Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 433 432 Quantitative Change
Ever since they saw the pumpkins growing well last time, the employees in the escort department have been very conscious of where they can cultivate some more good land.

The stones dug out from the last pumpkin field reclamation were piled on the roadside and were transported away by people organized by Fang Yuan, freeing up a piece of land where cabbage was later planted.

The green belts reserved on both sides of the road were used to plant pumpkins last time, but this time, not only were cabbages planted, but each side was also widened by 40 centimeters inwards and outwards just to plant two more rows of cabbages.

For example, nothing was left out in the areas around the house. All that could be planted was cleared and planted with cabbage.

Even the area next to the toilet was not spared, with the excuse being: there is a lot of manure here, so the trees must grow well!

However, since the pumpkin planting, the male and female comrades in the escort department have added a new job: they serve as servicemen and take turns cleaning the toilets.

The manure was piled up and dried at a designated location, and eventually all used in the reclaimed vegetable fields.

Under Fang Yuan's overall management, the growth of cabbage this year is indeed very gratifying.

Although cabbage is just a side dish, no one can live without it. Over the past month, the amount of side dishes has been significantly reduced, and many people have difficulty defecating.

Everyone is suffering, who wouldn’t want to improve things?

It didn't take long for the snow particles to fall before snowflakes began to float in the sky. The comrades from the escort department worked in the snow. Everyone was happy and smiling, and no one complained about the hard work.

They just heard it clearly. Section Chief Fang said that the cabbages would be distributed tomorrow!

They were tired of living without vegetables on the table every day. Although they could get a little bit of stewed pumpkin in the escort department canteen every day, that amount was really not satisfying enough.

Everyone has their own portion of these cabbages, so everyone is extra careful when pulling and stacking the cabbages, for fear of bumping them.

In less than an hour, the cabbages were harvested. Some housewives who were just living a normal life brushed the dirt off their hands and asked Fang Yuan, "Chief, how much cabbage can we get this time?"

"It should be around 40 to 50 kilograms. The exact weight will be determined later after it is estimated." Fang Yuan washed his hands under the faucet, shook them nonchalantly, and replied.

"Of course we'll have to have more, Chief. You'll have to bring sacks tomorrow, right?" Everyone was looking forward to the food being distributed, and they all started talking at once, asking all sorts of questions.

"If you don't bring the sack, just take it back. We don't store it here, so there won't be any confusion. There are still some people who didn't come to work today. If you live nearby, please go back and remind them to bring their belongings tomorrow. The snow is getting heavier, so hurry up and pack up and go home, and drive slowly." Fang Yuan said, patting the snow off his body.

"Chief, can you take one back today? We have no vegetables at home." One of the older sisters became more and more demanding.

"Let's wait until tomorrow. It will taste better if you endure it for a day. I don't want anyone to say that I am partial." Fang Yuan disagreed. Once this kind of thing is started, it can't be controlled.

"Oh, I won't be able to sleep tonight. My mind is full of cabbage." After being rejected, he didn't get angry. He just regretted speaking too quickly and hurriedly tried to make amends for himself.

"The reason you can't sleep is not because of the cabbage, but because of your man's carrots, right?" Someone said something lewd and made a joke with her.

"Go, go, go, are you greedy? Let me give you a bite."

“Can you eat that?”

"That depends on which mouth is eating it!"

"Any mouth can eat it, and it won't hurt your teeth."

"It's true. Some mouths don't have teeth."

"Bah, get out of here. A dog can't spit out ivory."

"Hahaha……"

When this train starts moving, it makes a very dirty sound, and it travels faster than current trains.

For a moment, all kinds of things were said. The unmarried girls looked confused, while the married men and women laughed.

Tang Zhitong didn't say anything. He used the scale borrowed from the cafeteria to weigh the cabbages. He randomly picked ten cabbages and weighed them one by one by the roots.

The average weight is about six pounds.

The average weight multiplied by the number of particles is the approximate weight, but it is impossible to count the number of particles now.

In front of everyone, Tang Zhitong could only use the volume to roughly estimate the number of beads.

Fortunately, it was snowing and cold, and many people wore little when they went out in the morning. They were now impatient to pack up and prepare to go home, so they joked a few words and dispersed in groups of three or two.

Fang Yuan was almost wet at this moment. He sighed and said to Tang Zhitong, "Eanzi, I'll go into the house and wipe my hair first. You come over later."

"Okay, let me estimate how heavy these cabbages are." Tang Zhitong didn't know why Fang Yuan sighed, and responded subconsciously.

It gets dark early in the winter, and today it was cloudy and snowing, so it was basically impossible to see what was going on inside the two rooms.

