Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 873 872 If the cook doesn't steal, the grains won't be harvested.

The students in the research class chatted for a while longer, and then the kitchen started serving the dishes.

The first thing delivered was steamed buns, which the young man pushed in a small cart. On the cart were large basins filled with steamed buns, a good amount of them, enough to fill four large basins.

The visual impact is strong, but the steamed buns are quite ordinary, the kind that are a bit oversized.

At the start of the semester, the university implemented a learning-increase approach for a while, but the canteen at the Post and Telecommunications Institute couldn't maintain it for long.

The practice of using increased portions to appease students drew strong criticism from both teachers and students. Within days, rhymes about it started circulating widely, negatively impacting teaching.

Faced with this situation, the cafeteria could only add less water, which would both satisfy the higher-ups and silence the complaints from teachers and students.

In fact, it's not just the Post and Telecommunications Institute; many schools and organizations in Beijing do the same.

As for the difficulty in food supply, others will take care of that, as long as I don't miss out.

Many people think this way...

After the steamed buns were brought into the private room, the noise from everyone's conversation decreased significantly. When the dishes were served, there was complete silence, with only the sound of swallowing saliva remaining.

Tang Zhitong requested four dishes and a soup, and two dishes and a soup arrived at once, all served in bowls. The portions were generous, and the dishes contained shredded meat, while the soup had egg drop soup.

Smelling the enticing aroma, everyone turned their gaze to Tang Zhitong.

"Thank you all for your hard work these past few days, bringing hope of survival to premature babies in Beijing and even across the country!" Tang Zhitong stood up to begin the speech, meeting everyone's gaze.

The students in the room burst into applause, so loud that Tang Zhitong's ears were even a little uncomfortable.

"Next, everyone has only one task! Attack the food! Make sure you eat your fill! Let's eat!" With the food in front of him, Tang Zhitong didn't give a long speech and just waved his hand to get to work.

That's the good thing about not having any leaders around; everyone is relaxed. Grab two steamed buns with your left hand, eat one first, and hold the other in your hand while picking up chopsticks with your right hand and starting to eat.

Because no discipline was emphasized beforehand, their eating manners were even more down-to-earth than when Tang Zhitong attended a state banquet. However, Tang Zhitong didn't mind; this was real life, and what they deserved for their hard work.

Ten minutes later, the slower ones had just finished two steamed buns, while the faster ones had already devoured four.

When the remaining two dishes were brought in, half of the previous two dishes and soup had already been eaten.

The tender stewed green beans and braised pork, along with the braised pork belly, further fueled the fighting spirit of the research students. They ate with gusto, as if the braised pork belly would be snatched up if they hesitated even a moment longer.

Well, actually, there's no need to say "it seems," it only amounts to two or three dollars per person on average.

Tang Zhitong didn't say anything or try to grab it. He put down his chopsticks and silently followed the young man from the cafeteria to the private room. He then asked, "Comrade, I brought thirty catties of flour. I'm afraid those steamed buns won't be enough."

"There are still three and a half bowls that haven't been brought over yet, I'll go get them right away." The young man clearly hadn't expected the food in the private room to be eaten so quickly, but he reacted quickly and agreed readily.

"This isn't right, is it? The steamed buns were three ounces each. Never mind, I'll go with you." Tang Zhitong clearly sensed something was wrong when she heard the quantity. She wanted to argue with him, but then she thought that this young man was just a worker and there was no point in arguing with him, so she followed him to the back kitchen.

"Comrade Tang, what's wrong? Are you satisfied with the food?" When he saw Tang Zhitong arrive, Chef Huang seemed a little flustered and quickly stood up to try to cover the bowls behind him.

"The taste is good, but we're running out of steamed buns, so I came over to get some." Tang Zhitong glanced at the rice bowl behind Chef Huang, which contained several pieces of braised pork, but didn't mention it.

