Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 678 Where did 677 people come from?

March 3th, the ninth day of the second lunar month, is Sunday.

Tang Zhitong slept in for a rare time. When he woke up, he saw the smiling face of his classmate Xiao Wang, who was very close to him.

"Awake?" Classmate Xiao Wang was lying on his side next to Tang Zhitong, his head resting on his arm, his long black hair spread out on the pillow.

"Well, you're awake. What time is it?" Tang Zhitong was a little reluctant to get up, so he moved forward, closed his eyes, and reached out his hand to Xiao Wang under the quilt, and started the automatic addressing skillfully.

"A little after eight." Xiao Wang didn't look at his watch because the clock at the train station had just rung eight times.

"It's not too late, sleep a little longer." Tang Zhitong was obsessed with the touch of his hand and was reluctant to get up. In the past, he would have finished his meal and was almost at school at this time.

"Okay, get up now that you're awake. You still need to get up to mix the dumpling stuffing. I want to eat." Xiao Wang took her husband's mischievous hand away. If he continued to touch her, she would have to tighten her legs...

"Okay, for your sake." Tang Zhitong finally decided to get up. He turned over, lay flat on the bed, and stretched.

After a simple wash, the couple wound up their watches. The reason why imported watches are expensive is not only because of tariffs and brands, but also because most imported watches are automatically wound.

Director Ye bought Xiao Wang's watch when he started working. At that time, domestic watches could not be mass-produced, so he chose an imported one.

When I bought Tang Zhitong’s watch, although domestic watches were already in mass production, I also chose Ingenie in order to make a pair.

The young couple are not high-profile people. Both watches are manually wound. Automatic ones are more expensive and of higher grade. It would be inappropriate for a young man who just started working to wear a better watch than his boss.

Before going out, Tang Zhitong opened the window to let the air circulate, and then went to the main house.

"Sleeping in, dioudiou." After seeing her brother, Fengzhi took the shepherd's purse she was picking, placed it on the tip of her nose, and shook it back and forth twice, making fun of him.

"You've become so capable. If you laugh at me again, I won't prepare the stuffing and will let you eat shepherd's purse raw." Tang Zhitong gave Fengzhi a slap on the head without much effort.

"Humph, I won't fall for your trick." Feng Zhi pouted at her brother in dissatisfaction, then looked at Xiao Wang: "Sister-in-law, do you want to eat dumplings?"

"It's okay to eat something." Xiao Wang smiled. This sister-in-law was a strategic person. She didn't want to beg her brother, so she turned around and urged her husband in her own name.

"Did you hear that? My sister-in-law wants to eat. Let me see if you can prepare it." Feng Zhi raised her head and replied proudly, glancing at Tang Zhitong.

"Tsk, little girl, I won't bother with you." Tang Zhitong also saw through his sister's intention, but did not discourage her. It is not a bad thing to be more cunning, as long as the mind is not bad.

"Mom, I went to see Brother Xiaoping off last night and visited his dormitory. The accommodation conditions are better than those at my uncle's house. I also met colleagues from the manual compilation team. They will take care of you, so you can rest assured." When she came back last night, the lights in the main house had been turned off. Tang Zhitong gave Zhang Guifang reassurances early this morning.

"That's good, that's good." Zhang Guifang agreed with a smile, and then told her son: "Wenwen wants to eat dumplings, go get two eggs and mix them into the stuffing later."

"Okay. I'll soak some black fungus and make a three-fresh filling." After receiving the order, Tang Zhitong went into the house to find eggs and black fungus.

The eggs are laid by our own hens, they are pure natural and pollution-free.

Although these eggs are small in size, they are better than those so-called green pheasant eggs.

Tang Zhitong used to prefer buying ordinary eggs rather than pheasant eggs, because pheasant eggs were a complete waste of money.

Anyone who has raised chickens knows that no matter whether the hens are free-range or caged, even if they are the same batch raised from young, when the egg-laying month comes, the eggs laid by different hens will be different.

Some lay soft eggs of varying sizes and even different eggshell colors, and most of the eggshells have chicken droppings on them.

Those pheasant eggs are not only uniform in size, but the eggshells are also clean and tidy, and the colors are almost the same. It is obvious that they are the product of industrial assembly line operations.

Tang Zhitong has encountered some merchants who insisted that their pheasant eggs are clean because they have been washed, and that their size and color are consistent because the breed of chickens they purchase is stable and the feeding is flawless.

Tang Zhitong picked up a "pheasant egg" and looked at it under the light of the supermarket. It was an unfertilized pheasant egg!

Then he said, "Yes, yes, yes, whatever you say is right," and turned and left.

If it is truly free-range, there will be people who don’t raise roosters, and the profit from free-range roosters is not much lower than that from eggs.

Chickens are raised all over the mountains and fields. When the roosters are in the mood, they will ride on the hens. At this time, can the chicken farmers go up and separate them?

