Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 808 807 A Big Gift for College Students

"You're one of the heroes at the National Heroes Gathering this year, did you know about that?" After finishing their business, Tang Zhitong remembered the Heroes Gathering. Although he had helped Wang Bo secure a spot, Wang Bo was able to participate because of his hard work and focused study, and his dedication to contributing to his fellow villagers after achieving academic success. He truly deserved the honor.

"Hehe, the commune has issued a notice." Upon hearing this, Wang Bo grinned happily.

When he first heard the news, he couldn't believe it. After telling his parents, they both cried. After they finished crying, they immediately raised their standards for their son's ideal partner.

Ever since Wang Bo became a barefoot doctor, the neighbors no longer mind that the Wang family has a bedridden burden, and many people have been asking around to find him a partner.

Wang Bo, however, was busy studying at the hospital and then treating and operating on villagers, so he couldn't attend to this matter and turned it down.

"Do you have any decent clothes at home? If not, I'll help you apply for some cloth ration coupons from the editorial board when you attend the 'Heroes of Beijing' gathering the day after tomorrow," Tang Zhitong suggested, noticing Wang Bo's simple attire.

The gathering of heroes is a big event. These days, even if a family is very poor, if they can attend such a meeting, their family will provide them with a set of clothes.

If a family simply cannot afford it, their employer cannot stand by and watch someone attend the meeting dressed in rags.

Of course, this only applies to the outer coat; everyone else is still wearing their old clothes underneath. On this point, everyone is in complete agreement.

In Tang Zhitong's view, although this behavior is respectable, it is like putting frost on a donkey dung ball—it looks good on the outside but not on the inside, and it is an outward manifestation of a lack of self-confidence.

Upon closer reflection, it's not hard to understand. Nowadays, everyone is poor, and they are already looked down upon. If they are dressed in rags, they will lose all their remaining dignity.

Only when we have full confidence in our military, economy, and culture can this lack of confidence be left behind by the Chinese people. What the representatives attending the conference are doing now is laying the foundation for that day to come sooner.

"No need, no need. I have cloth coupons at home. My aunt came over a few days ago and told me to come over a day earlier so she could take me to buy clothes." Wang Bo quickly waved his hand to refuse.

The rural areas of Sijiu City are ultimately incomparable to those of other rural areas. In recent years, the rationing of cloth coupons has not differed much from that of urban residents. This year, each commune member has a ration of 20 feet of cloth coupons, but the vast majority of families are reluctant to spend them.

Firstly, because cloth coupons were hard currency and could be exchanged for money at the market.

Secondly, while using cloth coupons, one also had to spend money.

This resulted in a difference of several tens of kilograms of grain.

However, there is one exception: when a child in the family gets married, the elderly will often buy some quilt covers and cotton to make two quilts, and also make a new outfit for the newlyweds.

Besides, most of the cloth coupons ended up back in the hands of the wealthy through various channels.

Seeing that Wang Bo said yes, Tang Zhitong didn't press the matter further and had Wang Bo lead her to the team headquarters to discuss matters related to cooperative medical care.

Communication wasn't too difficult because the team headquarters here wasn't too willing to spend money.

In their view, their production team already had Wang Bo, who could handle everything from minor illnesses like medicine to major surgeries, all for free, so there was no need to spend any more money on him.

Tang Zhitong did not offer any further advice.

Wang Bo is indeed a talented individual, but whether the production team can retain such talent in the future remains to be seen.

Now, not only the production team is short of doctors, but the commune is too. Can the commune allow Wang Bo to stay here for a long time?

Doesn't Wang Bo have any thoughts about improving his life?

Since they couldn't reach an agreement, Tang Zhitong didn't even have lunch there. He hopped on his bicycle and started his return journey.

I've been away for several days now. On my way back, I'll go to the commune where the production team I requested relief grain from is located and see what they say.

The local official is more powerful than the county magistrate. Beijing is not the kind of place where the voices of the lower classes are silenced. It is better to report matters such as relief grains up level by level.

Xiao Wang once said that Tang Zhitong had a delegate's certificate, and no one dared to stop him from jumping up and down cursing at No. 2 Zhengyi Road. This statement was not untrue. Tang Zhitong showed his delegate's certificate and went straight to the office of the commune's top leader without any hindrance, where he was warmly received.

After some pleasantries, Tang Zhitong explained the purpose of his trip to the grassroots level and specifically consulted the commune about the cooperative medical care.

The commune expressed its willingness to provide support, but also indicated that the primary task for many production teams at present is to solve the problem of filling their stomachs, and it is probably difficult to devote energy to medical care in the short term.

Tang Zhitong didn't insist, after all, cooperative medical care couldn't be implemented overnight, and it would most likely have to start with pilot projects. With the Nanyu Production Brigade involved, Tang Zhitong's vision was already more than half complete.

