Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 491 Market
Although there is only a difference of 60 years, Tang Zhitong always feels that the winter now is much colder than it will be sixty years later.

Coming out of the post office, Tang Zhitong walked towards the east, taking one step forward and one step back.

The Post and Telecommunications Bureau is not far from the Broken Bridge of the Yalu River, about a few hundred meters away.

This bridge was built by a small country. Later, in order to cut off the supply line, the U.S. sent B-1950 bombers to blow it up in 29. Now only a section of the bridge remains on the Chinese side.

The reason why Chouguo only bombed the eastern section has historical reasons.

In 1947, when Xiong Da evacuated, he handed over the bridge to the joint management of China and North Korea.

In 1950, Arthur, smoking a pipe, was so arrogant that he wanted to push the battle line to the Yalu River before Thanksgiving Day. He was thinking about blowing up the entire bridge.

But my country protested and warned repeatedly, and the U.S. weighed the matter over and over again, and ordered Arthur to strictly follow the boundary, so the bridge on the other side was gone...

This kind of thing is just bullying us because we have nothing.

Decades later, our neighbors in the south had to consider the boundaries when they went to "suppress bandits", but the people here could sit on their stools and eat melons and watch the show without having to worry about being hit on the head by a shell.

There is also a Friendship Bridge next to the Broken Bridge. It is currently open to traffic and is guarded by people.

Tang Zhitong did not move forward, but turned left and headed north.

Kong Yiqun said that this was the old city area, where trade was relatively active and there was a market. As for where the market was, Tang Zhitong had to figure it out on his own.

There is also an advantage to the snow not melting. At least when standing on the shore you can see where there are more footprints along the river.

I know why people come to the river on such a day without asking.

Tang Zhitong walked slowly northward and actually met someone by the river.

A middle-aged man carrying a package was walking alone to the other side of the river, and an old man was standing on the river bank.

Judging from their clothes, they are not Han Chinese.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" Tang Zhitong asked from a distance, standing behind the old man.

The old man turned around and wiped his tears with his sleeve. After seeing what Tang Zhitong was wearing, his eyes became evasive and he muttered something like "Smecta".

Tang Zhitong fanned his ears twice with his hands and said, "I don't understand."

The old man muttered a few more words and then ignored Tang Zhitong. He turned his head and continued to look at the receding figure.

Tang Zhitong smiled and shook his head. If the other person was unhappy about it, then forget it and continue walking forward.

There was no one else on the frozen river surface, only the hesitant back of a middle-aged man, who definitely was not going there to exchange for food.

After a little thought, Tang Zhitong remembered a rumor he had seen before.

During these three years, due to hunger, the other side of the strait took the opportunity to spread propaganda to the Korean compatriots, promising various favorable conditions and treatment, and encouraging university graduates and various professionals to return and serve their "Chulima" movement.

It seems that someone really went there this way.

Water flows to low places, people go to high places, and everyone has their own choices.

There was naturally no reason for Tang Zhitong to stop it, and what's more, he had no reason to stop it.

When we were eradicating the four pests last year, the teacher asked students to hand in rat tails. In order to win the championship, some students dyed radish roots and pretended to be rat tails.

Tang Zhitong had also read a report in the newspaper about elementary school students surrounding rats but not killing them.

A primary school student found a mouse, and everyone surrounded it, but when they found out that it was a bald mouse without a tail, they let it run away.

When asked why, the pupils replied: "The teacher told us to hand over the tails of the mice after we beat them. What's the point of having a tail without one?"

Even children know how to seek benefits and avoid harm, let alone adults.

Things change over time. The situation there is worse than here now, but in another twenty years, it will continue to go downhill, and even get worse every year.

Although it is easy to go now, it will be difficult to come back later.

Andong was not big. Tang Zhitong walked north for about three miles and reached the edge of the city.

Along the way, Tang Zhitong found a small path leading to the river with many footprints on the shore. He was afraid that the market that Kong Yiqun mentioned was below.

Since he was unfamiliar with the place, it was difficult to distinguish the place. Tang Zhitong made a big pile of snow nearby so that he could use it to distinguish the place when he came back.

After walking about one kilometer forward and seeing no signs of human habitation, Tang Zhitong stopped.

I didn’t sleep well last night, I need to catch up on some sleep.

Tang Zhitong slowly slid out to the surface of the river, pulled out the cabin he had built a while ago, and then piled some snow around it as a simple camouflage.

After entering the wooden house, Tang Zhitong lit the stove and then sat on the bed to take a breath.

This bed is similar to the one on the private mail coach, and there is still no bedding. Fortunately, the stove is burning well, so it is warmer than on the train.

