Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 650 649 This is an honor

When Wang heard that Ma Wei had asked her husband to buy a watch, he immediately said, "Let's do it today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow is Sunday and there will be more people in the department store."

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Tang Zhitong had no objection. Tomorrow was Sunday, and if he had one less thing to plan, he could sleep longer.

The two of them picked up Fengzhen and Jingying and went directly to the department store.

"You two should follow closely and don't get lost." After the four of them parked their bicycles, Tang Zhitong looked at the people coming in and out and instructed his two sisters.

It was Fengzhen's first time entering a department store. She felt a little awkward standing aside looking at the dazzling array of goods and the bustling crowd.

"Come on, let's go out for fun together." Jingying saw her good friend's reservedness, smiled and took Fengzhen's hand.

When Wangfujing Department Store first opened, it was known as the place with the most comprehensive range of goods in the whole city, but now...

According to Tang Zhitong's observation, some commodities are out of stock.

Some customers who come to buy things will not leave immediately after learning that what they want is out of stock. Instead, they will walk around casually to see if there is what they need among the items that are currently in stock.

In fact, this mentality is not difficult to understand. This kind of thing exists now and will happen again in the future.

This is just like the rumor that a supermarket is going to close down, or that salt is contaminated and cannot be eaten, or the beginning of the "silence", when people blindly follow the crowd and buy, even if they know they don't need it at home and can't use so much, they still buy it.

The reason for this is that, on the one hand, the atmosphere is there and since we are here, we can’t leave empty-handed; on the other hand, we have no confidence in the future…

There are fewer customers in front of the counters that sell goods that require tickets or letters of introduction. After all, the card is strictly controlled. In order to issue tickets, there must be enough corresponding goods, otherwise the people from special units and special industries holding the tickets will not spare the supply units.

Every time a customer comes to the counter, the salesgirl’s first words are very brief: “Tickets, letters of introduction.”

Only after confirming that the receipt is authentic and valid will we make the demands clear to the customer. If there is no receipt, I'm sorry, you have to go there.

Because we didn't eat enough, the service quality of the service staff has been declining since the second half of last year, and there is no sign of improvement so far.

There were not many customers at the watch counter, and soon it was Tang Zhitong's turn.

Tang Zhitong understood the salesgirl very well. She had to serve customers all day long, with limited time to rest, and she didn't eat enough. No one would be able to face such a thing with a smile.

"Comrade, this is a Shanghai men's watch for 60 yuan." Tang Zhitong had seen the purchase process of the previous customer and had already prepared his watch ticket, letter of introduction and work permit, which he handed to the salesperson together.

After checking the receipt, the salesperson directly issued the invoice without saying a word.

Tang Zhitong asked Xiao Wang and his two sisters to wait beside the counter while he went to pay.

After paying the money, Tang Zhitong took a look at the stamped receipt and saw that the column for goods clearly read Shanghai A581 men's watch.

Tang Zhitong knew this watch. It was very famous and beautifully made. It was a 17-hand semi-steel mechanical watch. Although the bezel looked shiny, it was actually brass plated with a layer of chrome. Only the case that came into contact with the wrist was made of stainless steel.

The "Shanghai" on the dial is in arts and crafts font, and it was not until the mid-to-late 1960s that it was replaced with the Mao font familiar to the public.

The first domestically produced watch in China was the "Five Star" brand produced by the Tianjin Warwick Watch Factory. It was assembled in March 55. The Shanghai brand watch appeared later, in September 3. The brand used at that time was "Dongfanghong".

At the beginning, the production of domestic watches was not high, many parts were imported, and the annual output was counted in the thousands.

However, with the improvement of industrial level, the output has increased. In 1959, Shanghai brand watches produced 7.4 pieces, and this year it soared to 60 pieces, and then suddenly fell back...

The process of receiving the watch went smoothly. After Tang Zhitong got the watch, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he opened the package, wound the watch up, checked whether the hands were moving, and then put his ear to the watch to listen to the "click" sound of the hands moving.

These days the after-sales service for many products is almost non-existent. Tang Zhitong was entrusted by someone and he couldn't buy a broken watch for Ma Wei.

As long as it can move, Tang Zhitong can't care about how big the error is, and he can't measure it himself.

After confirming that it was correct, Tang Zhitong put the watch back into his bag, and led Xiao Wang and his two sisters out of the department store.

When Tang Zhitong returned home, he was greeted by a pile of clothes with obvious new patches on them.