After noting down the commune's opinions, Tang Zhitong talked to the commune about the production team's situation and asked about the relief grain.

“We allocated the grain! They were eating the relief grain that was allocated.” Faced with Tang Zhitong’s question, the commune felt very aggrieved and was almost ready to swear to God.

"Those moldy grains are relief grain?" Tang Zhitong was somewhat skeptical, fearing that the commune was hiding something from him, because the relief grain at present was all allocated from a special grain depot, which was managed and guarded by dedicated personnel. Although some insect bites and rodent damage were inevitable, there was definitely no mold.

"This..." The commune leader looked hesitant, but finally gritted his teeth and told the truth:

"Relief grain cannot get moldy, but the amount of relief grain allocated is limited, and our commune cannot produce any more grain."

I admit that some particularly impoverished production teams were given moldy grain.

However, we went to great lengths to obtain these relief grains from other organizations. One pound of relief grain could be exchanged for more than two pounds of moldy grain!

Moldy grain doesn't taste very good, but it's still edible. Having more grain means the production team there can eat for a while longer.

I can vouch for myself with my thirteen years of service in the organization that the commune did not embezzle a single grain!
"I handled this matter entirely; it has nothing to do with other comrades in the commune. If Representative Tang is going to pursue this matter, please explain this point to the organization as well."

"I won't pursue this." Tang Zhitong shook his head and closed the notebook.

This top leader is a responsible person. In the end, he not only did not hide it, but also chose to take full responsibility. You could tell from his expression that he was under a lot of psychological pressure doing this.

Others may not know about the situation outside of Beijing, but Tang Zhitong not only read oral accounts from survivors in certain areas, but also personally asked one of his elders.

The elders said that during the Great Leap Forward in 58, sweet potatoes rotted in the ground and no one harvested them. When winter came and there was nothing else to eat, they dug up the rotten sweet potatoes from the ground to eat.

Rotten sweet potatoes don't taste good; they're bitter. But once they're gone, they're gone. Then you start eating the dried-up, moldy sweet potato vines...

The commune leaders were already doing everything they could to protect the commune members by taking the risk of turning the relief grain into double portions. If they were still held accountable for this, who would dare to put themselves in the commune members' shoes in the future?

The commune leader finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Tang Zhitong was not pursuing the matter of relief grain. However, Tang Zhitong raised another thorny issue: "I have seen along the way that the situation in many production teams is not optimistic. When the summer grain is harvested, will there be a shortage of manpower?" Faced with the difficult grain supply and the physical condition of the commune members in some production teams, Tang Zhitong could not bear it and decided to lend a helping hand.

Summer harvest is very important. At this time, there is no mechanized harvesting. It all depends on manual labor to cut, compact, and dry the crops little by little.

The whole process will take about half a month.

If the weather turns bad, the summer harvest will become a frantic rush. If the grain gets wet from rain, half a year's hard work will be wasted. This is not only a loss for the commune members, but also a loss for the country.

"Sigh, we've been coordinating manpower and food supplies to ensure that the commune members can have enough to eat every day." The summer harvest is the top priority for the next month, and the commune can't afford to ignore it. However, according to the plan from above, the commune has planted more wheat this year, but the number of commune members hasn't changed much, and their health is far worse than in previous years, which is a real headache.

"Let me leave you my contact information. I'll go back and see if I can get some college students to come and participate in the summer harvest. You can prepare farm tools and accommodation here, and try to let the students bring their own food." Having learned from her previous experience of working with the Bureau of Materials to find part-time jobs for students, Tang Zhitong set her sights on college students this time.

However, this time is definitely different from that time. That time there was money to be made, but this time it is obviously free. However, the students are not just making contributions, because participating in the summer harvest can offset the production labor arrangement for each academic year!

Tang Zhitong had reason to believe that the academy would be happy to accept it.

Sending all students to various units to participate in production labor every year is a very large and tedious task, because each unit has different job positions available, and the peak and off-peak seasons of production are also different. These require repeated communication. Moreover, for places that are far away, students have to travel by train, which wastes a lot of human, material, and financial resources.

Tang Zhitong believes that the purpose of participating in productive labor is not simply to let college students understand production processes and technologies. The deeper meaning is to give college students a clear understanding of the hardships of labor, so that they will not be misguided when they enter the workforce.

Since it's all labor, it should definitely be the most arduous places, the places where the masses need it most, and the places that can leave a deep impression on college students!
"Oh! That's wonderful! Representative Tang has really helped us a lot! You don't need to bring your own food. Come and help us with the harvest, we'll take care of it!" The commune leader was overjoyed to hear Tang Zhitong say this, and he grabbed Tang Zhitong's hand and shook it happily.

College students don't need to bring their own food. In the past, when landlords rushed to harvest crops, they would serve good wine and food to day laborers and wheat harvesters. The commune can't be worse off than the landlords in the old society, can it?