Tang Zhitong washed his hands, rummaged around in the space, pulled out the pork head that he had cooked earlier, and used it to appease his stomach.

I never had the chance to give pig head to my family before, but this time I have a reason to do so because my uncle made it.

As for where the uncle got the pig's head, I believe Zhang Guifang and Xiao Wang will not write a letter specifically to ask.

Tang Zhitong slept soundly until the fire died down and he woke up because he felt cold.

He quickly added some firewood to the stove. With the residual light from the fire, Tang Zhitong glanced at his watch. Wow, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon.

When I opened the door, it was already pitch black outside.

Occasionally, the sound of owls hooting could be heard in the fields, which was a bit creepy.

Last year, various places organized battles to kill sparrows, with flags everywhere and drums and gongs beating. The goal was to deprive the sparrows of any rest and tire them to death.

In addition, there are also people who set up nets to kill families and mix poisonous chaff in the wild.

During the operation, many other birds were accidentally injured.

So there are a lot fewer small birds in the wild now.

Tang Zhitong boiled some hot water and had a dinner of pork head and steamed buns.

After eating and drinking enough, I armed myself well, packed all my things into the space, and then headed back.

Since I don’t know anyone here, I can only wait on my own.

As he walked along, Tang Zhitong didn't see anyone.

When he arrived at the place he had marked, Tang Zhitong stood on the river bank. In the faint moonlight, he saw someone staggering towards this side. In the distance, there was also someone walking towards the other side of the river with his back to him.

Did he come too late? ? "Who?! Who is it?!" The man was very alert. He stood on the ice and looked up to see Tang Zhitong, and asked from a distance.

"Hello, fellow villager. I came here to attend the market. I didn't expect it to end so early." Tang Zhitong put his hands to his mouth, making a trumpet shape, trying his best to transmit the sound only in the other person's direction.

"You're late, let's go tomorrow." The man felt a little relieved, but it was still dark and he still didn't dare to come up.

"Thank you. I'm new here and don't know what time will anyone be there tomorrow?" Tang Zhitong asked.

"People started coming in at 3pm and dispersed before 5pm."

"Three o'clock in the afternoon? Trading in broad daylight? Aren't you afraid of getting caught?"

"You are from another place, right? Now everyone is like sparrows, you can't see anything at night. Why don't you take advantage of the time when you can still see? Do you have to wait until dark to go to the market?" The other party used the taunting skill on Tang Zhitong and was dismissive of Tang Zhitong's words.

They are all starving like ghosts, almost starving to death, are they still afraid of being caught? Maybe the people who catch people are here to exchange for food!

"Okay, thanks buddy. Just come up and I won't steal your things." Forget about it because of night blindness, Tang Zhitong smiled self-deprecatingly.

"If you want to rob me, you have to consider your own weight. I have a weapon with me." Although the man said he had a weapon, he still did not move forward.

"Haha, I'm leaving." Tang Zhitong got the information he wanted and stopped squatting by the river to scare people. He hummed "The East is Red" and walked north with one foot deep and one foot shallow, then turned back.

As the song and the crunching sound of snow faded away, the man standing on the ice dared to move and carefully climbed up the river bank.

He didn't even bother to wipe the cold sweat off his face. He ran all the way south with a small bag on his back. Even when he fell, he didn't dare to make a sound. He just got up and continued jogging.

He had a chicken basket, but he was just trying to scare people because it was dark and he couldn't see clearly.

He didn't lie to Tang Zhitong, but he didn't tell the whole truth either.

This market on the ice is dominated by the people on the other side. We have to be led by a member of the Chao tribe here, otherwise the prices they offer will be very high.

Tang Zhitong returned to his own Feng Shui treasure land. This time he moved the cabin to the center of the river. Then he sat in the cabin and began to pull the fish out and placed the fish directly on the river surface.

The temperature outside was very low. Tang Zhitong couldn't tell exactly how low it was because thermometers were very rare.

The meat of Spanish mackerel is thick, so it takes a longer time to freeze. However, hairtail, prawns and the like can basically be frozen in three to five minutes, and can be frozen solid in about a quarter of an hour.

It was very much like the scene when fishing nets were opened in Chagan Lake. After the ten-pound bighead carp was pulled up by the fishing net, it jumped a few times and then became hard.

The meat of the Spanish mackerel is thick and freezes slowly, so there is still a lot of time and Tang Zhitong is not in a hurry.

First, take out the candles and light them to let some light in the room.

Then he took out a comb and while struggling with it, he took turns freezing the fish.

