Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 621 Chapter 620 Not Optimistic
Coming all the way from the train station, Tang Zhitong not only looked at the scenery, but also paid special attention to the pedestrians on the street. A glimpse of the whole picture showed that the situation here was really not optimistic.

The new director of the Municipal Bureau is named Zhang. He picked up everyone from the station and accompanied them to the hotel. The heads of various branches were also present.

He carried my bags and helped open the door, and was extremely enthusiastic.

He was busy all the time, without any airs at all.

These people knew exactly how their predecessor got away, and they didn't dare to put on airs.

With the presence of comrades from this side, the investigation team arranged a room and accommodation, and went straight to the meeting room without even having time to pack their things.

It's a bit shabby to call it a welcome ceremony, but that was roughly the meaning. Director Zhang verbally expressed his welcome to the investigation team. As for fruits and the like, there were none. Each person only had a cup of boiled water.

After the verbal welcome, Huang Ruifeng made clear arrangements for the work in the next few days in front of the comrades here, which was nothing more than visiting various branches in Wuhan to understand the situation and promote the postal code promotion work.

Each team member is responsible for a branch.

At the end, when they went to eat, Director Zhang of the Municipal Bureau gave the investigation team a shot of prevention: "Dear leaders and comrades, we are very welcome to the investigation team, and we will try our best to take care of everyone in terms of food and make everyone feel at home, but the conditions are limited. If there is anything that is not done well, please forgive us."

Huang Ruifeng had to be polite and went to the cafeteria to divide the table into two.

There are eight people in the investigation team and eight people in the local municipal bureau.

There is one table for the local bureau and one table for the investigation team.

The guests should follow the host's wishes. The investigation team did not raise any objection to the arrangements here.

After all, they are an investigation team from the old city, so they were given a single room in the cafeteria.

After a short while, the canteen chef prepared the dishes and asked the staff to bring them up.

Standard four dishes and one soup.

One boiled lotus root slice, one pickled snow vegetable, one dried radish, and one stewed fish.

As for the soup, it might be cabbage soup, which was very bland, clear and with some cabbage stalks at the bottom.

Only that fish Tang Zhitong thought was pretty good. Although it was a little small, it looked very similar to the Yangtze River knife fish.

Knife fish, together with shad and puffer fish, are known as the "Three Fresh Fishes of the Yangtze River". Decades later, due to their delicious taste and environmental degradation, they were almost eaten to extinction. The road to artificial breeding has always been bumpy. Although there have been breakthroughs, it is still a long way from large-scale mass production.

"Is this the treat? It's not even as good as the boxed lunch on the train." After the staff left, Zhao Xin curled his lips. In name, there were four dishes and one soup, but the portions were not big, and there wasn't even a speck of oil.

"This rice looks quite moist, and the rice grains are big." Another team member spoke much more tactfully than Zhao Xin, pointing to a bowl of rice that was served.

The rice is obviously double-steamed rice, and the water is left out in the water.

"Let's eat." Huang Ruifeng acted as if he didn't hear the team members' complaints and picked up his chopsticks first.

Tang Zhitong also didn't say anything. When the cafeteria staff brought the food, he not only noticed the staff's figure, but also noticed their small movements.

Due to his personal taste, Tang Zhitong specifically asked the chef to serve him steamed buns when he paid his food coupons.

The staff member held a small bamboo basket containing steamed buns, with his thumb against the outer surface of the buns. When placing the buns, some steamed bun skin got on his thumb.

After the staff member put down the small bamboo basket and turned around, he raised his hand.

Looking from behind, Tang Zhitong could clearly see that he had his hand to his mouth.

It is hard to believe that this behavior was not intentional, but looking at the thin back and dry fingers, how can we blame him?

If the cafeteria staff are like this, what will it be like outside?

This made Tang Zhitong think of a country close to Anton, a country he had actually come into contact with, and there were written and video materials about it, so its authenticity was beyond doubt.

The giant in the north set up the "Council for CMEA" in the year our country was founded. It gradually grew stronger over the next thirty or forty years, and our neighboring countries in the east also joined.

There is a clear division of labor within the CMEA, with certain people responsible for growing food, producing heavy industrial products, and producing light industrial products. Then everyone shares what they have with each other.

This method is adapted to local conditions and can greatly improve production efficiency and avoid waste of resources, but it relies on strong execution.

At the beginning of its founding, our neighbor to the east received both our aid and the dividends of the CMEA, and was assigned to produce industrial products.

