Siheyuan: Steel Mill Driver

"Hey, I came here in such a hurry that I didn't even have a meal. I didn't expect that my enthusiasm would be rewarded with this from you, I, hey!"

"Brother, let's go back."

"No, Gousheng, look at you, kid. Isn't it heartbreaking for you?"

"With you here to protect me, I have nothing to fear. I am willing to be tired."

"Okay, you little brat, I won't treat you badly. Our street's big pot meal will be ready soon. Today's meal is braised pork and potatoes. It's so delicious!"

After the two finished talking, Li Feng looked back. Oh well! The big red silk was hung up again! He was still stunned, thinking it was the same as before, but after a closer look, it was not the same piece at all.

Not only in the front, but there are also banners hanging on both sides of the truck bed, saying "Down with Great Beautyism" and "Steel Production Exceeds that of Britain and the United States."

Wow, it's really good! Director Zhang took Li Feng and the others to the street cafeteria and asked the chef to fill two lunch boxes with braised pork and put more than ten big steamed buns in a flour bag.

"Here you go, Gousheng."

"Ah? Isn't it bad to fight so much?"

Director Zhang smiled and said, "Don't worry. I know driving is a physically demanding job. I'm telling you some good news. I heard that many communes below now have grain yields of over 10,000 kilograms per mu! You can eat without worry."

"Aunt Zhang, you are so happy, are you going to make progress?"

"You little rascal! You haven't even started yet. I'll introduce you to our Deputy Director Wang when I have time. I have a good relationship with her. If I really leave, you can go to her if you have any questions."

"Okay, it's still my Aunt Zhang who will take care of me!"

"Hey, if I had taken care of you, I wouldn't have let that jerk Yi Zhonghai take away your father's money and job!"

"I'm not in a critical moment now. I really want to teach him a lesson."

"You know everything! My mother's job quota is still there. At that time, I thought that if I couldn't be a driver, I could still have a way out. Now I feel that driving is pretty good. If you need it, I will arrange the locksmith quota for you."

"You kid, you're still playing tricks on me. Okay, when the time comes, you can give this quota to Director Wang! After all, you'll have to count on her to take care of you in the future when it comes to the street."

"There's no rush. Go get some firewood first. When you get there, they'll load the truck and you can eat."

"Ah? Can firewood be used to make steel? Isn't the temperature high enough?"

"You know a lot. Firewood is used to start a fire. Go now."

"Xiao Wen, you take the bus and tell the driver the way. Let's bring back the firewood we agreed to with the villagers."

"Okay, Director. What's your name, driver?"

Li Feng looked at Xiao Wen, a girl with a frail figure, and said, "My name is Li Feng, Miss Xiao Wen, when are we leaving?"

Hello Brother Li, let’s go now, and then he got on the passenger seat.

Niu Dali..., you're sitting in the passenger seat, where should I sit? Forget it, I'd better sit in the car. Although there's room for one person in the driver's seat, he can't squeeze in with a girl!

Li Feng followed Xiao Wen's directions and came to a village. It was his first time in this place, and he encountered many vehicles on the road, not all of which were cars, but also ox carts, horse carts, donkey carts, and even flatbed carts pulled by people.

These trucks carried scrap iron, materials, coal, wood, and everything else, almost all of which were related to the steel production campaign. Many people were envious of the trucks they drove.

Li Feng thought that he could take a break after transporting firewood once, but he thought too much. After unloading the firewood, he went to haul coal and coke. He was busy until the evening and finally ignited several blast furnaces.

He was very tired this afternoon. Even with Niu Dali by his side, he still felt very tired. The back seat of the car at that time was fixed, unlike later cars, which had a space in the back where people could lie down and rest.

In the evening, the two came to the cafeteria. When they smelled the fragrance of the food, their stomachs protested. They didn't hesitate and ate whatever they saw.

The steamed buns at that time were light yellow in color, not as white as those in later generations, but the fragrance of the steamed buns could be smelled from a long distance away.

After Niu Dali knew that the food here was free to eat, this guy ate eight big steamed buns, two big bowls of egg drop soup and a large lunch box of vegetables in one go.

He rubbed his bulging belly and said, "The cafeteria is still the best! This is the first time I've eaten so much since I was a child!"

"No, Brother, please don't eat like this. It's too scary. I'm afraid you'll die from eating too much. How am I going to explain this to Master?"

"Haha, don't worry, I know what's going on. Just sit down, I need to take a walk for a while!"

Li Feng looked at Niu Dali's belly and was really afraid that he would explode like a balloon while walking. Fortunately, this did not happen.

Besides him, there were many other people eating here. These people took turns to eat. There was always someone watching the blast furnace for fear of any accidents.

These people eat in a similar way to Niu Dali, eating whatever they like. They don’t even touch the pile of sweet potatoes next to them.

A lot of sweet potatoes fell on the ground, and no one cared. They were trampled into pieces by people walking back and forth, and there was a yellow patch everywhere!

Li Feng sighed and looked at the sweet potato that had just fallen on the ground. He picked it up and felt that it was still warm. It was just right to eat it now, not too hot or too cold.

He peeled off the skin and took a bite of the steamed sweet potato. It tasted really good and was very sweet.

Director Zhang saw this scene, walked over and said with a smile: "You kid, why are you eating the sweet potato that fell on the ground instead of eating the steamed buns?"

Li Feng smiled and said, "I saw that the ones that fell on the ground were all trampled by people walking around. I felt sorry for them, so I picked them up."

"Haha, it's a good thing to know how to save food! But you don't have to worry, this year is a good year for a bumper harvest. A yield of over a thousand kilograms per mu is considered low, so it doesn't matter if it's wasted."

Li Feng...

"Okay, go back after dinner and come back tomorrow morning. There are still many tasks waiting for you to complete!"

Li Feng nodded and said, "That's fine, but there's not much gasoline left in the car. If we want to continue transporting supplies, oil will be a problem."

Director Zhang nodded and said, "If you don't tell me, it will delay important matters tomorrow. I'll get the gasoline tonight and it will be here before 8 o'clock tomorrow."

"Okay, no problem, Aunt Zhang."

"Okay, you guys can leave after you finish eating. I'll go arrange for gasoline."

After seeing her leave, Li Feng hurriedly put a few steamed buns and sweet potatoes into his lunch box. He knew that the more he ate now, the more miserable he would be in the future. He didn't want to eat the cornmeal porridge that he could see the bottom of the bowl.

He did this every day. He put some prepared meals into the space. When transporting firewood, coal and coke, he would collect some into the space and save them for use in winter.