RNP Chapter 37 Everything is New and Interesting
Chapter 37 Everything is New and Interesting
The four people got off the bus.
With their feet firmly on the ground, Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan felt a little unsteady; after sitting in the car for so long, they could still feel the ground shaking.
The state-run restaurant was a two-story building made of red bricks, with whitewashed walls and the words "Serve the People" written on them.
Several bicycles were parked at the entrance, and someone was unloading goods in a donkey cart.
Bai Rongbei led the three of them inside.
The store is quite large, with more than a dozen tables, most of which are full of people.
The air was filled with the smells of cooking oil, food, and some other indescribable mixed odors.
Behind the counter stood a plump middle-aged woman, wearing a white apron, calculating with an abacus.
Upon seeing Bai Rongbei and his group enter, the woman looked up and asked, "How many of you are there?"
"Four," Bai Rongbei said.
"There's an empty table over there," the woman pointed to the corner.
The four of them walked over and sat down.
The table is made of wood, shiny and smooth, I don't know how many times it has been wiped clean.
The stools were also made of wood, and they were hard to sit on.
A young waitress approached, holding a small notebook: "What would you like to eat?"
She placed a mimeographed menu on the table.
The words on the menu were blurry, but barely legible: braised pork noodles, stir-fried noodles, braised chicken, hand-pulled rice, baked buns...
Prices range from a few cents to more than a dollar.
Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan looked at the menu, somewhat bewildered. They had never heard of most of the dishes.
Bai Rongbei ordered directly: "Four bowls of stir-fried pork noodles, four baked buns, and a cabbage and tofu soup."
"Okay." The waiter wrote it down: "Grain coupons, meat coupons."
Bai Rongbei took out the ticket from his pocket and handed it over.
The waiter counted and nodded: "Wait, twenty minutes."
She took the order and left.
Lin Weiwei asked Bai Rongbei in a low voice, "What is 'stir-fried pork noodles'?"
"It's just noodles, topped with stir-fried meat," Bai Rongbei explained simply. "It's a local specialty."
Su Wanwan looked around curiously.
The shop was bustling with activity; some people were talking loudly, some were playing drinking games, and children were running around between the tables.
A group of people dressed in ethnic costumes were sitting at the table by the window. The men wore embroidered hats and the women wore brightly colored Atlas silk skirts. They were eating with their hands.
"Don't they use chopsticks?" Su Wanwan asked softly.
"If you're going to eat with your hands, you have to use your hands," said Bai Sian. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
Just then, the waiter came over with a large tray.
Four bowls of noodles, four baked buns, and one bowl of soup.
The bowl was large, made of coarse porcelain, and contained wide noodles topped with a layer of glistening stir-fried meat slices, as well as green and red peppers and onions, emitting a wonderful aroma.
The baked buns were golden brown and puffed up, clearly fresh out of the oven.
The soup was clear, with a few pieces of cabbage and tofu floating on top.
"Eat up." Bai Rongbei picked up his chopsticks.
Lin Weiwei was already hungry, so she picked up a mouthful of noodles and stuffed it into her mouth.
The noodles were very chewy, and the sliced meat was stir-fried until fragrant. Although it was a bit oily, it was really delicious.
"Mmm...delicious!" she mumbled.
Su Wanwan also ate it in small bites; it tasted better than she had imagined.
Bai Si'an broke the baked bun in half and handed one half to Lin Weiwei: "Be careful, it's hot."
Lin Weiwei took it, took a bite, and found it was filled with mutton, which smelled delicious.
"This is delicious too!" she said.
Bai Rongbei glanced at Su Wanwan and, seeing that she was eating slowly, picked up a few pieces of meat from his bowl and gave them to her.
Su Wanwan was taken aback and looked up at him.
"Eat more," Bai Rongbei said, then lowered his head and continued eating his own food.
Su Wanwan blushed slightly and whispered, "Thank you."
The four of them focused on eating.
The ethnic minority group at the next table finished eating, talking loudly as they walked out, leaving a mess behind.
The waiter came over to clear the table quickly, wiped it with a cloth, and set out new bowls and chopsticks.
While we were eating, a commotion suddenly broke out at the door.
The group looked up and saw three young men walk in, dressed sloppily and walking unsteadily, clearly drunk.
They walked to the counter and slammed their fists on the table: "Bring the wine! Bring the meat!"
The woman behind the counter frowned: "Comrade, please go somewhere else to drink. This is a restaurant."
"You don't sell alcohol at your restaurant?" a tall, thin man glared at him. "Are you looking down on us?"
"There's a rule that we don't sell alcohol at noon," the woman said, her voice hardening.
"What kind of bullshit rules are these!" another bald man cursed. "I'm going to drink!"
The other customers in the shop all looked over; some frowned, while others lowered their heads and ate, pretending not to see anything.
Bai Rongbei put down his chopsticks and looked over there.
Bai Si'an also stopped and adjusted his glasses.
Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan were a little nervous and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
"It's alright," Bai Rongbei said. "Eat your food."
The three men were still making a scene; the tall, thin one even reached out to pull at the woman behind the counter, saying, "Just bring the drinks! Stop with the nonsense!"
The woman screamed, "What are you doing!"
The shop fell silent immediately.
Bai Rongbei stood up and walked towards the counter.
He was tall, his military uniform was impeccably tailored, and he exuded a sense of authority as he walked by.
"Comrade," he said, his voice low but clear, "eat your meal, don't cause trouble."
The three men turned to look at him and were taken aback when they saw that he was wearing a military uniform with two bars and three stars on his shoulder insignia.
But with the alcohol taking effect, the tall, thin man still stubbornly retorted, "What's it to you? Soldiers are supposed to mind their own business, not people's drinking!"
Bai Rongbei looked at him and said, "I can't control whether you drink or cause trouble."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three of them: "Either sit down and eat properly, or get out."
The voice wasn't loud, but the coldness in the tone sobered the three drunkards up a bit.
The bald man muttered, "Forget it, what's the point of arguing with soldiers..."
The three of them exchanged glances, grumbled, and turned to leave.
The shop returned to quiet.
The woman behind the counter breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gratefully at Bai Rongbei: "Thank you, comrade."
Bai Rongbei nodded and walked back to his seat.
Lin Weiwei looked at him with bright eyes: "Commander Bai, you were so cool just now!"
Bai Rongbei glanced at her, said nothing, and sat down to continue eating.
Su Wanwan whispered, "Those people... were so fierce."
"He's had too much to drink," said Bai Si'an. "There are people like that everywhere."
After finishing their meal, Bai Rongbei paid the bill, and the four of them left the restaurant.
Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan had heard before that the security situation in the border region was not very good at the beginning, and many incidents had occurred. It seems that this is true.
Fortunately, the two women had two military men with them during this meal, otherwise they might not have been able to eat in peace.
The sun was high in the sky, making people feel dizzy.
"Let's go buy the materials first," Bai Rongbei said. "The building materials market is in the west of the city."
The four walked west along the street.
The street is not wide, and there are various shops on both sides: supply and marketing cooperatives, tailor shops, blacksmith shops, car repair shops... The storefronts are not big, but there are people coming and going, making it quite lively.
Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan couldn't take it all in; everything was new and exciting.
As they passed the supply and marketing cooperative, Lin Weiwei pulled Su Wanwan aside: "Shall we go in and take a look?"
Bai Rongbei glanced at the time: "Go."