Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 758
The next day, April 4, the rain stopped and the sky cleared up. The temperature finally reached spring levels, and it was very pleasant to do light exercise without sweating.

After breakfast, Tang Zhitong went out with Xiao Wang, but he passed by the Post and Telecommunications College without entering, and went straight north to Zhongguancun North Second Street, because the Institute of Chemical Metallurgy of the Academy of Sciences is here.

When Tang Zhitong arrived at the Metallurgical Institute, work had already begun and everyone looked busy.

After meeting Zeng Xinghuai, Tang Zhitong was a little surprised. Although Zeng Xinghuai was much older than him, his hair was combed meticulously and he was a handsome uncle.

"Hello Director Zeng, I'm Tang Zhitong. I'm here to report to you and thank the Academy of Sciences and the Metallurgical Institute for their support for our scientific research projects." When he entered the room, Zeng Xinghuai was still working on a plan at the desk with his colleagues from the Metallurgical Institute. Seeing that he was busy, Tang Zhitong took out a handwritten note from Qiu Han and handed it to him in order to save his time.

"Hello, hello. Dean Qiu told me that you want to make ferrite?" Zeng Xinghuai stood up, took the note, took a look at it, stretched out his big hand of friendship, shook it up and down a few times, and asked straight to the point.

"Yes, we need to make several pairs of magnets of different sizes. Our project team will use them for a project." Tang Zhitong thought about how to deal with the Metallurgical Institute last night. After much thought, he decided that telling the truth and asking for advice humbly was the most appropriate and least likely way to reveal his true colors.

"Okay, when do you want to start? We will work together to free up the equipment." For Zeng Xinghuai, this was not a big deal, but the Metallurgical Institute was just established and had limited equipment, so many projects were waiting in line for verification.

"Director Zeng, we don't do much, so there's no need to use special equipment. When we're ready, the Metallurgical Institute can just burn it when they make the magnets." Although Qiu Han said that the Metallurgical Institute would fully cooperate, Tang Zhitong felt that he had learned the ropes and should not occupy too many public resources.

Zeng Xinghuai laughed when he heard what Tang Zhitong said, and continued to use the term "magnet" and said frankly: "Comrade Tang, you don't know much about our Metallurgical Institute, right? Our main research direction is steelmaking, not magnets."

"Sorry, my preparation was not thorough enough." Tang Zhitong was stunned. He thought Ding Hui was a reliable person, but he didn't expect to find someone who was unprofessional?
"It's okay. The production of magnets is not difficult. As long as you set the model and we cooperate to adjust the time, we can start the operation." Although Tang Zhitong looked like an amateur, Zeng Xinghuai did not blame Tang Zhitong for the sake of the equipment that was about to be delivered.

The Metallurgical Institute had been established for less than two years. As the number of projects increased, more equipment was needed. However, there was no money to buy many of the equipment. The reward for this cooperation happened to be an imported equipment needed by the Metallurgical Institute, which was said to be allocated by the Science and Technology Association.

Zeng Xinghuai has devoted all his energy to metallurgy, and now he is willing to cooperate in firing not just one furnace, but even ten furnaces.

"Director Zeng, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Although I am responsible for coordinating the firing of magnets, I don't have a thorough understanding of the whole process. Can you find a researcher to take me to visit the equipment and explain the whole process?" Tang Zhitong thought about it all night yesterday, but he couldn't figure out how to operate the NdFeB without anyone noticing. He had no choice but to take Qiu Han's words "full cooperation from the Metallurgical Institute" as a token of desperation, hoping to find loopholes in the process of understanding and achieve his own goals.

"Come on, I'll take you around." Zeng Xinghuai looked at his watch and felt that there was still enough time. He planned to do it himself. At least he had to make the Science and Technology Commission believe that the equipment Tang Zhitong borrowed this time was worth the price of the equipment needed by the Metallurgical Institute.

"Then... I'll have to trouble Director Zeng." Tang Zhitong felt a little guilty.

On the way to see the equipment, Zeng Xinghuai chatted with Tang Zhitong for a while. When he learned that this was a project team composed of students, he became very interested and gave some encouragement.

Zeng Xinghuai was very serious. He took Tang Zhitong to the material room first. Starting from a pile of bottles and jars of raw materials, he concisely explained the raw materials and proportions needed to make magnets, as well as the entire subsequent process, and even the key points of each process.

An expert is worthy of being an expert. Tang Zhitong held a small notebook and listened and took notes just like the residents of a small country treat their sun.

Tang Zhitong was not pretending, but felt that he really learned something. Zeng Xinghuai's explanation was more detailed than the notes provided by Wan Xianghong.

