Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 417 416 Jerusalem Artichoke
The weather is cold now, so Tang Zhitong has rice porridge for lunch.

I soaked two steamed buns I brought from home in boiling water and ate them with pickled vegetables I brought from home. I didn't go to the canteen to get any food.

Due to seasonal reasons, the canteen is having a hard time, otherwise the college would not have cut the students' rations.

This way of eating has been going on for several days, so Tang Zhitong thought of drinking mutton soup. How can boiled water be as fragrant as mutton soup?

During the afternoon classes, Tang Zhitong not only finished his homework, but also did an attendance check for the escort department.

Most units are similar right now, with little change in monthly wages, basically just a copy.

I have already asked for leave from classmate Xiao Wang last night, so there is no need to pick her up today.

After school, Tang Zhitong did not stay in the college for long. He packed up his things and prepared to go to the escort department to hand over the payroll to Fang Yuan.

Along with the payroll, two pig's trotters were also handed over to Fang Yuan.

"Oh, what can I say?" Fang Yuan was overwhelmed with emotions when he saw the pig's trotters. He took out a dollar without hesitation and stuffed it into Tang Zhitong's pocket.

"Brother Yuan is really straightforward. I have to give you a price." Tang Zhitong took the money, took out fifty cents from his pocket and handed it to Fang Yuan.

"Okay, stop it. Do you really think I don't know how much it costs?" Fang Yuan glared at him and confiscated it. In order to make sure the third brother eats well, he has been working hard recently. He can be seen at the Shichahai Lake and the market outside the city.

It is very difficult to buy big crucian carp near Shichahai Lake, but it is better outside the city. As for pig's trotters, they are not available outside the city and are not easy to buy inside the city. I asked someone to buy one for me. The price is about the same, but they are not as strong as these two.

"Then I'll put it away." Seeing that Fang Yuan didn't want it, Tang Zhitong put the money away, took out a pack of Da Chongjiu cigarettes, opened half of it along the seal on the top, tapped the butt of the cigarette box twice, and handed the cigarette to Fang Yuan.

"Wow, Da Chongjiu, your smoking is getting more and more high-end. I often hear people say that this is their first time smoking." The bright yellow cigarette box is very eye-catching. As a qualified smoker, even if Fang Yuan could not recognize all the words on the cigarette box, he would not call the name wrong.

Da Chongjiu was originally called "Chongjiu" cigarettes. It was born in 1922. Its founder was Yu Enxi and it was produced by the Chinese Asia Tobacco Company.

In 1929, after seven years of operation, Yu Enxi had to apply for the closure of "Asia" due to insolvency.

Later, in 1943, the Yunnan Cigarette Factory was established and began to produce "Qiqi" brand cigarettes. At the same time, it resumed production of the "Chongjiu" brand, making it a "patriotic cigarette" and "anti-Japanese cigarette."

In May 47, Yunnan People's Enterprise Co., Ltd. was formally established, and Yunnan Cigarette Factory became its subsidiary. At this time, the registered trademark of "Chongjiu" was "Renqi", so the words "Renqi" were on the cigarette box.

On June 1949, 6, Miao Zhonghua, former associate professor of Peking University, took over as director of Yunnan Cigarette Factory. At that time, the Yunnan Cigarette Factory had already begun to decline.

After Miao Zhonghua took office, he authorized Li Qimo to ask Liao Xinxue, Yan Jun and other famous figures in the Kunming art world to modify the design of the "Chongjiu" cigarette label and add a "big" character in front of "Chongjiu".

The name "Da Chongjiu", which we are very familiar with, officially appeared on the stage of history.

Let me add one more thing. Yu Enxi committed suicide in 1950. His son, Yu Jialin, had moved to the other side of the Taiwan Strait with his family and later had a son named Harlem Yu.

"Hey, I think the slogan printed on it is pretty good, buy it and try it." Tang Zhitong pointed to the three lines of small words on the cigarette box and showed it to Fang Yuan. (See the picture below)
"What's enough, what's strength, what's up..." Fang Yuan stared at the three lines of small characters and read them. He was still sensitive and connected them instantly. He suddenly realized: "Oh, I see. Work hard, strive to be the best, and build quickly, efficiently and economically..."

