Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 653 Chapter 652 "One Cent" is online

"Mom, add some corn husks and steam some steamed buns." After dinner, Zhang Guifang was busy steaming steamed buns. The family had to eat more than ten steamed buns a day, so they had to steam them almost every day.

"Why?" Zhang Guifang was a little surprised after hearing her son's request. The family still had surplus food and was not so poor that they had to eat corn husks.

“There are beggars here, so we mix it with corn husks and break off a piece when they come. We give them a few cents, but it’s not much use.” When Tang Zhitong was a child, he heard his father say that farmers had the hardest time in that era, and his family survived by begging.

If you have been caught in the rain, you should always hold an umbrella for others to the best of your ability.

In rural areas, you don’t actually need to do this, after all, the population density is much smaller than in cities. But in cities, you have to be more careful. Corn husks can be eaten anyway, but the taste is a little worse. But it is much better than Wuhan, where people eat the corn cobs together.

"Okay." Zhang Guifang nodded in agreement, turned and went into the house, grabbed a handful of corn husks for feeding the chickens, mixed them with a piece of cornmeal, and made steamed corn bread with them.

“Wouldn’t it be a bad idea to mix corn husks in?” It was not until he returned to the wing that Xiao Wang asked his doubts. Even when he was begging, they were all farmers from nearby. They were brothers, not enemies.

"You have never seen the evil in human hearts. If you give too much money today, do you believe that there will be a bunch of people coming to your door to beg for money tomorrow? If you give good dry food today, do you believe that they will come to knock on your door every day?" Tang Zhitong smiled. Good deeds can be done, but there is a prerequisite, that is, take care of the family first.

"When I was on a business trip, I encountered someone who spit on my steamed bread. He did it to make me sick so that he could pick it up and eat it after I threw it away." Tang Zhitong said and then shook his head. The human heart is the most difficult to guess. Although most of them have no bad intentions, it cannot be ruled out that there are bad people among the masses.

When some people heard that there was free food to be had, they lined up for an hour and overturned all the stalls because they didn't have lunch boxes. As for the other onlookers, few tried to dissuade them.

Are you really poor? You just want to take advantage of others. If you can't take advantage of others, you will lose.

Tang Zhitong's few words silenced Xiao Wang.

"The victims are not picky about food. They won't mind even if there's sand mixed in, let alone corn husks." At this moment, Tang Zhitong thought of the workers in the factory clamoring to send millet mixed with sand into the lake, and also thought of Heshen's views on disaster relief.

Heshen was a corrupt official, but he was also a good official. He could use a handful of sand to filter out those who were trying to take advantage of others. As long as one could afford to eat, who would be willing to queue for a long time for a bowl of porridge with sand and soil?
The money saved can allow the victims to eat longer until the government organizes production to save themselves.

"It's nothing. It's just a few days anyway. In ten days or so, the wild vegetables in the fields will come out, and there will be fewer beggars by then." Tang Zhitong could see the heaviness in Xiao Wang's heart, and he comforted him feebly.

"I just can't understand it. Now that you put it that way, it makes sense. What did Director Ye talk to you about today?" Student Xiao Wang asked with a smile, pushing a few strands of hair behind his ears.

"Regarding the matter of royalties..." Tang Zhitong grasped the key points and roughly told Xiao Wang what Ye Zhijuan had said.

"Then let's do as our mother says. It's all for our own good." When Xiao Wang heard that this was Aunt Li's intention, he expressed his opinion without hesitation.

"Yeah, I think so too." Tang Zhitong smiled. It is not so easy to gain both fame and fortune. Now it is enough to have a fame, and the profit will depend on the salary.

"Then, should we return the song commission from the radio station?" Student Wang thought of the song commission.

"Yes, but you have to wait. You know, writing songs requires inspiration, and I don't have it now." Tang Zhitong leaned back in his chair. Inspiration does exist. When inspiration comes, it's like diabetes insipidus. When there is no inspiration, it's like constipation.

However, inspiration is just an excuse for Tang Zhitong. He always has to postpone it, which makes it seem that composing songs is not that easy.

The next day, February 2, Tang Zhitong saw a humorous scene on his way to the Post and Telecommunications College.

A bus travelling from the inner city to the outskirts of the city broke down while going uphill.

The passengers get off the bus and push the bus from the back. After the bus passes the slope, the passengers get on and the bus moves forward.

This bus is quite distinctive. There is a big black bag on the roof, the scientific name of which is "natural gas storage bag".

