In the canteen of this coal mine, the windows for serving meals are lined up.
Meals of different price ranges are placed behind different windows.
This is somewhat similar to the structure of the school cafeteria in the technical secondary school where Luo Xuan went to school.
However, I don't know why.
The window where meals are served in this cafeteria is strictly separated from the dining hall by a wooden fence as thick as an arm, which separates the counter where meals are served and the dining hall.
The canteen staff standing inside were too lazy to wear white coats. Instead, they were each wearing a sweater and were busy with long-handled spoons.
Luo Xuan observed carefully:
This dining hall is divided into three parts by a half-person-high brick wall and a wooden fence that reaches the top.
Just like the isolation zone used to queue up to buy tickets at the train station, each group of people who have finished eating will enter different eating areas.
In other words: they are all working in this coal mine.
But when it was time to eat, even though they could meet each other, they could also see each other.
But the miners who went to the mines at different times could not gather together.
Above the first window, there is a small wooden sign three feet wide.
The ink on the wooden sign has faded, but if you look closely, you can still see what is written on it: Miners’ free meal window.
Behind the grating of the window, on a concrete platform with an enamel basin, there was a basin of yellow rice and a basin of pickled cabbage boiled with vermicelli.
Among this new group of workers.
The first person in line was named Jian Teng. He was holding up a brand-new aluminum lunch box and hesitated: "Master, what kind of rice is this? Is this what we eat?"
Because these people who just came in are all farmers from Bashu and Nanyun Provinces.
They had never seen yellow rice made from millet like the one in Daxi, and they had no idea what it was!
What's more, this kind of yellow rice is also mixed with gravel and millet shells that can be seen with the naked eye.
Seeing this situation,
Even the dumbest and stupidest person probably knows that eating this kind of food will not only fill your mouth, but also jam your teeth. If you are not careful, it will cause toothache.
If he met someone who was extremely hungry and devoured his food, his gums would probably bleed!
——The food provided to Little Carrot Head in the legendary Zhazi Cave is probably nothing more than this, right?
The buck-toothed woman in charge of cooking had a face full of flesh.
When she heard the other party ask this question, she tapped the rice bowl with the long-handled spoon in her hand: "Don't you like this food? If you had been in difficult times a few years ago, you wouldn't have been able to eat it!"
Jianteng was startled by the knocking sound.
Then he asked cautiously, "Sister, is this all we can eat tonight?"
"Want to eat something good? Yes."
The woman with a swollen face pointed to the next window with a spoon, "Here, window 2 has fried donkey meat with dried chili peppers and large white steamed buns mixed with only 50% whole grains."
Jian Teng was overjoyed and happily took his lunch box to window No. 2 to get some food.
Luo Xuan, who was standing at the back of the team, always had an extra thought.
Thanks to his good eyesight, Luo Xuan could clearly see that there was also a wooden sign nailed above the No. 2 window: Management cadres eating window.
After Jian Teng took a spoonful of dried chili peppers to stir-fry donkey meat at window No. 2, he didn't want to eat steamed buns, so he continued walking along the passage.
Immediately afterwards, there is window No. 3.
In fact, there is still a wooden sign above the fence of this window, with faded and almost illegible ink written on it: Senior management dining window.
On the concrete platform inside this window,
There are also two huge enamel basins: a basin of white rice and a basin of braised beef with potatoes.
Jianteng asked the person behind the grill: "Master, can I make braised pork and rice?"
The cook inside blew out a puff of smoke towards the pot of braised pork: "Okay, you can even have a double portion."
Jian Teng looked at himself, the fried donkey meat with dried chili peppers in the aluminum box, and finally sighed: "Then please, master, give me one portion of braised pork and one portion of rice. The box is small, and there is too much food.
If so, I can’t fit it in.”
After he had packed the food, he followed the passage into the corresponding hall area, sat down, and started eating.
With Jian Teng in front, he can act like a baby for everyone.
The miners queuing up behind him imitated him: they all fried donkey meat with dried chili peppers and braised beef with white rice.
Working in this coal mine, you can actually eat so well?
for a time,
The faces of these new workers were beaming with joy, and they were all very happy.
It's just that these people didn't notice that they were among the twenty or thirty miners who were eating in another area in the middle of the dining room.
There is one person among them,
While Jian Teng was cooking, he muttered in a low voice, "Oh! These idiots"
It's just that this person just muttered something like this.
Brother Hao, who was standing aside, pointed at him with his finger. The man was so frightened that he immediately swallowed the rest of his words!