Before I even get to you, they've already done it!
It only took five seconds, it was that fast!

Tang Zhitong picked up four large eggs, two of which were particularly outstanding, and they were definitely double-yolked eggs.

As for why double yolk eggs appear, some say it is because the hen is frightened, while others say it is because the hen has ovarian disease. Tang Zhitong feels that both statements are unreliable.

Tang Zhitong felt that he had fed the chickens well and the small fish and shrimps he had secretly thrown into the chicken coop were not wasted.

In addition to eggs, Tang Zhitong also grabbed a handful of black fungus, which was given to him by his uncle Tang Wenbang last year, and some of it was left uneaten.

"Mom, I remember you said you bought a bag of dried shrimps during the Chinese New Year. Where is it? Put some in the stuffing." Tang Zhitong got up late today and felt that it was too late for him to "buy" meat. He could only pick out some ingredients that could be used as stuffing from the limited things at home, and then find a chance to supply the family later.

"In the cupboard... Never mind, I'll get it for you." Zhang Guifang threw down the shepherd's purse in her hand, patted the dirt off her hands, and went into the inner room.

Tang Zhitong found a basin and a bowl. The basin was used to soak the fungus, and the bowl was used to hold the eggs.

It was already this late, and if he wanted to eat dumplings at noon, he couldn't let the fungus soak slowly. Tang Zhitong mixed half a basin of warm water, scooped a spoonful of salt into it, stirred it evenly, and put the fungus in to take a bath.

Doing this can greatly reduce the time it takes for the fungus to soak.

Before beating the eggs, Tang Zhitong first rinsed the eggshells with water to wash away the scattered dried chicken droppings on them.

"Hey, look, a double yolk egg!" Tang Zhitong picked up the two largest ones, one in each hand, and put them together. One of them would break first while the other would remain intact. The hen had a magical design.

Even if you raise your own chickens, double-yolked eggs are not common, so they are regarded by many as a symbol of auspiciousness and good luck, implying "good things come in pairs."

This is quite different from a certain award.

Feng Zhi looked at it in wonder and suddenly asked, "Brother, can a double yolk egg hatch two chicks?"

"It won't hatch at all." Tang Zhitong shook his head and scraped the remaining egg white from the two eggshells into the bowl with his fingers. Then he poured in some water, rinsed it clean and poured it into the basin beside him to use for kneading dough.

"Why can't it hatch?" Fengzhi asked like a curious baby.

"I heard from others that a chick hatched from a double-yolked egg has one body and two heads. It dies inside the shell before it even breaks out and can't get out." Tang Zhitong didn't tell Fengzhi about the lack of space or nutrition, because he had seen others try and successfully harvest a two-headed "hairy egg".

"Then why are there twins? We have them in our school." Fengzhi was skeptical and didn't quite believe what her brother said. She even used people as examples.

"Can humans be the same as chickens? How big is an egg? The human stomach is elastic." Tang Zhitong was beating eggs while giving his sister some simple science. "Ahem... the dried shrimps are on the table, make your stuffing." Zhang Guifang interrupted the conversation between the brother and sister and glared at her son. Why was he telling his sister this?
Tang Zhitong felt the dissatisfaction in his mother's eyes, smiled, took the shrimp paste, and said no more.

Before the society became more open, people were still very conservative.

Many children often have a question when they are young: Where did I come from?

My father was too disdainful to answer and often threw his hand and said: Go ask your mother!

The mother didn't know how to answer, so she could only fool around. The answers were all kinds of weird. Some said the baby grew out from under their armpits, some said they picked the baby up from the front door, and some said the baby was washed away by a flood...

Beat the eggs, pour into the hot pan and make omelets.

This process requires quick eyes and hands, as well as coordination between hands and eyes.

If it is done well, the omelet will be big and thin, but if it is not done well, it will become scrambled eggs.

Tang Zhitong’s skills were pretty good, and he made six omelets with four eggs.

Cut the egg pancake into strips first and then into cubes.

The same goes for the fungus, cut it into rice-sized pieces and set aside.

The preparation of shepherd's purse is similar to that of cold salad. It needs to be blanched, squeezed dry, and then cut and minced.

Finally put everything into a bowl and add dried shrimps.

There are not many dried shrimps, just one bag, worth ten cents.

At present, dried shrimps cost 64 cents per pound. This bag weighs 1.5 ounces and is worth 9.6 cents. The remaining 4 cents may be the wrapping paper money.

Tang Zhitong put half of it in.

With these dried shrimps, it is easy to explain why the dumpling filling has a delicious flavor, which just covers up the delicious flavor brought by the "ingredients" secretly added into it.

In addition to the salt, soy sauce and peanut oil available at home, Tang Zhitong secretly added five-spice noodles and oyster sauce and mixed them evenly.

Tang Zhitong took a bite and found it just the right amount of saltiness and tasted good. He nodded with satisfaction and said, "Mom, you guys wrap it first. I have something to do at work today, so I have to go over and take a look."

