Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 639 Chapter 638 "Enemy at the Gate"

After returning to the room, Xiao Wang told Tang Zhitong about Yang Lin's request for an article.

"Wait a few more days. I don't have any inspiration right now. Give it to others after I finish writing it." The royalties have been received, and Feng Zhi has been arranged clearly. Tang Zhitong is sensible. He must give this song to Yang Lin, but he can't be in a hurry, otherwise it will easily give others the impression that you are quick-witted, have a wealth of writing skills, and are always willing to respond to requests. What if you are asked to write another manuscript later?
Tang Zhitong doesn't have much confidence in his "accomplishments" in music, after all, there aren't many things he can copy.

"Okay, she didn't set a time limit anyway." Student Xiao Wang unconditionally supports her husband's decision.

"By the way, what kind of song? You need to give some direction, right?" Tang Zhitong wanted to shorten the search scope.

"She said that it should be inspiring and make people feel motivated." Student Xiao Wang repeated Yang Lin's request.

"Haha, no song is as effective as food." After hearing this, Tang Zhitong shook his head. He couldn't show the displeasure in his heart in public, but he could still show some reaction at home.

The information reported on the radio and in newspapers is quite different from the actual situation outside.

The reality is that everyone is starving, but newspapers and radio are still singing praises and extoling growth. This is not only out of touch, but also magical.

While the outside world is in turmoil, mainstream publications in Beijing are still vigorously criticizing the rural free market, saying it is an act of "poaching".

Moreover, opinions vary greatly from publication to publication. For example, the Bulletin of Industrial and Commercial Administration encourages a free market in rural areas, but the mainstream does not allow it.

Although the food ration in the old city is higher than that in other places, it is difficult to buy scarce non-staple foods such as eggs in non-staple food stores.

If there is a pregnant woman or a patient at home who urgently needs eggs to supplement nutrition, they can only go to the free market and buy them at a high price.

"Today I went to the radio station, and while waiting for Fengzhi, I heard some gossip. Someone at work said something about the famine in his hometown, and was criticized and educated. Just like you told our mom, you have to watch your mouth outside and not talk nonsense." Student Wang agreed with her husband's statement, but that did not mean the matter could be brought up. In the current situation, everyone can only mind their own business.

"Well, I won't say anything. No one is more important than my family. I will be careful with what I say and do." Tang Zhitong immediately stated that in the past few years, some people tried to reflect the actual situation in the local area by writing letters, but because the recipient address of the letter was too conspicuous, the letter was stopped at the stamping stage.

But realistically speaking, verbal criticism is not a very severe punishment, and rural areas in some areas are already on the brink of danger.

In response, local farmers made up a jingle: "When you see money, you take it; when you see things, you transfer them; when you see houses, you tear them down; when you see grain, you pick them up."

The most valuable and important thing for farmers is their food ration. Without food ration, wouldn’t everything be in chaos?

Afterwards, Tang Zhitong told Xiao Wang about the letter Wu Aijun had written to him.

"It's up to you. I have no objection." Although Xiao Wang can barely be considered the child of a high-ranking official, he cannot escape the idea that "men work outside and women work inside."

"Okay, let's wait a little longer." Tang Zhitong replied happily. The vegetables in Sijiu City are already available with tickets.

There is less food, and this year a large number of vegetable fields will be converted to grow grain, and the supply of vegetables will be further reduced. But we still have a yard at home, so the supply of vegetables will be more abundant than outside.

There was no conversation that night. The next day was Wednesday, February 2, and the weather was still warm.

The Post and Telecommunications College officially posted a notice today, selecting students from the existing wired and wireless departments for training in preparation for the establishment of wireless manufacturing and wired manufacturing majors.

All the students were very excited and eager to try it out.

If you are really selected, you will be treated as a teacher after the training, which means at least 40 yuan a month? And the full amount of first-class student aid is only 14.5 yuan, which is a big difference!
The college does not have any grade restrictions, so students from Class 593 of the Cable Department also actively went to Luo Zhiping to sign up during breaks.

Tang Zhitong watched from the side and felt that they were trying to do something irrelevant.

"Teacher Tang, do you want to sign up?" After Luo Zhiping finished compiling the list, he walked to the back and asked Tang Zhitong jokingly.

"Forget it, it's a commissioned training. Why don't you go instead?" While refusing, Tang Zhitong passed the question back to Luo Zhiping.

"Hehe, my academic performance is not up to standard. If I could pass, I would really like to give it a try. I'm a university teacher. Not only will I gain face if I tell others that I'm on the list of intellectuals, but if I'm on the list of intellectuals, I can also get a pound and a half of subsidized oil every month." Luo Zhiping imagined the prestige of being an "intellectual" and shook his head regretfully.

