Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 589 588 Giving Gifts
January 1th, the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, Monday.

When Tang Zhitong went to work, he took the dry goods and rabbits that he had packed last night and went to the escort department.

On the way, he first pulled the rabbit into the space, planning to give it to Fang Yuan when he got off work. He brought the dry goods directly into the office and placed them on Ma Wei's desk.

Since the beginning of winter, Ma Wei has been the one taking care of the stove, so Tang Zhitong arrived a little earlier today.

This job is not a big one, but it is a bit unreasonable to always let a girl do it.

When Ma Wei walked in, the kettle on the stove had just lifted up its lid happily.

"Look, even the kettle is welcoming you. It's so anxious, but it still remembers to applaud and welcome you." Tang Zhitong stood up, picked up the kettle, and poured hot water into the thermos first.

Tang Zhitong originally wanted to play a joke on Ma Wei, saying that he was in a bad mood and still had the mood to whistle, but there was no kettle at the moment.

Watt improved the steam engine when he saw that the lid of the pot was lifted up.

When Tang Zhitong saw the lid of the kettle was lifted up, he thought he could invent a whistling kettle, also called a whistling kettle.

Tang Zhitong has been here for a long time, but he has never seen a chime kettle. In his impression, this thing appeared very late and it is probably not available abroad now.

Tang Zhitong was so busy with mundane affairs recently that he not only had no time to invent, but he even neglected to organize the simplified Chinese characters.

When I went to Aunt Li's house the day before yesterday, Aunt Li praised Tang Zhitong for inventing those little gadgets and exporting them to earn foreign exchange. She also encouraged him to keep up the good work, invent more things, and make more contributions to the country and the people.

Tang Zhitong was very encouraged. For the first time, he felt energized. Anyone who was recognized by such a big boss would probably feel restless, right?
This kettle is just right for the job.

"The section chief is so funny." A little joke made Ma Wei laugh. From childhood to adulthood, she had never come across such jokes.

"Hahaha, as a human being, we must always be optimistic." Tang Zhitong poured out the water and planned to boil another pot.

"Chief, who put this there?" Ma Wei took off her scarf and asked when she saw the useful stuff on her desk.

"I released it. It's the New Year. You've worked hard for a year and shared so much work with me. I have to express my gratitude." Tang Zhitong didn't say anything about return gift. Although return gift is a form of communication, it will also give people a feeling that returning the gift to you means neither of you owes the other a thing.

"Oh~ This... I'm so sorry, I just did what I should do." Ma Wei didn't expect Tang Zhitong to give her anything. She had never received any gifts since she was a child, so she was a little uncomfortable.

"Well, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's because of your hard work that I can go to college safely. Nothing has been delayed. It's reasonable for me to express my gratitude. Put it away quickly." Tang Zhitong looked as if what I said made sense and did not allow Ma Wei to refuse.

"Well...thank you, Chief." Ma Wei then put the things into her own cupboard.

"Don't be in a hurry to thank me. You will be busy when I start school. Don't give up then." Tang Zhitong joked, trying to make Ma Wei believe that this was the reward for her hard work.

"Oh, that's not possible. Don't worry, Chief. I will definitely not let you down." Ma Wei assured.

"Don't worry. I have complete confidence in you." Tang Zhitong responded with a smile, thinking that he would try to give Ma Wei another salary increase next year.

Tang Zhitong does not intend to make empty promises to his comrades, but to demonstrate his abilities through practical actions.

After writing a few big words at work, Tang Zhitong picked up the phone and called Wu Haiyang.

The telephone in the Finance Department was built under the jurisdiction of the postal and telecommunications system, and uses a new type of telephone with a digital rotary dial.

Dial a number, release it, the dial rebounds, and then dial the next one.

This type of telephone is not yet popular. It is used more frequently in Hu County and relatively early on.

Ma Wei was sensible. When she heard Tang Zhitong calling the man opposite her "Foreign Brother", she put on her coat and went outside.

"I know a female comrade. Although she is not very old, she is honest, down-to-earth and hardworking. However, she has no experience in taking care of children..." Tang Zhitong briefly described Zhang Ye's situation on the phone.

"It's okay. You can learn if you have no experience. Your sister-in-law is at home anyway. You can go back to her house and try it. When is a convenient time there?" Wu Haiyang was very anxious. Who would believe if he told others that a grown man was washing diapers at home?

I'm already working, so how can I let a postpartum woman wash herself? That's unreasonable.

The couple had previously considered asking the father-in-law to come over and take care of their daughter, but he disagreed. He was unwilling to come over and cause trouble for his daughter, and even if he came over he wouldn’t be able to solve the problem, so it would be better for him to stay in his hometown and eat the rationed food.

As for why it is the father-in-law, it is because all other direct elders are no longer around.

