Because there were special meat coupons, the chef in the restaurant knew that with these coupons, they would definitely be able to buy pork. In addition, they would have priority when buying meat and they could also pick the fat ones. No matter how good the pig trotters were, they were no better than the fatty meat. It was a very good deal. Otherwise, as the waiter said, there was no meat for sale in their restaurant.

After hearing the waiter's explanation, Xiulan realized that there were still so many avenues in the middle.

In this era, you had to use coupons to buy things and there were also different types of coupons.

Seeing that she didn't know anything, the waiter secretly thought that she was indeed a country bumpkin, but he didn't know where her money and coupons came from, and she even went to eat in a restaurant.

After Xiulan learned about the differences between the coupons, she did not continue the argument with the waiter. Instead, she looked at Qingguo and Cheng with some envy.

Cheng coughed slightly as he was a little embarrassed. He had a feeling that as if he had taken Xiulan's things.

Although the ladies should be given priority, there was only such a pair of pig trotters left in this state-owned restaurant and he was reluctant to let it go.

After all, he wanted to treat Qingguo to a good meal. If he was eating alone, he might probably let Xiulan have it.

Xiulan didn't bother so much. Soon, the waiter served the noodles she ordered and a plate of stir-fried shredded radishes.

The noodles were made with black flour, which were not as good-looking as white flour. However, white flour was so precious right now that most people couldn't eat them at all, and some might only be able to eat them several times a year. On the black market, white flour and rice were considered as fine grains, rare and good things, and it was normal for state-owned restaurants to have no white flour.

However, in the current unfortunate situation, even if black flour was not as good as white flour, they had been classified as fine grains.

She didn't dislike it either. After all, compared to the food at home, this bowl of black noodles was pretty good already.

There was a little clear soup in the noodles, with a little green onion floating on it, and two small pieces of cabbage were added, which exude bursts of fragrance.

The stir-fried shredded radishes were crisp and delicious, these must had probably been marinated, and the taste was quite good, just a little less greasy and a little lighter.

She could understand that oil was more expensive than gold now, and state-owned restaurants were reluctant to put too much oil in cooking.

It was probably because of hunger, so she ate while holding the bowl in her hand.

The dishes at Cheng and Qingguo's table also began to be served.

A pair of braised pork trotters smelled seductively, and Xiulan glanced at their table with envy again.

It was a pity that the things in her space couldn't be taken out at will, otherwise, she could have gone back and cooked a bowl of braised pork to relieve her cravings.

The two men on the other table were also very hungry. After their food were served, they hurried to eat.

Although Qingguo was a city worker, he could only get a small amount of meat coupons every month, and the meat coupons at his home had long been used up.

Every time he came back from buying such a small amount of meat, there were several children in his family, so there was not much to eat even if they shared a few mouthfuls.

Faced with such a pair of fragrant pig trotters, he had long since swallowed some saliva into his stomach.

Qingguo was embarrassed to use his chopsticks to eat first, but Cheng was straightforward as he took one pig trotter and shared the other one to him.

Cheng wanted to give them all to Qingguo. He knew that there were several mouths in Qingguo's family who depended on him alone, so his life was really not well-off.

As for pig trotters, he usually ate a lot of meat, so they were not so rare for him.

However, he also knew that if he gave them all to his friend, Qingguo would definitely be embarrassed to accept them.

If the two of them split it in half, Qingguo wouldn't have to refuse.

Xiulan ate in small sips and after eating the noodles, there was still half of it left in the bowl, but her stomach could no longer keep up.

It might be that the living conditions of the original owner were too poor, so for so many years, she had been in a state of starvation and her intestines had become thin, so her appetite was only this big.

Unlike her, Cheng and Qingguo were two grown men, who had much bigger appetites.

The serving of their noodles had already been increased, and one of them had eaten a pig trotter as well, but he still didn't feel full.

Fortunately, Cheng ordered two more steamed buns.

The steamed buns were a bit hard, so he dipped them in the cabbage and egg drop soup before eating.

