Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 508 Chapter 507 Real World
The little commander came back just in time for dinner and spoke highly of Tang Zhitong's cooking skills.

If the commander-in-chief appreciates this, Tang Zhitong can be considered as a little cow who has taken a flight for once, but it’s just a small thing.

After dinner, the "commander" wanted to take Tang Zhitong to go fishing, but was suppressed by his sister.

"Mom, we're going to go back first. We still have to install the stone mill." After Xiao Wang finished washing the dishes and drank a sip of water, the couple got up and said goodbye.

After leaving the alley, Tang Zhitong said to Xiao Wang, "You go back first. I'll go to work and bring back some things."

"Let me go with you, we can bring back more together." Xiao Wang said considerately.

"No need. Go back and wash the clothes I took off. Too many will be eye-catching. I will go to the company every day from now on. We can move like ants. We can take it slow." It is a waste of physical strength to make a long trip there. Tang Zhitong found a reason to send Xiao Wang away.

"Okay then." Xiao Wang did not insist. It was indeed time to wash the clothes, so that he wouldn't have to do it for him when he got home late.

Tang Zhitong rode all the way to the west entrance of Huashi Street and watched Xiao Wang heading east back home before getting on the bike again.

Naturally, there was no food in the unit, so Tang Zhitong rode slowly and aimlessly westward. When he came to his senses, he found that he was almost at Fang Yuan's house.

Well, now that you're here, come in and sit down.

Tang Zhitong pulled out a few crucian carps that he had saved from the space, killed them, wrapped them in newspaper, put them in his bag, then stuffed a bottle of ketchup that he had made a while ago into the bag before pushing his bicycle into the house.

Nowadays, every household has a cotton curtain hanging on the door. Tang Zhitong went straight to the room where Fang Yuan was, knocked on the door and called out, "Brother Yuan, are you home?"

"I'm here, big brother." The person who opened the door was Fang Yuan's lover Jin Erni.

"Hello, sister-in-law. Is Brother Yuan working overtime?" The room was still warm, but the child was young. In order to prevent the child from catching a cold, Tang Zhitong closed the door and stood inside the door.

"No, he heard a while ago that you can shoot birds in Wanping Mountain, so he went there to try his luck. Come and sit down." Jin Erni held the steel egg in one hand and used the other hand to get a stool for Tang Zhitong.

"Sister-in-law, you hold the child tightly, I'll do it myself." Tang Zhitong took two quick steps, took a stool and sat down.

Wanping, I don’t know if Fang Yuan listened to what Wan Xiangyang said. It’s a pity to go there this day.

"We don't have anything good to offer at home. Please help me hold Gangdan for a while and I'll pour you a glass of water." Jin Erni handed the child in her arms to Tang Zhitong without saying a word.

"Oh my...how come Gangdan is so cute?" Tang Zhitong wanted to refuse, but subconsciously took the child.

If you count carefully, Gangdan is less than a hundred days old. He is white, tender and milky. His two big black eyes look at the stranger in front of him. He pouts and looks like he is about to cry in front of Tang Zhitong.

In order to stop the child from crying, Tang Zhitong played the snapper, then supported the steel egg with his right hand and gently patted the child's butt with his left hand.

Fortunately, Jin Erni was quick and efficient. In less than two minutes, she poured a glass of water for Tang Zhitong and placed the teapot next to him.

The teapot is a cylindrical one. In Tang Zhitong's opinion, it has a very simple style and has the word "囍" painted on it. It might be something they used when they got married.

Most ordinary people these days use this kind of teapot, and those who sell big bowls of tea on the street also use this kind. Those with better economic conditions will use newer styles or purple clay ones.

"Here, give it to me. I didn't expect you to hold the child so properly." Jin Erni reached out to take the child and praised.

"Hehe, I took care of my younger sister at home when I was a child. Auntie wasn't at home either?" Tang Zhitong handed the steel egg to Jin Erni. There was no one in the outer room, and no sound came from the inner room.

"I went to get milk for Gangdan. I think he'll be back soon. What do you want to do with Yuanzi?"

"Oh, nothing. I went fishing today and caught a few crucian carp. I brought them here." Tang Zhitong took out a crucian carp wrapped in newspaper from his bag and placed it at his feet together with ketchup.

"Oh, I feel embarrassed that you keep bringing fish here again and again." Jin Erni looked at the little one in her arms, sighed, but did not refuse.

"Look at what my sister-in-law said. We are not strangers. When Gangdan can call people, just let him call me uncle a few more times."

"Yes! I'll teach him to call me uncle first." Jin Erni then started to tease the child, "Come on, Gangdan, call me uncle."

Gangdan naturally wouldn't do that, but when he saw his mother's smiling face, he also grinned.

This may be the motivation for Fang Yuan to go to Wanping in the cold winter.