There is natural gas in Sichuan, and the Ba 1 and Ba 2 wells have already started production, but in the old city, most of the gas burned is coal gas, which is a by-product of steelmaking and coking.

A few years ago, the buses in Sijiu City used this thing. It was okay on flat roads and could be used barely. It was generally only used on routes with good road conditions and flatness. Because of insufficient power, once there was a big uphill slope, the scene that Tang Zhitong just saw would occur.

Later, diesel and gasoline were imported from abroad, and this type of bus carrying schoolbags disappeared for a while. I didn’t expect it to come out so early this year.

Although the Daqing Oilfield entered the exploitation stage last year, due to technological limitations, the country is still unable to carry out effective deep processing of crude oil, nor can it refine larger quantities of higher quality light oil products.

In the next few years, there will be fewer and fewer fuel-powered buses, and they will gradually be replaced by these buses that carry school bags.

Tang Zhitong looked at the shriveled black schoolbag on the bus and thought of the liquefied gas tank in Chunshu Hutong.

The reason why the bus broke down when going uphill was because of insufficient power. The lack of power was not because the engine was not powerful, but because of insufficient intake of combustible gas in the black backpack.

This thing basically relies on gravity to supply fuel. The black backpack has the most power when it is bulging. Once it is deflated, it will move forward slowly and casually like an old lady with bound feet.

If we could connect a valve that could control the gas outlet to the liquefied gas tank, wouldn’t this problem be solved?
Tang Zhitong did not rest even during breaks and was thinking about how to make valves.

At the same time, "One Cent" recorded by China National Radio was finally launched online.

Lu Lan, who was having lunch in the cafeteria, happened to hear it.

At this time, the song playback cannot display subtitles like TV, so the songwriter and singer will be announced manually before the music starts.

When Lu Lan first heard this, he was stunned for a moment, wondering if this was the Tang Zhitong and Wang Jingwen he knew?
After listening to it, the other leaders who were having dinner together laughed and said, "This song is great. It is doing positive publicity for us! Was it written by a comrade from our system?"

The leader in charge of publicity was stunned: he had no idea what was going on, and no matter how he answered, it would be inappropriate.

"If there is no duplicate name. It was written by one of our comrades, but it is not from our system." After hearing this, Lu Lan felt that such a coincidence was very unlikely. Considering that Ye Zhijuan said her son-in-law was so talented, Lu Lan guessed that it was the masterpiece of those two juniors.

"Oh? Do you know him?"

"The composer of this song is likely to be the daughter and son-in-law of the Women's Federation's old Ye. The names match. I'll call and ask later." Lu Lan said with a smile. "Well, with this song, we have one more material to do legal publicity on campus in the future." The leader keenly realized that this was an opportunity to bring the police and the public closer.

Due to recent issues such as population surveys, repatriation, disaster victims, and public security, some people feel that the law enforcement is harsh and inhumane, while others feel that the management is too lax and public security is too poor. In short, the number of letters reporting problems has increased, and they are under great pressure in the face of the opinions of the masses.

If we can teach school children to sing this song, it will definitely subtly change their parents' views on the police.

Back in the office, Lu Lan called Ye Zhijuan before going to work: "Old Ye, it's Lu Lan."

"Why did you think of calling me today? Does the leader have any instructions?" Ye Zhijuan asked with a smile.

"What instructions or no instructions? Did you listen to the radio this afternoon?"

"No, is this a big deal?" When Ye Zhijuan heard that it was related to the radio, she started to think of something wrong.

"There's a song on the radio, the lyrics and music are by Tang Zhitong and Wang Jingwen. I want to ask you, are they your two children?"

"Oh, is it "One Cent"? If it is this song, it was written by the two of them." Ye Zhijuan smiled, very happy.

"Oh, then we've found the real culprit! This is to build the image and do publicity for our public security department. Our leader even asked today if it was written by a comrade from our system. I said I knew him, and luckily he was right." Lu Lan was proud of it and laughed heartily on the other end of the phone.

"Haha, isn't it the kids' duty to make their Aunt Lu proud? Is there anything that requires their cooperation?" Ye Zhijuan smiled happily, but she didn't think that Lu Lan was just asking about such a small thing.

"I'll talk to the leader, and I'll give them a letter of appointment as propagandists. Then we can let the kids cooperate with us in publicity." Lu Lan said.

"Okay, no problem. I'll tell them later." Ye Zhijuan spoke for her daughter and son-in-law without hesitation.

