Oh well, I'll just consider it an opportunity to broaden my horizons and see what a scrap metal collection station looks like in this day and age.
Because the scrap metal collection station wasn't on the main street, Chen Shuning had to ask two passersby for directions before he found it.
The junkyard was indeed piled high with items, but unlike Chen Shuning's imagination, the items were not neatly arranged. Instead, they were piled together by type, like a garbage dump.
Before entering, the old man guarding the door said his classic line: "Don't take what you shouldn't take, and don't linger inside too long."
Chen Shuning readily agreed. She had come in under the pretext of buying newspapers to wallpaper the walls, so she still had to put on a show.
What she didn't expect was that the town was really poor, so poor that there weren't many old newspapers, and even fewer clean newspapers to use for wallpapering. So she simply stopped buying them and instead focused on finding treasures at the recycling station.
More than forty minutes later, Chen Shuning, covered in dust and dirt, emerged from a pile of scrap metal, carrying a small stool with a broken leg in one hand and the broken leg in the other. After paying five cents, he left the scrap metal recycling station.
Finding a secluded spot, it angrily tossed the stool and its legs into its spatial storage before listlessly swaying towards the state-run restaurant.
She didn't see any of the sandalwood, rosewood, or blue-and-white Xuande incense burner. As expected, she wasn't the female lead and didn't have the female lead's halo.
It wasn't until she saw the small blackboard at the entrance of the state-run restaurant listing today's dishes as braised pork, braised eggplant, cabbage stew with vermicelli, and pork and cabbage buns that Chen Shuning finally emerged from her pessimistic feelings about not being the female lead despite having transmigrated.
Upon entering the state-run restaurant, I glanced around and saw that no one else had arrived yet, so I went up to ask about the price myself. The waitress, a woman who looked to be in her twenties, was indifferent and didn't say anything, but simply pointed to another small blackboard next to the counter.
Chen Shuning looked over and saw that the price was clearly written on it, so he didn't dwell on the waiter's attitude.
Braised pork costs 45 cents plus half a jin of meat coupons per plate; braised eggplant costs 18 cents per plate, no coupons required; rice costs 5 cents plus 1 liang of grain coupons per bowl; clear soup noodles cost 15 cents plus 1 liang of grain coupons; shredded pork noodles cost 25 cents plus 1 liang of grain coupons per bowl; pork and cabbage buns cost 15 cents each, no coupons required; steamed buns cost 8 cents each, no coupons required.
The price was really not expensive, so Chen Shuning ordered a braised pork, eight meat buns, and spent an extra penny to get a bowl of noodle soup.
After paying the money and the ticket, I gave my lunchbox to the waiter and explained that I wanted to pack the braised pork and rice to take away. I planned to put them in my space and eat them whenever I didn't feel like cooking. I would eat the four steamed buns here and pack the other four to give to Grandpa Yang who was catching his train.
The waiter remained indifferent, taking the money and ticket and then giving Chen Shuning a slip with the number 13 written on it.
Then he handed Chen Shuning's lunchbox to the kitchen through the small window, gave a brief instruction, and sat back down to eat sunflower seeds. He didn't say a word to Chen Shuning the whole time, so there was no question of him being rude.
Just as Chen Shuning returned to his seat, he saw several people heading to the supply and marketing cooperative gradually entering the state-run restaurant.
However, compared to Chen Shuning's somewhat disheveled appearance, the others were in a much worse state.
Yang Wanqiu's once clean white shirt was now covered in dust, with several obvious oil stains on the sleeves. Her once neatly combed hair was now a mess, and one of her two braids had come undone.
Yang Xiaohong's clothes were dark blue, so it wasn't obvious whether they were dirty or not. However, her hairstyle, which looked like a chicken coop, was incredibly disheveled.
Wang Chunni and Xu Laidi looked a little better, but neither of them was carrying anything, so they obviously hadn't bought anything.
The male student's white shirt had turned gray and was covered in oil stains; I wonder if it can be washed clean.
Seeing their disheveled appearance, Chen Shuning suppressed a laugh and waved to them.
This angered Yang Wanqiu, who was already seething with resentment. She didn't care how crowded the restaurant was and immediately lost her temper, rushing up to Chen Shuning and shouting.
"Chen Shuning, did you know there were too many people at the supply and marketing cooperative today, which is why you didn't go? You deliberately wanted to see us make a fool of ourselves, didn't you?"
Chen Shuning was taken aback by her nonsensical words, but only for a moment, and it didn't dampen her good mood for roasting people at all.
She retorted in an equally irritated tone: "Yang Wanqiu, are you out of your mind? If you're sick, go to the hospital. What are you doing here acting crazy?"
"Stop pretending! Your mother works at the supply and marketing cooperative. Don't you know that there are special supplies available at the beginning of each month and that it gets very crowded? You deliberately didn't remind us so you could laugh at us, didn't you? Otherwise, why didn't you go today?"
To be honest, the reason Chen Shuning didn't go to the supply and marketing cooperative today was simply because she didn't lack anything. Her mother had even prepared water turtles to warm her bed in winter. Besides what she brought this time, there were still many other things that hadn't been mailed over. Moreover, even if her mother hadn't prepared anything, she still had her own space, so there was absolutely no need to spend money to buy them.
So she really forgot that every Monday is the day the supply and marketing cooperative provides goods. In an era where supply exceeds demand, the supply and marketing cooperative is always packed with people on this day.
However, although she didn't like Yang Wanqiu, she didn't want to offend others for no reason, so when she saw everyone looking at her with suspicion and scrutiny, she hesitated.
Chen Shuning explained, "I'm not going to the supply and marketing cooperative because my mother has prepared everything for me. Besides what I brought, she has also bought a lot of other things that will be sent over in a few days, so I don't need to buy anything. As for the fact that the supply and marketing cooperative is crowded at the beginning of the month, I do know that, but I don't know what day it is today."
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