Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 479 478 Double Distillation Method

Wednesday, July 12, sunny.

Fang Yuan tossed and turned last night and didn't sleep well.

Yesterday, Director Hu was afraid that he would cause trouble, so he called him from the escort department to his office and gave him some instructions.

Fang Yuan was in a bad mood, even depressed, but he also knew that what Director Hu said made sense.

Fang Yuan had already informed Gao Lide yesterday afternoon, and they went to the Grain Bureau for a meeting early this morning.

Gao Lide didn't know the content of the meeting, but that didn't stop him from getting ready early in the morning and looking refreshed.

As a cook, when have you ever attended a conference of this scale?
Tang Zhitong knew nothing about this. After getting up, he opened the door to get some fresh air, stretched himself at the door, and hummed a little song: The girl is so beautiful, the girl...

Taoism says: Harmony of yin and yang leads to health and longevity.

As for whether it is real or not, Tang Zhitong is not sure, but the blending process and the aftertaste are quite pleasant.

"What are you humming? It sounds quite nice." Student Xiao Wang gathered his hair, tied it into a bun, and walked out.

"I'm just humming it randomly." Tang Zhitong laughed. It was still too early for such obscene words and tunes to appear in the market. However, there were more explicit ones, such as "white thighs, so wet..." It was better not to hum it to Xiao Wang.

"Mom, I was so happy yesterday that I forgot to tell you that the grocery store has Iraqi dates for sale today, and each household is limited to buying two kilograms. Can you go and buy them, or should I ask for leave?" While eating breakfast, Xiao Wang remembered the Iraqi dates and quickly told her about it.

"I'll buy them. It's not worth asking you to take leave for such a small thing." Zhang Guifang agreed readily. There were still some Iraqi dates at home. Although they were very sweet and not very delicious, they could at least be eaten as candy and saved food.

"Mom, buy the most. This thing is not often available." Tang Zhitong reminded from the side, fearing that his mother would be stingy and when he wanted to buy it again, hey, it was gone!

"I got it. Don't worry." Zhang Guifang glared at her son. Why was he so worried about her?

Tang Zhitong chuckled and said, "Mom, I plan to go to my uncle's place in a couple of days and bring back some food. Don't be reluctant to eat just because I lent Liu Zhang two kilograms of food coupons."

"I see. You're a grown man, but you're still fussy." Zhang Guifang didn't glare at her son this time, because he had guessed it right...

"Mom, I heard that some extra tickets will be issued on New Year's Day. You won't be full if you eat according to the fixed amount, so don't save money." Classmate Xiao Wang echoed.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, don't worry." Zhang Guifang responded with a smile. Her attitude was completely different from the way she treated her son. In the eyes of someone who didn't know, they would definitely think that Tang Zhitong was a son-in-law.

After breakfast, some people line up, some go to school, and some go to work.

Fang Yuan and Gao Lide entered the venue one after the other, Fang Yuan sat in the front and Gao Lide sat in the back.

"Old Fang, sit here." Su Qingxiang arrived earlier and saw Fang Yuan shaking his head looking for a seat. Knowing that Fang Yuan was not very literate, he simply raised his hand to signal him.

"You came quite early." Fang Yuan was indeed looking for a location, or to be more precise, someone. As long as he found someone he knew in the postal and telecommunications system, the location would be determined.

It is true that each unit is notified of this kind of meeting in advance, but it is also known that some high-ranking top leaders and second-in-command will not attend, so the front seats are divided according to units.

"Well, I live closer to here, so I get a good deal and it's not too early for me to go out. Come, have a cigarette." Su Qingxiang took out a cigarette from his pocket and gave one to Fang Yuan.

The venue was bustling with people, and many of them were smoking.

It will still be decades before smoking is banned in public places. But now, not only in this kind of meeting place, but even in conference halls people smoke. Not only do they smoke themselves, they also give cigarettes to friendly people from foreign countries and invite them to smoke together.

Fang Yuan lit a cigarette and smoked silently without saying a word.

Su Qingxiang came here today on behalf of Director Hu. He knew Fang Yuan's character and knew how reckless he was.

The reason why he was demoted from the Transfer Department to the Escort Department last year was because he criticized the relevant leaders' arrangement of "seven reports and eight letters" on the spot.

This kind of quality is commendable, but it also depends on the occasion.

Su Qingxiang was afraid that Fang Yuan would do the same thing again today, so after taking two puffs of his cigarette, he slowly said, "Old Fang, we are old acquaintances, right?"

"Persuade me? Forget about it." Fang Yuan was upset and glanced at Su Qingxiang and said retortively.

"Okay, you have principles and you protect your child, but you can't just stick to your principles, right? You have to think about the Municipal Bureau as well, right? Who would want this? Isn't there anything we can do about it?" Su Qingxiang became anxious and retorted.

"I know, I obeyed the arrangement, but I felt uncomfortable." Fang Yuan took a deep puff of the cigarette, passed it through his lungs, then suddenly exhaled, shoved the cigarette butt hard into the ashtray, and said in a muffled voice.

