Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 544 543 Frankness
"Do drugstores sell garlic?" Zhang Guifang wondered as she watched her son take out a dozen heads of garlic.

"Oh, I asked the teacher in the school logistics department to buy it." Tang Zhitong lied without thinking.

"You want to pickle some Laba garlic, right?" Zhang Guifang stirred the pot and planned to come over to help peel the garlic.

"Well, soak it in water and eat it with dumplings during the New Year. Don't do it yourself. Wait for Fengzhi to come back and let her peel the garlic." Tang Zhitong favors his younger sister. Fengzhi is usually the one who peels garlic at home, and she enjoys it.

"With so much, how long will it take her to peel it? I'll leave two ends for her." Zhang Guifang couldn't sit still, so she started to break the garlic into pieces and peel it.

Laba garlic is a kind of pickled vegetable unique to the north, especially in North China.

The pickled Laba garlic is emerald green all over, the spiciness is greatly reduced, and it is mixed with the fragrance of vinegar. It tastes crispy. It can not only be used to make dumplings, but also to cook. You can use Laba garlic to smash cucumbers, season pork heads, etc. You can also make Laba garlic braised pork intestines, which has a unique flavor.

The older generation is superstitious and often tells the younger generations that pickled Laba garlic can only be done on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. After this day, the garlic will no longer turn green.

In fact, whether the garlic is green or not has nothing to do with whether you have a partner or not.

The old man was only half right. There are two key conditions for pickling Laba garlic. One is low temperature, and the other is that the acetic acid concentration must be high enough.

Before refrigerators became popular, pickled Laba garlic could only be made in the cold winter. Once you missed the season, you would have to wait until the next year.

It is also very simple to pickle Laba garlic. Peel and wash the garlic, throw it directly into a container, then fill it with vinegar, seal it and put it in a cool and dry place. It can be eaten after about 20 days.

It is best to use rice vinegar, which will make the pickled vegetables have beautiful colors. If you like sweet taste, you can add two spoons of sugar when pickling.

Tang Zhitong prepared the ingredients for Laba porridge and put them aside, waiting until the porridge was almost cooked before putting them in.

The Tang family didn’t have a clay pot for cooking porridge, but they used a large iron pot. They cooked a lot of porridge. It was probably because Zhang Guifang wanted to share some with Chunshu Hutong.

"Mom, I'll go to the side room to make some more hawthorn strips." Since we came back early today, people from school or work are not back yet, so I can use this time to do something else.

"We still have some left from last time. We don't have that much sugar at home." Zhang Guifang muttered.

"I'll put less, and I'll find a way to buy some later." Tang Zhitong made up an excuse, ran twice, and took the belongings to the wing room.

Although Tang Zhitong said he was making hawthorn strips, he actually wanted to make applesauce.

After what happened to Jingmin a few days ago, I let the matter go.

The apples are peeled, cored and processed into small pieces using the external plug-in.

Applesauce is not difficult to make. Just add water, sugar, fruit puree or fruit chunks, and stir constantly while cooking.

Although the taste of the jam was not very strong, Tang Zhitong still used some tricks to be on the safe side.

Making applesauce is easier than making hawthorn bars. Since not too much water is added, it can be ready in just over half an hour.

Tang Zhitong found an unused canning jar, put the applesauce in it, and placed it on the windowsill to cool. He planned to take it with him to visit Mark Jian tomorrow.

In order to give Applesauce a legitimate origin, Tang Zhitong took great pains and thought hard for a long time, but he still felt that it would be more appropriate to bring up the matter with Mark Jian.

Applesauce is more suitable for Western tastes. Mark Jian will have the opportunity to meet friends there. Even if it is used as a side dish, as long as he can serve the applesauce on the table and gain their approval, the matter will be made public and his actions will be justified.

As for the credit, why not give it to Brother Ma San? He is not an outsider anyway.

Besides, it is precisely because Mark Jian has so many contacts with foreign friends and has taken so many group photos with them that he will become a big name in a few years. If his "apple sauce" idea can be exchanged for foreign currency now, it will be a credit to some extent. If he is implicated in the future, this can also cover up some of the consequences.

As for the risks, is it wrong for a chef to use his intelligence and creativity to come up with innovative dishes in order to satisfy customers?
The target customers of hawthorn bars and applesauce are different. Hawthorn bars are more suitable for Asian tastes and are suitable for sale in places where Chinese people gather. This still requires Ye Zhijuan to coordinate and promote.

In this era, Tang Zhitong has been very cautious, fearing that he might cross the red line and ruin his prosperous life.

The difficulties that will follow will be beyond everyone's expectations. Tang Zhitong doesn't have that big a vision to commit himself to the game, but if he does nothing, he will also not be able to get over the hurdle in his heart.

