Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 723 Chapter 722

After being tough and getting beaten, Tang Zhitong finally started to prepare the soybean paste happily.

The soybean paste was wrapped with a layer of newspaper, and green and white mold had grown on the outside. The newspaper could no longer be completely peeled off, and all six sides were more or less stuck with newspaper. It was almost as strong as 502.

"Come, brush it first." Tang Zhitong put the soybean paste into a basin, poured water on it, and looked around for suitable tools. There was no steel wool, but there was a shoe brush.

"Use a shoe brush?" When Wang saw her husband's operation, she couldn't help but frown.

"Water doesn't make people dirty. The shoe brush has been washed with water first. Besides, you won't get sick if you eat something dirty." Tang Zhitong said nonchalantly.

There are many such examples in life. The most recent one is the children around us. The dirtier they are, the healthier they tend to be.

Going back further, there is India. It is said that the richness of the Ganges water is far beyond the periodic table. People bathe, pee, and throw ashes of corpses in it, and still drink it. Even so, India feels that the taste is not strong enough, and it has to be paired with a cup of cow urine to rinse its mouth.

The third brother is still full of life, but once tourists eat the food there, they will immediately be given a seven-day diarrhea package.

It's such a clean and hygienic place, but even lizards have to cover their butts when passing by. I don't know what's so good about it. I can't understand it.

However, some people from India came to China to visit stores and reported the domestic situation to them, which caused a lot of exclamations. Many Indians feel that China is very luxurious and believe that every Chinese household has two faucets, one of which flows out Ganges water and the other flows out cow urine.

Bah! Ugh... Who the hell can I talk to about this?
Newspaper will soften a lot when it is soaked in water. With Tang Zhitong's miraculous rubbing force, the mildew spots and newspaper fell off one after another.

Tang Zhitong changed the water several times and rinsed it thoroughly. Finally, he put the soybean paste block on the chopping board. Recalling the old lady's instructions, he chopped the soybean paste block into small pieces with a knife.

There was no suitable vat at home, so small pieces of soybean paste could only be fermented in a basin. Tang Zhitong felt a little regretful about this and said to classmate Xiao Wang: "I ordered ten kilograms of soybean paste from Auntie last year. Later, you can ask your classmates to buy a larger vat for the family, specifically for fermenting soybean paste."

Before Xiao Wang expressed his opinion, Zhang Guifang was already unhappy and complained: "How can you be so ignorant? What kind of year is it in other places? Why are you still asking your aunt for things?"

"Hey, Mom, don't worry, I didn't make the decision out of thin air. I gave you a lot of soybeans at that time." Facing Zhang Guifang's complaints, Tang Zhitong laughed.

I asked my aunt to make ten kilograms of soybean paste. Ten kilograms of soybean paste must be fermented in a jar. I have to buy the jars now while I can still buy them. Who knows if I can buy them in the future?
According to my calculations, my uncle's soybean paste should be almost ready, and the soybean issue needs to be clarified, otherwise the purchase of the jar cannot be put on the agenda.

"You kid, you gasp when you talk, why didn't you tell me about this in advance?" Upon hearing that her son did not ask for it for free, Zhang Guifang muttered a few words and then stopped talking. As for where her son got the soybeans, she didn't even ask.

"Yes, yes, yes, I will ask for your instructions and report to you in advance next time. Fengzhen, bring the salt jar over." Tang Zhitong casually brushed off his mother and assigned a task to his sister.

Salt is an essential condiment in people's lives. It was an important source of tax revenue in all dynasties before liberation, and its price has always been high.

People also cherish salt very much. Even if their family is poor, they have to buy a salt jar to store salt.

Salt jars are usually made of pottery. The cheaper ones are open, while the more expensive ones have lids.

Both can be used, the only difference is the humidity of the salt. The open one is more likely to absorb water and moisture.

The Tang family's salt jar is open. No one knows where the old lady got it from. It looks very old. Although it has been used at home for many years, the surface is spotlessly clean after being wiped clean by Zhang Guifang.

Tang Zhitong took the salt jar from Fengzhen, checked the humidity first, and then put the salt into the bowl of soybean paste. He taught Zhang Guifang how much salt to put in it: "For a pound of soybean paste, 40 to 50 grams of salt is enough. If it is damp, add more salt."

"What happens next?" Zhang Guifang asked, keeping it in mind.

"Add water and mix thoroughly. Our basin is wide open and there isn't much sauce, so just cover it with a lid. If you use a jar, you need to wrap a cloth around the mouth of the jar.

From now on, uncover the sauce every morning and skim off the foam with a spoon, then pound it again with the soybean paste rake, put it in the sun to dry, cover it again at night, and it will be ready to eat in a month or so.