Various minerals and oils were transported over there continuously from the big brother in the north.

Thanks to the high value of industrial products and cheap energy supply, this country in the east has made great progress every year, and their life is so comfortable.

But the good times did not last long. The giant in the north suddenly announced that it would give up resistance and the organization fell apart overnight. The CMEA existed in name only and was disbanded within two years.

Without the support of the big brother, the East lost its source of energy and fertilizers, and grain production plummeted.

The industry was greatly affected. Without oil, some gasoline and diesel-powered machines became useless.

But life has to go on, and the people have made improvements to many pieces of equipment based on existing conditions. Trucks are one of them, which have been changed from burning diesel to burning firewood.

Apart from producing a lot of smoke, there were no other problems. The truck was moving again and continued to contribute to social construction.

In addition to the decline of the industrial base, food supply also became difficult.

At first, workers had a daily ration of 600 grams, which was later reduced to 300 grams, and finally directly reduced to 150 grams. However, even this 150 grams could not be distributed every day.

The situation is more serious in rural areas, but people's desire for survival is very strong. If there is no food, farmers will go find food for themselves.

Since there were not enough good farmland, they had to take farmland from the barren mountains, and as a result, almost all the trees on the mountains were cut down.

I had thought that with more fields, I could harvest an extra three or five dou of grain, but the weather was not good and we had either floods or droughts.

Plus, without trees to retain water and soil, once it rains heavily, the waterlogging will be worse than before!
People have to eat, and farmers are no exception. Before the corn is ripe, the hungry farmers secretly pick it...

Anyone who has farmed knows that whether it is corn, wheat or rice, the leaves can regenerate but the fruits cannot.

This created a vicious cycle, and the situation became worse every year.

This natural disaster lasted for ten years. Tang Zhitong couldn't imagine how the people survived in such difficult circumstances.

Although we also encountered difficulties, we made timely adjustments and avoided a greater disaster.

Based on his understanding of these situations, Tang Zhitong had already prepared himself for the meals provided here. He did not complain or blame others, and ate whatever was given to him. He was not picky about food. Tang Zhitong could not control whether others expressed their opinions or not, but he could control himself, not complain, and face it calmly.

Of course, Tang Zhitong is just a member of the investigation team. The most important person is Huang Ruifeng. Huang Ruifeng’s failure to express his opinion is actually also a statement.

The food was not good, and neither was the rice, but since Huang Ruifeng didn't say anything, it was not convenient for others to say anything more.

Tang Zhitong took the steamed bun and looked at it carefully. The color of the steamed bun was wrong. It was not pure white. The surface was yellow and black with some granular white.

The black one looks like bran, and the yellow one is probably cornmeal.

After eating the steamed bun, Tang Zhitong decided to try the watery rice tomorrow. At least it was full of rice.

It is true that the yellow part is cornmeal, but it is crushed together with the corn cob, and the granular white part is the corn cob.

The taste is hard to describe, but I chose them myself and had to finish them even if I cried.

Tang Zhitong swallowed the whole thing with the soup. Living in difficult times, one must experience it a little, to avoid the situation when he is old and sitting with a bunch of old men reminiscing about the good and bad times, and then he would not remember the taste of lunch in the past three years. That would be unacceptable.

After the investigation team finished eating, the canteen staff came to clean up the dishes.

The rice was all gone, but there was still some soup in the dishes. The canteen staff took the food and finished it in front of everyone.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

After finishing it, the staff realized something was wrong and said with a wry smile: "It's a waste to pour it out, but it's safer to put it in your stomach."

Whether in words or expressions, there is no trace of falsehood or disguise.

"Thank you for your hard work." Huang Ruifeng did not feel unhappy when he saw this scene. Instead, he thanked the waiter politely.

After leaving the box, several local comrades were also eating at a table not far from the canteen entrance.

Perhaps because of the consideration for the working group, the meals were served slowly and when the investigation team came out, the meal had not yet ended.

There were dishes and staple foods on the table, but it was not the standard four dishes and one soup. There were only two pickles, one snow vegetable, and one pickled vegetable strip.

The staple food is not double-steamed rice and steamed buns, but soft cornmeal steamed buns, the kind made of cornmeal with crushed corn cobs.

"Team Leader Huang, fellow comrades, I'm sorry that our conditions are limited and we have let you down." The person in charge of the Municipal Bureau stood up and greeted the investigation team.

