Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 543 Laba Congee

After Tang Zhitong arrived at the escort office, Wan Xiangyang came to the door again and called Tang Zhitong outside to smoke. After taking two puffs, he took out the food coupons from his pocket and wanted to pay back the part he owed.

"Brother Yang, there's no rush about the food coupons." Tang Zhitong declined and didn't want to accept it.

"Your sister-in-law said that we won't owe debts until the New Year. Don't worry, we know what we are doing and we won't starve." Wan Xiangyang stuffed the food coupons into Tang Zhitong's hands. This time it was ten kilograms, half of which were coarse grain coupons and half were fine grain coupons.

"You...is this really not difficult?" Tang Zhitong looked at the food coupons in his hand. As a friend, he really didn't want his good buddy to starve because of paying back his food coupons.

"Well, it's okay. My ration is high, I'll give five kilograms, three kilograms to Xiang Hong, and two kilograms to your sister-in-law. There was still some surplus last month, which can last until the food coupons are issued this month. It's not a big problem." Wan Xiangyang explained everything to Tang Zhitong in detail.

"Then I'll keep it for now. Brother Yang, if you're short of food, please tell me. I went to the Northeast a while ago and bought some food. It should be enough for emergencies." Tang Zhitong put away the food coupons after hearing what Wan Xiangyang said.

There is a huge difference between one friend and another. Some people may sound nice when you lend them money, but disappear when it comes to paying it back.

It is not easy for ordinary people to save some money these days. Anyone who can live frugally and pay off his debts must be a good person and worth making friends with.

"No problem. If it's really difficult, I will definitely ask you for help. It's easy to borrow and pay back. It won't be difficult to borrow again. But your rabbit and eggs will have to wait..." Wan Xiangyang felt a little embarrassed when he said this. The supply of eggs was already very tight and difficult to buy. Meat could be bought, but the young couple only had six taels of meat a month, and it was still a long way to pay off the rabbit.

"Brother Yang, the turtledove you gave me is equivalent to the rabbit. The egg doesn't count. It's a gift from me as a brother to Xiang Hong. I've taken your food coupons today, and we're even now. If you count carefully, I've taken advantage of you. The food coupons you gave me today included fine food coupons." Tang Zhitong gave Wan Xiangyang several times, but only about ten pounds of millet, more than thirty pounds of sweet potatoes, plus about twenty eggs and two rabbits.

"This... isn't too bad, right?" Wan Xiangyang felt even more embarrassed when he knew that it was his little brother who was taking care of him.

"There's nothing wrong with it. This is good enough. If you say any more, we won't even be brothers anymore." Tang Zhitong was straightforward and refused to accept any more requests.

"Okay, that's it." Wan Xiangyang didn't grit his teeth and resist. It was too difficult to pay back the debt. Fortunately, Shu Qing was understanding, otherwise he would have to wait.

The two brothers chatted for a few words outside the door and then parted.

Tang Zhitong did not plan to take these food coupons home. There was no shortage of them in Chunshu Hutong for the time being, and there was no shortage of them at home for the time being. It would not be worthwhile to use the food coupons to go to a restaurant, so he would buy dry food in the canteen of the escort department. Anyway, after the exam, he would have to go to get off work and leave on time, so he might as well save some food and put it in the space for emergency use.

Universities have their own food supply tickets, and some large units may also have them, but the canteens of most units in Beijing directly accept money and Beijing food coupons for transactions.

After returning home in the evening, Tang Zhitong heard a piece of gossip that Lao Kou was beaten again.

Why do I say "again"? Because the beating I got last time was not concealed.

"Who did I offend?" Tang Zhitong was quite puzzled. The people these days were not fierce or aggressive. Whether they were capitalists, ordinary people, or the second generation, most of them were law-abiding.

There may be some bureaucrats, but they dare not act blatantly. Although it has only been ten years since the neighborhood, there has been a gust of wind every two years. The main theme is mass supervision. How many people dare to be so bold?
"I heard that the vendor who sold grain coupons was exposed and was beaten with a club on his way home from get off work." Zhang Guifang went out to buy fish today and listened from the side of the queue where neighbors were standing.

Finally, it was midwinter and the preservation of sea fish was no longer a problem, and small quantities of them began to be available in the city.

"Did the ticket scalpers provoke him?" Tang Zhitong suddenly had a feeling. Could it be that Lao Kou really went to exchange the tickets?
"I heard that he went to other people's territory to sell tickets, and wanted to exchange his fine grain tickets for their coarse grain tickets and ask them to compensate him for the difference. They refused, so he beat him up on the spot. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, so he just went to expose it." Zhang Guifang enthusiastically told her son the gossip she had heard.

"You're really worthy of being called a miser, a money-grubber." Tang Zhitong shook his head with a wry smile.

"Who says it's not true? They are obsessed with money. They dare to do it openly, so they must have someone behind it." Although all kinds of people were put in jail, Zhang Guifang had heard a lot about the unscrupulous things they had done before.

