Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 597 Chapter 596 Group Greeting
January 1960, 1 was the first day of the first lunar month in the Gengzi year, which was the first day of the new year in the Chinese lunar calendar.

Nationwide, people celebrate New Year’s greetings on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Some travel as a family, while others gather three or five close relatives to pay New Year's greetings in groups.

In places where there are ancestral halls, people of the same clan and surname will worship there, but there are also many places where there are no ancestral halls, so they will go to the homes of close relatives who have tablets on display to worship.

Those who are worshipped are one's own deceased ancestors, usually blood relatives within five generations. The names are written on the plaques on the altar in black characters on a red background.

The Five Dynasties correspond to the Five Suits, which is a kind of funeral etiquette. Depending on the degree of relationship, how long one should mourn and what one should wear, etc.

If someone says: He and I are not even within the fifth degree of mourning, it means that the two people have a common ancestor and are closely related by blood.

At present, people still attach great importance to blood ties, and people with the same surname or clan have a say in many matters. But in a few decades, except for the south where clans are more valued and there are ancestral halls, family affection will fade.

The Tang family has no close relatives or blood relatives in the capital, so the first day of the New Year is particularly quiet, and at most people just visit their neighbors.

After getting up, Xiao Wang took out thirty yuan from the closet and stuffed it into Tang Zhitong's pocket: "Here."

"Why are you giving me money?" Tang Zhitong was stunned.

"Don't you have to pay for the fish and shrimp? Is this enough? If not, I'll give you more after I get my salary." Xiao Wang said as she straightened her husband's collar.

"Hey, I was planning to wait until I get my salary." Tang Zhitong realized that it was the money he used to "purchase goods" yesterday.

"Don't always owe others money. It's a great favor that I can sell it to you." Student Wang stood on tiptoes and gently kissed her husband's lips.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Tang Zhitong put the money into his pocket, planning to find an opportunity to help Xiao Wang fill his wallet later.

Tang Zhitong washed up, while Xiao Wang folded his quilt and went out to empty the urine pot.

Although the Tang family has a separate toilet, it is inevitable that some of it will be dirty at night. It is more than ten degrees below zero outside, so it is more convenient and quicker to solve the problem in the house.

The courtyard houses that many people envied decades ago are now a place that many people want to escape from, and they wish their company could allocate them an apartment in a tube-shaped building.

The tube-shaped building is good. It has a canteen, a shower room and a toilet. It is a symbol of status and it makes you look very proud when you talk about it. People would use their brains to fight for a house.

After washing up, Tang Zhitong went out to find a bamboo pole and knocked the icicles off the eaves one by one.

It snowed the day before yesterday, and the stove went out the night before yesterday. There were no icicles on the eaves yesterday morning. But the stove was burning all day yesterday, and the snow on the roof melted a lot due to the heat, and slowly turned into water and dripped down, dripping all day long. When the temperature dropped at night, it turned into icicles little by little.

After playing icicles, Tang Zhitong stood in the yard and looked at the roof.

Whether it is the main house or the wing room, the snow on the roof of the middle room is lower than that on the two sides. This is determined by which room the stove is located.

Despite having the cheat in hand, Tang Zhitong did not clear the snow on the roof, intending to let it melt naturally.

These are all old-style houses, and the tiles don't fit together tightly, so it's impossible to sweep the snow off them under normal circumstances.

It is normal to have snow on the roof after a snowfall. If there is no snow, outsiders will inevitably say: This family is rich and they keep their home warm.

Just leave it like this, it will be clean in less than three to five days.

Looking at the snow and the yard, Tang Zhitong thought of a poem:

There are flowers in spring, moon in autumn, cool breeze in summer and snow in winter.If there is nothing to worry about, it is a good time in the world.

The supply situation will continue to deteriorate this year. By the second half of the year, the role of this piece of land in the yard will become more prominent. It will be a very pleasant thought for the whole family to enjoy the moon under the trellis. I just don't know if I will be envied.

"Eanzi, it's time for dinner." Zhang Guifang pushed open the door and shouted to her son who was in a daze outside.

"Okay!" Tang Zhitong's reverie was interrupted by his mother's voice. He would deal with it when he met someone who was jealous of him. He would deal with it as it came. However, it would be perfect if he had a cigarette in his hand at this time.

Breakfast was dumplings with the same cabbage and tofu filling as last night, but because it was mixed with a lot of oil residue, it tasted great.

Fengzhi had eaten too much last night, so she didn't eat much after staying up all night. This morning, she reduced the weight and was now eating with relish, holding the plate.

Tang Zhitong found the garlic pickled on Laba Festival. The garlic cloves were now emerald green, looking like emerald jade.

I guess there aren’t many foodies among those jewelers, so none of them could develop Laba garlic-shaped jewelry. It looks so appetizing!
Tang Zhitong found a bowl and gave a few cloves to Zhang Guifang first, and then gave a few cloves to Xiao Wang. They should all stew the garlic together and not look down on anyone. As for the two younger sisters, forget it, as very few children are willing to eat garlic.