"Director Zhang, you are too polite. It's already very good. We ate very well. In the future, don't let the comrades in the cafeteria cook alone. We will eat whatever you eat." Huang Ruifeng held Director Zhang's hand, shook it, and said sincerely.

Looking at the food on the table in front of him, Huang Ruifeng finally understood why a private room was opened for the investigation team.

"That won't work. You've come all the way here, so we'll do our best to entertain you." Director Zhang shook his head.

"The spirit of hard work and sharing weal and woe must not be lost. Starting tomorrow, we will eat in the hall and there will be no special arrangements." Huang Ruifeng turned around and said to the members of the investigation team.

"Yes, Team Leader Huang." The person who said that rice was big in the room spoke first, and the others followed suit and nodded.

Huang Ruifeng had his own considerations. The local comrades ate like this every day, but he, who brought the investigation team here, received special treatment. If this matter was reported back to the department, the credibility of the investigation report would probably be greatly reduced, not to mention some rumors.

Even if not all members of the investigation team can be promoted this time, at least they will not be criticized.

Compared with this, eating worse for the time being is acceptable.

After Huang Ruifeng and Director Zhang finished their greetings, the investigation team went to the dormitory together. The other comrades from the Municipal Bureau watched the investigation team leave and then sat at the table to eat.

Tang Zhitong walked slowly at the back of the team. When he was about to turn the corner, he looked back.

With the dim light in the cafeteria, one could see that the comrades from the Municipal Bureau were dealing with cornmeal steamed buns.

The double-steamed steamed bread was impossible to pick up and would break into pieces if picked up, so the comrades in the Municipal Bureau kept their heads down and concentrated on eating.

Seeing this, Tang Zhitong sighed.

Whether it was intentional delaying the meal or intentionally letting the investigation team see it, the way they ate did not seem to be arranged on the spur of the moment. Only by eating every day would one know how to cherish food.

The situation is not optimistic!

Tang Zhitong and Zhao Xin shared a room. When Zhao Xin entered the room in the afternoon, he chose a seat near the window and left the bed near the toilet for Tang Zhitong.

Tang Zhitong was not picky. Sitting next to the window was not necessarily a good thing. There was no heating in Wuhan. When the temperature dropped at night, the cold air would come in through the windows, and the beds next to the window would be the first to be affected. That was not a pleasant feeling.

The room was rather simple, with two beds, two sets of tables and chairs, and nothing else. The waiter filled the thermos with boiling water and brought it to us.

As soon as Zhao Xin returned to the room, his confusion was written all over his face. Tang Zhitong ignored him and poured himself a glass of water. Then he took out the Xinhua Dictionary and sat at his desk to continue working on his unfinished business.

Zhao Xin, who was standing aside, finally took out the book and began to read it carefully.

For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the rustling of pages turning and the scratching of pens on paper.

The steamed buns and double-steamed rice in the cafeteria were much waterier than those in the old city. They were not enough to satisfy my hunger. After going to the toilet twice, my stomach was empty.

When the time was almost half past eight, Zhao Xin couldn't bear it anymore.

At this moment, Zhao Xin was no longer hesitant and was much more efficient. He took out some snacks from his bag and asked insincerely, "Xiao Tang, do you want to eat?"

"No, you eat it." Tang Zhitong smiled and shook his head. There is a skill in getting others to share. If you really want to share with others, you won't ask like this, but will just hand it over.

When Zhao Xin heard Tang Zhitong say he didn't want to eat, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Food was precious these days, especially snacks.

Zhao Xin had just witnessed the level of food here. The supply would be downgraded later. More importantly, there were still several days left. Zhao Xin felt that this kind of life was a bit difficult to endure, and the snacks in his hand became his comfort.

The snacks were limited, and Zhao Xin didn't dare to eat them all in one go. He planned to eat them in small portions to fill his stomach.

After eating, Zhao Xin went to brush his teeth. Tang Zhitong smelled the snacks and his stomach growled.

Being tall and strong is sometimes not a good thing. At least in the era of tight supply and rationing, one will be more likely to go hungry than others.

Tang Zhitong closed the book, stood up, opened the door, and walked downstairs.

The street was very quiet. A half-moon hung in the west, and there was not a single street lamp.

Man is iron and rice is steel, if you don't eat for a meal, you will be hungry. Tang Zhitong hid in a dark corner, took out the steamed buns he had saved from the space, and wolfed them down with the dishes he made on the Yalu River.

(End of this chapter)