Canteen System Assistance Notes

"While we are finishing our work, please don't make any noise or choke. If you don't have hot water in your kettle, you can come over here and get some."

"Also, kids, don't feed the food you'll be giving out later to the cats!" Commander Liu glanced at the table where the Little Red Devils were sitting, where an orange cat lay, and muttered with a smile, "They're good comrades at catching mice, but it's not convenient for them to go to the battlefield today."

"Comrades, what we have to do today is eat!"

Chapter 13 Eating

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2299 words

2020-09-08 12: 00: 00

If Wang Tiechui could see the thirteenth chapter of a failed novel written by a failed author in our time and space, he would definitely feel that this concise title is very appropriate for his current situation.

After singing a song under the squad leader's lead, it was finally time for dinner, and Wang Tiechui sat down with a thud. A gridded iron plate sat before him, its largest grid containing four steamed buns. He ripped one open, and the steaming heat gushed out, revealing its fluffy, even texture. It was like a watermelon pulled from a well on a hot summer's day, cracking open with a gentle tap of a knife, revealing its bright red flesh.

The national standard for wheat flour steamed buns primarily specifies the ingredients, moisture content, pH index, and the detection rates of various bacterial colonies and heavy metals. There are no specific requirements for shape or weight. However, the highly industrialized production line in the cafeteria achieves a standardization that is impossible for humans to achieve. All buns weigh 2 liang (100 grams) each (for ease of understanding, the "liang" here uses the modern standard), and their consistency is so high that you can find similar folds on two different buns.

Ah, what a wonderful thing! Wang Tiechui even forgot that there were other dishes on the plate for a moment.

There were three compartments on the plate, with three dishes on them. One was stir-fried chicken with pickled cucumbers cut into pieces and cubes, one was tofu cooked with bean paste, and the other was green leafy vegetables with sausage. A spoonful of sauce was placed in a small compartment in the corner of the plate, and there was a salty soup made with chicken bones and vegetable leaves, served in a separate bowl.

Tiechui secretly looked up at the table opposite. The soldiers over there seemed to be eating noodles. The coarse noodles with a layer of toppings were served in a large bowl. On top were yellow egg drops, green rapeseed, and a spoonful of diced meat with thick oil and salt. The children further away seemed to be eating a huge pancake.

No matter what, let’s start talking.

Wang Tiechui calmed himself, remembering the organization's request to record his thoughts and suggestions, and diligently began to eat, prepared to face the enemy's interrogation and threats. He started with the diced chicken, picking up a piece with his chopsticks, dipping it in the bright red oil, and then placing it on the broken steamed bun.

He looked at it for a moment, then carefully opened his mouth and took a bite.

The chicken is shiny and plump, and the scallions and pickled cucumbers are salty, sweet, and a little spicy, which relieves the greasy taste of sesame oil and red oil, leaving a refreshing taste.

Ah, organization, I'm sorry.

Faced with the "sugar-coated bullets" given by the organization, Comrade Tiechui began to fall quickly. He quickly wiped out the "remnant enemies" in front of him: the tofu was smooth and tender, and the fermented black beans were fresh and fragrant. When rolling on the tongue, you could occasionally taste some fine minced meat and the beans absorbed by the salt in the fermented black beans: this made people grin, and then look for the soup in the bowl and the steamed bun in the hand; the green leafy vegetables seemed to be cabbage, chopped finely, covering the red sausage, just like the pork fat hidden in the cabbage that he ate during the New Year and other festivals in his hometown in Northeast China.

Comrade Tiechui felt like he was melting, and the movements of his hands and mouth seemed to be no longer controlled by his brain. This New Year-like scene seemed stronger than the mellowest wine and warmer than the hottest kang.

He ate, wanted to eat, wanted to keep eating. His tongue felt knotted, his throat greased. A delicious meal that should have been savored and chewed slowly was like a ginseng fruit swallowed whole, swishing down his stomach without a single slurp. Instead, he felt an increasing urge to take just one more bite. Wang Tiechui gradually felt like he was turning into a machine, a machine that only cared about eating, drinking, and swallowing, a machine that would never stop.

This feeling was dangerous and addictive, but he finally stopped and let his mind take back control of his brain - only half of the four steamed buns in his hand were left, and he had eaten all the dishes in front of him.

