Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 497 496 Delivering Food
After breakfast, Tang Zhitong ate frozen pears.

Jin Yumei had served the frozen pears to "Huan" early in the morning. "Huan" is a Northeastern dialect meaning to melt ice.

"It looks interesting. There is a layer of ice on the outside." Tang Zhitong took the frozen pear and looked at it first. The pear was not good-looking, it was pitch black.

"The inside of the pear is soft. Remove the outer layer of ice and eat it directly." Jin Yumei instructed while cracking a mountain red.

"Okay, I'll try." Tang Zhitong hit the frozen pear on the head, breaking the ice layer on the outside, then peeled it off, put it to his mouth and took a bite.

"You know what, it's delicious and sweet!" Tang Zhitong took a bite. The pear flesh was crunchy, like a smoothie. The juice mixed with the flesh together in the mouth. It was not too sour and was sweeter than the crisp pears just off the tree. It felt a bit like eating ice cream.

"Try the frozen persimmons, they are delicious too." Jin Yumei recommended it to Tang Zhitong after seeing his expression.

"Okay, thank you sister-in-law." Tang Zhitong finished eating in a few bites and picked up the persimmon again.

The way to eat persimmons is similar to that of pears. They are very sweet and have very light astringency.

"Not bad, sweeter than persimmon." Tang Zhitong finished it in one go and was very satisfied with the taste.

I have heard before that there are all kinds of frozen fruits in Northeast China. Freezing can take the fruits on a strange journey. The tannins are broken down, the fructose flavor is highlighted, and the fruits taste sweeter and more refreshing. I didn’t believe it at the time, but I do now.

"It's delicious. We have more at home. Take these with you when you leave." The mountain red apples at home had been eaten up. Jin Yumei said with a smile while slurping the mountain red apples brought by Tang Zhitong.

The frozen pears were from her own family, and the frozen persimmons were sent by her parents after they knew she was pregnant, but she was not stingy and gave them to her brother-in-law willingly.

"Just taste it, there's no point eating it and taking it at the same time." Tang Zhitong washed his hands contentedly. He said this, but in his heart he was thinking about whether he could replicate it, so he asked, "Sister-in-law, how are these frozen pears and frozen persimmons made?"

"It freezes outside for a day, and cools inside for a day. Two or three times is enough. Whenever you want to eat it, put it in water to cool. If you keep it outside, it can be preserved until spring."

"Okay, it's really a specialty of the Northeast." Tang Zhitong had an idea in mind and planned to find an opportunity to make a batch of pears in the space in the same way and let Xiao Wang taste it.

It's not just the Northeast that's cold now. In a few days, the temperature in urban areas will drop below minus 20 degrees Celsius.

While the two were talking, Tang Wenbang and Tang Ting came in from the gate together, Tang Ting in front and Tang Wenbang behind, carrying a bundle.

As soon as Tang Ting entered the room, she smiled and greeted Tang Zhitong. After entering the room, she took her nephew's hand and said, "Anzi, you've lost weight!"

"Aunt, this is called being strong!" Tang Zhitong replied happily. After taking the fixed amount for a month or so, he did lose some weight. A conservative estimate is that he lost five kilograms.

"Nonsense, how can I not tell the difference between thin and strong?" Tang Ting smiled with tears in her eyes. The situation was better than she had imagined, and she was not very thin.

"Aunt, you have to eat well too. You are thinner than me. I brought some food this time and will take it back at night when no one is around." Tang Zhitong looked at Tang Ting and felt very uncomfortable. Compared with the last time, aunt was obviously thinner. Her hands were cold and there was no meat on them, just like dry firewood.

"Your uncle told me that this year is not a good year. You should take care of the family first. You don't have to worry about here." Tang Ting was still smiling, but tears were falling.

"Hey, I came late this time just to take care of the food business. I asked someone to buy some for me, and it was only 20 cents per pound. In addition to buying some for you and uncle, I also bought some. I'm storing them at a friend's place, and I'll load them directly into the truck when I leave." Tang Zhitong raised his hand to wipe Tang Ting's tears and told a white lie. If he hadn't said that, the two of them might not feel at ease keeping them.

