Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 712 Chapter 711 Is this a must-see movie?
Tang Zhitong stayed in the scientific research class until the sun went down. As soon as he left the teaching building, he heard the sound of a movie playing on the playground.

Out of curiosity, Tang Zhitong rode his bike around and deliberately passed by the playground.

Wow, there were so many people. People in the front were squatting to watch, people in the middle were sitting to watch, people in the back were standing to watch, and people further back were standing on stools to watch.

Not only that, in order to allow more students to see clearly, the movie screen was placed in the middle of the playground this time, and both sides were surrounded by people.

Although the portrait seen on the back is opposite to the front film, it has no impact on the viewing experience.

Tang Zhitong took a look and saw that the German guy in the film spoke fluent Mandarin with clear pronunciation. At first glance, he thought that Dongda had unified the world.

However, based on Tang Zhitong's experience of watching countless films, it sounded awkward no matter how you looked at it. It lacked the accent of foreigners and did not convey that unique flavor.

But there was nothing that could be done about it. Until before China joined the WTO, most foreign-language films in China were dubbed, and the more advanced ones would have Chinese subtitles, so it was still difficult to listen to the original sound.

When the Internet, network speed and computers became popular to a certain extent, Chinese and foreign subtitles gradually entered the lives of college students under the efforts of some subtitle groups. Later, when the publishing companies saw that the masses liked it, they retained it. This can be regarded as a microcosm of small people driving change.

Tang Zhitong did not stay at the playground for long. After seeing the novelty, he went straight to the pit.

This time, Tang Zhitong still brought two sacks, one empty and the other filled with ten kilograms of corn. He didn't put more in it, so as to prevent Zhang Laosan from thinking that it was easy for him to get food.

Speaking of which, Zhang Laosan has been busy since last night.

Last night, while carrying the basket on his back, he was thinking about which relative had the toon trees. He wanted to pick out a few that he got along well with so that they could save some food together.

When he returned home, Zhang Laosan already had a goal in mind.

Although there is electricity in Zhuzikeng, power outages are frequent, and every household goes to bed early at night to save money.

Although he knew that everyone was asleep, in order to get things done as quickly as possible and to let as few people know about it, Zhang Laosan still went out.

Unexpectedly, the first household I met was a greedy one.

"Third brother, it's not that I don't believe you, but my family is counting on these Chinese toon sprouts to make some money. If we pick them now, what if they don't come? What if there's not enough food? I'll be worried if I don't follow up on this matter."

"What you said makes sense, brother. Let me ask them first, and then come and tell me after the order is made." Zhang Laosan is not stupid. He has lived for a long time and knows that the man in front of him is not dissatisfied with the price he got, but he does not trust him. He wants to bargain with "Xiao Zhang" in person and try to exchange more food.

In this regard, Zhang Laosan did not say anything, but chose to stabilize his brother first. Tomorrow would be the time for the transaction, and no mistakes could be made at this critical juncture.

After hearing what Zhang Laosan said, the relative happily agreed and said he would wait for Zhang Laosan's reply.

But when he got out of the door, Zhang Laosan spat: "Pah! You're dreaming! People can live without vegetables, but they can't live without food! How many people can exchange food for Chinese toon sprouts?"

Even if you carry it to the city, you can only get a dime per pound at best, and you may not even be able to sell it.

I had good intentions and gave the opportunity to exchange food to my own family. I knew that my brother was a calculative person, but I didn't expect that at this critical juncture, he was still planning to exchange more.

If I really take him there, not to mention whether "Xiao Zhang" will be unhappy, at least I will be unhappy. Once the news of the price difference spreads, will I be able to survive in the village?

If you have the ability, go change it yourself. I won’t serve you anymore!

After this, Zhang Laosan became cautious. He put the corn kernels he had just exchanged into his pocket as a deposit and went to the next house.

At this time, when choosing someone, you should not only consider your own family, but also give priority to honest and decent people.

Honest people are easy to deal with. After learning the purpose of Zhang Laosan's visit, he not only did not mind him knocking on the door in the middle of the night, but also kept thanking him.

In the eyes of honest people, the toon trees are here, and how much toon they can save depends on how much they pick. They know that toon buds can be sold for money, but they never imagined that this thing can be directly exchanged for food.

Five catties of Chinese toon sprouts for one catty of corn, no one thinks it's too little, but they just hate that their own Chinese toon sprouts are so few this year? They wish the trees would be full of this year's supply tomorrow morning.

Mr. Zhang repeatedly warned us to pick the young shoots quickly, and if there were any old stems, he would not take you with him when he came to exchange food later.

That night, Zhang Laosan traveled under the stars and did not go home to rest until the moon was at its highest.

Although it was a bit tiring, I was able to negotiate with six companies.

Every time he made a deal with a company, Zhang Laosan could earn two or three kilograms of corn kernels, but he didn't dare to negotiate for more.

