Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 824 823 A person's life can't be worse than a pigeon's.

Amidst the gentle chirping of pigeons, Tang Zhitong entered the Women's Federation building.

After visiting so many times, the security guards all recognized Tang Zhitong, and they nodded to each other in greeting.

"Mom, the proposal is finished." The door to Ye Zhijuan's office was open, and there was no one else inside. Tang Zhitong knocked on the door and spoke directly.

"Pretty efficient, let me see." Ye Zhijuan looked up and smiled when she heard her son-in-law's voice.

"Then you can take a look first? I've been thinking of an idea for a pencil case these past few days. Should I go and tell Sister Xiaoqin about it?" Tang Zhitong took the proposal out of his bag and handed it to Ye Zhijuan.

"Go ahead, come back and pick it up in a bit." Ye Zhijuan waved her hand. Luo Qingquan had already reached an agreement with the health department on the cooperative medical care issue, so the proposal needed to be submitted as soon as possible. She planned to look at it now.

Tang Zhitong went out and found Miao Xiaoqin, and told her about the multiplication tables.

As for the fact that multiplication tables are not popular abroad, Tang Zhitong didn't mention it at all. Any measures to promote learning are worthless in the face of "happy education." Although happy education has not been implemented yet, it should be soon.

“Okay, I’ll contact the stationery factory later.” Miao Xiaoqin nodded in agreement.

"Okay, thank you for your help, Sister Xiaoqin." Although it was business, Tang Zhitong was still a little embarrassed. Miao Xiaoqin was Ye Zhijuan's secretary, but he had asked her to coordinate work time and time again, which had inadvertently increased her workload.

"It's nothing, it's all work." Miao Xiaoqin smiled and brought Tang Zhitong some good news: "Regarding the incubator you mentioned last time, a farm in Beijing is interested. Once it's made, we can send it there for a trial run. As for overseas, we haven't heard back yet."

"Wow, this is great news! On behalf of the research team, I want to thank Sister Xiaoqin. The overseas matters aren't urgent; we need to give the comrades in foreign trade some time." Tang Zhitong rubbed his hands together, surprised by Miao Xiaoqin's efficiency. Shi Zhengze would probably be overjoyed to hear this news!
Tang Zhitong's proposal was not complicated, totaling only seven or eight pages. In addition to highlighting the superiority of the commune, protecting the physical and mental health of commune members, and improving their enthusiasm for production, it also listed the medical costs of several production teams and the expected expenditures thereafter.

In this proposal, Tang Zhitong did not mention that medical treatment for commune members would be completely free. Instead, he suggested establishing a pooled fund with contributions from the commune, the health department, and individual commune members in a 5:4:1 ratio.

As for which department would manage the fund, and how it would be collected, spent, and reimbursed, Tang Zhitong made no mention of any of that.

Ye Zhijuan was generally satisfied with the proposal. Her son-in-law had only put forward an idea, leaving the parts involving actual interests blank, which would be coordinated by the other two or three parties.

"Okay, let's submit it like this." Seeing Tang Zhitong enter, Ye Zhijuan didn't offer any opinions and directly handed the proposal back to her son-in-law.

"Okay! I'll go over now." Tang Zhitong happily accepted the proposal. Submitting the proposal today would mean another matter was settled, and the burden on his shoulders would be lighter.

Tang Zhitong left the Women's Federation and returned along the same route. It was fine when she came, but when she walked back, she found that there was a commotion ahead and the road was blocked.

Inside, someone was carrying a bamboo pole with a piece of red cloth tied to it. At first glance, Tang Zhitong thought it was time for the wind to pick up.

While Tang Zhitong was still in a daze, more and more people came from behind, and at this point, he was caught in a dilemma, unable to go in or retreat.

"Hey guys, what's going on? What's all the commotion about?" Tang Zhitong simply straightened his bicycle and started chatting with the onlookers.

"See that guy with the bamboo pole? He's catching pigeons. A young man saw a pigeon perched on the wall and shot it. The pigeon catcher said it was his pigeon, while the pigeon shooter said his pigeon didn't have a whistle, so it was a wild pigeon. The two started arguing." The passersby, hearing Tang Zhitong's question, immediately became interested and began to tell the story at length.

"Hey, I thought something was wrong. Did you lose a pigeon?" The word "盘" has many meanings in the dictionary, but it has a unique meaning in the colloquial speech of Beijing. When a noun is added after "盘", this kind of expression is not easy to explain.

Playing with beads, playing with pigeons, or even playing with people all have different meanings, roughly meaning to play with, tame, or raise, respectively.

"Pan pigeons" is a way for Beijingers to train pigeons. Those who are particular about it can "pan" pigeons twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

"If they hit him, why are they still holding onto this young man? And this young man, why did he have to fight right under their noses? This matter won't end well today." Some onlookers were gloating.