"Hey, I really don't know how much I weigh." Tang Zhitong smiled.

Tang Zhitong didn't care how Lao Kou made the revelation. Whether it was done with real names or anonymously, the fact that the ticket scalpers were able to find the person involved was unusual. This further confirmed his guess that the ticket scalpers must have had a backstage presence to dare to do this.

Even Zhang Guifang, a woman, could understand this truth, but Old Kou didn't. He felt that the beating was a bit unfair, but not really unfair either, as the benefactor had overreached too far.

The water here is too deep, and it is not something that ordinary people can grasp. It is okay to buy a few food coupons for emergency use, but if you want to get in and get a piece of the pie...

Tang Zhitong thought of the famous chive fields.

Internet celebrities use various means to get their “family members” and “old friends” to place orders, and they make a lot of money. Some sell crabs and geese, some sell moon cakes and lymph meat, and some even pay off several small goals by making money from selling leeks.

Of course, there are also those that sell sentimentality, such as Marie Curie who discovered highly enriched uranium and invented the X-ray machine. That's so awesome, my lady.

In general, each style is different, but there is always one suitable for "family, friends, and old buddies."

Tang Zhitong hopes that Lao Kou will learn his lesson this time and not be like the leeks, which work hard to grow as soon as they see profits to be made.

Looking through the phenomenon to the essence, they say they are "family", but it is impossible for them to give red envelopes to all family members. In essence, they still want to take the coins in the pockets of "family members" into their own pockets.

When it is possible to cultivate leeks, internet celebrities talk sweetly and want to kowtow to their families, but who knows whether their sickles for cutting leeks have already been sharpened and they can’t wait?

What's worse, after harvesting the leeks, they might even curse their "family members" as idiots behind their backs.

This is just like fishing. The more fragrant the bait, the greater the possibility that the fish will bite the hook.

The fish wants to eat the bait, so it eats one bite when it thinks it's fine, and then it eats another bite when it thinks it's fine, and then it wants to eat another bite...

The end result is that once a fish is caught, there is always a suitable way to eat it, whether it is cooked, fried, boiled, stewed, or steamed.

As for whether Lao Kou would come to cause trouble for him, Tang Zhitong was not worried. But as long as his IQ was not low, he would not make such a bad move. If he came, he would not be afraid, he would just do it!

Just do it, that’s what Gao Dashan did.

Gao Dashan was very happy today. Not only did he get married, but his wife's ration would also be solved soon.

That night, we ate the food cooked by my wife and opened a bottle of wine brought by Ye Zhijuan. Our life was very enjoyable.

When it was late at night, Gao Dashan closed the door of the Women's Federation dormitory, turned off the lights, and went to bed in the dark...

It's not the case that one blossom outweighs the other, because Gao Dashan is old enough and he has been a virgin. His yang energy and kidney energy are sufficient, and his hair is not even gray.

But it was hard for Zhang Ye, as it was like a golden needle piercing the peach blossom core. He dared not speak out loud and frowned.

Fortunately, all the hard work will pay off, and good days are yet to come... January 1th, Tuesday, the day to deliver fish to Tong Wang.

After picking up Jingying, the couple learned that Gao Dashan and Zhang Ye had quickly obtained their marriage certificate. By accident, these two people finally had a good result.

Today, the Cable Department has a professional course examination in the morning and afternoon, so the time is relatively flexible.

After sending his two sisters off, Tang Zhitong slowly walked around to the Bell and Drum Tower.

Although there was plenty of time, it was very cold and Tang Zhitong didn't want to make a special trip here at noon. He planned to throw the fish to Tong Wang in the yard early in the morning. Anyway, the fish was frozen and the temperature was below zero degrees, so it would not thaw at all.

Since they arrived early today, there was no one in Tong Wang's "courtyard". Tang Zhitong "threw" the sack into the yard, got on his bicycle and rode away.

Debts will never be owed before the New Year. Tang Zhitong threw in 100 kilograms this time. If he does this two more times, he will be able to settle the debt with Lao Tong before the New Year.

Tomorrow is Laba Festival, which is a very important festival for the authentic residents of Sijiucheng.

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, people must drink Laba porridge.

The people of old Sijiucheng are very particular about porridge. Only the porridge cooked directly with raw rice and water is called porridge.

If someone says they are drinking porridge today, it means that the porridge is made by mixing leftover rice with water. It is lighter and not sticky.

If we just say drinking porridge today, we are specifically referring to white rice porridge. Things like millet porridge and cornmeal porridge are derived from this.

No matter what kind of porridge it is, if mung beans are added to it, it is called mung bean porridge, if yam is added, it becomes yam porridge, and if a lotus leaf is covered when cooking, it becomes lotus leaf porridge.

If you add some beans, dried fruits, etc. and cook them into a pot, it becomes Laba porridge.