"Nonsense! Where else can you find food so cheap these days except for rationing?" Tang Ting naturally refused to believe it.

"Oh, aunt, please don't ask. Even if you ask, I can't tell you. Look at my clothes, look at my lighter, I know the tricks." Tang Zhitong took out the lighter given by Wu Haiyang and lit it. It was hard to make up a more detailed excuse, so he could only use this imaginative reason and let her fill it in her own mind.

Tang Ting didn't say anything yet, but Tang Gang was already stunned. This lighter is great. It lights up immediately in such a cold day. It is a rare thing.

"Then..." After hearing what her nephew said, Tang Ting turned to look at her elder brother, exchanged glances, and then said to Tang Zhitong, "Then we will pay you according to the price."

"No need to give, it's not much...Okay, okay, if you two give it, I'll keep it, is that okay?" Facing the firm eyes of his uncle and aunt, Tang Zhitong finally changed his mind. Two cents a pound, a family only costs sixty yuan, it won't hurt any bones, and if we save on food, it can last for a year or two, which is already very cost-effective.

After hearing what Tang Zhitong said, Tang Ting became happy again and asked her nephew about the situation at home. Tang Zhitong answered her one by one.

Tang Wenbang did not spend much time with the mother and daughter. He packed up at home and went to work. Tang Gang, on the other hand, just watched from the side and had no intention of going to work.

After a while, the old lady put a bundle on the table and helped Tang Zhitong solve his puzzlement: "Gangzi, you don't have to go to work today. Go to the city later and bring some dry food to Rongrong and Nianbin."

"Okay." Tang Gang nodded in agreement without hesitation, and Jin Yumei went back to the house to pack Tang Gang's clothes for going out.

"Auntie, aunt, let me go with brother." Tang Zhitong took the opportunity to suggest.

"It's so cold, why are you following me? Just stay at home." Tang Ting said in a tone that brooked no room for rebuttal.

"Hey, aunt, I'm here to coordinate food for other colleagues. I have to go and keep an eye on it. I won't feel at ease if I don't." Tang Zhitong lied again.

"Then...then why don't you come back?" This reason was very powerful and serious, and Tang Ting did not doubt it.

"Come back, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, and come back when you're done with your work." Tang Zhitong replied firmly.

"Okay, when you come back, I'll cook goose eggs for you!" Tang Ting felt relieved after hearing what Tang Zhitong said. When her nephew first came, they had geese to eat, but in just half a year, there was no food left at home...

Tang Gang's outfit is very border-style, with a leather coat and a leather jacket.

Tang Zhitong was wearing officer's uniform, tying up the leather boots bought by classmate Xiao Wang. Forget about the rabbit skin he was wearing, as he was wearing boots on his feet, so he didn't need that thing.

After the two brothers got dressed, Tang Gang took the dry food that his aunt and sister-in-law had prepared for Tang Rong and Su Nianbin, while Tang Zhitong pulled the sled he had brought over yesterday and went out.

From the moment he left home, Tang Zhitong used hooks to pull out all the mice that hibernated in his uncle's house and other neighbors' houses, to prevent them from coming out in the spring and destroying the food.

Even the mice's winter food reserves were not spared, just like the squirrels' food reserves, all were thrown into the space.

Of course, Tang Zhitong doesn't eat these things, but it doesn't matter if he takes them home as a snack for the hens.

Winter is a busy time for logging operations because wood can be easily transported.

Walking out of the accommodation area, Tang Zhitong heard a familiar "thump thump" sound, and saw a crawler tractor pulling wood coming down the mountain.

"Is this a tractor? It looks like a tank." Tang Zhitong has seen many tractors, but this is the first time he has seen one that looks like this.

"Yes, they are imported from the north, and they were retired from the war two years ago. We call them 'ivy' or 'iron ox'. You are quite knowledgeable, you know all of them." Tang Gang gave an affirmative reply.