What’s going on? In the blink of an eye, my steamed buns... burp... vegetables are gone?

If you want to speak, you have to raise your hand first. This is the discipline in the army.

As Dachui raised his hand, a clerk with a clipboard approached and asked about his situation. Dachui briefly described how delicious the dishes and steamed buns were, then asked, somewhat eagerly but shyly, "Comrade, can we have more of these steamed buns and vegetables?"

The clerk chuckled and explained, "Normally, we all eat alternately. If we eat too much at once, we'll get sick. But this comrade, four fine flour buns and three meat dishes can't fill you up? When we were crossing the grassland before, let alone noodles and meat, there wasn't even much wild vegetable soup!"

The soldiers around him burst into laughter. Many of those present had gone through the Long March, and Wang Tiechui, coming from the Northeast, had certainly experienced fewer hardships. Not to mention the soldiers who had climbed snowy mountains and crossed grasslands, even the Red Guards who had accompanied the army on the Long March had mostly endured even harsher conditions—they even had to feed their animal comrades and divide their already meager rations into two portions.

Wang Tiechui blushed. Today's meal was already exceptionally rich, and he really shouldn't have asked for too much. He turned around, pinched the last half of the steamed bun, and began to eat the remaining gravy that clung to the plate.

The steamed bun was a little cold by now, and the broken end was a little hard, but Comrade Tiechui didn't care. He cut the bun into pieces, wiped the entire plate until it was shiny, and ate the last half with the soup. By the time he finished eating, the plate was cleaner than when it had just been washed.

"Report! I'm done eating!"

After placing their plates in the recycling area, everyone began filling out the form on the table. Comrade Tiechui was already literate, having learned a lot in the army's literacy classes, so he could basically understand the questions. At one end of the form were things like age, place of origin, and unit number. Below that were a long list of questions, such as what foods he liked to eat, any dietary restrictions, and what he disliked.

"What's wrong with this?" He thought the person who made this watch was a little crazy. "Eat whatever's available. Today doesn't count. Do you have a choice on other days? I'm lucky to be able to eat my fill."

He could only randomly tick a few boxes to indicate that he had no dietary restrictions or dislikes. His favorite was meat, no matter what kind; pork, mutton, chicken, anything. He only disliked beef because cows plowed the land, so it was best avoided. If he really wanted a good dish, it would be the simple, unadorned, hearty dishes like the pig-killing dish.

Pig-killing dish...

Wang Tiechui pinched the banana he had just been given, peeled it, and began to chew it, imitating the others. As he ate, he thought: The ultimate goal of the revolution is to ensure a good life for everyone. While he didn't have a specific definition of this good life in terms of daily life, today's scene, at least in terms of eating, ticked the box for him in his ideal "ultimate goal."

I really hope that all the folks can enjoy this kind of life as soon as possible...

“Everyone has——!”

The whistle for assembly sounded, and Comrade Tiechui jumped up from his chair and rushed to the open space nearby like a catapult, forming a line under the guidance of the leader. In a blink of an eye, all the soldiers and children sitting at the tables disappeared, and they were transformed into a neatly arranged square formation.

"Next, we'll take a break for an hour and a half.

"Then start the physical fitness test!"

Chapter 14: Capital of Revolution

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2500 words

2020-09-09 12: 00: 00

"Staff Officer Zuo, Doctor Fu, the results from the last two weeks are out."

Liu Helian held a report in his hand. Printed double-sided on A4 paper, it still looked quite luxurious in this time and space. "The comrades who participated in the meal selection process have shown signs of strengthening in their chest and waist circumferences, and their physical fitness test scores have also improved. However, the time is still too short to see any significant changes. The soldiers have only reported that they feel a little more relaxed."

This result is not surprising. When people are well-fed and nutritious, their physical shape and fitness naturally improve. During the Red Army era, despite already being short on supplies, the Red Army did its best to ensure that its soldiers were well-fed. The Sichuan and Guizhou armies, which had relatively more ample financial resources, preferred to turn their soldiers into two-gunmen rather than overfeed their "big-headed" soldiers. Otherwise, if they were full, they would run away, and who would carry their weapons to fight?

Of course, this change will take time to manifest.

"Back when we had these conditions, even drinking sugar water would help us grow." Political Commissar Zuo patted Liu Helian. "Sugar was very expensive in Fushi before. It was considered a strategic resource. Even if we weren't sick, it wasn't easily available. The sugar we could buy on the market cost one French franc per pound."