Tang Zhitong heard the urgency in Wu Haiyang's words and said, "I'm always available. It depends on your schedule."

"Then let's do it today. I'm not at ease at work, and I'm worried about your sister-in-law and her daughter at home." Wu Haiyang just put it off, worrying about his wife and children.

"Okay, then I'll take her there in the afternoon. Also, Brother Yang, how much money are you going to charge? I have to tell them." Tang Zhitong did not forget Xiao Wang's instructions.

"How about twenty? She doesn't have to go on Sunday when I'm off. Your sister-in-law's bicycle is at home. If she can ride it, she can use it to commute during this period. As for food, the rations here are limited, so it's not easy to subsidize too much." Wu Haiyang reported the treatment he had discussed with Lu Lixian.

"That's great. I'll go over and tell them after I have lunch." Tang Zhitong felt that this treatment was already very good. Although there were nannies who could get more salary, this was a regular employee.

In an employment relationship, one can get 20 yuan a month, have four days off a month, and the employer also provides transportation. This is already a high salary.

There are definitely people who earn more than this, but there are definitely extra costs involved, such as live-in nannies, who move their work quota to their employer's home and have no time to take care of anything that happens at home.

After hanging up the phone, Tang Zhitong called Xiao Wang again, told him the situation, and asked if Xiao Wang wanted to go together in the afternoon.

"Go ahead! I haven't met my sister-in-law and the child yet. Let's go and see them together." Xiao Wang was very excited. The child is so small and so adorable!

Everything was discussed and Tang Zhitong pushed the door open and saw Ma Wei slowly walking towards this side from the toilet.

It’s said that it’s comfortable to work with sensible people.

Tang Zhitong stood at the door and lit a cigarette, mainly so that Ma Wei could see him.

Sure enough, after Ma Wei saw him, she quickened her pace.

It was cold, and the girl's face was frozen red. She was honest, so she could go to another office to chat. As it was getting close to noon, Tang Zhitong told Ma Wei that he had something to do and would not come in the next two days. He would come to take charge on New Year's Eve so that Ma Wei could spend the New Year with peace of mind.

Ma Wei was of course happy to do so, and said that she would make the payroll today or tomorrow and put it on Tang Zhitong's desk.

The two also reached an agreement on the Finance Department's Spring Festival duty issue.

Tang Zhitong took his lunch box and went to Fang Yuan's office first.

After making sure that there was no one else in Fang Yuan's office, Tang Zhitong pulled out the frozen rabbit, knocked on the door, then pushed it open and slipped in.

According to Tang Zhitong's idea, all interpersonal relationships must be given away by the end of the year, but the current environment does not allow it, and he cannot explain the source of the things, so he can only focus on the key points.

"What's the matter?" Fang Yuan was studying the dictionary and trying to improve his literacy. When he saw Tang Zhitong come in, he closed the dictionary and took out a cigarette.

"The New Year is almost here, let's add a dish for Brother Yuan." Tang Zhitong took out a naked rabbit from behind him and placed it on the inside of Fang Yuan's desk.

"Take it away, take it away. You've given it to me several times, why don't you just live it at home?" Fang Yuan first gave Tang Zhitong a cigarette, then bent down and was about to pick it up and give it back to Tang Zhitong.

"Brother Yuan, don't worry. I'm lucky. I went out to buy it myself, and I still have some at home." Tang Zhitong grabbed Fang Yuan's arm, preventing him from bending down.

"Hey, you're pretty strong, kid. This thing is so big, is it a wild rabbit?" Fang Yuan couldn't beat Tang Zhitong. His arm was hurt by his pulling, so he stood up.

"Don't worry about these details. Maybe this rabbit has better food and has gained enough weight in autumn." Tang Zhitong took out a match and lit a cigarette for Fang Yuan.

There are purchase limits on matches recently. Fortunately, Tang Zhitong had stockpiled a lot before, otherwise the limited quantity might not be enough to meet the speed of smoking.

Whether it is a domestic rabbit or a wild rabbit, it doesn't matter in front of Fang Yuan. Tang Zhitong has made up his mind to try not to let Fang Yuan go to his home or get to know his family, so as to avoid being exposed to the greatest extent.

"You!" Fang Yuan lit a cigarette and took a puff, then shook his head and did not insist on giving it to Tang Zhitong, which was considered as his agreement.

"Hehe. Brother Yuan, I have something to do this afternoon and have to leave early. I have to go to school tomorrow to organize the students who stay in school to celebrate the Spring Festival. Starting the day after tomorrow, I will be on duty in the Finance Department. Ma Wei has been very tired recently, so I gave her a few days off so that she can have a good rest at home." Tang Zhitong said that he asked for leave, but did not tell Fang Yuan that Ma Wei wanted to take leave, and took all the responsibility on himself.

