Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 563 562 Tsinghua University
Sunday, May 1.

Tang Zhitong got up early and lit the stove first. He had to boil some hot water to wash up and take care of his personal hygiene so as not to embarrass his classmate Xiao Wang.

Student Xiao Wang got up not too late, and immediately started looking for clothes: "Hey, do you want to wear that coat?"

"No? I'll go over in my work clothes. I always feel that the coat is too high-profile." Tang Zhitong paused for a moment, then asked, "Will it embarrass you to wear ordinary clothes?"

"What's so shameful about this? Wear whatever is comfortable for you." Student Wang smiled and didn't try to persuade her. He sat in front of the dressing table and combed his hair in front of the mirror.

Long hair is a little troublesome to take care of. You need to comb it at least once a day. If you don’t comb it, some broken hair will easily explode, making you look messy.

"By the way, how many people are there in your party?" Tang Zhitong washed his hands and planned to pack some pine nuts to take with him. According to the number of people, each person should be able to get at least two handfuls, right?

"About ten people, four boys, six girls, and you and me." Student Xiao Wang tilted his head, put his hands behind his head, skillfully made a bun, and then tied it up.

"Okay, then I'll pack about four or five pounds." Tang Zhitong took two pieces of newspaper from the side, folded them into a double layer, and then filled them with pine nuts.

In preparation for this trip to Tsinghua University, Tang Zhitong specially cooked a pot of soup last night. He only learned Russian and didn't even bother to work on simplifying Chinese characters.

After washing up and having a simple meal, the two dressed, packed their things, and went to Chunshu Hutong first.

Today, Tang Zhitong rode a bicycle and Xiao Wang sat on the back seat. The two relived the travel experience when they were in love.

When we arrived at Chunshu Hutong, we met Zhang Ye who was pouring out the dirty laundry water. She didn't just pour it in the middle of the road, but poured it along the wall as she walked, so that the water wouldn't flow onto the road.

It is cold in winter and the water cannot dry up and is easy to freeze. Pedestrians may fall if they are not careful.

"Jingwen is here, please come in and sit down." Zhang Ye raised his head and saw Tang Zhitong and his wife, and enthusiastically made way for them.

"No, Aunt Gao, we have something to do later, let's do it next time." Tang Zhitong stopped the car, and classmate Wang jumped off the bicycle and responded enthusiastically. Although the two were about the same age, there was nothing wrong with calling Zhang Ye Aunt Gao according to the way she addressed Gao Dashan.

"Okay, then it's a deal. Next time you come, I'll make you two noodles." After half a month, Zhang Ye has adapted to Aunt Gao's identity. She smiles more often, her complexion is rosier, and her face has more flesh. She looks much better than when she first came.

Zhang Ye is a simple man with a grateful heart. From the beginning when Wang Jingwen helped to smooth things over, to later when she intercepted him halfway, and also when Ye Zhijuan helped to solve the quantitative problem, Zhang Ye kept it all in mind.

She knew very well that if it were not for the Wang family, she might have already passed away and would not have been able to eat the food rations in the city.

The two went upstairs, and Ye Zhijuan was looking at the health-preserving prescriptions of wealthy families compiled by Miao Xiaoqin.

"Mom, Eucalyptus bought some shrimps. You can cook them for us later. We are going to Tsinghua University." Student Wang put down the shrimps and cornmeal without taking off his scarf, obviously not planning to stay any longer.

"Yeah. You don't have to spend so much money in the future. We have enough food now. It's much better than before." Ye Zhijuan put down the notes in her hand and said.

Tang Zhitong glanced at the notes and saw the words deer antler, ginseng, and epimedium. He then thought of Zhang Ruojian, whom he had reminded before to make them into medicine.

"Mom, I have a friend who works in a pharmaceutical factory. We talked about researching finished drugs last time. I wonder if there's any progress there. How about I go back and ask? First, they have experience. Second, if they figure it out, we can write it directly in the book, which can save the experts a lot of effort. If they have finished drugs with better efficacy, it will be more convenient for us to earn foreign exchange directly." Tang Zhitong was inspired.

It was true that he wanted to make things convenient for Ye Zhijuan, and it was also true that he wanted to communicate with Zhang Ruojian and do him a favor.

No matter what, things have to be done. If we don't find him, the editorial committee will find other units, which might waste more time.

"Okay, ask him to contact Xiao Miao later, and I'll tell Xiao Miao tomorrow." Ye Zhijuan thought about it for a moment and agreed. It didn't matter who she used, but she would feel more at ease with someone she knew.

"Okay." Tang Zhitong agreed readily. This was a win-win situation and it did not harm anyone. Fortunately, there was no concept of bidding in those days, otherwise this practice would definitely be called a behind-the-scenes operation.