"Look, look! This is a genuine 'Phoenix Head' pigeon! I bought it at a high price, and even when Mr. Mei wanted to buy it, I wouldn't sell it to him!" The pigeon breeder excitedly showed the beaten pigeon to the onlookers.

Seeing him say that, many people believed him.

Mr. Mei, as a leading figure in the Peking Opera world, was very famous in Beijing. Many people knew that he loved pigeons and used them to train his eyes. This not only cured his nearsightedness but also made his eyes more expressive, allowing him to shine in his performances.

"You didn't wear a pigeon whistle, so I thought it was a wild pigeon." The young man felt wronged. He just wanted to eat some meat, but someone suddenly said that the pigeon was domesticated.

Upon hearing this, Tang Zhitong felt that the young man was somewhat wronged, as he was on the same level as her in distinguishing pigeons.

"I haven't even trained them properly yet, why are you putting a pigeon whistle on them? Do you even know anything about pigeons?"

This is not a carrier pigeon, nor a pigeon perched on a city gate tower, nor a meat pigeon for eating; this is a 'phoenix head', a 'phoenix head'!
Look at that long neck, that abacus bead-like head, that yin-yang beak—how does it resemble a wild pigeon?

Even if you don't recognize it, you should be able to tell something from its plumage, right? What wild pigeon have you ever seen that's completely white, like it's covered in frost?!

"You tell me yourself, how are you going to compensate me for this today!" The person who was handling the pigeons probably really cared about the pigeons, and his momentum suddenly increased, making him seem somewhat aggressive.

"How about this, I'll pay for the treatment of the pigeons, okay?" Knowing he was in the wrong, the young man could only grit his teeth and take out the money.

"Treat it? This pigeon will be ruined even if you cure it. No way, you have to give me a new one. This one cost me fifty yuan!" The pigeon dealer didn't accept the offer and renegotiated the price.

"What kind of pigeons are so expensive?!" The young man was so anxious that tears were almost streaming down his face.

Seeing his pitiful state, the onlookers began to speak up for him: "Yeah, what kind of pigeon is so expensive? A pound of meat only costs a few cents! Aren't you trying to scam people?"

Seeing this scene, Tang Zhitong was reminded of the play "Teahouse." In the first act of "Teahouse," there's a small detail: a group of people are arguing and making quite a scene, going to the teahouse to mediate. Master Song, curious, asks the waiter Li San what's going on.

Li San said: The pigeons from Zhang's house flew to Li's house, but the Li family refused to return them.

The poorly dressed old man next to him said, "This person is not even as good as a pigeon."

In the original story, the old man wasn't simply begging; he supported himself by selling small items like ear picks, toothpicks, and combs.

Li San told Master Song about the fight between the Zhang and Li families over pigeons, and casually asked: "Grandpa, how old are you?"

The old man said, "I'm eighty-two, and nobody cares about me. These days, a person isn't even as good as a pigeon."

It's only been a little over ten years since liberation, and people are definitely more valuable than pigeons. Amidst the crowd's condemnation, the man who had been raising the pigeons blushed and argued, "These pigeons of mine participated in the celebrations last year; they're meritorious pigeons! I was counting on them to continue serving the country! And he just crippled them like that, can't I even get an explanation?" "Alright, alright! Everyone disperse, everyone disperse! What's the point of blocking the road? Disperse, disperse!" At this moment, the police officers from the local station began to direct traffic from behind the crowd.

With the police station involved, both sides fell silent, and the onlookers, finding the spectacle pointless, gradually dispersed.

As Tang Zhitong pushed his bicycle out, he glanced at the pigeon in the man's hand and was surprised to find that it was one of the first pigeons to be released during the National Day celebrations.

After World War II, the dove was established as a symbol of peace.

The World Peace Congress was held in 1949, and the first dove of peace was painted by Picasso. Yes, the same Picasso who painted abstract art. It's also the brand of the fountain pen, but the pen brand has little to do with Picasso. It's a product of Shanghai and was only launched in 2003.

Don't assume Picasso is already dead. He's in great health, has a good appetite, and lived to 1973, reaching the age of 91. He was also the first painter to live to see his work collected by the Louvre.

Picasso's first painting of a dove of peace depicts it standing upright. This painting is not abstract at all. On May 25, 1949, this copy of Picasso's white dove was hung in the center of Tiananmen Square, between two huge portraits of great men.

Picasso painted several more doves of peace, and it wasn't until the third painting in 1952 that the famous dove of peace was born. It is depicted with outstretched wings, plump, and still a realistic painting, except that it is not carrying an olive branch in its beak.

