Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 648 Chapter 647 Old Stories
As soon as Wang saw Tang Zhitong, he noticed the change in his hairstyle. He smiled and said, "Did you get a haircut? You look much more energetic."

What does it mean to truly love someone?
Maybe it's like Xiao Wang. With Tang Zhitong in his eyes, he can accurately and promptly discover even the slightest changes in him.

"It's okay, right? I'm quite satisfied with it." Although he didn't wash his hair after the cut, Tang Zhitong took great pains to clean up all the hair residue on his body. Otherwise, the broken hair would get into his clothes, which would be very uncomfortable and itchy all over.

Tang Zhitong just cleaned up the hair on his body, and the hair on the ground belonged to the barber. This was a customary rule among everyone.

Some people may ask, what about the girl's long hair? That is valuable.

From childhood to adulthood, Tang Zhitong had never seen a barber cutting a woman's hair.

Whether it is a three-year-old girl or an old lady in her seventies or eighties, most of them take care of themselves at home.

In the homes of powerful and wealthy people, this job is done by maids and ladies, and no one can take it away from them.

Ordinary people are much more casual. They either do it themselves or help each other. Occasionally, a few people will seek help from a skilled midwife.

A midwife is also called a birth attendant. A good midwife, like a good barber, is multi-talented. She can deliver babies, act as a matchmaker, cut hair, and some can even treat female diseases.

In fact, it is easy to understand. Even if there is only one midwife in every ten miles of the village, not every woman has the money to hire a midwife. Delivering newborns alone is not enough for a midwife to live a rich life.

So smart midwives started to develop side businesses. Matchmaking can be said to be creating clients for themselves. After all, the purpose of marriage nowadays is to continue the family line.

Haircuts are a preparation for matchmaking. Anyone who is willing to spend money on a woman's hairstyle usually comes from a fairly well-off family. These are high-quality customers, and you have to understand their needs and match them accurately.

"I see they've trimmed your eyebrows. Where did you get them? Go to this shop next time. They're better than your classmate's." Classmate Xiao Wang looked left and right, looking like he couldn't get enough of it.

"That's difficult. I originally wanted to come over early to chat with you, but I met an old craftsman on the way and had the chance to experience it myself." Tang Zhitong briefly described the process.

"This craftsmanship is not worse than Silian's, so it's not cheap, right? Do you have any money left?" When Xiao Wang heard that it was a porter, he gave up the idea of ​​asking Tang Zhitong to find someone else. This kind of opportunity depends on luck.

"Yes, didn't you leave me five dollars last time? The haircut cost me sixty cents. Not only did I get a haircut and eyebrow trimming, but I also got a massage..." Tang Zhitong happily recounted the package he had experienced.

After returning from Wuhan, Tang Zhitong gave all the unspent money and tickets to his classmate Xiao Wang. The division of labor at home was clear, and all these things with legitimate origins were under the jurisdiction of Xiao Wang.

Chinese people have been good at saving money since ancient times, but the motivations for saving money are completely different in different eras.

The reason for saving money now is because of the certainty of the future. Everyone earns only a little money every month, and being poor is very real. We have to save money to buy some hard goods for the family, such as the chatterbox and camera that the Tang family has not yet used.

The reason for saving money decades later is because of the uncertainty about the future. You are not sure whether you will still have a job, income, whether you can afford water, electricity, heating, children's tuition, children's dowry, retirement and medical care, etc.

Although they are both saving money, their mentality is quite different.

"It's nice to have an experience, but people in Beijing say that getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year will kill your uncle. Will your mother be unhappy when you go back?" After feeling happy, Xiao Wang remembered the customs of Beijing.

"It's okay. I get a haircut in the first month of the lunar year every year and my mom never says anything. Besides, the original meaning of this sentence is 'getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year and thinking of the old times', which should mean that the more I get a haircut, the more I miss my uncle." Tang Zhitong scratched his head. He hated the fact that people usually get haircuts on the second day of the second lunar month, so he got a haircut in the first month of the lunar year most of the time.