Tang Zhitong readily accepted the commune leader's generosity. With meals provided, he believed that college students from the ivory tower would also be happy to come to the countryside for a taste.

Tang Zhitong felt the plan was feasible, as it would benefit all parties involved!

The students will be very surprised and grateful to themselves... right?

Tang Zhitong didn't leave tonight; instead, he found a secluded corner to continue living in his little wooden cabin.

During his trip to the countryside these past few days, Tang Zhitong saw children discarding cherry pits by the roadside, indicating that some cherries had begun to ripen.

Due to his position, Tang Zhitong couldn't directly inquire who grew cherry trees, as it would be inappropriate to give too little money or too much.

Farmers usually grow cherries in their own yards, as a snack passed down from generation to generation for their children and grandchildren. However, in recent years, cherries have gradually become something that is picked and taken to the market to exchange for some money or grain to take home.

Tang Zhitong was waiting for tomorrow's market.

May 8th, Saturday, a bright and sunny day.

Tang Zhitong rode his bicycle and inquired his way to the market.

The market wasn't very large, but there were quite a few people collecting taxes.

Collecting taxes was probably one of the conditions under which the commune tacitly allowed the market to exist.

Tax collectors are generally stern and have a sharp tongue; they might yell at farmers who come to the market to sell their goods at the slightest provocation.

In this environment, tax collectors also have quotas to meet, and can only use loud words to cover up their pity. Truly kind people simply cannot do this job.

You don't need to pay taxes if you enter the market empty-handed, but you need to pay depending on the quantity and value of the items you bring.

Most of the vendors at the market are local farmers, and farmers are very careful with their money. They are not willing to pay upfront before selling their goods, so there is bound to be some haggling involved.

Fortunately, the tax is not heavy, and most farmers will pay it. Those who really have no money will pawn part of what they brought, and take it back after selling the rest, paying the tax.

While Tang Zhitong was wandering through the market looking for Cherry, he unexpectedly saw people selling frogs and cicada nymphs.

"How much is this frog?" Tang Zhitong asked curiously. Many people like to eat bullfrogs, but Tang Zhitong couldn't stand the sight of them.

The whole bullfrog leg, arranged on the plate, looks like a miniature baby's leg, creating a striking visual effect.

When Tang Zhitong was a child, many mischievous children would catch frogs by the lake, cut off their hind legs with a sickle and take them away, then throw the rest back into the water. The sight of the legless frogs struggling in the lake was somewhat cruel. However, with the disappearance of rural lakes, not only has the cruel scene disappeared, but the frogs have also disappeared.

Whenever this happened, Tang Zhitong would walk around it, not daring to look.

But things are different now. People are so hungry that eating frogs is nothing. It's just that these common frogs have very little meat except for their thighs.

"Five cents each."

"Where are the cicada nymphs?" Tang Zhitong asked, looking at the croaking frogs and pointing to the drowned cicada nymphs next to them. Unlike frogs, cicada nymphs will molt quickly if they are not killed, and then they will lose a lot of meat and the taste will be worse.

"Three cents each." After quoting the price, the vendor lowered his head to watch over his stall, as if afraid someone would steal it.

"There shouldn't be any cicadas around now, right?" Tang Zhitong thought about the season and realized something was off; he hadn't heard any cicadas chirping along the way.

"It was dug out." The vendor was very honest and answered all questions.

"Alright, then give me ten cicada nymphs." At three cents each, they weren't cheap, but that amount of money was nothing to Tang Zhitong. He planned to take these along with some of last year's stock from his spatial storage and bring them home for his family to enjoy.

With the cicada nymph in his pocket, Tang Zhitong continued browsing. Although the market was small, it sold a wide variety of things, most of which were edible and filling, including wild vegetables, which were also the cheapest.

Tang Zhitong found a cherry stall, asked the price, and bought the whole basket. He had just seen a middleman buy a whole basket of cicada nymphs while he was buying them, probably to take them into the city as snacks for the rich.
This year, the wealthy people in the city have suffered. Not only are grain and meat rations strictly enforced, but the black market has also been targeted and cracked down on. The only way to get food is through these middlemen.

But they have money, and as long as they are willing to spend money, there are still people who are happy to run errands. However, running errands is also a skill, for example, cherries are even more delicate than lychees.

Lychees change color in one day, aroma in two days, and taste in three days. Cherries, on the other hand, don't need to wait three days. They must be handled gently on the day they are picked. If any force is applied, the thin skin on the surface will break. If they are not eaten by the next day, they will soften and rot.

However, Tang Zhitong has a spatial ability, so he doesn't need to worry about these things.

After buying the cherries, Tang Zhitong hurried home, satisfied. He'd been away for several days; his classmate, Xiao Wang, must have missed him terribly…

(End of this chapter)