"That's good to know, that's good to know." Seeing that Fang Yuan knew what was going on, Su Qingxiang stopped trying to persuade him. As for Fang Yuan's uncomfortable feeling, he would not try to persuade him.

After a while, the venue was filled with people one after another. People from the Grain Bureau came out from the backstage and sat on the podium.

After everyone was seated, the leader sitting in the middle of the rostrum knocked on the microphone twice with his fingers. A "bang! bang!" sound came from the loudspeaker and the venue immediately became quiet.

"Um! Um!" With a series of clearing of throats, the meeting officially began.

"Comrades from all units and systems:

This year has been a brilliant year with great achievements in all walks of life...

Although there is a bumper harvest of grain, we must not lose the style of hard work, simplicity, diligence and thrift.

The Grain Bureau has formulated the "Ten Regulations on Strengthening the Management of Meal Usage in Town Collective Meals", the main contents of which are:
Each unit shall establish a quantitative card, ensure that the household registration, card and actual number of people are consistent, and the type of work is consistent with the quantitative number;

Each unit shall establish a canteen system with fixed-quantity dining;

Each unit must approve food for conference receptions, night meals, and temporary workers in accordance with regulations;
Each unit implements a budget and final accounting system for the amount of grain it uses each month;

All units need to frequently publicize the conservation of food...

……

This regulation has been submitted to the 49th People's Committee for approval and will be implemented this month. I hope all units will strictly implement it!
Next, a representative from the Sijiucheng People's Printing Factory will give a report to introduce and promote the "double steaming method". Welcome everyone! "

“Huahuahuahuahua…”

After a round of applause, the representative of the printing factory came on stage and passionately introduced the "double distillation method".

The so-called double steaming method is to dry-steam the rice in a pot for twenty minutes, and then add water to steam it until cooked.

If done normally, one kilogram of rice can produce 2.8 kilograms of cooked rice. Using the double-steaming method, it can produce 3.5 kilograms of rice, a growth rate of 25%.

In addition, another representative introduced the method of increasing the amount of corn bread. The process is a bit more complicated, but the core is still adding water to the corn flour.

After the introduction, everyone in the audience, whether sitting in the front or back, knew what was going on.

The food is still the same food, but if you add more water, you can produce more.

There were different expressions at once, and some people who couldn't control their mouths began to grumble. "Isn't this just nonsense? No matter how much water you add, no matter how many times you steam it, it's only one kilogram of rice!"

"That's right, isn't this just fooling the stomach?"

"Hey, you said, originally with one jin of rice ticket, you can get two jin and eight liang of rice, then after using the double steaming method, will you get three and a half jin of rice, or two jin and eight liang of rice?"

Some people kept silent, thinking about their own little calculations. Since the promotion advocates adding more water, can I add a little more? No one can tell if there is one or two cents less rice per pound, right? Then can I eat more?
Gao Lide was standing right beside them, silent and very quiet.

When Fang Yuan came to see me yesterday, he told me very clearly that when I come to the meeting today, I should just listen and not speak.

After hearing the content of the promotion meeting and the discussions of the people around him, Gao Lide finally understood why Fang Yuan had given him such instructions.

Fang Yuan sat below, his hands constantly clenching and unclenching.

He had something to say. Given his personality, how could he possibly agree with this approach?

Let’s not talk about whether it will fill people’s stomachs or not. What if, what if, when the budget and final accounts are determined, the increased amount is used to replace food, then won’t the employees have less food to eat?

"Come, have a cigarette." Su Qingxiang saw Fang Yuan's reluctance and took out a cigarette and offered it to him.

"Since this matter has been reported to the People's Committee, it cannot be changed by you and me. Just carry out the instructions." Su Qingxiang was afraid that Fang Yuan would jump out and become the target, so he pointed out bluntly.

Fang Yuan nodded, Director Hu's heartfelt words from yesterday still ringing in his ears:

"I understand that you want to protect your children and fight for them, but if we eat more, the people outside the area will have less to eat.

Should people from other places eat less of this?
At least we can still stutter!

In some places, the double steaming method can produce five kilograms of rice with one kilogram of rice!
I know you don't like it, but you have to understand that this is something we have no choice but to do.

It is impossible to increase the quantitative intake in a short period of time, and it may even be reduced. What else can you do at this time except fooling your stomach?
The quantity is not enough. We will find a way to solve it later. Please don’t make a scene at the venue.

This time is different from the past, no one can save you."

The promotion meeting was very successful. Although some people had opinions, they kept them to themselves and did not dare to speak out...

Tang Zhitong didn't know about what happened today and was daydreaming during class as usual.

I've been busy lately and haven't finished painting the spinning wheel yet.

While drawing the spinning wheel, Tang Zhitong was thinking about what birthday gift to give to classmate Xiao Wang.

