Chapter 102 Every meal is hard-earned
Bai Tang couldn't bear to dampen Lin Fan's enthusiasm for eating, since the food at the Beijing base canteen wasn't much better.
After Bai Jiyang, Lin Fan, and the other two put their things away, they left the bedroom.
They didn't keep anything important in the room, and as for the electric fan they had just taken out, Bai Tang put it back into her spatial storage.
We'll take it out and use it after we finish eating.
Bai Tang put a leash on the canned food, Gu Yanxu opened the door in front, and the group prepared to go downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch.
As they were going downstairs, Bai Tang said, "Let's go see Mom and Dad and Grandpa tomorrow, it's too late today."
Gu Yanxu said, "Okay, we're already safely here, so there's no rush."
Downstairs, many people were enjoying the cool air outside. They preferred staying downstairs to the stuffy, poorly ventilated indoors.
Linzhou looked at the map in the atlas, and then he said:
"I see over there that the base's canteen isn't far from here. Shall we walk there?"
Lin Feng replied, "It's such a short distance, let's walk there, it won't cost enough for gas."
The group chose to walk to the cafeteria, with Bai Tang leading the canned food along the way. Many people on the road were looking at the canned food.
Although the base has animals, they are almost all skin and bones, unlike Guantou, who is robust and looks like he's been eating very well.
However, when those people saw that Bai Tang was accompanied by five big men, they immediately gave up their little schemes.
Even if Gu Yanxu and the others weren't there, and it was just Guantou the cat, those people wouldn't dare to offend anyone easily, since they'd have to see if Guantou's claws hurt when it scratched them.
The group walked along the base road. It was completely dark by then, but thankfully the streetlights at the Beijing base were well-maintained, preventing them from having to walk in the dark.
Bai Tang looked at the brightly lit building ahead and said, "We should be there soon."
The group quickened their pace, encountering many other people who had come together to eat at the cafeteria along the way.
When Bai Tang and his group arrived at the cafeteria, it was lunchtime, and there were queues at every window.
Lin Fan and his group looked at the signs above the window to see what dishes were available, and then stood in line.
Bai Tang and Gu Yanxu went to find seats.
After they got their food, Lin Fan and the others returned with their trays after five or six minutes.
Bai Tang and Gu Yanxu had just gone to get their meals and were squeezing in line in the cafeteria when they soon returned with their trays.
Once seated, Lin Fan and the others wore expressions that were hard to describe.
Because the food at the Beijing base canteen was also not very good, they had already tasted it when Bai Tang went to get food.
It's not that it's terrible, but it's not very tasty.
The porridge should be made from some whole grains and their bran, the steamed buns should be made from a mixture of whole grain flour and refined white flour, and the dishes should be mostly vegetarian.
The only meat dish was braised pork with potatoes, but there were more potatoes than meat, and it didn't taste very good.
Bai Tang looked at them and said, "Every meal should remind us of how hard it is to come by."
"We can't waste food. If you don't finish the food on your plates, there won't be anything else to eat if you get hungry when you get back."
The group was initially taken aback by the smell of the food, but none of them were the type to be fussy.
Lin Feng was the first to pick up his chopsticks and start eating, followed closely by Bai Jiyang, Lin Fan, and Lin Zhou.
After all, they had eaten all sorts of things during their previous wilderness training.
Not to mention Bai Tang and Gu Yanxu, Bai Tang even ate Guanyin clay in her previous life.
The name sounds nice, but it's actually quite rustic. To fill her stomach, Bai Tang has eaten anything.
That kind of soil, once ingested, cannot be excreted, causing all sorts of torment. But in order to fill their stomachs, many people would even scramble for soil.
Therefore, this meal was a delicacy for Bai Tang, who had experienced near starvation in her previous life.
She and Gu Yanxu picked up their chopsticks and started eating.
Although it's a large-scale communal meal, the taste is actually quite good if you savor it carefully.
Amidst the chaos of the canteen, the group ate a truly communal meal.
At the same time, I realized how fortunate it is to be able to eat under the current circumstances.
The canned food obediently stayed beside Bai Tang and the others. There was no food for it here, so Bai Tang planned to feed it when they got back later.
Bai Tang said while eating, "This braised pork with potatoes is not bad, at least the potatoes have a meaty flavor."
Lin Fan also said, "I find this steamed bun quite delicious and chewy."
Bai Jiyang added, "This porridge is also good; it has a nice grainy texture."
As they talked and ate, they quickly finished their respective plates of food.
After clearing away the tableware and putting it in the designated trash can, they left the cafeteria.
The group strolled around the base with canned food for a while, since it would be stuffy inside anyway.
They decided to take a walk at night when there was no sun. After driving for five days in a row, their arms and legs were numb.
After walking around for a while, they returned to their temporary dormitory.
They ran into Zhao Lei and his team downstairs, and Zhao Lei told his team members to go ahead.
He walked over to Bai Tang and said, "Captain Bai, when are you going to find people? Can I go to the base center with you then?"
Bai Tang replied, "We plan to go to the base center at six o'clock tomorrow morning to ask where our family lives."
Zhao Lei scratched his head and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you downstairs tomorrow morning. I don't know why, but I always feel safer with you guys."
Bai Tang joked, "Maybe it was that bomb we used that made you feel that way."
Zhao Lei laughed and said, "That's right, I think so too. Then I'll go back and rest first. See you downstairs tomorrow morning."
As they walked and talked, they reached the third floor. Zhao Lei and Bai Tang's team separated and returned to their respective team rooms.
Bai Tang and the others returned to the house. Bai Tang said, "We took a shower tonight, so let's get some rest. We'll go see Mom and Dad first thing tomorrow morning."
Gu Yanxu: "Okay, everyone get some rest."
Lin Fan, Bai Jiyang, and the other two took turns going to the bathroom to shower.
Bai Tang took the canned food and Gu Yanxu into the space, and told Gu Yanxu to go to the mobile house to wash up.
Bai Tang prepared dinner for Guan Tou, giving him several cans of food, cat food, and raw meat and bones.
Canned food is now over two years old and its appetite is getting bigger and bigger. Luckily, Bai Tang has a lot of things stored in her space, otherwise she really wouldn't be able to afford to feed it.
Gu Yanxu quickly finished showering and was about to come over and cuddle with Bai Tang.
Bai Tang then led him out of the space, and said righteously:
"You need to be mindful of your image. Mu Mu and Guan Tou are here."
Go outside and dry your hair. I'll put a hairdryer down for you. I'm going in to take a shower now, okay?
Bai Tang quickly calmed Gu Yanxu down and then went into her space to wash up.
After Bai Tang finished washing up and had almost finished eating the canned food, she told Mu Mu and then came out with the canned food.
Bring the canned food to the living room and set up a litter box and a small bed for it.
Bai Tang returned to her bedroom and was immediately embraced by Gu Yanxu as soon as she entered.
"Stop fooling around, we have to get up early tomorrow morning to go find someone."