Most fabrics these days are made of cotton. Due to the limitations of count and craftsmanship, their wear resistance needs to be improved. If they are worn for a little longer, they will easily wear out, and at this time, patches will need to be applied to the torn areas.

Due to problems with the printing and dyeing process and raw materials, the coloring of cotton cloth is not ideal, and the clothes will easily turn white after being washed five or six times.

After the patch is applied, the color contrast between the new and the old is particularly obvious, so many families will send the repaired clothes to a printing and dyeing shop to have them re-dyed, or buy printing and dyeing materials and soak them at home to color them.

"Mom, are we going to dye them?" Tang Zhitong asked, looking at the clothes tied with ropes.

"The printing and dyeing shop is full and no longer accepting work. And if I go to buy dyes myself, they're out of stock. Sigh!" Zhang Guifang said while shaking her head.

"Then just wear it like this. Dyeing it will only make it look good, but it doesn't mean it will become durable." Tang Zhitong put down his schoolbag and suggested.

"I can wear anything at home, but it won't look good if you go out dressed like this." Zhang Guifang looked at the children and disagreed with her son's suggestion.

"Mom, I think we should just choose between face and substance. We already look better than our neighbors. If we dress more fancy, there will be more gossip. It's better to have less trouble than more. Besides, we'd better pay attention to the impact." Tang Zhitong thought about this issue, and it was based on this thinking that he rejected Xiao Wang's proposal to make clothes for him a few days ago.

"Okay, let's wear it like this." Zhang Guifang looked at her son and then at her daughter-in-law. They both worked for the government, so since they had to pay attention to the impact, Zhang Guifang finally nodded.

That's it. Zhang Guifang quickly untied the rope and put the clothes back into the bedroom.

Fengzhi was a little unhappy. The clothes she was going to print and dye were all patched. When she went to the radio station to record a song, she saw that other people's children were wearing clothes that were not fashionable and had no patches on them.

Tang Zhitong didn't see Fengzhi's expression, and even if he saw it, he wouldn't change his mind.

From the middle of this year to the next few years, no matter what family you come from in the city, almost everyone you see on the street will have patches on their body.

People are so hungry that their eyes are green. Who cares about wearing decent clothes? I just took the lead in experiencing patched clothes again. Dinner is simple, just stir-frying half a pickled cabbage.

In the past, sauerkraut was always stir-fried in its entirety. But ever since Tang Zhitong came back from Wuhan, vegetables have become scarce at home.

It was not so tense in previous years. On the one hand, there was some output from our own yards, and on the other hand, the grocery stores would continuously supply some reserve vegetables.

The supply of reserve vegetables is less this year. Although there is some output in the yard at home, we also have to take care of Chunshu Hutong, so it is consumed a little faster.

But this is not a serious problem. There are still pickles at home to last for a while. When the weather gets warmer, I can eat some "wild game" from time to time to relieve the stress.

We can’t count on the supply from the grocery stores this year. Now that the vegetable coupons have been used, it won’t be long before each person can get two taels of vegetables per day…

Half a portion of sauerkraut is a bit too little, so the dish prepared by Tang Zhitong has a heavier taste. Add the pickles and it goes well with rice.

"Brother, I want to eat persimmon jam." Fengzhi was a little bored with the lack of other things these days.

"You kid, why are you still picking on me at this time?" Zhang Guifang glared at Fengzhi in dissatisfaction.

"Eat it, eat it, you'll feel at ease after you eat it." Tang Zhitong agreed and explained to his mother: "Mom, we've been making persimmon jam for more than half a year. If we wait any longer, it will go bad when the weather gets warmer. It's better to eat it now."

"Alas..." Zhang Guifang sighed, put down the steamed bread, went to the next door and took out the only two bottles left: "These are the only two bottles. I'll open one and give the other to Jingmin."

"Okay!" Tang Zhitong agreed happily, reached out to take a bottle, opened it, divided it among his family members, and poured it into the small hole in the middle of the steamed bread, just right.

After dinner, Tang Zhitong returned to the room and threw two sticks into the stove. Before starting to learn foreign languages, he told his classmate Xiao Wang that he had become a D representative.

"Comrade Xiao Tang, that's great. You can participate in important decision-making in the department. You have a bright future!" Comrade Xiao Wang said in surprise after hearing this.

"Don't praise me. I'm not sure myself. I'm planning to ask Uncle Hao." Tang Zhitong smiled bitterly. He was not an ambitious person. He just wanted to take good care of his family, not work too hard, and enjoy his life.

Even if he went to a meeting and made decisions, Tang Zhitong did not plan to take the initiative to participate. At most, he would raise his hand and act as a voting machine to vote.

