Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 496 495 Rat Infestation
On Monday, December 12, it was still snowing in Anton.

Tang Zhitong woke up to the sound of woodcutters shouting in the mountains. Even from a distance, the woodcutters' shouts were still clearly audible.

Tang Zhitong did not sleep well last night. One moment he dreamed that three idiots came to question him why he did not save them. The next moment he dreamed that the bullets shot by the three idiots flew in front of his face.

In the dream, Tang Zhitong was wise and brave. Even until they emptied the magazine, he was not hurt at all. He still stood in front of the three people and smoked Huazi calmly.

"Have you had enough?" Tang Zhitong looked at the fear in the other person's eyes and glared at him.

"Then it's my turn!" Tang Zhitong said, and pointed his hand holding the cigarette butt toward the sky, launching a forbidden ice spell at them that did not require any chanting - an ice field falling from the sky!
As the three were stunned, huge blocks of ice fell from the sky and knocked them into the river again.

The eight sounds disappeared, and it felt really good.

Because he slept too late yesterday, Tang Zhitong did not wash his feet. When he put on his shoes today, he found that the cotton shoes were not only cold, but also smelled bad.

Tang Zhitong frowned, took out the new cotton shoes made by Zhang Guifang and put them on, planning to dry the wet shoes later.

"Kid, you're wearing this in the middle of winter? Your feet will get cold." After seeing Tang Zhitong's cotton shoes, the old lady looked worried. She then knelt on the bed and took out a pair of large cotton shoes from the cupboard.

"This pair of shoes is made for your second brother. You can wear them first." The old lady took out the shoes, slid out of bed, and handed them to Tang Zhitong.

"Auntie, I'll just wear this pair. These shoes are too big and don't fit my feet." Tang Zhitong waved her hand and refused.

"In this area, no pair of shoes is too small. You have to stuff Ula grass into them." The old lady was delighted when she heard Tang Zhitong's words. She stuffed the shoes into Tang Zhitong's hands without saying anything, and then told Tang Gang, who was standing aside and watching the fun, "Go, pick some Ula grass for your brother."

Tang Gang smiled and turned around and walked out.

Tang Zhitong took the shoes and glanced at Tang Gang's feet. They were indeed a few sizes larger than he remembered.

Look at the shoes in my hand again. They have a cowhide sole and a cotton upper. There is a layer of cotton between the cotton cloth. It is empty inside, more than enough to fit a foot.

After a while, Tang Gang came back with a handful of grass, put it on the ground, and stretched out his hand to Tang Zhitong: "Give me the shoes."

Tang Zhitong handed over the shoes and watched with interest as his elder brother stuffed grass into the shoes.

"Is this the Ula grass?" Tang Zhitong picked up a piece of grass and looked at it carefully. From the surface, there was no difference between it and ordinary grass. It just looked like it had been beaten.

"Yes. Northeast China has three treasures: ginseng, sable fur, and Ula grass. They are used to keep out the wind and keep warm in winter." Tang Gang stuffed the grass into his shoes quickly, and then handed them to Tang Zhitong: "Try them on."

Tang Zhitong changed his shoes hesitantly. It was a little uncomfortable when he first stepped into them, but it didn't hurt his feet.

"Tie your shoelaces and put on your shoes. Living conditions are better now. In the past, people used to weave straw sandals out of Ula grass. Cotton shoes like yours can only be worn in spring and autumn, not in winter. They are okay indoors, but if you go out you will freeze your feet if you walk less than two miles." Tang Gang squatted aside, guiding his brother to put on his shoes.

"It's quite comfortable. I heard that the predecessors of the Anti-Japanese United Army wore this kind of shoes in Beijing before, but this is the first time I see the real thing." Tang Zhitong tied his shoelaces and jumped lightly. They fit his feet well.

Looking at the shoes he was wearing, which were two sizes larger than the pair he had taken off, Tang Zhitong now understood the origin of Xie Da Jiao's nickname in "Country Love". It wasn't necessarily because of big feet, but because the shoes he wore in winter were big.

"Eanzi, wash your face, tidy up, and get ready for dinner." Jin Yumei added water to the basin, called Tang Zhitong, and then said to her husband who was grinning beside her: "My mother asked you to cut a piece of fish and fry it for later."

"Okay." Tang Gang smiled, stood up and prepared to go out to cut the fish.

"Thank you, sister-in-law. I can do it myself from now on." Tang Zhitong was treated very well here, but he was a little uncomfortable.

"Just wash it quickly. It's cold and the water gets cold quickly." Jin Yumei smiled and didn't take it to heart.

After washing and wiping his face, Tang Zhitong heard the "swish" sound of sawing outside, and walked out curiously to see what Tang Gang was doing.

When I came out to take a look, I saw that Tang Gang was sawing a fish with a hacksaw!
This was indeed beyond Tang Zhitong's understanding.