When it was Luo Xuan's turn to cook, he naturally followed the others and served the same meal: donkey meat, beef, and white rice.
It would be a fool to eat coarse grains mixed with sand when there is good food available!
As for saying that he clearly knew that by taking this meal just now, he had definitely fallen into a hole carefully dug by the other party.
who cares!
The sky is big and the earth is big, and eating is the biggest thing.
Pit pits are healthier.
While everyone was devouring the food, their mouths were full of oil.
Brother Hao also carried his lunch box and walked over, "Hey, how can brothers eat so well? No wonder others say that those of us who come out to work in Bashu are the most willing to eat."
Jian Teng said with a smile: "I'm very hungry. I'm thinking of eating something casually to keep my stomach from getting hungry. I can't believe it, this coal mine is kind and righteous!"
He actually managed such a good meal for us.
Tsk tsk tsk, to be honest, this is the first time in my life that I have eaten beef and potatoes."
The people nearby were busy eating,
Everyone happily agreed: "Yes, this donkey meat is quite delicious. They say dragon meat in the sky and donkey meat on the earth. Today is the first time in my life that I have eaten donkey meat!"
Donkey meat is valuable, but that's elsewhere.
In Saibei, there is the famous "Jiami Donkey". The donkey meat sold locally is actually not that expensive.
There is also beef, mutton and horse meat for everyone to choose from outside the Great Wall.
Therefore, the price of donkey meat is not very high in the northern and outer parts of the Great Wall.
Some of them also asked, "Brother Hao, why do you only eat these? Why don't you get a portion of braised beef with potatoes?"
Brother Hao himself only took two coarse-grain steamed buns and stir-fried donkey meat with dried chili peppers.
Hearing this question from others, Brother Hao shook his head: "I came out to run around just to make money and go home. How dare you eat so luxuriously like you all!"
Jianteng stuffed a large piece of beef into his own mouth.
Then he asked vaguely, "Isn't this the free meal provided by the mine? If you don't eat, you won't get it."
"Free meals?"
Brother Hao's eyes widened in disbelief, "I think you want to eat dragon meat! I don't know if you are senior cadres or some other extraordinary people?"
"The meals at window 1 are indeed free for you."
Brother Hao pointed to the wooden sign above the window, "If you are literate, go over and see what is written on it.
If you are illiterate, then you have to speak up and ask other people! I am uneducated, so why don’t you speak more diligently? How about dessert?”
Jian Teng was stunned: "What, what do you mean? Brother Hao, don't scare me."
Brother Hao snorted coldly: "Is your head on your butt? In which public canteen can big people open their bellies and eat potatoes and beef for free?"
"ah?"
Jian Teng, as well as all the miners next to him, all opened their mouths.
In an instant, everyone paused there motionless, as if someone pressed the pause button on time at this moment.
"No, it's not free?"
After a pause of more than ten seconds, Jian Teng finally came to his senses: "This, this meal is not free?"
"The dogs in the production team have to fight to eat hot feces."
Brother Hao, the donkey, slowly ate the donkey meat in his lunch box: "A suffering man who goes down to mine, still expects the mine to provide him with free beef and potatoes to eat? Do you think it is possible?"
Hearing what Brother Hao said,
Everyone present was numb: "Well, how much does this meal cost?"
Brother Hao glared at him: "I'm not a food seller. If you ask me, who should I ask?"
"Gudong——"
It was extremely difficult for Jian Teng to swallow the piece of beef in his mouth. Now he felt that it didn't taste good at all.
"Brother Hao, how much is your portion of donkey meat?"
Jian Teng asked: "And those two steamed buns with mixed noodles, how much do they sell for in this canteen?"
Brother Hao sighed: "The prices in the northwest are expensive. A meal like mine only costs eighty cents!"
Behind the mountain in the cafeteria, among the cooks who were responsible for preparing meals, someone spoke at this time: "Brother Hao, your steamed buns come in twos each, and one steamed bun costs 2 cents and 4 cents."
Stir-fried donkey meat with dried chili pepper, one portion is 1 yuan and 5 cents. The total is only 1 yuan and 98 cents. If you give me two yuan, I will have to ask you for 2 cents.
Forget it, you don’t care about those 2 cents, Brother Hao. If you leave it to me, just think of it as money to turn on the water."
In a restaurant outside.
If the food stamps are also converted into money for a 2-liang steamed bun, a 2-liang white-flour steamed bun will cost roughly 8 cents.
