Siheyuan: Game of Red Dust

Chapter 14 Chores
After I had agreed to cook with Auntie San, I put the vegetables I had bought back into the house.

Li Weidong glanced down at his watch. It was already 11:30 am.

It’s a good time to cook now so that the workers can eat when they get off work.

Li Weidong is in the courtyard today, so he plans to do it himself.

When we get to work tomorrow, Auntie Three will do it.

Due to limited space, Li Weidong simply set up a big pot in the yard.

This big pot is about one meter in diameter and is usually used by villagers for eating big pot meals.

It was enough for more than a dozen workers on the construction team.

Li Weidong placed all the ingredients in the yard and took out a chopping board and a knife.

He plans to make a hodgepodge for lunch today.

After all, there are so many people, so a hodgepodge is the easiest way.

The staple food is white flour steamed buns. At this time, white flour steamed buns are the best. Most people rarely eat white flour, and most of them eat two-grain flour.

For the hodgepodge, Li Weidong planned to cut up roe deer meat, vermicelli, potatoes, and cabbage and stir-fry them together.

While cooking, Li Weidong also cooked rice.

At this time, the oil in the pot was hot, and Li Weidong put the roe deer meat in and stir-fried it over high heat.

Soon, the fragrance spread for ten miles.

The workers who were working smelled the aroma of meat and their stomachs were aroused.

They have worked on so many projects, but no employer has ever provided them with meals or meat.

"Hurry up and work, you'll be able to eat soon."

Captain Liu said.

The workers were very motivated when they thought about having a good meal at noon.

After the meat is fried till fragrant,
Li Weidong put the chopped potatoes and cabbage into the pot and stir-fried them, adding some seasonings.

Finally, pour water to cover the ingredients, and then put the vermicelli in.

That's it.

Just simmer for five to ten minutes.

Li Weidong was not idle here either, and started to make noodles.

Taking into account different tastes, some people like spicy food.

Li Weidong took advantage of this break to start preparing the chili sauce.

By the time the hodgepodge was out of the pot, the white flour buns were also steamed.

After the meal was ready, it was 12:30.

"Captain Liu, tell everyone to stop what they are doing and come over for dinner."

Li Weidong said.

Captain Liu nodded, cleared his throat, and said loudly, "It's time to eat, it's time to eat."

After hearing this, the workers put down their work and gathered around.

Li Weidong lifted the lid of the pot.

A rich fragrance hits you in the face.

Just by smelling the food, the workers' taste buds were whetted and their stomachs were rumbling with hunger.

The fragrance not only attracted the workers, but also the neighbors of the courtyard.

Everyone moved in unison, standing there and sniffing, searching for the source of the fragrance.

I found that the sound came from Li Weidong in the backyard again.

The fragrance almost made them cry.

Many people began to wonder.

What kind of conditions does Li Weidong have? How can he eat good meals every day?
At this moment, the scene in the backyard was as lively as the New Year.

The workers, all with smiles on their faces, lined up and waited to receive their meals.

Li Weidong picked up the spatula and stirred the big pot of food.

The big pot was full of food, at least 20 to 30 kilograms.

The golden yellow dish, still oozing with oil, looks very tempting.

Just this pot of food costs at least five or six yuan.

These days, there is no other employer as generous as Li Weidong in the whole of Kyoto.

You know, if Li Weidong didn't provide meals, each worker would only get a maximum of 20 cents in lunch allowance.

Workers who receive lunch subsidies basically choose to eat in the cafeteria.

There are many restaurants in Kyoto, and a meal costs only a few cents.

But whether the food is good or not is another matter.

Therefore, workers who live nearby usually go back home to eat and save the money.

Those who live far away have no choice but to deal with it in the cafeteria.

Li Weidong had previously discussed with Captain Liu about taking care of the workers' lunch.

Therefore, Captain Liu had already told the workers to bring their lunch boxes in advance.

Li Weidong didn't need to prepare any dishes or chopsticks, he was only responsible for serving them food.

"Thank you, Boss. You are such a kind person."

Every time Li Weidong served a meal, a worker would show gratitude on his face.

One dish, one rice, and you’ll be full.

Faced with such a generous employer, the workers were full of praise.

"We've really met a good person this time." "Yes, we must work hard from now on and not let the employer spend money in vain."

"I haven't eaten meat in a long time. The last time I ate meat was during Chinese New Year. It's been seven months now."

"Forget meat. I haven't even eaten fine grains in three months. I've long forgotten what they taste like."

The workers were talking about it.

After the meal was ready, everyone gobbled it up in big mouthfuls, feeling like they still hadn't eaten enough.

But thinking that Li Weidong was such a good employer, they couldn't bear to eat more, for fear of eating Li Weidong out of money.

The workers quickly finished their first bowl of rice and no one dared to get a second bowl.

Everyone stood there, looking at each other.

These people were all workers that Captain Liu had gathered from villages around him.

Each one is very simple.

Li Weidong naturally knew what they were thinking, so he stood up and asked them to come and get their food.

"Come here if you haven't eaten enough."

Li Weidong said.

Seeing that this group of people just looked at each other, no one dared to step forward.

Li Weidong then found a leader.

He looked at Captain Liu standing beside him.

"Captain Liu, you go first."

When Captain Liu heard Li Weidong calling him, he scratched the back of his head embarrassedly.

"Thank you."

Captain Liu had been working for the whole afternoon and was already very hungry.

That bowl of rice just now was just to fill my stomach.

Seeing Li Weidong calling him, he did not refuse.

He took the bowl and went over to get some rice.

Seeing this, the workers lined up one by one and started to serve their rice.

While serving them food, Li Weidong also discovered that they had a common problem.

There was more or less some meat left in the lunch boxes of these workers.

Li Weidong guessed that the pork must be left for the children at home.

Generally, employers do not allow workers to take meals home without permission, and each worker only has one portion of food.

But Li Weidong doesn't care about these.

Since they wanted to save the meat for their children, Li Weidong turned a blind eye and said nothing.

People of this generation are used to being frugal, and even if you tell them, they would not be willing to eat meat.

Li Weidong knew that they must be starving after working all day.

This time, everyone’s rice bowl was very full.

Another round of gratitude from the workers.

They took their meals and went to eat.

The workers were full of praise for Li Weidong's cooking skills.

The backyard is very lively.

Li Weidong came outside and the workers had all eaten their fill, and started a new round of work.

The task of cleaning up the mess was given to the three aunts who came over on their own initiative.

"Third Aunt, thank you for your help."

Li Weidong said.

"It's just washing a pot, what's the trouble?"

The third aunt said with a smile.

She came here on the exact moment.

I was afraid that Li Weidong would give such a lucrative job to someone else.

"The rest of the meal..."

Seeing that Li Weidong was about to leave, the third aunt hurriedly stopped him and spoke hesitantly.

Li Weidong naturally understood what she meant. He waved his hand and said, "You can take the rest of the food back."

"well."

The three aunts were grinning from ear to ear.

There wasn't much leftovers actually.

There was only a little oil and soup left in the big pot, only the last layer of rice crust left in the rice, and only the soup left in the noodles.

There are two white flour buns left.

Even with all this, the three aunts felt they had gotten a huge bargain.

These are all food, oil and water.

It’s good to take it back and satisfy your craving.

It is hundreds of times better than eating whole grains.

The three aunts didn’t waste anything and packed it all up, so they can have another meal in the evening.

After packing up the food, the three aunts started to wash the pots and tidy up the yard.

(End of this chapter)