Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 765 Letter from Northeast China
Perhaps influenced by Zhang Guifang, the Tang family had a special fondness for swallows. Tang Zhitong parked his bicycle and turned around to see Fengzhi sitting on a stool, supporting her cheeks with her hands and humming "The little swallow wears a flowery dress and comes here every spring."

The song "Little Swallow" is the theme song of the movie "Nurse's Diary". The movie was released in 1957. Although the movie was not very popular after its release, the theme song became popular and most children can hum a few lines of it.

What is not well known is that the lyrics to this song were originally a poem written in 1955 and published in 1956.

The original poem is:
The little swallow, dressed in black, comes here every spring.

I asked the swallow why did it come?
The swallow said: The spring here is the most beautiful.

Little Swallow, let me tell you:
This place will be more beautiful in the future. We established a cooperative last year and used tractors this year...

The first half sounds more rhyming and was adopted when the song was written, with "black clothes" changed to "flowery clothes". The second half was adapted significantly.

The author of this poem is Wang Lu, who majored in literature and had not specialized in music. There were many composers like him in this period, which is one of the reasons why Tang Zhitong dared to hum a song for classmate Xiao Wang.

"Let's go back to the house to eat. Don't you mind the mosquitoes outside?" Tang Zhitong greeted Fengzhi and glanced at the yard. Apart from the lush vegetables, there was no sign of Beibei. Perhaps the mother was worried that the swallow would be scared and locked it in the house.

"There are no mosquitoes. We just wiped out the four pests a while ago." Fengzhi argued confidently and was reluctant to enter the house.

"Have you finished your homework? You should go inside and do your homework even if there are no mosquitoes." Seeing that his sister didn't listen to him, Tang Zhitong slapped her on the head.

There are indeed no mosquitoes in the house, but not because they have been eradicated through the four pests eradication campaign, but because Tang Zhitong pulls them out every day.

In fact, it’s not a big problem if you don’t pull them out. Tang Zhitong had been bitten before, but the swelling was not big and it wasn’t very itchy. Its fighting power was not even as strong as that of bedbugs.

When he first arrived, Tang Zhitong observed mosquitoes carefully. They were a little larger than flower mosquitoes and made a lot of noise when flying. If there was one near your ear at night, it would really be like a bomber.

As for the flower mosquito that leaves a big bump with one bite, Tang Zhitong had never seen one.

Tang Zhitong had heard that the flower mosquito was brought from the northeast, but when he went to Andong, he hadn't found it there either. It was most likely an invasive species.

It would be fine if it was brought into the country accidentally with the rapid development of transportation, but if someone deliberately put it in or brought it in, Tang Zhitong felt that these people deserved to enjoy peanuts.

Once upon a time, Tang Zhitong saw a piece of news: After decades of painstaking research, a certain professor bred mosquitoes that could survive the winter, filling the gap in my country's winter without mosquitoes biting people. He was later caught and shot.

Although the rumor was later dispelled and said to be false news, Tang Zhitong actually saw mosquitoes lying outside the window in the cold winter! They were not frozen to death, but the kind that could fly!

I don’t know whether it was evolved or flew over from Siberia.

It still worked to mention homework. Fengzhi carried a stool, pouted her lips, and went back to the house with Tang Zhitong.

Zhang Guifang was kneading a nest in the house. When she saw her son come in, she casually told him what she had heard today: "There was a kid in the back street who killed a swallow and ate it yesterday. He got a fever today. I heard that swallows are not clean and eating them can easily make you sick. Did you make a slingshot for Jingmin? You must tell him about it later."

"Don't worry, Mom. I've already told you." Tang Zhitong responded with a smile. In fact, most wild birds carry a lot of pathogens, but their high body temperature can suppress the pathogens. If they are transmitted to humans, it will be a big trouble.

SARS should not be counted, but avian influenza is one of them, which is one of the reasons why Tang Zhitong opposes chicken blood therapy.

However, given the current supply situation, similar instructions and precautions only apply to one's own family. When people are hungry and Guanyin soil is out of stock in many places, who would care about what happens after it is eaten?

"The leeks in our yard are almost ready to be harvested. Can you cut some and send it to my mother-in-law? Or I'll bake some boxes the day after tomorrow and you can send them over?" After waiting so long, there were finally some edible vegetables in the yard. Although not many, Zhang Guifang did not forget Chunshu Hutong.

"Chive filling? Send the box over. Then you can soak more vermicelli and I'll make the filling." Tang Zhitong had just seen the chives and could barely cut some, but not much, so he had to add some other things to make it enough to eat.

Laohezi is a kind of pasta commonly made by the people in Beijing. The filling is spread evenly on a thin piece of dough, covered with another piece of dough, and the edges of the dough are pinched together, and then simmered in a frying pan over low heat.

The cake is called "box" because of its round shape and thick texture after being baked.