If you feel the water is insufficient in the middle, add a little more." Tang Zhitong taught his mother what the aunt taught him without reservation.

"Okay, I'll remember it." Zhang Guifang felt it was quite easy and not difficult at all.

"Then I'll leave this glorious and arduous task to you from now on." Tang Zhitong held the soybean paste rake in both hands and handed it to Zhang Guifang as if he was holding an imperial edict.

"You're such a grown-up, but you're still so unruly." Zhang Guifang took the soybean paste rake and pretended to hit him.

"Hehe, try to find joy in misery." Tang Zhitong actually wanted to pat his own butt and say "you hit me", but considering his two younger sisters were beside him, he did not say it. After all, he had to act like a brother and set a role model for them.

Although Tang Zhitong had restrained himself, classmate Xiao Wang and his two sisters were still very happy watching him act funny.

At the same time, at a forest farm in Andong, Northeast China, Tang Wenbang and his wife were wrapping the soybean paste with newspapers.

The making of Northeastern soybean paste is not difficult. Wash the soybeans and soak them overnight. Boil them and cover them overnight the next day. On the third day, smash or chop them into paste, and then shape the bean paste like living mud.

After the bean paste is shaped, it becomes the paste base. Generally speaking, it is in the shape of bricks with different sizes, just like crude adobe bricks.

The dough for soybean paste is very soft and will not move once it is shaped. After three to five days when the surface is dry and cracked, it is turned over slightly and left to dry, which is also the process of natural fermentation.

Generally, it takes 20 days for the soybean paste to dry out and mold will grow on the surface.

At this time, the soybean paste needs to be moved to another place to continue fermenting. Nowadays, most people choose to tie the soybean paste with straw ropes and hang it on the beams.

Since most of the houses nowadays are made of adobe, the roofs are not only often covered with dust, but are also often visited by rats.

Some people are careful and will wrap the soybean paste with newspapers, while others don't mind it being dirty and just hang it up.

Tang Wenbang and his wife are not the kind of people who like to swear, so of course they choose the clean and hygienic method.

"In a month or so, the soybean paste will be ready. Should we send it to the train station and ask colleague Anzi to take it back?" The old lady was very satisfied with her nephew Tang Zhitong. He not only came back with nothing, but also brought a lot of things. Thanks to the nephew, the Tang and Su families had a prosperous year. They had fish for almost every meal. Not only did they not go hungry, they didn't even lose weight.

She had already refined the lard into oil, and during the Chinese New Year, she made dumplings and stewed dishes with the oil residue. The refined oil was basically not touched because it could be stored, and she planned to save it for later consumption.

"I'll discuss it with Tingzi later. I want to go over there." According to common sense, when the elders in the family pass away, they will not visit the younger generations except to visit their graves.

But Tang Wenbang was not at ease with his extravagant nephew, and he was always worried about him. Although the letters he exchanged were always full of good things and words like "don't worry", who would say something that would make relatives worry? Don't they always report good news and not bad news? Besides, it's not easy for an orphan and a widow?
"It's only the beginning of spring, and there's nothing good in the forest. These pastes are made from soybeans bought by Eucalyptus. I think it would be better to let Eucalyptus bring it over this time. We can wait a little longer until the mushrooms and chestnuts in the forest come down. We can at least prepare some so that we don't go empty-handed." The old lady disagreed with her husband's idea. In her simple understanding, if the other party is good to her, she should also give him her good things.

"I'll discuss it with his aunt and uncle." Tang Wenbang didn't give a precise answer, but he didn't refuse either. He said it ambiguously.

Seeing that the old man was stubborn, Tang Wenbang's wife stopped trying to persuade him, but just wrapped the soybean paste in her hand more carefully.

After Tang Zhitong had some fun with his mother, he went back to the house, found a rope, tied it to the handle, and started playing with a spinning top in the side room.

If we were to talk about where the ground is flat in the Tang family, the bathroom would rank first, and the second place would be the wing rooms.

However, the space is limited after all, and there are gaps between the blue bricks on the ground, so the gyroscope can easily lose balance while spinning.

Tang Zhitong watched the spinning top stagger like a drunk and fall to the ground, and laughed.

"Other people's spinning tops can spin for a long time, but this one has fallen over. Why are you still laughing?" Student Xiao Wang was confused.

"It's because the ground in our house is uneven. It will be fine if we change it to the Women's Federation dormitory. I smile because I have good skills and I can become a skilled carpenter in the future." Tang Zhitong lied because he just remembered a setting in a certain movie. If the gyroscope keeps spinning, it means it is staying in a dream. Only when the gyroscope falls over, it is in the real space.

And my gyroscope fell over. According to this setting, everything around me is real.

