The old hutongs in the capital are indeed not a good place, especially the large courtyard hutongs rented by a large number of migrant workers.

The houses are low, and some of them are quite dilapidated. Compared to other glamorous places in the city, it looks noticeably dirtier and messier. Some people who have no public morality want to be convenient at night, and they are too lazy to go to the public toilet to go to the toilet, so it is convenient to find a corner at random. Leads to a pungent smell of urine in some places.

For Barton, that's what he needs to see. Because the promotional video that Zhang Tong showed him was too positive, and the positive beauty was not like words.

As a conspiracy theorist, he doesn't believe in a utopian world in the universe.

The ideal perfect world of the so-called home and food for the hungry did not exist at all in Barton's view. If such a world really exists, it is most likely a mixture of lies.

There is light and darkness in a world, which is an inevitable phenomenon that exists on both sides of the same coin.

When looking at a country in the world, we must not only look at its upper limit, but also its lower limit.

Of course, maybe the place where Qin Kuairen brought him here is not the lower limit of this country, after all, this is the capital of the country's royal city. But it can also reflect how the country really is.

As far as Barton saw now, this kind of mixed alley was indeed a little more tangible than the brightly lit scene he had seen yesterday.

There is always a feeling of unreality when you see too many things that are too busy.

This dilapidated alley, as well as the middle-aged man who delivers water with low quality, as well as the occasional smell of urine from the street corner and the sound of beating and disciplining children in the courtyard, make Barton more aware of the fireworks of this world.

It's like he wants to find a small restaurant in the hutong to eat, not that he is really hungry, but mainly that he wants to see what life is like for low-income people in this world.

It looks inconspicuous in the alleys of the capital, but in fact, all kinds of living facilities are quite complete. Whether it's a convenient store or a bathhouse, there are actually a lot of small restaurants in it.

Don't underestimate these inconspicuous small restaurants in the alleys, there are a lot of food sold in various restaurants. There are skewers, hot pots, stir-fries, snacks and more.

In fact, the competition in the restaurant in the hutong may be more fierce than the competition on the street outside the hutong. Because the small shops in the alleys are all neighborhood businesses, the taste can't be too bad, otherwise people won't come after eating it once or twice.

At the same time, the price should not be too high, because now I still live in this kind of miscellaneous courtyard alley, and I generally don't have much money.

Cheap, affordable, and well-served home-cooked food is the secret to the survival of the small alley shop.

Qin Kuairen took Barton and the two of them in the alley less than a hundred meters before they saw a restaurant, this restaurant is interesting, and a banner was made with blue cloth at the door, and the word "rice" was written with a white pen on the banner. At first glance, it is clear that this is a restaurant.

Not to mention, this small restaurant is trying to attract customers like this. Because there is no big door in the alley, at most open a single door to enter and exit, if you don't hang a signboard, you think it's an ordinary person's home.

"That's it. Barton smelled the smell of food through the door, and he patted Qin Kueren's shoulder and pointed to the small shop.

Qin Kuairen originally wanted to find a characteristic Hutong restaurant, but in fact, many Hutongs have that kind of special restaurant, such as beef tendon hot pot and the like.

It's a little too small, it doesn't even have a sign, who knows how.

Qin Kuairen was just about to say something, when the small door of the hotel was pushed open. Two workers wearing the uniform of [China Railway First Construction] pushed open the door and walked out, and the two looked like the kind of people who did hard work on the construction site. The face is tanned, and there is a little peeling. The greasy, dirty hair was pressed by yellow hard hats, the hands were rough and the skin was cracked, and the tiredness and tiredness in their eyes all revealed how hard and tiring the work they were doing.

Barton watched the two construction workers leave, and he asked Qin Kueren, "What do they do?"

"Builders. ”

"Are you poor?"

"Uh...... It's hard to define. Doing construction is actually quite profitable, and there should be 100,000 a year. But most of the people who do construction, especially those from the countryside, are reluctant to spend money. Because they are too tired and hard to make money, they value every penny very much, and they can save it. They basically don't go to any high-cost places to spend money, and most of the people I know of who work on construction sites basically stay in the dormitory after work every day except for work. ”

"Master Barton, let's change a place to eat......" Qin Kuairen originally wanted Barton to eat at another place.

But Master Barton pushed the door open and walked in. The small shop is not big, there are a total of eight tables and tables, and there are red and black letters on the white wall opposite the door: the shop is small and thin, please do not bring your own drinks.

Underneath this red paper is another menu written in black and white, with a buffet of 17 yuan for lunch, self-picked, and no waste is prohibited. For dinner, the lamb pot and beef pot are served, with a small pot of 38 yuan, a medium pot of 58 yuan, and a large pot of 88 yuan.

There is no reception desk or anything in the small shop, Qin Kuairen pushed the door in and went in, and an uncle in his fifties walked out of the back kitchen, and he had nothing to greet him, so he said simply: "At noon, we don't fry vegetables, only 17 yuan for self-service." Eat as much as you want, and don't waste it. Waste counts as double the money. Pay the money first and then eat. ”

Qin Kuairen glanced at Barton, who nodded to him and signaled that he would eat here.

Qin Kuairen said to the boss: "Three." Are you Alipay or WeChat? ”

The boss uncle glanced at Qin Kuairen and the others, and he muttered: "Are you taking a foreigner to the alley?"

"Hmm. Qin Kuairen nodded.

