I am a Big Villain

181. Career of a miser

The process of children's growth is not necessarily smooth sailing, such as the current problems of the second daughter Yan Zhen.

Yan Chu did not define the child as a bad child because she cheated him out of money on the pretext of book fees. In fact, many children lied to their parents more or less when they were growing up. The only difference was the severity of the circumstances.

Yan Chu feels that this is a life experience for many children. This kind of change is a test for the children, as well as for the parents.

Although he wanted to train his two children, but considering that the fastest train from the provincial capital to Shenzhen City also takes six days, and the two children, one is thirteen and one is eleven, are both growing, Yan Chu decided to I bought a ticket for a hard sleeper. The two children are not very small, so they also need to buy an adult ticket.

In this way, three train tickets cost a total of sixty-five yuan and ten cents. Now the per capita salary of workers is around RMB 10, so this ticket price is not cheap.

"Dad used to go to Shenzhen to buy standing tickets, and he even took advantage of you two to try what it's like to sleep in a hard sleeper on a train."

Yan Chu was carrying the luggage of the three of them, and the two girls were also carrying backpacks, which contained winter vacation homework and the books they were going to read on the train.

In other aspects, Yan Chu's economic control was relatively strong, but in terms of study, he did not save money at all.

These eras look similar, but there are still slight differences in historical evolution and some cultural works. Therefore, Yan Chu developed the habit of learning the current world culture every time he visited a new world.

Now there is a very spacious study room in the Yan family's house. An entire wall is covered with bookshelves, which are full of books.

Some of them were bought from bookstores, and some were found from second-hand bookstalls. Among them were several ancient books that Yan Chu recovered from the recycling bin. These books can be read at any time by family members who want to read them.

At present, it seems that the learning atmosphere at home is still very good. The younger children selectively read comic books with many pictures, and the older children read story collections or some classics. They may not necessarily understand everything, but they just rely on books subconsciously. Power changes them.

If she hadn't noticed her father's generosity in books, Yan Zhen wouldn't have thought of a way to cheat money by relying on this lie.

"How much does a standing ticket cost?"

Yan Zhen couldn't help but ask.

"It's cheaper than a hard sleeper. A standing ticket only costs 13.8 yuan, and you save 15.8 cents on a round trip. It's enough to cover the family's expenses for half a month." Yan Chu led the two girls to the ticket gate and said to him She replied.

"Would it be uncomfortable if you had a standing ticket?"

Yan Zhen thought, this trip lasted seven days. Even if the place was spacious enough to sit directly on the ground, it would be uncomfortable to curl up for such a long time without being able to stretch out the legs and feet.

She thought about how she had made excuses to ask her father for six dollars this semester, which was what her father had saved.

"It only takes seven days, and the discomfort will pass if you endure it. So Dajin Erzhen, you must study hard, not for your father and grandma, but for yourself. Only by studying well and finding a good job can you travel far away in the future." Qualified for a hard sleeper, or even better, a soft sleeper.”

While talking, the father and daughter also checked their tickets and walked towards the platform through the ticket gate.

Yan Chu had ridden countless trains and was familiar with both the exterior and interior of the train, but the two sisters were not. Everything they saw was novel and rare, and they wished they could just get on the green-skinned train and touch it.

The outside of the train is majestic, but the inside is a bit cramped. The two sisters' joy eased slightly after entering the train. For no reason, it was too crowded.

This station in the provincial capital is not the first station of the train. Some people on the train have been living in the train for two or three days now. The weather is cold and there is no window for ventilation. Almost as soon as they entered the train, the sisters were The smell of feet mixed with human smell made me retching and made me want to turn around and run out.

This time happens to be when people working outside the home go home to visit relatives, and anyone who can find connections to buy tickets comes. Usually, trains during this time period are overrun.

The train that originally carried 100 people actually carried 120 people due to various reasons. The extra 20 people were either squeezed into the station ticket car or slept on the aisle seats on one side of the ticket car, plus large bags. The small bag of luggage really proves what it means to be struggling.

This scene was different from what the sisters had imagined. They were used to the unpleasant smell and looked forward to the deep city. They put on smiles again and followed their father to their beds.

It seemed that three people got off the train just in front of them. The beds were all messy and the conductor probably didn't have time to tidy them up. When the father and daughter found their seats, their beds were already occupied, so it was better to wait and see them take them out. Those few people were embarrassed to get out of the way.

Looking at the quilt that countless people had slept on, Yan Jin and Yan Zhen didn't know whether to lie down on it. There were still seven days left.

Come on, don't worry about being pretentious, shake the quilt and sheets, close your eyes and sit up.

At this time, the two sisters already had some premonitions of the hardships of the journey, but the premonition was not deep enough. When the train started to whistle, the scenery receding by the window captured all their attention.

"Give way, give way."

