Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 649 Chapter 648 Section Chief, I want to buy a watch
The next day, February 2th, Saturday.

In the afternoon, Tang Zhitong slipped away again and went to the escort department.

He still dealt with the backlog of work at hand first. When he looked up, he saw Ma Wei with a troubled look on her face.

"Ma Wei, is there something?" Tang Zhitong believed in Ma Wei's upbringing. If it was not related to him, she probably would not show such an expression in the office. So he took the initiative to speak, which was also regarded as caring about the lives of employees.

"Chief, I want to ask you for something." Perhaps because Ma Wei seldom asks others for help, her face looked a little unnatural.

"Well, what's the point of asking for it? Just say it." Tang Zhitong said cheerfully, looking easy to talk to.

"It's like this, a friend of mine is getting married and wants to buy a watch, so she came to me." Ma Wei said, two blushes appearing on her cheeks.

"Watches, domestic or imported?" Tang Zhitong was stunned. Although watches are not considered necessities of life, the contradiction between supply and demand is becoming increasingly prominent.

I bought a watch when watches were not yet available with tickets. The next year, watches needed to be purchased with tickets. This year, the supply of watches is more strictly controlled. Imported watches are still available with tickets due to their high prices, but domestic watches have begun to be sold on special demand due to their high cost-effectiveness.

"Made-in-China products are fine." After Ma Wei said this, not only did her face turn even redder, she also lowered her head.

"Domestic products are now supplied on a special demand basis, right?" Tang Zhitong felt a little headache. Special demand is a relatively low-key term, and it feels a level lower than "supply", but that's not entirely true.

No. 34 is for special needs, and its main service objects are three kinds: first, the supply of important conferences and activities across the country; second, the supply of non-staple food for personnel in the embassy area outside Jianguomen; third, the supply of special needs personnel such as senior executives, special workers, senior mental workers, etc.

Among them, special jobs are aimed at ordinary workers, such as coal miners going down the mine must be supplied with liquor, front-line workers in steelmaking must have increased supply, and so on.

“Well, my friend can’t issue a letter of certification.” Ma Wei was embarrassed. Although she said “domestic watches are fine”, it is more difficult to buy domestic watches than imported watches.

"Okay, I'll go ask Director Fang and see if he can spare one for me." Looking at Ma Wei's expression, Tang Zhitong felt that this might be her first time asking someone for help, so he agreed readily.

Given Ma Wei's father's position, it would not be difficult for him to get a watch. As for why Ma Wei came to him for help, it might be that her father thought the matter was too small and not worth doing; it might also be that he had principles and was unwilling to make an exception; another possibility was that Ma Wei did not even ask her father for help.

No matter which one it is, it has little to do with Tang Zhitong, so if you plan to help, don't think too much about it.

Tang Zhitong seldom goes to the store to buy things recently, and most of the receipts at home are managed by Zhang Guifang. But after returning home, he occasionally hears Zhang Guifang and Xiao Wang discussing the supply situation of certain things, and he still knows something about the supply of various materials.

Although some people have been concerned about the people of Beijing and actively coordinated and transported supplies for them in the past year, the increase in the number of goods with certificates, fixed quantities, and limited quantities has led to people queuing up to buy some goods that are not supplied with tickets.

In order to avoid accidents during sales and to ensure the safety of the people, the store adopted a "lightning" and "guerrilla" supply method, that is, releasing the products at irregular times, in small quantities, or changing the location of release.

The original intention was good, but this practice artificially created supply tensions, caused panic, and took advantage of poor information to queue up to buy and speculate, which made the phenomenon even more serious.

Therefore, the stores began to adopt the method of "internal distribution" through channels such as government agencies, enterprises, schools, and streets.

The store's troubles were temporarily solved, but the relevant units below had a lot of complaints. Not only were there many kinds of bills, but the quantity of each type was not large. Who should they give them to? Who should they not give them to?
Better units will let everyone sit together to review and vote on who to issue a certain ticket to.

Units with huge differences of opinion adopt a simple and crude method - drawing lots, and everything depends on luck.

In either case, the subordinate units have strong opinions, the people who did not get votes also have strong opinions, and the people who are not eligible to participate in the vote distribution have even stronger opinions.

As it stands, it is necessary to retain some opinions.

A watch is essentially a timekeeping tool, but wearing this thing can enhance one's status and give one priority in choosing a mate, so even if one does not have enough to eat, some people still have a demand for watches.

Due to the artificial compression of supply, many people obtain watch tickets from their units, buy them and wear them for a while, which not only improves their status, but also allows them to resell them at a high price when they don’t want them anymore.

Who wouldn’t want to experience such a good thing once?

In response to this situation, the store once again adjusted its watch supply.

If you have money, you can use the tickets to buy imported watches. If you don't have money but really need a watch, you can use the tickets to buy domestic watches with a letter of certification from a designated unit of a special job or industry.

Well, the postal unit is a special industry and has special jobs that require time constraints.

Tang Zhitong personally thinks that this system is relatively reasonable. Just like the centralized procurement of drugs and equipment by the medical insurance, the price of medicines should be lowered first to ensure that the poor people have access to medicines and can afford them, and their conditions can be stabilized before talking about other things.

