Chapter 5: Pride Is No Substitute for Substance

Tong Lianzhong’s words made Chu An look up and chuckle softly. But soon after, Chu An lowered his head and scooped up another spoonful. Although this scoop contained quite a bit, he felt as if he could eat an entire ox, so he was not satisfied with just one spoonful.

Seeing Chu An’s actions, Tong Lianzhong said nothing. Nowadays, most people had hearty appetites; even if the enamel bowl was filled to the brim, he believed Chu An could finish it all.

Before long, Chu An scooped up another spoonful. After that, he stopped taking noodles and instead ladled some of the broth with minced meat and vegetables from the surface into his bowl.

It must be said that although he wasn’t the first to scoop, the four people ahead of him were too straightforward. When scooping the broth, they hadn’t carefully scraped the surface to get all the minced meat. They simply dipped their spoons in and took whatever came up.

Naturally, Chu An didn’t do the same. It’s better to be honest in life. Although it might seem clever to take advantage in the moment, in the eyes of Tong Lianzhong and others nearby, it would leave a poor impression.

Though Chu An had just been reborn, he knew how to conduct himself.

“Quite the skill!” Tong Lianzhong chuckled and praised him again. Then he looked at the soldiers still lined up and said, “Look at Chu An—an intellectual is an intellectual, clever and quick-witted. You all should take a good look and learn!”

After speaking, he personally took two cornbread buns from the aluminum basin on the table and handed them to Chu An.

Chu An hurriedly accepted them and moved to the side. Although Tong Lianzhong was praising him, Chu An’s stomach was growling; he had no interest in standing there showing off. Besides, he had only scooped some noodles—there was nothing worthy of boasting about. Filling his stomach was the priority.

...

“Chu An, you’re amazing!”

With cornbread in his left hand and the enamel bowl in his right, Chu An had not yet sat down in the dining area when one of the soldiers who had finished first gave him a thumbs-up.

“Heh, it’s actually quite simple!” Chu An replied as he sat down, biting into a cornbread bun first.

It wasn’t tasty. Upon the first bite, Chu An couldn’t help but frown slightly.

In the future world, he had eaten cornbread before, even in some restaurants where it was carefully made—soft, fragrant with grain aroma and a hint of sweetness.

But this grayish, whole-grain cornbread was dense and tough. As soon as it entered his mouth, there was hardly any grain fragrance, and sweetness was out of the question.

The texture was worlds apart from what he was used to in restaurants back home.

“Hey, buddy, is there a trick to scooping noodles? Teach us!” One soldier sitting nearby leaned over and asked quietly.

Chu An hurriedly chewed and swallowed the cornbread in his mouth, looking at the curious young men around him.

He glanced sideways at Tong Lianzhong, who wasn’t paying attention to them, then whispered, “It’s actually very simple. Once the noodles are cooked soft, they become slippery. When scooping, you have to be slow, but the key is to stir the noodles together first. Then, when lifting the spoon, quickly twirl it twice so the noodles wrap around the spoon, making it easier to scoop them up!”

“Sounds easy!”

“I’ll try it next time!”

“No wonder you’re an intellectual. By the way, have you eaten noodles before?”

“You haven’t?” Chu An asked instinctively.

“Where would I eat them? I’m not from the city. We rural folks grew up eating rice and sweet potatoes. I’ve had instant noodles twice, but those were soaked beforehand and easy to pick up!”

At that moment, a pale, fair-skinned soldier sitting across said, “I’ve actually eaten noodles, but…” He trailed off, knowing that although he had eaten noodles, at home they were simply served on the table, ready to eat.

Though children in the future were pampered and spoiled due to better living conditions, in truth, every era had its coddled children, especially boys in towns during this time.

The group chatted quietly, but after explaining how to scoop noodles, Chu An continued eating without pause—one bite of noodles, one bite of cornbread, then some soup.

In just two or three minutes, Chu An finished a full bowl of noodles and two dense cornbread buns.

He instinctively looked toward the still-queued line behind him.

He wasn’t full yet.

Though the bowl of noodles and the two dense cornbread buns had relieved his hunger, he still felt far from satiated.

At the very least, he could easily eat another bowl of noodles.

But there were clearly over ten soldiers still waiting in line.

However, upon looking, Chu An noticed the soldiers behind had gotten smarter.

Those scooping noodles now imitated his earlier technique—slowly dipping the spoon, then twirling it when lifting.

But it was obvious their movements were clumsy; they didn’t twirl fast enough, and when lifting the spoon, they fumbled hurriedly trying to catch the noodles in their bowls.

In one case, noodles landed in the bowl but hung on the edge and slipped off, falling back into the basin.

That soldier tried to rescue the noodles with his spoon, but it was futile.

“Ten seconds left!” Tong Lianzhong called out.

He said this each time someone scooped noodles, meaning that if a soldier failed to get noodles before time ran out, they should just ladle soup instead.

...

Having finished eating and after watching two more soldiers, Chu An thought for a moment, then took his bowl and went back to the end of the queue.

Appearance was no match for a full stomach.

It was already dinner time, and at the current speed of the cramped train car, it was uncertain whether they would reach their destination before nightfall tomorrow.

In other words, they would definitely be on the road tonight, and there likely wouldn’t be another meal.

So it was imperative to eat enough now.

Besides, when Chu An had helped Tong Lianzhong negotiate the meals earlier, they heard from the supply depot that the basin of cornbread they and another soldier had brought contained eighty pieces.

With that quantity, even if each soldier including the reception officers got two, there would still be leftovers.

With some nerve, Chu An could line up again and at worst get another cornbread, maybe even scoop some more noodles...

Clearly, Chu An’s actions didn’t go unnoticed.

The soldiers still eating looked surprised, and those in line watched him as well.

But no one said a word.

They were all strangers still. Though they might become comrades later, for now, they had only spent one day together on the train.

Still, while the soldiers said nothing, Platoon Sergeant Ma, who was standing to the side maintaining order, noticed and approached.

“What’s the matter? Chu An, not full yet?” Sergeant Ma smiled slightly.

Chu An sheepishly nodded. “Sergeant, may I line up again?”

Sergeant Ma looked at Tong Lianzhong at the front. Just then, another soldier finished scooping noodles.

Tong Lianzhong glanced over, then at the others, and loudly declared, “If you’re not full, you can queue a second time. We can’t waste food—this bucket of noodles and basin of cornbread must be finished. But for the second queue, you must finish your own first, and it’s first-come, first-served!”

With his words, the soldiers who had been leisurely sitting and preparing to show off their refined manners suddenly became anxious.

They no longer cared about appearing genteel; they hurriedly ate their cornbread and noodles and drank their soup faster.

People’s appetites nowadays were no joke.

Moreover, for many rural recruits, the supply depot’s meals were a definite improvement.

Especially the noodles—many still had only a bowl of broth with a few noodles.

In such a situation, two cornbread buns were clearly insufficient.

Besides, Chu An had just taught them how to scoop noodles properly—this was their chance to practice!

In just a moment, more soldiers joined the line behind Chu An.

...