Having said that, Tang Zhitong suddenly thought of the time when Zhang Guifang took Chinese medicine for her bad temper. It was the beginning of August in the lunar calendar.

According to Grandma Tang, before the Mid-Autumn Festival is the time for the girl’s family to visit her.

Could it be that my mother is not as heartless to my uncle as she says?

"What are you thinking about?" Seeing Tang Zhitong in a daze, classmate Xiao Wang gently pushed him.

"Oh, I suddenly remembered the time when our mother took Chinese medicine. What did Doctor Lin say when we went to see the doctor? Is it menopause?" Tang Zhitong was very confident in Xiao Wang, and also in the doctor recommended by Doctor Lu, so he did not ask too many questions when he got the medicine back. He thought simply at the time and just took the medicine as prescribed by the doctor to see the effect.

"They didn't say it was menopause, but it's been a long time and I can't remember clearly. It seemed like they said it was about overthinking and liver qi stagnation." Student Wang thought for a while and recalled.

"Okay, that's right." Tang Zhitong had an idea in his mind. Maybe it was because he was worried about his uncle and kept it in his heart without saying it out loud.

"How did it become correct? Stop playing dumb." Student Xiao Wang asked eagerly for knowledge.

"Let's go pick up the two kids first. I'll tell you in detail when we get back. We're running out of time." Tang Zhitong pointed at his watch. The full haircut took a lot of time.

"Okay." Although Xiao Wang really wanted to know, he was able to clearly distinguish the primary and secondary contradictions.

The two men rode their bicycles one after the other towards Erlong Road.

There are many stories about the origins of the names of the alleys in Sijiucheng. Erlong Road was not called Erlong Road in the past, but Erlongkeng.

The reason why the name contains "dragon" is because there is a Zheng Wang Palace and a prince's Buddhist temple here.

There is a puddle on the south side between Zheng Wangfu and the Prince's Buddhist Hall, so people call this place Erlongkeng.

During the Republic of China, the potholes were filled and the road was built. After the potholes were gone, the road was renamed Erlong Road.

In addition to the No. 49 Experimental Middle School, there is another well-known unit here, which is the Cultural Reform Commission that Tang Zhitong visited a while ago because of simplified Chinese characters. The Cultural Reform Commission is under the name of the Ministry of Education and also works in the Ministry of Education, so Zheng Wangfu is getting smaller and smaller...

After picking up the two younger sisters, the group went to Chunshu Hutong first. Xiao Wang accompanied Fengzhen and waited downstairs, while Tang Zhitong went upstairs to get the pressure cooker he brought in the morning.

"Brother-in-law! The steamed buns are delicious! I heard from my classmates that the ice on Tongzi River has melted. When will you take me to go fishing?" Jingmin was very excited to see Tang Zhitong.

"Go fishing? Wait a little longer. Good things are worth waiting for. Don't be anxious. Pick a day later." Since his wife was still waiting downstairs, Tang Zhitong fooled his brother-in-law by saying that he had promised to take him fishing before. He didn't expect that his brother-in-law remembered it so well.

"Is this Sunday okay?" Jingmin couldn't wait, took the initiative to choose a date, and asked urgently.

"Let's talk about it the day after tomorrow. I have to see the arrangements at the unit. I'll take you there as long as I'm free. Go finish your homework first and don't always think about fishing." Tang Zhitong touched his brother-in-law's head, then turned his little body 180 degrees with both hands and asked him to do his homework.

"Then it's a deal!" Jingmin didn't realize Tang Zhitong was trying to fool him, and understood it as him taking him fishing as long as he was free on Sundays.

Tang Zhitong didn't explain to Jingmin. Who knew if he had anything to do on Sunday? Maybe he didn't want to go out even if he had nothing to do?

"You guys, you're bringing in fine grains again. Have you finished the noodles at home? I packed some noodles for you and put them in the pot. You can go back and get them out." Ye Zhijuan brought out a pressure cooker from the kitchen and handed it to Tang Zhitong.

