Chapter 185: Prosperity 185: The Car of Nanyang Military Region
"Okay, girl, don't stick your head out." Xiao Xu glanced at the rearview mirror, went straight and turned left according to the route she gave.
Chu Dai saw the little woman looking a little embarrassed, with her elbows resting on the car window and her chin supported by the back of her hands, and he couldn't help laughing out loud.
Gu Qingqing glared at him, then sat back angrily.
When she was twelve years old, her mother brought her here once, but she had never been to the state-owned hotel where her third uncle worked. She only knew that it was next to the guesthouse in front.
She felt happy thinking about meeting her uncle later.
I only knew that the state-owned hotel where my third uncle worked was big, but I didn't expect it to be this big, with three floors. When Gu Qingqing got out of the car and saw the four big words "Yancheng Hotel" on the sign, she was amazed.
The restaurant she and her mother had eaten at in the town was not very big, with only one floor, and there were only two chefs.
Chu Yuan carried his eldest grandson in his arms and walked inside at a galloping pace. The little boy's big black eyes were full of curiosity. He lay on his grandfather's shoulder and looked around.
Chu Dai took his son from Shen Sui and followed closely behind him. He said to his daughter-in-law who was still in a daze, "It's cold outside. Come in quickly."
"Oh, here we come." Gu Qingqing came back to her senses, hugged A-di and followed him in.
The waiter at the state-owned hotel had already seen the military vehicles outside, and when they came in, they smiled warmly: "Hello, comrades, do you want to eat? There is a big table on the second floor."
There were many travelers coming and going during the New Year, and the first floor was already full. The clothes, words and behaviors of these people all seemed like they were from big cities, and they were not short of money.
Gu Qingqing glanced at them casually and then looked away, but they couldn't help but look over here.
These men were so imposing. Although they were all in casual clothes, Xiao Xu looked around with sharp eyes and his hands were on his waist, obviously protecting the middle-aged man next to him.
"These people don't seem simple." said a diner.
"Looks like someone from the military."
"Huh? How did you know?"
"Look at the way they walk, and their straight backs..." Seeing that the person next to him was staring at those people, he quickly pulled his arm and said, "Stop looking, they are looking at you."
"No, I just think those two kids are cute. Haven't you noticed? They look exactly the same."
"Well, stop looking!"
Gu Qingqing followed the man upstairs, and the waiter brought the menu for them to order.
Chu Yuan took a casual look and threw the menu to Chu Dai, and the man handed it to his wife.
Gu Qingqing ordered a dish of beef stewed with potatoes, which cost 25 cents. Beef is quite rare and one can only eat it a few times a year.
"Let's have some fried mutton cabbage and pork pickled cabbage noodles, five steamed buns, and a bowl of white rice."
"Thank you, that's all." She handed the menu back to the waiter and said with a smile, "Can you give me a pot of hot water, comrade?"
Hearing her fluent Yancheng dialect, the waiter smiled even more: "Okay, wait a moment."
Being a chef or waiter in a state-owned hotel is a very respectable job and it is enviable if you tell others about it. However, it is not easy to work in a state-owned hotel as you need to pass an exam.
Because of their high social status, in the early years, there were often quarrels and fights between waiters and customers. Some customers with connections would eat larger portions of food, and the people around them couldn't stand it and started a fight.
Later, many state-owned hotels would put up a sign at the door:
It is not allowed to quarrel with customers.
"Comrade, here's your hot water." The waiter brought a pot of boiling water, and there were bowls, chopsticks and cups on the table.
"Thank you."
Gu Qingqing took the hot water bottle and the order from the waiter. The beef stew with potatoes was 25 cents, the mutton stir-fried cabbage was 15 cents, the pork and pickled cabbage powder was 18 cents, and the steamed buns were 5 cents each. Five of them were 25 cents in total. A pot of rice costs seventy-two cents per catty.
All of these require food coupons, and the total amount is one dollar and fifty-five cents.
The Chu family's father and son's allowances were all given to their daughters-in-law for daily expenses, adding up to more than 500 yuan, of which Chu Yuan received the lion's share. As a major military region-level leader, he received 372 yuan per month, and Chu Dai, who was at the deputy regimental level, received 175 yuan.
