Siheyuan: A Family of Loyal and Brave People

In mid-October, the temperature in the city dropped in late autumn, with the highest daytime temperature less than ten degrees Celsius. The gloomy sky was gray and seemed to be falling to the ground.

At the northern suburbs 702 regiment's base, Cheng Hao and his companions received their military uniforms and were taken by an old soldier to report to the regiment's kitchen.

Along the way, Cheng Hao was calm and composed, while He Yuzhu was like a monkey in a zoo, looking left and right, eager to take in the entire scene of the base.

The 702nd Regiment's base area was not very large, and soon the group arrived at the office building of the regiment's headquarters in the center. Behind the office building were several tiled houses, each with a thick chimney on the roof, which was constantly emitting white smoke. That was the regiment's canteen.

"Captain Hao, what delicious food are you going to make?"

The old soldier pushed open the door and chuckled softly at the middle-aged man inside who was wearing an apron and a white hat and stirring a large spoon.

"We're having pork stewed with vermicelli for lunch. You'd better hurry up when the meal starts."

Squad leader Hao responded without even raising his head, his attention completely focused on cooking.

"I've brought someone here for you today. Remember to give me some more food at noon."

After the old soldier finished speaking, he pushed Cheng Hao and He Yuzhu into the kitchen, and he continued to stand by the door and talk.

"Oh, I see."

Upon hearing that there were new people reporting in, squad leader Hao finally put down his spoon and looked up at Cheng Hao and the other two.

"From now on, you two should follow squad leader Hao and work hard. I have something else to do and I'm leaving first."

The old soldier patted the two men on the shoulders and turned away. The troops were going to set out soon, and there was still a lot to do.

"Hello, squad leader, my name is Cheng Hao!"

After Cheng Hao stood at attention, he saluted Sergeant Hao earnestly. He would be working in the kitchen for a period of time in the future, so he had to establish a good relationship with the squad leader.

"Hello, squad leader, my name is He Yuzhu!"

He Yuzhu hurriedly followed suit and greeted the squad leader.

"Hello, I'm Hao Wentong, the squad leader of the regiment's cooking squad."

Squad leader Hao calmly returned the salute, and the two sides formally met.

"Squad leader, you smoke."

After the ceremony, Cheng Hao took out a pack of Daqianmen from his pocket and handed it to squad leader Hao. He didn't have the habit of smoking, but he would usually carry one or two packs of cigarettes with him in case of emergency.

Daqianmen is considered a relatively high-end cigarette in this era and is very suitable as a gift for meeting someone.

"no."

Squad leader Hao waved his hand to refuse the good cigarettes that Cheng Hao handed over, and pointed to a basket of radishes and cabbages piled against the wall.

“Those who can come here have a foundation, so I won’t waste my words.

Peel and dice those potatoes and carrots first, and do it quickly."

The regiment's kitchen team was short-staffed, and with some people injured and discharged, only squad leader Hao was left fighting in the squad, and he was so busy that he was almost smoking.

"Yes."

Cheng Hao put away his cigarette and immediately got down to work with He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu inherited his father's talent and is an excellent cook. He is very good at cooking and can handle side dishes. Cheng Hao's father is also a chef. When he was a child, he learned some basic skills from his father and is not much slower than He Yuzhu.

The two of them cooperated well and finished processing the radishes and potatoes in no time.

Team leader Hao, who was stirring the big spoon, glanced at the two of them from time to time. Seeing that they were doing a good job, he couldn't help but nod.

Peaceful days are short in this world, and the people have not yet recovered from the devastation of years of war. It is great that the kitchen team can recruit such a capable person.

"Can you two swing a big spoon?"

"Report to the squad leader, I haven't learned it yet, but I will definitely learn it as quickly as possible."

His father passed away early, before he had the chance to teach Tuhao how to cook. He only learned the basics and couldn't even say he knew how to cook.

"Report to the squad leader, I learned to cook in a small kitchen and have never wielded a big spoon."

He Yuzhu once learned cooking in a big restaurant for a few years, but he only cooked small meals and had never made a big pot of rice.

"It's okay. Swinging a big spoon isn't hard. You'll learn it in a few days."

Squad leader Hao did not feel unhappy. The two new members had certain skills and could become qualified cooks after a little training. They were much better than those who knew nothing.

……

After preparing lunch, the three of them brought the steamed buns and stew to the lobby on the first floor of the office building, used several tables to form a simple window, and began to distribute the food.

The smoke of war had not yet left, and many parts of the country had not yet completely stabilized. The economy needed to be restored urgently, supplies were in short supply, and many people still had no food to eat. White flour buns and pork stewed with vermicelli were already very rich meals.

As soon as they smelled the fragrance of the food, the league staff who were off work hurried over and lined up to wait for their meals.

Squad leader Hao moved quickly and soon finished distributing two baskets of steamed buns and a large pot of pork stewed with vermicelli.

Looking at the aluminum basin with not even any soup left and the staff enjoying their lunch, Cheng Hao and He Yuzhu couldn't help but swallow their saliva. They had been busy for so long and they hadn't eaten yet.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pack your things."

Squad leader Hao was busy tidying up the tables and chairs, as if he didn't notice anything strange about the two men.

"Yes, monitor."

Cheng Hao was the first to react and stepped forward to help. He Yuzhu wanted to ask about lunch, but when he saw that Cheng Hao had no objection, he suppressed his doubts and obediently lowered his head to work.

After the three of them packed up, they returned to the kitchen. Cheng Hao was about to wash the dishes when he was stopped by Squad Leader Hao.

"Wait, why are you in such a hurry? We haven't eaten yet."

Squad leader Hao walked to the stove, opened the lid of the pot, took out the three large bowls of food that were kept warm inside, and handed them to Cheng Hao and the others.

"Don't just stand there, come and eat."

He Yuzhu, who was nearby, took the bowl, picked up the steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth. He didn't have time to eat when he went out in the morning, and he was already starving.

Cheng Hao took the bowl, but did not eat it right away. He weighed it first. The portion of this bowl of food was quite large, not less than the portion given to the staff, and even had more meat slices. It seemed that squad leader Hao also knew how to serve food, and he could get good food with one spoon.

"Just eat with confidence. You won't go hungry in the kitchen."

The reason why he didn't ask for Cheng Hao's cigarette in the morning was not because he didn't want to give him face, but because squad leader Hao didn't want to take advantage of the new recruit. He was a principled man, but not pedantic, and he knew how to unite his subordinates and comrades.

First make sure everyone in the class has enough to eat so that it will be easier to lead the team.

The three of them found a seat in the kitchen and sat down. While eating, Squad Leader Hao explained the precautions in the army to the two newcomers.

"Don't underestimate the kitchen team. Although we rarely go to the front line, the work we do is equally important.

People are iron rice and steel, and if they don't eat a meal, they will be very hungry.

If the soldiers don't fill their stomachs, they won't have the strength to fight.

What kind of food they can eat depends on us.”

Squad leader Hao was an experienced person and knew that some hot-blooded young people were only interested in going to the front line and were not interested in the work of the kitchen team, so he did some ideological work for the two new comrades in advance.

"The monitor is absolutely right!"

The two men who were busy eating nodded repeatedly.

Cheng Hao and He Yuzhu are passionate, but they are not fools who don't care about anything.

Neither of them had ever even touched a gun, and they felt most comfortable working in the kitchen.