Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 812 811 Suggestions for College Application
What appears to be an insignificant report, placed in a low position, is actually part of a larger scheme involving many departments.

Unseen by Tang Zhitong and Ding Hui, people were already making various preparations for this grand scheme, just waiting for the idiot to fall into the trap.

The number of nuclear weapons a country possesses has always been one of its most closely guarded secrets.

Currently, the United States has a terrifying number of over 2 nuclear warheads, while Russia has only around 1500, the United Kingdom has no less than 200, and France is out of the question, having only successfully tested its nuclear weapons in February of this year, with a maximum number in the double digits.

It was precisely because of their understanding of this data that relevant domestic departments released the information after consultation, indicating their intention to resolve the leak through negotiation.

The people Brother Mao sent out yesterday had not received any news. Just as they were about to send someone to test the waters again, they saw a report about the super magnet in a second-rate daily newspaper this morning.

That's right, the Russian embassy staff also read domestic newspapers. In addition to their well-known duties, they also undertake intelligence gathering work in private, including but not limited to developing informants and collecting information from public channels.

Newspapers and radio are currently the most important channels for obtaining important political information. Television is slightly less effective, but they watch it in the evenings, so it doesn't take up much time.

Upon seeing the report, Brother Mao knew it was an open secret. There was no point in trying to find someone to test it out anymore, so he translated the report and sent it back as quickly as possible.

The relevant departments quickly received the request from the Russian side to make contact, which did not surprise the domestic authorities.

Although the corn pitcher was very pro-American at this time, he hadn't been completely fooled. Unlike Er Mao, he wouldn't dismantle all his prized possessions. At this point, he wished his house was filled with these things because they represented power. Whoever had more of them had more confidence and spoke louder.

……

Although Ding Hui did not reveal to whom Qin leaked the super magnet, Tang Zhitong, with his experience, guessed that it was most likely Brother Mao Xiong.

Yingzi is a possibility, but not a high one.

Tang Zhitong never considered using supermagnetism for uranium-235 collection. He simply analyzed from a basic perspective that among the countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, Russia is the strongest. Although China is still in the afterglow of the British Empire and can be considered an old-fashioned power, the two countries do not currently have real diplomatic relations, but only a "chargé d'affaires" relationship.

The so-called "chargé d'affaires level" is the lowest level in bilateral relations. It is usually used to indicate tension or cooling in relations between the two countries and can be regarded as a buffer state for observing subsequent developments.

In layman's terms, it's the kind of relationship where if someone's not paying the bill, they won't even bother to call a "proxy" to pay. It's a bit like "what's the use of trying" attitude, which is why Yingzi's reporter recently staked out the monument to photograph the lighting of lamps and interpreted it as public discontent.

On the way back to the escort office from the Science and Technology Commission, Tang Zhitong thought about Brother Mao Xiong and Yingzi repeatedly. After much consideration, he concluded that no matter which side Qin sided with, the safety of his family was not a major concern. Ultimately, it came down to the current way the neighbors interacted; they were all too familiar with each other. If a suspicious stranger appeared, the joint security guards would probably be alerted and question him before he could even do anything.

At the same time, Tang Zhitong was also glad that they were in this era. Qin could only reveal information through the most primitive means. If the Media Center had been built, Qin could have sold any information as long as he sat down there. Maybe people would even have come up to him to chat.

At that point, they will be the ones in the most passive position, and before they even realize it, their entire fortune will probably have been thoroughly investigated.

After thinking about all sorts of things the whole way back to the transport depot, Tang Zhitong paused at the entrance and relayed Ma Wei's message to the gatekeeper.

"Thank you, Section Chief Tang. Sister Chen already told me about it when she came over earlier." The security guard was no longer as anxious as he had been that morning, and his smile became even brighter.

"That's good. Focus on your work. We'll be entrusting our safety to you from now on." It seems the gatekeeper didn't put all his eggs in one basket. Besides entrusting her with the task, he also told Sister Chen about it. Tang Zhitong smiled, exchanged a few polite words, and then entered the gate.

It was lunchtime, and Fang Yuan came out of the cafeteria with his food and invited Tang Zhitong to have lunch together.

Tang Zhitong did not refuse. He went back to the finance department, picked up his lunchbox, and followed Fang Yuan into his office.

"We didn't have time to talk in detail this morning. How's the situation down there?" Fang Yuan asked while eating.

"The situation is not optimistic. Although some production teams have more grain reserves, there are still more people who are short of grain."

I ate at the communal pot a few times; it was 70% wild vegetables and 30% coarse grains, and the coarse grains were even moldy.

To be honest, I really couldn't bring myself to eat it if I wasn't starving.

