Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 829 828 Eight Hundred Li Yellow Wind Ridge
"Brother Tang, what's your name?" Yu Ying ran over, put the broom against the wall, and asked in fluent Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Mandarin.

"This road doesn't need to be swept every day. It's hot, come in, wash your hands, and rest." Tang Zhitong stepped aside at the entrance to the finance department, gesturing for them to come inside.

"No need, I'm not tired!" Yu Ying thought Tang Zhitong had something to do, but she didn't expect him to tell her to rest. However, she didn't agree and picked up the broom again to continue sweeping.

She not only wanted to sweep the floor, but also wanted to wipe all the windows in the escort office!

Although she had only been here for two days, she had received meticulous care from everyone in the escort department. Yu Ying felt that she couldn't just sit around doing nothing and had to do more work within her capabilities to repay the escort department for taking care of her.

"Xiao Yu, come in and sit for a while." Ma Wei waved to Yu Ying with a smile from inside, seeing that she was unwilling to come in.

"Ma Wei is older than you, just call her 'sister'." Tang Zhitong introduced Yu Ying and then pulled up a chair for Ma Wei next to her.

With Ma Wei's invitation, Yu Yingcai felt that Tang Zhitong had called him over not just to give him a rest.

Although she wasn't dirty, Yu Ying avoided the doorway and brushed the loose dirt off her body before entering the finance department.

Ma Wei has a very approachable smile, and the two quickly struck up a lively conversation.

Listening to Yu Ying's heavily nasal Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia-accented Mandarin, Tang Zhitong recalled Sun Shaoan's famous saying: "You're too nice to me, so I'll beat you up too."

Tang Zhitong's understanding of the Loess Plateau began with "Ordinary World," where he learned about its poverty, hardship, and severe water shortage.

Yu Ying's words confirmed this: "In a good year, an acre of land can only yield about a hundred catties of wheat."

Hearing this number, Ma Wei was somewhat surprised, and Tang Zhitong was also a little taken aback. They knew it was tough there, but they didn't expect it to be this tough.

A pound of wheat can't even buy a bottle of mineral water, and some people say that farmers are poor because they are not hardworking enough.

These people's mouths are like they've been poisoned; how can warm mouths utter such cold words?
Next, Yu Ying said some things about concealing production and dividing it privately, as well as black market grain, but Ma Wei stopped her in time. Since they were here, they shouldn't say such things easily, as it could lead to trouble.

The saying "trouble comes from the mouth" is absolutely true.

The famine in Yu Ying's hometown began at the end of 1958, but there was actually an opportunity to correct it in 1959.

Some people do indeed care about the common people, but some things are simply not for ordinary people to discuss...

Yu Ying spoke in the most indifferent tone, saying the most despairing things, which made Tang Zhitong feel very depressed, as if the air in the room had become stagnant.

Once outside, Tang Zhitong inexplicably felt the urge to smoke a cigarette. He wished he had one right now, but since the task of finding a successor was not yet complete, he had to give up.

"Huangfengling, stretching for eight hundred li, was once a rich and prosperous land outside the Great Wall."

......"

Tang Zhitong can now distinguish between "do re mi fa sol la ti", but he still can't get the pitch right. His classmate Xiao Wang even suggested that he find a music academy teacher to learn from during the holidays.

Despite his less-than-ideal voice, his pleasant tone was undeniable. After seeing Yu Ying off, Ma Wei asked curiously, "Section Chief, what were you humming? It sounded quite nice."

"I think it's called Shaanbei storytelling. I heard people sing it over Tianqiao before." Tang Zhitong smiled and casually brushed it off. The song was strange and weird, and didn't fit into the current cultural scene.

If only the Great Sage truly existed in this world, the golden monkey could wield his mighty cudgel and clear the heavens of dust for ten thousand miles!

After calming himself down, Tang Zhitong picked up his pen and wrote a letter to Miao Xiaoqin.

The main issue was straw hats and bamboo hats; Tang Zhitong thought they could try their luck at the Canton Fair.

Tang Zhitong's letter was very subjective. He only wrote that he thought there would be a market for it, without giving any evidence. However, he did mention that he could customize patterns according to the needs of customers, directly weaving patterns or printing specific patterns and slogans.

The Canton Fair, which began in the spring of 1957 and was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade, is a very important platform for the country to earn foreign exchange. Many foreign merchants come to exhibit and place orders, and the results are immediate.

The only drawback is the limited number of slots available from each province. However, Tang Zhitong believes that as long as someone in the foreign trade department can recognize the value of the bamboo hats, coordinating booth allocation will not be a problem.