"Director Zeng, these raw materials are very precious, right?" While listening, Tang Zhitong also seized the opportunity to learn the information he wanted to know, pointing to some metals labeled in English on the shelf, among which was neodymium used to make supermagnets.

"It's very expensive. Those are rare metals that have been purified. Our country started late in this area. It was not until 58 that the Nonferrous Metals Research Institute was responsible for research. The amount of refined metals is limited, and most of these are imported." Zeng Xinghuai explained to Tang Zhitong, and then smiled and said, "With students like you who have a sense of social responsibility, our country will definitely find a breakthrough and improve the level of purification."

"I'm looking forward to that day too." Tang Zhitong nodded in approval, but this aspect cannot be improved just by saying so; it is extremely difficult.

"The road is long and difficult, but if you keep going you will reach your destination. That day will definitely come." Zeng Xinghuai was even more determined than Tang Zhitong.

At this moment, Tang Zhitong seemed to see something called "belief" in him...

When Tang Zhitong was at the Metallurgical Institute, Chu Chunxue went to Tang's house again. She looked frail, but she was not pretending; she was really hungry.

The Liu family's grain bag was empty. The last grain of rice went into the couple's stomachs last night. Liu Chengzhi went to work on an empty stomach this morning. Chu Chunxue only drank two glasses of water in the morning. The more she drank, the more uncomfortable her stomach felt.

Zhang Guifang was frightened when she saw Chu Chunxue's appearance, and hurriedly helped her sit down on the stool.

"Aunt, I really don't have the face to come to you for help, but I really have no other choice." Chu Chunxue's eyes went dark. The discomfort in her stomach became secondary. She only felt dizzy and it took her a long time to calm down before she asked for help.

"Oh, you kid." Zhang Guifang knew why Chu Chunxue came, but she felt embarrassed when she thought of her son's words.

Chu Chunxue was feeling weak all over just now, so Zhang Guifang used some strength to help her up. After she sat down, she took a special look at her hands, and there was no sign that she couldn't get up from the place she had grabbed just now.

This means that Chu Chunxue is just hungry, and has not yet reached the point of being penniless and swollen like Zhang Yongxiang.

"I really have no other choice..." Chu Chunxue was so hungry that she didn't want to say a word. But after coming here for so long, she didn't want to return empty-handed, so she could only repeat these words weakly.

"I'll get you some dry food." Zhang Guifang sighed and finally softened her heart. However, she did not choose to give money. Instead, she turned into the inner room and took out a steamed bun mixed with corn husks. This was prepared to send the beggar away according to what her son said.

Seeing the dry food, Chu Chunxue regained her energy. She took it and started to eat it impatiently.

There were some leftover steamed bread, which was a bit loose. Chu Chunxue caught it with one hand and licked the crumbs between her fingers after eating. Zhang Guifang felt sad watching this. Chu Chunxue's life was not much better than that of a beggar.

After eating a steamed bread, Chu Chunxue finally felt better and shed tears: "Aunt, I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Alas, you child, how did you end up like this?" Seeing Chu Chunxue come to her senses, Zhang Guifang's heart finally settled down. With Chu Chunxue's appearance just now, if something happened to her family, it would be a big trouble for her family. Chu Chunxue lowered her head and kept silent, shedding tears secretly. Yes, how did she end up like this? It was all because of her mother-in-law's greed for advantage and not transferring her household registration to this place in the early years!

Seeing Chu Chunxue didn't say anything, Zhang Guifang couldn't let her sit there idly, so she went to the inner room and took out a steamed bread and handed it to Chu Chunxue: "Chunxue, each family has its own difficulties. With what your mother-in-law did, our two families will no longer have any contact. You take this, this is all I can do, go back and don't come here again."

"Auntie..." Chu Chunxue held the steamed bread in her hand and looked at Zhang Guifang with tears in her eyes. After a while, she managed to say: "You are a good person."

Zhang Guifang doesn't care whether the person is good or not. This good person is not the one who returns the money he found or helps someone who falls down. Those are just simple tasks and do not cause any loss to the family. However, the good person card that Chu Chunxue gave her was exchanged for real food.

If the year was good, Zhang Guifang would not care about the food, but she had no idea what the future would be like.

Although Tang Zhitong kept saying that he would find a way, the situation was difficult everywhere at the moment, and Zhang Guifang didn't think her son could get any more food.

After seeing Chu Chunxue off, Zhang Guifang began to worry. What if she came again? She couldn't just close the door, could she?

After Chu Chunxue returned home, she put the steamed corn bread on a plate. She didn't even pick up the dirty clothes and shoes that were caught in the rain yesterday. She just stared at the steamed corn bread in a daze, swallowing her saliva as she looked at it.