This year's summer harvest may not be as good as in previous years. Some wheat fields have already started to turn yellow and are expected to be harvested in the next few days. There are also some fields that are growing better, but not many.

Compared to that, life in the city is still like living in a honey pot.

I used to look down on this cornbread because it was coarse grain, but now I find it so adorable that I almost want to sleep with it in my arms.

After saying that, Tang Zhitong took a big bite of the cornbread, looking as if he were eating a delicacy.

"Sigh, I heard that the higher-ups have the idea of ​​reducing the ration quota for urban residents, but I don't know when it will be implemented. However, our municipal bureau is benefiting from the farm, so we can give some subsidies to the employees." Fang Yuan sighed after hearing this, not very surprised.

"I've heard about it too. It's only a matter of time. Besides grain, meat ration coupons will probably be reduced as well. The stock is already running low." Tang Zhitong was mentally prepared for this and shared the information he had heard from Gu Yong with Fang Yuan.

"Wang Xiaoer's New Year—it gets worse every year." Fang Yuan shook his head.

"Hey, just hang in there, it'll get better soon." There are many proverbs that say things are worse year by year, such as "old lady's New Year" and "lazy man's New Year." "Wang Xiaoer's New Year" is a line from the novel "Welcoming Spring Flowers."

"Welcoming Spring Flowers" was first published in 1958. Its language was very straightforward and suitable for the cultural level of most non-illiterate people at that time. Its sales continued to rise. I wonder how much royalties the author received.

Fang Yuan agreed with Tang Zhitong's words, but he had elderly parents and young children to support, and there were many things that money couldn't buy. Even if he could, his meager salary wouldn't be enough. So he asked Tang Zhitong, "Do you have any secrets to digging up centipedes?"

"Why bother with all that? I have some at home. I'll give it to Brother Yuan tomorrow—no, I have a meeting tomorrow, I'll bring it to you tonight." Tang Zhitong had never dug up any centipedes before; he'd only brought some to fool Ma Wei after hearing what the commune member said, not expecting Fang Yuan to take it seriously. "No need. It's not easy to get some food, don't be so generous. Tell me how to choose a place, I'll try my luck on Sunday." Fang Yuan waved his hands repeatedly, stopping Tang Zhitong's generosity.

“Choose a place with lots of trees, and slowly dig with a hoe. Dig down four or five centimeters until you see a hole, and you’ll almost certainly find something inside. However, this method isn’t foolproof; sometimes you might not even find one after half a day.” Tang Zhitong scratched his head and could only come up with a collection method for Fang Yuan based on the centipede’s living environment.

Actually, it's not entirely made up, because Tang Zhitong himself did dig up cicadas in this way, but not at this time of year, but after the cicadas had finished chirping in the trees.

Although the method is a bit clumsy, the results are still quite good; you can get thirty or forty in an afternoon.

"Then I'll try again later. It's not your fault if I miss." Fang Yuan said with a smile, realizing that Tang Zhitong had left something unsaid.

"Hehe, let's try our luck, let's try our luck." Tang Zhitong heard the sarcasm in Fang Yuan's words and felt embarrassed. At the same time, he reflected on himself and realized that he was still a bit too thin-skinned. Look at that guy's underwear. His nuclear facilities at home were blown up, but he still managed to give the bald eagle a resounding slap in the face. And that guy who used an airplane to intercept a missile, he just won like crazy.

After finishing his meal, Tang Zhitong returned to his office and first looked at the letter that Zhou Zheng had forwarded to him.

The letter was written by Lü Lixian. The content was not complicated. She said that she had started working, asked about the progress of the incubator, and then asked if there was anything she could do to help.

Tang Zhitong didn't reply to Lü Lixian's letter. Instead, he picked up the phone and called Wu Haiyang: "Brother Yang! It's me, Anzi!"

“My sister-in-law wrote me a letter. I’ve been a bit busy lately, and I just received it today.”

"Yes, yes, it's about the incubator. The incubator has been successfully prototyped and is currently being tested. We'll make another one in a few days, and once it's finished, I'll send it to my sister-in-law so the hospital can test its effectiveness."

After finishing the business and hanging up the phone, Wu Haiyang shook his head with a smile: "We still need to avoid suspicion in this case."

Tang Zhitong was unaware of Wu Haiyang's thoughts. If he had known, he probably would have had to open up to him. He didn't think that not writing to Lü Lixian was to avoid suspicion; he was simply lazy and didn't want to put pen to paper. He also had a letter to write to Tang Rong that was long and required time and effort.

However, Tang Zhitong ultimately failed to write to Tang Rong in the afternoon because he had a lot of work to do over the past week, including checking, pasting receipts, and processing reimbursements.

Previously, Tang Zhitong was only responsible for signing documents, while most of the work was done by Ma Wei. Now that Ma Wei has taken a break, her importance has immediately become apparent.

