C5 Production Test

Two hundred pounds of fresh fish cost five hundred dollars, averaging out to 2.5 dollars per pound. The fish were decently sized, and Lee Zhi thought to himself, "With this much fish, I can have Dong Xiaorou stew a couple for lunch. It's been ages since I've had stewed fish."

"How are we going to get all these fish back?" Lee Zhi inquired of Dong Xiaorou. The dock wasn't too far from the factory, but there was no way they could carry two hundred pounds of fresh fish by hand.

Dong Xiaorou, slightly annoyed, retorted, "Are you really asking me?"

Lee Zhi gave a wry smile, glanced around, and mumbled, "If only we had a car." But buying a car was out of the question; he was out of money.

Resourceful as ever, Dong Xiaorou managed to borrow an electric tricycle from the village to transport the fish to the factory.

"Do we just load the fish into the machine?" Dong Xiaorou asked, looking expectantly at Lee Zhi inside the factory.

Lee Zhi chuckled and replied, "That's the idea!"

Truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure himself. He had only finished calibrating the machine the night before and hadn't actually used it yet. Whether it could actually produce fish balls was still up in the air.

"Do we need to use a laptop to operate it?" Dong Xiaorou moved closer to where Lee Zhi stood by an old desk, which held his second-hand laptop. A solid wood chair sat in front of the desk, both items recent purchases from a second-hand market as Lee Zhi was pinching pennies.

Lee Zhi nodded, "Yes, it makes things a bit simpler."

He powered up the laptop and launched a program, revealing a 3D schematic on the screen. It showed six interconnected machines, all highlighted in red.

"Once we feed in the raw materials, the whole setup should turn green, and then we'll be able to make fish balls," Lee Zhi explained, pointing to the display.

After tweaking the software, Lee Zhi clicked the 'Start' button with the mouse. This fish ball-making setup was one of the most basic in the Nebula I9 Intelligent Factory System, but it was undeniably one of the simplest smart processing lines within the system.

Lee Zhi stood, approached the grinder, and with a deep breath, dumped a whole basket of fresh fish—about fifty pounds—into it.

He had no idea if the production line would actually function. If it did, fantastic; if not, he'd have wasted all of yesterday's efforts and would have to dismantle and reassemble the entire line.

"Machine number one is operating smoothly!"

Hearing the voice from the laptop, Dong Xiaorou expressed her astonishment, "It talks?"

Lee Zhi returned with a grin, "Yes, the intelligent system not only indicates which parts are functioning well and which have issues, but it also alerts you when you're running low on raw materials."

Dong Xiaorou nodded thoughtfully. As they conversed, the four machines ahead had all been tested and were running without a hitch.

"Machine number five is experiencing an anomaly, but production can continue. Would you like to proceed?"

Dong Xiaorou hesitated, then turned to Lee Zhi, "Is there a problem with one of the machines?"

Lee Zhi walked over to where Dong Xiaorou sat in front of the desk, her curiosity piqued by the laptop's contents. Leaning in close, he took the mouse and confidently clicked 'continue production.'

"Let's give it a shot. If the machine acts up, I'll adjust it afterward."

Dong Xiaorou shifted back in her chair, a touch embarrassed by Lee Zhi's proximity and the implicit intimacy of his gesture.

Initially, Lee Zhi hadn't noticed anything amiss. By the time he realized something was off, he was already standing upright. He glanced at Dong Xiaorou and chuckled, "This is absolutely a misunderstanding!"

Dong Xiaorou gave him a flirtatious look. Already strikingly beautiful, her gaze was enough to captivate Lee Zhi.

"Machine number six is functioning smoothly!" Dong Xiaorou announced, turning to monitor the computer screen.

Snapping out of his daze, Lee Zhi touched his nose and grinned. "Go ahead and click 'production' with the mouse now."

With that, all the machines whirred to life. The hum of a single machine wasn't much, but the combined rumble of six was considerable.

Some machines operated quietly, but Lee Zhi's budget didn't stretch to high-end equipment, so he made do with what he had.

Five minutes later, the first fish ball tumbled out of the production line and into a container.

Lee Zhi and Dong Xiaorou approached, and as Lee Zhi retrieved the first fish ball, a second one dropped from the chute.

"Fish balls?" Dong Xiaorou inquired.

Lee Zhi nodded affirmatively, "Fish balls."

The fish balls were a pale grayish-white, free from any chemical additives. They were roughly the size of a newborn's fist, weighing 0.6 grams and completely dry. Though they felt slightly moist, they were certainly not damp. Lee Zhi could sense their bounce as he squeezed one between his fingers.

He sniffed the fish ball, detecting a subtle, fresh aroma that wasn't at all fishy.

"Thinking of trying a bite?" Dong Xiaorou asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Lee Zhi bit off a small piece and savored the flavor. The fish balls were tasty, fresh, and springy.

"These are made from fresh fish, with no preservatives added. Technically, we could eat them raw. They taste great. Don't believe me? Have a taste!" Lee Zhi suggested, still chewing.

Dong Xiaorou wasn't one to shy away. Following Lee Zhi's lead, she took a bite and was equally impressed by the flavor.

"Are they meant to be eaten raw?"

Lee Zhi replied with a smile, "Not really. They're even better when cooked!"

"How about I cook a few fish balls so we can taste the difference?" Dong Xiaorou suggested, her mouth watering at the thought of the delicious food.

"Sure, I'm getting hungry too. Feel free to cook a few extra!" Lee Zhi responded enthusiastically. After all, these fish balls were his factory's produce; he wouldn't skimp on them.

Transforming fifty kilograms of fresh fish into fish balls would take some time. Lee Zhi and Dong Xiaorou left the noisy production workshop, seeking a more comfortable space.

The adjacent room was equipped with an induction cooker, an electric rice cooker, and a gas cylinder, all ready for use thanks to Lee Zhi's preparations.

"How do we go about cooking these fish balls?" Dong Xiaorou asked.

After pondering for a moment, Lee Zhi replied with a smile, "Let's start by boiling a few in plain water to see how they taste. If they're good, we can add some seasonings to enhance the flavor even more!"