With the addition of these two dishes, he finally had a full stomach.

Although he ordered a lot of dishes at their table and they finished them all first, Xiulan chewed and swallowed slowly, finishing later than them.

There was still a little left on the bowl, but she couldn't eat anymore, so she just put it on the table.

It was shameful to waste food these days.

But she couldn't take it back because the Zhao family were all going to stare at her, so it could only be wasted like this.

She wiped her mouth, got up, and left the state-owned restaurant.

As soon as she got out of the entrance, she found a Jiefang-brand truck parked in front of the restaurant.

Jiefang Truck

She was a little surprised as she didn't expect to see a truck in such a small place.

Thinking of the information she read from the space earlier, cars and trucks were still relatively rare at this point.

Generally, such Jiefang trucks were used by work units for transportation, but only very few units have them.

Like in their production team, there was no such thing as cars or trucks. So, when you wanted to go to the county seat, there was no public transportation to use for convenience of travel.

Those who were far away would drive ox carts and donkey carts. Under normal circumstances, they just relied on their two legs.

The only way to go further was by bus or train.

The Jiefang truck parked in front of the restaurant was about ninety percent new. Facing this kind of 'antique', she observed it with great interest.

Just as she looked at the truck, she found that Qingguo was fiddling in front of the truck with tools.

He muttered, "Oh no, what's going on here? Its condition is good, so why did it break down? It was fine just now!"

Cheng couldn't help much from the side. "Qingguo, there's no hurry, just fix it slowly."

"Hmm, then you wait there for a moment!"

"Okay, just take your time!"

Qingguo checked everything in the truck and found no problem. He scratched his head and his ears anxiously. "It's weird, I can't find anything that's broken! What can I do about this? There are no mechanics here, so there is no way to repair it.

"Sigh, it's my fault because my skills are still not good, otherwise I would be able to find where the problem is. But now, I don't know where to start."

Upon seeing this, Xiulan took a step forward. "Comrade, is there anything I can help you with?"

The two men both looked at her and realized that she was the girl who also ate at the restaurant.

Qingguo shook his head. "Thank you, but my truck is broken and this thing is not easy to repair. I am helpless and you can't help much as well."

It was not that he despised her, but trucks were special and only few people could repair them.

He also had a special training and learned how to repair trucks, but he had no way to fix them. At first glance, Xiulan looked like someone from the countryside, so she must had never been exposed to the method of repairing a truck. She might not have even seen a truck, let alone repaired it.

But of course, he also appreciated her kind intentions.

Who knew that Xiulan would say, "I know how. I can repair trucks. My skills may not be that good, but I can try it!"

After listening to her words, both Qingguo and Cheng looked at her in surprise.

She can repair trucks?

No way, right?

These days, trucks were not common and there were too few mechanics who could repair trucks. It was possible that one or two would not be found in the county seat. So, they couldn't believe that Xiulan, a girl from the countryside, knew how to repair trucks.

Looking at the expressions on these two men, Xiulan knew what they were thinking but she couldn't tell them the truth.

Knowing how to repair cars and trucks was an essential skill in the apocalypse. In order to avoid those zombies, cars and trucks were very important tools.

Before the apocalypse, she deliberately went to an auto repair school to study.

Although she was not as good as professional mechanics, she could solve most of the common problems.

In any case, she had fixed all the problems with the cars and trucks she encountered before.

While the two men stared blankly at her, she opened the hood of the truck and checked it.

When Qingguo saw her checking the truck, he thought that she really looked like someone who knew how to repair it.

Even if she couldn't fix it, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

He suddenly felt some expectation in his heart, hoping that she could really fix it, otherwise it would be impossible to just leave the truck there.

He had to find a mechanic to repair the truck, but there were many troublesome places, so he was afraid that it would take a lot of time to find one.

If she could directly help solve this problem, it would naturally save him a lot of trouble.

After Xiulan checked it, she quickly discovered the problem and asked Qingguo for tools, then she took the tools and repaired the engine.

