Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 460 459 Teaching Children
After standing outside the house and smoking a cigarette, Tang Zhitong found the stove and lit three stoves at the same time.

The temperature dropped as time went on, and it became more and more difficult to take a bath, but even so, Tang Zhitong was reluctant to go to the public bathhouse.

In the bathhouse, everyone is naked, and you can tell at a glance which family is living well and which is not.

Although Zhang Guifang played such a trick, the whole family only ate until they were 70% to 80% full for a few days? There must be a little more meat than the neighbors.

This time, Zhang Guifang, Fengzhen and Fengzhi washed first, followed by Xiao Wang and Tang Zhitong.

While rubbing Tang Zhitong's back, Xiao Wang said, "Don't bring anything to my mom's house anymore."

"Don't bring food for now, but you can still bring pine nuts, cabbage, radish, and pickles. I'll think of ways to get other side dishes. You must not get sick from hunger." Tang Zhitong knew that Xiao Wang was feeling sorry for herself. She couldn't do that by taking food from her mother-in-law to subsidize her family?

"Okay. I'll give you my salary when I get it." Xiao Wang decided to accept her husband's proposal and thought about contributing her own salary.

In fact, Xiao Wang is not stupid. The lard from yesterday and today is a good thing that you may not be able to buy even if you have money or tickets. But due to the current environment and her husband's previous assurances, she did not ask about the source.

"Not for now. Why would I need money to hunt a rabbit or catch a fish? I'll ask you for it when I need it." Tang Zhitong refused, but he was thinking that when the weather got colder, the fish in the space would come in handy.

Because of what happened to Zhang Guifang tonight, even though the two of them took a shower, they no longer had the mood to applaud or pull radishes. They just chatted for a few words and then went to sleep.

November 11, Tuesday, sunny.

Early in the morning, when Tang Zhitong entered the classroom from the back door, he noticed that many of his classmates looked at him with something different than usual, and their smiles became even brighter.

"Is this the money distribution?" Tang Zhitong nodded and smiled at his classmates, then sat down and quietly asked Lu Jian.

"Well, it was sent out yesterday afternoon. Everyone wanted to find you to express their gratitude, but you were not there." Lu Jian also got the money. Four dollars was not a lot for him, but it was not a big problem to eat two meals of rice at the small restaurant at the school gate, provided that he went early and queued up.

Regarding the problem of people from other places having to queue up to dine in Beijing a while ago, the measures are now clearer and there have also been changes in the restaurants on the market.

A while ago, many small restaurants either required food stamps or charged high prices. Now, nothing has changed, but they have all limited the quantity.

In fact, it's not just restaurants, the delicatessens are the same. Although they are open as usual, they can only get 50 to 60 kilograms of pork heads every day, and they are sold out in a short time.

The situation is similar for other food sellers. The prices have not increased and there is stock, but just not in large quantities. Whether you can get a bite depends on who gets up early.

"Did any classmates exchange carrots yesterday?" Tang Zhitong asked quietly as he opened the book.

"Speaking of this, I have to thank Teacher Tang. There are exchanges, but the rate has increased to eight kilograms for one kilogram." Speaking of this, Lu Jian smiled happily. The students who exchanged food coupons with the help of Tang Zhitong a few days ago not only saved trouble, but also got more food coupons in exchange. They received three kilograms more national food coupons than what they got today by running around to exchange by themselves!
"You're too polite, Head Dormitory Leader. It's good that there's a replacement." Tang Zhitong smiled. If there's a replacement, no one will come to see him again, right?

As for the fact that Beitu got one more pound of carrots than others this time, Tang Zhitong didn't think it was a big problem.

Last time I delivered the goods to their door, and there were also a lot of silk tassels to give away. This time they have to carry the goods back by themselves in the wind. Wouldn't this trip and return consume enough calories to make up a steamed bun?
During the afternoon physical education class, Tang Zhitong got up as soon as he arrived, because today was the day to deliver fish to Lao Tong.

Old Tong's family has been living a wonderful life since they brought back fish last time.

He eats six or seven kilograms of fish a day, and makes dumplings and stews fish in various ways. Every meal is meat. Even the cat at home gets some of the fish's meat: fish heads, fish tails, and fish bones all belong to it.

There was only one bad thing. In order to prevent the news of his luxurious life from leaking out, Lao Tong fired his nanny and had to cook by himself.

With seafood as a base, people ate less food than usual. Lao Tong had calculated it very clearly and bought the fixed quantity as usual, and put the whole tank aside for future use.

This time when visiting the Bell and Drum Tower, Old Tong brought his son Tong Xiangsong with him.

On the one hand, it’s a bit boring to be alone, so bringing my son here and watching him clean things up gives him some company.