Tang Zhitong didn't stay long. He drank half a glass of water and stood up to say goodbye. He pulled the door shut and didn't let Jin Erni go out to see him off.

When returning home, Tang Zhitong did not go through the west entrance of Huashi Street, but went through Chongwenmennei Street, walked along Jianguomen Street, and returned from the East Gate.

There are fewer people here, and taking a walk around can save some time.

In addition to corn, Tang Zhitong also brought back some hard goods: pork head.

"Mom, we're in for a treat tonight." Tang Zhitong carried a sack into the house, took out the pork head he had prepared, and wrapped it in newspaper. There was no soup or anything.

"What's that?" Zhang Guifang untied the bag curiously.

"Pork head." Tang Zhitong reached out and took out the pig's head wrapped in newspaper. He opened the newspaper and saw most of the pig's head, which weighed about five or six pounds.

"Where did it come from?" Zhang Guifang asked.

"Well, my uncle must have stuffed it in there because he was afraid that I wouldn't want it. I went to work to bring some corn, and when I was filling it up, I saw this thing, which scared me. Fortunately, it was cold, and fortunately I went there today, otherwise it might have gone bad if it had been left for another two days." Tang Zhitong lied.

Tang Zhitong cooked the pork head himself, he just forgot to bring it yesterday.

This pork head was cooked on the day when the three little bastards were looking for trouble. They left in a hurry and it wasn't frozen solid enough, so it was just the right amount to make up the number.

The only drawback is that there is no marinade, so I can only make it myself later. Just smash a few cloves of garlic, pour some vinegar and mix it, and it will have a unique flavor.

"Oh, thank you for the trouble, uncle." Zhang Guifang sighed and turned back to look for the basin.

"Auntie also gave me some pickles, which are not likely to go bad. I've left them at work and will bring them back later." Tang Zhitong added.

"Child, why do you bring everything back home from your trip to Northeast China? How can our family be without pickles?" Zhang Guifang uncovered the newspaper, put the pig's head in the basin, and complained.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll buy some rare things for my uncle next time I go there." Tang Zhitong didn't argue.

"Wenwen, bring a lunch box to your mother tomorrow morning." Zhang Guifang ignored her son and arranged the pork head clearly. Tang Zhitong smiled and didn't say anything. He folded the newspaper wrapped in the pork head and put it next to the stove. Zhang Guifang would light the stove tomorrow morning.

After a little tidying up, the whole family went out to work on the stone mill.

Although this stone mill is relatively small in size, the stone plate is still not light. Zhang Guifang, Tang Zhitong, Xiao Wang and Feng Zhen worked together to lift it.

Although Fengzhi was young and did not participate in the competition, she stood by and cheered everyone on.

For something this heavy, there’s no need to put cement in the gaps between it and the wall bricks, just squat on it.

The stone mill weighed more than 100 pounds. Tang Zhitong picked it up with his bare hands and put it on the mill, successfully getting his clothes dirty.

It didn't take much effort to install the frame at the back.

After installation, Zhang Guifang brought water and rinsed it carefully. After it is dried tomorrow, it can be used.

There was meat and vegetables for dinner. Although we still couldn't eat as much grain as we wanted, it was still no problem to eat until we were 80% to 90% full.

After a good night's sleep, when Tang Zhitong opened his eyes it was December 12, Monday, the day he went to the Post and Telecommunications College.

Lu Jian did not have the same treatment as Xiao Wang. Ever since Tang Zhitong took leave, he had been looking forward to his quick return, wanting to know how much food he could buy with his thirty yuan.

After much anticipation, today he finally met the life committee member he had been longing for. Before Tang Zhitong could even sit down, Lu Jian pulled him out to smoke.

"Head of the dormitory, I know you are in a hurry, but please don't be anxious." During the morning class time, the corridor was full of students. Tang Zhitong simply took Lu Jian to the outside of the teaching building and stood on the lawn. There were few people here and there were no slogans such as "How can you bear to step on the green grass?"

"Okay, you speak first." Lu Jian lit a cigarette for Tang Zhitong, feeling a little nervous.

"The situation has deteriorated faster than we thought. The food prices over there are not cheap..." Tang Zhitong told the story of how the Xiba on the other side of the river sold at high prices, how it made things difficult for the Chinese people, and how vicious their hearts were. Finally, he sighed, "Alas, only by going out can you know the real world outside."

"So... did you buy it?" Lu Jian asked with a glimmer of hope.

"Well, I spent a lot of effort to buy some corn. The price is not cheap, 80 cents a pound." Tang Zhitong nodded and said apologetically: "It's much higher than I thought. If the dormitory head thinks the price is not suitable, I will return the money to you."

Food is becoming more and more expensive day by day. For close relatives, it can be as cheap as 0.20 yuan per pound. But for others, Tang Zhitong thinks it is more appropriate to quote a price slightly lower than the black market price.

