They hadn't eaten much for breakfast, and after a busy morning, the others were just as hungry as Chen Shuning.
So when one of the parties left, the others followed Chen Shuning to the counter to order food, leaving only Yang Wanqiu and Zhao Qianjin at the door.
The waiter sitting behind the counter calmly handed Chen Shuning the packed lunchbox and steamed buns first. After Chen Shuning put the packed items into her basket, the waiter then handed her a plate of steamed buns and a bowl of noodle soup.
Then he sat back down behind the counter with an indifferent expression, as if he hadn't heard the noise in the lobby at all. His lack of curiosity impressed Chen Shuning.
Chen Shuning, carrying steamed buns and soup, returned to her seat, ignoring Yang Wanqiu who was glaring at her angrily, and began to eat the buns and soup with relish.
Despite the unpleasantness just now, they had come out together after all, so the others who had ordered food consciously found seats at Chen Shuning's table.
For reasons unknown, Yang Wanqiu and Zhao Qianjin also sat down after ordering their food.
However, none of this affected Chen Shuning's good mood while eating. It has to be said that the chef of this state-run restaurant was truly skilled. Not to mention the deliciousness of the steamed buns, even the ordinary noodle soup made Chen Shuning unable to stop drinking it.
Just as Chen Shuning was finishing his meal, the other people's food was brought over. The boys had bigger appetites, so Liu Xiangyang and Zhao Qianjin each ordered a bowl of vegetarian noodles and two steamed buns. Yang Wanqiu ordered a bowl of shredded pork noodles, while Yang Xiaohong ordered a steamed bun and a bowl of noodle soup, just like Chen Shuning.
Wang Chunni ordered a plate of eggplant and two bowls of rice, and ate with Xu Laidi. Since Wang Chunni paid for it, Yang Xiaohong at the table couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks to Xu Laidi.
However, perhaps because they were in a good mood and would soon be able to move out of the big house and live alone, neither of them paid any attention to her. Instead, they chatted and laughed with Chen Shuning, completely ignoring Yang Xiaohong.
During the meal, Yang Wanqiu didn't cause any more trouble, but Chen Shuning had clearly overestimated his appetite and underestimated the size of the steamed buns at the state-run restaurant.
Chen Shuning ate only two of the four steamed buns before feeling full. He asked the waiter for a piece of oil paper to wrap the remaining two, threw them into the bamboo basket behind him, and said goodbye to Liu Xiangyang and Yang Xiaohong. He planned to take the steamed buns he had prepared for Grandpa Yang while they were still eating.
They've eaten their fill, but the old man is probably still hungry and waiting for them. Although Chen Shuning isn't exactly a model of respecting the elderly, she still couldn't bring herself to see such an old man waiting for them on an empty stomach.
Chen Shuning, the first to return to the meeting point, greeted the oxcart with a smile as soon as he approached it: "Grandpa Yang, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."
As Chen Shuning spoke, he took off the bamboo basket behind him, took out a paper package containing four large steamed buns, and handed it to Old Man Yang. “Grandpa Yang, I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. You haven’t had lunch yet, have you? I bought some steamed buns for you to have something to eat first.”
When Old Man Yang saw what Chen Shuning took out, his resentment from waiting for most of the day on an empty stomach vanished instantly, and he felt comforted. He knew that Chen Shuning was a sensible person. Driving the cart was his job, and bringing these educated youths to town was arranged by the brigade leader, who would give him work points.
So he was too embarrassed to accept the young girl's things, so he quickly waved his hand to refuse, saying, "No, no, girl, what are you going to do with this? Take it back and keep it for yourself."
"Oh, Grandpa Yang, please take these. I bought quite a lot. Food doesn't keep well in this weather, so we can't waste it, don't you think?"
Hearing the rumbling in Old Man Yang's stomach, Chen Shuning knew that the old man must be hungry. His refusal was just because he was embarrassed to accept the package. So he stuffed the oil paper package into Old Man Yang's arms and hurriedly went around to the other side of the oxcart, keeping a distance from Old Man Yang, clearly indicating that he would not take the package back.
Food is precious these days, and everyone is carefully budgeting their food intake, especially at this time of year. The grain harvested last autumn has been almost entirely consumed, and no family is well-off; everyone is barely scraping by. Therefore, Old Man Yang was naturally embarrassed to accept Chen Shuning's gifts.
But when he saw the little girl sitting at the other end of the oxcart, smiling at him, Old Man Yang's heart softened. She was just a little girl about the same age as his granddaughter. It wasn't easy for her to come to their countryside to do farm work at such a young age. Oh well, he would take better care of her in the future.
Looking up, he saw that the others were also walking towards the oxcart one after another, so he put the buns into the bamboo basket next to him, and after they were all seated, he drove the cart back.
It was past 5 p.m. when the group returned to the brigade. Since the cowshed was not far from the educated youth compound, Old Man Yang kindly escorted them to the entrance of the compound.
As soon as Chen Shuning entered the courtyard, she saw that it was filled with blue bricks, stones, cement and wood, and the foundation of her small house was basically completed.
The foundation, made of stones and cement, is now being paved with blue bricks. The walls, which are about 50 centimeters high, look very sturdy and warm.
The workers were clearly skilled and worked together seamlessly. Some were carrying bricks, some were mixing mortar, and some were building walls. They were busy but not chaotic. Meanwhile, the foundation for Zhong Lingling's house next door was already being dug.
At this rate, her house should be finished in two or three days. After burning firewood for two more days to remove the dampness, she should be able to move in.
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