"Hey, I've seen it in the newspaper. Last year, Luoyang Tractor Factory had our own domestically produced product, but it looks a little different." Tang Zhitong smiled. These few years have been the starting and development stage of domestic heavy industry. Various types of heavy machinery have been mass-produced one after another, and they are always happily published in the newspapers, with no intention of keeping it secret at all.

"Have you ever ridden a tractor? If you come back early, I'll take you for a ride when I change shifts." Tang Gang pointed to his colleagues waiting outside the forestry office to take a ride up the mountain. "Sure, I'll try to come back early." Tang Zhitong glanced at the lumberjacks who were about to ride the tractor up the mountain. Some of them were carrying chain saws, rope hooks, horse harnesses, curved-handled saws and so on.

What Tang Zhitong was most interested in was the chainsaw. It was a good thing that could greatly improve work efficiency. He didn't expect that it was available now.

The two men were riding in a horse-drawn carriage that was transporting wood to the city. The sled was tied behind the wood, which was somewhat dangerous, but no one cared in those days. Moreover, the carriage was not going very fast, so generally there was no possibility of sudden braking.

These days it's good enough to have a car to ride, you can't be picky.

Along the way, Tang Gang introduced some things about logging to Tang Zhitong, such as what is felling along the mountain, what is felling facing the mountain, what is felling across the mountain, etc.

The road was boring, but Tang Zhitong didn't mind his cold hands. He took out a cigarette and gave one to Tang Gang. The two of them turned their faces slightly to the side and smoked one with their backs to the wind.

"Brother, please go find Park Dae-sung and buy me some barley tea." After smoking, Tang Zhitong took out twenty yuan from his pocket and handed it to Tang Gang.

The idle wires buried earlier may not be used in the future, but they cannot be wasted like this. Xiao Wang likes barley tea, so you can buy some.

"Bought all?" Tang Gang looked at the twenty yuan and didn't take it first. He couldn't believe how generous his brother was.

"Yes, I bought them all. I have a high salary now, and your sister-in-law is a cadre. If we combine our money, it shouldn't be a problem to buy some barley tea." Tang Zhitong replied with a smile.

"Okay." After hearing what Tang Zhitong said, Tang Gang put the money away without hesitation and talked about Park Dacheng: "Old Park is now very successful and rich."

"What? Got promoted?"

"How could that be? There is grain in the East. He has connections in the East and has done a lot of business in private." Tang Gang shook his head and said.

"Wow, a trader." Tang Zhitong was a little surprised. He thought that the East only traded on the ice in the river, but he didn't expect that there were hidden lines.

"That's quite fitting." Tang Gang smiled after hearing this. "He doesn't just sell food, he also helps connect people who want to get over there. He's a lifeline in the eyes of many people."

"Oh? He has such great power? Can anyone get through?"

"How can there be such a good thing? Usually, young girls get married there and have enough food to eat." Tang Gang said this and began to shake his head again.

"It's normal. People die for money and birds die for food." Tang Zhitong was not surprised at all. This was just like the wave of going abroad in the 1980s and 1990s. He had experienced that and the troubles caused were no less than this.

"It's all for food. Even though it's winter now, there are quite a few people running to the mountains with their families recently, hoping that they can open up a piece of wasteland there in the spring, so they don't have to hand it in and can have a full meal." Tang Gang lowered his voice and said to Tang Zhitong.

"Oh, it's all because of hunger." Tang Zhitong sighed after hearing this. This place is still relatively good, as they can escape to the mountains. But where should those who don't have mountains escape to?
"Yes, they are just hungry. I heard that the price of food on the river is very high, so you have to be led by a Chao people. If we Han people go there, the price will be very high unless we have hard goods. It's a good thing that you have connections here, otherwise I don't know how to cheat people over there." Tang Gang chatted with Tang Zhitong.

"Wow, I really wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me. It's a pity that I didn't go." After hearing what Tang Gang said, Tang Zhitong realized that he had taken advantage of the hard goods.

"It's better to have connections." Tang Gang said enviously.

