After listening to Song Dakang and Li Xiaogang talking about the local people, he ordered people to speed up the details of the contract. Xiaobei and the other eight decided to have dinner at the Academy.
At the request of several representative children, they planned to eat canned food at night. Xiaobei asked people to go back and bring all kinds of canned food, but he didn't know what was delicious in the canned food.
When the evening came, the children in the Academy were as happy as a festival. They surrounded Xiaobei and the other eight who knew they couldn't have a steady meal, singing and dancing.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, who were supposed to wait for their younger brothers and sisters to have dinner together at home, didn't eat in the restaurant when they saw that the children had dinner in the school. Instead, they disguised themselves and went to the Yizhou Pier together.
The lanterns and torches at the pier had lit up a large area in advance. The ships didn't stop because of the sunset. The ships that needed to rest had special places to park. The real loading and unloading area was very busy with people coming and going.
"In the process of any organized mass transportation of goods, there will always be people who find opportunities to make more money. The income gap between social groups will gradually widen. Generally speaking, people with flexible minds will always make more money than those who only know how to work hard.
The development of human beings is ahead of the development of animals, because the brains of animals are replaced by strength in many cases. Thus, the source of polarization is formed. "
Zhang Xiaobao whispered to Wang Juan beside him when he saw people carrying things up and down.
After saying that, Zhang Xiaobao shook his head, as if he felt that he was a little out of touch with the masses. Now, the first thing he thought of when he saw something was not the closest atmosphere between the scenery and society, but the root cause from the perspective of a ruler, as well as the various social effects and solutions in the process.
Wang Juan saw Zhang Xiaobao's expression and knew what he was thinking, so she said, "If you always think like this, you will die of exhaustion. Don't you think the busy workers are full of happiness and hope for the future?"
"Well, let's not care about the social problems. I'm here today to see how normal people live. I'm a normal person. Yes, I'm a normal person. I'm really a normal person."
Zhang Xiaobao muttered. Suddenly, he took two steps forward and helped a worker to steady the goods that were about to slide off his shoulder. He smiled and said, "You're welcome," as the worker thanked him in surprise and fear.
Wang Juan covered her mouth and chuckled. "Look, you're mumbling. You can continue to say that you're a normal person, but if you say it to others one by one, you're definitely not a normal person. Look at which mentally ill person would say that they're mentally ill?"
"Hehe, I really need to adjust myself. Otherwise, if I think about too many abstract things all day, I will become a professional philosopher in the future. Let's go, there's a store selling Liangpi over there. Let's try it."
Zhang Xiaobao rubbed his head and chuckled. He pulled Wang Juan to a stall selling Liangpi. There was a small two-wheeled cart. When the cart stopped, the handrail at the back was propped up with a piece of wood with a groove to keep the cart balanced.
Next to the car were two open folding tables and a dozen or so stools. This was a temporary dining area. It was only about sixty meters away from the dock. Sometimes, when the wind was strong, the dust would be blown over by the wind when the goods were being loaded and unloaded.
But whether it was the people selling Liangpi or the people eating it, they didn't seem to care about the dust. They held bamboo bowls and slurped with their chopsticks.
"One serving, add more garlic juice." Zhang Xiaobao handed over two copper coins and chose one serving. Wang Juan looked around and found a wooden stool that someone had moved over to use as a stool. There was no one there at the moment, so she ran over to occupy the space.
Soon, a serving of Liangpi was stuffed into Zhang Xiaobao's hand. Sure enough, there were two spoons of garlic juice in it.
"Do you like to eat garlic?" Wang Juan asked.
"It's not that I like to eat garlic. I'm just worried that if I don't ask for more garlic juice, she will give me less Liangpi. Look, some of her Liangpi are already in the bowl, and some are left unshaven. Just now, when I asked for more garlic juice, she scraped it."
Zhang Xiaobao explained to Wang Juan.
Wang Juan didn't understand and looked at Zhang Xiaobao in confusion.
Zhang Xiaobao could only continue, "Usually, people who set up stalls have a habit, and that is, they are afraid that it will be crowded, so they prepare some in advance. You know this, right? But when it comes to preparation, Liangpi isn't prepared piece by piece like the noodles. The difference isn't big.
Liangpi is scraped from a large lump of starch jelly. Whether it's strips or slices depends on the tool she uses. If it's prepared beforehand, very few sellers are willing to put more into the bowl. Only those who seem to be very familiar with the jelly will give more.
On the other hand, those who are familiar with the jelly are usually fond of it and have a big mouth. If you give less, they will complain. She's not afraid that you will make trouble, but she will find it annoying. Those who are willing to choose the jelly in advance are usually in a hurry to eat and don't care if it's more or less.
I asked for garlic juice to prove that I'm a person who eats a lot, so she was afraid that I would argue with her, so she specially scraped it for me. I compared it, and it's really a little more. "
Wang Juan nodded repeatedly as she listened. She picked up her chopsticks and ate two mouthfuls. She smiled and said to Zhang Xiaobao, "You deliberately put in so much effort just to eat a little more?"
A gust of wind blew the dust over. Zhang Xiaobao quickly picked up the bowl and put it under his clothes. He turned sideways to avoid the wind and said, "I didn't put in any effort. I really thought of doing this naturally. Look over there."
Wang Juan looked over and saw a well-dressed lady arguing with the seller of Liangpi: "Give me more sesame paste, I'll buy yours. Did you forget that I love sesame paste the most?"
"Too much, too much. If you give more, you can just eat sesame paste. Sesame paste is getting more and more expensive now. Even if I give you more, it won't cover the cost. I'll sell it at a loss." The seller said to the lady in the same loud voice.