Political Commissar Zuo chuckled. He was from Xiangjiang. "Anyway, I really like it. Not to mention sugar, even spicy ones are hard to find in Fushi."

"Eating chili peppers all the time isn't good for your health," Doctor Fu added, as was his wont. He then realized that worrying about the potential harm of eating too much of something was a happy worry, and with a self-deprecating, yet sentimental, smile, "Ah, that's my fault for being so nosy, haha."

The entire cafeteria was surrounded by several layers of security personnel and troops. Simply approaching the cafeteria required showing two passes, swiping a campus card, and chanting slogans twice. This level of security was even stricter than that of Phoenix Mountain, where many of my predecessors had worked.

The cafeteria's basement and ground floors had been transformed into a construction site. Inside the cafeteria, draped in optical camouflage and resembling a bare hill, soldiers formed a human conveyor belt. Using oxen and manual forklifts found in the cafeteria's warehouse, they transported packages of supplies through the windows or through the shipping apertures, handing them over to waiting rickshaws or trucks at the gate, which would then deliver them to their destinations.

However, because the canteen's staple food raw materials are still in a gray locked state, Liu Helian can even get raw beef, raw mutton and even slaughtered pigs in the name of "hot pot ingredients", "roasted whole lamb" and "roasted suckling pig", but he still cannot export bags of flour, rice or corn kernels - popcorn is fine - and almost all the grains in the border area are being exchanged in an orderly manner and thrown into the recycling circle to be converted into RMB.

We can’t let comrades who can’t get meals in the canteen just eat vegetables and not rice, right?

Liu Helian had reported this matter long ago, and the Eighth Route Army made use of its old habit of brainstorming: comrades from all over the country held a Zhuge Liang meeting and put forward a wide variety of opinions.

How can we make staple foods not only be presented in raw form but also durable in storage and easy to eat?

Although the purpose of this question issued by the organization was unclear, the canteen's "Logistics Special Committee" still collected hundreds of various opinions: pot cakes, pancakes, baked naan, baked steamed buns, fried noodles... Even a comrade who had studied abroad proposed baking a large number of "French armor-piercing shells" to equip the troops, which would be both durable and delicious.

There are many opinions, but the direction is surprisingly consistent - use flour as raw material, make some kind of low-water content, baked pasta product, and cool it in advance before it goes out the window.

Staff Officer Zuo contacted the troops through the Military Commission, and Liu He's company organized a trial production of canteen equipment. In the first batch, except for rice cakes, corn tortillas and fried dough that were screened out during the review stage, all kinds of food were produced in quantities sufficient for a company to eat for a week, and distributed to more than ten companies. A week later, the first batch of opinions were quickly collected.

During this process, our comrade Xiao Liu's highly anticipated dehydrated rice received a negative review from the troops. Unlike other emergency items that can be eaten directly, this one absolutely requires soaking in water. While it can be dissolved in cold water—a feature that puts it on the shortlist—it still requires water, making it unsuitable in water-scarce areas. After eliminating over half of the products, the only items left in the second round were pancakes, fried noodles, toasted naan, and the unexpected "French AP."

Ok?

How did baguette get selected?

Liu Helian's brain was puzzled by the future, so he could only make another batch of staple food according to everyone's feedback and wait for feedback.

This time, fried noodles were the first to be eliminated because they were inconvenient to carry and store in powder form, and because the fried noodles in the cafeteria were inexplicably always added with a lot of oil; and the great French war weapons were also dropped from the Eighth Route Army's alternative list because they would drop bread crumbs and had an irregular storage shape; rice cakes and dehydrated rice were gloriously included as emergency foods in partial reserve to supplement rice staples - it seems that, at least in 1937, many Eighth Route Army soldiers were going to enjoy the happy and joyful days of fighting against pancakes and baked naan.

A large amount of flour, eggs, milk powder and oil are purchased through the canteen's built-in procurement system. With the joint efforts of large-scale automatic dough mixers, forming machines, electric ovens, electric baking pans and packaging lines, a large number of round baked naan and square pancakes are made through many steps. The purchased rice is made into soft-packaged dehydrated rice and dry rice cakes - these things can be stored in a dry environment for at least half a year.