"Brother, is this how you cut the fish in the Northeast?" Tang Zhitong was surprised. He picked up a wooden stick and knocked on the fish's body, which made a "bang bang" sound. It was obviously frozen solid.

"You can chop it with an axe, but you'll have to chop it several times, which will waste a lot. Sawing it this way will waste less." Tang Gang sawed off a whole fish and threw the rest into the snow pile and buried it.

"Just throw it here? Aren't you afraid that the mice will destroy it?" Tang Zhitong looked at the snow pile. It was obvious that there were other things in it.

"Hey, on this day, any mouse that comes out will freeze to death." Tang Gang looked at Tang Zhitong's ignorant look and laughed.

Before, Tang Zhitong had the aura of a big city, so Tang Gang had to look up to him. But as the two got to know each other better, the aura weakened. In addition, the questions his younger brother asked about daily life in the Northeast made this old Northeast kid couldn't help laughing.

"I remember that mice don't hibernate. What do mice eat?" Tang Zhitong was still very curious.

"Just like a squirrel. It has stored food for the winter and hides in its hole without coming out." Tang Gang walked into the house holding a piece of fish and handed the fish to his mother.

Tang Zhitong was surprised to hear this. It turned out that the habits of mice in different places were different?
The rats in the old city are not so particular. They steal food all year round and will destroy things if they are not watched.

It is said in "Shai Shu Bi Tang": Rats are the most common in the residences of the capital city. They are commonly called "mouse rats" because they can destroy many things.

Rats have a tendency to grind their teeth and chew everything. Over time, many things in the house are bitten to pieces, which is no different from destroying people's property. That's why rats are called mice.

Before the fight against the four pests, probably only the coal miners in Shijingshan would hold annual memorial services for rats, while other families were eager to get rid of them as soon as possible.

In order to protect their property from being invaded by mice, many ordinary people would keep a cat in their homes, and even the imperial palace was no exception.

The last time Tang Zhitong visited the Forbidden City, he saw a lot of cats.

The flowers come in various colors. Some nest in the corners, some hide in the treetops waiting for birds, and some lie on the roof to bask in the sun.

Cats are auspicious objects in the old city, and are known as "house tigers" and "wealth-guarding cats". Killing mice means protecting wealth for the family. The staple food for breakfast is hand-rolled noodles, and there are three dishes. In addition to the pickles and sausages from last night, there is also a fried fish.

The fish and sausages were still brought by Tang Zhitong when he came last time.

Tang Zhitong put the food in his mouth and felt a little regretful.

I was so busy gathering food last night that I forgot to gather some fish and pork heads. Now if I want to improve the meals for my uncle and aunt, I have to go out again in the heavy snow.

When Tang Zhitong was having breakfast in Andong, Zhang Guifang, who was far away in Beijing, had high blood pressure.

Without Tang Zhitong at home to keep an eye on them, the rats from the neighborhood finally got the chance.

The whole family was reluctant to eat the sausages that Tang Wenbang brought over because several of them were destroyed by rats.

If you say you want to eat it, then just eat it. This mouse doesn't even hold one stick and eat it. It takes two bites of this one to test the saltiness. It says "pooh, too salty" and then takes two more bites of that one.

"These damn rats, aren't they afraid of choking to death and turning into bats!" Zhang Guifang's face turned pale with anger. Holding the sausage in her hand, she cried with heartache. At this moment, she remembered Tang Zhitong's instructions before he left, and she regretted it.

"Mom, don't be angry. Just think of it as me being greedy and eating it secretly." Xiao Wang handed a towel to his mother-in-law. He had an understanding of her verbal combat effectiveness. Folk rumors said that bats were transformed from mice that ate too much salt secretly. Not only did their voices become hoarse, but their eyes were also blinded by God because of eating secretly.

These words have some fighting power, but they are very limited.

"If you really ate it, I wouldn't feel bad." Zhang Guifang wiped her tears, found a kitchen knife, cut off the part where the mouse was bitten, and planned to wash and steam the rest before eating.

"How about we get a cat? A lady in my unit asked me about this a few days ago, but I didn't agree because we don't have any mice at home and keeping a cat would waste food." Classmate Wang also saw a mouse in the morning. It was a very big one, but he didn't catch it because it ran too fast.

"Feed it! It's better to feed the food to cats than to mice!" Zhang Guifang took out the cut sausages and threw them into the chicken coop, which caused several hens to scramble for them. Those who got the sausages wanted to take them to the corner to enjoy them alone, while those who didn't get the sausages chased after them, wanting to have a share.

The reason why the family didn’t have cats before was because Tang’s father worked in a coal mine. Rats are the gods of the kiln and must be avoided to some extent. But now the person is gone, and this “god” not only has nothing to do with the Tang family’s life, but also causes losses to their lives. This is intolerable.

"You didn't agree last time. Is it appropriate to ask your colleagues again?" Zhang Guifang asked after feeding the chickens and thinking of this.