Eat? Don’t eat? Eat? Don’t eat? Chu Chunxue’s mind was swaying back and forth.

Liu Chengzhi, who was far away in the factory, was also struggling at this time. Should he listen to his coworkers?
Liu Chengzhi came to the company on an empty stomach in the morning and shamelessly discussed with his fellow workers whether he could join the mutual aid association.

There are many different opinions about the origin of the Mutual Aid Society. Some say it originated from the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, so in some places it is also called the Seven Sages Society.

Mutual aid has a certain regionality, generally more so in the south.

Since mutual aid societies can indeed increase the general group's ability to resist risks, and the cost of borrowing is lower than outside loan sharks, they were established in a small area in the old city after liberation as people moved around.

Mutual aid societies, like usury, are spontaneous activities among the people, so when joining, members will give priority to people with good reputation.

Moreover, when most new members join the club, the leader will ask the members to act as guarantors for the people they have brought in, so that when the new members cannot repay the money, there will be a guarantor to bear the losses.

Liu Chengzhi's life used to be above average. At that time, someone wanted to recruit him to join the club, but after inquiring, Liu Chengzhi felt that others were after his family's money. If someone could not pay it back, they would start to argue, and if they couldn't argue well, he would lose money, so he did not join.

Now the situation is reversed. Liu Chengzhi wants to join the organization, but no one is willing to guarantee him.

Over the past six months, everyone has seen Liu Chengzhi's situation. He has fallen from a wealthy life to extreme poverty. Not only have his mother and son been imprisoned, but Lu Dexian has also distanced himself from him. In addition, he is not very good at dealing with people and has poor popularity. So when they heard about joining the gang, everyone shook their heads and were unwilling to act as a guarantor for him.

Liu Chengzhi could only sulk with an empty stomach while thinking about how to make money. He even secretly hoped that Chu Chunxue could borrow some more money from the Tang family to tide over the difficulties.

"Xiao Liu, are you still thinking about joining the union?" At this time, a worker with a rat-like look came over.

"What?" Liu Chengzhi raised his eyelids, rolled his eyes at his co-worker, and asked unhappily.

This worker had a nickname called "Haozi". Although Liu Chengzhi was in trouble, he looked down on Haozi because Haozi had made fun of him with Chu Chunxue more than once in the factory.

Liu Chengzhi is not stupid and can tell the difference between a joke and coveting.

"Okay, since I see you're in trouble, I wanted to give you some advice. But from your tone, it seems like it's unnecessary, so just treat me as me being nosy." When Haozi heard Liu Chengzhi's tone, he said it with an indifferent tone, fanned himself lightly, turned around and left.

He walked slowly, one step, two steps, three steps, hoping that Liu Chengzhi would call him and listen to his ideas.

Liu Chengzhi didn't want to pay attention to Haozi, but seeing that he was at his wit's end, he could only call out to Haozi: "What's your idea?"

Haozi had walked five steps out when he heard Liu Chengzhi's movement. He breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and said with a smile: "If I want to hear your advice, you should at least give me a cigarette, right?"

"I can't even eat, where do I get cigarettes? If you want to say it, just say it. If you don't want to, forget it." When Liu Chengzhi saw Haozi's face, he wished he could turn away from him and retorted with disgust.

"Well, it's my fault. I was wrong before and shouldn't have joked about your wife." Facing Liu Chengzhi's ugly face, Haozi didn't leave this time. Not only did he not leave, but he also found a way out for himself. After saying that, he took out five dollars from his pocket.

"What? You want to lend me money?" Liu Chengzhi was afraid that Haozi would regret it, so he grabbed a handful of money and put it in his pocket first.

"Of course I lent it to you. It's okay if you don't return it. Just consider it as my apology to you." The rat man is ugly, but he said it sincerely at this moment.

"Thank you then, but I don't have the money to pay you back right now. I'll have to wait until my life gets better in the future." Liu Chengzhi made the promise verbally, but he had no intention of paying it back in his heart. He said that to keep him hanging so that he could get some more interest as an "apology" from him later.

"There's no rush. But I only have this much pocket money a month, and it can at most keep you going for two more days. What will you do after two days?" Haozi waved his hand, acting like a caring co-worker.

"Let's take it one step at a time." Liu Chengzhi was worried. What was he going to do in the future? He had no idea what he was going to do. Was he really going to send Chu Chunxue back to the commune?
"I know a way that might work." Seeing that Liu Chengzhi had no other options, Haozi finally softened his tone.

(End of this chapter)