Jiang Qiao thought of the things she had been planning to do but hadn't done yet, and looking at the bustling scene outside, her worries deepened.
The two of them got back a little late, just in time for the cafeteria to open for lunch. Jiang Qiao saw people excitedly carrying their rice bowls out of the cafeteria. Some were sitting at the tables to eat, while others were squatting on the ground to eat because there was no room. Everyone's bowls were overflowing. If they were eating at home before, they definitely wouldn't have been able to do this, and the food smelled delicious.
"Jiang Qiao, you're back! Look how good our food is! Rice with big chunks of meat! Where else can you find such good food? We asked you to join us, but you didn't. You've missed out this time, haven't you?"
Wang Tiezhu deliberately stretched the bowl in his hand forward, wanting Jiang Qiao and the others to see the two large pieces of fatty meat on it.
"Wow, such good food! Enjoy your meal, we won't keep you from eating too much."
Jiang Qiao carried the basket and went straight into the yard. Old Master Qiao smiled and said, "Zhu Zi, eat slowly. There's plenty of food, but you have to take care of your own stomach. If you overeat, you'll have to pay for medical treatment."
Seeing the old man and the young man go inside, Wang Tiezhu's face immediately darkened. "What are they? They're all backward elements."
Jiang Qiao ignored what Wang Tiezhu was saying. This guy was always up to no good, and she felt it was a waste of time to talk to him.
I rushed home to cook, but just as I finished, the neighborhood committee issued another notice: the scrap metal collected today was far from enough, and now every household was required to hand over at least 15 kilograms of scrap metal, with no room for negotiation—it was mandatory.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qiao immediately became worried. Where would they get so much scrap iron? Even if they scraped it up, it wouldn't amount to more than three or four jin (1.5 kg), let alone fifteen jin (7.5 catties). This was no joke.
The old man paced anxiously around the house. He knew exactly what his own family had. Where was he supposed to find so much scrap metal?
"Grandpa Qiao, don't worry, I'll go out and take a look—"
When Jiang Qiao went out to take a look, she couldn't help but laugh. Everyone had brought out all their weapons: scissors, spoons, pots, and some people had even taken the handles and locks off their cabinets to make up the numbers.
Jiang Qiao sometimes really envied these simple and warm-hearted ordinary people. She really couldn't do that. You said that pot, we won't need it anymore?
It was made of iron to begin with. If you remelt it, it's not just a waste of manpower and resources; in her view, it's just nonsense.
"Auntie, are you not going to use your pot anymore? Are you not going to cook anymore?"
The woman said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Why bother cooking? We'll be eating in the cafeteria from now on. This pot is just for decoration. We might as well support the country's construction. Jiang Qiao, how's your family's cooking going?"
Jiang Qiao gave a wry smile. "I'm at a loss too. Grandpa Qiao is looking for it over there. You guys go ahead with your work."
When Jiang Qiao returned, she saw the old man picking at the handle on the cabinet, but she stopped him.
"Grandpa Qiao, what are you doing? This is such a good thing, don't ruin it. Let's think of another way. Other families have already contributed their pots, but we need to cook, so we can't give them away."
The old man's eyes lit up. "How about we eat in the cafeteria and donate the pots?"
Jiang Qiao glared at him and said, "That won't do. Even if we don't cook, we still need to boil water. There's no room for discussion. I'll figure something out later. You should eat now."
The old man also knew that haste makes waste.
"Okay, let's eat. We'll think of something after we finish eating."
For dinner, Jiang Qiao prepared a very elaborate meal. While the cafeteria served sliced meat, her family had roasted wild rabbit. She roasted two extra rabbits at noon, stewed two fish, and then made a cold wild vegetable salad. With both meat and vegetables, the grandmother and grandson enjoyed their meal to the fullest.
The old man always felt that Jiang Qiao's cooking tasted better than his own, and this time he ate too much again.
"Girl, you pack first, I'm going out for a walk to see if anyone has extra iron, so we can share some."
Jiang Qiao didn't say it aloud, but she was thinking about it in her heart. Fifteen jin was not something that just any family could scrape together.
After tidying up, she went into her spatial storage to check. She had gathered up a bunch of random things, and surprisingly, she actually found a few lumps of iron. She suspected that these were used to secure the tarpaulin, and their weight was enough for her to get by.
She also knew that she couldn't act impulsively at this time. Everyone was responding enthusiastically, and if they fell behind, it would become the focus of attention for others in the future.
When Qiao Jie returned from his walk, he was dejected. Just as his granddaughter had said, many families had even brought out their cooking pots. Where was he going to find someone to share with? They were already having a hard time, so he didn't want to cause them any more trouble.
Jiang Qiao understood everything about the old man's condition. "Grandpa Qiao, I've got an idea. Let's go to the countryside tomorrow. Maybe they have some ironware there. If all else fails, we can go to the purchasing station and find some. We can spend some money to deal with this problem for now."
The old man's eyes lit up immediately, and his spirits returned. "That's a good idea. I doubt there's anything like it in the countryside. Steel is being smelted everywhere. Let's go to the purchasing station early tomorrow. If everyone tries to look for it, then we'll probably be out of luck."
I was just thinking of joining the cafeteria; that way, we wouldn't be in such a dilemma. Now, at least our pot is safe.
Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "Grandpa Qiao, just wait and see. That canteen definitely won't last long. With the way they eat, they're living beyond their means. Do you think it can last? And that boiler, you'll see. I don't think it'll last long."
The old man covered Jiang Qiao's mouth with his hand, not forgetting to glance outside the door. "My little darling, you can't say things like that. Be careful, walls have ears. Just keep that to yourself. Be careful what you say in the future, even at home."
We all live in the same big courtyard. If someone eavesdrops, we'll be in big trouble. Be careful what you say, go wash up quickly, go to bed early, and get up early tomorrow.
The next morning, Jiang Qiao got up earlier than the old man. By the time she brought the iron lump back, the old man was washing up.
"Grandpa Qiao, look, we've brought the stuff back. I'll cook first, and you can go hand it in. Then we can consider our mission accomplished."
When the old man saw the contents of the basket on his back, he felt sorry for Jiang Qiao. How did the child manage to carry such a heavy load back?
When the old man went to deliver ironware, don't think that no one would accept it at this time. There are people more eager than them, and Jiang Qiao is not worried about this at all.
However, just as the meal was finished, an uninvited guest arrived outside—Wang Dahua.
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