Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 482 481 Advanced Experience
Door curtains are a common item in urban areas.

There are two seasons in a year, and the door curtains used in the two seasons are very different.

The transparent ones in summer are used to prevent mosquitoes; the thick ones in winter are used to block the cold wind.

A while ago, before the weather got cold, Zhang Guifang used the money she had saved and the few remaining cloth coupons to buy two pieces of cloth and made a cotton door curtain for the young couple.

It is made very delicately, with two paintings sewn on the outside, both of which have good meanings.

This kind of door curtain is considered to be above average in specifications for working-class families.

There are even more luxurious items on the market, such as embroidered door curtains and silk door curtains, but most of them are custom-made and ordinary people cannot afford them.

According to Tang Zhitong, few people came in and out of the wing rooms, so the door curtain had limited use and he didn't want to spend the money.

But Zhang Guifang did not discuss it with the young couple before buying it. Since it had been bought and made, they just used it.

It is indeed easy to use. It not only prevents wind, but also can insulate noise and block sight.

Friday, September 12st.

Student Wang received his salary yesterday in the afternoon and had no time to buy anything. Today, after sending his two younger sisters to school, he went to the store to weigh the wool.

The reason why Xiao Wang wanted to knit a sweater was because he noticed that in late autumn, no one in the family except himself had a sweater. The only one Tang Zhitong had was his father's cashmere sweater, which he seldom wore because he was reluctant to part with it.

Without a sweater, you can only wear a cotton jacket when the temperature drops.

Due to the mismatch between the season and the clothes, the cotton-padded jacket is not only stuffy but also makes you sweat easily, which is a very bad experience.

Student Wang is not very skilled at knitting sweaters. Before this, she had only knitted a crooked scarf for Tang Zhitong. So this time she practiced on Tang Zhitong's scarf first. After she became proficient, she knitted the first one for Fengzhen.

Girls in junior high school already know what face is, especially since there are so many daughters from wealthy families in the school.

There were no more cloth coupons left at home, so Xiao Wang borrowed the cloth coupons from his mother to buy wool yarn this time.

Last year it was still okay, as cloth coupons were only limited to purchasing cloth, but this year many textile products are included in the items that can be purchased with cloth coupons, such as towels, socks, sweatshirts and vests, cotton-wool shirts and trousers, sanitary shirts and trousers, bed sheets, cotton blankets, wool blankets, wool yarn, etc.

The current temperature is too cold to wear a sweater, so this gives Xiao Wang some time to slowly knit. After all, he is not very full and is not in the mood to do this.

When Tang Zhitong rode his bicycle to the gate of Post and Telecommunications University, he saw Yan Xiongfei.

The security guard is very conscientious and will not let in non-unit personnel, no matter which unit you are from or what position you hold.

As for the last time when Ruan Yan asked Wei Zhizhen to criticize the security guard, just listen to that kind of words.

If Wei Zhizhen really dared to go, he would definitely not get any good results. Even if he was not beaten, he would be called a lackey.

The doormen these days are not the security guards of decades later. Most security guards are outsourced from third parties and are temporary workers.

Now, the doormen of most units have formal organization and are affiliated with the Security Section or Security Department. There is a world of difference between the two.

Every security guard carries a weapon and has law enforcement power. Not only are they responsible for the public security of their unit, they also occasionally assist the local police station in doing some things. Most of them also serve as militiamen, and they go out for training from time to time and speak very toughly.

The guard wouldn't let him in, so Yan Xiongfei had to wait. He came today to give a thank-you gift, and he got up early in the morning, prepared to wait for Tang Zhitong in case he wasn't allowed in. He couldn't possibly trouble Ruan Yan to find someone again.

"Director Yan? Are you here looking for someone?" After seeing Yan Xiongfei, Tang Zhitong immediately came down to greet him.

"I came to see you, shall we go over there?" When Yan Xiongfei saw that it was Tang Zhitong, a smile immediately appeared on his face. It was worth it to have been freezing for these twenty minutes.

"Okay." Tang Zhitong parked the bicycle at the school gate, right under the nose of the security department, so there was no need to worry about it being stolen.

The two walked to the other side of the school gate, avoiding the sight of the guard, and Yan Xiongfei said, "Comrade Tang, Wang Bo passed the exam, thanks to your help."

"Well, Director Yan, you're too kind. I couldn't help much. It was Wang Bo who worked hard on his own. I heard that he did very well in the preliminary exam." Tang Zhitong waved his hand.

"If you hadn't come forward, he probably wouldn't even have had the chance to sign up." Yan Xiongfei said, pulling out something wrapped in newspaper from his pocket and handing it to Tang Zhitong: "Last time I saw that you liked to drink tea, so I bought some. I want to express my gratitude on behalf of Wang Bo's parents. You must accept it."

