Chapter 120: Goodwill
Compared to Zhao Minglei, who was dressed neatly and cleanly, this male classmate looked much shabby. His clothes were so washed that they were almost white and had many patches on them.
I saw this student bending down and scooping a big bowl of soup, which was filled with seaweed and egg drops. Looking at the bowl of soup in his hand, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. He carefully took the bowl and walked to an empty table in the corner and sat down.
This classmate didn't order any food, but only bought three steamed buns, and sat down to eat with the bowl of soup. He ate a mouthful of steamed bun and a sip of soup, and he looked particularly delicious. Even Zhao Minglei didn't realize that he was sitting opposite him.
"Classmate Cheng, what a coincidence." Zhao Minglei put down his bowl, sat down and greeted Cheng Mengshan who was eating with a smile.
"Senior Zhao, why are you coming to the cafeteria to eat today, Sunday?" Cheng Mengshan looked up and said with a smile.
"Yes, I just came back from home because of something at school, so I just had a meal in the cafeteria." Zhao Minglei broke the steamed bun in his hand and slowly put it into his mouth. At the same time, he glanced at Cheng Mengshan's meal and said, "Student Cheng, is this all you want to eat?"
"Yes." Cheng Mengshan was not as polite as Zhao Minglei when eating. He just took the steamed bread and started to eat it. He took a bite and drank a sip of soup, making a slurping sound in his mouth.
"Why don't you order some food? Doesn't the school have food coupons?" Zhao Minglei asked curiously.
"Haha, save it for later use. This is enough. These steamed buns are made of pure grains and are very delicious. Where can I find such good steamed buns in my hometown? And this soup. These are already very good." Cheng Mengshan smiled naively but didn't say much.
As a student union cadre, Zhao Minglei is not indifferent to worldly matters. Moreover, their generation has more or less experienced difficult times. Although Cheng Mengshan did not say it explicitly, Zhao Minglei could guess a little.
In fact, there are many students like Cheng Mengshan who come from poor families in the school. Zhao Minglei actually understands Cheng Mengshan's intention of doing this.
Although meals were free in school and food was rationed, Cheng Mengshan, who was used to being poor, was reluctant to eat as much as he could.
For example, there was a reason why he bought three steamed buns instead of white flour steamed buns. You know, the meal ticket required for steamed buns is only half of that for white flour steamed buns. For Cheng Mengshan, the key is to be able to eat more with the same meal ticket. As for white flour steamed buns, it is enough to buy one every month to satisfy his craving. The steamed buns in the canteen are made of solid ingredients, all corn flour without any other grains. In his opinion, they are much better than when he was at home.
As for food, especially meat, it was a luxury for Cheng Mengshan. He would avoid eating it if possible, and the extra food coupons he saved could be privately transferred to students in need, which was an income for him.
Steamed bread with vegetable soup, and the soup also has egg and oil drops, which is already a great thing in Cheng Mengshan's eyes. Zhao Minglei has seen many students like him. Most of these students come from poor families and can use the money they save to buy books or send it back home to supplement their family expenses. They also have a common nickname, which is "Commander Soup".
Zhao Minglei smiled and did not pursue the issue. He ate a few bites of steamed buns and then a mouthful of braised pork. After a while , Zhao Minglei suddenly groaned softly. Cheng Mengshan, who was drinking soup, looked up when he heard the sound, and saw Zhao Minglei frowning slightly, so he hurriedly asked him what was wrong.
"I had a stomach upset yesterday, and I thought I was better today, but after eating this meat, I felt uncomfortable again." Zhao Minglei said with a frown, then looked at Cheng Mengshan's bowl, picked up his bowl of braised pork, and used chopsticks to transfer the meat to him.
"I can't eat this meat today, otherwise have to go through another night of trouble. Classmate Cheng, please do me a favor and eat it for me." Without waiting for Cheng Mengshan to react, Zhao Minglei gave all the braised pork in the bowl to Cheng Mengshan, leaving only the cabbage bottom.
"This... this is not good..." Looking at the fragrant braised pork in the bowl, Cheng Mengshan swallowed subconsciously. He had seen the braised pork in the school cafeteria countless times during his reporting days, but he had never eaten it once.
Of course, it’s not that Cheng Mengshan doesn’t like to eat meat. Who doesn’t like to eat meat in this era? Who doesn’t like braised pork with oil in the mouth? Cheng Mengshan is not stupid.
"What's wrong with that? You're helping me, and I have to thank you. Otherwise, I can't finish it, so it's all wasted, right? Classmate Cheng, wasting food is shameful. You can't just watch me do such a shameful thing, can you?"
Zhao Minglei said this sternly, as if Cheng Mengshan's refusal to eat would be equivalent to pushing him into the fire. Cheng Mengshan hesitated, looked down at the braised pork in the bowl, and finally nodded after some hesitation.
Picking up a piece of braised pork with chopsticks, Cheng Mengshan took a careful bite. The aroma of meat and oil filled his mouth, making him feel like it was the most beautiful thing in the world.
