National Tide 1980

That was Saturday, May 17th.

It was quite hot that day.

Kang Shude is in the day shift.

Ning Weimin couldn't sit idle at home alone, so he washed clothes all morning.

By noon, he was so tired that his back ached and his hands were cramping. He was too lazy to heat the leftovers and was greedy again.

So I walked out of the house alone, wanting to eat outside to save trouble.

There is a jingle in the capital that covers all the prosperous and bustling places in the capital.

It's called "the East, Four and West Dangu Towers, the big fence at the front gate of Wangfujing, and the small doorframe alley with the same sky."

The reason why Xiaomenzhang Hutong has such a famous name is because of its snacks.

In fact, even Menzhang Hutong, including Langfang No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 connected to it, are almost all occupied by snack bars.

There are all the local flavors that Beijing people like, such as braised and roasted, fried belly, wontons, pies, dumplings, cat ears, etc., and the taste is very authentic.

It is definitely not the so-called tourist check-in holy place in Beijing.

What they sell is nothing compared to the "foreigners are confused by the one-stop service" such as the old capital fried scorpions, the old capital Tianfu bean curd, the old capital crispy bananas, the old capital shrimp crap.

So while walking on the road to Benmenzhang Alley, Ning Weimin was thinking about this.

How about some meatloaf and porridge? Or how about a plate of fried pancakes with just garlic?

The meatloaf seems boring, and the fried pancakes are a bit too plain.

So we finally decided to burn down the Ruibin Building in Menzhang Alley.

The Huoshao noodles are unique to Ruibinlou in Beijing.

It tastes similar to pot stickers but has a different shape.

Because of its elongated shape, it can be folded in half when picked up with chopsticks, resembling an ancient gauze carried on the shoulders, hence the name gauze fire burning.

The most famous signature snack of Ruibinlou is the fire-roasted pork and green onion stuffing.

Its uniqueness lies not only in the fragrant fillings, but also in the incredible heat of frying.

The chefs at Ruibinlou can make it golden in color and overflowing with burnt aroma, but not even a little bit mushy or black.

Ning Weimin thought he wanted to have a three-liang meal, so he had a cold dish and some beer.

It is definitely satisfying and refreshing.

But unfortunately, no matter how good the idea is, it is one thing, but whether it can be realized is another matter.

Maybe I've hit something dirty recently.

Ning Weimin's job was unsatisfactory, and even such a small wish could not be realized.

As soon as Ganqing arrived at the place, he found that the alleys, which were not wide in the first place, were all silted up.

I don't know how many people stretched their heads to watch the excitement in Ruibin Building.

At the restaurant's ticket counter where the crowd was focused, it was Bian Jiangong, the second son of the neighbor's Bian family, arguing with someone from Ruibin House.

"...What nonsense are you talking about? A bowl of beer and a dish. If you want to buy it, you can buy it. If you don't buy it, you can leave. What are you talking about?"

The waiter in the restaurant seemed extremely impatient.

But Bian Jiangong was determined to argue with reason.

"Hey, why? It was published in the newspaper and said it was not allowed to do this. Why are you still doing this?"

"When it's published in the newspaper, you go to the newspaper office and buy it. That's what we do here."

"You're right. How much does a bowl of beer cost? How much does a dish cost? You guys are selling them together, who can afford it?"

"If you can't afford it, don't drink it. Tap water is cheap, just stick your tail pipe out. The supply of beer is insufficient, and it's not just a day or two. Can you stop looking for trouble?"

"Why do you have such an attitude? If you talk to me like that again, I will sue you."

"Sue me? Okay, come to us and leave, he will be behind. Go quickly. Go quickly..."

It was a coincidence that Bian Jiangong was just like Master Luo in the courtyard a few days ago, who was also in a hurry to buy some beer.

But the difference is that Master Luo is angry because the restaurant secretly increased the price, adding an extra two cents.

By the time Bian Jiangong arrived, the situation was obviously worse.

You see, because of the shortage, restaurants no longer only sell beer.

If customers want to drink, they must buy it with a dish.

But then again, the restaurant also has its own difficulties, and the person in charge of issuing tickets also has some helplessness.

Because this is the contradiction caused by the mismatch between market supply and demand, and the inevitable result of commodity prices not being able to relax all at once.

No one can do anything.

Speaking of beer, in fact, people in the old capital were not attracted to it from the beginning, and it took a long time to get used to it.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, except for a few people from well-off families, ordinary citizens in the capital were very resistant to the taste of beer.

Most people not only cannot taste its fragrance and killing power, but also call it "decoction" and "horse urine".

Later, in the early 1960s, because the price of beer was cheap, it quenched thirst even more than soda popsicles.

That's why people forced themselves to change their tastes because of their lack of money, from never accepting it to gradually accepting it.

As a result, once you get used to it, you get out of control, because in essence, beer is still an addiction.