"You have a lot of ideas. Working in the Municipal Bureau won't be any worse than working in university." Tang Zhitong advised tactfully.

The subsidized oil that Luo Zhiping mentioned is the subsidized oil for advanced mental workers issued by the old city to intellectuals. People commonly call it "Gaonao Oil". It has been issued since 54 and has not been cancelled yet.

Tang Zhitong felt that Luo Zhiping was a bit idealistic. Is it so easy to get high brain oil? Looking at the definition of getting high brain oil, this thing carries the element of love among intellectuals, but it does not rule out the intention of using them to silence the public.

Besides, high-brain oil is given to senior intellectuals. Ordinary teachers are not eligible for it. Before Luo Zhiping could reach that level, this subsidy was cancelled.

Besides, Luo Zhiping has Su Qingxiang's connections, so he will definitely not suffer any loss in the Municipal Bureau. What good is it to be a teacher in the Post and Telecommunications College? Will he be able to go to the countryside to collect folk songs in a few years?
"Hehe, that's just what I said. Hey, Mancang, Lu Shi, do you two want to sign up?" After Luo Zhiping finished speaking, he asked his two roommates who were concentrating on studying next to him.

In Luo Zhiping's opinion, this kind of opportunity must be seized. There will be no loss even if he is not selected, not to mention that the family conditions of these two roommates are not good.

"Thank you for your concern, squad leader. I'll let it go. I feel my grades are not good enough, and there is still a lot I haven't fully understood." Gu Mancang smiled and shook his head, declining politely. He took to heart what Tang Zhitong said before the holiday, and planned to calm down first and lay a solid foundation for his basic skills.

"I won't sign up either. I don't fully understand a lot of the knowledge points in the textbooks and can't teach others." Lu Shi's words of refusal were similar to Gu Mancang's.

"Okay, then I'll submit the list." Luo Zhiping felt a little regretful, but didn't say anything more. He closed his notebook, stood up and walked out, intending to report the results to Teacher Zhou Zheng.

Luo Zhiping left quickly and came back quickly. As soon as he entered the room, he said to Tang Zhitong, "Teacher Tang, Teacher Zhou is looking for you."

"Looking for me? What's the matter?" Tang Zhitong was stunned, then closed the book, got up and went to Zhou Zheng's office.

"No." Luo Zhiping shook his head.

"Okay, thank you." Tang Zhitong looked at his watch. The class was about to start, but it was more important to find Teacher Zhou.

"Teacher Zhou, you're looking for me?" Tang Zhitong walked into the office and saw Zhou Zheng looking at the list Luo Zhiping had given him, a page torn from a notebook. "Well, sit down." Zhou Zheng put the paper on the table, pushed his glasses with his hand, and pointed to the chair next to him.

Tang Zhitong pulled over a chair and sat upright. He saw that Teacher Zhou did not cover his stomach this time, and it seemed that his stomach problem had not recurred.

"It's like this. Our college plans to set up a special class to take on some scientific research projects. I think you are good and plan to recommend you to the college. Do you have any questions?" Zhou Zheng said straight to the point.

"Ah? Scientific research project? I have no experience." Tang Zhitong scratched his head. He didn't want to participate in the first place. It was good enough for him to slack off now, but it was not easy to reject Teacher Zhou directly.

"We don't have much experience and this isn't an important project. It would be best if we can get some results, but it doesn't matter if we don't," Zhou Zheng explained.

"Oh, does that require adjusting the class?" Tang Zhitong felt relieved after hearing what Zhou Zheng said.

"No, it won't interfere with my studies here, and I can participate in it in my spare time." Zhou Zheng paused for a moment and added, "The college takes this very seriously. These students are all outstanding students from various departments. You should seize the opportunity."

"Okay, thank you, Teacher Zhou!" At this point, Tang Zhitong understood. This was Teacher Zhou's way of helping him build connections! Regardless of when it could be used, he had to appreciate the favor.

"Well, that's it for now. I'll report you later and tell you when I have news." Seeing that Tang Zhitong agreed, Zhou Zheng waved his hand to send him away.

Zhou Zheng's way of expression was a bit direct, but Tang Zhitong didn't mind at all. When he graduated from a part-time technical secondary school, Teacher Zhou put himself in his shoes and not only recommended him to study for a part-time undergraduate degree, but also prepared college entrance examination review materials for him.

How many teachers like this can you meet in your life? It is no exaggeration to say that they are grateful for your help.

There were no classes in the afternoon, so Tang Zhitong had lunch in the dormitory. There were still no vegetables in the school cafeteria.