"What's inappropriate about this? We are very close friends." Xiao Wang responded with a smile, looking confident.

This colleague was none other than Jiang Ye. He said that the cat at home had given birth to a litter of kittens, one of which was of good quality, with a gold quilt and silver bed, and asked Xiao Wang if he wanted one.

Since Xiao Wang got married, she has rarely seen rats in her home. She thought it might be because the street had been thoroughly rid of rats and that this situation would remain. However, she never expected that rats reproduced so quickly and even appeared in her own home.

Before moving to the city, Xiao Wang had a cat. To be exact, several families shared one cat, and the cat was only used to catch mice.

After entering the city, Xiao Wang discovered that cats had infiltrated every aspect of life in the city.

People are particularly tolerant and affectionate to cats. They do not refer to cats' gender as male or female, but instead use male cat or female cat. This is the only case besides humans.

It’s a bit of an exaggeration to say that they treat them as their own children, but cats are rarely bought and sold. Selling cats would be considered a waste of money, so most of them are given as gifts between relatives and friends.

In addition, there are many words related to cats in daily language, such as:

When children play hide-and-seek, it is not called hide-and-seek, but "hide-and-seek";
In the cold winter, every household hangs door curtains and does not go out. This is not called laziness, but "hibernating".
Whoever drinks is called "drinking two ounces of cat urine";
To say someone is doing something perfunctorily is like "a cat covering shit";
There is also the "cat's eye," which does not refer to the hole on the door through which you can look out, for there is no such thing nowadays, but to a gemstone that looks as beautiful as a cat's eye;
There are many more like this.

After arriving at the office, Xiao Wang poured a glass of water for Jiang Ye and asked, "Sister Jiang, have you given away your cat?"

"There are two left. What? You want them again?" Jiang Ye took the cup of water and held it in his hands through the towel to warm it.

"Oh, don't mention it. Rats got into the house and ruined the food. My mother-in-law is so sad." Student Wang agreed.

"It's destined that the cat you told me about is mine. I've never been willing to give away the golden quilt and silver bed. I'll bring it back tomorrow." Jiang Ye's eyes were genuine, he really liked this cat.

"Thank you, Sister Jiang. What is a golden quilt and a silver bed?" Student Wang didn't know much about cats, and he didn't like them very much because cats were too noisy, especially in spring and autumn. Their meows were so miserable that people couldn't sleep.

"The Cat Divination Sutra says that the one with a yellow body and a white belly is called 'golden quilt and silver bed'. It symbolizes being covered with gold and silver every day, which has a very good meaning and is considered a lucky cat." Jiang Ye explained to Xiao Wang.

During this period of time, Jiang Ye has truly felt the importance of money. Even if he doesn't have a ticket, he can still buy food as long as he is willing to pay. It's just that this money is a bit tight.

In the past, Jiang Ye scoffed at the meaning of anything, but as her wallet became smaller and smaller, she hoped to get a good start and give her life some hope.

"This is the first time I've heard that there are so many explanations for raising a cat." Student Wang was thinking about the cats that occasionally appeared in the streets and alleys. He seemed to have seen the pattern that Jiang Ye mentioned.

"There are so many ways to raise a cat. Just by the colors, they can be divided into such types as Chiyu, Xiaotie, Embroidered Tiger, Lihua, Tortoise Shell, Butterfly in the Mouth, Snow-Seeking Plum, Black Jade with Pearls, Needle Hidden in Ink, Whipping Hydrangea, etc. Even a golden quilt and a silver bed are not considered the best." Jiang Ye counted on his fingers for Xiao Wang to hear. At the end, he shook his head. He was a little crazy. Raising a cat would bring wealth?

"If it's the best one, I wouldn't dare to take it. A gentleman does not take away what is good from others. If you are reluctant to give it up, give me one of other patterns, as long as it can catch mice." After listening to Jiang Ye's clear and logical words, Xiao Wang could tell that this was a cat lover.

"What's good or bad? I just want to find a good home for the cat. You and Xiao Tang are good enough. I feel at ease with the cat staying with you. At least it will have something to eat." Jiang Ye's smile was a little forced. It was not because he was reluctant, but because a neighbor had already lost a cat. As for where the cat went, everyone had a rough idea in their minds and estimated that it would never come back.

"Don't worry, Sister Jiang, you won't starve. If the mice you catch at home are not enough to eat, we will make up for it. A cat can't eat much food." Seeing Jiang Ye's smile, Xiao Wang had some misunderstandings and immediately made the assurance.

"Don't worry. There's nothing to worry about. I was just thinking that this cat has suffered a lot following me. It has only been hungry for two meals in three days." Jiang Ye probably sensed the inappropriateness in his words and tried to make excuses for himself.

"It's like this now, but things will get better." Xiao Wang sighed in his heart and comforted dryly.

I have received my husband's telegram informing me that he is safe. I hope he is safe over there and can buy food.

(End of this chapter)