Chapter 116 Eating

"Then you'd better hurry up and get your rations out, or you can just get out the portion you plan to eat tonight!"

Seeing that everyone was still standing there blankly, looking at a loss, Li Wen kindly offered another reminder.

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances and then hurriedly returned to their rooms to retrieve their own rations.

Li Wen wasn't the type to take advantage of others. She quickly added, "Just take as much food as you want. We'll divide it up for everyone when we cook, so there won't be any confusion."

"Also, if you find this inconvenient, you can always ask the carpenter in the village to make a custom bamboo tube. Just put your food rations into the bamboo tube and steam it directly in the pot. It's simple and convenient."

Everyone was extremely grateful for Li Wen's meticulous and thoughtful arrangements, and they thanked her profusely.

Li Wen clapped his hands and smiled at everyone, saying, "Alright, I need to start cooking now. I won't say anything more."

"After everyone finishes work and comes back, if there's anything you're still unclear about, we can sit down and discuss it properly, resolve all the issues completely, and then you can think carefully about what to do next."

After saying this, Li Wen nodded to everyone, then turned around and quickly walked into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

Meanwhile, after Xiahou Jie returned to the room with Dai Xingyun, he couldn't wait to ask Dai Xingyun as soon as he closed the door: "Xingyun, what do you think, should we eat with them?"

"Let's see first, none of us know how to cook," Dai Xingyun said after frowning slightly and thinking for a moment. He was actually a little hesitant, after all, cooking is not an easy task.

“That’s right, none of us have ever cooked before!” Xiahou Jie echoed, frowning and replying with a worried expression.

"Alright, stop thinking so much! Let's just take it one step at a time. If all else fails, we can always figure out how to cook ourselves."

Dai Xingyun seemed rather optimistic. If he could foresee that he would become a complete kitchen killer in the future, he probably wouldn't be speaking so lightly right now.

The first dinner after arriving at the youth settlement was quite a lively affair. Whether they were newcomers or had been there for a while, everyone sat together for dinner, totaling 27 people.

When the eight newly arrived educated youths saw the food on the table, which was almost devoid of any oil, they were instantly drenched in cold water, looking at each other blankly, with no appetite whatsoever.

On the other hand, the older educated youth didn't care about any of that. They picked up their bowls and started shoveling food into their mouths like whirlwinds, as if they were afraid that if they were a second too late, they would have nothing to eat.

Qin Xiuxiu stared wide-eyed at the scene before her in disbelief, taking a long time to recover. Then, she revealed an extremely disdainful expression.

He muttered, "You guys are from the city, how come you eat like you're starving ghosts? What kind of behavior is this?"

But no matter how much she complained, the old educated youths just buried themselves in their food and didn't bother to pay any attention to her.

Seeing this, Qin Xiuxiu stomped her feet in anger, her little mouth pouting high. Meanwhile, Dai Xingyun calmly picked up a bite of food and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly…

The meal ended in this dull and hurried atmosphere.

Jiang Long slowly put down his chopsticks, a helpless smile on his face: "Originally, we should have prepared some delicious dishes to welcome you new educated youth on your first day here."

"But you've all seen the actual situation here with your own eyes," he said, shaking his head slightly.

“Look at how pathetic we are eating now. Actually, when we first came here from the city to the countryside, we had the same mentality as you. We were also full of disgust and discomfort.”

"But in the end, people still have to bow to reality," Jiang Long couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Hearing this, Qin Xiuxiu, who was sitting to the side, felt quite unconvinced and immediately retorted, "How could that be? I don't believe it!"

At this moment, another female educated youth chimed in, saying indignantly, "What's wrong with believing that? If your family is particularly wealthy, they can provide you with a steady stream of money and various receipts."

"Then of course you can live a comfortable and carefree life here. But for ordinary families like ours, with so many brothers and sisters, not only is there no one to help us, but sometimes we even have to send things home to support us."

She paused, staring intently at Qin Xiuxiu, then raised her voice and shouted, "Wait until the day you yourself are so hungry you can't even get enough to eat, so hungry your stomach is growling and you're in extreme discomfort."

"Would you really care whether the food is oily or not, whether you can eat it, or whether it tastes good?"

Qin Xiuxiu was truly shocked! You see, her family's financial situation was quite good.

Her family was not only well-off, but she also had several older brothers, so she held a high position in the family and could be said to be very much loved.

At this moment, Jiang Long quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, alright, everyone, if there's anything you don't understand, whether you encounter difficulties now or in the future, feel free to ask me."

"Or you can ask our other comrades for information." He paused slightly, then asked, "Oh, by the way, speaking of the food issue, what are your thoughts on that?"

"Are you planning to eat with us, or would you like to cook for yourself?"

Before anyone else could respond, Jiang Long continued, "If you choose to eat with us, then two people will take turns cooking."

"Everyone can freely form groups and pair up, after all, this is the first time. We, the old educated youth, can also help guide you new comrades and help everyone get to know each other as soon as possible."

After taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat, Jiang Long added, "Also, the firewood we use for cooking in this yard all depends on everyone going out to collect it. As for water..."

Happy New Year to everyone!