However, Commander Chu owed his brothers too much money when his son got married, and later when Gu Qingqing became pregnant, he borrowed a lot of money again, and he just paid it off two days ago.
Therefore, the remaining allowance of this month will be given to the daughter-in-law. However, Gu Qingqing has quite a bit of money, including one or two thousand yuan for her dowry, and Chu Dai has hardly used any of his allowance in the past two years.
She originally wanted to decline, but her husband refused, so she had no choice but to accept it.
Chu Dai poured some boiling water into the cup, and then poured it into the bottle after it became warm.
Next to them were workers from the steel factory, including a first-level worker who had just finished his apprenticeship. He invited his master and his fellow workers to dinner, and they were toasting each other and having a great time. He also ordered a large table of dishes.
The worker who had become an apprentice had a beaming face: "Thank you, Master, for teaching me the skills, and thank you to all the workers for their selfless help, otherwise I would only be able to get a salary of 22 yuan forever. Now...now I, Wang Ergou, can finally get 36.5 yuan, which allows me to support my family and make a name for myself. This glass is for my Master!" As he said this, he raised his head and drank it in one gulp.
Gu Qingqing was attracted by their conversation and wanted to see what dishes they ordered——
There were deep-fried pork, sausage, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and four or five cold dishes to go with the wine. In front of each person was a bottle of Jingzhi Baigan, which clearly showed that they had spent a lot of money.
The food looks delicious.
In the kitchen, fifteen chefs were stir-frying at the same time, cooking over high heat with a fragrant aroma.
After frying the meat, Gu Cai put it on a plate, then wiped the sweat off his face with a white towel.
The waiter came over with the menu and said with a smile, "Master Gu, this is the order from the customer just now. They are all your specialties."
"Haha, is there any dish that Chef Gu is not good at? You underestimate him. But Chef Gu, after your shift today, are you going home to celebrate the New Year?" The chef who was cooking next to him asked him with a smile that was full of kindness on his face.
"Yes, my wife went home two days before me. After my mid-day shift, I took the bus to town." Gu Yin glanced at the stir-fried mutton with round vegetables on the menu and immediately started cooking: "I'll only cook one dish. You guys can cook the rest, otherwise we won't be able to catch the bus."
"OK."
The dishes were prepared long ago, and they had assistants to cut the vegetables, so they cooked quickly.
There were no new customers outside at the moment, so the waiter was not in a hurry and hung the menu on the wall: "These customers seem to be from some prominent backgrounds."
"What's so difficult about it? All kinds of leaders come to our hotel. I even saw our city leader a while ago." Someone nearby responded casually.
"This time it's different. It's a military vehicle from outside the province, with a military license plate. Hmm... it seems to be from Nanyang."
"Wow, the one who can drive a military vehicle must be a senior leader. But why would the leader of the Southern Military Region come to our Yancheng?"
"Who knows? Maybe he just stopped by to have a meal or he has a mission and will go to the guesthouse later. I can't tell."
Gu Cai's mind moved: "Are you sure you are from Nanyang?"
"Yes, how could I be wrong?" The waiter curled his lips. Seeing him use two pots to cook potatoes at the same time, he was stunned: "Master Gu, aren't you in a hurry to go back? Just let Master Zhao cook the potatoes and beef stew."
"No hurry," Gu Cai laughed, "My niece is here to pick me up."
"Huh?" The waiter was puzzled. After asking for a long time, he didn't say anything, so he had to give up.
The pork and pickled cabbage noodles were out of the pot and the waiter was about to bring them. Gu Cai shook his head: "I can do it myself."
As soon as these words were spoken, the people around looked at each other. They never had the habit of having a chef serve the dishes, and there were enough staff in the hotel.
Gu Cai didn't explain much. He went to the second floor according to the table number. When he saw the two little kids, he knew he was right. He said loudly, "Qingqing!"
"Third Uncle?!" Gu Qingqing was originally thinking about whether to sneak into the kitchen to see if he had returned, but she didn't expect him to come up with the dishes. When she reacted, Gu Cai had already arrived and greeted Chu Yuan: "Long time no see, relative."
"Yes, we came to bother you again this year." Chu Yuan was very friendly to the Gu family: "Qingqing said you were working here, so we came to see if you had gone home."