In the canteen of this coal mine, there are steamed buns mixed with half of the whole grains.
It is actually three times more expensive than the pure white steamed buns sold outside!
only,
Since coal mines are often opened in remote areas far away from human habitation, the cost of doing anything is very high.
The price of anything in the mining area is double that of other places, which is actually not too much.
But in the Doujiapan Coal Mine Canteen, these steamed buns mixed with half mixed noodles sell for 2.4 cents each.
This price is indeed a bit outrageous.
When he heard the price quoted by the cook, Brother Hao was stunned: "Er Mazi, didn't a portion of donkey meat used to cost 1 yuan and 1.5 cents?"
"It's still selling for 1 yuan and 15 cents now."
The cook smiled and said: "Brother Hao, who are you? What I feed you is high-quality donkey meat."
"Ni Ma!"
Brother Hao muttered: "Momppi! Now in the mine, even I have been killed?"
Just a portion of donkey meat costs 1.5 yuan?
That roasted beef with potatoes, the price is astronomical?!
Jian Teng was now so frightened that he almost collapsed, "Master, how much does a meal like this cost me?"
The man smiled and said: "You can eat with peace of mind. Money is just a piece of paper. Money comes and goes, so don't worry about it."
Jian Teng didn't dare to be so open-minded, so he asked: "Master, I beg you, tell me how much my meal will cost?"
The man lit a cigarette leisurely.
As the smoke slowly exhaled, a sentence floated towards Jian Teng: "Not much. A portion of fine donkey meat costs 1.5 yuan, and half a catty of rice costs 5 cents."
A portion of braised beef with potatoes costs 2 yuan! Just now, I gave you a big portion."
A meal actually cost 4 yuan?!
"Gudong——"
"Bang——"
"Dingling bells and sugarcane——"
For a time, people in the dining hall were on their feet!
Many angry and impatient people fell down because of their extremely prodigal behavior.
4 yuan.
In the rural areas of the production team in the Bashu region, many farmers only have 1 or 2 yuan of pocket money a month!
The whole family wanted to break a penny in half and spend it, and they had to repeatedly calculate: buying salt this month will cost 1 cents and 2 cents.
The monthly payment for kerosene is estimated to be 1.5 cents.
Yue Niang's head often hurts this month, so buying her "headache powder" may cost another 9 cents.
The eldest son goes to school,
The pencil was sharpened until it was only as long as a finger. It would cost another 7 cents to buy him a new pencil.
It has to be the kind without an eraser.
Otherwise, the price will be 1 cent more per piece.
The members of the production team just count their lives minute by minute on their fingers.
Nowadays, these people are far away from home and dreaming of working hard, which is equivalent to working hard, even their lives.
People who plan to make some money to support their families actually end up spending 4 yuan on just one meal?!
"Pah, pah, pah—"
"Uuuuuu——"
There was chaos in the dining room: there was a man with straight eyes, looking at the beef and donkey meat in his bowl, and tears streaming down his face uncontrollably into his lunch box.
There are also people who slap themselves in remorse and try to punish themselves physically in order to alleviate their inner guilt.
There were also middle-aged men squatting on the ground with their heads in their hands, crying loudly!
The saliva in his mouth, along with the remains of food that he had not finished chewing, was mixed with snot, and tears flowed into a pool on the ground.
Among the twenty or so men.
Everyone is venting their guilt and regret in the dining room in what they think is the best way to relieve their anger.
throughout the area.
The only people who can still remain calm at this time are Brother Hao and Luo Xuan.
In fact, Luo Xuan himself does not want to behave differently.
But the problem is: I really can’t cry! I can’t even pretend to be sad.
There's no way around it.
Brother Hao glanced at Luo Xuan and couldn't help but became curious: "Little brother, your family is rich?"
Luo Xuan shook his head.
"Don't you feel bad after eating 4 yuan for a meal?" Brother Hao asked: "Or are you just a bastard and not afraid of debt?"
While Luo Xuan was choosing beef to eat, he still shook his head: "I can eat enough for myself and the whole family is not hungry.
It doesn’t matter what other people say, it doesn’t matter whether they are doing it for my own good or not.
Anyway, I only believe that what you eat into your stomach belongs to you."
"hey-hey--"
Luo Xuan added: "Besides, I don't love money."
"Have the guts."
Brother Hao raised his hand and gave Luo Xuan a thumbs up.
Then I saw him slam his palm on the table, and shouted: "Shut up, Mr. Duge, and beg me!!!"