"Okay. Just take care of the matters in your department." Fang Yuan treated Tang Zhitong with special favor and did not have any problem with these small matters.

After quickly eating lunch, Tang Zhitong rode his bicycle to the Women's Federation dormitory.

When Tang Zhitong arrived, Xiao Wang had just arrived.

Tang Zhitong explained the treatment in detail to Gao Dashan and Zhang Ye, and they were both very tempted.

"How's your cycling training going? There's a bicycle over there that's temporarily unused. You can ride it for commuting and you don't have to worry about breaking it. If it breaks, it's their responsibility." Tang Zhitong asked.

"I can ride for a while now, but I don't dare go to crowded places." Zhang Ye spent another morning learning and can ride by himself. However, he was more worried about damaging the bicycle for Wang Jingying, so he was very careful and didn't let go.

"Okay, just ride back when you come back. We'll watch over you and you'll get used to it after one ride." Tang Zhitong encouraged. Learning to ride a bicycle is easy, unless you don't know how to do it.

Tang Zhitong was still a little surprised at Zhang Ye's learning speed. It only took him one day.

Maybe it's because I'm tall and have long legs.

"Okay!" Zhang Ye nodded heavily in agreement. Having a bicycle to ride can also save money on monthly bus tickets.

"Master Gao, if you go there to work as a nanny, you have to bring your own lunch. As you know, everyone has a rationed diet now, and they don't have any extra food to provide for meals." As a good brother, Tang Zhitong directly blocked the food shortage. He didn't want Wu Haiyang to increase his expenditure on rationed food.

"That's what we should do. Let Ye Zi bring her own food when the time comes." Gao Dashan nodded. Needless to say, he knew it in his heart.

"Okay. Then let's go over there first?" Everything was settled. Tang Zhitong looked at the time and saw that it was almost time, so he prepared to rush over there. He would have to take Zhang Ye there, and then come back and watch her get familiar with the bike, both of which would be time-consuming.

Tang Zhitong and Xiao Wang were waiting outside. After Zhang Ye was dressed, Tang Zhitong drove Zhang Ye to Gongzhufen.

A few days ago, classmate Xiao Wang had already sent eggs over, but this time, due to limited time, he didn’t have time to bring anything.

Since Xiao Wang and Wu Haiyang knew each other, Tang Zhitong couldn't cheat both of them.

In the end, I still arrived empty-handed.

"It's easy to find it. Exit this alley and walk south along Wangfujing Street to Chang'an Road. Then go west. It's about fifteen or sixteen miles away." Tang Zhitong said to Zhang Ye who was sitting behind him after he exited the alley.

I guess this is the first time for this girl to travel far away from the old city. Today, she is being taken there by myself and classmate Xiao Wang. From tomorrow on, she will have to run back and forth by herself and remember the way.

"Well, I'll remember the waypoints." Zhang Ye sat in the back and looked around, not at the scenery, but trying to remember the landmark buildings or road signs along the way.

Tang Zhitong was like a tour guide, reporting the name of each station as he arrived, for fear that Zhang Ye would get lost on his way to and from work.

When they arrived at the compound where Wu Haiyang lived, Wu Haiyang was already waiting at the door. After registering, Wu Haiyang and a few others went straight home.

"Brother Yang, how is the vegetable supply here? Comrade Zhang Ye brings his own lunch at noon, so you can bring some vegetables for lunch, is that okay? I have a lot of cabbage at home, I'll send some to you next time." On the way there, Tang Zhitong and Wu Haiyang walked in front and spoke actively, their voices loudly.

These words were spoken to Wu Haiyang and also to Zhang Ye.

"You don't have to send it here. Let Comrade Zhang Ye eat whatever dishes we eat. There will be no discrimination." Wu Haiyang understood the implication of Tang Zhitong's words. He had already prepared to subsidize some food, and now it was just the dishes, which meant he was even more well-off. There was no reason to be stingy.

Zhang Ye didn't think too much about it. After listening to the conversation between the two brothers, he was quite moved. It would be hard to find such a master even with a lantern. He was much better than the previous landlords!
After entering the house, because the child was still young and the coldness on their bodies had not yet dissipated, they did not meet the child immediately.

Lu Lixian listened in the bedroom with her child, while Wu Haiyang confirmed with Zhang Ye outside the nanny's job content, hours, remuneration, commuting methods, etc.

After confirming everything was correct, Wu Haiyang and Lu Lixian did not give Zhang Ye any probation period and directly settled the matter.

At this time, his body also warmed up. Xiao Wang went into the bedroom to see Lu Lixian and her son. Zhang Ye's eyes were lively. After getting familiar with the room, he took the basin and went directly to wash the child's diaper. Wu Haiyang pulled Tang Zhitong out of the door.

(End of this chapter)