“There’s nothing to be uncertain about. Just do your best.” Student Wang smiled.

"Director Fang said that we have to hold meetings every year. I have no experience in this area. Do you know anything about this?" Student Xiao Tang put down the book and humbly asked Teacher Xiao Wang for advice.

Teacher Xiao Wang tilted his head, thought for a moment, and answered: "How can there be so many scorpions and tigers? It's normal not to open it for several years. Anyway, our unit hasn't opened it in recent years."

"Ah? So casual?" Tang Zhitong was stunned. Classmate Xiao Wang was well-informed. After all, she had been to "Haizi" and seen "Haizi". According to what was said decades later, she was also a member of "Tiangong". But what she said didn't seem to be consistent with the information she had received!

"The last national meeting was in 56, and going back further, it was in 45. It cannot be said to be random, but there is a focus. Now the National People's Congress is held once a year." Xiao Wang explained to her husband.

"That's good. I feel relieved when you say that." Tang Zhitong smiled. He didn't want to climb too high in the first place. After all, not everyone has the qualifications. He was only twenty years old, but he was already thinking about the chair in the department.

"Don't worry. I think it's an honor. You see, you are so young, but you have already participated in the work of the department and are very recognized. If you promote you, you are only twenty-one, and you are already a deputy section chief. If you don't promote you, it seems that you don't value talents. So this kind of honorary position is more suitable. Of course, if you want to do something, it will be much more convenient with this identity." Seeing that her husband didn't quite understand the relationship here, Xiao Wang explained with a smile.

"Forget it. I just want to live a stable life." Tang Zhitong pondered over what Xiao Wang said. Considering the situation in the next ten years or so, it would be better to keep a low profile.

At this time, Tang Zhitong thought of a question. At that time, he did not ask Fang Yuan how long his term as a representative would be. It would definitely be inappropriate to resign voluntarily. If it was just an honor, it would be fine to just keep the title.

Tang Zhitong had been reading for a short while when he was dragged by his classmate Xiao Wang to wash up and go to bed.

Student Xiao Wang has already calculated the date, and these days are particularly suitable, so he is much more proactive than before.

The next day, Sunday, Tang Zhitong, who had worked the fields for most of the night, slept in for a rare moment.

However, after getting up, the land still could not escape the fate of being cultivated. Seeing that the weather had been hot recently, Zhang Guifang planned to turn the soil in the yard again to kill as many insect eggs as possible.

The weather was getting warmer, and Fengzhi would chase the cat out to play from time to time. Classmate Xiao Wang would sit under the eaves, basking in the sun while studying with a book.

Under the watchful eyes of his family, Tang Zhitong couldn't just cheat, so he could only cheat secretly while working.

Fortunately, the land at home was not big, and Tang Zhitong finished the work before lunch.

"Mom, I'll go get some water." After turning the soil, Tang Zhitong found that the water tank was almost empty when he was washing his hands.

"Wait a minute, let's carry the jar out first, clean it, and then carry it." Zhang Guifang stopped her son and instructed.

"Okay!" Tang Zhitong resolutely carried out his mother's instructions.

Since courtyard houses use a lot of wood, fire prevention is very important.

As long as the house is their own, many people in the old city will buy a water tank at home and keep it full of water in order to deal with sudden fires.

The "fish tank" in "ceiling fish tank pomegranate tree" was originally a water tank.

But stagnant water will become smelly if it stays in the tank for a long time, so some smart people started putting fish and water lilies into it, which not only looks beautiful but also effectively prevents the water from deteriorating.

Everyone knows that the Beijing gentlemen in the siheyuan are particular about things. Since water tanks have become a necessity, they cannot escape this attention. "Putting a water tank in the courtyard will bring wealth and health", but the Beijing gentlemen do not seem to agree on where to put it.

Some people say: Mountains control population, water controls talent, so put a big vat in the middle!
Some people also say: The five elements of the east are wood, and water produces wood. Placing it in the east can improve the feng shui of the east and is beneficial to the growth of the owner's wealth.

Some people also say that the northeast is associated with water, and placing a water tank there can improve the feng shui fortune of the home.

There were all kinds of comments, but Tang Zhitong didn't care. He and Zhang Guifang carried the water tank to the wall outside the main door.

After a few days, the stove in the main house will be moved out and placed on the side of the main house door, and the water tank will be placed next to the stove. This will not only make it convenient to get water, but also to put out the fire if something goes wrong.

(End of this chapter)