Siheyuan: I am a trader in both worlds!

Chapter 407 Why is it Old Lu again?
"What? The guard battalion matter is settled? And the personnel have been gradually selected? This is wonderful!"

At 10 a.m., upon learning that the matter of the guard battalion had finally been settled, Ximen Lang was so excited that he stood up from the dining table.

Overwhelmed with excitement, and disregarding the occasion, Ximen Lang went straight to asking the question he cared about most.

"What about the personnel? Are they all from the battlefield?"

Seeing that Ximen Lang had really lost his mind, he actually started talking about whether all the candidates were combat heroes who had retired from the battlefield right in front of Xia Yiyi.

Although Ximen Lang's little secret is no longer a secret.

Whether it's the world of Beijing led by Bai Ling or the later world led by Xia Yiyi, they all know it inside and out.

In some details, he even knew more about things than Simon Lang himself.

But haven't you always wanted to keep this secret from being revealed?

And now they're talking about this in front of Xia Yiyi?
What's wrong with you?

She genuinely felt that Ximen Lang had some issues, and she was even more afraid that once things were made public, she and Xia Yiyi might not coordinate well enough, allowing Ximen Lang to notice something amiss, which could lead to serious consequences and make everyone miserable.

Before Ximen Lang could finish speaking, Bai Ling interrupted him, much to Xia Yiyi's dismay.

"Didn't we already agree on the candidates? Don't worry, you might not trust my judgment, but can you not trust Lao Luo's? I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

After he finished speaking, he saw that Ximen Lang still felt that he hadn't explained things clearly enough, and that he was even eager to get to the bottom of things and learn more from him. He hadn't even realized that something was wrong.

Before Ximen Lang could ask the question, Bai Ling quickly changed the subject.

The conversation then turned to the table full of food.

"Good heavens, eating at this hour! May I ask you two, what meal are you having now? Is it breakfast or lunch?"

After being reminded twice, especially the second time, Bai Ling even emphasized the words "you two" in her accent.

Having been warned to this extent, even the most foolish Ximen Lang would realize something was wrong.

He realized he had really lost his mind, actually talking about these things in front of Xia Yiyi.

While rejoicing.
"Luckily, Ling'er interrupted me in time, preventing me from finishing my sentence, otherwise this matter would have been really difficult to handle."

He hurriedly stepped onto the steps Bai Ling handed him and descended the donkey path.

"Hey, I just woke up late. Who cares if it's breakfast or lunch? I'll just eat when I'm hungry."

"Are you going to eat lunch or not?"

"Not a single meal can be missed!"

He was such a good-for-nothing that Bai Ling really didn't know what to say.

After some lighthearted banter, the matter was finally brought to a close. The topic of whether all the guards were combat heroes couldn't be discussed, so Ximen Lang decisively steered the conversation towards the guards' meals.

"Is it because I'm afraid of mistreating these heroes who have made such great contributions?" Ximen Lang asked.

"Ling'er, do you think we should upgrade the food service to a higher level? Upgrade the current Class II kitchen to Class III?"

"Class II stove? Class III stove? What do you mean?"

Bai Ling had no idea what the Class II and Class III stoves meant, nor did she have a clear concept of them.

Ximen Lang was about to explain to Bai Ling the four levels of food in later generations.

Xia Yiyi, who was also very concerned about the situation of the guard battalion, spoke first to explain.

"Ah Lang is talking about the four levels of food here. The first-class mess hall is for ordinary soldiers, officers who eat with soldiers, national defense construction teams, and border and island troops stationed in harsh conditions. The food standard for the first-class mess hall is about 11 yuan per person per day, usually 4 dishes and 1 soup, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, plus a piece of fruit."

"Compared to Class I mess halls, Class II mess halls cater to a wider range of people. Units like tank and self-propelled artillery repair detachments, tank and self-propelled artillery detachments, air force maintenance squadrons, and troops stationed in plateau areas all use Class II mess halls."

"If the guard battalion you're about to form also follows our standards, this standard will be just right. However, although the second-class mess hall is slightly better than the first-class mess hall, the improvement is very limited. It will probably increase the food allowance by about two yuan per person per day, which is just enough for an extra piece of fruit, a little more meat, and a little more vegetables."

"But if we switch to the third-class kitchen, the situation will be completely different. Not only will the food allowance increase from 11 yuan per person per day to 23 yuan, but the quantity and quality of the food will also be greatly improved! The first-class kitchen has four dishes and a soup, right? The third-class kitchen has six dishes and a soup! The variety of dishes is also much richer!"

"As for the highest-level Class IV mess hall, this is a privilege that ordinary troops cannot enjoy. To put it simply, this level of food is generally only provided to personnel on submarines and nuclear submarines, as well as aircrew members."

He explained the differences between the four types of stoves used in later generations to Bai Ling, which really broadened her horizons.

Then, Bai Ling realized something was wrong.

"That's not right, Yi-yi. I heard from A-Lang that a bowl of noodles outside costs around 10 yuan! A first or second-class kitchen only costs 10 yuan a day, how can that guarantee four dishes and a soup? Is that even enough?"

Seeing that Bai Ling was still puzzled by the price, Xia Yiyi was about to explain to Bai Ling from multiple perspectives and in a systematic way what was going on, so as not to cause Bai Ling any misunderstanding.

Ximen Lang, who had long been dissatisfied with this, couldn't wait to take over the conversation and complain to Bai Ling.

"Who says otherwise? I told you long ago to improve the treatment of our soldiers, not to let them go hungry, and to increase their food allowance. If that's not enough, I'll take a bigger cut. We can't let them suffer. But what happened?"

Ximen Lang was really getting more and more out of line.

Although Xia Yiyi also felt that 10 yuan a day was indeed a bit too little.
"But that doesn't mean they should go hungry, does it? You have to understand, when we say we have this much money, that's all that money going towards the soldiers' food and drink. There will absolutely be no skimping on anything; otherwise, we'd be asking for trouble!"

"In addition, the military also raises some poultry and grows some vegetables, which can meet some of their needs. And because the demand is stable in the long term, the suppliers are also willing to give up some profits, so it's a steady stream of income. There's no way they could go hungry!"

He explained the matter clearly in just a few words, which made Bai Ling extremely envious.

Then, Bai Ling discovered another blind spot, which was...
"Wait a minute, why is it Old Lu again?"

(End of this chapter)