There's an old saying: "If the cook doesn't steal, the harvest won't be good." This means that unless there's a major famine and there's absolutely nothing left to steal from the kitchen, the cooks won't be allowed to refrain from stealing.

"Have you finished eating? Take it! Take it according to the amount of flour!" Master Huang was caught red-handed and was already a little guilty. Seeing that Tang Zhitong didn't seem to care, he relented on the issue of the steamed buns.

As the students reached for the steamed buns, Tang Zhitong secretly counted them; there were exactly twenty steamed buns in the bowl.

Whether it's steamed buns or rice, the basic conversion ratio in the canteen is 1:1.5. That is to say, three liang (150 grams) of steamed buns are charged as two liang (100 grams) of grain coupons.

According to the conversion ratio, 30 jin of flour can only make 150 steamed buns.

If you calculate based on the actual number of steamed buns made from the flour, this amount will be slightly more.

Since the flour nowadays is all 90-yuan flour, the bran mixed in will not be affected by fermentation. If you don't increase the quantity of steamed buns at home, one pound of flour can make one and a half pounds of steamed buns.

But the school cafeteria will increase the quantity by adding more water, so that one pound of flour can make six three-ounce steamed buns.

Based on the amount of flour used, 30 jin (15 kg) of flour can yield 180 steamed buns.

"Master Huang, please make two hundred." Tang Zhitong smiled on the surface, but in his heart he was already cursing Master Huang's ancestors for eighteen generations.

This guy kept his cigarettes, but he acted dishonestly, not only keeping the braised pork but also the vegetables.

The prepared dishes had become a hodgepodge, clearly not intended for the private room. Moreover, there was a whole basin of it, with more shredded meat than on the table. And that wasn't all; several bundles of carefully selected green vegetables were piled in the corner.

This is a bit much.

“This…okay!” Although “stealing” is an unwritten rule in the chef industry, the premise is that the chef cannot be caught by the employer. Chef Huang was caught red-handed and was already in the wrong. Faced with the conditions offered by Tang Zhitong, he could only choose to settle things peacefully.

"Then let's leave it at that." Tang Zhitong nodded, showing no intention of pursuing the matter further.

If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. These days, everyone is just trying to survive. It's far more practical to get each student in the research class a steamed bun than to delve into the details.

What's more, eggs were used in the soup. I just don't know how Mr. Huang will report the expenses to the school's logistics department. I hope he won't do anything stupid and put twenty eggs on his own head.

This time, Tang Zhitong stared at the number of steamed buns and managed to gather 120 more, not a single one missing.

"I thought you went to the restroom. Xiang Hong saved some braised pork for you. Eat up." Huo Xiaoping saw Tang Zhitong come in with the young man delivering steamed buns from the cafeteria and immediately realized that he had gone to the kitchen.

"Hehe, thank you, Xiang Hong. You're still a bit thin, even if you eat one more piece." There were three pieces of braised pork in the bowl in front of Tang Zhitong, but the plate on the table that was supposed to hold the braised pork was empty, and even the broth had been wiped clean.

"Brother, you eat, I've already eaten." Wan Xianghong shook his head, refusing to accept Tang Zhitong's offer.

"Listen to me, I'll get angry if you don't eat." Tang Zhitong picked up her bowl, stood up, and put two pieces of food into Wan Xianghong's bowl. Then, holding the bowl, she said to the students sitting down, "The steamed buns are back! Let's keep up the good work and finish everything today." Tang Zhitong had originally wanted to say not to stuff herself, but judging from the way they were eating, they would definitely be full, but there wouldn't be much left.

While everyone was having a great time eating in the private room, the kitchen was in a terrible mess.

Master Huang immediately grabbed the young man who was delivering the steamed buns, shoving him across the back of the head while yelling at him:

"Damn it, didn't I tell you to keep an eye on the private rooms? How could you let them run out of food?!"

"Didn't I tell you to hide the vegetables in the back room? How could you be so lazy?!"

The young man didn't dare to fight back or even talk back; he just hung his head and took the beating.