Tang Zhitong smiled and did not respond. His relationship was just "groundless". Food was precious at the moment, and as long as it was related to food, his relationship would probably not be very useful.

"Brother, is this little bit of dry food enough for my younger brothers and sisters?" Tang Zhitong didn't want to talk more about this topic, so he asked while looking at the two packages.

"They both used their food coupons in the school cafeteria, but the cafeteria added a lot of water, so the quantity was not enough. They didn't dare to bring all the dry food with them because some students would steal it. They could only bring a little more from home occasionally and send it over for a snack. Oh, it's fucked up!" Speaking of this, Tang Gang cursed and was very dissatisfied.

"Alas..." After hearing this, Tang Zhitong sighed. Life is so hard for ordinary people in this world!

After that, the atmosphere became cold, but the boots were very useful and did not keep my feet cold.

Fortunately, they were almost at the school. When they arrived at the main road near the school, the carriage slowly stopped. Tang Zhitong untied the rope and followed Tang Gang to walk towards the high school, taking one step forward and one step back.

When they arrived at the school, Tang Gang told the person in charge the names and classes of Tang Rong and Su Nianbin, and Tang Zhitong followed behind and handed them a cigarette.

Perhaps because of the cigarette, or perhaps because of Tang Zhitong's extraordinary attire, the guard went in smoking and looking for someone.

Some students were cleaning, so the campus was cleaner than outside. Although it was snowing, there was not much snow accumulation.

After about a quarter of an hour, the brother and sister trotted towards the school gate.

"Brother! Brother!" Su Nianbin was very enthusiastic and came up to call people first.

"Big Brother!" Tang Rong only called Tang Gang, and looked at the handsome guy next to Big Brother, not knowing which of her cousin's brothers this was.

"This is the eucalyptus from our second uncle's house. You have to call him brother." Tang Gang introduced him to his sister.

"Brother!" Tang Rong finally realized. When she was at home on vacation from school, she often heard her parents mention this cousin, but this was the first time she had seen him.

"Hey! This is the first time we meet, I can't let you call me brother in vain. Here, take it, use it to buy some stationery." Tang Zhitong took off his gloves, happily took out ten yuan from the inside pocket of his coat and put it in Tang Rong's hand.

Tang Rong is not short and looks 40% like Tang Ting.

"Brother, I can't take it. I'm using the information you gave to Nian Bin, and I've learned a lot from it." Tang Rong pulled her hand back, refusing to take it.

"That doesn't count. Nianbin and Huimin's share was given to them last time. Pack them up quickly or your hands will be cold." Tang Zhitong gave his cousin the money without giving her an opportunity to discuss, and put on gloves himself.

"Take it." Seeing his sister hesitant, Tang Gang helped her make a decision. At the same time, he gave the two bundles to Tang Rong and Su Nianbin respectively, and gave them a few more instructions.

"Nianbin has a goal now. You should also study hard and try to get into Sijiucheng. The situation there is better and the quantity is high." Tang Zhitong is pragmatic. He doesn't have high requirements for girls. There is no need to consider how good their development prospects are. As long as they have a stable job and can be financially independent in the future, it will be fine.

"Well, thank you brother. I will definitely try my best." Tang Rong nodded and encouraged herself.

"Nian Bin and my family both have my mailing address. Please write to me if you have any questions. I wish you success in the college entrance examination next year. I will be waiting for you in Beijing." On the way, Tang Zhitong heard from Tang Gang that Tang Rong would take the college entrance examination next year and was doing well in her studies.

"Okay, come in quickly, it's quite cold." Tang Gang felt a little distressed when he saw that his younger brother and sister were not wearing thick clothes, so he urged them.

Seeing the two of them entering the school, Tang Zhitong followed Tang Gang back to the main road and said goodbye: "Brother, you go back first. I'll go find a friend to take care of the rest."

"Okay, you take care of yourself." Tang Gang nodded in agreement, without asking to follow. After all, since they were in such a relationship, they often couldn't stand seeing outsiders.

(End of this chapter)