For people with a decent income, medical insurance is actually a guarantee. In case of hospitalization, the majority of the expenses can be reimbursed, so they will not fall back into poverty due to illness.

Falling back into poverty due to illness is a problem faced by almost all countries. Don’t believe the nonsense of some public intellectuals. Listen to what the local people say is the truth.

For some reasons, supporters of a certain audio platform have begun to settle in a certain red book, and people from both countries have begun to communicate about medical insurance issues on it.

On the other side of the ocean, a blood test for ten items costs more than $200; calling an ambulance costs more than $900; and a concussion test costs $1300. The diagnosis result is to go home and recover slowly, which is very happy.

Surgery is even more expensive! The point is that many medical-related items are not covered by insurance companies and have to be paid for out of pocket.

Of course, they also have areas where they are more advanced than us, and there are areas worth learning and furthering our studies, such as gunshot wounds, which we cannot deny.

As for the videos that said generic drugs were not as good as original drugs or even ineffective, Tang Zhitong felt that the language was a bit exaggerated. There would be differences in efficacy, but it was not that bizarre because he had also taken some generic drugs, (in parentheses), the kind bought in pharmacies.

Tang Zhitong doesn't believe that there is no original drug manufacturer behind such remarks.

The old lady with leukemia said: I have been ill for three years, and I have been taking medicine that costs 40,000 yuan a bottle for three years. I have lost my house and my family has been bankrupted by me. Now I finally have cheap medicine, but you insist that it is fake. Don’t we know whether this medicine is fake or not?

To paraphrase that person: Let those internal and external villains tremble in front of us! Let them say that we can’t do this or that! The unyielding efforts of the Chinese people will surely steadily achieve their goals!
Tang Zhitong came to Fang Yuan's office, knocked on the door, opened it and confirmed that there was no one else inside, then spoke: "Brother Yuan."

"Why are you here today? Don't you have classes at school?" Fang Yuan smiled when he saw it was Tang Zhitong.

"I have to skip classes even if there are classes. First of all, I am a member of our escort department and I cannot forget my job." Tang Zhitong responded with a smile.

"Hey, you're really aware of your situation! If you didn't come today, I would have called you." Fang Yuan pointed at the chair and motioned Tang Zhitong to sit down first.

"Brother Yuan, do you have any instructions?" Tang Zhitong pulled out a chair, sat down, and asked. "I dare not give any instructions. I'm afraid Director Hu will have to report to you in the future." Fang Yuan said with a smile.

"？？Brother Yuan, what are you talking about? I'm a bit confused." Tang Zhitong was completely confused. Looking at Fang Yuan's expression, it didn't seem like he was joking, nor did it seem like he was doing something bad.

"The Municipal Bureau just called and said that the department has added you as D representative! From now on, the main leaders of the department and local bureaus will have to make annual reports to you. Congratulations, the burden on your shoulders has increased again." Fang Yuan exclaimed sincerely. He had watched Tang Zhitong grow up, but he didn't expect him to grow so fast!
"Where did this come from...I'm not mentally prepared at all." Tang Zhitong was completely confused. This happened too suddenly.

It means that this matter is neither big nor small.

There is no real power, which does not affect normal work, but one has the right to write directly to, criticize, and question any leader in the department, with the main purpose of opening up channels for communication and public supervision!
"It's not too late to prepare now. Not only did you participate in our city bureau's postal code promotion and national training conference, but the department was also very satisfied with your performance in Wuhan this time. You were also the first to discover the 'dead letter' problem, thus avoiding a scandal in the department. The department was very satisfied with you, so your becoming a representative is... what is the preciousness?" Fang Yuan was originally praising Tang Zhitong with a smile, but he got stuck in the end.

"Well-deserved?" Tang Zhitong scratched his head. There was no sign of this happening and he was caught off guard. It seemed inappropriate to refuse, right?

Fortunately, the representatives in the ministry are different from those in the local area.

As of now, whether it is the postal and telecommunications department, or schools and enterprises, there are representatives from similar organizations, and everyone will sit together in the auditorium to listen to reports when the time is appropriate.

"Yes! You deserve it! Not many people in our Municipal Bureau can have such an honor. You must cherish it!" Fang Yuan encouraged.

"Okay, I will work hard, do my job well, and live up to Director Fang's expectations of me." Tang Zhitong stood up, stood at attention, and made a not-so-formal promise.

"Okay, stop acting for me. What do you want from me?" After informing Tang Zhitong, Fang Yuan turned to ask about the purpose of Tang Zhitong's visit today.

"Oh, I want to ask if our escort department has any quota for watches recently, domestically produced watches." Tang Zhitong stated his purpose.

"Don't you have a watch? Buy one for your lover?" Fang Yuan asked with a smile.

"No, it's Ma Wei who wants to buy one." Seeing that Fang Yuan didn't say no, but instead asked about the purpose of buying the watch, Tang Zhitong had an idea and told the truth.

