The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Yang Dalin felt fortunate that he had come from the old guard of Beijing.

Otherwise, even with a huge sum of one yuan, without Beijing's food coupons, you wouldn't be able to buy anything to eat.

Along the way, Yang Dalin admired the distinctive historical buildings and the diverse crowds on the main street.

This great nation, which, even when hungry, is vigorously engaged in various construction projects, is bursting with boundless passion.

I don't think I can make that kind of sacrifice, so I'll just be content with living well for myself and Aunt Yulan's family.

Nanluoguxiang is about ten miles away from the old city station. Now there aren't as many traffic lights or cars, so it only takes about twenty minutes to get there.

Grandpa Qi led Yang Dalin to a restaurant at the entrance of a small alley next to the station square.

It was called the State-Run Station Front Restaurant. As soon as he entered, Yang Dalin glanced at the prices of the food.

Steamed buns cost three cents each, and baozi (stuffed buns) cost five cents each.

This is the price for those who need food coupons. He can use facial recognition without coupons, but it's limited and the price will double.

Yang Dalin was prepared to take a risk. He would take the "power pill" later and buy ten steamed buns in advance.

If it's not enough, we'll talk about it later. Each steamed bun is two ounces, so ten would cost six mao (0.6 yuan). Two jin (0.5 kg) of grain, along with some pickled vegetables and dumplings from the restaurant and some boiled water, should be enough.

Yang Dalin was about to hand the one yuan that Aunt Yulan had given him to Grandpa Qi so that he could help him buy it.

Grandpa Qi shook his head: "Brother, this is our first meeting, and we hit it off really well. I'll treat you to a meal."

The hospitable old man, Yang Dalin, said he could have a few more.

Once you've earned your own money, just invite them back.

One meal won't bankrupt this old man, will it?

Grandpa Qi asked Yang Dalin to sit down first, and then he went to the window and found an acquaintance there.

Soon, a slightly chubby chef handed Grandpa Qi a plate of steamed buns and a dish of pickled vegetables.

At this point, the steamed buns are not white at all; in fact, they are somewhat dark in color.

Smelling the aroma of wheat-scented steamed buns, Yang Dalin first told Grandpa Qi that he was going out to take a leak and would be right back.

Grandpa Qi smiled but didn't say anything, assuming he was going to relieve himself first.

Nowadays, many people just drink water to fill their stomachs, so he thought Yang Dalin was just going to relieve his hunger, which he could understand.

They even pointed him in the direction of the public restroom.

After coming out, Yang Dalin did not go directly to the public toilet, but first found a policeman on duty nearby.

He was worried that if he took that powerful pill and experienced any side effects, he would at least have someone to look after him.

So I chose the area near the police officers.

He secretly swallowed the "power pill" while carrying police officer Yang Dalin on his back.

Not bad, the hawthorn pills taste good.

The Power Pill was always stored in the newbie gift pack.

Nothing else can be placed inside; there's only an empty Power Pill inside. It stays there as long as you don't claim it, but once you do, the storage space is gone.

After chewing a few times, I successfully swallowed the pill.

Before long, Yang Sanjin felt nothing else, except a burning sensation in his stomach, the kind of extreme hunger.

It definitely needs an energy boost.

Yang Dalin managed to hold on for a while, but didn't feel any other changes.

He hurried back to the restaurant, where Grandpa Qi told Yang Dalin not to be shy and to eat quickly.

This plate contains eight two-ounce steamed buns, which Yang Dalin eats in two bites each.

They finished eating in no time. Grandpa Qi didn't say anything and went to bring over another plate.

It was past lunchtime, and there weren't many customers in the restaurant.

Nobody paid any attention to him; it's normal to be able to eat these days.

Grandpa Qi brought over a second plate, and it was gone in no time.

That makes sixteen steamed buns now.

Seeing that Yang Dalin still seemed unsatisfied, Grandpa Qi was caught in a dilemma, but he still went and got another plate.

After eating twenty-four steamed buns, Yang Dalin felt that he still needed energy.

But I really felt bad asking them to treat me again.

Yang Dalin handed his one-yuan coin to Grandpa Qi: "Grandpa, could you buy me another one-yuan coin? I'll pay you back first this afternoon when I earn some money."