"Let's have a good chat today and don't quarrel." Ye Zhijuan knew what the couple was going to do today and gave them instructions.

"Oh, Mom, I get it. Do you still treat us as three-year-old children? Let's go. It will be too late if we don't go there now." Student Xiao Wang glanced at his watch and pulled Tang Zhitong out.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, how do I cook these shrimps to make them delicious?" Jingmin whispered quietly on the side. He had already opened the newspaper, and prawns that were bigger than his palm appeared in front of him.

"The food is good. It tastes good no matter how you cook it. You can stir-fry it or stew it. You can also add two slices of ginger and steam it, and then dip it in soy sauce." Tang Zhitong was almost dragged to the door by classmate Xiao Wang. He turned back and briefly explained the method.

In fact, not only stir-frying, stewing and steaming, but also charcoal grilling has a unique flavor. Even the dried shrimps can be chewed and swallowed. Forget about frying, but it is easy to overcook if the oil temperature is not well controlled.

In fact, it was not late, but Xiao Wang took into account that her husband had been driving her all the way, and in order not to make him too tired, she planned to walk slowly, thus creating an atmosphere of being in a hurry.

Tang Zhitong braved the wind and drove Xiao Wang up the hill toward National Tsinghua University.

Tsinghua University is six kilometers northwest of the University of Posts and Telecommunications, a typical wilderness. It takes another ten minutes to walk to Wudaokou, the center of the universe.

Wudaokou does not have a long history.

In 1906, Xizhimen Railway Station was completed and construction of the Beijing-Baotou Railway began all the way north.

As the population along the railway increased, villages gradually formed near some crossings and were named after the crossings.

In other words, Wudaokou is the fifth railway crossing on the Beijing-Baotou Railway starting from Xizhimen Railway Station.

It used to be a small village. After liberation, the country built a university here and the land was expropriated. Gradually, this place became the first university town in New China.

The name of the Center of the Universe is said to have originated in the 80s, when Wudaokou was demolished and a new shopping mall was built, which was given a very fashionable name, called U-Center.

The children nearby jokingly called it the Universal Center, the center of the universe.

Tang Zhitong had passed by Tsinghua University several times when he was at the construction site, but he had never been inside. At that time, he was busy stockpiling supplies and had no time to travel. Tsinghua University is now divided into two by the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway. The new campus is in the east, and Du Yanqing is in the west campus. If he wants to find her, he has to cross the railway.

In order to make it easier for Xiao Wang to find him, Du Yanqing explained everything very clearly in the letter, and imitated what Xiao Wang had done before and drew a simple map in the letter.

When Tang Zhitong crossed the railway, he was still thinking that Tsinghua University was different. The president dared to confront the Ministry of Railways and forced the Beijing-Baotou Railway to be moved 800 meters east.

The eastward relocation of the railway project has not yet been completed, but it looks like it is almost done. The tracks have been laid wherever the eye can see.

When they arrived at the gate of Tsinghua University, Tang Zhitong stopped the car. Xiao Wang got out of the back seat and saw his classmates, Du Yanqing, Cao Shuangshuang and Yue Zhenzhen.

"Wenwen! Over here!" Du Yanqing waved vigorously after seeing Xiao Wang.

"Are we not late?" Classmate Xiao Wang went over to greet them with a smile, and Tang Zhitong followed closely behind pushing his bicycle.

"No, the main force hasn't arrived yet, but it will be here soon. I asked you to come by train, but you didn't want to. It's so cold, your face is red from the cold." Du Yanqing held Xiao Wang's hand and chattered like a lark in the woods.

"I'm wrapped tightly, it's okay. It's only a few steps from Xizhimen to here, and we don't want to queue up. If we take a bus, we won't get there yet." Student Wang was still smiling. She suggested taking the train to Tang Zhitong, but Tang Zhitong rejected it.

It wasn't much faster to take a train from Xizhimen Station, and the smell on the train was also unpleasant. Tang Zhitong felt it was not worth it.

He rode his bike to the Post and Telecommunications College almost every day and had gotten used to it. Besides, he had taken his classmate Xiao Wang to the Old Summer Palace before, and it was only a few steps away from Tsinghua University. He wanted to relive the joy of riding his wife.

"You don't know him yet, right? This is Wenwen's lover, Tang Zhitong." After Du Yanqing had chatted with Xiao Wang, he introduced him to the other two childhood friends.

"We've met before." Cao Shuangshuang covered her mouth and laughed.

"Then I'm the only one I don't know? My name is Yue Zhenzhen, and I work in a bank." Yue Zhenzhen nodded to Tang Zhitong gracefully.

"Hello, I work at the post office. You guys chat first, don't bother me, I'm going to go over to have a cigarette." Tang Zhitong greeted Yue Zhenzhen with a smile, then pointed to the side, pushed his bicycle over, and gave the space to the ladies.

