Courtyard house: Just the right amount of pressure, leaving you bewildered but not brain-damaged.

Li Shuguo is indeed clever; he manipulated the rules perfectly.

With ten minutes left before lunch break, the two were already leisurely walking towards the third canteen.

Just before I entered, hey, the lunch break bell rang.

In Li Shuguo's words, this is called reasonable route allocation. Who says the safety around the canteen is not important? Taking a walk around is also fulfilling one's job responsibilities.

As for it just so happened to be mealtime, that was a coincidence, absolutely a coincidence.

"Xiao Gao, let me tell you, you have to eat while it's hot. Soft and fluffy steamed buns made from two kinds of flour, one bite and your mouth is full of the aroma of wheat and corn, it's so satisfying. It doesn't taste the same when it's cold."

"No wonder I envy you, you don't have to stand guard. Do you know how painful it was for me to stand guard from 10:30 to 12:30? All I could think about were big, white steamed buns."

Gao Xiaosheng glanced at Li Shuguo sideways and said, "You'd better say it's a two-in-one dough, not a milk-flavored steamed bun."

In the kitchen of the third canteen, He Yuzhu wiped the sweat from his brow and was about to return to his assigned seat to catch his breath when he saw Gao Xiaosheng walk in, and he froze on the spot.

After a few seconds of consideration, he pushed aside a kitchen helper, stood in his place, and waved to Gao Xiaosheng.

"Hey? Xiao Gao, the sun must have risen in the west today! Chef He not only served us the food himself, but also invited us over."

Li Shuguo felt good about himself, assuming He Yuzhu was going to greet him. He quickened his pace, "Master He, looks like there's going to be a big dish today. You're even cooking it yourself?"

He Yuzhu kept his eyes fixed on Gao Xiaosheng, waved his hand impatiently, and replied, "Go get your food from the window next door. Eat whatever they have."

"Huh?" Li Shuguo was dumbfounded. Didn't you beckon me over? Why are you pushing me away now that I'm right in front of you? Are you just taking advantage of me for fun?

If Gao Xiaosheng hadn't been following behind, Li Shuguo might have been able to swallow his anger.

"Hey, I've got a short temper!" Li Shuguo slammed the lunchbox onto the cutting board, ready to have a good argument with Chef He.

"He Yuzhu, did you need something from me?"

Gao Xiaosheng stood at the window and dispelled Li Shuguo's anger with a single sentence. Li Shuguo looked at the two of them with suspicion. Seeing that no one paid attention to him, he forced an awkward smile at the kitchen helper at the next window and quietly handed the lunchbox over.

"Okay, give me the lunchbox."

He Yuzhu reached out and took the two lunch boxes from Gao Xiaosheng.

He grabbed three large steamed buns and stuffed one of the lunchboxes so full that the lid couldn't be closed.

With another lunchbox in hand, He Yuzhu looked at the several large bowls filled with vegetables in front of him, thought for two seconds, first scooped a large spoonful of stir-fried bean sprouts and tofu with a ladle, and then picked out a spoonful of braised eggplant with sliced ​​meat.

Gao Xiaosheng could see clearly that there were originally only three slices of meat in the spoon, but He Yuzhu used the edge of the spoon to scrape in two more slices.

"Two steamed buns, one serving of stewed green beans, and one serving of eggplant with sliced ​​meat."

At the window next to him, Li Shuguo pointed at several dishes and took out meal tickets from his pocket.

"One dish of type C, one dish of type A, two steamed buns, and here's your ticket."

The kitchen helper didn't rush to accept it. He glanced around and, seeing He Yuzhu's actions, understood what was going on.

"it is good."

She also ate two spoonfuls of vegetables, but didn't dare add two extra slices of meat like He Yuzhu did.

Li Shuguo took the heavy lunchbox, his face beaming with joy.

He knew that Xiao Gao was bound to be successful. On his first day at work, he was pleasantly surprised. It was worth all the talk and guidance he had given him all morning.

"How many meal tickets should I give?"