What he just told "Xiao Zhang" was four or five. A little more than that would be acceptable, but if there were more, he was worried that "Xiao Zhang" wouldn't be able to finish it, and then he would be the one who would suffer. Would he use the difference he earned to exchange for a bunch of toon sprouts?

Is there something wrong with that impure brain?
This morning, Zhang Laosan got up early again, not to stimulate the growth of toon sprouts, but because he had something on his mind and couldn't sleep well.

Since the transaction with "Xiao Zhang" was in the evening, Zhang Laosan was worried that the food would wilt in the morning, so they agreed last night to resume the work after work in the afternoon.

Although you can sprinkle water on the toon sprouts in the morning to keep them fresh, Zhang Laosan doesn't dare to do so because water is a key factor. He is worried that "Xiao Zhang" will be angry. If the sprouts refuse to be accepted, the toon sprouts will be wasted on him.

If this happens, the ten kilograms of corn kernels I received last night will not only not be enough to compensate me, but I will have to pay two kilograms more.

It was not until the afternoon when work was over that Zhang Laosan went from house to house, watching the toon buds being picked, picking out the faulty ones, removing the old stems bit by bit, and then weighing and carrying them home.

An honest person is down-to-earth. He can accept Zhang Laosan's pickiness and will not waste the leftovers. He will cook some for himself later.

After the sun went down, Zhang Laosan felt a little restless. The meal his family brought from the canteen no longer enjoyed his appetite and he kept looking out at the sky.

It was not until nightfall that Zhang Laosan sneaked out of the door carrying a full bamboo basket and a sack with a filled bottom.

This time, Zhang Laosan was still waiting in the ditch.

As long as he was squatting there, Zhang Laosan felt like his days were passing by like years. He could not wait for "Xiao Zhang" left or right, but he could not see "Xiao Zhang". Every second of delay was a second of torment for him.

It was a very unpleasant feeling. Not many people walked on this road at night. Finally, after much anticipation, Zhang Laosan saw a figure riding a bicycle.

Before the bicycle came forward, Zhang Laosan couldn't wait to stand up.

Tang Zhitong also discovered Zhang Laosan at this time. After yesterday's lesson, Tang Zhitong learned his lesson and turned on the "detector" from a distance to avoid being scared again.

"Uncle Zhang, you're here early today." Tang Zhitong rode to Zhang Laosan's side, stopped, stood the bicycle upright, and took the sack from behind.

"Xiao Zhang, what did your colleagues say?" Zhang Laosan didn't bother to be polite with Tang Zhitong and blurted out what he was most concerned about.

"Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission. The total of the two times should be around 300 kilograms. Any more and we can't eat it." Tang Zhitong listened to what Zhang Laosan said last night about "four or five families" reporting a number. This weight can guarantee that the fish will be fresh and tender both times. Any more will have some tough parts.

"Okay! Now I feel relieved." The big stone in Zhang Laosan's heart finally fell to the ground. Three hundred kilograms, after deducting the profit from his own crops, he can still earn ten kilograms of corn. All he had to pay was to make two more trips. This deal is worth it!
"How many are there this time?" Although Tang Zhitong knew that the toon buds were already in the ditch, he still looked around for a while.

"Sixty kilograms. I'll get it for you." Zhang Laosan grinned and went down the ditch again.

Zhang Laosan felt weak due to hunger and nearly fell down when climbing up the ditch. It was Tang Zhitong who quickly helped him up and saved him from making a fool of himself.

"Let's follow the old rules. Put the toon buds in first." Tang Zhitong opened the sack and let Zhang Laosan put the toon buds in it.

But it was different from the last time. This time, every time more than ten kilograms were loaded, Tang Zhitong would shout "stop", then reach out and pinch two for random inspection, with an attitude of "I'm very picky and I don't trust you."

"Uncle Zhang, don't blame me for checking.

These are for my colleagues, and I guarantee them with all my heart that they must be the freshest and most youthful ones. If any of them are old, I will lose face and credibility in front of them.

The friendship between us is over now. I plan to continue to ask you to exchange Chinese toon sprouts next year, so I will trouble you to take care of the next batch."

Tang Zhitong was still satisfied with this batch of toon sprouts, but in order to save himself trouble in the future, he had to say it.

"I know, don't worry, nothing will go wrong." Zhang Laosan looked at Tang Zhitong's behavior this time, and while he agreed verbally, he was secretly glad that he did not sprinkle water on it.

"I trust you. I'll weigh it when I get back. It's still ten kilograms of corn this time. Please feel it." Sixty kilograms of toon sprouts, Tang Zhitong felt that the quantity should be enough, so he tied the bag and picked up the bag of corn.

"I trust you. I went back and weighed it yesterday. It was very heavy!" Zhang Laosan squatted beside the bamboo basket, as if he was going to receive some food.

"Okay, it's more fun to deal with Uncle Zhang." Tang Zhitong immediately picked up the bag and poured the corn into the bamboo basket.