Both Qingguo and Cheng stood aside while watching her repair the truck.

She was relatively thin, because of long-term malnutrition, so her whole body was skinny.

For some unknown reason, Xiulan's burning eyes and serious expression when she repaired the truck made them think that this young woman looked completely different from what she looked like on the surface. There was an inexplicable energy in her body, which was a bit attractive.

Cheng felt that he had never seen such a 'special' girl.

After fiddling for ten minutes, Xiulan put away the tools and rushed to Qingguo's side. "Okay! Comrade, please try it out. It should start now!"

Qingguo hurriedly responded and took the key to start the engine, but he didn't expect that the truck would really start.

He got out of the truck, walked up to Xiulan, and said gratefully, "Comrade, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I still don't know how to repair this truck!"

Xiulan wiped the sweat from her forehead and a bright smile appeared on her small face. "It's nothing, I didn't do much. Let's live with the spirit of camaraderie, so we have to be more helpful!"

She said this in her mouth, but she didn't exactly think so in her heart.

She had seen clearly in the restaurant just now that these men should not be simple people.

Especially Cheng, he probably had a special status to be able to take out special coupons.

She was weak and helpless in this era, so it was naturally best to make a few more awesome friends.

Now that she had lent her hand to help them, she wondered if she might be able to use their help when needed.

Since she had the ability to help them, she could make friends after helping them, and it would be considered as saving herself a way.

Naturally, Qingguo and Cheng didn't know what she was thinking.

Qingguo admired Xiulan very much. Indeed, he should really not judge people on how they look. She was a plain and unremarkable girl from the countryside, but she actually could repair trucks.

Cheng also looked at Xiulan more, and felt that in addition to being thin and dull, the girl in front of him was also very pretty and charming.

Especially that pair of jet-black eyes, which were as bright as gems.

When she smiled, there were two shallow dimples on her cheeks, which was somewhat lovely.

He didn't know if it was his own delusion, but he felt that the girl standing in front of him was definitely extraordinary.

Qingguo exclaimed, "How can this be nothing?! Comrade, you have helped me a lot!"

Cheng from the side asked, "Comrade, why don't we invite you to lunch the next time you come to the county seat?"

Qingguo hurriedly agreed with his proposal. "That's right, we'll invite you to lunch!"

But Xiulan shook her head. "You don't have to be so polite! And I don't know when I'll be back in the county seat as well! I have to go back now, so go ahead and do your business."

She was carrying a basket on her back and was about to leave.

Cheng and Qingguo saw that she didn't want to be thanked or rewarded, so they had to stop reluctantly.

"Comrade, where do you live, shall we take you back? If you don't let us invite you to lunch, you should be able to agree to this request, right?" Cheng suggested.

Qingguo thought it was appropriate, so he agreed as well. "That's right, Comrade, you don't let us invite you for a meal, but we have to send you back at least, otherwise I won't be able to sleep well at night."

Xiulan thought about it and she knew that it would take three hours to walk back by herself. During her journey earlier, her legs suddenly became weak. If these men were able to send her back, then this would really save her from this trouble.

Seeing their sincere eyes, Xiulan nodded in agreement. "All right then, I won't be polite to you either, so I'll trouble you this time!"

Qingguo smiled humbly, showing a row of big white teeth. "It's nothing, it's nothing!"

There was a shallow smile on the corner of Cheng's lips, then he retracted his gaze from her.

Xiulan got into Qingguo's truck, and together, the three of them drove towards the production team according to the road she pointed at them.

On the way, the three chatted for a while and she learned something about these men.

Lu Qingguo worked in the transportation team in the county seat and was a decent city worker.

Jiang Cheng came from Lu City, which was a municipality directly under the jurisdiction of the central government, and he was involved in the technical field. As for what kind of technical job he had, they did not disclose it. But those who could take out special coupons were probably not simple.

Maybe his identity was that special, so it was not easy to disclose it to the outside world, and Xiulan could also understand this.