Although stamps were printed in China, the real release of peace doves took place at last year's tenth anniversary celebration. The doves were borrowed from residents of Beijing and given away free of charge.

With this pretext in place, Tang Zhitong figured the guy who shot the pigeons would probably have to pay a price, and hoped things would settle peacefully.

Currently, all four major bodies of Beijing are located in the Zhengyi Road area. Tang Zhitong inquired along the way and entered the gate with his representative's badge. After entering, he inquired about where Yu Yunzhou was.

With his representative badge in hand, everyone was very easy to talk to. Later, a staff member even led Tang Zhitong directly to find Yu Yunzhou.

After exchanging pleasantries, Tang Zhitong presented his proposal, explained his purpose, and emphasized, "Section Chief Yu, we already discussed this matter with the health department a few days ago during the Cultural and Educational Conference. There shouldn't be any major problems in conducting the pilot program."

"Thank you, Comrade Tang Zhitong, for your support of our work. You've already arranged everything, which has saved us a lot of work." Yu Yunzhou felt that this might be the easiest proposal to implement that he had ever received. Since everything was arranged beforehand, the implementation would not be so difficult.

Although Tang Zhitong's proposal came a little early, he dared not underestimate it in the slightest.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just glad you don't mind me causing you trouble," Tang Zhitong said modestly, waving his hand.

"We wouldn't dare complain. Our job is to listen to the true voices of the people and solve the problems that concern them." Yu Yunzhou waved his hands repeatedly, emphasizing that all power belongs to the people, and that their job is to serve the people and be subject to their supervision at all times. They would not see this as a problem.

Meanwhile, Ding Jianhui was sweating profusely on the field of the power industry skills competition.

The power industry skills competition not only tests individual skills, but also includes team collaboration projects.

A while ago, the foot buckle was finalized under Ding Jianhui's suggestion and supervision, and several pairs were trial-produced.

Apart from one pair that Ding Jianhui gave to Gu Yong, the rest were distributed to his colleagues at his workplace for trial use.

The new foot buckles have been greatly improved, making them much lighter and more stable, and have received widespread praise in just a few days.

In this power system skills competition, the foot buckle also shone brightly.

Ding Jianhui and his colleagues ranked among the top in individual events and were several minutes ahead of other units in team competitions, truly capturing the judges' attention.

Even before Ding Jianhui participated in the competition, the middle and senior management of the power system knew about the foot buckle and were very curious about how much of a role it could play in actual production operations.

Seeing it today, wow, its effect is outstanding, this must be an achievement!

Although less than five months have passed this year, the power system has already reported a series of good news:

The Liujiaxia Dam on the Yellow River was closed on January 1.

On January 4, construction began on the Jianxi large-scale hydropower station in Fujian.

On January 17, young worker Wang Linhe manufactured the first 1-volt high-voltage bridge.

The newly built Unit 1 of the Nanjing Thermal Power Plant was put into operation on January 25.
On January 28, my country's first 220kV high-voltage transmission line crossing a river was opened;
At the end of January, Harbin Turbine Plant successfully trial-produced China's first 100,000-kilowatt steam turbine generator;

On February 24, the Qingtongxia Water Conservancy Project in Ningxia successfully completed its river closure.

On April 19, the Najin Hydropower Station, the largest hydropower station on the plateau, was officially completed and began generating electricity.

At the end of April, the first domestically produced dual-water-cooled generator (6000 kW) was put into operation at the Zaozhuang Power Plant.

There's a lot of good news, but none of it concerns the power system in Beijing.

Electricity is the foundation of industry. Of the 156 projects aided by Russia, 25 were power projects, a very large proportion, demonstrating its importance.

This year, Beijing not only failed to achieve any remarkable results, but also continued its previous practice of calling on citizens to conserve electricity for lighting to support production and construction.

Light bulbs are now an important household appliance; apart from light bulbs, there is probably nothing else in the house that can use electricity.

机关、工厂、学校、部队、商店和市民纷纷大力节约照明用电，用15瓦、25瓦和40瓦的灯泡换下40瓦、60瓦、100瓦的灯泡。

Besides replacing light bulbs, power rationing is a common occurrence. Even so, this combination of measures can only save about 15%-20% of household electricity consumption, which is still a drop in the bucket for industrial production.

In addition, tensions with Russia have rapidly deteriorated in the first half of this year, with Russia gradually withdrawing aid and experts, and halting the supply of essential production materials such as steel and oil.

Domestically, self-sufficiency in electricity is even more crucial, but many in the power system lack confidence in future power generation. Currently, the generator units are operating well, and power generation may increase in the short term. However, with the departure of experts and supply disruptions, the generator units will lack maintenance technology and related spare parts, inevitably leading to a decline in power generation.

In this situation, you need something decent to fall back on...

(End of this chapter)