After dumping the corn, Zhang Laosan did not check it carefully like he did yesterday. Instead, he squatted down, picked up a stone from the ground, and wrote something on the ground: "Xiao Zhang, last time I dumped toona sinensis sprouts, I exchanged them for sweet potatoes. The total of the two times I dumped corn was 20 kilograms, which can be exchanged for 80 kilograms of toona sinensis sprouts. This time it's 60 kilograms, and I still owe you 20 kilograms."

"Yes, that's correct. If I calculate based on the 200 kilograms of toon sprouts I'll also need to prepare 45 kilograms of corn, right?" Tang Zhitong knew that Zhang Laosan was reminding him, because the corn later was the big part.

"Yes. Well, Xiao Zhang. You see, it's not easy for farmers. Can you harvest a few more of the toon shoots at the back? Just a little bit will be fine." Zhang Laosan was greedy and looked at "Xiao Zhang" with eyes full of expectations.

"More..." Tang Zhitong touched his chin. He didn't like people who were greedy. However, Zhang Laosan was still abiding by the rules. He didn't raise the price temporarily. Instead, he thought about giving more toon sprouts in exchange for more food.

"Since you don't ask for it easily, I'll give you a favor and exchange it for ten more kilograms of corn." Thinking of the situation in the second half of this year, Tang Zhitong finally made a concession. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have more toon sprouts.

"Thank you, thank you. I, Zhang Laosan, will always remember your great kindness." Zhang Laosan bowed and almost sent Tang Zhitong away on the spot.

"Uncle Zhang, you can't bring 240 kilograms in one go next time, so let's divide it into several times later. Fourteen days later, which is the Saturday after next, you bring another batch and I will give you the food according to the quantity. If there are any old stubs in it, we won't have it next time." The benefits were not given for free. While Tang Zhitong agreed to Zhang Laosan, he also put forward his own requirements.

The reason for dividing it into two batches is, firstly, to make it convenient for Zhang Laosan to carry it here, and secondly, to ensure the tenderness of the toon sprouts, so that they can be replaced for the third time when they grow up.

Zhang Laosan naturally agreed to this with confidence.

The two agreed that Tang Zhitong would watch Zhang Laosan go away before throwing all the toon sprouts into the space, planning to find a chance to pickle them later.

When I got home, Zhang Guifang was still awake.

"Are you hungry? Wash your hands quickly. I've saved some Chinese toon beans for you." Seeing her son coming back, Zhang Guifang got up and prepared to heat up the meal.

"Mom, stop working. I've already eaten at school." Tang Zhitong stopped Zhang Guifang.

"You didn't bring any lunch, how did you eat?" Zhang Guifang packed the lunch herself. Tang Zhitong left the house after saying that he might be back late in the evening, and he had forgotten about dinner. Zhang Guifang blamed herself for this in the afternoon, fearing that her son would be hungry.

"I borrowed the meal ticket from a classmate. I'll just return the two steamed buns to him when I go to school next time." Tang Zhitong smiled. This time he borrowed it from Gu Mancang.

Gu Mancang was very generous. When he heard that Tang Zhitong had no dinner, he directly gave him a pound of meal ticket and said that he didn't have to pay it back.

No, it's impossible. Tang Zhitong is not that kind of person.

"Mom, did you see that? I told him he would never be hungry wherever he goes." Xiao Wang comforted his mother-in-law. Since she came back from get off work, her mother-in-law had blamed herself three times, saying that she was old, had a bad memory, and was useless.

"Hey, I have a lot of friends and can find food anywhere. No one can be as hungry as I am. Although I'm not hungry, I still have to try the Chinese toon beans that my mother makes. I haven't eaten them for a while and I really miss them." Tang Zhitong washed his hands, shook off the water, and directly pinched two soybeans.

Soybeans have been the most common source of protein for Chinese people since ancient times. Many people like to eat them. In addition to soy milk, tofu, tofu pudding, and tofu pudding, many people also like to stir-fry them.

Especially on the second day of the second lunar month, many areas in the north have the custom of "eating fried beans on the second day of the second lunar month". If there are soybeans, use them; if there are no soybeans, black beans, green beans, corn, or even "flour beans" made of flour will be used instead. After frying, put a handful in your pocket and eat while playing. Your happiness index can be raised by three levels.

However, Tang Zhitong was not interested in this way of eating. Soybeans can easily cause bloating, and one always has to pass gas after eating them. The feeling and taste were not very good, so on the second day of the second month, the Tang family only ate noodles.

After returning to the room, Tang Zhitong, who had been busy all day, lay down on the bed and didn't want to get up.

"My company gave out some movie tickets. When I came back, I saw a poster at the Mass Cinema saying that "Berlin Love Story" will be shown tomorrow. Shall we go and see it?" Xiao Wang prepared some footbath water for her husband, brought it to his feet, and squatted down to take off his shoes and socks.

"Okay, let's go!" If Luo Zhiping invited me, I wouldn't go, but if Xiao Wang invited me, it was a different matter. Tang Zhitong didn't expect that after going around in circles, he still couldn't avoid "Berlin Love Talk".

(End of this chapter)