Chapter 143: What’s the Big Move?

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: What’s the Big Move?

The first piece of automated kitchen equipment was a machine called a "Multifunctional Commercial Vegetable Cutter." Forged from stainless steel, its surface had a cold, silvery sheen, and the whole thing looked incredibly sturdy and stable.

The machine came in two different models: a raised-head version and a flat-top version. Both models had an assortment of blades to choose from, with each blade designed for a different way of processing vegetables.

The second page showed photos of the final results: various fruits and vegetables processed by the Multifunctional Commercial Vegetable Cutter.

Sliced carrots, sliced potatoes... julienned cucumbers, shredded tofu skin... chopped green beans, chili rings... minced scallions, chive filling... diced carrots, diced potatoes... diamond-cut kelp, diamond-cut radishes... crinkle-cut potatoes, crinkle-cut carrots...

In total, the seven or eight different processing modes covered nearly every method of vegetable prep needed in a commercial kitchen.

With just these two machines, most common vegetables would no longer require manual prep, and the processing speed would be dramatically faster.

"Uncle Han, how much does a machine like this Multifunctional Commercial Vegetable Cutter cost?" Xu An felt a stir of excitement. ’This one machine could do the work of two or three people!’

Uncle Han craned his neck to get a look at the machine in the brochure next to Xu An and replied smoothly, "The base model for this machine is 1,800, and the high-end model is 2,600."

Xu An was shocked by the price. ’A machine that can do the work of two or three people costs only a couple thousand!’

He flicked to the next page with his right hand. Appearing before him was another piece of automated kitchen equipment made of stainless steel: a "Commercial Washer and Peeler." It was suitable for root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, lotus roots, and taro.

You just had to open the lid, pour the potatoes into the machine, close it, and turn it on. In just a few moments, the potatoes would be washed clean and peeled...

The standard version of this machine was 1,500, while the upgraded version—which could also wash seafood and other small food items—cost 6,400.

As he flipped further, he found a bone saw, a meat slicer, a meat grinder, an automatic dishwasher, an automatic stir-fryer, a soup kettle, a vacuum sealer...

If it was a piece of kitchen equipment, this brochure had it all, with prices ranging from one thousand to ten or twenty thousand.

After flipping through the brochure, an image of a food processing plant formed in Xu An’s mind. Raw ingredients purchased from greenhouses would be shipped directly to the plant, where they would be processed, prepared, and cooked by machines. Finally, they would be packaged into delicious boxed meals and delivered by truck to major companies and various distribution centers.

’And most of it could be turned from fantasy into reality with the very equipment shown in the brochure he held in his hands!’

But when he calculated the cost of purchasing all the equipment, plus the facility, installation, and a series of other expenses, he felt as if a basin of cold water had been dumped over his head, chilling him to the core.

Of course, he couldn’t just set up a whole factory right now, but purchasing a few pieces of equipment was well within his means.

For example, the Multifunctional Commercial Vegetable Cutter and the Commercial Washer and Peeler could be had for just eight or ten thousand...

Although Xu An was very tempted, he’d had no experience with this kind of machinery in either his past life or his current one.

Without seeing the actual machines, he couldn’t be sure if the claims in the brochure were exaggerated or simply false advertising.

"Uncle Han, I’m quite interested in this equipment. Do you know when it will be installed? I’d love to come see it in action."

"You’ll have to wait a bit. The most we can do today is get the equipment transported over. After it’s installed, it still needs to be calibrated. It should be ready about a day or two before the exhibition starts," Uncle Han replied after calculating the time in his head.

"Uncle Han, could I come and watch while you’re calibrating it?" Xu An asked enthusiastically, looking the very picture of a bright, studious young man.

Uncle Han hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. He and Xu An exchanged contact information, and he promised to get in touch when it was time for the calibration.

They rested in the car for about twenty minutes before the mechanic finally showed up.

After another half hour of work, the truck finally started. It was moved to an empty spot on the left, allowing Uncle Luo to drive his car past smoothly. The rest of the journey back to Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant was uneventful.

「Hai City Convention and Exhibition Center Office.」

"Teacher, your interest in this is because..." Only after Xu An had left did the stern-looking, middle-aged man ask the elder with a serious expression.

"Yes," the old man said, nodding curtly. "For people like them, this could be a lifeline."

"But you’re retiring in less than two years. What’s the point of going to all this trouble?" The stern-looking man’s eyes were filled with confusion.

"Age only proves I’m getting on in years; it doesn’t prove I’m old. ’Occupy the office, perform the duty.’ As long as I’m still in this position, I have to do my job with diligence." The old man couldn’t help but laugh. "Perhaps in your eyes, there’s no point in an old fellow like me, with no chance of promotion and on the verge of retirement, putting so much effort into these things."

"I wonder if you ever studied a certain story back in your school days." The smile vanished from the old man’s face. His somewhat cloudy eyes grew as sharp as a hawk’s, piercing the younger man with their gaze. "In that tide pool, it mattered to every single starfish that was thrown back into the sea."

The stern-looking man was cowed by the elder’s gaze and uncomfortably lowered his head, his eyes falling on the cup of water on the coffee table, which had long since gone cold.