Wang Juan looked at the wind and asked Zhang Xiaobao to take out the bowl. She asked doubtfully: "Sesame paste is expensive? Does that mean that sesame oil is also starting to become expensive? And sesame. "
"It's expensive. It's just a little more expensive. There's no need to consider the cost. It's just a saying. This is the real life of a normal person. It seems that I'm a normal person."
Zhang Xiaobao also ate two mouthfuls and said.
"You mean to say that I'm not a normal person? Since it's expensive, why don't you care about it? "Wang Juan grabbed the bowl and started to eat.
"I don't care about the price of sesame. For a period of time, the price of sesame won't go down at all. I can't force it down. That's against the rules of the market. It's a non-essential consumable. As long as the price of salt, oil, and grain doesn't fluctuate beyond the normal range, I won't ask about it.
It's because we need to transport things from other places during the war, which increases the number of people moving around in the local area for a period of time. The local grain is enough to support the consumption of the people. Originally, the Chengdu area was a large production area. Otherwise, it wouldn't dare to be called Chengdu. It's a pity that it hasn't been Chengdu. It always stays in this name with a slightly inferior status. "
After Zhang Xiaobao finished speaking, he grabbed the bowl again and drank some soup. It was sour and sweet, very satisfying.
"But to the extent that it's not a situation of inferior status has never appeared. It can't become a capital, but its influence has always been widespread. It's because the environment and water transportation are developed. Yizhou's Liangpi is different from other places. How can there be so much soup?"
Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiaobao drinking another mouthful of soup and asked casually.
Zhang Xiaobao burped and smiled. "It's not that there's a lot of Liangpi soup in Yizhou. It's a soup that's specially mixed with a little sugar and a little vinegar. The cost is increased, but the sales are also increased."
Wang Juan thought about it, but she really couldn't figure out why this was done.
Zhang Xiaobao didn't explain. Instead, he shouted at a person who was also holding a bowl and wanted to squat down to eat. He asked, "Brother, is her soup good?"
"It's good, it's good. When you're tired from work, you should have a bowl. It can quench your thirst and fill your stomach. Otherwise, when you're hungry, you won't have the energy to work if you eat too much. If you don't eat, it'll be even more boring. After a bowl of Liangpi, you can continue to work. This is called efficiency, little brother."
The person turned around and said. He also taught Zhang Xiaobao what efficiency was.
Zhang Xiaobao nodded repeatedly as if he had been taught something. He gave the person a thumbs up. With a smile on his face, the person found a relatively sheltered place and squatted down to eat. After two mouthfuls, he got up and ran to the stall to ask for more soup.
Wang Juan put down her chopsticks and said to Zhang Xiaobao, "You're really interesting. You even cooperated with others. Comrade Xiao Bao, tell me, did you learn what efficiency is just now?"
"No." Zhang Xiaobao shook his head. "Who dares to say that he knows how to maximize efficiency? All efficiency improvement plans are just plans. No one dares to say that their plan is the best because there are still uncertainties. Do you want to calculate all the probabilities clearly? It's just like how no one knows how much rain a certain cloud in the sky can turn into. I've been walking on the path of increasing efficiency, but there's no end in sight. "
Wang Juan lightly clapped her hands twice as if she was applauding Zhang Xiaobao. Looking at the soup in the bowl, she also ran over to ask for more. When the person was unhappy and added a large spoonful of soup, Wang Juan embarrassedly took out a copper coin and gave it to the person. In the end, the person added another spoonful of soup and garlic juice.
Wang Juan also drank a mouthful of soup and smacked her lips twice as she said to Zhang Xiaobao, "I ate a stomach full of dust. The situation of our hygiene is really worrying."
"What hygiene? Didn't you taste it? This soup was boiled first and then cooled. There's the taste of seasoning in it, not star anise powder directly. Firewood is not valuable, and the seller is also afraid that the people working at the docks will have a stomachache.
What's there to be afraid of? Let the white blood cells in your body take care of it. Don't you usually breathe dust? Especially the roads in Tang, they are all made of earth and stone, and very few of them are cement. The Ministry of Works produces a lot of paraffin, and the most important thing is to get them to produce asphalt as soon as possible.
I realized that I've become abnormal again. Today, I'm not thinking about other things. I'm just looking, listening, and chatting with people. Actually, you should ask her for more Liangpi. It's just a copper coin. You don't have to buy soup. She probably feels guilty now and keeps looking at you. "
Zhang Xiaobao did not look at the person selling Liangpi at all.
Wang Juan looked back. Sure enough, the person was looking at her from the corner of his eyes. She could not help but sigh, "Xiao Bao, why are you so familiar with the common folk's things? Then why didn't she take the initiative to add some Liangpi for me?"
"Because at that moment, the greed in her heart won over the idea of a fair trade. But she will probably ask you later if you still want more soup, but she will definitely not give you Liangpi. So, we can't stand on the moral high ground and attack her. She is also kind in her heart."
Xiaobao's eyes were fixed on the person who was eating the Liangpi. That person was eating very slowly, unlike before when he drank the soup quickly and asked someone to refill it.
Wang Juan sat back down and followed Zhang Xiaobao's gaze. She asked, "Why are you looking at him?"
"I'm getting the same satisfaction from him. He ate very slowly because he wanted to savor the Liangpi. I can ask him to do something," Zhang Xiaobao said.
Wang Juan looked. Sure enough, that person was eating very happily. She looked back at Zhang Xiaobao. "What do you want him to do?"
"Sell Liangpi," Zhang Xiaobao answered.
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