Regarding the watch matter, if there was no quota, Tang Zhitong would not tell Fang Yuan about it. He would take the responsibility in front of Ma Wei.

If there is a quota, Fang Yuan must know about it, and Ma Wei must also know that Fang Yuan knows about it.

"Is that so?" Fang Yuan tapped his fingers on the table a few times, thought for a moment, and reached for the phone: "Sit down first, I'll make a call."

"Lao Su, I'm escorting Fang Yuan!" Fang Yuan shouted at the top of his voice after the call was connected.

"We need a quota for a domestically produced watch in our escort department..."

"Don't be so quick to say no, Xiao Tang, Tang Zhitong, I need a domestic watch for work."

"That's right. There are mobile quotas, right?"

"Okay, okay, I'll let him pass in a moment."

After Fang Yuan finished speaking, he hung up the phone and smiled at Tang Zhitong, "See? I don't even have the face to do this. It's better to mention your name."

"How could that be possible? Only Brother Yuan is familiar with Director Su. If it were someone else, even if they dragged me in front of Director Su, it would be useless." Tang Zhitong waved his hands repeatedly after hearing this.

"Hey, Old Su knows that you were elected as the representative. It may not work if it's someone else. When you go to get the ticket, don't forget to ask him for a letter of introduction. The seal of our office is not valid, you need one from the Municipal Bureau." Fang Yuan explained everything in detail.

"Okay, thank you Brother Yuan. I'll go there now?" Tang Zhitong looked at the time, went to the Municipal Bureau, and came out just in time to pick up Xiao Wang and his two sisters.

"Well, take off your watch and put it in your pocket. Don't let Old Su see it. It's best for you to go there when buying a watch, in case they check your work ID." Fang Yuan said, pointing at Tang Zhitong's wrist.

"Okay!" Tang Zhitong took off his watch and put it in his pocket in front of Fang Yuan.

After returning to the Finance Department, Tang Zhitong told Ma Wei the good news. Of course, the credit went to Fang Yuan, and he was just a mouthpiece and errand boy.

"That's great! Thank you, Section Chief, and Director Fang!" Ma Wei was overjoyed.

"It's better to do it today than to wait for another day. I'll go to the Municipal Bureau today to get the ticket and letter of introduction. I'll buy it for you today or tomorrow and give it to you on Monday." Tang Zhitong sorted out the time and made arrangements.

"Don't worry, just wait until the section chief comes over on Wednesday and give it to me. No need to make a special trip. Or you can give me the ticket and letter of introduction and I will buy them." Ma Wei felt a little sorry.

"I'd better go. What if they check your work ID? It would save you the trouble of being exposed. By the way, what brand does your friend want? A men's watch or a women's watch?" Tang Zhitong asked Ma Wei clearly. They had to ask first to avoid being at a loss when they arrived at the counter.

"It'd be best if it's a Shanghai brand men's watch. I'll give you the money first." Ma Wei said as she opened her bag and counted out sixty yuan in front of Tang Zhitong.

"Okay, wait for the delivery on Monday. If I don't come, it means the department store is out of stock." Tang Zhitong did not refuse. He was actually helping Ma Wei, so it was reasonable to collect the payment first.

As for whether Ma Wei really bought it for her friend or gave it to someone else under the guise of buying it for her friend, that was none of her business.

After handing over the work to Ma Wei, Tang Zhitong went out, got on his bicycle and headed straight for the Municipal Bureau.

Thanks to Cheng Hai's relationship, Tang Zhitong easily cut in line and met Su Qingxiang alone.

"Director Su, I'm here to bother you again." Tang Zhitong took out two boxes of peonies from his pocket and placed them on Su Qingxiang's desk.

Although Tang Zhitong also called Su Qingxiang "Director Su" before, he was still a deputy at that time. As the Municipal Bureau was upgraded, he also improved and moved up a step, removing the word "deputy" and becoming the real Director Su.

"We are old acquaintances, it's no trouble at all. I have to congratulate you on becoming a representative. You have to take care of our Municipal Bureau in the future!" Su Qingxiang acted like an old acquaintance and chatted happily with Tang Zhitong. As for the cigarette, he didn't refuse.

"You're too kind. With Director Hu and you here at the Municipal Bureau, there will be no mistakes. I'm a member of the Municipal Bureau wherever I go, and I will definitely not say anything bad about us. You can rest assured." Tang Zhitong expressed his stance again in front of Su Qingxiang, which was much more formal than the time in front of Fang Yuan.

"Hahaha, don't worry, don't worry. Look, I'm ready after I finished talking to Director Fang. Do you want me to give you another radio ticket? Help you get the full three turns and one ring?" Su Qingxiang handed the watch ticket and letter of introduction that he had prepared long ago to Tang Zhitong, jokingly.

"No, no, I'm very satisfied with just these. Thank you, Director Su!" Tang Zhitong thanked Su Qingxiang again. He had previously obtained two bicycle tickets and a sewing machine ticket from him. With this watch ticket, he really only needed a radio ticket to complete the three-turn and one-ring ticket. The post office was really his blessed land!
(End of this chapter)