"All correct, not a single word wrong." Tang Zhitong couldn't help but applaud Fang Yuan.

"Go away. You've been listening to the radio every day and your ears are familiar with it." Fang Yuan waved his hand, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Brother Yuan, this sounds familiar to you, right?" Tang Zhitong smiled. Fang Yuan was someone who knew how to use idioms.

"Yes, yes, that's the word. You're a college student, so you know a lot." Fang Yuan praised Tang Zhitong while smoking a cigarette.

"I'll take it as a compliment from Brother Yuan." Tang Zhitong smiled. One doesn't need to go to university to learn this word. One can learn it after finishing elementary school.

"I was originally complimenting you, but this cigarette is not very good, it's boring." Fang Yuan smacked his lips, gave an evaluation, picked up the cigarette on the table and handed it to Tang Zhitong.

"Okay, then I'll keep it." Tang Zhitong knew that Fang Yuan didn't want to take advantage of him, so he stopped being polite.

Tang Zhitong bought the Da Chongjiu on purpose. He knew that the tobacco was very soft, and he wanted the smooth feeling in his throat.

If you smoke too much other cigarettes, your throat will feel uncomfortable. It will be much better if you rotate between several brands, especially Da Chongjiu, which has a great taste and the key is that the price is not too high.

Even though the price of Da Chongjiu will be higher than Huazi decades later, it is now only a Class B filter-free cigarette, on the same level as Daqianmen.

Add to that the cigarette boxes with distinctive slogans, and in a few decades, this set of cigarette boxes alone will be enough to cover the price of this box of cigarettes. You may not make a profit, but you won’t lose money either.

After chatting with Fang Yuan for a while, Tang Zhitong dealt with the bills accumulated this month before going home after get off work.

Just after walking out of the staff passage of the train station, Tang Zhitong saw a group of people gathered in a circle with several bicycles parked nearby.

Chinese people love to watch the fun.

If there was a quarrel in the community, the residents on the upper floors would take out binoculars and lean half of their bodies out of the windows to watch the quarrel. Even Tang Zhitong's dog would stand on the windowsill and bark a few times to add to the fun.
When the neighbor downstairs breaks a cup, I have to lie on the ground and put my ear to the floor to listen to the noise;

If you see someone confessing their love in college, the onlookers will be more excited than the person involved;
If there is a live broadcast of catching a mistress or two women tearing off their clothes, AUV, that would be a lot of fun. It is not enough to watch it with a mobile phone. You have to drive to the scene to observe and learn.

Just like now when I was accompanying my child to class, while waiting for the area code to be written, there were old ladies looking in, wanting to see what was written. Is this something that can be read without paying? ?
Of course, Tang Zhitong was no exception. He parked his bicycle outside and squeezed in to find out what was going on.

There was no one quarreling or taking off clothes in the crowd. There was an old farmer pushing a cart selling Jerusalem artichokes.

Jerusalem artichoke sounds like an imported product. It is also called Jerusalem artichoke, ground ginger, and devil ginger. It is a 100% alien invasive species, a perennial herb that is cold-resistant and drought-resistant and is not picky about the soil.

Jerusalem artichoke tubers are edible and can be buried in the soil for a long time after harvesting without going bad. They are crispy and taste tasteless. Most of the time they are used to feed pigs, but this year is different.

Tang Zhitong listened to the people around him bargaining: "Can I buy it with money?"

"No, you can only exchange it with food coupons." The old farmer rubbed his hands awkwardly and shook his head firmly to refuse.

At present, the market has been almost banned, and there are not many places in the city where people can buy and sell. Obviously, the old farmer is an experienced one. If the bait is dead, he will only exchange it and not sell it. If it is bought, it will be confiscated, but if it is exchanged, everything will be safe.

Most of the onlookers were employees of the railway station. They were treated much better than workers in ordinary factories and had plenty of money in their pockets, but when it came to food coupons, they had to think twice, as everyone was short of those few pieces of paper.

"This stuff was used to feed pigs. It has no taste. You're still changing it for so little. Give me more." The man was not giving up and continued to bargain.

After being questioned, the old farmer remained silent, put his hands into his sleeves and just shook his head.