There are too many such things happening nowadays. Combat heroes, planting experts, model workers, March 8th Red Flag Bearers, etc., anyone who is advanced or famous in some aspect, basically cannot escape the fate of giving reports. They go to schools, units, troops, and communes to give reports. Some people can give thirty or forty reports a month.

Ye Zhijuan understood that this was a form of education. Although the children would be busier if they took on this task, it was also a contribution to society, so she did not refuse.

Student Xiao Wang didn't know that her mother had taken a job for her. She had just rejected a colleague's kindness at work.

Transportation was inconvenient in the past, but commuting a few blocks to work was the norm, after all, I could still eat well.

Now due to the reduction in rations, people would rather lie in bed longer than move.

In order to reduce energy consumption, many units reported the problem to their superiors, and the city began to pilot housing replacement.

Changing houses is no small project. First, you have to count the home addresses of people in each unit who are interested in changing houses, and then write down the location they want to move to. After the statistics are completed, submit the form to the housing management office.

The housing management office will then screen out those parties who have the same intentions, or those who are suitable for each other, and invite them to sit together and look at houses.

If you decide to change houses, all that remains is moving, household registration, and quota collection. The procedures for houses are the simplest since they are all public housing anyway.

"I won't participate. Although the place where I live now is not very close to our unit, it is right between our unit and my wife's unit, which is suitable for both of us to work." Facing the colleagues who came to count, Xiao Wang gave a rather pertinent reply.

Even though it is inconvenient, Xiao Wang cannot make the decision for her mother-in-law and husband to change houses because they live in a private house instead of a public house.

It would be troublesome to change this private house. If I change it to a smaller one, I would be at a disadvantage, and if I change it to a larger one, people wouldn't be happy. Even if the area is just right, if it's a large courtyard, it wouldn't be as quiet as living here.

It is easier said than done. Tang Zhitong failed to make the valve. It is very difficult to replicate something you have never touched before.

In the afternoon, the Post and Telecommunications College organized students to do some labor. Following the example of the Cable Department planting radishes last year, the college was much more active this year and planned to open up more land to plant some vegetables.

This time Tang Zhitong didn't have to worry about what to plant. Everyone was very enthusiastic and Tang Zhitong was happy to have some free time. Being able to harvest a handful was better than just planting lawns.

When sending Jingying home, Jingmin was playing at the gate. He came with a mission. When he saw his elder sister, he immediately remembered his mother's instructions and said, "Sister, brother-in-law, our mother asked you to go upstairs."

"Okay, let's go." Tang Zhitong scratched his head. He went there once a day and didn't know what to do today.

Ye Zhijuan verbally informed Lu Lan about the propagandist matter, but there was no hint of negotiation in her words.

Tang Zhitong didn't want to get involved in these matters, but since Director Ye had agreed, could he still say "no"?
As for the valve issue, Tang Zhitong did not mention it. It would be embarrassing if he had an idea but could not figure it out. Besides, other people might not be able to see the problem. From the gas tank to the engine, if you want to increase the air intake, you not only need a valve to control the amount of air, but also the problem of pipelines. This involves materials, which is a lot of trouble.

When the three of them returned home, Fengzhi came up to them holding a letter: "Sister-in-law! There's a letter for you."

"Okay, thank you Fengzhi." Xiao Wang took the letter and looked at the sender's address. It was from China National Radio. He thought it was a request for submission of manuscripts, but when he opened it, he saw that it was the payment for Fengzhi to sing "One Cent".

"Fengzhi, you made money. This is five dollars from your song recording." Xiao Wang took the remittance slip out of the envelope and waved it in front of Fengzhi.

"Let me see! Let me see!" When Fengzhi heard that she had earned the money, she stretched out her arms and jumped up, her excitement and surprise beyond words.

"Have it here. If you lose it, you won't be able to get the money." Xiao Wang handed the remittance slip to her sister-in-law and smiled at her husband.

Fengzhi could read now. She took a look at the remittance slip and immediately ran to the main house, announcing the good news to Zhang Guifang as she ran: "Mom! I made money! Mom! I made money!"

Tang Zhitong laughed. This kid just can’t keep things to himself.

Judging from Fengzhi's reaction, she obviously didn't know that "One Cent" was already being broadcast on the radio. This is not difficult to understand. After all, there are very few families nearby with radios. Without prior notice, who would stay in front of the radio?

When the group entered the main house, Fengzhi had already finished showing off to Zhang Guifang. At this time, her little tail was exposed: "Mom, can you leave me some of this five dollars?"

(End of this chapter)