"Director Yan, I appreciate the kindness, but forget about the gift." Tang Zhitong shook his head and pushed it back.

"Comrade Tang, I came here with a heart of gratitude. You can't make me appear to be incompetent, right?" Yan Xiongfei had a smile on his face, but his tone was unquestionable. He stuffed the thing directly into Tang Zhitong's arms.

Tang Zhitong was stunned. Why did this sound so familiar? Wasn't this the line he used to refuse Yan Xiongfei last time?
"Okay, then I'll accept it first." Tang Zhitong reacted quickly. Just accept it. At worst, he can bring some things back next time he goes to Yan Xiongfei's house. Only when there is give and take, can the friendship last.

After seeing Yan Xiongfei off and walking into the campus, Tang Zhitong was still sighing that he had not received many gifts in more than a year, and Yan Xiongfei had received two of them.

For some people, every hair on their body is taken care of meticulously, while for others, their hands and feet seem to be redundant and have nowhere to put them.

Tang Zhitong didn't want to be the latter person.

At noon, the roommates went to the cafeteria to get food. Everyone came back early, except Luo Zhiping, who came late but was very happy.

"What are you so happy about? Did you find a food coupon?" Tang Zhitong was eating a steamed bun he brought from home with a small portion of pickles. Seeing his happy look, he joked.

"Hey, the canteen chef was merciful today and gave us more rice than usual. The line is really long." Luo Zhiping explained excitedly to Tang Zhitong, while opening his own lunch box to show the rice.

"Wow, that's a profit." Tang Zhitong took a look at the shape of the rice grains and found that they were a little bigger than usual. It was obvious that the canteen chef had learned an "advanced" method of steaming rice and was testing it out in the canteen.

Although he knew that the rice was not very good, Tang Zhitong did not break the window paper.

"Oh, I can have a full meal today. By the way, what day is today? Why is the supply increased?" Luo Zhiping said as he sat down at the head of his bed and prepared to eat.

"Squad leader, this seems to be rice steamed using the double-steaming method." Gu Mancang hesitated for a moment and spoke.

"Double distillation method? I seem to have heard of it somewhere." Luo Zhiping was stunned and couldn't remember it for a moment.

"I read today's newspaper at the newspaper stand. It said that steaming rice twice and adding water twice can produce more rice. This is an advanced cooking method called double steaming." Gu Mancang told Luo Zhiping the information in the newspaper.

"Damn, isn't this just a replica of the incremental method?" Luo Zhiping remembered that he had heard people talk about the incremental method before, along with a jingle: Incremental, incremental, the rice bubbles up, your stomach gets hungry, and your bladder gets damaged.

"Try it, you never know if it's delicious." Tang Zhitong interrupted Luo Zhiping. This kid sometimes speaks without restraint.

Luo Zhiping was half-believing and half-doubting. He took a bite and put it into his mouth. There was nothing to chew. He chewed it twice and swallowed it directly. He said self-deprecatingly: "This rice is easy to eat. The canteen is very thoughtful."

After that, he looked at everyone's lunch boxes and found that only he had made double steamed rice, so he asked, "No, do you all know this or what? Why doesn't anyone make rice to eat?"

"We are used to eating noodles." Lu Jian winked at Luo Zhiping. Shi Huaian grinned and said, "I suddenly want to change the taste today."

"I eat liquid food every day at home, but now I prefer this kind of hard dry food." Gu Mancang saw Luo Zhiping looking at him and explained embarrassedly.

Although Gu Mancang had never come across the double-distillation method before, he understood from the literal meaning of the newspaper that this thing was similar to the porridge he ate in his hometown.

The paste is even worse than the double-distillation method. Not only is more water added, but wild vegetables are also mixed in.

Therefore, many local people joked: You can't build a wall without soil, adding water cannot replace food, so drinking one more bowl of wine will contribute more to the crops.

The book says that every failure makes you wiser. Since reading books broadened his horizons, Gu Mancang has reflected on his past.

Don't believe all the information in newspapers. It's not a bad thing to be a step behind others in promoting some advanced things. The area next to my hometown became a typical example last year, and as a result, many people were begging along the road to rely on their relatives this year.

"Oh, my four taels of meal ticket!" His stomach growled, Luo Zhiping sighed, and buried his head in his meal.

Man is iron and rice is steel. If you don't eat for a meal, you will be hungry. Even if the rice is a little soft, you have to eat it first. At worst, you can't fight at night!

Tang Zhitong brought two steamed buns. After eating, he poured half a bowl of boiling water into the lunch box and planned to drink it later.

Tang Zhitong basically never fetched water. He usually borrowed water from his roommates. Naturally, his water ticket was also placed in the dormitory for public use.

The effect of water tickets is not obvious in summer, but it becomes obvious in winter. Anyone who wants to wash their hair or soak their feet needs a water ticket.

