Traveling through 1942 with space

Chapter 130 The Problem of Three Meals a Day

With the success of the first business order, it was as if the floodgates were opened. Passersby smelled the aroma of the braised pork and stopped to ask questions. The real customers were thus selected.

By eleven o'clock, half of the meat at the Hou family's stall had been sold. Seeing that there was not much meat left, Hou Xiaoge asked his cousin and uncle-in-law to buy some meat and then go back to wash it.

Most people these days eat two meals, the first meal is around ten to eleven o'clock, and the second meal is around four o'clock.

It was past eleven o'clock and the porters at the train station were so hungry that they started to go home and eat.

Thanks to the publicity from the villagers yesterday, many porters started coming to the stall to eat today.

"Brother Yangmin, I'm bringing people to eat. Heiwa, please give us more!" Another elder in the village, Yangtuan, came to the stall with a group of people and said loudly.

"Uncle Jiu, don't worry! We guarantee that the quantity will be sufficient." Since others are supporting the place, Hou Xiaoge's family naturally has to accept it.

"Haha! That's good. I knew you would come back." Yangtuan felt proud and laughed.

"Yangtuan, today is the first day of opening. All the people you brought are friends. Each of them will receive a bowl of braised pork and a cup of wine." Hou Yangmin looked at the thirty or forty people who came at once, and his eyes narrowed with a smile.

Hou Yangmin learned Hou Xiaoge’s sales promotion yesterday, and thought that since today was the first day of officially setting up the stall, he might as well do some promotion.

So when I bought meat this morning, I spent a dollar to buy a jar of ten-pound water-removing wine, and gave a cup to each person with the meal.

Sure enough, when Hou Yangmin said that wine would be given away with meals, the crowd queuing to buy meals immediately became excited.

For manual laborers, drinking a glass of wine while eating can really help relieve fatigue!

Normally a cup of wine costs at least two big coins, but today I got a cup of wine for free with the meal, which is a real bargain.

When collecting the money, Hou Xiaoge saw that most of the customers were holding cakes or steamed bread brought from home, and he understood what he meant.

"My dear uncles, we are all from the same hometown. I see you all have cakes. After you finish eating, you can come over with your bowls for more." Hou Xiaoge filled a bowl and said to the man in front of him.

"Hey! Young boss is so kind." The men smiled happily and asked for an extra serving of broth.

There were only three tables, which could seat at most ten people. Many people didn't say anything after scooping up their rice, but just squatted on the ground and ate with their bowls in hand.

If this happened in later times, the customers would definitely make a scene, but people of this era are used to it. They are just eating at roadside stalls, so what's the big deal?

Therefore, Hou Xiaoge couldn't help but admire the simplicity and casualness of the people of this generation.

By twelve o'clock, the big pot of braised meat had been sold out, and only less than two pounds of braised meat was left.

Hou Xiaoge did not keep the remaining braised soup, but gave it all to the refugee children who were waiting anxiously on the roadside.

Don't underestimate this little broth, it is much more nutritious than a cornmeal steamed bun. Take it home and add some water, even if you cook it with wild grass, it will taste like hotpot.

After finishing the work, Hou Xiaoge handed the stall to his uncle and cousin Erhuan, and he went home with his aunt.

When I got home, my uncle-in-law and eldest cousin were cleaning pig offal with a group of little kids.

"Cuiping, Heiwa, why are you back? Did something happen?" Seeing the two of them coming back, the uncle-in-law Zhou Xinmin stood up suddenly.

"Hey! The black dogs that manage the market are eating for free at our stalls, what can we do about it?

All the braised meat is sold out, so Heiwa comes back to make soup and braise the meat. I come back to see if the white flour is ready.

Bring back the money box by the way, it's not safe to keep so much money outside." The little girl's face was full of joy, and she took out a palm-sized money box from her cloth bag and whispered.