The boss uncle pulled Qin Kuairen aside and muttered, "You really won't be a tour guide." What is there to see in the alley of the Miscellaneous Courtyard here, aren't you embarrassing our capital in the world? If you want to take people to travel, you have to take people to Shichahai, Houhai, Nanluoguxiang to play. What are you doing here?"

"And what do you bring foreigners to eat in my store, my shop is for the surrounding neighbors and manual workers, and the taste is very average. Isn't it a sign of Chinese cuisine for you to bring foreign friends to eat with me? I don't know how to take people to Jubaoyuan to eat shabu-shabu. I don't know how to take people to barbecue is like eating barbecue. Are you a black tour guide, the black family has money?!" The boss uncle said in a big breath, and Qin Kuairen didn't even have a place to interject.

When the uncle finished speaking, Qin Kuairen could only say: "Uncle, I'm not a black tour guide. People just want to experience the life of the real hutongs in the old capital, not the scenic spots, which are too fake. People just want to try it for real. ”

The boss uncle stared at Qin Kuairen for a long time: "You kid is really not a black tour guide who smeared the faces of our old capitalists?"

"Absolutely not!" Qin Kuairen swore to the sky: "And you also manage too much." ”

The boss uncle snorted: "It is the responsibility of everyone in our old capital to earn face for the country. Okay, you can cook, remember not to waste. ”

Qin Kuairen shook his head helplessly at this shopkeeper who was extremely interested in national honor.

"Xiao Qin, what are you talking to that shopkeeper?" asked Patton curiously after watching Qin Kuairen come back.

Qin Kuairen spread his hands: "Just now, the boss saw that you looked like foreigners, and I was afraid that you would not be used to eating the food here." ”

Barton smiled: "It's okay, let's try it." How do you cook here?"

The shop is a way to pick up food by yourself. The so-called self-service pick-up means that after paying the money, the boss will give each person a disposable lunch box and chopsticks, and then go to the pick-up area to eat by himself.

The buffet in a small shop is naturally not comparable to that in a big hotel. The so-called food pick-up area is the side against the wall where the restaurant commonly used with thermal insulation function is placed, and the table is filled with stainless steel basins with 20 different dishes.

Seeing these dishes, Qin Kuairen somewhat understood why the boss forbade customers to bring their own drinks.

Because the 17 yuan buffet includes: braised grass carp segments, gluten roasted pork, stir-fried meat with dried bamboo shoots, steamed eggs, stir-fried pig's head with double peppers, vinegared cabbage, vinegared shredded potatoes, roasted tofu, roasted eggplant, roasted winter melon, carrot fried white radish, spicy fried bamboo shoots and melon, etc. The staple food is charged an additional one yuan, and white rice and steamed buns are provided, which is enough to eat.

Seventeen yuan to make such a buffet, that is not to let customers bring their own drinks, it is estimated that the boss will point to the drink and beer to make some money. Qin Kuairen guessed that most of this house was also the boss's own, otherwise if he needed to pay the rent, this business would not be able to go on at all.

The dishes cooked in this small shop look like home-cooked dishes, and the color of the roast is very dark, and it is guessed that the taste should also be salty, suitable for the tastes of those who work as heavy laborers.

This kind of buffet situation in this small shop does make Barton and von Meier feel a little interesting, there are four sections in the one-time plate, that is, a maximum of four different dishes at a time.

Barton made braised fish, steamed eggs, vinegared shredded potatoes and roasted tofu, and took a white steamed bun.

Feng Meier made fried pork head, gluten roast pork, spicy fried bamboo shoots and gourd and roasted eggplant, and by the way, he made a bowl of rice.

Qin Kuairen also casually ordered four dishes, and the three of them found a table by the window and sat down. Because it's almost a little time now, the rush hour for lunch is over. The dishes in the buffet pick-up area are almost at the bottom.

"It's so salty. Von Meier took a bite of the roasted eggplant and almost got caught.

Qin Kuairen said helplessly: "This kind of small shop tastes like this. The seventeen yuan buffet corresponds to people who don't have much money and want to eat and drink. The taste is a little salty, and it is easy for people to eat. Those who do heavy physical labor should eat a little more salty to replenish their physical strength. You see, there are still two tables of people eating. The food is very good. ”

Von Meier looked over when he heard this, and it was indeed the case. On another table in the shop, there are people who clearly look like migrant workers eating, and on another table, several sanitation workers are eating together.

They gulped down the food and ate it deliciously. While eating, there was talk and laughter. Eating, this kind of thing always makes people feel happy.

Warm food soothes the hungry stomach, bringing not only food and clothing, but also the strength and beauty to live.

Barton ate the braised fish, which is indeed very salty as Von Meier said, but aside from being a little salty, it actually tastes good, and the fish is also very fresh, not the kind of dead stinky fish. The steamed eggs are also delicious, smooth and tender, and there is a sesame oil aroma because it is drizzled with sesame oil.

Looking at a group of sanitation workers who were eating and chatting happily, Barton looked at his lunch box, he patted Qin Kuairen's shoulder, and then picked up the lunch box and walked to the side of the group of sanitation workers, and asked, "Can I sit and eat with you?"

The sanitation workers, who had been chatting well, were startled by the sudden appearance of a foreign old man (a face from Central Asia) speaking a foreign dialect (otherworldly dialect), and they didn't know how to respond for a while.