Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 505 504 Test Cat
"Uncle Zhang, recently... well, I'm bothering you again." Tang Zhitong wanted to ask how he was doing recently and say a few polite words, but when he saw how thin the old man Zhang looked, he swallowed his words back. It would be a miracle if he could get better if he looked that way.

"It's not time for the toon trees to grow yet." Old man Zhang opened the bamboo door and looked up at his own toon tree anxiously, not understanding what Tang Zhitong meant.

"This time it's not about Chinese toon. I want to ask you, is there any unused stone mill in our village? I can buy it with money or exchange it for grain, it's all fine." Tang Zhitong stated his purpose directly.

"Stone mill? I have one at home. Come in and see if you like it." When he heard that Tang Zhitong wanted a stone mill, Old Man Zhang immediately let Tang Zhitong into the yard.

"Okay." After Tang Zhitong entered the gate, he looked in the direction pointed by Old Man Zhang. There was indeed one, but it was not big.

Tang Zhitong walked over and looked at it. This stone mill was different from the common ones. It was obviously smaller in size, but it was made very delicately.

"This was given to me by the village when we divided up the land among the landlords a few years ago. Last year, the village became a commune, but because it was too small, the commune didn't want it, so it has been lying here ever since." Old man Zhang told Tang Zhitong the origin of the stone mill in detail. Fearing that Tang Zhitong would not want it, he added, "Comrade, if you don't like it, I'll go to the village and find you a bigger one."

Tang Zhitong understood what Old Man Zhang meant. He just wanted to seize this opportunity to exchange for some food.

"Can I try pushing it?" Tang Zhitong quite liked the size of this stone mill. It was easy to carry, and there was no need to find someone to install it. Family members could lift it and press it, so there was no need for help from outsiders.

"Okay, it works well. My grandson used to help the family push it after school." Old man Zhang naturally had no reason to disagree. He gave Tang Zhitong a wooden stick and inserted it into the hole as a lever.

Tang Zhitong was speechless after hearing this. Did he come here to be a grandson? But he didn't argue with Old Man Zhang. He didn't mean to say that. He said that, which showed that he was simple.

Tang Zhitong took the stick and walked forward a few slow steps, carefully looking for any bumps on the millstone as he walked.

The stone mill is well preserved and might have been bought by the landlord to play with.

Its small size meant that it had to turn more times to crush the grains, but it was also easy to push, which was a good way for Fengzhi to exercise.

"Uncle Zhang, do you want to exchange money or grain?" Tang Zhitong was quite satisfied with the stone mill. He pushed it around and stopped, asking directly.

"Exchange food!" When Old Man Zhang heard Tang Zhitong ask this, he felt relieved and replied anxiously.

"Okay, corn is okay?"

"Well, can we exchange it for sweet potatoes?" Old man Zhang shook his head. Although corn tastes better than sweet potatoes, he can exchange more sweet potatoes to support his family for a few more days.

"Hey, Sweet Potato, I can think of a way. How do you plan to change it?"

"This..." Old man Zhang was in a dilemma. He rubbed his hands, not knowing how to answer, fearing that the negotiation would fail. But he really wanted more as his family was short of money.

"My friend bought a stone mill a while ago for eight dollars. Uncle Zhang, I believe you also know that stone mill is more labor-intensive than stone roller..." Tang Zhitong tried to find a reference price, but before he could finish his words, he was interrupted anxiously by Uncle Zhang.

"Comrade, the stone mill looks labor-intensive, but the stone used for the stone mill is softer than the stone roller. In fact, the two are almost the same. You can't bargain down!" Old man Zhang argued with reason, trying to find ways to exchange more for his family, while also using body movements and a pleading look on his face.

Tang Zhitong couldn't bear to watch, so he raised the price: "How about this, let's take ten yuan, is that ok?"

"Okay!" After hearing Tang Zhitong's agreement, Old Man Zhang put down his waving hands.

"The price of coarse grain coupons outside is one yuan per catty. One catty of coarse grain coupons can buy five catties of sweet potatoes, which is fifty catties in total. Is this exchange okay?"

“…Okay!” Old man Zhang was so conflicted. The price was good, but his family was too poor. But after hesitating for a while, he finally gave in. If he didn’t, the other party would just turn around and leave. Wouldn’t he get nothing?
"Okay. Then we two will unload the stone mill and load it onto the truck. Please pull it to the village entrance and I will go back to find some sweet potatoes for you. We'll meet later. In order not to let you pull it in vain, I'll give you five more pounds of sweet potatoes." Tang Zhitong looked at the stone mill and then at Old Man Zhang. It seemed unlikely that he could unload it by himself in this state, so he finally took a step back.