"Then will you come back to eat?" Zhang Guifang did not interfere in her son's work affairs. In comparison, she was more concerned about her son's stomach problem.

"Okay, come back and eat." Tang Zhitong washed his hands, didn't even take his bag, and went out empty-handed.

Although Tang Zhitong didn't like making dumplings, he made this trip not to escape the labor, but to deliver the wood ash that Xu Nuo Fangyuan had promised.

Tang Zhitong didn't know when Sister Chen would be able to get the potato seeds. In order not to delay the germination of the potatoes at the escort office, it would be better to do it early.

He rode his bike with nothing, and when he arrived at the office, Tang Zhitong found a corner and filled half a sack with wood ash.

Wood ash is quite fluffy, and half a sack weighs only about 30 pounds, which should be enough for germination.

Tang Zhitong discovered that since the Spring Festival, fewer employees in the unit have volunteered to work on Sundays. How can they be motivated to work if they can’t even fill their stomachs?
Even Fang Yuan didn't come today.

Tang Zhitong did not give the wood ash to his colleagues on duty in other departments, but carried it into the Finance Department.

The Finance Department now has two people, and Ma Wei is the permanent representative. There is no need to hand over such matters that can be handled by one's own people to colleagues in other departments, otherwise people may think differently about the Finance Department.

Tang Zhitong placed the wood ash next to the stove in the Finance Department and left a note for Ma Wei, explaining that the sack contained wood ash, which was to be used to germinate potatoes, and asked her to give it to Fang Yuan tomorrow for arrangement.

After locking the door, Tang Zhitong walked out of the escort office, but he did not rush home. Instead, he rode south for a distance and stopped in a field.

The weather is getting warmer now, but it is far from being hot, so even when the sun is shining, there are still members working in the fields.

The children had it relatively easy. The older brothers or sisters led their younger brothers or sisters. Some followed the adults to pick up wild vegetables, while others ran to the unplowed fields to grab the fresh and tender ones.

There are a lot of wild vegetables in the fields, and the children are competing with each other in terms of hand speed. Whether the family can have enough to eat at noon and dinner depends entirely on how much wild vegetables they can dig.

There were also cases where several children gathered in a field, and they would swear at most in order to compete for wild vegetables.

No children would fight because it is tiring and they would rather dig more wild vegetables.

Children of poor families have to grow up early. They come out on this day just to fill their bamboo baskets with wild vegetables...

Tang Zhitong looked at the situation in front of him, shook his head and sighed.

This time, Tang Zhitong originally wanted to come here to pick some wild vegetables, because he still remembered what he had said to Ma Wei before, that when the wild vegetables came out, he would mix some for her to try.

But faced with such a group of children, Tang Zhitong couldn't bring himself to snatch the money from them, so he could only go back empty-handed.

One of the advantages of having many people at home is that when you get home, the dumplings are already made and you don’t have to cook. You just have to eat them.

"Mom, wait until we finish eating before cooking. I'll send it over this afternoon." There was a lot of shepherd's purse, so there was a lot of stuffing, and a lot of dumplings were made. Tang Zhitong looked at the dumplings covered with layers, knowing that they were prepared for Chunshu Hutong, so he spoke.

"Yes. We've made a lot of dumplings. You can send some to Xiaoping on your way." Zhang Guifang nodded and served the cooked dumplings to the children first.

"Okay!" Tang Zhitong agreed readily.

Recently, Tang Zhitong did not bring anything extra home. The family almost only lived on pickles. When they first ate the dumplings, although they were made of wild vegetables, they tasted very delicious.

After eating, Tang Zhitong drank a bowl of dumpling soup to relax. Contentedly, he stood up and added more water to the pot, preparing to cook the remaining dumplings.

To prevent sticking, the cooked dumplings should be slightly stirred and allowed to cool before packing.

There were only three lunch boxes at home, one each for Tang Zhitong, Xiao Wang, and Fengzhen. Three were a little insufficient, so Tang Zhitong used two plates, one to hold the dumplings and the other upside down on top, which he then tied with a rope to make it a simple lunch box.

"Let me go with you. You go and deliver it to Brother Xiaoping, and then we'll meet at the Women's Federation dormitory." Seeing that her husband had difficulty carrying the things by himself, Xiao Wang took the initiative to speak.

"Okay." Tang Zhitong naturally would not object to Xiao Wang returning to her parents' home.

Nowadays, men are the backbone of a family, and women have a low status. Many families believe that "once a girl is married, she is like spilled water." Therefore, when many housewives want to visit their parents' home, they have to seek permission from their husbands.

The idea of ​​raising sons to provide for one's old age is deeply rooted in people's minds. The common rule among the people is that daughters do not have to bear the responsibility of supporting their parents in their old age, but they also do not inherit their parents' estate. Therefore, most female comrades are more self-conscious, and there are very few "brother-supporting demons."

(End of this chapter)