"Hehe, thanks, Mom. It's really gone." Tang Zhitong didn't beat around the bush and took it naturally.

During the Spring Festival, her sister-in-law and brother-in-law came over. Zhang Guifang wished she could serve them fine grains every day. The few fine grain coupons at home were basically spent during that period. When she was making steamed buns last night, she cleaned the dough jar so clean that a mouse would cry if it saw it.

Although the two families usually eat their own rations, the couple will send some cornmeal every once in a while. If they take some white flour from here this time, they can send more cornmeal next time to make up for it. "Jingying came back yesterday and said that one of your chickens was stolen, so Wenwen sent a chicken stew with cabbage today. Did you get it back?"

"Not really. The chicken was given as compensation by the chicken thief's family..." Tang Zhitong briefly reported the matter to Ye Zhijuan. Jingying knew yesterday that a chicken was missing from her family. Maybe Fengzhen told her?
"What's wrong with the aftermath? Know the scale, pay attention to the impact, and don't leave an aggressive impression on people." Ye Zhijuan gave instructions after hearing this.

"Okay, Mom, everything is done according to the formal procedures, and the neighbors can understand it." Tang Zhitong understood what his mother-in-law meant. In today's cadre appointments, in addition to personal talent, the public's evaluation is also very important, so many people are particularly careful about their reputation.

However, we need to make a specific analysis to determine who the masses include. Others have good relations with their neighbors, probably because they live in the company dormitory, but mine is a private house, so the evaluation of the masses becomes the evaluation of the employees of the work unit.

"It's okay as long as you know what's going on. I won't keep you here. Go back quickly." Ye Zhijuan was still very confident in her son-in-law and waved goodbye.

When they arrived at the Flower Market Street, Zhang Guifang saw her son and started nagging him, "Noodles are so expensive now, how can you take them back?"

"Mom, I took this. You had chicken and steamed buns, so I didn't want to take it, but Director Ye forced it on me." Without waiting for her husband to take over, Xiao Wang took the responsibility.

"Don't do that again in the future." Since it was her daughter-in-law who took it, Zhang Guifang raised it high and put it down gently without saying a word of blame.

Fengzhen saw her sister-in-law lying with her eyes open, and she covered her mouth and laughed.

Fengzhen knew what was going on. She and her sister-in-law were waiting at the gate of the Women's Federation dormitory and never went up. How could it be possible that her sister-in-law took it?

After laughing, Fengzhen thought of what the teacher said today: "Teach by words and deeds", and she became thoughtful. Although her sister-in-law did this to protect her brother, wasn't it also a way to reduce conflicts?
After dinner, Xiao Wang was still thinking about the riddle her husband had played that afternoon, so she quickly packed up and took Tang Zhitong to the side room.

Zhang Guifang saw this scene and laughed so hard that she couldn't close her mouth...

"You seem a little anxious today. Is this a good day? It's not even eight o'clock yet." Tang Zhitong felt Xiao Wang's urgency and calculated with his fingers. It was an auspicious day!
"Nonsense, didn't you play a guessing game with me this afternoon? I want to know what's going on!" Looking at her husband's smirk, Xiao Wang stomped her feet coquettishly and said angrily.

"Oh, you haven't forgotten it yet? I have forgotten everything." Tang Zhitong was speechless. He felt that his thoughts were a bit dirty and he had to reflect on himself.

"Hurry up and tell me, I've been holding it in for the whole afternoon." Student Xiao Wang pulled over a stool and sat by the stove, looking like he was waiting for Teacher Tang to start the class.

"This is what happened. Our mother was bought by our grandmother..." Tang Zhitong recounted the story in a concise manner.

"I never thought our mother had such a hard life when she was a child." Classmate Wang felt very sympathetic after hearing this. She had heard of such things when she was a child, but had never seen a real example around her.