After finishing his work, it was already time to leave work, so he could only reply to Tang Rong in the evening. Fortunately, Xiao Wang was in a state of rest and recuperation these days, otherwise Tang Zhitong might not have been so thoughtful as to consider this matter.

Filling out college application forms is extremely important, almost like being reborn, so Tang Zhitong takes it very seriously.

"What are you thinking about?" After dinner, Tang Zhitong sat at her desk, staring blankly at the few pages Zhou Zheng had torn out, pondering which school and major would be suitable for her cousin.

"Oh, my uncle's daughter, Tang Rong, wrote to me a while ago, asking me about college application choices. I asked my teacher to compile a list, and I'm wondering which schools I should advise her on." Tang Zhitong scratched his head, finding it difficult to choose.

The main issue is that Tang Rong's score is a bit awkward. In Northeast China, it's at the bottom of the first-tier level, definitely not enough for Tsinghua or Peking University, and even the top eight universities are a bit risky. However, this year, all universities are expanding their enrollment, and the college entrance examination admission rate is as high as 111.4%, the highest admission rate since the founding of the People's Republic of China. As long as her high school studies aren't too bad and her family supports her, she can basically go to university.

Tang Zhitong is wavering between the eight major colleges and practical schools, as it concerns her cousin's future, so she has to be cautious.

Xiao Wang leaned over to take a look at the application guide Zhou Zheng had given him and said, "The teacher wrote it very clearly. Just apply for whatever you can. Anyway, we'll all be assigned jobs after graduation. We'll talk about the workplace when we get assigned."

"I was just thinking of choosing a safer major for her. If a girl chooses geology, she'll be out in the field all day, exposed to the wind and sun. I'm afraid her uncle will complain about me later." Tang Zhitong smiled. Zhou Zheng could only list schools and majors, but when it came to her, she had to consider future jobs. It was a matter of exhausting her efforts and choosing the best of the best.

"There aren't that many female college students. Every major has office jobs." Xiao Wang disagreed, saying that female college students are very rare, and would any organization really be willing to send them to the field? Even if they were, it would be a very small number.

"What do you think of the School of Electrical Engineering?" Tang Zhitong asked, pointing to the School of Electrical Engineering in Beijing, which Zhou Zheng had categorized as a "waste of points".

Sijiucheng Electric Power College was separated from other schools in 58. Its predecessor was Sijiucheng Electric Power College, which was a secondary vocational school.

"Huh? He doesn't have a fever. Why are you talking nonsense? The teacher already marked it as a waste of points, and you still want our sister to choose? Even if you're thinking about future jobs, you can't choose the Electrical Engineering College. Aren't the Railway College and the Iron and Steel College better than the Electrical Engineering College?" Xiao Wang touched her husband's forehead with the back of her hand to test his temperature and raised her objection.

"I knew this would be the result." Tang Zhitong leaned back in his chair. Xiao Wang's attitude represented the perception of people of this generation.

There are currently popular colleges and majors, with railways and steel being the hottest sectors right now, offering high salaries and social status. However, as someone who has been through it all, Tang Zhitong knows that this is only temporary. Sooner or later, the development speed of these two industries will encounter problems, and salaries will decline. More importantly, these two industries are far less likely to be successful in terms of succession for children compared to the power industry.

Regarding the issue of having children to carry on the family line, Tang Zhitong felt that he didn't have to, but since he had the opportunity to get on board, he would definitely do so first. Who knows, he might even take the initiative to propose banning inbreeding.

Tang Zhitong was somewhat disappointed that the application guide provided by Teacher Zhou did not include any tobacco-related colleges; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so conflicted.

“I don’t understand what you’re thinking. Even applying to a teachers’ college, a foreign language college, a fine arts college, a crafts college, or a drama college would be better than applying to an electrical engineering college. Since you said you’re considering employment, I think these are quite suitable. Being a teacher, translator, painter, or actor doesn’t require being out in the wind and rain every day.” In Xiao Wang’s opinion, her husband’s suggestion that her cousin apply to an electrical engineering college was an unreliable suggestion, and she might get blamed later.

"Hmm, let me think about it some more." Tang Zhitong held his head and rubbed his temples. The information gap was a headache-inducing problem.

Being a teacher isn't easy. By the time Tang Rong graduates, the political climate will be turning against her, and she might very well be labeled a "stinking intellectual."

Translation is also not an option, because dealing with outsiders makes it easy to be labeled.

As for being a painter, Tang Zhitong thought it was better to pass. This industry is not for ordinary people. It's as if art isn't art if you don't paint naked people.

As for actors, forget about it. They're still called "People's Artists" now, but their environment will be no better than a cesspool in the future.

(End of this chapter)