Chapter 92: Canteen Special Braised Pork
When the soldiers saw Ye Qiongying, they all had very strange expressions on their faces. They seemed to want to look at her more, but it was not convenient for them to do so.
After all, this camp is full of men, so it is very rare to see a woman, let alone such a young and beautiful woman, which is really too eye-catching.
If it weren't for the tyrant's powerful imperial decree, it would have been difficult for Ye Qiongying to stay.
Even for the sake of order in the military camp, General Pang and his men might not want Ye Qiongying to stay.
"Hello, are you guys going to have dinner? I just arrived here and I'm not very familiar with this place. Can I go with you?"
As soon as Ye Qiongying walked in, she smelled a strong odor of sweat. She didn't show anything unusual, after all, this kind of thing happened often when she was a child.
Even before leaving Beijing, she spent a long time in the martial arts training ground, sparring with the guards in the mansion and Uncle Ye, and couldn't help sweating.
Seeing her friendly attitude, those soldiers were not bad people. After all, no one would hit a smiling person. Although they had some other ideas in their minds, no one took the initiative to quarrel with her at this time, and they all acquiesced.
One of the men, who was about thirty years old, said:
"Big sister, you are new here, you don't know where to eat, right? Then follow us, it's not far from here."
Ye Qiongying thanked them and followed them to the cafeteria.
With a pretty girl in the team, everyone started to behave awkwardly, not as freely and playfully as before.
But once they reached the canteen and smelled the aroma of food not far away, the soldiers, who had been tired all day, immediately forgot about the beautiful girls. Their eyes lit up and they couldn't help but rush forward.
Ye Qiongying almost didn't react, but when she saw them running, she also ran quickly.
The elder brother seemed to have remembered her. He ran a few steps before turning back. He was relieved to find Ye Qiongying catching up with him. He explained:
"The daily food supply here is limited in time, and if you walk ahead, you can get more meat and vegetables, so..."
Needless to say, you know the reason.
The canteen was better than the tents where everyone lived. At least it was a specially built house. Of course, it was a big kitchen for cooking.
We still eat outside.
There are many long tables and small stools placed outdoors, which can be set up when in use and folded up after use.
The table is not small. It can accommodate twenty or thirty people, just enough for a small team.
If you are lucky enough to arrive early, you can sit at the table and have a good meal and rest. If you arrive late, there will be no seats, so you can only squat aside with your bowl in hand and finish the meal in a few bites.
As soon as she entered, Ye Qiongying was shocked by the noisy scene inside.
I grew up in the capital, and my family lived either in the Ye Mansion or the Loyal and Brave Marquis Mansion. The most lively place I have been to was the market in the capital. Where have I ever seen such a scene?
It seemed like there were countless people crowding around, and various shouts could be heard from time to time.
Everyone was pushing each other, and there were also some subtle pushing movements.
It was like suddenly arriving in another world.
Ye Qiongying followed the team of soldiers she had just spoken to and squeezed into the crowd queuing for food.
Maybe it’s because everyone’s attention is now on the delicious food, and their appetite is so strong that they have no energy to pay attention to the changes around them.
In addition, the big brother just now seemed to have some influence in this team, and asked the brothers to surround Ye Qiongying in the middle, so no one noticed her existence for the time being.
She followed them all the way inside and saw several piles of large bowls on the table.
It is called a bowl, but the head can be called a basin.
Ye Qiongying felt like she could bury her face in it.
Seeing that they each took one, she also took a big bowl.
Forget about getting a small one, this is the only kind of bowl here.
The basket next to them was filled with bundles of clean chopsticks, and Ye Qiongying followed everyone else and took a pair.
Going further ahead is the place where food is served.
There were several chefs serving food inside, and one of them was actually a fat aunt.
When it was Ye Qiongying's turn, the aunt's chubby face showed a surprised expression. She stretched her head to look at Ye Qiongying several times before saying:
"Emma, it's actually true! Come on, girl, why did you come here and join the army with all those grown men? Your family is too careless.
Look at how skinny you are, how can you bear it! Come, eat more! Auntie will give you more meat!"
Sure enough, when she pressed down with the big spoon, she filled Ye Qiongying's big bowl of rice and other dishes with the beautiful braised pork, and a tip popped out.
Seeing this, others were filled with envy.
However, when they held out their bowls to ask the aunt to add more braised pork, the aunt said loudly:
"Go, go, go, one spoon each, don't stand there! You all have appetites like bottomless pits, any more is not too much! Next one!"
When they got to the table, the elder brother said to Ye Qiongying:
"That's Aunt Fang. Her family used to run a restaurant, and her husband is a junior officer.
Three years ago, her husband died in the war, and Aunt Fang came to the military camp to cook. She didn't cook anything else but her husband's favorite braised pork.
You must try it, this meat is really delicious, all the brothers love it.
The portion is limited, so you have to come early to get one. I was lucky today and was able to have a bite.
Now, this braised pork has become a reward from the instructors to motivate us. If we want to eat it, we must hurry up and complete the training tasks, otherwise we can only watch others eat it. "
After saying this, everyone who had looked so mature and steady along the way couldn't help but swallow.
Ye Qiongying took a look at the braised pork in the bowl. The pork belly cut into small cubes was wrapped in sugar color. The brown-red color was shiny and looked very tempting.
but……
This portion is a bit too much.
The food in the military camp is really good. Although there are not too many varieties, the quantity is definitely enough.
There is rice, vegetables and two different meat dishes, and even soup and big steamed buns on the side. You can refill your meal after you finish.
"Why don't you share some with me?" Ye Qiongying pushed the bowl forward. "This is too much. I probably can't finish it."
Although she did not diet deliberately, her appetite was still not comparable to those soldiers who had been training all year round.
She probably couldn't finish such a big bowl of food in a whole day.
She could sense the soldiers salivating over the braised pork, but they only took one look and then looked away, saying:
"No need, no need, we have some in our bowls!"
"Yes, yes, you eat it!"
The elder brother also said:
"Eat first, and we'll talk if you can't finish it."
Seeing that they were really not going to eat, Ye Qiongying had no choice but to move the bowl over and start eating.
The braised pork is really delicious. The fat is rich but not greasy. It melts in your mouth. The soup soaks into the meat. Your mouth is filled with the aroma of meat when you take a bite. It is even better than the one made by the chefs in Beijing.
Ye Qiongying ate the braised pork and unknowingly ate twice as much rice as usual.
Even so, I couldn't finish it.
There is still a lot of food in this big bowl, especially the brightly colored braised pork. Wouldn't it be a pity if it was thrown away?
The elder brother next to him seemed to see Ye Qiongying's embarrassment and said:
"You really can't eat anymore?"
They had already finished eating.
After receiving Ye Qiongying's affirmative answer, a group of people hurriedly said:
"Don't throw it away, don't throw it away. Just eat it!"
Ye Qiongying quickly stopped him:
"How can I ask you to eat my leftovers? This..."
"It's nothing. It's normal for everyone to eat each other's leftovers. There are never leftovers in the barracks. Even the swill buckets are filled with scraps from the kitchen," the eldest brother said. "This... and if there are leftovers, there will be punishment. Of course, no one has been punished for this yet. Don't say you despise it. We have eaten everything. How can anyone despise this delicious meat?"
Seeing that they really didn't care about this, Ye Qiongying had no choice but to let go.
This group of young people seemed to have found a great bargain. They quickly divided the food into their own bowls. Just as they were about to eat, a malicious voice came from the side:
"Oh my, let me see, what did good old Yao do again? Oh my! He actually picked up a beautiful girl!"