Although he didn't say it, he was very resentful. He wasn't a man with three heads and six arms. He hadn't been idle since the steamed buns were served. He was being made to run around in circles. How could he have time to clean up?
If someone sees you eating braised pork, you can't blame it on yourself, right?
"Damn it, he's just a chef on a training program. If it weren't for Section Chief Wei's intervention, I wouldn't have bothered with him! Damn it, these days are strange, a chef coming to a university for a training program, his ancestors must have been struck by lightning!" After cursing his apprentice, Huang wasn't satisfied and even dragged Tang Zhitong, who wasn't present, into it.

"What a load of celebratory banquet! Not even a single leader came. It's obviously just an excuse to eat and drink. I worked hard all morning, what's wrong with me smoking your cigarette? What's wrong with me eating your meat? What's wrong with me eating a few bites of vegetables?! And you actually asked me for a steamed bun! Damn it!" The man surnamed Huang cursed and slapped himself repeatedly until his own hands hurt.

The man surnamed Huang, tired from beating him, sat down to continue eating his braised pork, but he didn't spare his apprentice either. He spat at him and cursed, "Standing there like a stick! No sense of propriety at all! How could I have taken a piece of trash like you as my apprentice! I'll deduct those twenty steamed buns from your food allowance!"

The young man only looked up after hearing that his ration would be reduced. Before he could even speak, he was berated by the man surnamed Huang: "What are you looking at?! You don't like it?"

The young man's eyes dimmed again, and he shook his head. It was unclear whether he was defiant or simply too afraid. What master doesn't teach his apprentice to fight? He hadn't even mastered the technique yet; if he showed any defiance, all the hard work he'd endured would have been for nothing…

The banquet, which had no alcohol and no leaders, ended quickly.

Within half an hour, the "clean plate campaign" had been successfully completed in the private room.

Some were secretly loosening their belts, some were leaning back in their chairs rubbing their stomachs, and others were looking up at the ceiling.

Seeing everyone's satisfied expressions, Tang Zhitong did not immediately announce the end of the celebration banquet. Instead, he called a few classmates to go to the kitchen again, intending to ask for some hot water and take this opportunity to chat with everyone for a while to enhance their relationship.

These days, it's not easy to get a full meal, so it would be a waste to just eat one meal like this.

"Master Huang, do you have any hot water?" Tang Zhitong noticed that the young man from earlier was looking down and listless, while Old Huang was relaxed, lying on a bamboo chair with his eyes closed, fanning himself.

"I'm afraid that's not enough. There's still a thermos flask." When Huang heard Tang Zhitong's commotion, he opened his eyes and saw several young men. He was angry but dared not show it. There were only a few in front of him, but there were still a lot in the private room!

"If it's not enough, just boil some more. The stove's just sitting idle anyway. Come on, you guys do some exercise after dinner, go get some water and boil some. The canteen staff have worked hard all day, let's not cause trouble, we'll do it ourselves and we won't have to worry about food and drink." Tang Zhitong sensed that the man surnamed Huang was getting impatient. He could tolerate the sports star, but he couldn't tolerate this attitude from the kitchen staff, so he directly arranged for people to do it themselves.

There's no other way but to do it yourself. The hot water station doesn't provide hot water all the time. You can only get hot water with a ticket during specific times in the morning, noon, and evening. At other times, you can't get any hot water at all.

"I have a feeling that the head chef in the kitchen has a problem with you?" Huo Xiaoping asked softly as they left the house.

"He came over to get some steamed buns earlier, and I caught him red-handed. I asked him for twenty more buns, so he's probably still upset." Huo Xiaoping wasn't an outsider, so Tang Zhitong didn't take it too seriously and just recounted what had happened.

"Hey, this kid's got some nerve. You're just going to let this go like this?" Huo Xiaoping was a little unhappy when he heard this, but this was the Institute of Posts and Telecommunications, and he didn't have a good reason to do anything.

