The price of noodles was fifteen cents a bowl and 150-grams food coupons, the stewed vermicelli with cabbage and fried shredded potatoes were both eight cents a bowl and 100-grams food coupons, the cabbage and egg drop soup was a little more expensive because it had eggs in it which was fifty cents a bowl and 500-grams food coupons.
Cheng was afraid that he would not have enough to eat, so he asked the waiter to add four more steamed buns, two for him and two for Qingguo.
The steamed buns in the restaurant were very big and the price was eight cents each plus fifty-grams food tickets.
The total price was one yuan and twenty-eight cents, plus one-kilogram and 450-grams food coupons.
After calculating the price, Cheng took out the money and food coupons from his pocket, then gave them to the waiter.
Seeing the food coupons he handed over, the waiter’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Because he did not just pay using regional food coupons, which they usually used, but rather special food coupons.
These days, special food coupons were rare, unlike the ones they use locally, which are all regional food coupons.
Special food coupons were not the same as regional food coupons. The so-called special food coupons could be exchanged for food at any place in the country with priority.
In some areas, where foodstuff production was not high, even if they had regional food coupons, they could not buy any foodstuff at all.
If you had special food coupons, no matter where you were, you would be given priority and you didn’t need to worry about not being able to buy any foodstuff.
Therefore, special food coupons were more circulated than regional food coupons, and they were also much more precious in value.
However, this kind of food coupons were too precious and they were generally only available to people with special status.
The waiter glanced at Cheng, thinking that this man sitting in front of him was probably not an ordinary person. So, his attitude immediately improved a lot.
After getting the special food coupons, the waiter immediately ran to the back kitchen and told the chef what dishes he needed to cook.
After a while, the waiter ran out again, went to Cheng, and asked, “Comrade, do you have special meat coupons?”
Cheng nodded. “Yes! I have some here!”
There was a smile on the waiter’s face and said, “The thing is—Comrade, we still have a pair of pig trotters here. If you want them, just pay 500-grams special meat coupons and two yuan.”
As soon as Cheng heard that there was another pair of pig trotters, he immediately responded, “I want them! I definitely want them!”
He was worried about not having any meat dishes to eat, so he came over and invited Qingguo to have a meal, but it was not good to eat something that was too shabby. There was not even a piece of meat, which was a bit unreasonable.
But now, there was a pair of pig trotters. Although it was not pork belly or fatty meat, and was not as good as lean meat, it was still a meat dish with grease.
He hurriedly took out 500-grams special meat coupons and two yuan from his pocket, and handed them to the waiter.
On the other table, Xiulan saw everything in her eyes and was a little dumbfounded.
Didn’t he say that there is no meat? Why is there meat now?
She also wanted to eat meat, so she complained to the waiter, “Waiter, didn’t you say that there is no meat anymore? Why do you have meat now and sell it to others?”
The waiter’s attitude towards her was much colder. “Comrade, try to look at what kind of meat coupons you have and what kind of meat coupons they have!”
“No matter what kind of meat coupons I have, they are also meat coupons. Since you have meat here, why didn’t you sell it to me, but sell it to them instead? I’m still the one who comes first, so there has to be a first-come, first-served order, right?”
The waiter didn’t bother to take on her attitude. “That’s different. If we sell it to you, it may not be easy for us to buy meat using your meat coupons, but we will definitely be able to get meat after using the special meat coupons.
“There is really no meat in the restaurant. The chef of our restaurant kept that pig trotters for himself to take it back home. Only because that comrade had special meat coupons, so he just let it go!”
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