A while ago, someone was smart enough to let hot water out of the heating pipe and use it for washing feet.

Many people learned from this advanced experience, but within a few days, some students living upstairs complained that the heating was not warm enough.

After checking the boiler room all the way, the dormitory management team caught a few unlucky guys.

It's a warning to others. Although he was not expelled, he was inevitably criticized and reported to the whole school.

This is just on the surface. The possibilities of subsequent things like being evaluated for excellence, joining an organization, etc. are basically zero. Even the assignments after graduation are almost always to places that others are unwilling to go.

It's really not worth it just for a basin of foot washing water.

"You're right, I feel a little fuller than usual." Although he knew about the jingle, it was the first time for Luo Zhiping to eat this kind of rice, and he was a little shaken by the jingle he had heard before.

"Then congratulations on finding a way to fill your stomach. Lie down on the bed and rest for a while so that the feeling of fullness can last longer." Shi Huaian seemed to know something. There was a hint of teasing in his eyes when he looked at Luo Zhiping. After he finished speaking, he shook his head and then lay down first.

Luo Zhiping rubbed his stomach and felt that he was really full. He thought his roommate was right, so he decided to take a nap in bed.

But after lying down for a while, before I fell asleep, I felt my lower abdomen was a little bloated, and it felt like I was about to pass water.

If I don't let go, I can hold it in, but if I hold it in, I can't fall asleep.

Luo Zhiping turned over, put on his slippers, quietly opened the dormitory door, and went to the toilet.

After the lunch break, Luo Zhiping yawned and touched his stomach. The familiar half-full state returned. Except for the extra urine, it seemed no different from before.

"Sergeant, how do you feel?" Shi Huailiang woke up from a nap and asked Luo Zhiping who was yawning.

"I'd better just eat whole grains." Luo Zhiping did not answer directly, but he also expressed his attitude very tactfully.

"Let's go, let's go to class." Tang Zhitong was afraid that Luo Zhiping would say something inappropriate, so he took the lead in calling everyone out. After thinking for a while, he finally pulled Luo Zhiping back and reminded him, "Class monitor, you must be careful when speaking about this kind of thing. Don't follow the footsteps of those guys who stole the hot water."

"Thank you, Teacher Tang. I understand." Luo Zhiping nodded and reflected on himself. He felt that he had been a little slack recently and was not as good as Gu Mancang. He still had to study newspapers every day.

At the same time, Huashi Street also organized publicity activities in different alleys, and everyone at home was called to go over and listen.

There are two main points of the propaganda: one is to save grain, and the other is the double-distillation method.

There is no need to say much about saving food, everyone cherishes it.

The focus is on the promotion of the double distillation method.

First, read the advanced experiences in the newspaper, and then a neighbor who has tried it will come forward and say, "I have tried this method, it works!"
Finally, I call on everyone to learn and follow up.

Many neighbors immediately expressed their desire to learn, and asked detailed questions such as how long to steam it and how much water to add.

Zhang Guifang mingled in the crowd without saying a word, but the more she listened, the more she felt that it was similar to what her son had said to her the day before: "add water."

Seeing the promoters and their personal testimonials with great confidence, and seeing the neighbors eager to try, Zhang Guifang became a little shaken.

After returning home, Zhang Guifang thought about it and decided to give it a try. If it worked, she could save her son from going to Andong to buy food.

After class, Tang Zhitong went to the escort department as usual and went home after get off work.

"Are you back? Let's have double-steamed rice today." In order to avoid being asked too many questions later, Zhang Guifang took the initiative to "confess" as soon as she saw Tang Zhitong.

"Okay, let's learn from the advanced ones." After hearing this, Tang Zhitong felt helpless for a moment, but he couldn't really blame his mother. She just believed what others said and wanted her family to have more food to eat.

After learning from the advanced, you will always gain something.

If it really works, I will definitely follow up. If it doesn’t work, just take it as a lesson for me.

Tang Zhitong would occasionally eat rice, and he liked to pour vegetable soup over it. Although the rice was a bit watery, it was easier to absorb the flavor.

However, the double-steamed rice is obviously different from the normal rice with vegetable soup. It is soft and not chewy.

When I just finished my portion, I did feel a little fuller than usual, but after taking a break and drinking some water, the feeling of fullness was gone.

"Mom, are we still going to eat double-steamed rice in the future?" Tang Zhitong asked tentatively.

"If you don't want to eat, don't eat." The family went to the toilet more often after dinner than usual, and Zhang Guifang was no exception. After experiencing this advanced experience personally once, she gave up.

"Okay, you'll do the same thing as you did before." Tang Zhitong said happily.

Double-steamed rice may have advantages in the summer, after all, you sweat more, but in the winter, you will just have to go to the toilet one more time.

On that evening, many families ate advanced double-steamed rice, and their behavior of going to the toilet was generally the same.

(End of this chapter)