Chapter 10: Eating meat depends on stealing
Donglaishun is located in Dongfeng Market and its name was changed some time ago.
When Cheng Xuyuan and Shi Xuehong arrived, there was already a long line at the door. Fortunately, they had reserved a seat in advance, so they didn't have to wait in line.
"Xiao Cheng, Xiao Hong, you two are a little late!" Qin Yewei, who had just entered the room and was smoking, said seriously: "You are not active in eating, there must be something wrong with your brain!"
While Qin Yewei was speaking, he said to a tall and thin man in his forties beside him: "Old Ma, this is the new Xiao Cheng, Cheng Xuyuan."
"Xiao Cheng, this is Mr. Ma Boyuan. He is the pillar of our literature group. We can eat mutton hotpot this time because of him!"
Cheng Xuyuan hurriedly said to Ma Boyuan: "Hello, Mr. Ma, I am Cheng Xuyuan."
"In the future, I must follow Teacher Ma's example, study writing well, and strive to publish my ideas in magazines like Teacher Ma as soon as possible."
Ma Boyuan was originally a serious person, and Cheng Xuyuan's compliment at this time seemed to tickle him just right. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Xiao Cheng, you can't just learn from me, you have to think about surpassing me."
Cheng Xuyuan said: "Teacher Ma, I read your article, it is really well written."
"It's too difficult for me to surpass you!"
The smile on Ma Boyuan's face seemed to become even more relaxed.
A middle-aged man sitting next to Ma Boyuan said, "Xiao Cheng, don't be discouraged. When I was young like you, my writing was also average."
"Just practice slowly."
Ma Boyuan, who had been enjoying being photographed by Cheng Xuyuan, looked a little unhappy when he heard this, but he was well-mannered and did not say anything.
As the head of the literature group, Qin Yewei coughed and said, "We came here today because of Lao Ma's help. We are here to have a celebratory drink. We will talk about work matters when we get to work. This time, everyone should eat and drink well."
As he spoke, he took out a bottle of Erguotou and said, "Everyone who can drink, give me some."
Just as he was speaking, a copper hot pot was brought up.
The clear soup in the hot pot was bubbling with steam. Although it seemed that there were no other seasonings in the soup except some green onions, it exuded a fragrance.
Four large plates filled with mutton were brought up in a row.
Looking at the thinly sliced mutton, Cheng Xuyuan couldn't help swallowing.
In his previous life, Cheng Xuyuan had eaten hot pot before.
However, after traveling to his current body, he became more enthusiastic about eating meat.
“The soup is boiling!”
Someone said something, and seven or eight chopsticks picked up the mutton almost at the same time and put it into the copper hot pot filled with steam.
In just half a minute, a piece of mutton dipped in sesame paste went into Cheng Xuyuan's mouth.
I have to say that shabu-shabu mutton is a heart-warming and stomach-warming delicacy in winter. The delicate meat, the light milky aroma, and the steaming hot pot soup base are really unforgettable.
It’s so fucking delicious!
Looking at the colleagues who were chatting and laughing just now, each of them seemed to be reborn from the dead, eating the meat quickly. Cheng Xuyuan was not to be outdone and picked up a large piece of hand-cut mutton and put it into the huge copper pot.
One, two, three...
In just five minutes, four plates were filled with chopped mutton, leaving only empty plates.
Shi Xuehong finished eating the last piece of meat she had prepared, and said to Ma Boyuan with a feeling of unsatisfied appetite: "Teacher Ma, you didn't eat enough!"
Ma Boyuan said nothing. Qin Yewei, who was sitting in the main seat, said, "What are you thinking about? This plate of meat is only two yuan. Do you still want to eat as much as you want?"
"Xiaohong, I'll give you a chance."
"As long as you can publish a short story in Yanjing Literature and Art, I will pay for you to enjoy the meal. How about that?"
Faced with this temptation, Shi Xuehong declined the offer and said, "Team Leader, you clearly know that I don't have this talent."
"It would be better for me to save money and come here to eat instead of making such a big promise!"
