Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2863 Maniao Castle (I)

Tan Shuangxi was holding the photography ticket in his hand, feeling very grateful. Without her help, today's trip would have been in vain.

It was not easy for him to bring his parents to Bairen. It was not that the transportation was inconvenient, but it was not easy to convince them to "go to the city". His parents were traditional "country people" and had an instinctive fear of "going to the city". The experience of generations of ancestors equated "being deceived" and "spending a lot of money" with "going to the city". For them, going to the "city" to attend the market was the most formal outing activity. As for the county seat, it was a place that would not be visited unless it was absolutely necessary. Even after the Australians came and their son became a soldier, the couple's activities were still around the village. The "city" they often went to was the nearest "Maniao Town". In their opinion, Maniao was already a very prosperous place with "everything", and there was no need to go anywhere else.

Looking back at his parents, they were looking at everything around them in fear and trepidation. Everything seemed fragile and scary. His mother was still scolding his father for taking too long to go out, which made everyone miss the public carriage. Yanchang Village was not far from Bairen Town, especially after the public carriage and the urban railway, it was an easy journey to go back and forth on the same day. However, as a son who had traveled all over Guangdong and Guangxi, he had never taken his parents on such a journey in so many years. Thinking of this, Tan Shuangxi felt a surge of regret in his heart. He must be filial to his parents today.

After leaving the photo studio, the family wandered around Bairen Town and visited all the famous big stores. As noon approached, Tan Shuangxi planned to find a decent restaurant here so that his parents could also experience the enjoyment of a big meal. However, on the issue of what to eat, he was strongly resisted by his parents. Just now, when he passed by Mudan Building, he had already entered the door but was dragged out by his parents. While pulling him, his parents muttered, "It's so expensive, it's simply robbing", which made him feel embarrassed.

Then they went to "Nan Guo", but their parents also refused. His father wanted to eat a bowl of Lingao noodles at a street stall, while his mother wanted to find a tea stall to rest. She brought dry food. Tan Shuangxi knew that his parents were not used to eating out, and the other half was out of the instinct to save money, so he still refused firmly.

"It's not easy for us to come out here, we should at least eat something good." He tried to persuade his parents earnestly, "Besides, I have money now, a lot of money."

"You haven't found a wife yet! Besides, you're going to have to set up some business after you get out of the army. You know that everything is more expensive now? This land is even more expensive but not in demand!"

"Yes, it is true that you are getting a lot of salary now, but what about the future? Can you be a soldier and get paid forever? You have to think about the future!"

Tan Shuangxi talked until his mouth was dry and his tongue was dry, but he could not convince his parents. Instead, he was scolded for "not knowing how to live". In this back and forth tug of war, the three of them arrived at the door of an inconspicuous small restaurant.

There is a poster posted at the entrance of the restaurant:

"Delicious food from the Fu Bo Army, the favorite of our army brothers!"

"The Army's most powerful weapon is still the Maniot!"

"Military personnel enjoy 50% discount during the soft opening period!"

The three of them stood at the entrance of a restaurant, looking at the billboard in confusion. What is Maniaobao? Tan Shuangxi knew that Maniaobao was the official name of the Army Maniao Base, which was almost a place name.

The restaurant's facade is very simple in Australian style, not as luxurious as a cooperative. If it weren't for the words on the billboard, you wouldn't be able to tell that this is a restaurant.

Although he didn't understand what Maniotso meant here, he understood that the cheap fast food sold here had a "military flavor".

"Why don't you try the food in our army? They even give us a 50% discount."

This statement easily moved Tan Shuangxi's parents, and the whole family walked in.

The layout of the restaurant was a bit like a military canteen, with more than ten four-person seats neatly arranged. There weren't many customers and half of the tables were empty, but there was no waiter to greet them. Just as they were stunned, a voice came from afar: "Those of you at the door, find a place to sit, and then come here to order." Tan Shuangxi looked in the direction of the voice. Behind a half-person-high counter in the restaurant, there was a man who looked like a store owner waving at him. After finding a table to settle his parents, Tan Shuangxi came to the store owner.

The boss was wearing an old uniform without any marks of rank or branch, and an apron with the words "Maniot" printed on it. There was a red battle scar ribbon on the chest that was not covered by the apron. Undoubtedly, he was a veteran.

"Comrade Sergeant, what would you like to eat? Our restaurant is newly opened!" The boss introduced it with great excitement, "Military food! Especially the grassland series..."

When Tan Shuangxi heard the words "Grassland Series", his stomach instinctively resisted. He thought, are they really selling Grassland dry food? In an instant, he regretted coming in.