On the other hand, Tong Wang thought Tong Xiangsong was a little confused, so he brought him here to give him some advice to see if he could make some progress.

Mr. and Mrs. Tong had a makeshift lunch here, but it was a bit of a stretch to say it was makeshift because their lunch dish was salted Spanish mackerel.

Because I couldn't eat so much fish, I pickled some of it. In order to prevent others from finding out, I had to get up in the middle of the night to fry the fish. Although the fishy smell was a bit strong after it cooled, it still had a unique flavor.

After lunch, Old Tong washed his hands, rinsed his mouth, sat at the head of the eight-immortal table, and began to test his son.

Tong Wang didn't tell his son how he knew Tang Zhitong. He just told his son the price of the seafood he bought, and then asked, "Do you think I paid too much or too little?"

"Father, you must have your considerations when you do things. How can I have the right to comment on you?" Tong Xiangsong's heart was not on this at all. He reached into his arms to touch the gourd.

"Am I asking for your opinion? Am I testing you? Stop playing and think about it first." Tong Wang had a headache seeing his son's carefree look. He was still alive and could support the family, but if he couldn't get up one day, this bastard would probably ruin the family in less than ten years, right?
Tong Wang doesn't want this to happen. He should at least leave some dowry for his granddaughter, right?
Tong Wang got angry when he saw his son's careless look, so he simply closed his eyes and rested.

Tong Xiangsong looked at his father's attitude and knew that he was not joking, so he racked his brains to figure out the matter.

After thinking it over, Tong Xiangsong still felt that he should put it in a positive light.

"Have you thought it through?" Tong Wang asked with his eyes closed after a while.

"I think what my father did was right. The price is not important. Our family is rich anyway." Tong Xiangsong praised impartially.

"Oh, nothing else?" Tong Wang was disappointed, sighed and opened his eyes.

"Well..." Tong Xiangsong tried to figure out what Tong Wang meant. Did he have to distinguish between the expensive and the cheap? So he asked tentatively, "One large and two small yellow croakers, for more than 300 catties of fish and shrimp, that's five yuan per catty, isn't it a bit expensive?"

"Well, it's indeed not cheap. Do you have any more?" Tong Wang asked without comment.

Hearing his father's questioning, Tong Xiangsong thought he was on the right track and continued along this line: "I heard that the fishermen on the coast catch too many fish and shrimps, and they can't sell them all, and they can't eat them either. They either throw them away or accumulate as fertilizer. Should we bargain with them for a lower price?" "Oh!" Tong Wang sighed, not satisfied with his son's answer, but did not immediately deny it.

After lighting a cigarette, Tong Wang spoke again: "Which of the princes of the Qing Dynasty didn't learn to review memorials since childhood? Which generation of the Tong family didn't listen to the housekeepers and stewards report things since childhood? When it came to you, you would make a fuss when you heard these things since childhood, and your mother doted on you. Every time I wanted to beat you, she stopped me. I thought about waiting for another two years, and then another two years, but in the end..."

Tong Wang shook his head and took another puff of his cigarette.

"Father, don't we still have you? It's fine for me to be a useless person." Tong Xiangsong stopped pretending. He loved money just because he liked to use it to play and do what he liked. He didn't want to care about anything else.

"I'm half buried in the earth. How many years do I have left to live? You're a father now. You have to stand up and protect Nan Nan from the wind and rain!" Tong Wang was very disappointed with his son and hated that his son was not Sun Zhongmou.

"Then I hope you live a long life, isn't that enough? I eat vegetarian food every day... Not only that, I chant Buddha's name every day and pray for you." Tong Xiangsong said as a matter of course.

"Aren't you a piece of crap?" Tong Wang laughed angrily, but there was nothing he could do with this bastard son. No matter how bastard he was, he was still his own son.

Tong Xiangsong was not afraid either, he just grinned foolishly.

You have to accept your own actions and consequences, no matter how painful it is.

Although Tong Xiangsong is a little playful, his filial piety is commendable, otherwise Tong Wang would not bother to talk to him.

Tong Wang pointed at his son and said, "What you heard about fish and shrimp being worthless is old news. Now most of the fish caught at sea have to be returned to the public. Even if you go to the beach with real money, you may not be able to buy any."

Tong Xiangsong listened and nodded, but he didn't really take it to heart: Isn't it just a matter of money? We have plenty of them at home. If we take out ten large yellow croakers, it will be enough for the whole family to eat for a year. We can eat all the yellow croakers at home until we die. But eating them this way will definitely make us sick of them, right?

"In our city, we believe in 'eating in season', which is the way of nature. But is it true that no one wants to eat dumplings with leeks and shrimps in the middle of winter? It's because they can't have them, but they want to save face and find a way to save face." Seeing his son nod, he continued.