It is better to do the best you can. No matter whether you succeed or fail in the end, you can comfort yourself by saying: I tried my best.

Whether it is hawthorn products or applesauce, as long as they are processed, the profit will definitely be higher than that of whole fruits or canned fruits, because these two things are not picky about the raw materials, and even a little rotten fruit is fine, because it cannot be seen from the appearance anyway, and it cannot be tasted under the cover of sugar.

Although these things have no technical content and are easily imitated, the domestic cost is low, and the fruits used are whole fruits that cannot be exported. As long as they can be exchanged for foreign currency, and then used to exchange for some food, more people can be saved, then it is cost-effective.

After making the applesauce, Tang Zhitong made some hawthorn bars and put the cooled applesauce into the space before Xiao Wang got off work.

Fengzhi is the first to come back. She has her final exam tomorrow. After that, she will play at home for a week. She will go back to school to announce her exam results and winter vacation homework, and then the winter vacation will begin.

"Brother!" Fengzhi lifted the cotton curtain, pushed open the door, and poked her head in, looking sneaky.

"What are you doing?" Tang Zhitong was roasting hawthorns on the stove at this time.

"Look at what you are doing." Fengzhi saw the food and went straight in.

"Go back and pickle the garlic. When you finish, I'll give you some hawthorn strips." The hawthorn cake had not been cut yet, but Tang Zhitong tore off a little scraps and handed them to his sister.

"Okay! I will make sure it's beautiful for you!" With food in front of her, Fengzhi didn't mind working at all and happily went to work as a garlic peeler.

Tang Zhitong watched Fengzhi running to pick garlic and smiled. He thought that he would have to prepare some delicious food from time to time to keep Fengzhi's greedy mouth from getting spoiled, so that she would not be cheated by some yellow-haired guy in the future.

After Tang Zhitong had processed the hawthorn strips and cooked the vegetables, he put the big iron pot back on the stove, put in the ingredients he had prepared, stirred them a few times, and simmered them for a few hours. He would reheat them the next morning and have a delicious Laba porridge.

After dinner, the couple pickled some Laba garlic and returned to their room. Xiao Wang told Tang Zhitong what Lu Lan meant.

The words were passed on to Xiao Wang by Wang Jingying. Since Tang Zhitong was present in the morning, Wang Jingying kept it to herself. It was not until after school in the afternoon that Wang Jingying pulled her sister aside at the gate of the Women's Federation dormitory and whispered a few words to her.

"My mom was worried that you might misunderstand, so she asked Yingying to tell me alone. Don't think too much about it." Xiao Wang was very frank. He not only told her about his meeting with Wu Aijun, but also spoke well of Ye Zhijuan.

"Am I that petty?" Everything has two sides. The fact that my mother-in-law was worried that I was overthinking it showed that my status in the Wang family was becoming more and more important. If I had no status, this kind of thing would have been directly an order instead of asking for opinions.

"I'm just worried that you'll think too much and we'll be in a bad mood." Xiao Wang understood her mother's good intentions, but she did not hide this from Tang Zhitong from the beginning. She even mentioned it to Tang Zhitong when she wrote the letter.

"It's okay, I definitely won't be upset. As the old saying goes, a beautiful lady is the ideal match for a gentleman. You are so outstanding, I wouldn't be surprised even if only one childhood friend had feelings for you, let alone all the boys in your class. That's why when we had our wedding banquet, I told Liu Yue and that guy, Du Yanqing, to tell their classmates not to worry about you, hahaha." After all, Tang Zhitong was a latecomer and was more accepting.

"Will you be embarrassed?" Xiao Wang is conservative and somewhat embarrassed. Jingying conveyed her mother's original words: You young people should have more contact, which will be good for your future, and don't lose face.

"Why should I be embarrassed? It's Wu Aijun who was rejected, not me. As long as he's not embarrassed, it's fine." Tang Zhitong noticed something different in Xiao Wang's expression and asked, "Are you embarrassed? If you feel uncomfortable, then don't go. I'll go and meet him myself, and I'll be able to give an explanation to our mother."

Tang Zhitong thought very clearly that it was rare for Ye Zhijuan to ask him to do something, so he had to go even if he felt uncomfortable about it, so that Ye Zhijuan could have an explanation in front of others. After all, it was Ye Zhijuan who asked the other person for help first.

"I'm fine, what can he do to me? If he looks at me for even longer, I'll beat him up." Student Xiao Wang frowned, not wanting her husband to face it alone.

"Okay, then tell mom about the date."

"Don't worry, let him alone for now. He is not a nobody. He can meet him whenever he wants." Xiao Wang paused, as if he remembered something, and said, "I will write to Qingqing to ask her. She wrote that a group of classmates will go to Tsinghua University after the holiday. She didn't say who they are. If Wu Aijun goes, then you can go with me, so that we can have an explanation."

