Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 676 Product Packaging
After finishing speaking, Tang Zhitong was still not satisfied and emphasized: "The packaging must be exquisite, and even to the extent of making customers buy the box and return the pearl. People must be shocked by the appearance at first glance, and they must have a feeling that the contents must be better than the packaging as soon as they see it."

As Tang Zhitong was talking, Zhang Ruojian was taking notes. Regardless of whether his answer would be adopted later or not, his attitude at this moment was very appropriate.

There were many reasons why Tang Zhitong reminded Zhang Ruojian to work harder on packaging.

First of all, the packaging level of domestic products these days is generally not high. In Tang Zhitong's opinion, it is not even as good as the counterfeit and shoddy products on a certain platform.

I have drunk Maozi wine several times at Wu Haiyang's house. It is a relatively recent wine. The outside of the bottle is wrapped with a thin layer of beige cotton paper, and you have to peel it open to know what's inside.

Maochang has been using this kind of packaging for more than 30 years!
There are also various traditional Chinese medicine products of Hu Qing Yu Tang. Donkey-hide gelatin has the best packaging, but it is just covered with a thin layer of paper box on the outside.

These are all good things, but with this kind of packaging, it’s hard to think of them as high-end.

From a simple point of view, only when the outer packaging is good can the contents inside be good.

When Tang Zhitong went to Wangfujing Department Store to buy watches, he truly felt the difference in packaging between domestic and imported watches.

The packaging box of domestic watches is like this:

The packaging box of imported watches is like this:

Whether it is the direct visual experience or the level of packaging sophistication, the two are very different.

In fact, there is no shortage of talented people these days. Even White Rabbit, a company that sells milk candies, knows how to make iron boxes for product packaging. There must be people in other factories who understand this as well.

However, the main contradiction between supply and demand at the moment is the imbalance caused by insufficient production of goods and the increasing demand of the people. In addition, the average income of the people is not high now, so it is inevitable that benefits will be put first in domestic sales.

The consequence of being economical is that everything except the content will be compressed to the extreme.

Maozi can also use cotton paper, Hu Qingyu Tang and Shanghai watches can also have paper boxes, like matches, grade C cigarettes, grade D cigarettes, the outer packaging is often a layer of straw paper that cannot be thinner...

For domestic sales, the packaging is relatively simple, which is understandable, but this cannot be done for export. The packaging must be edgy!

Take the pills and medicinal liquor in front of us for example. As long as they are packaged, it will not only drive revenue for the pharmaceutical factory, but also for the external packaging factory and even Chinese herbal medicine-related units.

More importantly, Ye Zhijuan had said before that the Women's Federation and the editorial team could get a small share of this export-earning product...

If the products are not of high quality and cannot be sold at a good price, not only the interests of the pharmaceutical company and related units will suffer, but also those of individuals... ahem.

Tang Zhitong's remarks today were somewhat over the line. He said these things only because he was received and affirmed. If it were in the past, he would just give an idea and that would be it, and whoever wanted to worry about the rest could do so.

Tang Zhitong did not see any approval number on the pills and medicinal wine that Zhang Ruojian brought. He didn't know whether these things were not available in those days or they were not approved.

These were beyond Tang Zhitong's knowledge, so he didn't mention them.

After Zhang Ruojian wrote down Tang Zhitong's opinions, he chatted for a few more words and then left.

Tang Zhitong took all the pills and medicinal wine into the space, said a few words to Ma Wei, and then left.

The hole in the house hasn't been drilled through yet. I should go back and cheat and finish it while Xiao Wang is still at get off work to prevent her from getting curious again.

Zhang Guifang was used to her son skipping classes and didn't say much.

Tang Zhitong returned to the room, put down his things, and went out with a hammer and chisel, mainly to show it to Zhang Guifang.

Occasionally, neighbors passing by would see Tang Zhitong sticking his butt up against the wall and would stop to ask what he was doing.

Whenever this happened, Tang Zhitong would straighten up and say a few polite words to his neighbors, saying that he wanted to dig a hole for drainage, but he never mentioned installing a washbasin.

From the looks of his neighbors, Tang Zhitong could tell that they did not understand what he was doing.

Do we need to dig a hole in the house to drain the water for washing face and feet? It will just splash into the yard.

In front of Tang Zhitong, the neighbors certainly couldn't directly say that Tang Zhitong was pretentious. At most, they could say something like "He's quite skilled in martial arts."

Tang Zhitong just smiled at this. The neighbors' lifestyle since childhood solidified their cognition. In their opinion, the least valuable things are kung fu and physical strength. But in Tang Zhitong's opinion, making life more comfortable can make life more meaningful.

Every person and every family has their own way of life. Even if you don’t understand it, just respect it.