"I just finished my midday shift and was planning to take a bus. But when my comrades told me there were military vehicles coming from Nanyang, I wanted to take a look. I didn't expect it was you."
Chu Yuan also smiled: "What a coincidence, dear, why don't you sit down and eat with us? We can go back together later."
Gu Qingqing had already pulled the chair away. "Uncle San, sit here. Where's my Aunt San?"
"Their enamel factory closed early, so they went back two days ago, saying they were buying New Year's goods in advance." Gu Cai glanced at his two nephews, his eyes full of love and affection: "Our Tuantuan has grown up a lot every year."
"That's right. The food is good. If it weren't for the high allowances from my father and my father, all our family savings would have been eaten up." Gu Qingqing smiled with her eyebrows and eyes curved into crescents: "Brother Jianguo and Brother Weidong have to serve in the army for two years before they can take leave, so they didn't come back with us."
Gu Cai waved his hands and said, "Don't worry about them. I'm tired of them after staying at home for so many years. A-Dai, they haven't caused you any trouble, have they?"
"Don't worry, Uncle San. Both of my brothers are capable. The quartermaster has praised me several times, saying that I solved his urgent problems." Chu Dai said with a smile.
"That's good." Gu Cai was most afraid that these two guys would cause trouble for their in-laws and drag down their reputation.
"Comrade, please give me another set of bowls and chopsticks." The food had been served, and Gu Qingqing turned sideways and waved to the waiter who came out from the other side.
The waiter came over with a set of bowls and chopsticks, and was stunned to see Gu Cai was there too: "Master Gu, do you know each other?"
"Ah, these are my niece, nephew-in-law, and my father-in-law, as well as my two nephews and great-nephews. This one is my father-in-law's security guard, so he is also my nephew." Gu Cai introduced them to the waiter with a smile.
Xiao Xu has accompanied Chu Yuan to the Gu family two or three times, and each time he stayed for more than half a month. He also called the Gu family uncles and aunts, and could indeed be considered the nephew of the Gu family.
Gu Qingqing also smiled and nodded: "Yes, this is my third uncle." Seeing the slight smugness on Gu Cai's face, she smiled in her heart: "We came here specially to take him home for the New Year."
The smile on Gu Cai's face deepened and his back straightened.
The waiter was astonished, he had never realized that Master Gu had such a powerful relative. Not to mention the military vehicles outside, just the guards showed that he must be a high-ranking official in the military region!
Restraining the envy in her eyes, she handed the dishes to Gu Cai and hurried to the kitchen to tell the other chefs about this big gossip.
It’s incredible!
In the past few years, Gu Cai was often ridiculed because he came from the countryside. Later, he conquered everything with diligence and strength, and won respect in recent years. I didn’t expect that although he seemed silent on the surface, he had such a powerful backer behind him!
Gu Cai felt very happy. In the past, he had no appetite after cooking, but today, he had a big appetite. He even took the bun from Chu Yuan's hand, broke open the soft steamed bun, and fed it to his nephew.
The family was happily chatting about the interesting things that had happened recently, and the kitchen was bustling with activity, with everyone's expression showing disbelief.
Some of them have some background in their families, working in the city government or other places, and sometimes they can't help but look down on others in their hearts. They really don't think much of caring for money.
I never thought that someone who is usually friendly and smiling to everyone, and never talks back when others talk to him, actually has such a powerful relative.
They couldn't help sighing.
"Comrades, what are you doing? The guests outside are waiting for their meals. Why are you making such a fuss? Are you going to quarrel with the guests again?" The hotel manager glared at them, pretending to get angry.
"No, no," the waiter quickly explained, "It's just that Master Gu's niece came to pick him up to go home for the New Year. We were quite shocked."
The lobby manager breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Comrade, have you not learned how to use the word 'shocked'? What's wrong with his niece coming to pick him up? Is it necessary to be so surprised?"
"No, Manager, I came to pick you up by car."
The manager frowned and was about to ask what driving a car was… but then he reacted and asked, “Is his niece a bus driver?”
Waiter: "...No, it's a car, a small car, a PLA military vehicle."
"Huh?" The manager was stunned.
Someone added with envy, "It's a car from the Nanyang Military District. It's parked outside. I just took a peek from the window."
Waiter: “…”
Are you aiming? Half of your body is hanging on the window.
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