"Okay!" Old Man Zhang was naturally happy to hear Tang Zhitong say this, and rolled up his sleeves to get started.

There is a pier under the stone mill, which is stable and does not shake. The materials used can be chosen according to your preference. Tang Zhitong has seen ones made of bricks and ones made of stones.

The one owned by Zhang has stones underneath and no cement in the middle. It is simply a pier on top, so it is easier to dismantle.

The father and son first lifted down the stone roller, and then the millstone surface. Tang Zhitong waited at the gate for a while, waiting for Old Man Zhang to go out and borrow a cart.

When the commune was established last year, any large and valuable production tools were no longer owned by individuals. They were all converted into public property.

After lifting everything onto the cart, Old Man Zhang tied them up slightly with a rope.

"Uncle Zhang, do you have a sack or a basket? Lend it to me and I'll bring the sweet potatoes back for you." Tang Zhitong asked, patting the dust off his hands.

"There is a bamboo basket. I'll find one for you." Old Man Zhang did not suspect that Tang Zhitong had tricked him into giving him a bamboo basket. He immediately found one from another room and handed it to Tang Zhitong.

Tang Zhitong tied the bamboo basket to the bicycle, pushed it behind the cart first, helped Old Man Zhang out, and then rode his bicycle back.

If you come here empty-handed, you must find time to "pick" the sweet potatoes.

After Mr. Zhang went out, he tried to pull the cart forward, but he started sweating after only a few steps. He had no choice but to stop temporarily and go home to replenish some calories.

Tang Zhitong walked eastward until he was far away from Qinzikeng, then he stopped to smoke a cigarette and rest.

Tang Zhitong wanted to buy some cement to pass the time, but cement is something that is quite difficult to buy.

At present, at least 80% of the cement on the market is used in industry or major projects, and the rest is for civilian use.

Because it is so rare, the purchasing level has increased.

The purchase and sale of cement is now the responsibility of the materials department of Yongmao Building Materials Company, which is the first state-owned architectural design unit in New Taipei City. Its offices were once located in Jinyu Hutong and Dongchang Hutong, and are now located on Nanlishi Road.

Tang Zhitong has been here for more than a year, and there are so many things he doesn't understand. He still doesn't know whether this company has any subordinate stores outside. He only knows that the property management does, but it is difficult to buy privately, so he asked Xu Hui to write the note the first time.

After smoking a cigarette on the way, Tang Zhitong rode his bicycle westward, slowly stuffing sweet potatoes into the basket along the way.

When we were almost at Qinzikeng, we saw from afar Old Man Zhang guarding a cart, squatting on the side of the road, with his hands in his sleeves and his neck stretched to look east.

"Uncle Zhang, you must be waiting anxiously, right? Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission and got everything." When Tang Zhitong arrived in front of Old Man Zhang, he braked his bicycle, stood up, untied the bamboo basket from the back seat of the bicycle, and lifted it to the ground with both hands.

"It's okay, it's okay, I just arrived too." After hearing this, Zhang Laosan's face was full of smiles.

"Please feel it." Tang Zhitong kicked the bamboo basket on the ground, signaling Old Man Zhang to take action.

Zhang Laosan really wanted to do it, and he did, but he couldn't lift it...

"Uncle Zhang, don't worry, the portion is definitely not bad, and I gave you a little more." Tang Zhitong looked at him with a sad face. "How can I be so embarrassed?" Old man Zhang smiled and said politely, but he had no intention of returning the money.

"Just consider it as a deposit I paid in advance, and you can exchange it for Chinese toon next year." Tang Zhitong said as he untied the rope on the cart and lifted the stone mill to the ground.

"Okay, I'll definitely save all the Chinese toon for you next year." It would be a lie for Old Man Zhang to say he wasn't touched. At the beginning of this year, it was the young man in front of him who helped him out of an urgent need, and now it's still...

"Okay, I'll come to see you then." Tang Zhitong carried the bamboo basket onto the cart again and tied it tightly with a rope.

"How are you going to transport it back? I'm too weak to help you." Old man Zhang said apologetically as he looked at the sweet potatoes on the cart.

"I have an appointment and will be there in a moment. It's cold outside, so you should go back quickly." After doing all this, Tang Zhitong started to chase the man away.

"Okay. Well... Comrade, is one stone mill enough? If not, I can help you find two, no, three!" Old man Zhang wanted to earn more sweet potatoes, but he also felt that he was a little greedy and was very embarrassed.

"One is enough, thank you, Uncle Zhang." Tang Zhitong felt sad. It must be a difficult situation to force an honest man to lose face.

Old man Zhang pulled the cart away with a look of regret. Tang Zhitong waited until he was far away before seizing the opportunity to pull the stone mill into the space and leave.

