Chapter 32: The Process of Making Instant Noodles

Inside the modest factory by the lakeside, Su Ziye stood before the workers dressed in various clothes. Most of them were young girls, some appearing as young as twelve or thirteen. There were men too, but they were sparse, roughly making up only a tenth of the group.

The total number of workers was about fifty.

“I’ll demonstrate it once more,” Su Ziye said calmly. Then, in front of everyone, the young man began mixing water with flour. After adding a small amount of salt to the dough, he skillfully kneaded and rolled it out. He had repeated this process countless times, so his expertise was astonishingly precise. Eventually, Su Ziye rolled the dough into sheets of nearly uniform thickness. Then, he took out a very thin blade and cut regular, even wavy lines across the dough.

These wavy lines divided the sheet into long, narrow, curled wide noodles. Su Ziye immediately lifted all of these noodles and placed them on a steamer that had been prepared in advance. Under his meticulous control, the water beneath the steamer boiled almost instantly, and the scorching steam passed freely through the spaces between the noodles, thoroughly exposing them to the heat, causing the proteins to denature rapidly.

At this moment, Su Ziye turned to the watching crowd and said, “This process usually takes about ten minutes, but if I operate it, five minutes is enough.”

Saying this, he quietly flipped the hourglass beside him. Watching the sand trickle down bit by bit, he smiled and added, “If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask now.”

A timid girl raised her hand, and Su Ziye called her forward. “Go ahead.”

“Big brother, your knife skills and cooking are amazing. We’re afraid we can’t do it like that,” she said shyly.

She helped with cooking at home, but the way Su Ziye could roll a large piece of dough into an almost perfectly even sheet with just one rolling pin, then cut it into uniform, wavy wide noodles with a single blade—it required a subtle balance of strength and finesse that only someone experienced in cooking could understand.

“I never said you had to make noodles exactly like me,” Su Ziye smiled. “I just want you all to understand the entire handmade noodle-making process. You may not be able to do it perfectly, but you must know how it works.”

“Also, you can choose to buy affordable ingredients and try making it yourselves. If you succeed, you’ll receive corresponding rewards.”

“Really?” The crowd immediately brightened with excitement.

Although it seemed difficult, it wasn’t impossible. Rolling dough, cutting noodles, steaming—these could all be mastered with enough practice.

This young man had already shown great generosity, and the rewards he promised would certainly not disappoint anyone.

“Of course, it’s true. I guarantee it,” Su Ziye said quietly. He glanced at the hourglass, now almost empty, then opened the steamer and took out the nearly cooked noodles. With a swift motion, he cut three lines across the noodles, dividing the sheet into four layers. In front of everyone, he tore the steamed noodles into small, round bundles, shaping them by hand into little dough discs. Nearby, a pan with hot oil was ready. After testing the temperature, Su Ziye placed the discs into the oil one by one, frying them until set, then quickly drained the oil and set them aside to cool.

“At this stage, the process is basically complete,” he said, then called the girl who had asked the question earlier.

“Come here,” he said gently.

The young man’s demeanor was mild and kind, and his handsome appearance was the kind that never stirred any resentment among girls, so she obediently stepped forward.

Su Ziye took a cooled, hardened noodle disc and, in front of her, prepared a bowl with boiling water and a concentrated broth cube. Almost instantly, he made her a bowl of instant noodles.

“Try it,” he said calmly.

The girl lowered her head and took a bite of the noodles, then carefully sipped the broth, but did not eat more. “It’s really delicious,” she said.

“Then tell me why it tastes good, and why the noodles can be eaten just by soaking them in boiling water,” Su Ziye smiled.

The girl froze for a moment. “I don’t know.”

She probably wasn’t truly clueless; she was just too nervous to speak. Her childhood experiences had left her almost speechless.

Su Ziye looked at her, and in that instant, all her nervousness vanished. The girl had never felt her mind so calm and clear. She carefully recalled the process the young man had shown, and using her own life experience, she almost effortlessly pieced it together.

“Because the noodles are already cooked.”

They had been steamed and fried; they were obviously cooked.

“That’s obvious.”

“As for why they’re delicious, it’s because the ingredients are good, the noodles are chewy, and steaming and frying didn’t ruin the texture,” the girl pondered and continued, “Also, frying creates many tiny gaps in the noodles, allowing them to absorb water better, so they can be eaten just by soaking in hot water.”

“Excellent,” Su Ziye nodded. “From today onward, you are the leader of this group. Keep up the good work.”

“Leader?” The girl murmured, unfamiliar with the term.

“That means you are the head of these people,” Su Ziye smiled. “You’ll be responsible for arranging their work, adjusting salaries up or down, scheduling work and rest, and deciding on tasks. If anyone disobeys, just tell me or Liu Ru, and we’ll support you.”

“I…” The girl froze. “I can’t do it. Please choose someone else.”

“I advise you not to ask me to replace you. This will be a chance for you to change your fate,” Su Ziye said quietly with a smile. “But if you insist, I will honor your wish.”

“Are you sure?” The girl hesitated.

She glanced at the eyes watching her intently, bit her lip firmly, and said, “I will learn.”

“That’s the spirit,” Su Ziye smiled. “Now that you’ve mastered the entire handmade noodle process, next you can try the machine-made method.”

Saying this, Su Ziye calmly took out various machines he had pre-ordered from Ye Ye Academy from his storage space.

“You need to master all the workflows on this assembly line.”

“Those who master one workflow are considered skilled workers and can lead three apprentices, with their wages doubled.”

“Those who master all workflows are called technicians. They hold the highest status in their workshop, second only to the group leader. Every group leader must first hold the title of technician.”

“Do you understand?”

In that moment, it seemed everyone could see a bright future before them.

“We understand!”

(Thanks to WenXinYiYan. I learned the entire instant noodle process from it.)