Ring ring...
As soon as the work bell rang, the workers of Jiangdong Textile Factory left their posts one after another, carrying their lunch bowls and hurrying to the canteen.
This Monday, the canteen served scallion pancakes. They were made with real wheat flour and soybean oil, and they were so fragrant that you could smell them even in the factory. Now that everyone's finished work, they're all rushing to the canteen, afraid they'll miss out if they're too late.
After all, since the beginning of last year, the canteen's food supply has been getting worse and worse. It's nothing like back in 1958, when you could eat whatever you wanted without needing coupons. It was all readily available.
Looking back on those days now, it feels like a dream. I just hope these difficult days will pass soon and that supplies will return to normal.
Su Yu, carrying her lunchbox, glanced curiously to both sides before rushing towards the cafeteria with the rest of the group.
This is her second meal at the cafeteria. In the morning, they only served porridge and a cornbread, and she's starving right now.
She rushed to the front, and seeing the remaining scallion pancakes in the large bowl, she swallowed hard. "Two scallion pancakes, please!"
"Four ounces of grain coupons!"
Chef Niu from the cafeteria gave a shout.
Su Yu quickly pulled out her ticket—it was cheap, incredibly cheap!
Master Niu packed two scallion pancakes for her in her lunchbox, and even managed to steal a moment to ask, "Su, why haven't you gone home yet at this hour? Has the sun risen in the west? Don't you care about your family?"
Su Yu smiled and said, "They're all grown up now, they don't need me to take care of them. What's there to take care of? Master Niu, from now on my grain ration will be transferred to the factory canteen."
Master Niu was so surprised he almost took the rice spoon away.
After Su Yu left, Chef Niu, while serving the dishes, asked Aunt Niu beside him, "Hua Hua's mother, what's going on with Su? She used to rush home after work and bring back all the good food, but today she's been eating here the whole time. She was just about to transfer her grain ration. Does this mean she's going to be eating on her own from now on?"
If this is true, the Su family members will have a hard time. Apart from Dazhi, the other two are still minors. Even if there is a food ration, they will go hungry if they don't have the money to buy it.
As the plump Aunt Niu helped serve porridge to the workers, she said, "What's wrong with eating your own food? I don't think we should bother with those ungrateful wretches. Dazhi made a fuss about separating the family property as soon as he got married. I heard that his wife's family is eyeing Su's position. The two of them have caused Su a lot of trouble. I think they should be taught a lesson! If those kids were my children, I would definitely give them a good beating."
Master Niu also fell silent.
Thinking about it, Su has had a tough time these past few years. Su Guodong and his wife were delivering goods for the factory when an accident happened on the way, leaving behind four children. At the time, the eldest, Su Yu, was only sixteen years old and was about to get married, but because she had to take care of her younger siblings, the marriage didn't happen. Over the years, she has worked hard to raise her younger siblings, and in the blink of an eye, she is twenty-six years old, an old maid, and still unmarried. When she tries to date, no one takes her seriously.
If Su Zhen really doesn't plan to take care of her younger siblings anymore, then no one else can do anything to make her unhappy.
...
After finishing her meal, Su Yu quickly went to wash the dishes.
These days, there's hardly any oil or fat, so there's no need for dish soap; just rinsing it under the tap is enough.
She encountered several seemingly familiar people on the way. Based on the memories left behind by the original owner, she recognized them, but couldn't recall their names immediately. After giving them perfunctory greetings, Su Yu quickly went into the rest room to rest.
The break room contained only some old tables and chairs, with shelves for holding water glasses and bowls. After placing her bowl and chopsticks on the shelf and taking a sip of water from her own glass, she sat down on a chair to rest. People gradually entered the break room, and each one looked surprised to see Su Yu there.
In this Jiangdong Textile Factory, everyone knows that Su Yu goes home every noon to take care of her family. She's always the first to leave and the last to arrive. But today, she didn't go home to cook. Instead, she took her food coupons to the canteen for lunch, and after eating, she didn't go home but came here to rest.
Curious as they were, no one disturbed her as she lay asleep on the table.
Everyone put down their things; some went out to work, while others stayed behind to rest on the table. The clattering and banging noises soon subsided.
Su Yu moved her head, revealing a face flushed red.
Ugh, this kind of life is so stifling. I can't even get enough to eat, and I can't even find a bed to take a nap in.
Thinking back to the days of luxury she had lived in college, Su Yu felt a pang of sadness.
Back then, the Su family caught the wave of reform, and her grandfather, despite his advanced age, managed to lead the entire family to a prosperous and comfortable life. So, from birth, she lived a life of ease and comfort. Before the age of ten, she was raised as an only daughter, but her grandfather raised her like a boy. At that time, Su Yu obediently followed the family's arrangements; there was no other way—if no one managed the family fortune, how would she survive? Who knew that after she turned ten, her mother would give birth to twins, a boy and a girl. With a son in the Su family, she, the daughter, had to step aside.
For Su Yu, this was a welcome development. As a member of the Su family, they couldn't just ignore her; she was certain she'd get a share of the family fortune. She was more than happy to live a comfortable life without having to work.
Who knew her father would follow others and arrange a 'family marriage'? If the other party had been good in every way, she would have accepted it. Who knew the other party was just mentally challenged.
At that moment, Su Yu suddenly understood an old saying: "Every man for himself." So she fought back. She couldn't handle her grandfather's intelligence, but she could easily deal with her father, that coward. She arranged for him to gamble and embezzle funds from the company, resulting in his immediate dismissal. Her grandfather was getting old, and her younger siblings were still in middle school. For the sake of the family business, her own wedding was canceled, and she stayed home to help manage the company.
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