"What else can we do? We've already eaten the steamed buns. As long as he doesn't make a fuss about it, let's just leave it at that." Compared to the twenty steamed buns, the vegetables that the man surnamed Huang had left behind were definitely more valuable, but Tang Zhitong really didn't intend to pursue the matter.

The reason why the man surnamed Huang dared to do this is probably because he has some kind of backing. It would be a loss to offend people for such a small thing.

Anyway, I won't be coming to the cafeteria much in the future, so I'll let him get away with it this time. When he gets too greedy, someone will eventually step in and teach him a lesson.

Seeing that Tang Zhitong had made up his mind, Huo Xiaoping simply nodded and said nothing.

Tang Zhitong arranged for his classmates to boil water here, and he specifically instructed them to keep an eye on the kettle and thermos and not to let them out of their sight.

Since the man surnamed Huang is already dissatisfied, we must guard against him causing trouble.

While they might not commit serious evils, it's possible to spit into a kettle, add some handwashing water, or footwash water. It won't hurt anyone, but it's disgusting.

Back in the private room, Tang Zhitong chatted with his classmates from the research class about pleasant things, making sure to avoid discussing the supply chain. Instead, he inquired about the progress of the ship model and offered suggestions whenever possible, such as reducing resistance by changing the design of the hull.

When the classmate who was boiling water brought in the thermos, everyone poured water and chatted for another hour or so, just like having a tea party, before Tang Zhitong got up and announced the successful conclusion of the celebration banquet.

They left their tableware and thermos flasks for the cafeteria staff to clean up, and a group of college students filed out.

The students in the research class returned to the classroom, while Tang Zhitong stayed behind to ask Wan Xianghong about the situation at school: "Xianghong, has that kid surnamed Yue been bothering you lately?"

"No, I haven't seen him in a while. I heard from classmates that he's been having a lot of bad luck lately. The sting from the caterpillars he got into last time hasn't fully healed yet, and after leaving school, he got into a fight with some people from outside the school and got beaten up. Those people from outside the school were really awful; I heard that several of them held him down and sprayed caterpillars all over him." Wan Xianghong said "awful," but in reality, he could barely suppress the urge to laugh.

"Oh? Really? What a talent, always hitting the nail on the head." Tang Zhitong turned his gaze to Huo Xiaoping, whose lips were curled up in a strained smile, as if he was afraid others would know that he was involved in this good thing.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Huo Xiaoping felt a little guilty under Tang Zhitong's gaze, and finally straightened the upturned corners of his mouth.

"You are a man of exceptional appearance and extraordinary talent, capable of great things," Tang Zhitong said with a smile, not revealing his little scheme.

Afterwards, the group helped Tang Zhitong tie the bamboo basket he had brought that morning onto his bicycle, and they walked towards the school gate while chatting.

At the school gate, Tang Zhitong saw He Ping's cuckoo for the first time.

He stretched out his hand, mimicked a bird's call, and a cuckoo landed on He Ping's finger.

Although it wasn't the first time Huo Xiaoping had seen one, he still looked on with envy. He also wished he had such a human-like bird, even if it was just a sparrow!

"Does your hand hurt?" Tang Zhitong asked, looking at the size of the cuckoo and then at He Ping's knuckles, which had turned white from being scratched by the bird's claws.

"You're such a spoilsport! You just stretched out your hand and the bird landed on it. How eye-catching! I can accept the pain in my hand," Huo Xiaoping complained from the side.

"How wonderful it would be to tear off a branch with twigs! It could be used as a walking stick like Tang Sanzang, and birds could perch on it too. That would be so cool!" Tang Zhitong pictured a druid holding a staff with two cuckoos perched on it. If the cuckoos also had an hourly chime function, that would be even more fun. It just felt a bit out of place no matter how you looked at it.

"Hey! You have a point. Little Huo, this task is yours!" He Ping didn't care about being in the spotlight or not, as long as his fingers didn't hurt.

(End of this chapter)