At noon, he went in to have lunch. The old woman was in charge of the wooden spoon used for serving food. Everyone brought their bowls to her, and she served them.
There wasn't such a rule before.
The reason for this change today was to target Ma Lin.
When it was Ma Lin's turn, he handed over his bowl. The old woman served him a few beef bones and lots of vegetables, almost no meat.
Ma Lin took it without saying anything.
These matters were very ordinary, nothing too serious.
He certainly wouldn't be full from this.
But at least this bowl was beef soup, and it tasted good.
The old woman said to others, "We don't support idle people here."
Ma Lin sneered internally. Clearly, he was the busiest one around here.
But he was quite pleased. The old woman spoke very clearly and succinctly, conveying her meaning well, like a civilized person rather than a primitive one.
How far were they from civilization, really?