No one spoke for a while, and Tang Zhitong asked, "Uncle, how do I change it?"

"One pound of food coupons can be exchanged for five pounds." The farmer immediately replied when he saw someone interrupting him, fearing that Tang Zhitong would not buy it, and added: "No need to pay extra." "With this exchange method, you still want to pay extra? One pound of food coupons can be exchanged for five pounds of sweet potatoes, which are food." The eldest brother who had just asked if he could buy it said sarcastically.

The farmer looked at him but still didn't answer. He stood still like a mountain and allowed him to mock him.

"Just the coarse grain coupons will be enough, right?" Tang Zhitong didn't want to waste time, so he confirmed with the old farmer.

"Well, coarse grain coupons will be enough. It would be a waste to give me fine grain coupons." When the old farmer heard this, he knew there was hope, and his eyes looked at Tang Zhitong with a little more fiery.

"Okay, then give me ten kilograms. You have to weigh it well." Tang Zhitong said as he took out the food coupons.

Whether Jerusalem artichokes taste good or not depends on who processes them. There are only a few pickles at home, and it’s boring to eat them every day. Tang Zhitong decided to try a different taste. Besides, the cost of pickling Jerusalem artichokes is not high, and no oil is needed when pickling them.

"Okay, I'll definitely give you a high price!" The old farmer pulled his hands out of his sleeves. His hands were covered with calluses and cracks, but it did not affect his dexterity at all.

"There is mud on your Jerusalem artichoke, it has to be removed high." Among the people watching the fun, someone supported Tang Zhitong.

The old farmer knew that these were people who were planning to buy Jerusalem artichokes, and helping the young people in front of him to bargain was actually helping them to bargain for themselves.

In fact, the Jerusalem artichokes are washed and just have a little mud on them, which is not that exaggerated.

Guarding a group of people, the old farmer was also very particular. He put the Jerusalem artichokes on the scale, weighing an average of ten and a half pounds, and showed them to everyone.

Tang Zhitong opened the net bag without saying a word. After the old farmer poured the Jerusalem artichokes into it, he readily handed him two kilograms of coarse grain coupons.

With Tang Zhitong's proof, the old farmer's subsequent transactions went much more smoothly. However, this had nothing to do with Tang Zhitong. He squeezed out of the crowd and rode his bike back.

Still in front of his own gate, Tang Zhitong pulled out a lot of bamboo shoots from the space and threw them directly on the ground.

The gate was not spacious, and there were three bicycles in total, including Tang Zhitong's bicycle. Since they were all back, Tang Zhitong closed the door. He had food and drinks at home, so he should try to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Mom, I bought some Jerusalem artichokes. I'll wash them and pickle them later." Tang Zhitong first carried the net bag to the main room. Although the Jerusalem artichokes had been washed, there were still some mud spots on them, so they had to be washed again before pickling.

"I haven't eaten for a while, let me wash them first." Zhang Guifang was sewing cotton shoes. She stuck the pin that she had put on her head to rub oil into the shoe upper and was about to start washing the Jerusalem artichokes.

"Mom, let me wash." Student Xiao Wang stopped tutoring Fengzhi and said.

"No one can escape, Fengzhi. I'll write later. Pick four or five heads of garlic first." Tang Zhitong took down a bunch of garlic hanging on the wall and put it on the ground.

Since containers cost money, these days many things are stored by weaving them together and hanging them on the wall. This is the case with corn, garlic, and chili peppers. This is true in rural areas and in cities as well.

"You only know how to order people around. What are you doing?" Fengzhi grumbled in dissatisfaction. She didn't like pickled vegetables, but if it were meat instead, she would definitely be very enthusiastic about it.

"Hey, girl, you're still trying to compare with others. I bought some firewood, don't you have to pile it up?" Tang Zhitong slapped his sister on the head and went out without waiting for her to react. He had to pack up the firewood quickly so that he could pickle Jerusalem artichokes after dinner.

The Tang family didn't have a shed, so the firewood could only be piled under the south wall. Tang Zhitong imitated Tang Wenbang's family in piling up firewood. He didn't dare to say that he could pile up as much as his uncle's family, but he had to collect at least one-fifth of it, right? It had to be enough for the wing room to use during the winter.

