"Xiao Xue, Dad is fine now, let's go home! How much does it cost to stay here! Dad is really fine!" Bai Daliang objected when he heard this, insisting on going home and even tried to sit up.
"Dad, the doctor said you shouldn't move, stay in the hospital for the IV drip! Trust me, don't move around, it didn't cost much, the medicine bill was less than ten yuan!" Bai Xue had no choice but to lie.
"Daliang! Stop fussing, getting better is the most important thing! When you get discharged, I'll borrow a cart from the team to pick you up!" Uncle Quanzi also persuaded him.
"I really..." Bai Daliang was about to say he really was fine and tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness made him lie back down.
"Dad, stop moving around! Just take your IV drip, Uncle Quanzi, keep an eye on my dad! I'm going out to get food, I'll be back soon!" Bai Xue said, and before anyone could react, she ran off.
Uncle Quanzi originally wanted to say he didn't need to worry, he'd go home to eat, but she had already left, so he stayed behind to watch Bai Daliang's IV.
"Quanzi, it really didn't cost ten yuan?" Bai Daliang suspiciously asked Uncle Quanzi beside him.
"I don't know either, I just went to get hot water, but if Xiao Xue said it didn't cost ten yuan, it probably didn't! Otherwise, Xiao Xue didn't have other money on her, what would she use to buy food?" Uncle Quanzi analyzed for him.
Bai Daliang felt a little better hearing this and calmed down. The money had been paid, and insisting on going home without staying in the hospital would just waste money.
Bai Xue left the clinic, having been busy for so long, lunch time was long over, and the clinic cafeteria was closed, so she had to try her luck outside.
On her way here, she had seen a State-Owned Restaurant and roughly knew the location, so she headed towards it.
On the way, when there weren't many people around, she took two pounds of white flour and two eggs out from her supermarket space.
As she expected, when she arrived at the State-Owned Restaurant, lunch time had already passed, there was only a thirty-something woman cleaning the tables.
She walked in carrying her things, the waitress only glanced up once and then went back to her work, saying blandly,
"Lunch time is over!"
Bai Xue knew at this time a waitress must be quite arrogant, so she didn't care. Besides, even if it didn't pass lunch time, she couldn't afford to eat here, she only had two and a half yuan in hand, not even any food coupons.
"Sister, can I borrow the kitchen for a bit? I'll provide my own ingredients! Is that okay? Just need some seasoning and such, I'll give you twenty cents, is that alright?" Actually, twenty cents could get a big bowl of plain noodles.
The waitress lady looked Bai Xue up and down, then glanced at the things in her hand, "We don't have that kind of rule, you can't use the kitchen!" Still with an expression like someone owed her a million yuan.
"Little girl, what do you want to do borrowing the kitchen?" At this moment, a middle-aged uncle came out from the kitchen, slightly plump with a ruddy face, looking healthy, obviously having never gone hungry.
"I want to borrow the kitchen to make three bowls of noodles..." Bai Xue looked at the middle-aged uncle and answered.
The chef from the State-Owned Restaurant came out of the kitchen and squinted his eyes. As he thought, he hadn't smelled wrong, it was the aroma of white flour.
He had smelled the unique aroma of white flour from inside the kitchen, came out to see what was going on, and saw the scene just now.
He had been a chef for half his life and was particularly sensitive to the aroma of food.
"Bring it in then! I'll help you make it!" he said kindly.
The nearby waitress lady was stunned, since when was Chef Wang so easy-going? Isn't he usually bad-tempered, scolding people at sight?
Bai Xue glanced at the surprised waitress lady, then looked at the middle-aged uncle staring at the flour in her hand, and immediately understood.
She wasn't afraid, she followed the chef into the kitchen.
"Little girl, the flour in your hand is probably two pounds, right?" Chef Wang asked as soon as he entered the kitchen.
"Yes, uncle. I only need to make three bowls of noodles, if there's extra you can have it!" Bai Xue answered wisely.
"There's no need! Would a chef be greedy for a bit of noodles? Come, let me help you make it!" he said as he took the eggs and flour from Bai Xue and started busying himself.
Bai Xue didn't hold back either. Seeing how diligent he was, he must want something from her.
After a flurry of action, three big bowls of hot noodles with animal oil and white flour were ready! There was even an egg on top.
Since Bai Xue only brought two eggs, Chef Wang evenly divided them among the three bowls.
"Little girl, the noodles are ready! There's some flour left..."
"Uncle, you helped me make the noodles, that was hard enough, I won't take back the remaining flour! Thanks for your help today! Here's twenty cents, as we agreed! Take it!" Bai Xue took out five one-cent coins given by Chen Qiyue and took two to give to Chef Wang.
"I won't take this money, but if it's convenient, can I ask you a question?" Chef Wang looked at Bai Xue and hesitantly said.
"Uncle, ask away! I'll definitely answer as much as I know!" Bai Xue was anxious to take the noodles back for her dad, so she quickly replied.
"Little girl, can you get grain? Fine or coarse grain, it doesn't matter!" Chef Wang whispered in Bai Xue's ear.
"Uncle, I'm just a little girl..." Before Bai Xue could outright refuse, Chef Wang spoke again.
"To bring out two pounds of flour and eggs and make noodles, and even generously give away the surplus flour, you must be capable! Little girl, it's a life-saving matter, if you can get grain, uncle won't let you down! Let's go by black market prices! Coarse grains one yuan two per pound, fine grains one yuan five per pound!"
Bai Xue looked deeply at Chef Wang, seeing sincerity in his eyes, and then spoke, "How much do you need?"
Hearing Bai Xue ask this, Chef Wang showed a hint of disbelief and immediately replied, "Fifty pounds, is fifty pounds possible?"
Bai Xue felt relieved hearing this, just fifty pounds; she could easily get it, and she needed money now. Since this uncle wanted to pay her black market prices, wasn't this like giving her a pillow when she was sleepy?
"Fifty pounds of yellow millet, one yuan five per pound! I'll bring it to you tonight!" Bai Xue readily agreed.
The two of them spoke quietly, talking softly for fear of being overheard.
"Great! Great, great! Once it's dark, I'll wait for you at the State-Owned Restaurant entrance!" Chef Wang exclaimed excitedly like a child.
At this time, once it got dark, there weren't many people on the streets, so trading at the State-Owned Restaurant entrance wasn't dangerous.
It turned out that he had many siblings, and although he worked as a chef at the State-Owned Restaurant and lived well, he was the eldest at home. Not long ago, his parents and brothers came to him with their families, saying they were starving to death, unable to get enough food. He could just about feed himself, his wife, and kids, but how could he support so many people? He had some money, but food was hard to come by. Now, he was staying up at night, unable to sleep, stress whitening his hair over the last few days.
In desperation, he did find someone who could get grain, solving the immediate crisis, so how could he be unhappy to send them away?
Fifty pounds of yellow millet, ten pounds for each of his four brothers, and ten pounds for his parents, just right. With the family's grain coupons coming at the end of the month, there was enough to eat!