With the help of the plug-in, the hole dug by Tang Zhitong is straight and round, and can accommodate a long and thick sugarcane.

Tang Zhitong was very satisfied with his masterpiece. He clapped his hands, stood up, took the tools home, and installed the washbasin.

Because he was going to use it at home, and based on the principle of easy installation, Tang Zhitong chose a vertical wash basin when he was choosing one in the warehouse of the Material Bureau.

The disadvantage is that it is rather bulky, but the advantage is that you don't need to drill holes in the wall and you can use it just by squatting.

There is a space reserved for the faucet above the washbasin, but the Tang family didn't use it. They just connected the drain pipe and inserted it into the hole in the wall.

Tang Zhitong paid attention to the angle when digging the hole. Generally speaking, it was higher inside the house and lower outside. The pipe was long, protruding about five centimeters outside the wall, which was just enough to prevent sewage from seeping into the cracks in the wall.

As for the gap between the iron pipe and the wall hole, Tang Zhitong mixed some cement and stuffed it in with an external plug. The cement was left over from the last installation of the stone roller and was hidden in some space by Tang Zhitong. The amount was not much, so it was just right to fill this gap.

The space above the washbasin where the faucet should be is empty, which seems a bit out of place, but this is all we have to make do with for now, since there is no running water in this house.
If tap water were available in every household, Tang Zhitong would even like to renovate the toilet.

The dry toilets in the old city are really hard to describe.

Before liberation, every household used chamber pots. There were few public toilets at that time, with only 83 toilets in the entire urban area.

By the end of last year, thanks to the promotion of the Health Promotion Committee, the number of public toilets in the alleys increased significantly, reaching 1049.

It sounds like a lot at first glance, but due to the large population of Beijing, on average two alleys share one public toilet.

Early in the morning every day, there would be a long queue in front of the toilet, and the people of Beijing called it a "meeting."

Because there are so many people and so few public toilets, people who need the toilet have to queue up in front of the door and wait. While waiting, they can't help but talk about all sorts of things. The content of Jing Ye's chat is inevitably related to national affairs, so it is called a "meeting."

If someone couldn't hold it in at this time, it would be fun to watch... Every now and then, someone would ask to use the Tang family's toilet. Zhang Guifang was easy to talk to and always agreed. Of course, in addition to making things convenient for others, she also wanted to use the feces.

Tang Zhitong doesn't like dry toilets, mainly because they smell bad. He covers his own toilets frequently, so it's better.

The ammonia and hydrogen sulfide content in the public toilet outside is suffocating. Every time I pass by, I have to hold my breath and quicken my pace. It is especially bad in the summer. If I walk slower, I might choke to death.

If you stay in the toilet for a little longer, the food will be well-marinated when you come out. You can smell the flavor from a long distance away and it lasts for a long time.

Since then, the number of public toilets in Beijing has increased by more than 200 per year. Although this has met the needs of ordinary people in Beijing to a certain extent, there has always been a big gap with the international level.

After the reform and opening up, overseas tourists flocked to China. They were amazed by two things in China: the beautiful scenic spots and historical sites, and the backward toilet facilities.

In order to earn foreign exchange, many famous tourist attractions have specially built VIP toilets.

In 84, American actor Commander and his wife visited China. When they were visiting Badaling, the first lady used the VIP toilet. When her entourage asked to use the toilet, they were refused by the Badaling service staff because their status was not high enough.

Tang Zhitong thought about all sorts of things, mainly considering the toilet habits inside and outside, and thinking about how to improve the competitiveness of ceramic appliances such as washbasins and toilets to cater to the market and earn some foreign exchange.

China has been famous for its porcelain since ancient times. It would be a pity if we do not tap the potential in porcelain making.

When Xiao Wang came back, he saw a brand new washing area.

"How is it? Do you like it?" Tang Zhitong said, pointing at the washbasin.

"Yeah, I like it." Looking at the white washbasin, Xiao Wang smiled sweetly and walked forward to wipe off the dust on her husband's face.

"I'll buy a soap box and put it on top, and then buy a mirror and hang it on the wall. If we can connect it to running water, it will be no different from a building." Tang Zhitong said, looking at the washbasin.

"This is good enough. We don't need to spend that money. Wash your hands quickly. Mom has prepared dinner for you to eat." Although it is a little inconvenient to wash, bathe and go to the toilet here, Xiao Wang is very satisfied with his current life because he can be with the one he loves...

The Tang family was just about to eat when they heard someone knocking on the door.

Tang Zhitong stood up and looked out through the glass on the door.

The weather has turned warmer, and Zhang Guifang has put away the cotton door curtain, planning to take it down and wash it someday.