If Zhao Minglei hadn't been there, Cheng Mengshan might have smacked his lips in comfort. But now, he pretended to be nonchalant on the surface, but the constant chewing and swallowing of his mouth betrayed his true thoughts at the moment.
Seeing Cheng Mengshan almost wolfing down the food, Zhao Minglei laughed secretly in his heart, but at the same time he also felt deep contempt.
"What a country bumpkin! He can eat meat like this..."
Although he thought so in his mind, Zhao Minglei certainly would not say so out loud. On the contrary, he pretended not to see it and continued to slowly tear the steamed bun in his hand into pieces.
After Cheng Mengshan ate for a while and his movements gradually slowed down, Zhao Minglei seemed to remember something and said to Cheng Mengshan, "By the way, Cheng, have you registered for the subsidy list for your class? Why didn't I see you guys report it?"
Because he ate too quickly, Cheng Mengshan burped just as he was about to speak. His dark face turned slightly red and he quickly drank a mouthful of soup before burping.
"It's done, it's right here with me. I was planning to hand it in to the Student Union tomorrow at noon." Cheng Mengshan said quickly, pulling out a folded paper from his pocket and handing it over: "This is the list. I'm giving it to you today."
"Oh, let me take a look first..." Zhao Minglei took the list and looked at it carefully. The content of the list was very simple. It was nothing more than a formal subsidy application. According to the proportion of the number of students in a class, there were a total of five places for subsidies. Although the subsidy was not much, only five yuan per month, it was not a small amount for students from poor families.
After taking a look, Zhao Minglei frowned and looked at Cheng Mengshan who was sitting opposite him: "Student Cheng, why is your name not on this list?"
"Haha, I'm the class monitor, so of course I have to consider the class as a whole. Besides, the students on the list all come from families in financial difficulties. Compared to me, I think they need more help."
"Student Cheng... No! Mengshan, is it okay for me to call you that?"
Seeing Cheng Mengshan smiling and saying it was okay, Zhao Minglei showed an admiring expression and said, "Mengshan, your awareness is really admirable. Having a class monitor and classmate like you is the pride of our school and the pride of our students. Class leaders like you are good cadres who really do practical things and consider their classmates. I sincerely thank you on behalf of these classmates!"
"No, no, this is what I should do, what I should do... " Cheng Mengshan waved his hands embarrassedly, but at the same time smiled proudly.
"I personally have no problem with this list. Besides, it was you who drafted it, Mengshan. I will hand it in tomorrow morning and urge the Student Union and the Academic Affairs Office to deal with it as soon as possible."
"Thank you so much, Senior Zhao."
"You're welcome. This is what I should do." Zhao Minglei waved his hand generously. After thinking for a moment, he said earnestly, "But there's something I don't know if I should say."
"Senior Zhao, please tell me what you want to say."
"Okay!" Zhao Minglei nodded and said, "In my opinion, compared with students from poor families, there seem to be fewer places, not to mention others, such as you, Mengshan. Of course, you have carried forward your style and let such an opportunity pass to others, which is worthy of encouragement, but then again, we cannot ignore the actual situation. Let a good cadre and good student like you suffer in vain, right?"
"How about this? As a student union cadre, I still have some autonomy. I'll take the initiative to apply for you as well. When I apply tomorrow, I'll ask the school leaders to give you an extra spot. What do you think?"
Cheng Mengshan was stunned when he heard this. There was actually such an operation? Could it be that Zhao Minglei was just trying to make fun of him? But seeing Zhao Minglei's serious look, it didn't seem like that. Then he thought that if he could really apply for one more quota and get the subsidy, then it would indeed be a good thing.
Five yuan, this is not a small amount. Cheng Mengshan was the commander of the soup almost every day. He didn't even want to eat meat for so many days. Isn't it to save money for his wife and children at home? If he had this five yuan, Cheng Mengshan would have a lot more money on hand. Not only could he send more money home, but he would also have money to buy the books he had always liked but couldn't bear to buy.
"Senior Zhao, this... this is inappropriate, right? It won't violate the rules?" Although he was tempted, Cheng Mengshan still had concerns. He was worried that doing so would cause trouble. After all, he was the class monitor, and it would not be good for him if he abused his power for personal gain.
"How can that be said? The rules are fixed, but people are alive. Besides, I was the one who applied for the increase in the number of places, and it has nothing to do with you." Zhao Minglei replied with a laugh. Seeing that Cheng Mengshan was still a little hesitant, he simply stood up and patted Cheng Mengshan on the shoulder: "Okay, it's settled. Don't tell anyone else for now. After all, we don't know what the result of the application will be. I'll let you know when the result comes out. Oh, my stomach is really not feeling well. It seems that I really can't eat meat these days. I'm leaving first, Mengshan."
As he spoke, Zhao Minglei hurriedly left the cafeteria with the steamed buns and bowls and chopsticks that he had not finished eating. Only after Zhao Minglei left did Cheng Mengshan come to his senses.
Looking at the two pieces of braised pork left in the bowl, and thinking about what Zhao Minglei had just said, he smiled thoughtfully and shook his head, then picked up the chopsticks and put the braised pork into his mouth, and began to eat it in big mouthfuls.