Amidst bursts of laughter, Shi Xuehong poured a plate of vermicelli and a plate of cabbage into the copper pot.
The crowd, who had been so excited at first, now calmed down again.
Someone even shared the Erguotou that Qin Yewei brought with everyone.
The state of eating and chatting has officially begun.
Sitting in the crowd, Cheng Xuyuan seemed like an unknown person. After all, he had just arrived and was not very familiar with everyone.
So he ate while listening to other people chatting.
The protagonists of this chat were Qin Yewei and Ma Boyuan. After all, one of them was the team leader and the other was the sponsor of this dinner.
When they had almost finished a bottle of wine, a short, greasy-looking middle-aged man said, "Team leader, when Xiao Cheng wasn't here, our team was short of people, so it's okay for me to take on more of this task."
"Now that Xiao Cheng is here, should I give Xiao Cheng some of the tasks on my shoulders?"
"Whether it's fiction or poetry, I'm willing to do it."
Qin Yewei was feeling a little dizzy after drinking two glasses of wine. When he heard what the middle-aged man said, his expression suddenly changed and he said, "Old Fu, don't even think about this."
"I'm telling you, if you still can't hand in a novel or two poems by the New Year, don't blame me for telling the curator."
"As for Xiao Cheng, his main task now is to study."
"The curator has already said that he doesn't need to write anything in the near future."
Lao Fu was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help shaking his head and said, "Lao Qin, can't you tell Lao Niu and the others to assign some elite soldiers to our writing team?"
"This... this relative..."
Lao Fu didn't say anything else, but Cheng Xuyuan understood what he meant instantly.
But this kind of verbal dispute is really meaningless.
Not to mention that it is not easy to win. Even if he wins, I am afraid that the whole group’s opinion of him will be worse than it is now!
Qin Yewei snorted and said, "Old Fu, don't start talking nonsense after drinking two taels of wine."
"Come, have some hot pot soup!"
Old Fu's words were quickly covered up. However, the eyes of several people looking at Cheng Xuyuan showed a hint of understanding.
The meal took more than two hours and cost a total of twelve dollars and fifty cents.
Among these, the most expensive item was the four large plates of mutton.
Walking out of the door of Donglaishun and smelling the fragrant aroma of shabu-shabu meat, Cheng Xuyuan couldn't help but secretly make up his mind that he must come again in the future no matter what.
Eat the mutton as a whole plate, and don't eat other side dishes until you are full.
Because most of the people present lived near the cultural center, the group pushed the car together towards the district cultural center.
Shi Xuehong, who had drunk a little wine and had a slightly flushed face, walked behind Cheng Xuyuan. After listening to Ma Boyuan and others' high-sounding talk for a while, she suddenly said loudly: "Team leader, Xiao Cheng is actually very hardworking."
"He's been working hard on his novel today."
Qin Yewei didn't hear it clearly at first, but after hearing Shi Xuehong repeat it, he laughed and said, "Okay, Xiao Cheng is thoughtful!"
"Haha, Xiao Cheng needs to work hard. Maybe next time we come here, we'll have a celebration banquet for Xiao Cheng."
Although Qin Yewei's voice was not low, it gave people a sense of ridicule.
The laughter of Lao Fu and others became more cheerful.
Half an hour later, Cheng Xuyuan returned to the dormitory of the cultural center, simply washed his face, picked up the manuscript paper and continued writing.
It wasn't that he was angry, he just drank two ounces of wine and couldn't sleep.
After writing more than ten pages of manuscript in one breath, Cheng Xuyuan, feeling a little tired, went to bed.
There was a burning coal stove, two large boxes supporting a wooden bed, and hot water for scalding feet...
This gave Cheng Xuyuan a sense of home.
Cheng Xuyuan didn't know how long he had slept, but was forced to get up again by his stomach rumbling. He came to the public toilet in the cultural center with more than a dozen toilet stalls in a daze.
I had just unbuttoned my pants and hadn’t even squatted down when someone said, “Why are you here just now?”
(End of this chapter)
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