"My grandma once said that this kind of thing was quite common at that time." Tang Zhitong scratched his head guiltily. Just because something is common doesn't mean it is right.

One of the two is the grandmother who is determined to find a wife for her son to continue the Tang family's incense and does not mistreat her daughter-in-law; the other is the biological mother who did not see the sweetness of life in the Zhang family and resents her own mother.

Tang Zhitong felt that he was stuck in the middle and it was inappropriate for him to blame either side, and it was even more inappropriate to praise either side, so he could only pretend to be confused.

"Then do you think our mother's bad temper during that period was related to this incident?" Xiao Wang was smart and accurately grasped what her husband wanted to express.

“The timings all match up, but I think there’s still some confusion.

When my grandmother was alive, she told me about the customs of her hometown on August 15th for two years. In addition to eating moon cakes, people’s parents would visit their daughter before Mid-Autumn Festival.

I guess my mother remembered it. It happened to be the beginning of August when she was in a bad mood.

In September, there was thunder one day but no rain. My mother said that if there is thunder in September, there will be a severe drought of 180 days.

I guessed that my mother was worried about my uncle, so I made up a few words to explain it, and my mother didn't deny it. "

Now that I think about it, everything has a traceable path. The more Tang Zhitong talked, the more he felt that his biological mother was thinking about his uncle, and this possibility was very high.

"Then what are you going to do?" Xiao Wang held her chin and looked at her husband.

“I won’t get involved in the grudges of the older generation. What to do specifically depends on what our mother thinks.

When I was a child, someone came to report a death, saying that... let's call her grandma, had passed away.

Our mother said she didn’t want to go and didn’t let us go.

My dad agreed very well, but the next day my grandma asked my dad to take me to the mine to play. In fact, they had already discussed it and decided to take me there to kowtow to my grandma and see her off.

On the way back, my dad said that grandma had told us not to let the Zhang family stab our mom in the back.

Grandma said, aunt and uncle are very close to each other, even if their bones are broken, their tendons are still connected.

Let me kowtow to you. Even if we don’t have any contact in the future, I should thank my grandma for giving birth to my mother.

If we continue to be in contact in the future, then this visit to pay our respects means that we have not broken off contact and can continue to be relatives in the future."

Perhaps it was because the soul had changed hands, but some past events, even if they were not experienced by the current Tang Zhitong, were still clearly visible and vivid in his mind.

Tang Zhitong had not experienced the hardships that Zhang Guifang had experienced. From his point of view, his uncle was quite good to the Tang family. He used to come at least once a year, and he never came empty-handed, always bringing back some produce from the land. However, he came less often after the collectivization. The most recent time he came was in 58, and it was also the only time he asked Zhang Guifang for a loan.

Of course, Tang Zhitong also heard about borrowing money from Zhang Guifang, and he didn't want to find out whether there was any truth in it.

"Grandma thinks long-term." After listening to this, Xiao Wang sighed.

"In the early years, when I was a child, my grandmother talked to herself in front of me more than once.

It is said that if she had a brother or sister, perhaps she would not have ended up being left alone and living in a foreign land, and she would not have been separated from her uncle and aunt.

Grandma might have put herself in other people's shoes and felt that our family was too lonely, so she wanted to find some support for our mother.

I was by my grandmother's side before she passed away.

Grandma first told our mother not to hate the Zhang family, saying that they were grateful to the Zhang family for giving birth to her and raising her, and if she wanted to blame someone, she should blame her for buying a daughter-in-law.

Then he told me to listen to my mother and respect her well in the future."

Thinking of grandma, Tang Zhitong's memories came flooding back like a flood. The old lady had made very thorough arrangements, but it was not certain whether the descendants would follow the route she had arranged...

"In your previous letters, you said that your childhood was boring. Your grandma was so nice, she took care of the family wholeheartedly. My grandma only cared for money and worked." Listening to Tang Zhitong's description, Xiao Wang felt extremely envious.

(End of this chapter)