"I forgot to ask you yesterday. Your unit has arranged a movie and carnival in the afternoon. Will we have a group gathering in the morning?" Tang Zhitong asked, remembering it.

Many people may not know about the New Year's greeting, but it has a very early origin. It is said to have evolved from the "Chao Zheng" ceremony of the Zhou Dynasty, which is the New Year's greeting.

In the Han Dynasty, it was called "Chao He Li". By the Tang and Song Dynasties, group greetings had become a routine official affair.

In the old city of Qing Dynasty, all the dukes and ministers would return to their offices on New Year's Day and sit in a circle to wish each other a happy new year.

Before liberation, in Yan'an, the group greetings became group New Year's greetings. Initially, this was to prevent subordinates from sending gifts to their leaders to wish them a happy new year and affecting their work, and comrades were gathered in the auditorium to wish them a happy new year together.

At that time, everyone had a cup of tea in their hands, which was a bit like a tea party, and the atmosphere was very peaceful.

The exchanges not only reflected national customs, but also enhanced the internal relations, exchanges of ideas and emotional connections of the group, and created an atmosphere of unity and harmony.

This tradition has not been lost after liberation, and many government agencies and units still have it.

"Well, you don't have to go. We are colleagues in the same unit and we see each other every day at work. Just wait for us to meet at work and say hello and wish you a happy New Year." Student Xiao Wang said indifferently.

"Okay then." Tang Zhitong didn't force it. The most important thing about the group visit was that the department leaders were present to wish the grassroots employees a happy new year. As a little Karami, as long as he didn't want to show off in front of the leaders, it wouldn't matter whether he was there or not. The Post Office also had a group visit, but Tang Zhitong's level was not up to it. Well, mainly because no one invited him, and Tang Zhitong would not shamelessly go there.

After having breakfast peacefully, although it was still early in the afternoon, Fengzhi was looking forward to going to the movies and attending the carnival with her brother and sister-in-law in the afternoon. At this moment, she was pestering Zhang Guifang to dress herself up.

Last year's cloth coupons were used up quickly and had run out by winter, so Zhang Guifang kept the cloth coupons she received this time and did not use them.

Xiao Wang used to have a lot of clothes, and Tang Zhitong also had work clothes issued by his unit, but the two sisters were miserable. They didn’t even have new clothes during the Chinese New Year. Fortunately, the two sisters didn’t have any objections, and they didn’t make a fuss and ask for clothes.

Zhang Guifang recombed Fengzhi's hair, tied it into two small braids with a red hairband, and changed her into clean clothes, which made the little girl very happy.

"Sister-in-law, what time are you leaving?" Fengzhi asked impatiently.

"Why are you in such a hurry? The clock at the train station just struck nine. We have to have lunch anyway." Tang Zhitong interrupted as he sat next to the stove.

"It will take so long?" Fengzhi looked disappointed. The two small whips did not last through last night and were all finished in one night.

"Here, you've behaved well this year. I'll give you New Year's money on behalf of our mother." Tang Zhitong had nothing to do and didn't plan to visit anyone for New Year's greetings on the first day of the new year. He took out two dimes from his pocket and stuffed them into Fengzhi's pocket, intending to let her buy some more firecrackers to play with.

"Mom..." Fengzhi took the money and held it tightly in her hand. She really wanted it, but ultimately it depended on whether her mother agreed.

"Okay, I'll be the boss. Here it is for you. Use it to buy a whip." Tang Zhitong pushed his sister. It was not easy for children from ordinary families to have pocket money these days. Many children had never even had a single-denominated banknote in their teens.

Some children can earn New Year's money from relatives, but the money is passed back and forth. Once received, parents have to give it away. After the guests leave, parents will usually ask their children for some money back, saying: I'm saving it for you.

If you save it, it will disappear. If you can't get it back, and you ask too many questions, it will be regarded as tuition payment. If you don't open your eyes and make a scene at this time, you will be beaten...

"Drive slowly." It's New Year's Day, and everyone wants to celebrate. The son now earns more a month than his deceased father, and he has a lot of say, so Zhang Guifang did not refute and agreed.

"Okay!" Fengzhi got her mother's permission, opened the door and trotted out.

"This kid spends the money before he even gets warm." Zhang Guifang shook her head and laughed.

"Well, that's normal. It's the New Year, let's have fun." Money is the courage of a hero. With money, one feels confident. Tang Zhitong didn't take this little money seriously. Instead, he felt that two cents could buy a day's happiness for the naughty kid, which was really worth it!

"Come here, Fengzhen, I'm going to give you some New Year's money on behalf of our mom. Keep it and buy whatever you want at school." Classmate Xiao Wang stood up, took out a dollar from his pocket and put it into Fengzhen's hand.

"Sister-in-law, I don't want it." Fengzhen has grown up and is sensible now. She said this and was about to take it out.

"Just take it if it's given to you. Don't be so humble." Tang Zhitong advised. His family didn't have the habit of giving out New Year's money before. Later, when Tang Zhitong was as old as Fengzhi, his grandmother gave him some a few times, and each time it was equivalent to five cents today. However, Fengzhen was still young at that time, so she didn't get any.