Seeing that there was no one around, Tang Zhitong turned on the cheat, pulled the cabbages into the space, sorted them out, and then put them back. There were about 1500 cabbages.

The cabbages grown in shady places and roadside areas with poor soil are relatively small. Tang Zhitong went over it in his mind and estimated that this crop of cabbages would probably weigh around 8,500 kilograms.

After secretly memorizing the weight, Tang Zhitong turned around and went to the office to find Fang Yuan.

After brushing off the snow and wiping his hands twice, Tang Zhitong entered the office and said, "Brother Yuan, the cabbage harvest is good. I estimate it is around 8,500 kilograms."

"Eight thousand five hundred kilograms, not bad, not bad. Everyone can get fifty or sixty kilograms." Fang Yuan smiled, took out a cigarette, gave one to Tang Zhitong, and then took out a match to light his cigarette.

"I'll do it, I'll do it." How could Tang Zhitong dare to be arrogant? He quickly took out a match and lit it, first for Fang Yuan, and then for himself.

"Come, sit down and talk." Fang Yuan lit up a cigarette, took a puff, and pointed at the chair next to him. The smile on his face was gone. "Brother Yuan, what's the matter?" Tang Zhitong saw Fang Yuan's expression and had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Two pieces of news, one good and one bad, both related to you." Fang Yuan looked at Tang Zhitong, opened his mouth, seemed a little embarrassed, and didn't say anything.

"Brother Yuan, let's make it good first. Let me be happy for a while, so that I won't be unable to laugh after hearing the bad news." Tang Zhitong carefully observed Fang Yuan's expression, which was somewhat difficult to speak and somewhat self-blaming. As long as he was not heartbroken, it would not be a matter of life or death.

There is nothing more important in life than death, and Tang Zhitong is quite open-minded about it.

"The good news is that the ministry and the municipal government have approved the relevant matters regarding the upgrading of the municipal bureau, and the deputy section chief position reported to you has also been approved, and you will be directly transferred to cadre status. The news will not be announced for a few days, but the salary will be implemented starting this month. Next month you will receive the deputy section chief's salary, which is the maximum reported to you, eighty a month." Fang Yuan told the good news in one breath.

"Hehe, this is really good news, thank you Brother Yuan! Brother Yuan is still in the Escort Section, no, the Escort Department, right? No one else will come to interfere, right?" Tang Zhitong was delighted. Deputy section chief, only twenty years old, wow, limited progress has been achieved ahead of schedule!
"I'm still escorting, and some people will be arranged to come over, but they won't be leadership positions. It's about strengthening the staff that we discussed a while ago. All parties are trying to get a few vacancies, and they're almost fighting each other. It'll take a while for it to be implemented." Fang Yuan roughly told Tang Zhitong about the latest developments of the Municipal Bureau.

"Hehe, as long as they are not airborne, the others who come are escorts, so it won't be a big problem." Tang Zhitong nodded. Without thinking too much, he could guess what Fang Yuan would do next.

It's nothing more than disrupting the newcomers' arrangements, with one or two assigned to each shift. With the old people leading the way, they can't make any waves.

"Don't you care about bad news?" Fang Yuan saw that Tang Zhitong didn't ask, and became a little impatient.

"Hehe, I guess it can't be that bad. Brother Yuan, just tell me, I can handle it." Tang Zhitong chuckled. He had to face all the ups and downs in life.

Since it has already happened, manage your emotions and face it with a smile. Once you know what happened, it will not be too late to go crazy.

"It's about your food ration. I misjudged the determination of the higher-ups a while ago. They sent a working group to the Municipal Bureau to investigate the discrepancies between job types and rations. They insisted that you shouldn't be given the ration for heavy physical labor in your situation. I am responsible for this matter." Fang Yuan said ashamedly.

"No, Brother Yuan, you can't take the blame on yourself. I will take responsibility if there is any problem. I will take care of it whether it means making up the grain or compensating the price difference." Tang Zhitong felt a pang in his heart when he heard this. If it weren't for the good news, he might have been criticized for taking a few more kilograms of food coupons.

"Director Hu stopped it and said it was negligence of the Municipal Bureau. He has determined the nature of the matter and will re-determine the quantity for you in the next step. The previous matters will be put aside. If Director Hu had not stepped in this time, your bright future would have been ruined in my hands." Fang Yuan said with some fear.

"Oh my, I was so scared that my heart was pounding. Thank you, Brother Yuan, and thank you, Director Hu." Tang Zhitong said, putting the cigarette butt in the ashtray, stood up and bowed to Fang Yuan.

