Ang Lee was really helpless. Originally, he had planned to prepare a sumptuous and delicious lunch for each of the children who came to school. Breakfast and dinner would be eaten at home. This would also reduce the pressure on the school kitchen and reduce their workload.
Ang Lee did not expect that in order to eat more delicious food, these little guys would choose not to eat breakfast or even dinner. They would only eat lunch a day. If this continued, it would cause them to have gastric problems at a young age. If these children really had gastric problems, how could Ang Lee be at ease?
If he preached to these children, he would tell them to eat less and eat more, but these children were gluttonous cats. How could they understand these principles? They would not listen at all. The school could not supervise them. This was too difficult to do.
The only solution was to provide the children with a nutritious breakfast and a small amount of dinner.
At the thought that he had to pay for the three meals a day for the children who went to school, Li An felt that it was quite interesting. If he could solve the problem of accommodation, then these children would really be raised by him. Opening a school would not only educate the children, but also provide for them, so that the parents of these children would not need to worry about feeding their children anymore.
"How can it be that they don't eat breakfast? There are even children who don't eat breakfast and breakfast. This will cause gastric problems."
Ang Lee shook his head helplessly.
Li Chuandao did not say anything. He did not have the money to buy breakfast for these children. It did not seem appropriate to ask the school to provide breakfast. He did not have this right.
"These naughty children, aren't they forcing me to provide breakfast and dinner for them? If I don't provide it, they will simply not eat and wait for lunch. Hahaha!"
As Li An spoke, he unconsciously smiled. These little kids were really good. They unconsciously grasped Li An's weakness, forcing Li An to give in and provide these little kids with a nutritious breakfast, a meal, and a good dinner.
Seeing that Ang Lee planned to provide lunch for the children, Li Chuandao nodded and said, "It is also a way to provide three meals a day. However, it is definitely not possible to rely on the existing kitchen. We need to recruit more people."
Ang Lee naturally understood that there was not enough manpower. He nodded and said, "I naturally know this. It won't cost much to recruit more people. However, what should we eat for breakfast?"
"I think a bowl of noodle soup is enough."
Li Chuandao said.
Ang Lee shook his head and said, "No, no, the taste is not good enough. I am afraid that the children will not eat it. It is not nutritious enough. It is better to prepare some delicious food."
After that, he fell into thought.
"Delicious food? Do we also have to eat braised pork for breakfast?"
Li Chuandao said.
Ang Lee shook his head and said, "It is enough to eat meat once a day. Breakfast should be delicious and nutritious, but it doesn't have to be meat. Eggs and milk are good. A cup of fresh milk with sugar and a serving of salt and pepper egg and vegetable pancakes will be enough."
This kind of delicious breakfast was actually very common in the future, but it was not very common in the Great Tang. The milk with sugar was very simple, and the salt and pepper egg and vegetable pancake, to put it simply, was to mix chopped vegetables into white flour to make a pancake. This pancake was then placed on a pan that had been smeared with oil to bake. Then, an egg was cracked on top of the pancake. When the egg was cooked, some salt and pepper and other condiments were sprinkled on it, and the pancake was folded appropriately. Thus, a delicious salt and pepper egg and vegetable pancake was made. Not only was it delicious, it was also very nutritious.
As for milk with added sugar, if the source of milk was insufficient, soy milk could be used as a substitute. The nutrition of soy milk was no worse than that of cow's milk. It could be said to be the natural plant milk. It was the source of protein that farming nations relied on for survival. In farming civilizations that lacked milk and meat sources, soy milk became the most important thing in order to supplement the protein needed by the body. Therefore, soy milk was very important to farming civilizations.
The Tang dynasty was short of milk as a whole. Although the nomadic people in the north had been able to send high-quality milk to the capital through the high-speed railway system, the shelf life of milk was a big problem. Therefore, except for the areas near the north like the capital that could get sufficient milk, the shortage of milk in the south and the east had always been a serious problem. Therefore, soy milk became the best choice.
The fact that there was no shortage of milk in the capital was actually relative. This was because many poor people with low incomes did not drink milk, so there was an abundance of cattle and sheep. If the millions of people in the capital all drank milk for breakfast every day, then the milk transported from the grassland would definitely not be enough.
These children from poor families who entered the school would definitely not drink milk. If a large amount of milk was provided to them at once, would it directly affect the supply and demand of milk in the capital? Would it cause the price of milk to soar? These were all questions that needed to be carefully considered. If it caused a chain reaction and caused the price to soar, then it would be very bad.
In order to let these children drink milk, it would cause the cost of living of the people in the capital to increase. This was naturally not desirable.
Li Chuandao naturally knew the price of milk. It was an ingredient more expensive than pork. It was too extravagant to provide each child with a cup of milk. How was this training for schoolchildren? This was simply spoiling them. Providing them with high-quality and delicious ingredients would make them picky. In this way, when they left the school, they would not be used to the food outside anymore. This was not a good thing. Training hard and simple should be a virtue. Li Chuandao felt that it was very inappropriate to provide such a luxurious breakfast for children.
"Assistant Minister Li, milk is very expensive! Even a well-off family may not be able to afford milk in the morning. Isn't it inappropriate to provide such a good breakfast for these poor children? "
Li Chuandao finally could not help but say.
Although the braised pork for lunch was also very delicious, pork was only an ordinary ingredient. Its rarity was far less than milk. This was because pigs could be raised near the capital. Pigs raised in the mainland could also be transported to the capital. Cows were almost all in the distant northern grasslands. They could only rely on the railway that had just been opened for a few years. Considering the transportation cost and the fact that milk was easy to rot, the price of milk was moderate and much more expensive than pork.