Gao Xiaosheng pulled out a stack of meal tickets from his pocket, each bearing the official seal of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, with face values ​​ranging from fifty to two thousand yuan.

"Let me see," Li Shuguo peeked into Gao Xiaosheng's lunchbox. "Three steamed buns cost six hundred, dish B costs one thousand, dish A costs one thousand five, that's three thousand one in total."

"Xiao Gao, you're so extravagant! I only spent 2,400."

The prices of meals in the canteen are fixed. There are two types of staple food: rice costs 110 yuan and steamed buns cost 200 yuan each.

The dishes are divided into three grades: A, B, and C. Dish A includes meat and costs 1,500 yuan. Dish B contains eggs or tofu and costs 1,000 yuan per serving. Dish C consists of seasonal vegetables and is the cheapest, costing only 500 yuan.

He Yuzhu frowned, glared at Li Shuguo, and waved his hand, saying, "No need to pay, this meal is on me."

Just as he was about to continue speaking, seeing that Li Shuguo hadn't moved, he shut his mouth and stared intently at him.

"Cough, cough, you guys talk, you guys talk."

"Xiao Gao, I'll go reserve a spot first. You can just come over later."

Li Shuguo coughed twice, trying to save face, and turned to walk towards the empty dining area.

"Um, Yushui said she'll have lunch at your place from now on, and she'll cook dinner for you while she's at it."

"You, um, don't forget to buy groceries after get off work, and it would be best to buy meat at least once a week. She's been going hungry for over a year now and has lost weight."

"I initially thought it was because I was getting older and needed to grow taller..."

He Yuzhu shook his head slightly. He had a long and calm conversation with his sister last night before he finally believed that he was a fool who had been completely deceived by Yi Zhonghai and his wife.

But even now, He Yuzhu still can't understand why Yi Zhonghai, who is clearly He Daqing's best friend and the benefactor who pulled him out of the mire, would mistreat Yushui.

"Okay, don't worry. After we finish eating, I'll buy meat and vegetables to take back. Remember to prepare breakfast for Yushui from now on, and let her eat the other two meals at my place. I promise she'll grow up healthy and plump. I won't mistreat her."

After Gao Xiaosheng finished speaking, he stuffed the meal ticket into his pocket, picked up the two large aluminum lunch boxes, and turned to leave.

"Oh, no, I..."

By the time He Yuzhu realized what was happening and tried to call out to Gao Xiaosheng, it was too late. He could only stand there, looking frustrated.

"When did I say I wouldn't be eating at home tonight because of the rain?"

"It's as if I, the cafeteria chef, can't support my sister."

"Two lunchboxes a day, how can that not be enough?"

He Yuzhu muttered to himself, complaining incessantly. By the end, he was so guilty that his voice became barely audible.

"Xiao Gao, do you know each other?" Li Shuguo asked, his words muffled as he stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth.

"Yes, they're my neighbors in the same courtyard. I met them for the first time yesterday."

"What a coincidence, Xiao Gao. Get along well with him. From now on, we'll stick to the third canteen."

Li Shuguo slapped his thigh, his smile extremely lewd.

He's been eating at the third canteen quite often these past few months, but he's never been treated like this before. The portions are incredibly generous; if the ladle hadn't been so unreliable, there probably would have been even more.

Despite being demobilized soldiers with the title of "security guards," the security officers' monthly salaries were actually quite low, even lower than the average worker's income.

This brings us to the current "29-level salary point" system for cadres.

Level 1 cadres receive 2400 salary points per month, while Level 29 cadres receive 90 salary points per month.

One wage point is approximately equal to 2200 yuan.

The lowest-ranking 29th-level general staff member's salary, converted into cash, is less than 20 yuan.

A deputy platoon leader like Gao Xiaosheng, who was assigned to a level 24 officer position, would receive 150 salary points per month, equivalent to 33 yuan.

Of course, there is an extra 5 yuan price allowance every month. Gao Xiaosheng's theoretical monthly income is 38 yuan, but in reality, he only gets 33 yuan.

Because that 5 yuan was directly used to offset the rent.