Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 821 820 First Meeting
"Mom, I want to take this electric fan to our college's research group to disassemble it and brainstorm ways to improve it." Tang Zhitong scribbled something down, looking at the points listed on the paper, feeling a bit lost.

To implement all these improvements, it's impossible to work in isolation; we need physical objects for reference. However, this electric fan is a concrete manifestation of Director Ye's deep love for his daughter, so Tang Zhitong needs to consult with his superiors before taking any action.

“Okay.” Ye Zhijuan agreed without hesitation. She never expected that buying an electric fan would give her son-in-law an idea to improve it.

Based on her son-in-law's previous inventions, Ye Zhijuan trusted him greatly and hoped that he would once again use his intelligence to bring more foreign exchange earnings to the country and the Women's Federation.

Since her daughter's wedding last year, her son-in-law's ideas have sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, bringing substantial revenue to the Women's Federation. Coupled with the royalties from the "Handbook," the Women's Federation is more financially secure than ever before.

With more money in hand, there are more things that can be done. Currently, the Women's Federation has not only established orphanages in Beijing, but also systematically distributed funds to various places with serious abandonment of infants, using the funds for their designated purpose, which has truly saved many children.

The women from the Women's Federation saw all of this. Although they didn't specifically talk to Tang Zhitong or offer encouragement, they all privately praised Ye Zhijuan's son-in-law.

After receiving Director Ye's support, Tang Zhitong put down his pen and paper, clapped his hands, and hummed a little tune as he went to the kitchen to cook.

Before consulting Ye Zhijuan, Tang Zhitong considered giving her suggestions for improvement directly to the electric fan factory through the Women's Federation, but quickly rejected the idea.

Currently, most electrical appliances in China are in short supply. Given the current supply situation, production plans may not be completed on time, so where would the energy and resources be available for product improvement and iteration?
But if you build the prototype yourself as an external force, the effect will be different.

It's embarrassing to admit that something even amateur scientists can do is something professional manufacturers can't replicate.

Moreover, if this company isn't willing to make improvements, there are other companies. After all, electric fans aren't high-tech gadgets, and many factories across the country are currently producing them. Furthermore, with the added benefit of foreign exchange earnings, fan manufacturers will probably be scrambling to compete for them.

While Tang Zhitong was cooking, Xiao Wang told Jingying about the precautions for working in the countryside that he had learned from his mother-in-law, and said that he would prepare a straw hat for her.

Straw hats are very common nowadays. They are made of wheat straw or bamboo strips. In addition to sun protection, they can also be used to shield people from the rain.

Because the raw materials used are readily available, they are not currently classified as controlled substances and can be found everywhere on the market.

After lunch, Tang Zhitong packed up the fan, intending to send it to the Post and Telecommunications Institute first.

"I'll go with you. I haven't met your classmates from the research class yet," Xiao Wang suggested.

"Okay, let's go together then." Tang Zhitong smiled. She had originally planned to have Xiao Wang wait here while she came back to pick her up. But since she wanted to go, let her go. Let her meet that classroom full of single guys in the research class.

"Brother-in-law, are you fishing? Are you coming back this afternoon?" Jingmin asked, displeased. He had mentioned going fishing early this morning, and he had already taken a beating and done well on his exams, and this was all he got in return?
"All you do is fish. Don't you see your brother-in-law has anything important to do?" Little Wang wasn't so easy to talk to and didn't indulge her younger brother at all.

"Next Sunday, definitely next Sunday, okay?" Tang Zhitong looked at her expectant brother-in-law and softened, definitely not because she wanted to play a couple of rounds herself!

Wang Jingmin was alone and powerless, with little say, so he could only helplessly accept this reality.

When they got downstairs, Tang Zhitong originally wanted to tie the fan to the front of the bicycle, but Xiao Wang insisted on carrying it because she felt that putting it in front would hinder her husband's riding.

"Alright then." Faced with Xiao Wang's thoughtfulness, Tang Zhitong could only nod in agreement.

However, this means that Xiao Wang can no longer jump onto the bicycle once it starts moving.

The 28-inch bicycle made of manganese steel was sturdy and durable, and could even carry 600 or 700 pounds of cargo, but its height was not friendly to people of that era.

Even if you are 1.7 meters tall, it is very difficult to support yourself on one foot after crossing the crossbeam. You basically have to stand on your tiptoes to barely hold on.