Eventually, these foods were turned into bags of provisions and other supplies, and were sent to the front lines.

At this moment, a man passed the sentry post from a distance and ran over hurriedly.

The three of them looked closely and found that it was Minister Deng.

As soon as Minister Deng paused, barely catching his breath, he greeted everyone loudly, his tone filled with restrained excitement. He punched Liu Helian directly: "Political Commissar Zuo, Commissioner Liu, Doctor Fu, I'm here to bring you good news."

As he spoke, he raised his chin, a smile that wrinkled his face. "I want Comrade Xiao Liu to guess how much we sold the stuff we pulled out earlier for."

"Oh?"

Previously, exports primarily consisted of salt, soda ash, baking soda, sugar, and MSG, all of which Liu Helian handled, even reciting by heart the exact amount shipped on each day. These products were popular domestically at the time, but even now, with the peaceful resolution of the Xi'an Incident and the "legally recognized" status of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, the KMT's economic blockade of the border region meant that exporting the canteen's products was likely not entirely smooth.

After thinking for a while, Liu Helian estimated and cautiously gave a number: "5 (French currency)?"

"Are you kidding me? Comrade Xiao Liu, don't be so unsure of yourself!" Minister Deng even uttered something in Cantonese. "You're really looking down on everyone's ability to work!"

"How could that be! It seems we've found an export channel. That's right, the KMT may say one thing, but domestic merchants may not buy into it." Liu Helian immediately understood. Historically, the situation in the border region was different from what it is now. Without having to import so many resources, the initiative is ours. "Then I think it's at least 10 yuan."

Minister Deng shook his head, his smile growing wider. He held out one finger, then bent the index finger of his other hand into a hook and stretched it vigorously. "One hundred and ninety thousand! One hundred and ninety thousand! That's just the sales of refined salt. I haven't even counted the other things!"

"Although some merchants hoarded goods in the beginning, our brand has become more famous, so the number is definitely higher! And I heard that the sales of our soda ash, sugar, and MSG are also top-notch!

"This year's fiscal revenue for the border region will more than double just from these sales!"

Chapter 15 What has been done and what will be done

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2223 words

2020-09-10 12: 00: 00

The Red Army has always been relatively poor—a long-held impression ingrained in almost everyone who knows them, from their tattered uniforms and outdated weapons to their meager supplies. However, the Red Army's poverty was largely due to limited material resources, not to warlords withholding food and wages. Historically, upon arriving in northern Shaanxi, the Red Army gritted their teeth, forking over their meager savings and entrusting officials from the Overseas Bureau to purchase approximately 80 yuan worth of supplies from Hong Kong. After enduring numerous rounds of exploitation and enduring untold hardships, these supplies were then transported back to the border region.

These supplies mainly included medicines, surgical instruments, X-ray machines, microscopes, and parts for assembling radios that were urgently needed in the border region. During the window of opportunity after the Xi'an Incident from 37 to 38, the border region used its limited monetary reserves to purchase a large number of these scarce supplies.

What will follow is the KMT’s nearly ten years of bad behavior of “openly cooperating in the anti-Japanese war but actually creating blockades and frictions.”

Before landing in the cafeteria, Liu Helian was restricted by some strange world rules, unable to reveal his identity, future knowledge, and history. His qualifications and status also limited his further operations and performance. However, leveraging his connections in the Communist International and the convenience of working in Vladivostok, he encouraged comrades in the Overseas Bureau and External Liaison Department to open up an overseas economic work line.

This line starts from Britain, passes through Portugal, and finally ends in Haojing in Guangdong Province: this is a Portuguese colony and has a relatively transcendent status in the country.

Although the economic activities were not as active and free as those on the neighboring Wan Chai Island, the comrades of the Overseas Bureau were able to avoid the pervasive black and white forces of Jardine Matheson and carry out related business here.

Following Liu Helian's plan, comrades from the External Relations Department registered a trading company and, incidentally, opened a "Sino-French Pharmacy" to cover the Red Army's external medical procurement. Of course, the pharmacy also operated normally, with its main product being "Airo Brain Tonic," a caffeine-rich drink that outperformed many herbal teas and prescriptions of the time in terms of its refreshing effect. Upon its release, it received an exceptionally positive market response, successfully accumulating the Eighth Route Army's first pot of gold.