"Yeah, what Father said is right." Tong Xiangsong continued to nod. He knew that people should eat in season. The people in old Sijiu City pay attention to eating different dishes according to the season, saying that it is in accordance with nature, the cycle of the four seasons and so on.

In fact, in Tong Xiangsong's opinion, this is just as the old man said, who can compare with the royal family in terms of health preservation? There are imperial doctors on duty twelve hours a day, and in the middle of winter, don't they still have a greenhouse to grow vegetables?

The natural way of shit is that it’s still not that hard to poop!

"As the old saying goes, he who knows the times is a hero. Times have changed, and many things are no longer applicable to the old perspective. Our face is worthless, and I'm afraid I'll have to find a way out in the future." Tong Wang sighed while shaking his head. In his entire life, when had he ever waited on the street for half a month just to wait for someone?

"Father, how about I deal with that guy in the future? I don't want to... I'm thick-skinned." Tong Xiangsong thought that his father was ashamed, so he took the initiative to stand up and share his father's worries. He wanted to say that he was shameless, but he felt that it didn't sound good, so he changed his words.

"You? I'm afraid you'll ruin the relationship I worked so hard to establish." Although Tong Wang really wanted his son to take over, he was afraid that his son would become too arrogant, so he was suppressing himself in his words.

"Oh, then I'd better play with my katydid." Tong Xiangsong took out a gourd from his arms, hooked his thumb and middle finger, and hit the gourd on the head. The katydid inside started to squeak as if it was frightened.

Just when Tong Wang was about to jump up in anger, a "bang" sound came from outside.

Tang Zhitong is here to deliver the goods.

Before delivering the goods, he used a cheating device to take a peek at the Tong family's house. There were only two people in the house, Tong Wang and an unknown person who was playing with katydids.

Seeing that the two men did not look like they were setting a trap, Tang Zhitong used a plug-in to "throw" the prepared fish and shrimp into the yard, and then left.

"What's the noise?" Tong Xiangsong stood up and looked outside.

"Maybe the goods have arrived. Let's go out and take a look." Tong Wang put the cigarette butt into the ashtray, which had a base of clean water in it. With a "sizzle", the dark red cigarette butt instantly turned black.

"Hey~ Why is it still moving?" Tong Xiangsong was surprised when he went out. The sack was bulging in a few places.

"Bring it into the house first." Tong Wang looked towards the top of the wall and saw no signs of peeling the wall. He couldn't help but sigh at Tang Zhitong's arm strength. He could throw something weighing only fifty pounds in total into the house without any effort.

After bringing the sack into the house, Tong Xiangsong opened it and found that the Spanish mackerel and hairtail were occasionally moving, but the amplitude was not large.

Tang Zhitong used a plug-in to process the fish and shrimp, but the nerves of these things still maintained a certain degree of activity, so they still twitched.

"Hey, this cutlassfish is so beautiful." Tong Xiangsong was attracted by the color of the cutlassfish at first sight, and his expression was exactly the same as Tong Wang's when he first saw it.

"Then tell me, is this money worth spending?" Tong Wang took a look into the sack and saw that the size and quantity were about the same as last time.

"Worth it! Worth it just for the color." Tong Xiangsong didn't mind the fishy smell. He reached out and pulled out a hairtail, put it in front of his eyes and looked at it carefully. He had never seen such a beautiful one since he was a child.

"You are really trying to buy the box but not the pearl. You spent so much money just to buy a fish with pretty colors?" Tong Wang was furious, but his son was his own and he had to teach him.

"These fish and shrimps were obviously just killed. You should know that fish can't live without water, right?
Do you know how difficult and costly it is to catch live fish from the sea and transport them to the city? Most people can't do it!

Are ordinary people qualified to eat this kind of high-cost, high-standard fish and shrimp?

Being able to eat this kind of fish and shrimp represents status! You can't buy it no matter how much money you spend! Do you think it's worth it?
This kind of goods are delivered to our door, which reduces the risk and saves time. Do you think it is worth it?
Our family eats fish and saves food. Even if the supply deteriorates further in the future, we can use the food to support ourselves for a while. Do you think it is worth it?"

Tong Wang was like a Gatling gun Bodhisattva, firing at his son with all his strength.

Tong Xiangsong nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, yes, everything you said is right."

Seeing his son's hopeless state, Tong Wang was too lazy to say anything more and planned to contact Tang Zhitong himself in the future.

As for what Tang Zhitong said last time about how difficult it was to get the goods, Tong Wang was now very suspicious. If it was difficult, why was it still as neat as before this time?
(End of this chapter)