There are some experts in the foreign trade sector. This expert is revered by many netizens as a "hexagonal warrior" and the strongest "time traveler". He studied civil engineering, but everything he does has nothing to do with civil engineering.

He handcrafted grenades and transceivers, published a groundbreaking paper on radio technology in Russia, and became one of the seven most outstanding radio experts in Russia. After returning to Yan'an, he even handcrafted guns, cannons, and ammunition. The gun-making equipment he invented combined the functions of a lathe, milling machine, planer, and drilling machine. And yes, the power source for this equipment came from a cow.

After liberation, his first task upon entering the city was to prepare for the broadcast amplification for the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China. At that time, resources were scarce, and the loudspeaker was made by welding nine speakers together, which was called "Nine-Headed Bird".

On October 1st, during the final check, he discovered that the loudspeaker was making a very loud and piercing noise. He eventually found that it was caused by resonance and corrected the problem in time. This is how the world's loudest voice, which resonated so deeply, was recorded in the video footage!

He is Li Qiang. In 1952, a great man told him, "Why don't you switch to foreign trade?" So he plunged into the foreign trade industry and never changed careers.

Even after the wind picked up, he withstood the pressure and did a great job. Even if someone wanted to get rid of him, he was not afraid because there was a calligraphy scroll under the glass of his desk that read: "Persist to the end." Written for Comrade Li Qiang.

Tang Zhitong didn't know if his little suggestion would be seen by an expert. If it was seen but rejected, it would also reflect that he was not a time traveler.

After writing a letter to Miao Xiaoqin, Tang Zhitong wrote another letter to Gu Yong.

The foot straps have been perfected and are beginning to show their potential in the power system. It would be unreasonable for the telephone exchange not to catch up.

As for how to proceed, Tang Zhitong didn't mention a word. As long as Gu Yong went home and told her about it, his mother would probably take care of it for him.

Before lunch, a colleague from the security guard went to the gate to pick up today's newspaper and also brought over the finance department's newspaper and Tang Zhitong's letter.

The letter came from Bi Bin.

In his letter, Bi Bin shared some news: apart from those already engaged in agricultural production, all faculty and students of the Post and Telecommunications Institute were involved in the wheat harvest, including research classes. Things like fans, insulated boxes, and incubators had to be put on hold. He also frankly stated that several nearby universities were doing the same, arranging their classes according to the wheat harvest schedule of the surrounding communes, suspending classes for labor.

Tang Zhitong was somewhat taken aback when he saw this, connecting the dots of Fengzhen's impending trip to the countryside. It turned out that not only junior high school, but also university?

This kind of setup certainly couldn't be decided by a single school; it would have to be the decision of the relevant authorities in Beijing, and most likely, it was a direct arrangement by the highest education authorities.

Thinking back to the time I mentioned the wheat harvest to Teacher Zhou, could this whole thing have started because of me?
After lunch, Tang Zhitong urged Ma Wei to go back, but Ma Wei refused to leave, saying, "Section Chief, the sun is high right now. Let's wait a little longer, and I'll leave when it cools down."

"I've never seen you so shameless before." Tang Zhitong glanced at his watch helplessly and gave in: "How about this, I'll wait another hour, and I'll ride slowly on the way. I'll wait until it's time to leave after get off work, because there are a lot of cars on the road and it's not safe."

"Section Chief, you don't need to see me off. I can take the bus back. I came here this morning the same way, and I'm fine now." Ma Wei waved her hand, unwilling to let Tang Zhitong go to such lengths.

“You still have to leave early. If you leave early, there will be fewer people on the bus, and you can get a seat. When you get off work, the bus will be crowded, and it will be inconvenient to get on and off.” Tang Zhitong just wanted to get Ma Wei home as soon as possible, no matter what method he had to use.

"Alright then." Ma Wei reluctantly nodded in agreement and continued working on the payroll.

With less than two weeks until payday, her section chief was going to work on the farm the day after tomorrow, while she was required to stay home and rest. She thought she would finish the payroll today so as not to delay everyone's payday.

After Ma Wei finished the payroll, Tang Zhitong still carried her out of the security office on his bicycle, took her to the bus stop, and waited with her for the bus to come.

Nowadays, most buses in Beijing, except for trolleybuses, have been replaced with "gas" buses that carry "natural gas storage bags".

Natural gas transportation is quite difficult, and in order to save on natural gas, the bus company has even brought out the "pot-carrying bus" that it used a few years ago.