"Go away, you're embarrassing me, aren't you? Don't try that on me. How come I didn't see that you were worried? You're quite carefree." Fang Yuan stood up with a cigarette in his mouth, helped Tang Zhitong up, patted him on the shoulder, and sighed.

"Hehe, isn't there good news? Since there is good news, then it's no big deal. If there is a big news, will it be my turn to be the deputy department chief?" Tang Zhitong said, picking up the cigarette again and taking a puff.

Compared to those guys who organize football games, I am as pure as a white lotus in front of the Bodhisattva!
Before those guys were caught, the truths they spoke were all like the wrinkles on a Shar-Pei's face, one after another?

After going in, who didn't cry bitterly, turn over a new leaf, seek leniency, and regret their actions?

I don’t know whether they regretted reaching out or not being secretive enough. Who knows?

"You are quite smart." Fang Yuan felt relieved when he saw that there was nothing unusual about Tang Zhitong.

"Brother Yuan, if we re-verify, how much can we order?" Tang Zhitong smiled. It was somewhat against the rules for him to continue using the escort's quota after graduating from university.

But it is precisely because this is against the rules that the subsidy can be given to the family with justification. Otherwise, when Fang Yuan proposed this, he would have rejected the suggestion.

Who would have thought that someone would conduct a strict investigation?

"Follow the college students. If anyone jumps out and makes a fuss again, I'll be the first one to disagree!" Fang Yuan was also angry. If others investigated the matter alone, they would not find anything unusual. No one knew who was causing trouble and passed the message to the working group.

Since there was no evidence, Fang Yuan did not tell this to Tang Zhitong. He decided to look into it himself in the future.

"Hehe, thirty-four kilograms, wow, not bad." In front of Fang Yuan, Tang Zhitong nodded with a wry smile.

Fang Yuan still takes care of himself. The workload for college students is almost the highest except for heavy physical labor and special heavy physical labor.

And there are also benefits. In the days that followed, the rate of reduction in the quota for college students was much slower than that for other citizens in the old city.

What's more, after graduating from university, the level will definitely move up a bit. The speed of promotion is like riding a rocket, which is more cost-effective compared to food.

"Compared to your current ration, it's 13 kilograms less per month, which is a big reduction." Fang Yuan was also helpless. Apart from the newly harvested cabbage, he had no other way to deal with it. He gritted his teeth and said, "It's all thanks to you that our escort department can eat pumpkin and cabbage. When you drink the water, you should remember the well digger. I'll open the door for you later, and you can take two sacks back."

"Thank you, Brother Yuan. I know you want to help me, but I can't let Brother Yuan make a mistake. Besides, if Brother Yuan hadn't reminded me earlier, I would have had to eat a ration of 36 kilograms since I started school. In the end, I'm still getting a bargain." Tang Zhitong spoke beautifully, but he actually felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

Since the start of school, I have only got more than 30 kilograms of food coupons, and I have to buy them home with my own money! If I am punished for this, it is still a bit unfair.

"Don't embarrass me. If Director Hu hadn't stepped in this time, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life." Fang Yuan shook his head and waved his hands when he heard what Tang Zhitong said. Although he had good intentions at the beginning, he almost harmed Tang Zhitong.

Tang Zhitong chuckled: "Thirteen pounds, it's not a big problem, I can overcome it. Don't forget, I still have a yard at home, I can grow some things, and I can make up for it a little."

"Okay, then don't hide your difficulties from me. Tell me and I will help you think of a solution." Fang Yuan patted Tang Zhitong on the shoulder and instructed.

After riding carefully back home from the escort department, Tang Zhitong changed his tone: "Mom, my promotion has been finalized. The salary is 80 yuan a month. It will be announced soon."

"Oh, this is great." Zhang Guifang cried with joy.

"Mom, don't get excited. This is a good thing, but my food ration has to be adjusted as well. According to the ration for college students, it's only 34 kilograms a month, which is less than before." Tang Zhitong directly linked the ration change with promotion, without any complications, saving his family from worrying.

"It's okay. If it's less, then it's less. As a cadre, you have to take the lead." Zhang Guifang was a little surprised, but she quickly persuaded herself in her heart that she couldn't take all the good things for herself, right? Taking all is not a good thing, her mother-in-law said.

"Well. Then let's build a cellar. When we order more vegetables next year, some of them can't be kept, so they need a place to be stored, right?" Tang Zhitong was still obsessed with the cellar and didn't give up.

"Build it, build it. When the snow stops, I'll dig with you." Zhang Guifang finally gave in. Her son's salary had been raised, and the couple could save about 80 yuan a month in addition to living expenses, so building a cellar was not a big burden.

(End of this chapter)