The train was full of noises and laughter, and the buzzing in my ears kept ringing. Louder than these laughters were the shouts of the dining car attendants, which were full of energy and high-pitched.

"Comrade, what are the dishes in today's lunch box?"

"Assorted fried rice costs 35 cents a portion, roasted eggplant with minced meat costs 35 cents, and fish slices cooked in vinegar cost 50 cents."

All the rice bowls sold on the bus are much more expensive than eating out or cooking them at home.

Therefore, many people asked, but not many bought.

The pretty female conductor shouted "Give way" all the way, paused several times, and disappeared into the carriage.

It had been a long time since they had been on the train, and the two sisters were tired of seeing the scenery on both sides of the train. They looked at their father without saying a word, holding their stomachs and not asking any questions.

The two sisters remembered that they brought a lot of sesame seed cakes and steamed buns with them on this trip. In the past, when their father traveled far away, he also brought dry food. Because the food on the train was expensive, it was more cost-effective to eat the dry food brought at home.

The 1980s was considered the golden age of train meals. At this time, train meals had not yet been outsourced. Regardless of the efficiency, the harvest was guaranteed due to droughts and floods. Therefore, the master chefs did not skimp on the ingredients and seasonings. They added plenty of oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, as well as the slices of meat. A real piece of meat, it definitely tastes the same.

In the 1990s, train meals began to be contracted. In order to make enough profits, the quality of the ingredients became worse and worse, and the level of the chefs began to vary. Only then did more and more people complain that the dining cars were unpalatable.

Nowadays, the cooks on the train are still iron rice bowls, so many of the cooks on the dining car are the chefs of the big restaurants in the past. Their skills are absolutely incredible. Although the box lunches are expensive, they are still worth every penny.

Of course, the best thing is to go to the restaurant on the train, where you can order whatever you want, as long as there are ingredients, as long as the master chef who is there that day can cook it, and as long as you have enough money.

Just when Yan Jin and Yan Zhen thought that dinner would be steamed buns and sesame cakes with boiling water, they were led by Yan Chu to the restaurant car.

Usually the people who come to the train restaurant to eat are either rich or expensive, so the decoration of the restaurant is also very bourgeois. Each table is covered with a small floral tablecloth, and there is a vase by the window with a flower in it. Tenderly blooming flowers.

There was a menu at each location. Yan Chu opened the menu and asked the two children to order by themselves.

"Today is your sisters' first time taking a train, and it's also your first meal on the train. Let's eat something good. Dad borrowed your sisters' favor again. This restaurant is also my first time back."

Yan Chu crossed his fingers, put his elbows on the table in front of his chest, and handed over the task of ordering to his two girls.

"Dad, the things here are too expensive."

Yan Jin is also a little girl who cares about face. She didn't dare to speak too loudly, but just whispered in Yan Chu's ear to remind him.

She thought the price of the box lunch at the dining car was high enough, but when she came to the restaurant, she realized that the mountains are even higher.

Stewed venison, stewed turtle, and white fungus bird's nest were items that the sisters had never seen before, let alone the prices that would blind one's eyes at a later glance.

The slightly more affordable braised prawns in oil, fried shredded chicken in soy sauce, and sliced ​​bacon with winter bamboo shoots all cost a huge sum of three or four yuan.

The two sisters were a bit stunned. How could a dish that costs less than one yuan when they make it at home be sold at such a high price here?

"Eat, let's just have one meal today, and then we can only eat the steamed buns and biscuits brought from home."

Yan Chu pushed the menu forward, and the two girls discussed with each other for a few words, and then ordered the cheapest item on the menu, a piece of leek and eggs for three portions, and three bowls of rice.

"Another braised prawns and a bowl of shrimp and winter melon soup."

Yan Chu added two more dishes. Yan Jin and Yan Zhen felt that their father might have encountered something dirty today, otherwise such a generous attitude towards spending money would never appear in their father.

This meal cost a full twelve yuan, because in the end Yan Chu asked for a canned yellow peach as dessert for the three of them.

After the meal, the two children were both satisfied and heartbroken.

I was satisfied with the taste of these dishes, especially the braised prawns. Each prawn was half a palm in size. The prawn meat was firm and elastic, and when dipped in the sauce, it was extremely fresh. The fragrance is extremely fragrant.

The two sisters even chewed the shrimp shells, and when they smoked the shrimp brains, little stars appeared in their eyes with joy.

Not a single bit of the three dishes was left, and all the soup was added to the rice.

Yan Jin and Yan Zhen thought about how happy their lives would be if they could eat meals like this every day.

It's a pity that it's too expensive. The money spent on this meal alone is enough to make them feel distressed for a long time.

Maybe it was because the first meal was too good. After chewing dry steamed buns and sesame cakes for the next six and a half days, the two sisters understood what it means to move from extravagance to frugality and how easy it is to move from frugality to extravagance.

The days on the train finally became difficult.