They are always here with us. They are a group of respectable people to ensure our campus goes well. They are heroes behind the scenes.
Zhou Xiaoxia, a chef at the Meiyuan Canteen on Peiyangyuan Campus, begins her work at 4 a.m. every day. “I get up at around 3 a.m. every day and start to prepare breakfast at 4 a.m.,” Zhou said.
Kneading, greasing, rolling, frying… Ms. Zhou skillfully turns the dough into a variety of breakfasts. “We used to prepare six or seven different kinds of breakfast in the morning so that our students can have more choices,” Zhou said. Usually, 19 pancakes can be put in an electric griddle at a time, and Zhou needs to make eight batches within one hour so that other chefs can have enough time to use the griddle to prepare other breakfasts. They chose to live on campus during the pandemic to ensure safety for the whole campus.
Ms. Zhou comes from Xi’an, Shaanxi Province in West China. She has a 21-year-old child, who is about the same age as most students of TJU. In her mind, every student is just like her own child.
At 5:50 a.m. when the dawn is just breaking, with concerted efforts of other chefs, a variety of breakfast including pancakes, omelets, Chinese sandwiches, ham and eggs, steamed buns and boiled eggs, among others, have been put in order at the windows, waiting for teachers and students to come for breakfast.
At 6:00 a.m., chefs in the Meiyuan Canteen open the gate, welcoming the teachers and students.
At 7:30 a.m. when the sun is shining, more and more students come to the canteen. “The period between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. is always the peak hour for breakfast,” said Liu Ze, a staff of the canteen management office on Peiyangyuan Campus.
Millet porridge, pickles, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, pancakes, soybean milk… when students are choosing the breakfast they like, the chefs have already started to prepare lunch in the kitchen.
At the same time, cleaning workers are also weaving through the campus, making every effort to provide a clean and beautiful environment for faculty and students. Beside the dormitory gate, students’ daily life waste has been packed, and the cleaning workers driving garbage trucks transport the waste to the disposal station on campus. Thanks to the efforts of all these staff members, nearly 10 tons of garbage are properly treated every day. “We will ensure that all waste is in the right place and treated in enclosed areas to keep the campus clean,” said Wang Zhipeng, a staff of the logistics department.
Road sweeping is also underway. Facilities such as sweeping equipment and road sweepers are used to improve the efficiency of cleaning.
At 11 p.m. when most students are getting ready for sleep, Peiyang supermarkets are also going to be closed. However, Yang Kuorong, manager of the supermarket, and other shop assistants still have much work to do.
After the closing time, Yang and the assistants will conduct a thorough disinfection of the supermarket to ensure the safety of faculty and students, hoping that they can feel at ease in the supermarket.
After the closing time, another important work is to replenish the shelves. All supermarkets on campus meticulously disinfect all the commodities as requested.
As the sun arose, a new day is coming. After a short period of silence, these respectable people behind the scenes will continue to make their contributions to this beautiful campus.
By Lin Nan
Editor: Sun Xiaofang
