Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 595 Chapter 594 Missed the Opportunity (The Lottery Results Are Out)
Persistence is not necessarily a good thing. Since Tang Zhitong had been busy for a long time last night, he felt a little sleepy after dinner.

So he filled the stove with coal, then lay down on the table and took a nap for a while.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon. Seeing that no one came to the Finance Department to do business, Tang Zhitong threw the wine and canned food sent by Yan Xiongfei directly into the office, tidied up the office, locked the door and left.

The road surface in the afternoon was not much better than that in the morning. Many children were not afraid of the severe cold and played in the snow. Those from better-off families set off firecrackers, while those from poorer families could only watch others set off firecrackers with envy.

Of course, snowball fights and building snowmen are still indispensable. These are free, but they will make your hands cold and your clothes look messy.

As for getting beaten, he should be able to avoid it this time. After all, “it’s New Year’s Day and he’s still a child.”

Tang Zhitong rode his bicycle slowly from south to north.

As the road was difficult to travel, Tang Zhitong took the nearest route and planned to go to Yan Xiongfei's house first. He couldn't take two bottles of liquor and two boxes of canned food for free. According to the market price, they would cost at least five yuan.

Tang Zhitong heard a while ago that all the wineries, big and small, in Sijiu City have basically stopped using grain to make wine, and the only one that can operate normally is the Sijiu City Winery.

It is not accurate to say that the business is operating normally. The Sijiucheng Brewery can only guarantee that the Red Star Erguotou uses sorghum. As for the dew wine, alcohol is first brewed from taro, rotten sweet potatoes and rotten persimmons, and then processed with fruit juice.

As for the wineries in other districts and counties, there is no need to mention them. They don't have any grain at all, and they have to rack their brains to use food substitutes to make wine, such as multi-ear sorghum stalks and corn cobs. They use whatever they can get their hands on.

The tavern is still open, but the prices are said to have gone up. The liquor sold there is basically brewed for food.

Although Red Star Erguotou is still on the counter, it must be purchased with receipts. The so-called receipts are not "wine tickets", but certificates issued by the state to workers in special industries, such as underground workers.

Due to the humid environment underground, many workers suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. There is no good cure for this disease, not to mention now, even decades later, and the symptoms can only be relieved by medication and plasters.

Since medicines and plasters are limited now, we give the workers who go down into the mine some quota of wine. A sip of it can not only promote blood circulation, but also paralyze the nerves. Of course, it can also be used by rubbing the skin.

This amount of alcohol actually doesn't have much effect, averaging only about three or five cents a day, and the psychological effect is greater than the actual effect.

Tang Zhitong entered Zhengyang Gate, walked along the west side of the square, passed the Great Hall, and entered South Chang Street and North Chang Street.

On the right is the Forbidden City. It is so beautiful after the snow, with dead trees, old branches, crows, red walls, golden tiles and white hats. It is like an old man standing in the long river of time, watching everything that happens in the old city.

That's because he doesn't have it in his hand, otherwise Tang Zhitong would have to go in and press some Beijing bricks to let this old man know what the hell is called Big G!

Heading north, Tang Zhitong arrived at Jingshan Park. When he was about to enter Shibanqiao Street, which was Jingshan West Street in later generations, he saw that the alleys were actually cleaner than the main roads.

Tang Zhitong slowly turned the car around and started driving into the alley.

The further north he went, the more Tang Zhitong felt that his idea was a great one. Since the alleys were all inhabited by residents and everyone cleaned the snow in front of their own doors, there was indeed less snow than on the main roads, and riding was much more stable.

Last time, Yan Xiongfei told Tang Zhitong his home address, No. 56 Yaer Hutong.

Tang Zhitong rode along the path to the entrance of Yaer Hutong, followed the house number and parked his bicycle under the gate. He turned around and went back behind the gate. After making sure that there was no one around, he pulled out two mackerels from the space. He didn't dare pick too big ones, as the two fish weighed about ten kilograms.

Courtyard No. 56 is quite neat, but there are many residents. Tang Zhitong was just about to ask the children playing in the yard where Yan Xiongfei lived when he saw a child running over to say hello: "Hello, uncle!"

Tang Zhitong took a closer look and found that the child looked familiar. Not only did his face resemble Yan Xiongfei, but he had also seen him before. He was the child he had saved out of kindness. So he smiled and asked, "You are Ningning, right?"

"Yes!" Yan Ningning nodded with a smile and asked enthusiastically: "Uncle, are you here to look for someone? I know everyone in this courtyard. I'll take you there."

"Haha, I'm coming to your house. Is your dad home?" Tang Zhitong reached out and patted the snow on Yan Ningning's hat. The snow was not evenly distributed, and it looked like it was hit on the head by other kids during a snowball fight.