"Okay, you have the final say. But I still have to ask you, what is the background of this Wu Aijun?" Tang Zhitong heard something unusual from Xiao Wang's words. If there were boys at the classmate reunion, they could be elementary school classmates, or even classmates from Nanniwan. This would be a high-end situation.

"Wu Aijun is the second child in the family and works in the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Aunt Lu also works in the public security department and her rank is about the same as our mother's. This time we asked her for help because of Jingmin's matter and to help Zhang Ye with his household registration. Uncle Wu was considered a high-ranking official at the governor level in the past." Classmate Xiao Wang gave her husband a general introduction.

"Wow! The family conditions are quite good! Marrying me is like marrying down. Your classmates will look down on you at the class reunion, right?" Tang Zhitong smacked his lips. This level is quite good. Who knows if there are any hidden talents among Xiao Wang's classmates.

"What's the point of talking about marrying down or not? That sounds ugly. Who knows? Some people might despise the poor and love the rich, but you know your own feelings. I am quite satisfied with you. Some people may say sour words, but can I shut them up? We won't be together anymore in the future." Student Wang is open-minded and has an indifferent attitude.

"Okay, then you contact her and set a date. I'm always ready to respond to Teacher Wang's call." Under Tang Zhitong's playful smile, there was a touched heart: With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?
It is said that the Tong family had a good meal today.

When Tong Wang came to the courtyard of the Bell and Drum Tower as usual, he found that there were already sacks lying in the yard, and the weight was larger than before. He was amazed and thought, this young man is too strong, isn't he?

After sighing, Tong Wang became more certain of his guess. What out of stock? Those were all excuses. They just wanted more money.

In the evening, the Tong family had a meaty meal, seafood dumpling soup. Tong Nan caught some shrimps and cooked them to his heart's content. It was delicious.

Seeing that his granddaughter liked the food, Tong Wang narrowed his eyes and wondered whether he should keep this relationship going for a long time. He had no shortage of money, but he mainly wanted his granddaughter to have something she loved to eat in the future.

Looking at the supply today, Tong Wang felt that in two more trips, his yellow croakers would be used up. Then he would meet with the young man again and have a frank talk.

Doesn't the young man like to throw it into the yard from a distance? I'll use a tricycle to pull a stove and squat at the door to guard it. I don't believe I can't catch him!

Wang Bo's family, who lived far away in the suburbs of Beijing, did not have such good food.

Wang Bo's family has been drinking porridge every day recently. If you count them carefully, there are probably quite a few kinds of grains in the porridge.

The grains used to make porridge were collected by my family members who dug rat holes in the fields a while ago. They were brought home and hidden away. When it was time to eat, they were washed and cooked directly.

They didn't dare to crush the grain on the millstone, for fear that others would know that they had grain.

Since returning from his studies, Wang Bo's status in the family has risen sharply. Every time they eat, Wang's mother would scoop out the thickest food for him first, followed by Wang's father, and the rest would be for himself and the other children.

This practice exists in both urban and rural areas, and can even be said to be universal, because a family must first ensure the energy replenishment of strong laborers and earn work points to support the whole family.

Wang Bo had a comfortable time while studying. Not only did he learn some skills, but he also gained some weight. So after his mother scooped out the thick ones for him, Wang Bo would scoop out a few spoonfuls each time to share with his mother and younger brothers and sisters. He would ignore his father because his share was also thick.

The village also made corresponding arrangements for Wang Bo, making him a full-time rural doctor and receiving full labor pay, but with one condition: he would not let members spend money if he could avoid it.

Wang Bo agreed, as this was exactly what his aunt had ordered.

The village loudspeaker announced that Wang Bo had returned from his studies and that he would provide free medical treatment to the members in the future.

At the beginning, the members did not have much confidence in Wang Bo's skills, but the village had no other choice. Some people were really upset and went to Wang Bo with the attitude of giving it their all.

I didn't expect that after this visit, hey, it actually got better!
With the examples of three or five other members, Wang Bo was able to build up his business.

Wang Bo remembered his aunt's advice to pay special attention to edema, but in the past few days, the patients Wang Bo saw were thin but not edematous.

This made Wang Bo secretly relieved. The lack of cases of edema was a good thing. At least it showed that everyone was not in such a difficult situation yet.

In addition to seeing patients and looking for some common herbal remedies, Wang Bo has been reading the veterinary book given by his aunt recently. What surprised Wang Bo a little was that no one in the commune asked him to treat their livestock.

After a little thought, Wang Bo understood the reason. These days, livestock are more valuable than humans. If the commune allowed him to treat livestock one day, it would mean that the commune recognized his medical skills.

(End of this chapter)