The four little sisters stood on the other side of the gate, chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere was very warm.

Tang Zhitong parked his bicycle and lit a cigarette to pass the time.

I didn't ride fast along the way, and I felt okay. I was sweating a little, but I didn't feel too cold.

The few of them didn't have to wait too long before four classmates came over, three boys and one girl. The three boys came on bicycles, and the girl sat on the back seat like Xiao Wang.

Tang Zhitong went forward to get to know the three male classmates, namely Huo Xiaoping, Shan Wei, and Gu Xiaogang, and the female classmate was called He Ping. They were all college students from nearby institutions and had just finished their exams. They had not returned home for the time being for the gathering. After all, it was much closer to go from school than from home.

In the end, there were still four people who came, two men and two women. The women were Sun Xiaopu and Zhou Xiaoyun, both studying in universities in other places, and the men were Wu Aijun and Cheng Shaojun.

"That's really not nice of you. You didn't invite me to the class reunion. When I found out, I came here uninvited. I guess you're not welcome?" Cheng Shaojun said casually as he came up.

"You're already here, how can I still send you away? Isn't it because you're studying in a military academy? Everyone knows it's hard to get leave there, what if it delays your progress?" Now that he's here, how can he still send him back? Du Yanqing would definitely not do that.

After introducing a few people to each other, Du Yanqing led everyone into the campus, stored the bicycles first, and then acted as a tour guide to lead everyone to visit the campus: "The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway divides Tsinghua University into two parts. The new campus is on the east side, where the mechanical, electrical, radio, and power department's automobile and tractor majors are located. We are now in the old campus, which has the civil, water conservancy, architecture, and power department's thermal power generation major."

"It's so close, but separated by the railway. Isn't it a bit inconvenient? What if saboteurs jump off the train on campus?" Sun Xiaopu looked around and compared it with his own university in his mind.

"The president has already negotiated with the Ministry of Railways. The section of the Beijing-Baotou Line at Tsinghua University will be moved 800 meters to the east. It was originally planned to be completed in July last year, and there is still some follow-up work to be done. The relocation will be completed in two months, and by then this railway track will be a main road in our campus." Du Yanqing answered.

Du Yanqing led everyone to the west first, introducing the buildings and attractions one by one.

The first one is the second school gate, which was the original gate of Tsinghua University. Later, the staff quarters were built on the west side for expansion, and this side became the inner gate.

What Tang Zhitong didn't expect was that Huo Xiaoping brought a camera. He took the initiative to step forward and said, "Come on, let's take a group photo."

"Okay!" Sun Xiaopu was the first to stand up and agree.

"It's not easy for you classmates to meet each other. If you feel at ease, tell me how to take the photo and I'll do it." Tang Zhitong took the initiative to step forward. He was an outsider no matter how you looked at it, and he felt a little out of place standing there.

"There's nothing to worry about. This camera is very easy to use. Here, wind it up here, aim at the person and scenery from the viewfinder, and press the shutter button." Huo Xiaoping has a cheerful personality and may not take the camera seriously. He immediately taught Tang Zhitong how to use it.

All the cameras Tang Zhitong has come into contact with are digital cameras. According to Huo Xiaoping, this one is no different from a digital compact camera in terms of usage, except that today's cameras have an extra step of winding up the camera.

Tang Zhitong held the camera and looked for an angle, but since everyone was standing too close to the second school gate, he couldn't take a panoramic photo of the gate.

"Everyone move forward, let's try to get the second school gate in the picture, and make the people clearer." Tang Zhitong is not a camera guy, but he has taken some photos when he went out to play before, whether with a camera or a cell phone, and knows some basic techniques.

After Tang Zhitong's instructions, Huo Xiaoping felt more confident and believed that this would be a good photo.

Film cameras cannot check the results of photos, but that did not prevent Huo Xiaoping from approving: "I didn't expect you to know how to frame. Have you really never learned it before?"

"I've never touched a camera like this." Tang Zhitong returned the camera to Huo Xiaoping with a smile, and added in his mind that he had only touched digital cameras before and had also played with other people's SLRs. Perhaps the only camera that could compare with this outdated camera was the Polaroid camera.

The next place the group went to was Shuimu Tsinghua University. It is said that the four words "Shuimu Tsinghua" on the plaque were written by Kang Mazi.

The name comes from a poem by Xie Hun of the Jin Dynasty: "The benevolent wind sweeps over the flourishing gardens, white clouds gather in Zeng'a, at dusk the birds sing, the water and trees are clear and beautiful."

But Du Yanqing was a science student, and he didn't have the romance of intellectuals. He didn't say much, and everyone was just walking around. In the middle of winter, with withered flowers and fallen willows, what kind of scenery was there?

(End of this chapter)