"My dad hasn't gotten off work yet, but my mom is at home." Yan Ningning said, and without waiting for Tang Zhitong to reply, she turned around and ran towards her home, shouting as she ran: "Mom! Mom! Uncle is here!"

Tang Zhitong smiled, followed him, and praised in his heart: Ningning is a well-educated child, he is polite and not shy.

The other kids playing in the yard just watched, mainly looking at the two Spanish mackerels. They were so big! How delicious would they be? Could Ningning's family finish them all in one meal?
"Which uncle?" Wang Huiru was busy at home at the moment, taking care of the children.

"The uncle who saved me." After Yan Ningning said this, she turned around and put up the curtain at the door and waited.

"Ouch!" Wang Huiru stopped working when she heard it. She wiped her hands on her apron and hurried out to greet the man.

As a mother, she was more grateful to Tang Zhitong than her husband. What's more, Tang Zhitong also lent a helping hand to her nephew. It was no exaggeration to say that he was a benefactor of the family.

"Hello, sister-in-law. I'm Tang Zhitong. I didn't tell you in advance. Sorry to bother you." Tang Zhitong walked to the door and looked at the woman who came out to greet him. He knew it was her from her expression.

"Don't disturb me, don't disturb me, big brother, come in and sit down." Wang Huiru hurriedly took the fish and invited Tang Zhitong in.

Tang Zhitong smiled and touched Yan Ningning's head when he entered the door.

Wang Huiru did not put the fish away, but put it aside and went to make tea. She also reminded her son: "Ningning, close the door, the heat will escape."

After hearing this, Yan Ningning stuck out her tongue at her friends outside the door and closed the door.

"Brother, sit down and have some tea." Wang Huiru put the cup of water on the edge of the table and asked Tang Zhitong to sit down and talk.

"Okay, thank you, sister-in-law." Tang Zhitong thanked him and sat down. He did not forget to praise the second child who was biting his finger at the side: "Is this the second child? He looks strong and energetic."

"Oh, you're also a naughty boy. Come, An An, call me uncle." Wang Huiru waved at Yan An and asked her son to say hello to Tang Zhitong.

Yan An was still young, and when he saw Tang Zhitong was unfamiliar, he hid in his mother's arms without saying a word, which made Wang Huiru unhappy, so she taught her son, "Come on, call uncle."

"Sister-in-law, don't embarrass the child. I look fierce, but the child is brave if he doesn't cry." Tang Zhitong said self-deprecatingly. "How could it be? You are such a handsome guy, you shouldn't say that about yourself. If my wife hadn't said you were married, I would have picked a bunch of girls from the unit for you to choose from." Wang Huiru didn't treat Tang Zhitong as an outsider, and spoke from the bottom of her heart.

"Haha, thank you for thinking of me, sister-in-law. Are you busy with work here?" Tang Zhitong smiled and started chatting about family matters. Forget about the girl, he was already content to have Xiao Wang as his classmate.

"It's not busy these days before and after the New Year, as patients are trying every means to be discharged and go home. So, I take turns to rest with my colleagues, so it's a good time to be busy during the New Year at home." Wang Huiru held her second child, preventing him from moving.

After listening to this, Tang Zhitong nodded. He understood the situation Wang Huiru described very well. The hospital definitely has a place among the least busy departments at the end of the year.

Ordinary people have always had a simple view that, whether it is for good luck or superstition, no one wants to spend the New Year in the hospital. So at the end of the year, whether they are getting injections or are hospitalized, they would rather stop taking medicine and go home to celebrate the New Year.

"I heard that many doctors from the health department of our city have been stationed in the countryside. You haven't gone there, right?" Tang Zhitong was making small talk. Although he knew many people in the medical field through the editorial board, he didn't deal with them often and the information he knew was limited. When chatting with Wang Huiru, he could only pick out common topics from the limited information.

"I went. Of course I didn't. I just came back not long ago." Speaking of this, Wang Huiru replied with a little pride.

"Oh, that's a huge sacrifice you made. An An is still so young, but you sacrificed your own family for the sake of everyone. You are worthy of our learning." Tang Zhitong gave her a nice compliment.

"Well, it's not that difficult. I still have Lao Yan at home." Hearing the compliment, Wang Huiru modestly responded.

"Brother Yan must be good at taking care of children, right?" When chatting, regardless of whether it is right or wrong, Tang Zhitong continues to output emotional value.

"At the beginning, we were also very hectic and had to rely on our neighbors for help in many things..." When talking about taking care of children, Wang Huiru chatted with Tang Zhitong about Yan Xiongfei's embarrassing stories bit by bit, and they became closer.

……

Tang Zhitong chatted and drank tea at the same time. When he finished a cup of tea, he stood up and prepared to leave: "Sister-in-law, I will go back first. I can't delay your busy New Year."

"Just sit there for a while. Old Yan will be back soon. You've finally come here, so you have to have dinner before leaving." Wang Huiru sincerely persuaded him to stay.

