Chapter 592: Army pot, that’s what it tastes like (Second update, please subscribe)
Sometimes, there are many things that are always unavoidable. There must be something you want to do your best to avoid, but what is destined to happen will definitely happen.
This does not even depend on human will. In fact, everything has been doomed since last year.
When the world trend inevitably slides in one direction, for many ordinary people, their every day is the same as before, without any difference. After all, for ordinary people, their lives are nothing more than repeating yesterday's most ordinary life day after day, that is, just going with the flow.
In the early morning, the morning sun rises, and Seoul is still as it was in the past - chaotic and dirty, with dust flying on the streets, accompanied by the cries of vendors, and newsboys walking through the streets, waving newspapers and shouting. As for the shoe-shining teenagers, they carried their boxes and ran to the busiest streets to grab the best seats.
If you ask these Koreans what is different between before and after independence, almost all of them will answer - they have become poorer.
This is something that many young people experience profoundly. Before Japan surrendered, they could still study in schools. But now that they are independent, many schools cannot continue because they cannot pay wages. I don’t know how many teenagers have dropped out of school because of this.
Because of this, there are many shoe-shine boys in school uniforms on the streets of Seoul.
Although it was early in the morning, Zheng Silu still took his younger brother Guilu to the Bank of Borneo. Unlike others who were waiting for customers to come to have their shoes shined, he ran straight into the dormitory to shine their shoes.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, Zheng Siru bowed quickly.
"Uncle Chen, good morning."
Unlike many people, Zheng Siru's Chinese accent has a Shandong accent, because their father is an overseas Chinese from Shandong Province. It is for this reason that he can enter This dormitory.
After all, they are all compatriots and will always take care of them. This also eliminates the need for them to stay on the streets like other teenagers, waiting for business to come to them.
“It’s Silu and Guilu who are here,”
As a bank chef, Chen Dali said with a smile as soon as he saw these two little fellows.
"There's no need to polish your shoes today. I'm just a cook. How can I wear leather shoes to work? I only wear them occasionally to support the scene. By the way, have you two eaten?"
"Eat?" It's over, Uncle Chen, if that's the case, let's ask other people."
"Don't worry, let Guilu shine their shoes, just those few pairs of shoes, he can do it alone. , these are yesterday’s leftovers, I’ve left them for you.”
“Thank you, Uncle Chen.”
“You’re welcome, we’re all from Shandong Province, and we should take care of each other. Yes, by the way, I told your father what I told you last time.”
Looking at the young man in front of him, Chen Dali said indifferently.
"You are still so young, so don't delay."
"Say, my dad said there is no such thing as such a good thing, you can study, and it also includes food and accommodation."< br>
“Your dad is confused. Even if you go to the embassy to go through the formalities, you can still embarrass him. If he doesn’t go through it, go get it yourself with your expat certificate. You need to study more while you are young. Don’t imitate Chen. Uncle, I will only be a cook my whole life."
Reminding the little fellow, Chen Dali had already helped him carry out the iron bucket full of leftovers, and he did not forget to give him a warning beforehand.
"Come later in the evening. The weather is starting to get hot now, so you don't have to worry about things."
"Well, thank you, Uncle Chen."
Hang the iron bucket full of oil and water on the old On the back seat of the bicycle, Zheng Silu pushed the bicycle out. Before going out, he said hello to his younger brother who was polishing shoes, and then rode the bicycle back home.
As soon as he got home, Zheng Silu shouted.
"Mom, I'm back, and Uncle Chen has packed another bucket of food."
As he spoke, he carried a big iron bucket into his restaurant. The woman who was cleaning up the small restaurant took a look and said quickly.
“Oh, I must thank you properly later, Uncle Chen, you know?”
“Yes, I know. I will bring some rice dumplings to Uncle Chen during the Dragon Boat Festival. Go over."
As soon as Zheng Silu finished speaking, Zheng Si, who was still drunk, said.
“In famine years, if the cook is starving to death, how can anyone give him rice dumplings? I’ll buy some other things then...”
As he spoke, Zheng Si walked over and looked at the iron bucket, and his eyes lit up.
“His grandma’s leftovers have so much meat. This Bank of Borneo is really a bank. In the past, when the Yankees didn’t retreat, they only had a few pieces of spam in their swill buckets. It’s good here, with lots of meat and vegetables, but it’s a pity that there are too few people. The swill in the Yankee camp used to be good, but it’s a pity. What a good place to go!”
A few years ago, Japan! Before the surrender, the Russians first occupied this place, and then the US military took over Seoul. For ordinary people, those were good days. There were swill dumped by the US military everywhere around the military camp, and Spam lunch meat was fished out. , enough for a big meal, and I don’t know how many restaurants have used it to start a "troop hot pot" business.