At this time, Wang Maimiao and others who came out from the kitchen heard that the braised meat they had made in the morning was sold out, and they all showed happy smiles on their faces.

"Mom, have you eaten yet?" Hou Xiaoge asked in confusion when he saw the two children lying outside the kitchen and peeking at the baked pancakes.

"We each ate two pancakes this morning. It's still early! Let's eat after the sun sets." Wang Maimiao shook his head.

"Mom, this won't work. We get up at five or six in the morning and don't finish until dark. This is more tiring than farming. If we keep working like this, we won't be able to eat two meals a day.

We were so hungry after setting up the stall outside today that there was only some braised soup left, so my aunt, uncle and I quickly ate it.

The broth that was cooked in the pot this morning should be almost done, but the bones have been boiled twice, so they will have no taste if they are boiled again.

I'll take it out later and cut it into pieces for everyone, and then make some soup to soak the steamed buns in.

We will definitely have to eat when we set up stalls outside, so you can scoop out some broth to soak the steamed buns while you work at home." Hou Xiaoge walked into the kitchen, looked at the milky white broth, and said to Wang Maimiao outside.

"Heiwa, in the past, the landlords in this town only had two meals a day.

We have three meals a day, and we have steamed buns soaked in meat soup every day, which is more luxurious than the landlords'. "After hearing this, Wang Maimiao's eyes widened.

"What's so extravagant about this? The landlords only have two meals a day, but they don't work! Besides, my stomach is full of fat and I'm not hungry. Eating too much will cause indigestion.

We have to work so hard. We get up at dawn and work without stopping. Ask your aunt and uncle if they are hungry.

Ask the younger brothers, they got up this morning to help wash the pigs, and then they had to dig the soil. Ask them if they are hungry." Hou Xiaoge asked the others in the yard, pursing his lips.

As for why Hou Xiaoge did not ask the people who made the cakes, people in later generations all know that cooks have small appetites. As for why, they would feel full after tasting the food while cooking.

When the pancake is just out of the pan, it is crispy and there will inevitably be some crumbs on the surface. However, people in this era are frugal and they just pick up the crumbs and throw them into their mouths to eat.

Xiaoge discovered it when she was making pancakes yesterday, but she didn’t say much.

But think about it carefully, if you use more than 100 kilograms of flour to make pancakes at home every day, how much pancake crumbs will be left? At least half a kilogram!

So the people who were making pancakes didn’t say they were full, but they were definitely not very hungry. They just took some crumbs as they thought they were too little and couldn’t feel it.

"Sister-in-law, Heiwa is right. I really can't bear to eat two meals a day. I had two cakes and a bowl of porridge at home in the morning. I was hungry as soon as I arrived at the train station.

When I was selling rice, I smelled the delicious food and became even hungrier. My mouth was watering. After selling two pots of stewed food, my hands were exhausted. ”Hou Cuiping also said with a wry smile.

"That's right! I've been in the water for more than two hours. I'm hungry and feeling dizzy now. I can hardly stand up." Several other little kids also spoke up.

Outnumbered, Wang Maimiao, who insisted on eating two meals, gave in. Besides, she was not the head of the family now.

"Mom, don't worry. Our family is making enough money to provide not only three meals but even five meals.

Besides, what is the purpose of making money? Isn't it to live a good life?

We kids are growing up, we eat three meals a day, we grow tall, we are in good health and we don’t get sick easily.

Just think about it, in July, Shuanniu became sick from hunger, and spent all the family money. How much food would we have to buy with those seven or eight dollars?" Seeing how stingy her stepmother was, Hou Xiaoge smiled and calculated the financial accounts.

"You little brat, you want five meals a day? Even the emperor's family doesn't dare to eat like this. I'm just afraid of starving and want to save more." Wang Maimiao snorted coldly and sat down to make his own pancakes.

Looking at his adoptive mother, Hou Xiaoge felt a surge of emotion in his heart. When people are too poor, they even have to fill their stomachs, and having three meals a day is a luxury.