fatherly pride. He nodded gently, “Alright.”
Xia Lu Nong clenched his fist, his face full of determination.