However, such good days did not last for a few years. In June last year, due to issues such as garrison funding and logistics, after some controversial discussions in Washington, the Russians withdrew their troops from the north and asked them to Withdrawal of troops from the south, so the Americans eventually withdrew all troops stationed on the peninsula, leaving only some military advisers.
For restaurant owners like Zheng Si, the most regrettable thing is that there are no more raw materials for the army pot. It is definitely a big loss for them.
Saying "It's a pity", Zheng Si picked up a piece of meat the size of a palm with chopsticks and said.
"Damn it, cut this meat into slices, then pick it, and use a knife to change the large pieces of meat. You can't waste it..." Zheng Si complained while picking the meat.
“These Nanyang people are really used to living a good life. How can they put so much oil in cooking? Damn it, if we add a few more kilograms of vegetables today, we can’t give all this oil and water. It’s a waste!”
In this way, the couple got busy, and even when their son said hello to leave, they just waved their hands.
"Really, what a disaster. Such a good thing is actually treated as swill..."
"Look what you said, if there was no bucket of swill, the stew in our restaurant would be so cheap!"
< br>The woman’s words made Zheng Si smile.
“Come on, that’s not because you Korean sticks are poor!”
“If you’re not poor, who’s looking for you if you’re not poor...”
"Hey, you just came to find me, otherwise, you would just smell the smell of the slop bucket."
"That's not true, you have that smell all over your body..."
Two mouthfuls Talking with a smile, he drank the food in the swill Pick out the meat, cut the big pieces with a knife, brush them together with the swill bucket, and throw them into the big pot. This pot of stew is a day's business, with oil and meat, plus spicy pepper sauce as a soup. At the end of the day, the taste is so satisfying.
But even such delicious food is out of reach for most Koreans.
At noon, when people passed by the restaurant there, smelling the aroma from the iron pot, they all drooled and took two deep breaths. For many ordinary people, they can It is very rare to smell this meaty aroma.
Although the smell of meat on the street was very fragrant, Jin Renmei, who was in a hurry, did not feel anything. She quickly arrived at the hospital with a lunch box in her arms. When she arrived in the room, she saw her mother sitting on the hospital bed. Even in the hospital, my mother still tied her long hair behind her head as before. Although her face was pale, she still looked very elegant. This was a habit that my mother had developed since she was a child. She came from a scholarly family and was well educated. .
As soon as the pale woman saw her daughter, she quickly put on the mask and said.
"Hitomi, didn't I tell you not to come over?"
"Mom, I happened to be passing by here and came to bring you some food,"
Meal It was just a little rice and some spicy cabbage, but even so, it was a very rare delicacy. Faced with such delicacy, the woman had no taste at all and just coughed a few more times.
Jin Renmei quickly stepped forward, patted her back and asked.
"Mom, would you like to drink some water."
"Hitomi, otherwise, let's go home. This disease cannot be cured..."
The mother's words made Jin Renmei speak quickly.
“It can be cured, it can be cured. I heard the doctor say that there is a special medicine that can cure this disease... I will ask the doctor later.”
It’s just that this medicine is too expensive!
The doctor's answer quickly plunged Jin Renmei into despair.
“There is this kind of medicine, streptomycin produced in Nanyang, but one injection costs 300 yuan, and it lasts for about 15 days, which is 4,500 yuan!”
4,500 yuan!
It’s not even possible to sell all the valuable things in the house! A few years ago, her family would still be able to afford it, but now there is nothing in her home, only an empty house. When the Russians came over a few years ago, they not only moved away all the equipment in the factory, He also killed his father who was guarding the factory in the factory, and all his belongings in the house were also robbed.
"And this is just the beginning. Judging from your mother's condition, she still needs follow-up treatment, which will cost about 10,000 yuan."
Oh my God!
Where can I find so much money?
Her family still has some deposits in the bank, but because they were deposited in the Bank of Japan, after Japan surrendered, the Bank of Japan also closed down.
Although the government is currently negotiating with Japan on deposit issues, it is still far away from the time when banks can reopen for withdrawals.
The banks are still closed now. If the family's savings cannot be withdrawn, how can they have money to treat the mother's illness? But if this continues, will the mother's body be able to survive?
Looking at the girl's desperate look, the doctor thought for a while and asked.
“But there is another way.”
“What way?”
Wanting to grab the last straw, Jin Renmei asked quickly.
"Does the doctor have any other ideas?"
The doctor said.
"Do you know any overseas Chinese?"
(End of this chapter)