In addition, from the perspective of food appetite, many people recognized pork more and were not very concerned about milk. They felt that eating pork was more cost-effective and drinking milk was not cost-effective. Unless they were very rich and wanted to flaunt their identity, they would not waste money to buy milk.
Of course, in the northern grasslands, this situation was reversed. It was common to drink milk on the grasslands, and eating pork and drinking soy milk was somewhat extravagant. This was because there were cows and sheep everywhere on the grasslands, and it was unrealistic to breed pigs and grow soybeans.
The current traffic situation had been greatly improved and the transportation cost was much lower. Even so, a commodity transported thousands of miles away would still be many times more expensive.
Even in the later civilized society with extremely developed transportation, the vegetables sold by farmers for a few cents in the fields would be more than ten times or even dozens of times more expensive in the supermarkets in the cities not too far away. As a result, farmers could not earn money from farming and citizens in the cities could not afford to buy ingredients.
Why was there such a huge difference in price? That was because in the process of transportation and selling, every participant needed to obtain benefits. After layers of benefits were exploited, at the end of the day, the price would naturally rise.
For local products to be sold in the market, there were very few steps needed to go through. However, to transport products from thousands of miles away, there were many more steps needed. In addition, some products had a shelf life. If there was a long delay on the road, it would not be far from spoiling when it reached the destination. Therefore, there was also a risk. If the profit was not high, once there was an accident, the loss would be too heavy.
This was under normal circumstances. If they encountered a small official who did not give them enough benefits, the loss would be even greater. And the longer the transportation journey, the higher the probability of encountering small ghosts on the way. Naturally, the cost would also rise.
When Ang Lee heard this, he felt that what Li Chuandao said was reasonable. It was indeed the case. The quality of the milk was a little high. This was not a noble school. It was not appropriate to provide so much fresh milk for these children. In the capital of the Tang dynasty, the poor might occasionally eat pork, but drinking milk was something that only the rich would do. Ordinary poor people would not waste their money.
"Yes! Milk is much more expensive than pork. Although it is very nutritious, it is indeed a little too much. How about using soy milk instead? The nutrition of soy milk and milk are about the same, so it is the same to use soy milk. "
Ang Lee said.
Li Chuandao agreed, "Soy milk is the best. Soy milk is freshly made and is hot. It is more comfortable to drink. The price is also lower, so it is more reliable."
Ang Lee said, "More than a thousand children drink soy milk. What about you? Can I provide some milk for you? "
"No need. We can also drink soy milk. Although we are scholars, none of us are from rich and powerful families. We are used to drinking soy milk. We are really not used to the taste of milk."
Li Chuandao refused.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Okay! Since you all like to drink soy milk, then provide enough soy milk for breakfast. Let everyone in the school drink soy milk, and add as much white sugar as you want. "
Since the children were provided with three meals a day, the teachers, the security guards, and the kitchen staff naturally had to have three meals a day. Otherwise, they would feel unbalanced, especially the kitchen staff. They cooked all the food themselves. If they didn't have three meals a day, it wouldn't be right no matter what.
The craftsmen working at the construction site had to work in three shifts. It was also very hard. Therefore, they naturally had to be provided with food. Moreover, it had to be in large quantities. Otherwise, it would not be enough.
In this way, after a rough calculation, the expenditure would probably increase by more than 30%. In addition, there was a large shortage of people in the kitchen, at least half of them. This had to be filled as soon as possible.
However, the matter of money and people were easy to solve. When Ang Lee proposed to provide three meals a day for everyone and increase the number of people in the kitchen, everyone in the kitchen was very happy. They said that they knew many people who were reliable and diligent. They could come to work in the school. Moreover, they could come immediately. If they had a mobile phone at this time, they would have received a call.
It was easy to get things done with money. The reason why the recruitment was so smooth was naturally because Li An offered a higher salary and provided three meals a day. Furthermore, the people in the kitchen had a dormitory for them to rest in. Those who did not have their own houses could live in the school's kitchen dormitory. Naturally, the attractiveness of this place was indescribable.
"In the future, I will prepare three meals a day for all of you, okay?"
Ang Lee walked to the group of children and said with a smile.
"Hehehe …"
Although the children did not speak, they were all so happy that they could not close their mouths. There was no need to mention how happy they were. The delicious lunch was enough to make them happy. Now that breakfast and dinner were provided, the children had no reason to be unhappy.
"What do we eat in the morning?"
A child asked timidly.
"A cup of soy milk with sugar in the morning, and an egg and vegetable pancake. Dinner is the same as breakfast, okay?"
Ang Lee said.
"Hehehe …"
Naturally, the children were very satisfied and all of them laughed happily.
Although these were all ordinary ingredients, they were still better than the food these children had in the morning. After all, these were children from poor families. A roasted egg in the morning was enough. How could they drink soy milk? As for egg and vegetable pancakes, they did not even need to think about it. It was good enough that they could eat steamed buns and drink noodle soup.
It was precisely because their daily life was very hard and they could hardly eat good food. Therefore, when the school provided enough delicious food for these children, these children would be particularly fond of it. Even if their palms were swollen, they would not be willing to leave the school. This showed how great the temptation of these delicious food was to the children.
When Ang Lee and Li Chuandao were next to them, these children could still suppress their emotions. However, when the two left, these children jumped and jumped in the room as if they had gone crazy. Even the sound of someone rolling on the ground could be heard. This was a sign that they were crazy with excitement. It was estimated that this kind of excitement could last for a long time. If they were too excited, something would always happen. It was estimated that soon there would be children crying.
Sure enough, it did not take long for the children's cries to be heard. Some of these crying children were injured because they climbed on the table and fell down. Some were accidentally scratched by a group of children crowded together. Some were caused by rolling on the ground and hitting their heads on the corner of the table. But no matter what, it was a chain reaction caused by too much excitement.
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