Fortunately, Tang Zhitong was of a decent height. He took a step forward and got on the bike first. After Xiao Wang was settled, he pushed off with his right foot, and the bicycle slowly started moving.

Because Xiao Wang was sitting behind him holding an electric fan, Tang Zhitong rode the bicycle steadily, and his speed was not fast.

When they reached the mulberry trees along the only path, Xiao Wang suddenly said, "There are mulberries here, let's pick some on the way back."

“Okay.” Tang Zhitong agreed as always, but quickly added, “When I used to walk this way, I saw people picking them all the time. There might not be any that are ripe yet, so you have to be prepared.”

There's no way to avoid making up for it. The remaining mulberries are so tall that even without some special tricks, Tang Zhitong would have a hard time picking them. If he doesn't use the excuse of "making up for it" and actually starts picking them, Xiao Wang will soon find it difficult to pick them. Then it won't be right for him to take so many back every time.

"If it's not ripe, then we won't pick it." Xiao Wang, sitting in the back seat, held an electric fan in one hand and her husband's shirt in the other, her little feet sticking up as she felt the spring breeze on her face. She liked this feeling of being alone with her husband.

"I knew Teacher Wang was understanding," Tang Zhitong chuckled from the front.

"Could you please not call me that in front of others in the future? It's so embarrassing." Hearing her husband call her that again, Xiao Wang recalled her younger brother's mischievous smile that morning.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Tang Zhitong smacked her lips and agreed. These days, the separation between men and women is very important, even for married couples.

"Do you think He Ping is here today?" As they entered the gate of the Post and Telecommunications Institute, Xiao Wang suddenly asked. After He Ping participated in the insulated box project, the two communicated many times and talked a lot.

"Who knows, I heard she comes to the Institute of Posts and Telecommunications three times a day now." Tang Zhitong thought of the incubator left in the research class, which still had a nest of chicks inside, and He Ping was the inspector responsible for verifying the reliability of the incubator.

"It's been a while since we last saw each other, I should have a good chat with her later." Xiao Wang looked expectant. She asked to come to the research class today, not just because she had never been before, but because He Ping had mentioned someone to her in his letter—Wan Xianghong.

"Let's chat. She's been raising birds lately; I wonder how they're doing." Tang Zhitong couldn't see Xiao Wang's expression from the front, let alone know her little thoughts. Reaching the foot of the teaching building, Tang Zhitong slowly brought the car to a stop, tiptoeing to let Xiao Wang get off first with the electric fan, before sweeping his right leg across the back seat and getting out himself.

After locking the bicycle, Tang Zhitong took the electric fan and led Xiao Wang straight to Class 603.

Although it was Sunday, most of the students in the research class were there, including three members of the insulated box project team from another university.

"Hey, Teacher Tang, did you come here to give everyone a treat?" Shi Zhengze joked as soon as he saw Tang Zhitong carrying a box of electric fans.

"Hey, that makes sense. The main thing is that I've given everyone another brain-teasing task." Tang Zhitong put the box on the table, turned around, and waved to Xiao Wang, who was standing outside the door: "Come in, don't just stand there."

"This is..." Many students in the research class subconsciously turned their heads away when they saw the beautiful Xiao Wang.

Xiao Wang is so radiant that it's hard to look directly at him.

"Huh? What brings you here?" He Ping was observing the chicks when he heard Tang Zhitong's noise. He turned around and saw Xiao Wang. As he walked towards Xiao Wang, he introduced her to the students in the research class before Tang Zhitong could speak: "This is Comrade Tang Zhitong's wife, Comrade Wang Jingwen."

"Welcome, welcome!" Shi Zhengze reacted quickly, clapping his hands and cheering. The other students followed suit, giving Tang Zhitong plenty of face.

"Thank you everyone, thank you all for taking care of my partner." Xiao Wang smiled and bowed slightly, as a way of returning the greeting to his classmates in the research class.

"Hello, sister-in-law, I'm Wan Xianghong." Wan Xianghong also came over with He Ping and introduced herself to Xiao Wang very proactively.

Tang Zhitong hadn't expected Wan Xianghong to be here today. Her heart skipped a beat, and she was internally screaming, "Please, please don't mention the grain and eggs incident! If you do, you'll give yourself away..."

"Hello, Anzi has mentioned you a lot at home, saying that you helped a lot with the incubator project." Xiao Wang smiled and took Wan Xianghong's hand.