After stacking the bamboo shoots, Tang Zhitong took the old firewood that had been exposed to the wind, sun and rain to the wing room and burned it first to prevent it from rotting there.

The rocket stove not only has the advantage of strong firepower, but the fire also builds up very quickly, saving time and effort. Apart from the waste of firewood, it has almost no disadvantages.

Dinner was ordinary, with steamed bread, porridge, and two dishes, one was pickled Chinese toon, and the other was pickled mustard greens. The Tang family was different from the Wang family and almost never bought pickles from Liubiju.

After dinner, Tang Zhitong began to cut Jerusalem artichokes, ginger, chili peppers and garlic cloves.

Jerusalem artichokes are not big in size, so just wash them and pickle them without peeling them.

Jerusalem artichokes have a characteristic: they are very crispy when eaten raw and they are also very crispy after being pickled. Even if they have lived in a pickle jar for a year, they will still be crispy when taken out.

This is the crispness that Tang Zhitong likes.

Perhaps it is because of the composition of Jerusalem artichokes themselves. Although they are very crisp, they are not easy to be pickled, so Tang Zhitong cuts them relatively thinly.

There were no empty jars for pickles at home, so Tang Zhitong set his eyes on the bowl for kneading dough. He took out one of the only two bowls and used it to pickle Jerusalem artichokes.

Some people say that to pickle Jerusalem artichokes, you need to wash them and dry them in the sun for two or three days. In fact, this depends on your personal tolerance for crispness. The ones that are dried in the sun will be softer, while those that are not dried in the sun will be crisper.

"Mom, it's getting late. I'm going to the side room to make the sauce. The fire there is very strong, so the sooner I finish it, the sooner I can rest." After cutting the Jerusalem artichokes, Tang Zhitong planned to take the pot to the side room.

The high firepower was just an excuse. The real reason was that Tang Zhitong wanted to secretly add some seasonings. The soy sauce that the family got from the grocery store was of poor quality. How could good pickles be made if the seasoning was not up to standard?

"Okay, I'll get it for you?" Zhang Guifang did not object, but asked tentatively.

Since her son got married, Zhang Guifang would not go to their room unless it was necessary. She was very self-conscious.

"Mom, you take a rest, I'll help you." Student Xiao Wang happened to be free, so he took the initiative to take over the task.

When they arrived at the wing room, Tang Zhitong put a few pieces of firewood into the stove, put the pot on the stove, and told Xiao Wang to fetch a pot of water.

The water was also fake, mainly to prevent her from being present so that the soy sauce could be pulled into the pot from the space.

When Xiao Wang came back, soy sauce, rock sugar, pepper, star anise, bay leaves and salt had already been put into the pot.

Ten pounds of Jerusalem artichokes, with one and a half pounds of soy sauce, two ounces of rock sugar, and a little bit of other seasonings, just for the sake of taste.

In addition to these, water is of course indispensable. The amount of water depends on the size of the container, and it should be enough to cover the Jerusalem artichokes.

Except for fetching water, Xiao Wang just watched from the side. It seemed that he had learned something, but it also seemed that he had learned nothing.

"Okay, let's go and pour it into a bowl. We can eat it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow." Tang Zhitong didn't wait for the cooked sauce to cool down. For Jerusalem artichokes, the difference between hot and cold is not that big.

"I see you're cutting peppers. Will the spicy taste get on them? My sister can't eat spicy food." Classmate Xiao Wang just noticed that her husband put peppers, ginger slices and garlic slices all on the Jerusalem artichokes, so she asked.

"Don't worry, Jerusalem artichokes don't have a strong taste, so they can't be pickled with spicy flavor. It's fine if you mix them with water." Tang Zhitong held the pot in both hands, and when he left the house, he didn't forget to remind Xiao Wang: "Leave the door open to get rid of the smell."

After Tang Zhitong came to the main room, he poured all the cooked sauce into the basin without sealing it and without adding any white wine.

Whether sealing or pouring white wine, it is all to prevent the juice from deteriorating and growing a white film. Tang Zhitong plans to share some of these Jerusalem artichokes with his mother-in-law, and the rest can be eaten within a week, so there will be no waste of white wine.

(End of this chapter)