I rode my bike all the way back and first went to the housing management office to buy a bag of cement. Then when I arrived at the gate, half a bag of sand appeared on the bike.

Tang Zhitong carried the cement and sand and placed them under the eaves of the main house, planning to use them in the evening.

"Are you back? Did you buy it?" Zhang Guifang heard the noise and came out to ask.

"Yes, I bought it and made an appointment to pick it up in the evening. The stone mill is not big, so I guess it will take a few turns before it can be crushed." Tang Zhitong brushed off the dust on his body and said with gritted teeth.

"It's okay to turn it a few more times. If it doesn't work, soak it in water, pass it through the stone mill again, and then make pancakes to eat." Now that there is food at home, Zhang Guifang is no longer panicking. She can eat anything to satisfy her hunger.

"That's fine." Although Tang Zhitong didn't like pancakes very much, in the face of hunger, personal preferences were insignificant. His stomach would teach him how to behave.

"Come into the house and warm up. The frozen pears you thawed should be ready. Eat some and take a rest." Feeling sorry for her own son, Zhang Guifang gave way.

"Let's wait till tonight. Mom, we've bought the food. Please increase the ration a little bit in the future. Don't tell Fengzhen and Fengzhi."

"That's a good idea. Okay." Zhang Guifang thought about it and nodded in agreement.

Tang Zhitong did not go into the house, but yawned and said, "Mom, I haven't slept well in the past few days. I'll go back to the house to catch up on some sleep."

"Okay, don't forget to light the stove. I'll call you when it's time for dinner."

"Yeah." When Tang Zhitong left, Beibei, who was squatting on the threshold of the main house, trotted over.

"Beibei, come here." Seeing this, Zhang Guifang was afraid that the kitten would disturb her son's rest, so she called out.

"Wow, is it recognizing its home?" Tang Zhitong was a little surprised.

"Fengzhi always drags it around to play, so it must be unhappy. Except for the first day after it came back, it slept in the main room, and then it slept in the side room." Zhang Guifang explained.

"It's okay, leave it here." Tang Zhitong smiled. Seven or eight years old is the age when children are naughty and hated by cats and dogs. Beibei's behavior is not surprising at all.

After entering the house, Tang Zhitong lit the stove first. Beibei curled up obediently in the small nest prepared for it by Xiao Wang, licking its paws from time to time, without making any noise or noise.

Seeing this, Tang Zhitong became interested. He searched the space for some mice he had picked up from the Northeast, picked out a small one, and threw it in front of Beibei.

Beibei was confused, and Haozi was confused too.

A cat and a mouse, face to face, neither of them moved for a moment.

Beibei: Am I dazzled? Where did this guy come from?

Mouse: I was sleeping soundly in my warm bed just now, and I was suddenly sent to the city. I haven’t even registered my household registration yet, and I met a kitten. What should I do? Waiting online, it’s urgent.

Beibei tentatively leaned forward: Meow?
The mouse was so frightened that it turned around and ran away.

The animal's nature drove Beibei to chase after it.

The cat is a kitten and the mouse is not that old either. The cat and the mouse are well matched. Tang Zhitong just watches them happily and doesn't worry about the mouse running away. The doors and windows are closed. This room is his sphere of influence and he has the final say.

After two rounds, the mouse was forced into a corner, lying motionless, looking as if it had resigned itself to its fate and letting the cat do whatever it wanted.

Beibei was not in a hurry either. He stretched out his little paws and teased the mouse.

Haozi: AUV, I seem to see myself as a grandmother.

"Okay, stop playing and eat." Tang Zhitong urged.

Beibei turned his head towards Tang Zhitong and meowed with his head tilted.

Even so, the mouse did not dare to move.

Seeing that Tang Zhitong didn't say anything, Beibei turned his head back, tilted his head to look at the mouse for a while, then opened his mouth and bit it.

Perhaps because it was still young and lacked strength, it did not bite the mouse to death in one bite.

The bitten mouse may have felt that its life was coming to an end, and it squeaked in Beibei's mouth.

Beibei ignored him, ran to the stove, put his head on the ground and relaxed.

Before the mouse could react, it put its claws on the food and started eating.

Tang Zhitong couldn't bear to watch it from the side, it was really eaten raw!
The mouse was pinned to the ground, powerless to resist, and could only squeak: "I am not a duck neck, can you please give me a quick death first? I want to see my great-grandmother, I want to see my great-grandmother!"
Haozi finally went to see his great-grandmother.

Beibei lay in the nest and washed his face contentedly, then licked his paws and played with the straw.

Tang Zhitong felt relieved. This cat was different from other pet cats. It could catch mice. He would not have to catch mice at home anymore!
(End of this chapter)