Tang Zhitong was stunned by Xiao Wang's performance. When had she ever said such a thing at home?
Huo Xiaoping listened attentively to the two's polite exchanges and was slightly surprised. Wan Xianghong always addressed him as "brother" and he thought that Xiao Wan was very familiar with the Tang family. He didn't expect that this was the first time Xiao Wan and Xiao Wang had met.

"Is this a fan factory asking you to improve their fans?" Well, it's the first time we've met, and it doesn't seem like we're going to fight. In comparison, Huo Xiaoping has been dealing with fan blades a lot lately and is more interested in fans.

"Hey, how could I possibly have the ability to get a fan factory to come to me? This thing is entirely self-funded." Under everyone's watchful eyes, Tang Zhitong couldn't very well interfere with Xiao Wang's conversation with the two female classmates, so he could only turn around, open the cardboard box, and take the fan out.

"After buying it and trying it out, I felt the user experience wasn't good. That's why I thought of you guys—hardworking, brave, smart, decisive, and with a strong team spirit." Tang Zhitong said as he pulled over the power strip and turned on the fan.

To accommodate the needs of Class 603, the school specially approved a lot of electrical wires and installed several power strips. If this were at the Tang family's house, Tang Zhitong would have to go to the hardware store to buy power strips to connect them.

"Hey, are you afraid we'll be idle? We haven't even finished the incubator experiment yet, and now we have an incubator. We haven't even finished drawing the blueprints for the incubator, and now you've given us a fan." Shi Zhengze complained, but his face was actually full of joy.

As a science major, I can be enthusiastic about things I'm interested in, even without pay.

"Isn't this training our own comrades' hands-on skills? Without practice, there's no right to speak. Once we've improved it and the fan factory is mass-producing and launching it, we can point to the fans on the shelf and say to our loved ones: 'Look, this is the one I improved before! How cool is it!'" Tang Zhitong kept painting a rosy picture for this group of free laborers.

"Oh dear, I blush when I see women, where would I get a wife?"

"That's right, who knows when I'll finally have a wife."

"Hey, you're all not good at sweet-talking and don't have any advantages to show for yourselves. Are you all really planning to stay single forever? Alright, alright, you're all like incubators, participating voluntarily." Tang Zhitong pointed and scolded everyone before getting down to business.

Tang Zhitong's improvement suggestions were basically based on the fan design from decades later. To make it easier for the students in the research class to understand, he even drew a simple diagram on the spot.

"I must say, this modification really does look much better." Huo Xiaoping was very interested in improving the fan, and he agreed with Tang Zhitong's suggestions. After seeing the sample drawing, he felt even more satisfied.

“That’s more like it. People also have expectations for beauty.” Tang Zhitong agreed with a cheerful smile.

Speaking of "beauty", Tang Zhitong recalled a propaganda poster she had seen recently called "Many Ducks, Big Eggs". The duck eggs in the picture seemed endless, and the little girl was dressed without any patches and was chubby.

This certainly represents the people's aspirations for a better life, but it is also truly detached from the lives of the people.

If there were really that many ducks and that many eggs, there probably wouldn't be a famine...

Tang Zhitong set goals for the students in the research class and left the rest to them. When leaving the crowd, he didn't forget to take out twenty yuan and hand it to Shi Zhengze, who was the most enthusiastic among them. He instructed him, "If you need to spend money, use the insulated box fund. Give me a receipt later."

"Also, be careful when you take apart the fan, don't be clumsy like... never mind, try not to break it, I want to use it later." Stepping out of the crowd, Tang Zhitong wanted to say something like not acting like a "newbie," but it seemed like he was the only one in the entire research class who wasn't a newbie, so it wouldn't be appropriate to say that, and he stopped himself in time.

"Hey, you guys seem to be having a good chat. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were longtime best friends." Tang Zhitong walked out of the classroom. The three women, who hadn't been involved in the fan modification, were chatting and laughing outside, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

"That's right, we hit it off immediately." Xiao Wang held Wan Xianghong's hand, Wan Xianghong's eyes were a little red.

"Alright, then you two have a good chat." Tang Zhitong saw that his worst fears had come true. Wan Xianghong had probably been moved by Xiao Wang's enthusiasm and had opened up about everything.

I wonder if Xiao Wang will get angry later. Surely he won't make me kneel on a washboard? Tang Zhitong thought to himself before turning around.

(End of this chapter)