Xiao Wang’s birthday is coming soon. Nowadays, very few people celebrate their birthdays. It seems that only when the birthdays reach integers or auspicious numbers such as sixty, sixty-six, or seventy, will the family get together to celebrate.

But Tang Zhitong is a young man who is lagging behind after all. There should be a sense of ritual between the young couple, right?

After getting married, Tang Zhitong found out that Xiao Wang was indeed born in 41, but his birthday was earlier.

Strictly speaking, she was not yet 18 years old when the two got married this year.

Both of them lied about their marriage age, so they were even.

Zhang Guifang would definitely not care. As for why Ye Zhijuan did not stop her at the time, the couple guessed that it might have something to do with the fact that they met Sister Li when they were watching a drama.

Xiao Wang is still very young, but he has registered himself in front of his mother's leader. If the plan fails in the end, it will be Xiao Wang's reputation that will be damaged.

In addition, Xiao Wang is a person who is willing to sacrifice for love. If he loses control and something goes wrong, Ye Zhijuan might also be worried about something that would catch her off guard.

It’s the Double Ninth Festival, what should I give as a gift? Tang Zhitong was a little worried.

After class in the afternoon, Tang Zhitong asked Teacher Zhou for leave, the reason being of course that he had something to do at work.

Since he was promoted and Fang Yuan assigned him more staff, there was no reason for him to be responsible for paying salaries.

After returning to the escort office, Tang Zhitong carefully checked the salary list compiled by Ma Wei, signed it himself, and went to find Fang Yuan to sign.

Fang Yuan's room was filled with smoke. When Tang Zhitong entered, he was startled: "Wow, Brother Yuan, is there a fire?"

"Well, I went to the Grain Bureau for a meeting today. We need to promote the double-distillation method throughout the city." Fang Yuan sighed and threw the cigarette box directly to Tang Zhitong.

"Oh, that's normal. I went to Andong at the beginning of the year, and they had already started promoting it there." Tang Zhitong lit a cigarette and remembered the newspaper he saw in Andong in the first half of the year, about the "Corn Edible Increment Method" created by the Santaizi Sideline Production Team.

"Oh! I'm afraid that the canteen's budget and final accounts will be approved based on the increase in volume. The quantity has already been reduced, what if... my work will be difficult in the future." Fang Yuan sighed and shook his head.

No matter how much the grain is steamed or how much it is increased, a pound of grain is still a pound of grain. The only difference before and after is an increased sense of fullness, two more urinations and the chef's workload.

Why is it still being promoted when it is such a simple truth? Fang Yuan doesn't believe that there is no other calculation behind it.

Fang Yuan could understand what Director Hu said. Life was so difficult in other places that they naturally had to save money in Sijiu City. However, most of the people in the transfer office were escorts, which was physical labor. After filling their stomachs, would they still do their jobs?

"Can the fixed quantity be transferred from the canteen?" Tang Zhitong knew what Fang Yuan meant by "increase, increase". Since more food has been steamed, can the fixed quantity be reduced?

Even if there is no reduction, as long as the Food Bureau is determined, there are ways to save food.

Anyone who sells waste paper knows that spraying water on it will increase its weight. I guess many people know this simple truth.

Faced with this kind of thing, the power of an individual is too small. Can an arm really twist a thigh?
"What are you thinking about? Everyone at the meeting was talking about strict control and I can't transfer out. If I can be transferred to an individual household, I won't have to worry. I can buy my own food and do whatever I want." Fang Yuan exhaled another puff of smoke and still shook his head.

"There will always be a way." Tang Zhitong advised dryly, thinking that this day had finally come. Fortunately, he did not leave his food supply at school, and also fortunately, he asked Ma Kejian, Wan Xiangyang and others to transfer the quantitative supply in advance.

Fang Yuan sighed, shook his head again, took out another cigarette, and smoked it with his hand against the butt.

For a moment, there was no other sound in the office except the sound of two people smoking.

"Or... I'll go to the east and get some fish? But we definitely can't do it face to face this time." Tang Zhitong saw Fang Yuan's gloomy face, thought for a while, and proposed a method that he thought was more reliable.

It is true that there are a bunch of fish lying in the space, but Tang Zhitong is not in a hurry to cash them in. The reason he mentioned this is purely for Fang Yuan's sake and to help him solve his problem.

"The risk is too great, let's just wait and see." Although Fang Yuan was worried, he still shook his head and rejected Tang Zhitong's proposal.

Last time, the two of them almost had a car accident because of a piece of dried fish. The lesson from the past should not be forgotten. We should not have this idea unless it is absolutely necessary.

"Okay." Tang Zhitong didn't persuade him. Catching fish would be a big risk for him, but the profit would be minimal, just money, which was a bit useless.

In his position, he seeks his government.

Tang Zhitong no longer worried about the food ration in the canteen of the escort department. He took out the salary sheet and asked Fang Yuan to sign it. He had to get up early tomorrow to go to the Municipal Bureau to collect his salary.

(End of this chapter)