When a novice makes a comb, he has to draw lines on it, draw the teeth, and then saw it open little by little with a hacksaw.

The pattern on the comb handle is similar. It can be either painted or the drawn paper can be pasted on and then carved accordingly.

The night was long and Tang Zhitong had plenty of time to dig down the wood bit by bit.

It took two candles to finally make the general shape of the comb.

Looking at his own work, Tang Zhitong yawned with satisfaction, and he felt like he was staying up all night in college again.

After collecting the frozen fish and shrimp outside, Tang Zhitong ate a mouthful of rice, moved the cabin to a new position to disguise it, and then stuffed some firewood into the stove before lying down on the bed with his clothes on to rest.

After sleeping until noon, Tang Zhitong ate his lunch and began to think about the afternoon market.

It's not appropriate for me to wear this in broad daylight. It's too eye-catching.

Seeing that there was still time, Tang Zhitong simply "banged" a few more rabbits, not caring whether the hides were raw or cooked, and sewed them up with hemp thread, with the fur facing inwards and the hides facing outwards, as long as the clothes would not get dirty.

Tang Zhitong was busy until three in the afternoon when he finally got ready for his outfit.

If Wang Gang saw Tang Zhitong's appearance at this moment, he would undoubtedly praise him: He looks like a hunter in the mountains!

And this is exactly the impression Tang Zhitong wants.

After packing everything up, Tang Zhitong rushed to the market carrying Wuliuban on his back.

When they arrived at the marked riverside, Tang Zhitong could see more clearly this time. There were about thirty or forty people on the river.

There weren't many people on the other side, but there were people on guard with weapons, while most of the people on our side were dressed as ordinary people.

Tang Zhitong thought for a moment, and while there was no one around, he pulled Wuliuban into the space, squatted by the river and started smoking.

What you exhale when you smoke is not smoke, but something more like gray fog. The water vapor you exhale condenses when it gets cold. It is beautiful, but damn cold.

Tang Zhitong was so cold that he was frozen before he finished smoking a cigarette. His hands and face were cold.

Well, no one knew him anyway, so Tang Zhitong stood up, slid down the river, and walked over with a swagger.

"!" Seeing Tang Zhitong coming, the alert person on the opposite side raised his gun and shouted.

After hearing the shouting, many of the compatriots who had their backs to Tang Zhitong turned around and looked at Tang Zhitong curiously.

Tang Zhitong felt like a beast was running through his mind. Damn it! I can't understand this bird language. Does it mean I need to know a foreign language to do this? ?
"Food, for food!" Now that we are here, we must give it a try. Tang Zhitong said this without stopping and kept walking forward.

When the alert man heard Tang Zhitong's words, he put down his gun.

Tang Zhitong began to greet the other party's ancestors in his heart. Can't this guy understand human language? Why is he pretending to be so high and mighty? ?

"!" When Tang Zhitong was about to arrive, the person opposite shouted at him again.

Tang Zhitong was confused and didn't understand at all. At this time, a girl with braids and flowery clothes beside him lowered her head and whispered to Tang Zhitong: "He asked you to line up."

"Oh, thank you." Tang Zhitong was not in a hurry anyway. He pulled the rabbit skin up to cover his nose and mouth, put his hands in his pockets, and lined up behind the girl.

While waiting in line, Tang Zhitong pricked up his ears and listened to the transaction dialogue between the two parties. It was all in bird language. Apart from "xiba" and "smecta", there was not much he could understand.

The domineering tone and demeanor of the man opposite reminded Tang Zhitong of Mr. Mi Xing in "Three or Five More Bushels of Bushel", which was somewhat beyond Tang Zhitong's expectations.

Since the signing of the armistice agreement, our people have been helping with construction on the other side of the strait, and they were all withdrawn at the end of last year.

According to our simple value system, this person should have some gratitude in his heart, right?
But the other party controlled the food, just like pinching the testicles of everyone in front of him, and even if he was scolded, he had to face it with a smile.

The transaction did not proceed quickly. Although he could not understand what was going on, Tang Zhitong could roughly guess that the content of the conversation was nothing more than price reduction and bargaining.

Those who have exchanged for food will have it weighed on the side, then carry it on their backs and walk back with a limp. The rest will then line up, and the order is pretty good.

By the time it was the girl in front of me, it was already dark.

They talked in a babble for a while. The girl was fine at first, but later she kept shaking her head and even wiped away her tears.

Combined with the obscene smile that even the man opposite can understand, it is not difficult to imagine what he wants to do. He is such a piece of shit, taking advantage of someone's misfortune!
(End of this chapter)