Chapter 174 Chinese New Year
The flashlight beam shone elsewhere, and the embarrassed Miao Yanzi's gaze fell on the spot where the flashlight was focused.
She asked anxiously, "I've already apologized. You won't go and report me, will you? Since Section Chief Lu asked you, he definitely won't assign you to the Sixth Division. You're fine now, so please don't hold it against me. I really know I was wrong."
Song Lubai did not believe that her apology was sincere; she only apologized because she was forced to by the circumstances.
"Where I'm assigned is none of your business."
"You just need to admit what you did."
She doesn't need her apology; she just wants her to admit it.
Song Lubai turned and left, meeting up with the other dormitory residents at the corner.
Miao Yanzi's legs went weak when she saw the dark group of people ahead.
She hadn't expected that someone else was listening in the shadows.
Wouldn't that mean everyone would know about this?
Without a doubt, Miao Yanzi couldn't eat or sleep for several days before and after the New Year, until the department officially started work, worrying about what Song Lubai was up to.
The next day, the department officially started its holiday. Even the dormitory manager was no longer in the building during the day. The only people in the compound who hadn't rested were the canteen staff.
Song Lubai was sitting in bed, tying a scarf around her neck with chocolate in her mouth, when the door was pushed open and someone said someone was calling her from outside.
When they arrived at the gate of the compound, Chen Weiliang, dressed in military uniform, was waiting there.
"Comrade Chen, what is it?"
Chen Weiliang said frankly, "I'm taking the train back to my hometown today. Do you have anything you want to bring home? I can deliver it to your aunt's house."
Song Lubai immediately said, "Wait a minute, I'll go back and get it."
A few minutes later she came out and took out the letter she had written from her pocket.
Her mother and Lin Dahai's salaries were enough to support the family, and her mother even sent her fifty yuan, so Song Lubai didn't need to send money home.
There's no time to buy other groceries right now; even if she had ration coupons, she wouldn't be able to buy anything at the department store.
Before the Lunar New Year, the stores didn't have enough stock to sell; all the good stuff was sold out long ago.
"I only have this letter to send back, and there's no time to do anything else."
She had written the letter a long time ago and originally planned to wait until the post office reopened after the New Year to mail it. Since Chen Weiliang was here, she decided to let him take it back with him.
Chen Weiliang said, "I was very busy before, otherwise I would have told you in advance so you could have prepared."
Song Lubai said, "If you go back today, you'll have to spend the New Year on the train."
Chen Weiliang sighed, "What can I do? I haven't been back for years. I don't even know what my younger siblings look like now."
Song Lubai said, "Then I won't delay your journey."
Chen Weiliang nodded and turned to leave.
On the morning of the 29th, the department started putting up couplets, and the festive atmosphere of the New Year instantly became strong.
On the morning of the 30th, the cafeteria gave everyone an egg. The steamed buns were made of pure white flour and contained red dates. The porridge also contained red dates, and the soup looked red. It had sugar in it and tasted sweet.
In addition to red pickled vegetables, radish strips have also been added to the variety of pickled vegetables.
Although there was no meat in the morning, everyone was still very satisfied with the meal.
While everyone was eating, the cook in the canteen came out and said, "We're making dumplings for lunch. After we finish eating, twenty women who know how to make dumplings, please come and help us. Those who come to help, please bring your stools."
They were incredibly bored lately, and since they had nothing to do anyway, Song Lubai and Feng Ying went to the back of the cafeteria after washing the dishes.
Three large bowls of chopped meat were laid out on the cutting board: one bowl of pork and cabbage, and two bowls of pork and radish.
When the auntie making dumplings saw that everyone had arrived, she divided the dumpling filling into small bowls and asked everyone to form a circle to start making dumplings.
The aunties rolling out the dough were moving incredibly fast.
One person kneads the dough and cuts it into portions, while the other uses a rolling pin to roll out the dough evenly. The two work together very well and are fast enough to support more than twenty people making dumplings.
While they were making dumplings, the chef was chopping chicken and cutting meat on the cutting board.
"Chef Li, how many dishes are we having today?"
With a smile on his face, Chef Li loudly announced the names of the dishes: "One braised pork, one stewed chicken with potatoes, one egg with scallions, one braised ribbonfish, one braised pork ribs with dried green beans, one cold celery salad, and you can count how many there are yourself."
"Six, six! Oh, what a wonderful day!"
"Ribbonfish? We can still eat ribbonfish?"
Song Lubai also found it unbelievable.
This place is so far from the sea, she might not even be able to eat ribbonfish during the Chinese New Year back home, but here she can actually eat ribbonfish.
The supply of ribbonfish is very limited and expensive. You need ribbonfish coupons to buy it. Song Lubai had never eaten it before, but she had only heard Ma Xiaohe say that her family ate ribbonfish during the Chinese New Year.
She couldn't imagine the taste of ribbonfish, thinking it might be similar to fish like black carp or common carp.
The auntie rolling out the dough said, "We get a lot of unusual things to eat throughout the year. Apart from the supply department and the team, our unit's canteen is the best. They rely on us for receipts and all sorts of things."
Although the cooks are just canteen staff, they can talk about the supply and marketing department for hours on end, taking pride in working there.
Today is Chinese New Year, and the chefs in the canteen are in a good mood. They talked a lot about the benefits of the business department, which made Song Lubai and the others feel that signing up for this place was the right decision.
Back in the 25th Company, everyone felt cheated, but after more than two months here, no one is dissatisfied with their life here.
To be honest, none of us at home have ever experienced such a good life.
It wasn't until after 3 p.m. that we finished making the dumplings, while the chef had already prepared several dishes.
Everyone reluctantly left the cafeteria, drawn by the aroma.
Around 6 p.m., the cafeteria staff shouted "Lunch is served!" in the courtyard, and everyone who had been hiding in the dormitory immediately came out.
Everyone was looking forward to this meal.
Every year, the most anticipated part of Chinese New Year is the New Year's meal.
Meat coupons were hard to come by. People rarely ate meat on ordinary days and lacked oil and fat in their stomachs all year round. Who wouldn't look forward to eating meat on the Lunar New Year?
They could smell the odor in the dorm room long ago, and since it was past mealtime and food still hadn't been served, everyone was getting a little anxious.
Each large round table had six dishes and a basket of white steamed buns.
Everyone living in the ministry's dormitory came downstairs at this moment, and the canteen was packed with people.
The cook peeked out from the food window and said, "Come over here and get your dumplings. One bowl per person. If you're still hungry, have some steamed buns on the table. We'll all be going home soon. After you've finished eating, please clean up. Happy New Year to everyone!"
Plump, white meat dumplings simmered in the pot, releasing their aroma. Bowls of them were served and eaten while still piping hot.
After finishing the dumplings in the pot, the canteen staff happily carried the packed dishes home, while inside the canteen, everyone chatted and laughed as they enjoyed their meal.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