As a result, the 1970s became a golden age for the growth of "casual beer" consumption.

In this way, people in the capital began to fall in love with it, and then it became a "sought after".

It's just that although more and more people are drinking, the production of beer has not increased accordingly.

Soon, people discovered that the "real beer" on the market was becoming increasingly difficult to buy.

The price has also risen from 2 cents per liter, 26 cents per liter, 40 cents per liter, to the current 56 cents.

By this summer, almost all young and old men in the capital have regarded drinking a warm pot of "loose beer" as an indispensable summer enjoyment.

But at this time, there were still only two old breweries in the capital with outdated equipment.

One is the "Five Star Brewery" renovated by the national capital "Shuanghesheng".

One is the "Jingcheng Brewery" that was transformed from the old "Mai Liquor Co., Ltd." of the little devil.

Even if these two breweries operate at full capacity, they can only produce less than 3,000 tons of beer a month.

If calculated based on the population of more than 4 million in the capital at that time, each person would receive less than one bottle per month.

But just like this, not all of them can be put on the market.

Because most of the beer produced is sold to cooperative units and does not enter the market.

There is also a part dedicated to supplying special commercial systems, large hotels and government guest houses.

In fact, the average consumer can buy less than 100 tons of beer per month.

Most of these 100 tons are still bulk beer.

Think about how big this hole is.

Calculated at 3,000 tons, one person can't get enough of one bottle per month.

Let alone a hundred tons, it can't even reach a cup of wine.

Therefore, this year has become the most tight beer supply in the history of Beijing.

So in the summer when supply is already tight, it is of course the time when the contradiction between supply and demand breaks out and reaches its extreme this year.

To what extent has beer become scarce in Beijing this year?

Although there are people holding thermos and plastic buckets around ten o'clock every morning, eagerly looking forward to the arrival of the beer delivery car.

But the people's wait was in vain. There was no trace of beer at all in the grocery stores.

These days, the "130" can trucks that carry loose beer are simply not allowed to be driven on the streets.

Because once it hits the streets, it becomes a hunting target for the masses.

The car drove in front, followed by a long line of people on bicycles chasing after them.

Of course, although you can sometimes catch up to the place where the truck is unloaded, there is no chance if it is too far away.

What's even more unlucky is that after chasing for a long time, the bottle is often empty and there is no wine at all.

The only place where you can definitely buy "real beer" is in a restaurant.

But not all restaurants have it, and they have to rely on the public relations capabilities and connections of their respective leaders.

Even if it is obtained, it is not to serve the people. The bonuses in the catering industry must be raised by this thing, otherwise who would waste this effort for no reason.

Therefore, restaurants of all sizes in the capital have posted unwritten rules - "Buy half a liter of beer to go with a plate of food."

Look, no one can explain such a thing.

Whether it is consumers or restaurants, everyone feels that they are aggrieved and everyone feels that they are being justified.

If it really gets louder, will it be over?

Fortunately, unlike the group of masters at the scene who were worried about the world being in chaos, Ning Weimin knew what was going on.

Moreover, thinking about the relationship between the neighbors in the street and the daily benefits of Uncle Bian and Aunt Bian, he had no reason to sit back and do nothing.

Seeing this situation, there is a tendency to take action.

Seeing that the opportunity was not good, he quickly squeezed in and helped break up the fight.

The best thing to do was to deal with Bian Jiangong. Ning Weimin directly said that Aunt Bian would be here soon.

As soon as the old lady's name was announced, Bian Jiangong became mute and lost all his momentum.

What's even better is that the owner of the restaurant also recognizes Aunt Bian.

We usually nod or look up when we meet him. Even though we are not very familiar with him, we know that he is the director of the neighborhood committee in Duan Ershang.

Naturally, I felt that there was no need to stalemate the relationship.

So his tone softened.

In addition, Ning Weimin came to the meeting, offered a cigarette and said a few good words, so this person took advantage of the situation and left.

Easily, an imminent conflict disappeared.

It's just that although Ning Weimin consciously did a good thing, he was quite complacent.

But the result was far from satisfactory as he expected.

Since there was no excitement to watch, the crowd of onlookers made a lot of "boos".

The problem is that Bian Jiangong is also a bit ignorant of good people.

Go all the way and learn the truth.

Not only did he not thank him, he even complained about Ning Weimin.

Even looking at the red face, thick neck, clenched fists, and distorted face, it seemed that he wanted to vent all his anger on him.

And just when Ning Weimin regretted meddling in his own business and felt that Bian Jiangong was too ungrateful, something even more unexpected happened.

Bian Jiangong was four years older than him.

A man who has been in Inner Mongolia for six years and claims to be able to trick horses and trap wolves.

Suddenly, he sat down on the ground.

Then, I held my head and cried...

(Note: Tuck your tail and pipe up, a Beijing dialect in the 1980s, refers to the action of hunching your waist, holding the faucet, and drinking tap water directly to your mouth.)