People in Beijing have had the habit of eating coarse grains since ancient times, not because they were poor, because not only the poor but the rich also ate them.

Tang Zhitong guessed that it might be because the medical level was low in the past, and the ancients did this for the sake of health preservation. After all, there has been a saying since ancient times that grains and cereals can nourish people.

In recent years, the medical level in the city has improved, the mortality rate has decreased, and life expectancy has greatly increased.

Coupled with the strong support from other places, many families in the city who mainly eat fine grains have emerged.

Even so, it is still common to drink Laba porridge on Laba Festival.

The ingredients of Laba porridge are basically coarse grains, but the combination can be simple or very sophisticated.

Laba porridge gets its name from the fact that it is drunk on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, not because it only contains eight ingredients.

The authentic cooking method of Lao Sijiucheng uses 18 kinds of ingredients, namely rice, glutinous rice, yellow rice, millet, water chestnut rice, red beans, chestnuts, red dates, longan, lotus seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, hazelnuts, walnut kernels, osmanthus, and rock sugar, which are carefully boiled.

It is said that these 18 ingredients symbolize the 18 Arhats, and eating them can bless the family to be safe and sound in the new year without illness or disaster.

When Tang Zhitong passed by the Chinese medicine shop, it had just opened.

Since he had come across them, Tang Zhitong parked his bike and went in to buy some lotus seeds and longans.

After hearing what Tang Zhitong had specified, the doctor smiled and wrote out a prescription directly. As the Laba Festival was approaching, he would meet several people every day who came to buy the ingredients needed to make Laba porridge.

The grain store started selling the raw materials needed to make Laba porridge two days ago, but there were only a few kinds, such as glutinous rice, sorghum rice, red beans, etc.

Although grain stores also supply mung beans and black beans, no one puts these two beans in the Laba porridge because mung beans will make the porridge turbid. Although black beans are good for strengthening the kidneys, they have traditionally been used as feed for livestock, and not many people eat them at home.

Although Zhang Guifang had bought some common goods from the grain store, there were still eighteen kinds of raw materials, and even if Tang Zhitong had stockpiled them before, he would definitely not be able to get them all. At least there were no lotus seeds and longans. He could only try to get as many types as possible.

But once this thing enters the pharmacy, the price can no longer be calculated based on grain, this is a medicinal material! The value is doubled, and the billing is charged by "gram" or even by "money".

Tang Zhitong didn't buy much, but the money he spent... was enough to explain why not many people thought of buying food from the pharmacy during the disaster year.

Thanks to Luo Zhiping's arrangement and coordination, the seating arrangements for the exam were ideal. The students on sponsored courses all sat at the back, and Tang Zhitong sat in the middle of the front row, like the moon among the stars.

Maybe because they study hard, other students did not think of cheating. The invigilator walked around for a few times and then sat on the podium to rest. The quota was limited, and walking around too much was not conducive to rest and recuperation.

Although there is no such thing as "passing is the key" nowadays, the goal of trainee students is to pass, and any extra point is a waste.

The goal was set low, so it was easier to complete. After two exams, all the trainees were smiling.

Tang Zhitong did not go to the escort office after the exam. He had already told Ma Wei yesterday to keep an eye on things. He could only come occasionally these days because the school had final exams...

Tang Zhitong went straight home and prepared to make Laba porridge.

Laba porridge is eaten on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, but according to the old custom of Sijiu City, Laba porridge should be used to worship gods and ancestors early in the morning on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, so the porridge should be prepared or even cooked on the seventh day.

"Mom, you're quick." When Tang Zhitong got home, Zhang Guifang had already washed, soaked, and put the rice and beans into the pot. These are not easy to cook, so they have to be soaked and cooked in advance.

"It's better to start early so that you don't have to stay up until late at night." Zhang Guifang had a good reason. Laba porridge requires slow cooking over low heat in a clay pot, which is very tiring.

"You're right. I bought some ingredients from the drugstore. I'll peel some pine nuts and put them in later. The porridge will be delicious." Tang Zhitong took out the prepared things from his bag. Some were bought from the drugstore, and some were previously stockpiled. There were chestnuts, red dates, longans, lotus seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, walnut kernels, osmanthus, everything you could think of, but the quantities were not large.

After Tang Zhitong finished speaking, he rolled up his sleeves and collected all the ingredients, washing what needed to be washed and peeling what needed to be peeled.

According to the customs of the old Sijiu City, after the Laba porridge is cooked, it must be served in a bowl and then a pair of "little lions" squat on it.

It is called a lion, but it is actually a handicraft. Walnut kernels are used as the lion's head, red dates are used as the lion's body, peach kernels are used as the lion's feet, and almonds are used as the tail.

Tang Zhitong didn't plan to do this, it was time-consuming and labor-intensive, and mainly because he wasn't sure he could make it lifelike...

(End of this chapter)