As if he could see what his comrade was thinking, the boss immediately explained: "The food sold in this store is all military flavor. It is a market-oriented product that has been improved on the basis of military meals. The ingredients are exquisite, the flavor is excellent, and it is suitable for all ages..."

As he said this, he took out a menu with pictures and text and asked Tan Shuangxi to order. Although he knew every word, there was not a single word that Tan Shuangxi knew. After looking at it for a long time, he simply took out a few bills and put them on the table.

"There are three of us. This is the amount of money we have. You can prepare it accordingly."

This is the budget for today's dinner. He lets this unknown comrade-in-arms arrange what to eat. Even if it's not delicious, it can be considered as helping his retired comrade-in-arms.

"You don't need so many." The boss smiled and took only one, pushing the others back. "I'll arrange it for you right away, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!" Then he gave him a number plate.

Back at the dining table, my parents were discussing the results of their morning shopping trip. My mother was caressing the fabric of her new clothes lovingly while she was complaining about Tan Shuangxi's waste of money and about my father picking such bright colors. My father was watching my mother's nagging with a smile, putting on and taking off his new straw hat.

The East Gate Market was not very busy in the morning, only half of the shops were open, and most of the shop assistants were lazy and lacked enthusiasm for selling. On the contrary, Tan Shuangxi, who was in a filial mood, bought some new clothes and fabrics for his parents. Seeing his parents' sincere love for his clothes, Tan Shuangxi felt a sense of satisfaction he had never had before. The joy of being happy for the happiness of his family also compensated for the regret that he had not been able to help his parents solve their problems during the years he was in the army.

"Customer No. 12, please come to the window to pick up your meal." Following the boss's shout, Tan Shuangxi stood up and walked to the counter. It turned out that there were no waiters serving dishes in this restaurant, and customers could just call their numbers and pick up their meals themselves.

Tan Shuangxi came to the food collection cabinet, which was a large glass window. Inside was the kitchen, and the dishes were delivered from here to the food collection counter outside. At this moment, there were several plates on the large dinner plate, covered with oil paper for insulation. A strong aroma of spices and oil came out, and Tan Shuangxi couldn't help swallowing his saliva.

The boss personally introduced to Tan Shuangxi: "Three chicken fillet burgers, eat them while hot, they will be a bit oily when they are cold. Six braised chicken wings, and this grassland nutritious porridge. The boiled vegetables are free, come back for more when you have enough. There are also three bowls of miso soup, take it over and come back for more."

Since the dining table was small, the food was laid out on the table in a grand manner. The aroma made the three people drool, but they didn't know how to start eating. Although they had chopsticks, it was difficult for them to eat the two thick buns with meat and vegetables: if it was a bun or a sesame cake, they would just pick it up and eat it, but this was obviously not a bun, and if they used chopsticks to pick it up, it would most likely fall apart.

Tan Shuangxi pretended to be experienced and first peeked at the customers around him. Seeing that they were all eating with their hands, he felt relieved and followed the others' practice. He picked up a so-called Maniaobao with oil paper as a cushion and introduced it to his parents, saying, "The Fu Bo Army was very tight on time during the march and fighting, and we often ate directly with our hands like this." As he said that, he took a big bite, and instantly a strong aroma of fat filled his mouth. It turned out that Maniaobao was two pieces of roasted rice cakes and a piece of chicken cake. The meat cake was roasted on the outside and tender on the inside, and it was juicy as soon as it was bitten. There were micro bombs in the meat cake that exploded on the tip of the tongue, spraying the taste of rich meaty aroma from the tip of the tongue to the forehead. In an instant, his face was covered with sweat and his lips were filled with fragrance. The rice cake absorbed the gravy and provided a crispy taste. The light vegetable leaves did not destroy the rich meaty aroma, but instead served as an embellishment. After taking another big bite, Tan Shuangxi remembered that he had eaten this thing before, but he ate them separately. At that time, he held a rice cake in one hand and a meat cake in the other, and his eating manner was quite ugly.

His parents also carefully took a bite, with expressions of appreciation on their faces. Tan Shuangxi watched the changes in his parents' expressions, and his heart was filled with happiness. His mother took two bites, then stopped and asked Tan Shuangxi, "Do you eat so well every day in the army?"

Tan Shuangxi felt a little proud of his mother's unsophisticated question. Of course, it was impossible to eat so well in the army. Most of the time, you could only eat enough. But in order to show off and not to worry his parents, he couldn't help but exaggerate the facts, "I don't eat it every day, but it's almost the same. I can eat three of this in one meal." As soon as he said it, he regretted it because his parents stopped eating at the same time. His mother handed him the Maniaobao that she had taken two bites of, and said in a soft voice: "I have tasted it, it is really delicious. You should eat this. I also brought dry food." Then she was about to take out her bag.