"Oh, Teacher Tang, you were panting so hard that I scared me. I thought I didn't buy it. Eighty cents is eighty cents!" Lu Jian was overjoyed and didn't even think about Tang Zhitong making money for him.

Eighty cents is indeed more expensive than the average-priced grain, but it is much lower than the grain outside. Lu Jian recently received a letter from home saying that the local corn is 1.2 yuan per pound.

"As long as the dormitory leader doesn't mind, that's good. When will I give you the food?"

"Why don't you wait until the holiday to give it to me? Is it convenient for you to keep it at your place?" Lu Jian blurted out. He had thought about this question a long time ago, and it would be most reassuring if he took it back himself.

Life is getting harder and harder. No colleagues have come here recently. Even if there were, Lu Jian would have to think twice.

"Okay, let's talk about it after the holiday."

"Well, thank you, Mr. Tang. I've written down all the homework and will show it to you later."

After smoking, the two chatted for a while before returning to the classroom.

Tang Zhitong looked at Lu Jian's homework and found it was indeed a lot, enough for him to make up for two days.

After working hard and writing furiously for a whole morning, Tang Zhitong's fingers were aching, his wrists were sore, and he even used up a tube of ink.

Most of the current fountain pens use a plastic ink tank design, which is reusable and elastic. They are pinched with the fingers and filled with ink using the principle of unequal air pressure inside and outside. They are a little more troublesome to use than the rotary filling ink tank or the disposable ink capsules that came decades later.

Tang Zhitong unscrewed the pen and controlled the nib, trying to make the nib just completely immersed in the ink. Then he squeezed the ink reservoir, and after squeezing it a few more times, the ink came up.

The reason why you don't let the pen tip completely immersed in the ink is because after filling the ink, you have to wipe off the ink on the outside. If you don't control the point, you will not only waste ink, but also waste paper for wiping the pen tip.

The pure blue ink used by Tang Zhitong is now also called pure blue ink.

With the popularization of education, more and more young people are using fountain pens, and the demand for ink is also increasing. Ink has gradually become domestically produced, and most parts of the country have very representative brands.

Like the Ostrich brand in Tianjin, the BJ brand in Sijiucheng, the Hero brand, the Eternal Life brand, the Love Science brand in Shanghai, the Pegasus brand, the Spider brand, the Red Lion brand in Guangzhou, the Hongyan brand and the Guanghua brand in Chongqing, the Red Flag brand in Taiyuan, the Seagull brand in Jinan, and so on.

There are only three colors in the dazzling array of domestic inks: pure blue, blue-black, and red. You can use blue or blue-black for exams. Carbon ink is also OK, but few people use it because carbon ink is all imported and expensive. It was not until 1966 that the Tianjin Ink Factory overcame technical difficulties and achieved domestic production.

Ink generally comes in two types of packaging, small bottle and large bottle. The small bottle is 50 ml and the large bottle is more than 900 ml.

The production cost of ink is not high, but the packaging cost is the bulk, so many people buy a small bottle for the first time, and then take the ink bottle to the store to get more ink after use.

Tang Zhitong was different. He just bought large and affordable bottles, then found a few medicine bottles, cleaned them, and filled them up for the whole family.

At lunch, Tang Zhitong found that his roommates had all started eating coarse grains, and no one ate rice.

"It's only been a few days since we last met, and you've already started saving money?" Tang Zhitong was a little curious.

"Well, the supply of rice increased a while ago, so people bought less all of a sudden. As a result, a few days later, the canteen not only reduced the supply of rice, but also started to increase the supply of steamed corn bread. Rice became popular again all of a sudden, and you couldn't get one if you went too late." Luo Zhiping shook his head and said while eating the cornmeal steamed corn bread with watery soup.

"Hey, just be content. We still have cornmeal steamed bread now, but cornmeal may be gone in a while." Dou Yongchang thought of the letter he received from his hometown two days ago. White flour was no longer available there, and cornmeal had become a rare commodity. The most supplied flour was sweet potato flour and sorghum flour.

"This is a city of forty-nine, it shouldn't be that bad, right?" Luo Zhiping tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said firmly, "Not that bad."

Indeed, not really, Tang Zhitong replied silently in his heart. Whether in the official materials or in the oral accounts of eyewitnesses, the proportion of white flour supply for urban residents in the 30 city in the next few years remained at around 20% for most of the time, rice accounted for %, and the rest was coarse grains.

Of course, there are people who use fine grain coupons to buy coarse grains in order to save money.

As for the quantity, the official materials are rather vague, with only an approximate per capita figure. Eyewitnesses do have different accounts, but they cannot represent the whole picture.

What is coming will eventually come, Tang Zhitong feels that he is ready...

(End of this chapter)