Everyone had their own private things, just like her, she wouldn't tell others about her own affairs as well.

If Cheng didn't say it, then she wouldn't ask, as a sign of respect.

According to the information she had learned, Lu City was the region with the best economy in the 1960s. It was located in the south of the Yangtze River, so it was rich in various resources and it was also along the coast. There were many foreign exchanges and trade there. Coupled with the preferential support and policies, it was much better than the other regions.

Due to the slightly closer ties with foreign countries, novel foreign goods would appear there as well.

Cheng could not only take out special coupons, but also came from Lu City, which meant that he was definitely not a simple person.

The two of them were university classmates. After Qingguo graduated from university, he was assigned to a work unit in the county seat where he was working now, while Cheng continued his studies. Listening to them talking, although they didn't say it clearly, Xiulan could also deduce that Cheng seemed to have been abroad to study.

Cheng came in Anxian County this time to find a close relative.

They had not been in contact with this relative for many years, so the information that he could grasp now was limited. He only knew that the relative was in this county, but he didn't know where he was.

When he came there, he asked Qingguo to help him find a reliable contact and see if he could find his relative.

Time passed quickly when talking and chatting.

Originally, Xiulan had to walk for two to three hours. But by sitting in the truck, she arrived in just twenty minutes.

Not far from the production team, she asked Qingguo to stop.

Although the truck could be driven up to her home, she didn't dare to be so flamboyant.

The truck was really eye-catching, and Qingguo and Cheng were both male comrades.

If she went with the two of them, it was certain that she would be gossiped about.

These days, if anyone was rumored to be having improper relationship with a man or woman, the situation was very serious.

In order to avoid these unnecessary troubles, she asked Qingguo to stop the truck at a distance, "Comrade Lu, Comrade Jiang, thank you for sending me back. You can stop here and I can just walk back from here. We'll talk again when we have the opportunity to meet next time."

Then, she got out of the truck with a basket on her back.

"Okay, Comrade Xiulan, then be careful on your way!"

"You too, be careful!"

With a bright smile on the corner of her lips, she turned around and walked towards the production team.

Qingguo was about to start the truck for them to return, but he saw that Cheng's gaze hadn't taken back from Xiulan's body. He was still staring at her back as she walked further away.

With a playful smile on his lips, he bumped his shoulder to Cheng. "What now? Are you interested in that female comrade?

"She looks normal. I think this female comrade is excellent. She is really good and can repair trucks. Except for being a little younger, she is pretty good.

"You are not that young anymore. We are of the same age, but look at how many kids I have now and you don't even have a girlfriend! So, you have to work harder, otherwise you will become an old bachelor in a few years, and it will not be so easy to find a good female comrade by then."

After being teased by Qingguo like this, Cheng's cheeks showed some crimson.

So, Cheng retracted his gaze from Xiulan. "Qingguo, don't make fun of me, I just think that this female comrade is a bit different."

Not to mention her ability to repair trucks, she was obviously a country girl, but she had an indescribable temperament and even had a bit of a bookish aura. Generally, only by studying often and after long-term education, would you have this temperament.

The most important thing was that she didn't have the rustic air of a country girl at all, and she even had a bit of 'noble aura'.

It was reasonable to say that she should be from a good background, so how could she be a little girl from the countryside?

Anyway, all the characteristics of Xiulan were incompatible with that of a country girl.

Qingguo understood the meaning behind Cheng's words.

In fact, it was not only Cheng who felt this way, he also noticed something special about Xiulan.

He sighed and said, "In these troubled years, no one knows what others have experienced before and what they will experience in the future. This female comrade said that she is a country girl, but you can't tell if they were transferred to the countryside because of some problems in her family or if her family suddenly had some misfortunes, so it's not really that surprising."

Hearing his words, Cheng also thought that it made sense now.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, many people with bad family backgrounds were delegated to various rural areas.

In particular, those were the people who were considered as capitalists, landlords, businessmen, or wealthy.