Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 834 833 Oyster Sauce Shows Its Power
The municipal bureau is really helpful; today they delivered cabbage and green beans, each weighing nearly 100 kilograms, which should be enough to feed so many people for two meals.

Cabbage is easy to handle; just throw it in a bucket to wash off the mud, and you can chop it up in four or five strokes. But green beans are not so easy to process; you have to wash them, remove the strings one by one, and break them into smaller pieces depending on their length.

"Brother Yuan, could you leave me someone to help? I'm afraid I can't finish picking vegetables by myself." After the team was lined up, Tang Zhitong went over to Fang Yuan to ask for help.

"Okay, how many do you want? Who do you want?" Fang Yuan looked at the pile of dishes and realized that it didn't seem like something one person could prepare. At least Chef Gao from the transport department's canteen had five or six people helping him.

"Two people, one is Shu Qing, and the other is Yuan Ge, we'll see how to arrange it." Tang Zhitong thought that he would have to go back from time to time, and if he came back the next day it would be close to noon. If there were enough people, he could just cook when he got back, and it wouldn't delay anything.

Shu Qing must have chosen the canteen because working in the kitchen was easier than doing farm work. After all, she was Wan Xiangyang's lover, and he couldn't miss the opportunity to take care of her.

Tang Zhitong actually wanted to keep Yu Ying, so that these men wouldn't feel inferior to a woman. However, Fang Yuan and Sister Chen had previously said that they wanted to find Yu Ying a husband in the next few days. Therefore, Yu Ying was not suitable to stay in the canteen. She should go to the fields to show her face and make a name for herself. Who knows, she might attract the favor of a young man or his parents.

These days, when young men in rural areas look for wives, fertility and diligence are basically on par, while good looks are secondary.

"Okay." Fang Yuan agreed without even thinking, and called out to the side, summoning Shu Qing and Fu Caiyun over.

Nominally, only Shu Qing and Fu Caiyun were assigned by Tang Zhitong, but since there was no work this morning, Yu Ying and Sister Chen came to help. With Sister Chen taking the lead, the other women felt embarrassed to sit indoors and cool off, so they picked vegetables faster.

Although Tang Zhitong enjoys cooking, he is impatient with washing pots and dislikes picking vegetables. Fortunately, he has a group of female comrades with him, so he can go over to fetch water and wash vegetables with peace of mind.

Of course, you should use well water to wash vegetables. Don't underestimate well water. Although it doesn't taste great, the bacteria levels are within acceptable limits. It's definitely cleaner than tap water in some places. At least it doesn't smell bad, and you don't have to pay for water!
The easiest vegetable to wash is cabbage. Just a quick rinse is enough to remove the dirt and dust from the surface.

With food and non-staple foods scarce right now, even damaged vegetable leaves have to be kept. If there are caterpillars inside, that's even better, as it adds a touch of meat.

After washing the cabbage, Tang Zhitong chopped it on the cutting board with a "snap snap" sound. Sister Chen picked vegetables behind him and joked, "Little Tang, Master Gao is practically calling you master now. You'd better show us some of your best skills today."

"Don't worry, Sister Chen, I will definitely cook well for everyone," Tang Zhitong replied with a smile.

Although the stove was outdoors and people were watching, the large pot provided ample room for tampering with things.

The municipal bureau not only delivered vegetables, but also basic seasonings such as oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, scallions, and ginger.

Before cooking, Tang Zhitong found a shovel and carefully cleaned it from top to bottom. A spatula is not suitable for cooking large pots of vegetables; you need a big tool like a shovel.

After cleaning the shovel, Tang Zhitong asked a medical student for a piece of sterile gauze, picked out some of the spices he had brought from the transport station, wrapped them up, and planned to throw them in when stewing kidney beans later to avoid being noticed.

Of the three large pots, two were used by Bai An, and only the one used to boil water was used by Tang Zhitong, since cooking wasn't something that could be done all day.
The first dish Tang Zhitong made was stir-fried cabbage. He put two spoonfuls of peanut oil into the pan, and after the oil was hot, he added a handful of chopped green onions. After stir-frying it slightly, he immediately poured in the chopped cabbage.

Cabbage fills the space; three large baskets of cabbage fill the iron pot almost completely.

Tang Zhitong stirred the food a few times with a shovel, poured in a bottle of soy sauce, and sprinkled in seven or eight ounces of salt.

After a few more stirs, the soy sauce color came up. With the soy sauce color as a cover, Tang Zhitong used his cheat code to throw four or five spoonfuls of oyster sauce into the bottom of the pot.

For Tang Zhitong, oyster sauce is basically free. As long as he has the time and space, he can make a whole truckload to improve the dining experience of the postal and telecommunications system employees. This little bit of consumption is nothing.

With the addition of oyster sauce, the aroma quickly spread.

"Section Chief Tang is really skilled! The aroma is getting better and better!" There were already some curious people watching Tang Zhitong cook, and the aroma attracted even more onlookers.

"I bet you're hungry. When you're hungry, everything smells delicious and tastes good," Tang Zhitong joked as he flipped the pot.

"You probably guessed right, with this dish, I could eat three more steamed buns." Even though I had just eaten breakfast not long ago, the aroma was so enticing that it made me feel like my stomach wanted to turn inside out and swallow the whole pot.