Later, Liu Helian suggested using the foreigners' hides to purchase tungsten ore and pig bristles. The latter was not yet subject to the KMT's unified purchase and sale of goods. While the former was subject to export controls, the KMT only controlled black tungsten ore, not intermediate products like ammonium paratungstate. With a single step of processing, this could be avoided.

——Nonsense, this thing is white, how could it be tungsten?

Therefore, when Liu Helian reported his plan to visit the Soviet Union, the central government actually had a lot more cards to play than in history.

"The Soviet Union doesn't accept legal tender or banknotes, only silver dollars and foreign currencies. So, this time we're out, we'll have to use foreign currency for many of our expenses—the Sino-French Pharmacy settles its bills in pounds sterling." After handing over this overseas economic route, Liu Helian's business is now temporarily managed by the Overseas Bureau and by Mr. Liao from Hong Kong. "We still have some pounds sterling reserves here. Because of their foreign trade, the Soviet Union accepts all foreign currencies, including pounds sterling, German marks, and Swiss francs. They basically won't refuse to accept them."

"As for now, the KMT is negotiating with the Soviet Union about aid to China." He switched to a slide, which showed the relevant information stored in his computer and some intelligence currently held by the central government. "The Soviet side requires that about 20% of the loan materials and arms must be distributed to us, while the KMT is firmly opposed to it. The two sides are deadlocked." He looked at the participants present and confirmed that everyone had the right to know the subsequent historical events.

"In the second half of the year, after the Japanese invaders launched their full-scale offensive, the KMT collapsed. The Soviet Union, fearing a premature collapse of China and a threat to its Far East, ultimately agreed to the KMT's demands. Of course, there were also some reasons of our own, which I won't go into detail."

The leaders present nodded. The situation on the Communist International side was indeed a bit complicated.

"So this time, on the one hand, we must delay as much as possible in this negotiation involving ourselves and strive for our own interests. When the historical events occur later, I want to see who will succumb to the pressure first, the Russians or the preserved fruits. On the other hand, we can walk on two legs, purchasing supplies from Wanzai Island and Haojing while also purchasing from the Soviet Union. To this end, I personally suggest that we can even use the 20% or so loan share obtained from the Soviet Union as a bargaining chip, and mainly strive for the right of free passage through the Hexi Corridor. After all...

Liu Helian smiled as he flipped through the account book in his hand. "Based on the current sales rate of salt and sugar in the economic sector, even if we don't collect public grain this year, the central government's budget will be more than sufficient. The revenue from these two weeks is already more than the projected fiscal surplus for the whole year."

"Money has to be spent to realize its value."

The atmosphere relaxed. The resolution of the border region's financial problems had helped the Chairman sleep better these past few days. The committee members quickly concluded their discussion and agreed to most of Liu Helian's plan: from visiting the Soviet Union to purchase supplies, to replacing a representative, to participating in negotiations between Guoju and the Soviet Union, and striving to secure a share of Soviet aid. If circumstances didn't allow, they would also secure a share of the Soviet-Xinjiang-Hexi Corridor transport route to Haojing City. Soviet aid on this route was escorted by Soviet soldiers. At least before 39, the route's security was adequately guaranteed.

In addition to this, everyone made many additions to the list of materials proposed by Liu Helian, improved some plans, and made up for many of his inconsiderate and literal interpretations when making the plan. It eventually became a document similar to a memorandum - it outlined what Liu Helian needed to do, what he could do, what he should strive to do, and what he could do freely and what he could not do.

By the way, I also had to take a few comrades to the Soviet Union for training and surgery.

After all, it would be difficult for the border region to break through the current situation and achieve significant development on its own—even if it could, it would take a long time and come at a high cost. On the basis of self-reliance, the Red Army never rejected friendly and equal exchanges and assistance.

The meeting ended quickly, and even faster, it was broken down into more detailed and specific tasks, and the corresponding work began. Since the canteen system was implemented, many people, including Liu Helian, have felt that time is running out:

"We feel deeply lonely, and we always hope that this lonely life will end."

Chairman Mao once said this, and Liu Helian's arrival seems to prove that we are not so alone.

If victory will eventually come, how many people will fall in the darkness before dawn?

If we could do more, would that shorten this despairing darkness?

Chapter 16: Flying West

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X