"Sister-in-law, I won't be formal with you. If today wasn't New Year's Eve, I would not leave even if you didn't ask me. This is the wrong day for me. I will come here another day." Tang Zhitong was polite and his words sounded nice, but he had no intention of eating here.

"Then...you take the fish back, I can't accept it." After hearing Tang Zhitong's words, Wang Huiru also felt that it was inappropriate. It's New Year's Day, and who wouldn't have a family reunion?
"Look at what you said. Brother Xingyan gave it to me, so why can't I bring something over? If you don't accept it, I'll be embarrassed to come to your house again." Tang Zhitong had no intention of taking it back at all, and he kept finding excuses to shirk his responsibility.

"That's different. You not only saved Ningning, but also helped Bozi. If I accept him, Old Yan will say that I can't tell the difference between the important and the unimportant." Wang Huiru was also very determined and refused to stay no matter what.

"Sister-in-law, please don't put all the blame on me. As for Ningning's incident, anyone would have helped. There were a lot of kind-hearted people at that time, and I just happened to know how to help. You don't have to thank me for Wang Bo's incident, it was his own hard work." Tang Zhitong pushed the blame aside and reached the door while he was talking.

"No, you have to take it with you today even if it means death." Wang Huiru held the fish in her hand and insisted on giving it to Tang Zhitong.

"Sister-in-law, it's not nice to pull each other. When I entered the yard just now, Ningning called me uncle, and the neighbors all heard it. Ningning treats me dearly, and as her uncle, it's not too much for me to give the child two fish on New Year's Day? How about giving her two more red envelopes?" Although Tang Zhitong said this, he didn't stop his hands. He had already opened the door, lifted the curtain and went out.

"Sister-in-law, please stay. It's so cold and An An is still in the house." Seeing Wang Huiru chasing out, Tang Zhitong tried every means to keep her in the house. He walked quickly to the door without looking back, for fear of being pulled.

Seeing that Tang Zhitong was trying to avoid her, Wang Huiru knew that he really wanted to send the fish off, so she stopped insisting. Neighbors living in a large compound can indeed take care of each other, but there are also many eyes on the street, and it would not be good if the news got out. So she asked Ningning to put the fish back, and she went to the gate to see Tang Zhitong off.

Tang Zhitong moved quickly. The bicycle had already fallen outside the gate. With a little effort, he manually turned the bicycle 180 degrees.

"Go back, sister-in-law. It's very cold outside." Tang Zhitong waved to Wang Huiru, said hello and was about to leave.

"Okay, you must come over and visit us after the New Year." Wang Huiru nodded and instructed.

"Okay!" Tang Zhitong nodded in agreement, then got on his bicycle and rode south from the alley.

As for whether I can come after the New Year, it depends on my schedule. I may be on a business trip by then. At that time, I will have to write a letter to Yan Xiongfei to apologize and explain the situation.

It was not long after Tang Zhitong left that Yan Xiongfei came back.

As soon as he entered the door, An An ran over to tell his father the good news: "Dad! Big fish! Uncle gave it to me!"

"What uncle?" Yan Xiongfei bent down, picked up the second child, walked to the desk, and put the bag down first.

"Comrade Xiao Tang came over and brought us two big mackerels, weighing more than ten pounds." Wang Huiru heard the noise, came out from the inner room and said.

"Xiao Tang is here?" Yan Xiongfei was a little surprised.

"You two were just behind each other. If you had come back an incense stick earlier, you would have been able to block the door."

"Look at how energetic he is. Have you mentioned Bozi's matter to him?" Yan Xiongfei asked with some regret.

"It's New Year's Day, it's not appropriate to talk about this. I invited him to dinner, but he said he would come after the New Year. Let's talk about it then." Wang Huiru shook her head. She still had something to ask of Tang Zhitong, but the day they met was not the right time to ask.

"That's fine. At worst I can make another trip." Yan Xiongfei comforted cheerfully.

"Dad, I want to set off firecrackers!" Ningning ran over with an expectant look on her face.

"Here, go buy it yourself." Yan Xiongfei put down his second child and took out two cents from his pocket.

"Just spoil the child. There are many places to spend money at home." Wang Huiru said unhappily.

"Okay, it's the New Year, it only happens once a year, and it's only two cents, not much." Yan Xiongfei was okay with his own children, and he didn't want his children to be short of anything compared to others. However, in addition to food and drink, a large part of their salary had to be used to buy food for Wang Bo. It would be a lie to say that he had no objection, but such things could not be mentioned, as it would hurt the relationship between husband and wife.

Wang Huiru may have guessed what her husband was thinking, so she didn't dwell on it and instead talked about what they were going to eat tonight. The atmosphere was peaceful, just like in other families.

(The lottery results will be posted on the book club later. Please check your tickets carefully and join the group to claim your prizes.)
(End of this chapter)