Chapter 243 Chapter 243 Heavy Fog
"No wonder the bun shop closed early today."
Zhang Shuhui suddenly realized.
However, she didn't have much of a sense of reality regarding the 2,000 people the aunt mentioned. Hundreds of people were entering the shelter almost every day, and they were still going about their lives as normal.
Zhang Shuhui asked, "Pengpeng, we're out of meat buns. Do you want anything else to eat?"
Zong Yipeng lowered his head and said gloomily, "But I just want to eat meat buns."
Zhang Shuhui said gently, "You saw it too. It's not that Grandpa doesn't buy it for you. It's just that the bun shop is closed, so you can't buy meat buns."
Zong Yipeng pouted: "Then I, then I want to eat Roujiamo or fried chicken nuggets, and replace the soy milk with Coke."
Hamburgers and fried chicken are much more expensive than meat buns.
After all, it was her father-in-law who was treating her, not her own money, so Zhang Shuhui gave the choice to the old man next to her.
He Junxia pondered: "Is it okay to eat Roujiamo?"
It’s not because roujiamo is cheaper than fried chicken, but because the supplies in the shelter are relatively scarce. The oil used for frying chicken is hard to describe and may not be replaced once a week.
Zong Yipeng nodded: "Okay."
Children's emotions come and go quickly, but when they heard that they could eat roujiamo, a smile appeared on their faces again.
"Boss, a steamed bun with green pepper and pork."
"Eight points, swipe the card this way."
The waiter quickly took out a white flour steamed bun and made a green pepper and pork bun in no time.
He Junxia took back her ID card, took the roujiamo and handed it to Zong Yipeng: "Let's go to the cafeteria and buy some sweet and sour pork tenderloin. They also have soy milk and cola."
Zong Yipeng held the roujiamo in both hands and opened his bloody mouth like a hungry tiger pouncing on the food: "Haochi, Haochi."
The child's cheeks were slightly puffed up, and his little face was full of happiness and satisfaction.
"Sister, do you want to have a bite?"
"I don't want it. It's not tasty."
Zhang Lingjia tried to shake her head. The roujiamo was dry and she didn't like eating roujiamo.
“The roujiamo is super delicious.”
Zong Yipeng snorted, then lowered his head and took a big bite of Roujiamo happily. It was slightly spicy and delicious.
The three adults laughed as they watched the two children interact. Although they were identical twins, their tastes were very different in some ways.
My younger sister likes sweet and sour dishes with rice, while my older brother prefers carbohydrate staples such as steamed buns and steamed buns.
He Junxia: "You guys can order whatever you want and ask me to reimburse you later. I'll take Jiajia to buy some sweet and sour pork first."
Zhang Shuhui: "Okay."
He Junxia took Zhang Lingjia to the cafeteria window and took out an iron lunch box from a plastic bag. "Small portion of rice, medium portion of sweet and sour pork. Jiajia, what else do you want?"
The little girl thought for a moment and said, "Grandpa, I also want to eat pumpkin and ham."
He Junxia carried her granddaughter around and bought all the dishes she wanted to eat. She also ordered two dishes for herself, one meat and one vegetable, and went to a nearby store to buy a cup of soy milk and a Coke.
Of course, everyone brings their own cup.
Otherwise you will have to pay 1 extra point for the meal fee.
The family found an empty table and sat down to eat. Zong Yipeng, who had already finished his roujiamo, drank Coke slowly from the cup.
“Gurgle gurgle…”
There was a sudden rumbling sound in the abdomen. He Junxia turned around and saw a child whose gender was indeterminate staring at the food in their bowls.
He looked to be about seven or eight years old. His clothes were dusty with a big hole in them. He looked dusty too, and his eyes were full of longing.
Zhang Shuhui had no appetite.
Mothers hate to see their children suffer.
She asked gently, "Little friend, where are your parents?"
The child was frightened and stepped back to hide under the table beside him, but his eyes were still looking at the sweet and sour pork in Zhang Lingjia's bowl with longing.
Zhang Shuhui frowned slightly: "I'll go and ask about the situation."
She sighed and walked to the nearest cafeteria window: "Sister, do you know whose child that is?"
The cafeteria aunt looked in the direction of her finger and saw the child hiding under the table. She also sighed: "Alas, her grandfather passed away a few days ago. There is no one left at home. There is no one to take care of her."
Under normal circumstances, people in the community would help send the children to welfare homes or orphanages, so that there would be someone to take care of them. But now the authorities have no time to take care of these trivial matters. Anyway, they will not starve or die of thirst thanks to the free porridge and free dormitories.