The so-called pot-camel cart uses a pot-camel engine as its power source. The pot-camel engine was invented by Tang Zhongming in the 1930s (some say it was invented by Gao Guoshu). In its early days, it burned firewood and charcoal.

There was once a folk song in Hankou describing the pot-load locomotive: "Going two or three miles, breaking down four or five times, going up and down six or seven times, pushed by eighty or ninety people."

In the 1950s, when the country was experiencing economic difficulties and gasoline and diesel supplies were extremely scarce, the pot-wheeled bus was used as a means of transportation in Beijing for a period of time.

Due to the high cost, complex operation, and high labor intensity of using charcoal and firewood, firewood and charcoal have been replaced by coal.

A coal stove is installed at the back of the bus. Coal is added, and a hand-cranked blower is used to blow it. Once the coal is red-hot, the stove lid is tightly closed, allowing it to produce gas in an oxygen-deficient environment to power the engine.

Before setting off, drivers must do three things: collect coal, start a fire, and tow the vehicle. Sometimes, the vehicle needs to be towed two or three times or pushed manually to start.

Once the vehicle is started, the engine drives the blower, which continuously produces gas.

Even though this car has been improved, its power is still not very good, and it can only be used barely.

Even so, the number of buses in Beijing is still insufficient. Although it is not rush hour, there are still many passengers waiting for the bus.

After the bus arrived, Tang Zhitong accompanied Ma Wei onto the bus, grabbed a young man, offered him a cigarette, explained Ma Wei's situation to him, and asked him to give up his seat before getting off the bus.

Given the uniform Tang Zhitong was wearing, the ticket seller didn't stop her.

…………

That evening, after dinner, Lu Lan called Wu Aijun over: "Aijun, come here."

"What's wrong, Mom?" Wu Aijun obediently walked to Lu Lan's side, waiting for his mother's instructions.

“You’re not getting any younger, and you’re studying at the Police Academy now. Shouldn’t you start thinking about your personal life? I asked around and found out there are a few girls who seem pretty good. Let me tell you about them, and you can pick one and arrange a time to meet them.” Lu Lan pulled out her notebook from her bag, ready to introduce the girls to her son one by one.

"Mom, please don't worry about it, okay? I know what I'm doing." Wu Aijun showed strong resistance when she heard it was about this matter.

Although he received Tang Zhitong's reply and did not pursue the matter further, he was not giving up. He was still planning to meet Tang Zhitong again under the pretext of going to work.

"If I don't worry, who will? Wenwen is already married, so please stop thinking about him, okay? This isn't appropriate." After hearing this, Lu Lan's expression hardened, as if she was afraid that her son had done something foolish.

"Mom, please don't bring this up, okay? I was young and ignorant back then, and this has absolutely nothing to do with Wang Jingwen." Wu Aijun waved his hands repeatedly after hearing this, quickly distancing himself from his classmate Wang. He had normal values, no special hobbies, and knew that one should not covet a friend's wife.

"Oh? So you have someone you like?" No one knows a son better than his mother. Lu Lan could tell from Wu Aijun's expression that he wasn't lying, and the way his eyes were evasive made her even more confident in her judgment.

"Don't ask anymore, I'll let you know if I hear anything. Oh, right, I still have a report to finish, I'll go finish it first, you should get some rest." Hearing his mother ask this, Wu Aijun blushed, made up an excuse and hurriedly ran back to his room, not even bothering to clean up the chair he bumped into.

After returning to his room, Wu Aijun closed the door, lay down on the bed, and covered his feverish face with the blanket.

He knew he was probably interested in Ma Wei, and this feeling was even stronger than when he asked Wang Jingwen to meet him at the park entrance. He couldn't help but blush whenever he thought about it.

After dreaming of Ma Wei that time, Wu Aijun dreamed of her twice more, and the content of those dreams was the kind that would be censored if written down.

He asked himself, "I haven't read any books on that subject, so how do I know so much about it? Could it be that I've read too many cases involving women who were not allowed to have their way with women?"

Meeting her in his dreams again and again, Wu Aijun even began to doubt his own sanity. He now felt unable to face Ma Wei, yet longed to see her, and even hoped to dream of her again...

In the side room of the Tang family, after learning from each other, Xiao Wang became even more determined to improve.

Once, twice, and once more.

Feeling Xiao Wang's enthusiasm, Tang Zhitong couldn't be a spoilsport, so he enthusiastically joined in this delightful and addictive exchange...

(End of this chapter)