Hezi can be eaten all year round, and the fillings are not fixed, mostly depending on the season. But no matter what the filling is, in the old city of Beijing, the name remains the same, and they are all collectively called hezi.

However, if it is placed in other places, the name will be different. The one with leek filling is called leek box, and if many vegetables are mixed together, it becomes Zaozhuang vegetable pancake.

Although they all have their own flavors, Tang Zhitong stubbornly believes that leek dumplings are still delicious, especially when the fresh and tender leeks are roasted to release the moisture. When you take a bite, the leek juice flows into your mouth along with the oil. The taste is amazing and very authentic!

The only drawback may be that the taste of leeks in your mouth after the meal will not dissipate for half a day.

Some people even like to add two cloves of garlic, which is simply a walking biological weapon, the kind that everyone avoids.

Tang Zhitong couldn't help swallowing as he thought about it.

After Fengzhi entered the room, she bent over the table and started doing her homework. Without her "natural enemy", Beibei ran to Tang Zhitong's feet and meowed coquettishly.

Seeing this, Tang Zhitong took Beibei out to prepare some private lessons while Xiao Wang was still there.

Xiao Wang’s relatives are about to leave. Tang Zhitong looks at the still busy swallow couple. They all know how to build a nest. So should he and Xiao Wang put having children on the agenda?

While Beibei was hiding in the corner enjoying his meal, Tang Zhitong calculated that he had quit smoking for more than three months, so it should be about time. He would go back and feel out Xiao Wang's opinion to see if she had changed her mind.

No conversation that night, and the next day was April 4th, Saturday.

The Yan Zi couple were still busy with their self-built house. After lunch, Tang Zhitong did not go to the escort department immediately, but went to the scientific research class first.

Seeing that telling tales didn't work, Tao Yingjie was filled with energy, thinking about surpassing the other three groups in this improvement, and more importantly, leaving Tang Zhitong behind. So today he didn't bother to find fault with Tang Zhitong, and led the team members to actively discuss how to improve the speedboat.

Group 2 and Group 3 were also discussing this, but they had no idea what to do for the time being.

Tang Zhitong still listened mainly, but before leaving, he made a suggestion: "Why don't we go to a sister school to borrow some military books and magazines? It would be even better if they have foreign warships, so we can use them as a reference."

Although improvement always takes time, it is not advisable to work in isolation. Tang Zhitong saw that there were no relevant books in the research class, so he simply pointed everyone in a direction.

The reason why we have to go to a sister school is because the Post and Telecommunications University does not have any books on this subject at all.

"This is a good idea. I have a classmate in the Naval Academy. I'll write to him for advice!" With Tang Zhitong's suggestion, the students in the group finally had a direction and began to take action.

Tang Zhitong kept his achievements and fame to himself, waved his sleeves, and went to the escort department.

As soon as she entered the Finance Department, Ma Wei immediately informed Tang Zhitong that Zhang Jinbo came to see Tang Zhitong this morning and asked Tang Zhitong to visit him after returning to the unit.

Tang Zhitong calculated with his fingers, but couldn't figure out what Zhang Jinbo wanted to talk to him about, but he still put down his bag and ran over.

"Chief Tang, there is a package for you. It's from Anton. Please check it." Zhang Jinbo went straight to the point when he saw Tang Zhitong coming.

"Oh, thank you, Brother Zhang. Was this brought back by Brother Kong?" Tang Zhitong was surprised and grateful.

There are unwritten rules in the postal service regarding sending things. The postal service in the old city restricts the outflow of food supplies that can be used to fill the stomach. In principle, the amount of goods sent out cannot exceed two kilograms. Local postal services are even stricter and no longer allow sending things out.

Kong Yiqin did this simply to give himself face. Since he had made several trips to Anton and put Tang Wenbang in touch with Kong Yiqin, this was the second time Kong Yiqin had helped him bring things from there.

"Yes. There's no need to thank or not. We are all family. Do you want to take it back now? Or after get off work?" Zhang Jinbo waved his hand, with an obvious hint that he hoped Tang Zhitong would come over after get off work to minimize the impact.

"I'll come over after get off work." Tang Zhitong was also an intelligent man. Although sometimes employees from his unit would ask the escort department to take things outside, this was against the rules after all and it was not good to do it under other people's noses.

"Okay, then I'll wait for you to come before I leave work. And your two letters, you can take them now." After Zhang Jinbo said that, he took out two letters from under the newspaper on the desk and handed them over.

"Okay, thank you. I'll bring you and Brother Kong some pickled vegetables later." After Tang Zhitong took it, he planned to give them some toon sprouts, as he had more than a large jar of them at home.