"Eh? Brother Xiaoping?" Tang Zhitong was a little surprised to see that it was Zhang Chengping. Before he opened the door to greet him, he turned around and said to Xiao Wang, "Have you already started preparing for the training? You're moving very quickly this time!"

Then, without waiting for Xiao Wang to respond, Tang Zhitong opened the door and went out to greet him.

The reason why we determined that Zhang Chengping came for training was because of the time he showed up. If he came directly from the village, he would generally have to make a round trip on the same day, arrive at noon, have lunch and leave. But today, Zhang Chengping arrived at dinner time, so he obviously left late.

When Zhang Chengping was welcomed into the house, classmate Xiao Wang had already taken out another set of bowls and chopsticks and set the table.

"Brother Xiaoping, wash your hands and let's eat together." Tang Zhitong took the sack that Zhang Chengping brought, put it aside, and poured him some water for washing his hands.

"No, I've eaten." Zhang Chengping was still a little restrained. He stood at the door, rubbing his pockets from top to bottom with his hands, as if he didn't know where to put them.

"Have you had lunch?" Tang Zhitong asked with a smile. No matter if he left from the village or from the training place, he could arrive home before dinner time. He didn't believe that Zhang Chengping had already had dinner at this time.

"Hehe." Zhang Chengping smiled innocently, did not refute, and continued: "The commune arranged for me to come here today to learn how to be a doctor. I have to thank my brother's wife for this. But there is nothing good at home. I only dug some shepherd's purse. I will come again after a while when the fields have yields."

"Brother Xiaoping, we are all relatives, there is no need to be so polite. But you are wrong about one thing. I didn't help you with the barefoot doctor matter. I don't have that much face. It's Anzi who has more face." Seeing that the Zhang family had misunderstood, Xiao Wang explained.

Zhang Chengping was stunned after hearing this and stared at Tang Zhitong, speechless for a moment.

"It doesn't matter who you thank, husband and wife are one." Tang Zhitong laughed and said to Feng Zhen, "Shepherd's purse is a good thing. It's rare to have some green vegetables. Feng Zhen, since Brother Xiaoping brought it, you wash it and I'll mix it for a cold dish."

Afterwards, Tang Zhitong pulled Zhang Chengping to wash his hands without saying anything: "Brother Xiaoping, wash your hands and eat. If I let you go back like this, my mother will be unhappy."

"Xiaoping, wash your hands and eat. The food at home is not good, so don't be dissatisfied." Zhang Guifang also advised.

Zhang Chengping arrived in the afternoon. They said that meals would be provided from that day on. He had originally planned to go back to eat, but he did not expect that the distance from the training site to his aunt's house was a bit far, and he wasted some time walking along the way.

Since Zhang Guifang had spoken, Zhang Chengping did not refuse. He washed his hands carefully and sat down at the table.

Zhang Chengping felt that his aunt was being too modest, with steamed bread, pickled cabbage strips, pickled toon sprouts, and porridge made from cornmeal. This was the kind of food he could not even eat at home during the New Year.

Fengzhen was very quick. She picked a pot of shepherd's purse, removed the roots, washed it, and brought it to her brother.

Tang Zhitong poured all the shepherd's purse into the pot of boiling water, blanched it for one minute, and then scooped it into a basin.

While the shepherd's purse was "calming down", Tang Zhitong cut some minced garlic on the square table.

Shepherd's purse in early spring is very tender and does not require any additional processing. Blanch it in water, squeeze it dry, cut it a few times, add appropriate amounts of minced garlic, salt, MSG, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil, mix well and you can eat it.

The Tang family naturally did not have MSG, so Tang Zhitong deliberately turned his back to his family when he was cooking, added some oyster sauce to it, and used the soy sauce and vinegar that he had saved before.

After Zhang Chengping sat down, he kept talking. In response to his aunt's concern, he reported to her that he was safe and that his father was in good health. He also specifically explained Zhang Yongming's matter to Zhang Guifang, thus completing the task that Wan Qiaoyun had given him before leaving.

Tang Zhitong was busy with his hands, but his ears were not idle either, so he heard everything.

Tang Zhitong felt a little sad about Zhang Yongming's experience.

In Tang Zhitong's opinion, it was understandable that Zhang Yongming accepted bribes to do his work, but the only thing he did wrong was to take the credit for himself and continue to ask for benefits from the Zhang family.

This matter is indeed a bit disgusting, but it is not serious enough for the commune to deal with it in a high-profile manner.

Combined with what Zhang Chengping said when he first came in, Tang Zhitong felt that the commune handled the matter decisively, perhaps intending to do so in front of Zhang Chengping's relatives.

The handling of Zhang Yongming's case clearly showed signs of escalation, but at the moment it is very consistent with the current reality. There are too many things that are escalated layer by layer, and at the bottom they are completely unrecognizable...

(End of this chapter)