With the pickles brought by Tang Zhitong and the chili garlic sauce brought by two roommates from Tianjin, no one in the dormitory bought pickles from the cafeteria.

We just got by with three meals a day and no one complained.

After dinner, Tang Zhitong slipped away and went straight to the escort department. He hadn't been there for two days, so he had to report for work.

After dealing with the backlog of work in the past two days, Ma Wei had a meaningful chat with Tang Zhitong. The content of the chat was quite advanced, which was something Tang Zhitong would not come into contact with in his daily life.

"Chief, I have an uncle who works in the foreign affairs department. He came to my house yesterday and we talked about some things in his unit." Ma Wei started her words stiffly.

"Oh? What did you talk about? Is it something I can listen to?" Tang Zhitong was a suitable supporting actor and responded cheerfully.

"Yes, it's not something confidential. It's something that happened in their unit. My uncle said that there is a talented person in their unit who has a high professional level, understands domestic and foreign situations, is good at speaking and can speak foreign languages. Every time he accompanies foreign guests, both the host and the guests can have a good time.

Because of his abilities, he is the guest of honor at many symposiums, but due to his busy work, it was particularly difficult to invite him in the past.

But this year, we can invite many more people. As long as there is a need, they will show up as much as possible. ” Ma Wei explained the background of the story.

"Oh? The symposium includes meals?" Tang Zhitong asked speculatively.

"Well, not only the food, but also cigarettes, alcohol, fruits and snacks. This guy is a heavy smoker, he smokes the cigarettes on the table one after another. When the symposium is over, he will put the remaining cigarettes in his pocket and take them away as usual." Ma Wei shook her head slightly. He didn't go there for the food, but for the cigarettes.

"Oh, are you trying to remind me that cigarettes are hard to buy?" Tang Zhitong said with a smile.

"Not entirely. If necessary, Chief, I can ask this uncle to collect some scattered cigarettes for you." Ma Wei smiled and did not deny it.

"Hey, thank you for thinking of me when you have good things. I have spent less time in the office after the Chinese New Year, so it's normal that you didn't notice. I quit smoking." Tang Zhitong smiled. The cigarettes that can be served on the table to entertain foreign guests must be Class A cigarettes. Although they are good cigarettes, he doesn't need them anymore.

Regarding the tightening supply of cigarettes, Tang Zhitong heard from people in the department on his business trip to Wuhan that there were restrictions on buying cigarettes after the Spring Festival. Only one pack of cigarettes could be bought at a time at Daqianmen, and there were no restrictions on cheaper ones for the time being.

"Oh, no wonder the smell of cigarettes on you has faded a lot." Ma Wei said in surprise.

"Oh, my clothes are all smelt of cigarette oil. When the weather gets warmer, I'll change my clothes and the smell will be gone completely." Tang Zhitong chuckled. Nowadays, very few people can own two sets of cotton-padded clothes. Most people only wear one set of cotton-padded clothes for the whole winter.

"My uncle also mentioned another thing. When there are people in his unit who go abroad, they will use their pocket money to buy food and bring it back home so that their families can taste the differences between domestic and foreign food and criticize them." Ma Wei hesitated for a moment and said it very directly and tactfully.

“Hey, they have this kind of convenience, but I’m not curious about foreign things.

Let me tell you, spring is coming soon, and the wild vegetables outside will sprout and be very tender.

Dig up the shepherd's purse, wash it, add a dash of boiling water, squeeze it dry, chop it into small pieces, and mix it into stuffing. It is delicious when used to make dumplings.

It can not only be used to make dumplings, but also can be eaten cold. Shepherd's purse, purslane and black fungus all taste good.

After a while, the locust flowers and elm seeds will grow on the trees. They can not only be eaten as snacks, but also used to make steamed buns, which are sweet.

When the season comes, I'll make some and bring it over for you to try." Tang Zhitong understood, but what he said was somewhat irrelevant.

Maybe Ma Wei wanted to ask someone to bring some food from abroad, but this couldn't be done.

Everyone who goes abroad has limited pocket money, which cannot be exchanged freely. It is not enough for people to eat themselves, so how could they be so kind as to give it to themselves?

What's more, classmate Xiao Wang just said yesterday that someone was criticized for saying a few words about the situation in his hometown. Then, the behavior of privately bringing food from abroad to China is definitely inappropriate and will be criticized sooner or later.

A duck knows first when the river water warms in spring. Maybe their days are not very difficult yet, but they must have their reasons for doing so. If a man does not plan for the future, he will have immediate worries.

However, they were able to force foreign affairs personnel to buy things from abroad and bring them back to China, which showed that the supply in the city had become tight to a certain extent, and the days of hardship were finally coming...

(End of this chapter)