Twenty-four two-ounce steamed buns weigh almost five pounds.

Yang Dalin offered to pay, but Grandpa Qi shook his head, saying that each person had a limit and they couldn't sell to him anymore.

However, Grandpa Qi noticed that Yang Dalin looked hungry and even had a green glow.

He was told to wait a moment, and after a short while he went out, he called back a man dressed similarly to him.

This person bought him three more plates of steamed buns, and Yang Dalin finally felt about 80% full.

Even the restaurant's chefs were stunned.

A teenager ate nearly ten pounds of steamed buns in one sitting.

He also drank several bowls of warm water and three small dishes of pickled vegetables.

He can be considered a big eater.

It's not like we haven't seen edible food before; it's normal for many people to eat three to five pounds of grain in one meal at this time.

Some people even use a washbasin to hold their noodles, but that's because there's a lot of water in it.

However, it is really rare to see someone eat nearly ten pounds of steamed buns in one meal.

Grandpa Qi returned the one yuan to Yang Dalin.

I said I'd treat him to a meal, so consider it his treat.

Yang Dalin ate forty-eight steamed buns in this meal, which cost 2.88 yuan.

If Yang Dalin ate like this every day, he would spend six yuan a day.

That's 180 yuan a month, nobody can afford to support that.

Even high-ranking officials' families probably couldn't afford to support them.

What Grandpa Qi found strange was that Yang Dalin's belly wasn't big at all; even though he was wearing thick clothes, the clothes didn't look full.

It's also a fascinating phenomenon.

Yang Dalin knew that the steamed buns had all been absorbed, so his belly didn't look big.

Grandpa Qi also introduced Yang Dalin to the person who had helped him buy the steamed buns earlier, telling him to call him Uncle Li.

He was also one of the guys who hauled the goods.

The three of them sat in the restaurant for a while, and then Grandpa Qi asked, "Dalinzi, how's your stomach? Can you come to work?"

Yang Dalin stood up and jumped, and his stomach didn't hurt at all.

I feel full of energy.

"Okay, let's go, sir. Let's make up for the cost of the steamed buns you treated me to today."

"No need. The old man said he'd treat you to a good meal, so he will. A man's word is his bond."

"Then when I make money, I'll treat you and Uncle Li to a good meal?"

"OK,"

The two grown men exchanged a glance and nodded.

Whether he invited me or not, I don't know, but at least this young man had the attitude, which made me feel much better.

Grandpa Qi and Uncle Li took Yang Dalin to the freight station manager at the train station and registered him.

I entered the freight loading and unloading yard at the train station; they said there was good work to be done today.

There were many goods inside that needed to be unloaded from the train carriages.

For example, various grains, timber, and other commodities transported from different regions.

This train carriage is unloading rice today.

One sack weighs 120 jin (approximately 60 kg).

They carried the sloping planks erected from inside the carriage to the transport vehicles at the station, which then transported them to the warehouse.

For this short distance, only a few dozen meters in front and behind, you get five cents for a bag.

If an adult can eat their fill, carrying two hundred bags a day is no problem at all.

You could earn ten yuan, that's the ideal situation, but what if you still don't have enough to eat?

Another thing is that train stations don't give you that much time to slowly unload goods. At this time, there are too many flexible workers, and many people who don't have connections can't even come.

A train can carry 60 tons of rice, which is 1000 bags of 120-jin each.

Ten people disembarked in this carriage.

Two people in the train carriage were specifically assigned to carry the large bags onto the shoulders of the six people carrying them, and two others were used for loading.

There's also a time limit, meaning the fifty yuan is to be shared among ten people.

However, there is one person who will take a cut, and that is the full-time employee who is specifically responsible for recording how many bags each person carries.

They'll take 10% of it.

They also take 10% from those who bring in new clients.

That means ten people can share forty yuan.

Those who do more work get more, and those who do less work get less, and there's no fixed daily work.

Even if you earn two yuan a day, that's about sixty yuan a month. You're not a permanent employee, and you lack all sorts of receipts. If you get sick and need to take medicine, there's no one to reimburse you.

This kind of work isn't available every day.

So while the income may seem high, the key issue is that it's not guaranteed regardless of drought or flood.