Not to mention that life is difficult nowadays. People with hands and feet have to find work to eat their fill. Even if they have a kind heart, there is no room for another mouth to feed at home.
Zhang Shuhui didn't expect the truth to be like this.
She hesitated for a moment, then took out a plastic bag and said, "Put me a large portion of rice and a medium portion of scrambled eggs with tomatoes."
The cafeteria lady asked: "Did you buy this for that kid?"
Zhang Shuhui nodded slightly.
The cafeteria lady picked up the spoon and scooped a large spoonful of rice steadily, without any sign of shaking hands as she did when facing other customers.
Zhang Shuhui took the plastic bag filled with food and went to the shop next door to buy two big steamed buns.
There are five people in their family and they don't live well. They can only give some food when they see it, and there is no more.
She walked to the dining table where the child was hiding and said, "Little friend, come here. Auntie will treat you to a meal."
The child raised his head timidly, his bright dark eyes looking at the steamed buns and food in her hands, swallowing his saliva continuously.
She bent her body and moved out slowly, her eyes always fixed on the two big white buns, like a stray cat that was afraid of humans but had to beg for food.
Zhang Shuhui stuffed the food and steamed buns into the child's mouth and said, "Eat sparingly. Don't eat it all in one sitting."
After doing all this, she stood up and left without even looking at the child's reaction, but she heard a small voice the next second.
"Mother"
Zhang Shuhui's heart trembled.
But she didn't look back, nor did she stop. She was just an ordinary person.
Zhang Shuhui returned to the dinner table and told her family the news she had heard. The table fell into silence.
Zhang Lingjia looked down at the sweet and sour pork tenderloin in the bowl and said, "Mom, I'll give the pork to that sister."
Zhang Shuhui touched her daughter's hair and said, "No, honey, eat by yourself. Mom has already bought something for your sister."
A medium portion of sweet and sour pork costs 10 points, which is only six or seven yuan. My daughter has been craving it for more than a month, but she was able to have one portion only today.
She felt sorry for the strange child, and even more sorry for her own daughter.
The family was eating and chatting when a few young people came over and sat down with a large meal, using the same bowls and chopsticks from the cafeteria.
Too luxurious
It costs 2 points to use the cafeteria's tableware.
"If we had known the food at the shelter was so good, we would have come earlier. We've been hiding at home and eating instant noodles every day. With no water or electricity, we can only crush them up and eat them. Now I feel like vomiting just seeing instant noodles."
"Me too, I feel sick when I smell instant noodles."
"The shelter is still the best. I'm dying for the chili fried pork, but it's so expensive. It costs 10 points, and this meal cost me 25 points."
"What are you afraid of? The shelter won't let us starve to death. They said they will provide free breakfast and dinner."
"If it doesn't work out, we can just do part-time jobs."
…
Listening to the conversation between several young people at the next table, Zhang Shuhui shook her head slightly in her heart. Working part-time is not that easy.
Even at a construction site that accepts everyone, you still have to complete the specified tasks on time and in full to get points.
If all else fails, you can only do part-time work that is paid by piece. The unit price is pitifully low, and you may not even be able to earn 15 points a day.
He Junxia thought of another point from their conversation. The water and power outages showed that the government had gradually lost control of the outside world.
I am afraid that more people will flock to shelters in the future.
No wonder there was a rumor on the construction site that they would be working in two shifts in a few days, and those who didn't accept the two shifts should not come to work.
The shelter's management is also feeling the pressure.
Besides this, can the food reserves in the shelter withstand the impact of so many people?
You should know that it has been almost a year since the first white fog appeared. Due to the influence of the white fog, there is almost no harvest in the land, and order is maintained entirely by the old grain in the granary.
After nearly a year of consumption, how much food is left in the granary? I'm afraid the shelter will face a food shortage soon.
Maybe people won’t starve to death, but they will undoubtedly have to tighten their belts.
He Junxia frowned slightly.
"I'm done."
"I've finished my drink too."
Zhang Lingjia and Zong Yipeng's voices rang out one after another. Zhang Shuhui looked at the clean, empty lunch box and smiled, "Okay, then let's go for a walk in the underground park."
The family packed up their dishes and stood up to leave. Perhaps out of a sense of emotion or for some other reason, Zhang Shuhui looked back before leaving the cafeteria.
A pair of eyes full of expectation and surprise looked at her.
I don’t know how long I watched it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