"You two are too lenient. Don't do this again in the future." Zhang Guifang finally couldn't stand it anymore, but she also acquiesced to the act of giving out New Year's money. She opened the drawer and took out a dollar and twenty cents to return to her son and daughter-in-law.

"Thank you, Mom. I'll consider it as the New Year's money you give to both of us. I wish you long and healthy life, a life as long as the Southern Mountains, a life as picturesque as the mountains and clear waters, beautiful appearance and wisdom, a mainstay, a pillar of strength, and as solid as a rock..." Xiao Wang was too embarrassed to accept it, but Tang Zhitong was so embarrassed that he jumped up and took it, without stopping his flowery talk.

"You're so talkative. As long as you guys are fine, I'll be satisfied." Although Zhang Guifang didn't understand the words her son said, she thought they were not bad, so she happily agreed.

"We will definitely be fine, and we look forward to your help in raising our son, grandson, and great-grandson." Tang Zhitong counted the money happily. One dollar and twenty cents, it was the most New Year's money he had ever received since he grew up.

Hearing Tang Zhitong's words, Xiao Wang's face slightly blushed. Fengzhen received the New Year's money for the first time and was holding the one dollar tightly at this time. She didn't notice her sister-in-law's strange behavior.

"Is Comrade Tang Zhitong at home?" At this time, a voice calling out came from outside.

"Let me see who it is." Tang Zhitong felt the noise sounded familiar and it was a female comrade. He immediately opened the door and lifted the cotton curtain.

When I opened the door, I saw that there were quite a lot of people there!

The first one is Xu Hui, doesn’t she sound familiar?
"Oh, Director Xu, so this is a New Year's greeting? Everyone, please come inside and sit down. It's warm inside." In public, Tang Zhitong no longer called her "Auntie", but addressed her by her position.

"We won't go into the house. We come here today just to wish your family a happy new year. You are a role model in our street. You have made great achievements and received commendations at such a young age..." Xu Hui praised Tang Zhitong as if there was no personal relationship between them. The applause behind them was like an accompaniment and never stopped.

Zhang Guifang heard the noise in the house. Since liberation, the street has held annual family gatherings, but this is the first time that one has been held at her home. She was so happy. Her son has made her proud!
The melon seeds, peanuts, and hard candies that I had queued up to buy a few days ago were all poured into the tea tray. Seeing that there weren’t many, I grabbed a few handfuls of pine nuts and mixed them all together into a mixed dish. I then served it out like this: “Comrade, don’t be disgusted, have some.”

"Sister, we are here to wish you a happy new year, but we cannot eat your food. We have a rule that we cannot take even a single needle or thread from the masses." Supplies are in short supply right now, and Xu Hui was the first to stand up and express her opinion in order to plug the gap and save some money for the Tang family.

"What are you saying... It's so cold, how can this be tolerated?" Zhang Guifang was seeing such a scene for the first time and was a little overwhelmed.

Xu Hui took the tea tray and handed it to Tang Zhitong who was standing beside her. Then she grabbed Zhang Guifang's hand and praised her: "Sister, you are lucky. You have raised a good son for the country, made contributions to the country, and added color to the street. We have to thank you."

"No, no, it's all because of what we were taught in school." When Zhang Guifang heard this, her hands began to tremble. She was so excited.

Even though Xu Hui took the lead in saying she didn't want to eat it, the food was already served, so Tang Zhitong didn't just stand there and do nothing. He grabbed a handful and handed it to others. His hands were sore from clapping. He should take a break, right?
Besides, it is better for a county magistrate to be in charge now. The people in front of him are the parents of the street. If he doesn't take this opportunity to make himself familiar with them and win some favor, will he have to cram for help at the last minute when he needs it in the future?
However, everyone knew what was going on. In the face of Tang Zhitong's enthusiasm, they did not refuse all the tea. Instead, they took it and shared it with the comrades around them, so that everyone had a little and did not eat up all the tea on the tray.

Classmate Xiao Wang came out with his mother-in-law. He could see that his mother-in-law was nervous, so he was holding her arm to give her confidence.

Xu Hui exchanged a few polite words with Zhang Guifang, then turned her gaze to Wang Jingwen and asked with a smile, "Wenwen, is Sister Ye doing well?"

"I'm fine. Thank you Aunt Xu for your concern. Happy New Year. I wish you good luck in your work and everything goes well." Xiao Wang replied with a smile.

"Thank you, thank you. I've always wanted to find a chance to visit Sister Ye, but I was afraid of disrupting Sister Ye's work, so I never went. Please help me put my best wishes to Sister Ye." Xu Hui followed up the conversation and was polite to Xiao Wang.

"Okay, I'll definitely bring it there." Xiao Wang responded appropriately.

The conversation between the two did not avoid the people who came to pay their respects behind them. They were all people within the system and understood the importance of the "big sister".

After chatting for a few minutes, Xu Hui once again declined Zhang Guifang's invitation to come in and sit down, and then led the group to the next house...

(End of this chapter)