The employees of the escort department eat the rations required for heavy physical labor, and they have more food than other employees. In addition, when they follow the sports car, they can occasionally get a subsidy from the train restaurant, so their stomachs are treated better than most people. However, this is only limited to staple food, and their side dishes are no different from those of ordinary people, so they still don't have any.

Tang Zhitong remembered that Zhang Jinbo and Kong Yiqun both had strong tastes, and the vegetables and salt in the ration of side dishes were probably not enough for them.

"Oh, that's great. Thank you on behalf of Old Kong." Zhang Jinbo didn't hesitate this time and agreed straightforwardly.

After returning to the Finance Department, Tang Zhitong couldn't wait to open the letter. It had been nearly twenty days since he sent the letter.

In the past, I would have received a reply within ten days at most, but this time the interval was so long that I almost forgot about it.

Tang Zhitong first opened the letter sent by Tang Wenbang. The handwriting seemed to be written by Tang Gang, but the tone was Tang Wenbang's.

The letter began with words of reassurance and greetings, such as "everything is fine", "please don't worry", and "how is your family?". It then went on to mention the reason for the late reply.

The post office in Anton has reduced the frequency of delivery. Before, it was basically once a week, but now it has been changed to two weeks, and the delivery location is not fixed. It depends on whether there is a telegram or registered letter. The deliveryman will collect them together and pick a day to deliver them.

Tang Zhitong sighed. The food shortage in the old city has not yet passed, and the Northeast has warmed up late, just in time for the new harvest. Life is not easy for everyone.

Look further down and you will get to the real point.

Tang Wenbang explained in the letter that the package sent this time contained all soybean paste, and Tang Ting added two pieces, making a total of sixteen pounds. He repeated the method and asked to wait until the eighth, eighteenth, and twenty-eighth of next month to make the paste, so that it would taste better.

Tang Zhitong laughed as he read the letter. He laughed at the fact that his uncle and aunt were living well over there, and he laughed at the fact that he didn't follow the Northeastern tradition of making sauce here, but was already eating it.

Next, he started to talk a lot, saying that thanks to Tang Zhitong's preparation of food, fish, lard and other things last year, he planned to choose a day this year to go to Beijing again and come to take a look.

Tang Zhitong scratched his head. It was not easy to go out these days. Not only was the journey tiring, but one also had to worry about dry food. If his uncle came, he would definitely bring some rations with him, which was very troublesome.

Besides, he couldn't buy a sleeper berth there, and it was not comfortable to sit on a hard seat all night.

Continuing on, Tang Gang's tone changed, saying that Tang Zhitong would be an uncle in about two months, and he planned to find an opportunity to go into the mountains and dig up some wild ginseng for his aunt.

Although there was no mention of thanks in every sentence, every word was filled with gratitude for Tang Zhitong's provision of winter grain last year.

Faced with this situation, Tang Zhitong planned to write a letter to stop it. He told his uncle and cousin not to come on this trip, and not to go into the mountains to dig ginseng.

Some large wild animals simply moved into the mountains, not disappeared.

Today in the classroom, I heard a classmate talk about what happened in my hometown. Because the wolves in the mountains had no food, they came down the mountain and planned to attack the countryside. However, there were not many livestock in the countryside, and the children who were left alone suffered...

The other letter was from Su Nianbin, but there was another letter enclosed inside.

Tang Zhitong first opened the enclosed letter and unfolded it. It was signed by Tang Rong, Tang Gang’s biological sister.

Tang Zhitong was not very familiar with this sister, having only met her once.

After expressing her gratitude in the letter, Tang Rong consulted Tang Zhitong about filling out the college entrance examination application form and attached her own scores and rankings in school.

Tang Zhitong scratched his head after reading it. He was not familiar with filling out the college entrance examination application form!
We are very close relatives, and it is not easy to ignore it since my sister has asked for it. After all, it is a major decision that will affect her whole life.

Precisely because the matter was of such great importance, Tang Zhitong did not dare to give any rash instructions. He planned to go back to school to ask Teacher Zhou for his opinion before giving a reply.

According to Tang Zhitong, he would definitely choose a school in Sijiu City. Not only would the food ration be guaranteed, he could also take care of himself here. More importantly, all the graduates would be eager to get into the school.

The college entrance examination in the past two years has not had the "from one community to another" system. If you can stay in the city at that time, it will be a choice that will bring blessings to three generations and change your destiny.

Su Nianbin's letter didn't contain much content. It mainly boasted about his rapid improvement in academic performance. He now felt like a fish swimming in the ocean of knowledge with ease.

Tang Zhitong smiled. On the one hand, his younger brother had become smarter. On the other hand, it was because he could fill his stomach instead of studying on an empty stomach like others. With one gain and one minus, his academic performance naturally improved.

Once your grades improve, you will become more motivated to study with a sense of accomplishment.

This is a good thing. If we keep up this momentum, Harbin Institute of Technology will have hope in a few years.

(End of this chapter)