The portions of these dishes are so big that three people can't finish them all.
But Zhang Jinfang, a poor person, is not willing to waste money. Seeing that there were some dishes left on the plate, she tried to finish them all.
While eating, he burped.
Xu Erlong tried to dissuade him several times, but it had no effect at all.
"You kids just don't know about hardship and simplicity. Think about those years when you were so hungry that you cried in the middle of the night, couldn't sleep, and even peeled off the bark of trees and ate them. Now that life is a little better, how can we waste it?" Zhang Jinfang said.
Xu Erlong did not try to dissuade him any more. After all, the older generation, after going through years of famine, were so thrifty in their hearts.
He could only silently help Zhang Jinfang finish all the remaining dishes.
When Xu Erlong came out of the state-owned hotel, he felt that his stomach was very full.
Walking along the main road in front of the state-owned hotel, just in time to eat, before I knew it, I turned to Dongfanghong Guest House.
"Let's go in and have a look." Xu Erlong said.
Zhang Jinfang took a look. Although she was illiterate, she knew that this was a guest house.
"What's so good about this guest house? It's for out-of-towners," Zhang Jinfang said.
Xu Erlong said: "I plan to rent two rooms in the guest house. When the time comes, we will move here from the countryside."
Zhang Jinfang was puzzled: "We can live well in the countryside, why do we come here to live? How much does it cost to live here?"
"Mom, I have to continue doing business later." Xu Erlong explained patiently: "It's convenient to live in the county. You don't have to rush on the road every day before dawn. Besides, Xiaoling also wants to study, and you don't want her to travel so far.
Way home?"
This is such a principle, but in the minds of country women like Zhang Jinfang, living in a guest house in the county town is considered to be leaving one's hometown.
People are humble when they leave their hometown.
If you go to the county town and are unfamiliar with the place, isn't it easy for you to be bullied?
"No, Mom, we don't cause trouble, how can we be bullied casually?" Xu Erlong said with a smile: "Besides, the people living in the guest house are basically outsiders who come from all over the world.
, who is bullying whom?"
Zhang Jinfang still had some resistance in her heart, feeling unreliable and unreliable.
"Mom, do you want to watch Xiaoling and I go out early and come back late every day? Do you want to watch us walk so much and have blisters on the soles of our feet?" Xu Erlong started to feel miserable.
This statement made Zhang Jinfang feel heartbroken.
Although she was very frightened about the future, she instinctively resisted and was unwilling to leave the production team where she was accustomed to life.
But she was reluctant to let her children suffer, to leave early and come home late, to go through wind and rain.
"Since you said it's better to rent here, then let's live there. If things don't work out in the future, how about we go back to the countryside?" Zhang Jinfang compromised.
"Okay." Xu Erlong agreed.
Looking at a vendor selling melon seeds not far away, Xu Erlong stepped forward and motioned to Xiaoling to give her two cents to buy melon seeds for two cents.
The vendor took the newspaper, folded it into a small triangle, and filled it with melon seeds steadily.
In the days before plastic packaging, things were packed in this way, with a triangular bag costing a dime.
"What are you buying melon seeds for?" Zhang Jinfang was puzzled: "I've already eaten enough."
"Take it." Xu Erlong is now accustomed to preparing small things as a stepping stone.
A rural boy has no foundation and no connections, so he can only slowly explore and open up connections on his own.
He walked in with Zhang Jinfang and Xu Xiaoling and stood at the front desk of the guest house.
Whether renting or buying a house these days, information channels are not very smooth.
Besides, there is no housing reform yet, and urban residents are in a tight housing situation. A family of seven or eight people often lives in a small house of more than ten or twenty square meters.
Everyone hopes that the work unit will allocate houses for welfare, but there are not many houses for rent.
Xu Erlong plans to rent a guest house, which is the most straightforward method.
The person on duty at the guest house right now is an aunt with a round face.
After hearing Xu Erlong say that he wanted to rent a house, she raised her eyes and looked at the three people opposite.
One is a handsome young young man, the other is an honest and timid rural woman, and there is a country girl of fourteen or fifteen years old who looks innocent.
"Do you have a letter of introduction?" the round-faced aunt asked lazily.
"I'm sorry, we were in a hurry today and forgot to bring the letter of introduction. Let's look at the house first. After that, we'll make up for the letter of introduction and the rent together tomorrow. Do you think this will work?" Xu Erlong whispered to her in a low voice.
Discussing.
After saying that, he handed over the small bag of melon seeds he just bought at the door: "Sister, you can keep this bag of melon seeds and crack them slowly when you are free."
The round-faced elder sister's complexion immediately improved and she accepted the small bag of melon seeds.
These snacks are brought to your door for free. If you don’t take them, they will be free. It’s good to take them home and coax your children.
"Okay, remember to bring the letter of introduction tomorrow. You must bring it, otherwise it won't work." The round-faced elder sister said, turning around to get the key from the wall behind.
A large number of keys, tied to an oblong wooden board, jingled as it swayed.
"Live upstairs or downstairs? Upstairs has better lighting and is more expensive." The round-faced elder sister introduced: "There are four-person rooms, two-person rooms, and single rooms. Which one do you choose?"
"I want a single room. My mother and sister will choose a two-person room." Xu Erlong replied.
The round-faced eldest sister took them, looked at the empty rooms, and found a door at the corner of the stairs on the second floor.
This is a standard two-person room with a wooden floor and half-high green paint on the walls. In addition to two single beds, there is a small coffee table in the middle.
Xu Erlong walked over and stretched out his hand to pull the light cord. The light bulb was on. He stood on the window sill and looked around. There was the road downstairs and the cinema opposite.
"Okay, let's just take this room." Xu Erlong decided on this room.
This room is located next to the corridor, and people going up and down may pass by here.
Privacy is not very good.
But from another perspective, the security is high. If anything happens, you can see it in the lobby downstairs, and people going up and down can also see it.
Xiaoling pursed her lips and was so happy that she couldn't speak.
This room is so nice.
She was used to living in a house with rotten mud walls in the countryside, but now she could live in a building in the city. She never dreamed of such a good thing.
Living here, there is no need to light kerosene lamps. Just pull the rope at the door and there will be electric lights.
Moreover, here is a public toilet, not a large dry toilet like in the countryside. In summer, flies and mosquitoes fly around, so you no longer need to see those disgusting white maggots rolling in the feces.
Not to mention that when there is a rainstorm and the house leaks, you don’t have to worry about getting the bed wet. You have to use bowls, basins, cans and other containers that can hold water to collect rainwater all over the house.