"I just said that, do you really want to be a carpenter? What future can there be in being a carpenter?" Student Xiao Wang was unhappy.

"I see your hair is long and smooth, very beautiful." There is no future in being a carpenter? Tang Zhitong can only say that Xiao Wang is a little short-sighted. With his talent, he can make a lot of money by processing wood furniture. If he works at full capacity, he may even be ranked in the top 3 of the pig-killing list.

However, Tang Zhitong is unwilling to do so, and he cannot lead the people towards common prosperity, so it is meaningless.

"Okay, you said I have long hair but little knowledge, right?" Xiao Wang was unhappy and went up to her husband to argue.

The couple chatted and laughed, and fought and slapped each other. The fight escalated and soon they were fighting beside the bed, and then on the bed. At this point, punching and kicking were not enough to solve the problem, so they started tearing clothes and pulling hair...

The battle is fierce! It's a matter of life and death, and it also determines who is better!
The next morning, the couple, who were equally skilled and had agreed to fight again the next day, got up. Tang Zhitong first took a look at the large pot of soy sauce placed under the eaves.

Due to insufficient fermentation time, the soybean paste in the pot still looks very thin, and it will have to be dried in the sun in a few days.

The soybean paste that has been dried in the sun for a day will turn yellowish brown. If you hit it with a rake, light brown will appear. The color is hard to describe, but it is a favorite of flies.

At this time, you have to be careful of flies laying maggots in the sauce jar. After all, Tang Zhitong doesn't want to try the Nantong delicacy "Spring Tide".

The 25th is the day when the Post and Telecommunications College issues receipts and scholarships.

When Tang Zhitong arrived at the college, he was greeted with pairs of expectant eyes.

Although Tang Zhitong knew that the college would not withhold everyone's food coupons for the time being, and that collecting them later would be the same as going now, but facing the looks of his classmates, Tang Zhitong actually felt that it would be a crime to distribute them one second later.

Under the expectant gaze of his classmates, Tang Zhitong skipped class again...

There were long queues in the logistics and finance departments. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Tang Zhitong queued up obediently. At this time, he would be scolded for queuing up with privileges.

Fortunately, the logistics and financial staff understood the students’ feelings under special circumstances and worked very efficiently. Tang Zhitong completed all the procedures in just one class.

This time was different from the past. Tang Zhitong received an extra six kilograms of meal tickets, which were subsidies for his participation in the scientific research class.

On the way to the classroom, Tang Zhitong first put the six kilograms into his pocket, and then returned to the classroom to distribute receipts and scholarships to everyone.

"Teacher Tang, is that done?" After sending the letter, Luo Zhiping couldn't hold back his temper. He came up and pulled Tang Zhitong out of the classroom and asked quietly.

"When Director Fang heard your name, he was very considerate and agreed immediately. Don't worry, I will come here early on Sunday morning to gather together." Tang Zhitong replied with a smile.

"Is that giving face to me? It's obviously Tang... No, it's giving face to my uncle, right?" Luo Zhiping originally wanted to say that Tang Zhitong had a lot of face, but when he thought about it, it didn't seem right, so he quickly changed his words.

"Hey~ Never mind whose face it is, this thing is done anyway. I'll bring some seasonings by then. If we can hit it, we'll solve it on the spot! I have something else to do, let's talk about it later." Tang Zhitong patted Luo Zhiping on the shoulder, leaving him with a thought, and went straight to office 3227.

"What are you doing?" Teacher Zhou looked at the meal ticket that Tang Zhitong took out, very confused.

"Teacher Zhou, I heard that your calligraphy is very good. I would like to ask you for a pair of these. However, my family has a lot of expenses and I don't have much money. Do you think this meal ticket is appropriate as a reward for writing? I know it's a little too little, but please don't mind. You can get these every month in the future." Although there was no one else in the office, the literati loved to save face. In order to save Zhou Zheng's face, Tang Zhitong found a normal excuse.

"Who told you that? My handwriting is not good enough. I know you want me to have one more bite, but I can't have this." Zhou Zheng felt that Tang Zhitong's nonsense was unreliable when he heard it, and he laughed.

"Hey, Mr. Zhou, you see, you have a bad stomach. If you don't eat well, it will easily hurt. Not only will you feel uncomfortable, but you may also be late for class. Delaying class will affect the grades of your classmates, and they may even fail to graduate. This loss is huge.

This meal ticket is the quota for the scientific research class subsidy. I can't use it, and it would be a waste for me to use it. I'm sorry to trouble you to do it for me.

This way we are all suitable.

Let's just leave it at that." Tang Zhitong saw that Teacher Zhou knew what was going on, so he decided to come clean and stop pretending.

(End of this chapter)