Stir-frying cabbage is a bit tiring. Because the stems and leaves are of different thicknesses, if you don't stir it frequently, the leaves can easily become burnt while the stems are still raw.

It's easy to make the cabbage fully cooked. Just add water to the pot, cover it, and simmer for five minutes. Everything will be cooked through. However, this method only makes the cabbage cooked but it lacks crispness and texture.

With the soy sauce and the natural moisture from the cabbage as a base, Tang Zhitong chose not to add water. However, he increased the frequency of shoveling. As long as he stirred quickly enough, the leaves and stems would heat up more evenly and wouldn't burn.

After the first batch was cooked, Tang Zhitong scooped it out into a basin one shovelful at a time, then wiped his sweat and started cooking the next batch.

The power of oyster sauce was quite evident; after the basin was moved to the open space next to it, some employees who couldn't stand the smell had already gathered around it.

With leaders from various departments overseeing things, no one did anything out of line; at most, they would pick up a piece of vegetable with their chopsticks to taste its saltiness.

"Section Chief Tang, this is amazing!" Someone took a bite and immediately gave Tang Zhitong a thumbs up.

"This tastes so authentic! It's almost like something you'd have at a state banquet."

"You talk like you've eaten it yourself."

"Compared to the dishes cooked by Section Chief Tang, the dishes cooked by my wife are practically pig feed."

"Feeding pigs hasn't fattened you up, has it? Should I ask your sister-in-law to go to the pig farm and learn from their experience?"

"Hahaha..." A burst of good-natured laughter erupted from the crowd, dispelling the gloom brought on by hunger...

Tang Zhitong cooked two pots of cabbage and one pot of green beans. He scooped out all the vegetables and arranged them neatly. He didn't even wash the pots. He poured in two buckets of water, and once it was cooked, it would be a delicious after-dinner soup.

With the help of oyster sauce, Tang Zhitong's debut at the farm was a great success and won unanimous praise.

Although the daily meals in the ministry's canteen were of a higher standard, the leaders from the ministry still gave Tang Zhitong a thumbs up.

Some leaders cherished such a promising chef and wished they could transfer Tang Zhitong to the canteen to take charge of cooking. However, Tang Zhitong was not only a recipient of official recognition, but also an organizational representative of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, as well as a people's representative of Beijing. In addition, he was a college graduate with military merits. As soon as this idea began to emerge, it was firmly suppressed.

The time after dinner was pleasant. It was the busy farming season, so no one was working in the fields under the scorching sun. The workers and college students who came to work gathered in twos and threes to chat. However, the environment for chatting was not good, because the sun was shining brightly, and there weren't many shades around the temporary dormitories. Most people were sitting in the sun.

Those with straw hats or caps were better off, but those without could only use lunchbox lids or their hands to fan themselves.

Tang Zhitong, disregarding the coolness, was currently chopping the roots of a cabbage in full view of everyone.

As a half-baked cook during a special era, I knew I couldn't afford to waste any ingredients.

Although the roots of cabbage are hard and tough, if you soak them overnight in a well-prepared broth, they will become a refreshing pickled vegetable the next day.

Tang Zhitong was sweating profusely, and those who were idle weren't doing much better.

People who are used to sitting in the office can't stand being exposed to the sun for a long time. After most of the day, their exposed skin is already burning and painful.

Having personally experienced this pain and seeing everyone's scorched appearance, a leader from the ministry suggested to Su Qingxiang, "Old Su, could the municipal bureau coordinate some bamboo or timber? Let's build a frame tomorrow and lay some straw on it, so that the comrades can at least have a shady place to rest at noon. They can't come back to be scorched after a day's work, can they?"

"This is a good suggestion. Setting up a frame will not only shelter our comrades from the wind and rain, but also ensure food security in advance. In case it rains in the next few days, we can also bring the wheat here for storage, effectively avoiding grain loss." Another leader standing next to him offered a perfectly legitimate reason for setting up the frame.

"Okay! I'll go to the production team and call to coordinate this." Su Qingxiang was also suffering from the sun. Now that he had the theoretical basis for building the scaffold, this matter had to be taken seriously and handled.

After mixing the pickled vegetables, Tang Zhitong was finally able to take a break.

With the sun blazing down, even the little bit of shade was full of people. At this point, it didn't really matter where you went; you couldn't escape the sun's heat.

Tang Zhitong chose a place where people gathered together.

On a hot day, a large crowd is bound to be a spectacle.

Tang Zhitong went over to take a look and, lo and behold, medical students had set up a stall there, providing dental care to postal workers.

This scene seems familiar.

Before the Baiqiao Market was abolished, dentists would set up signs saying "Traditional Dentist" to treat people's teeth during market days.

Tang Zhitong didn't know if the dentistry was a family tradition, but he knew that the dentist definitely didn't have a medical license, because at that time there were no special certificates for dentists.

Back then, dentists mainly did two things: tooth extraction and tooth filling.

There's no anesthesia when you get a tooth pulled; they use pliers to pull it out forcefully, and it's all about the thrill of it.

There were already specialized dental clinics during the Republic of China era, but their high fees deterred most people from seeking them.

Ordinary people, considering their wallets, will only go to a dental clinic to have their teeth pulled if the pain is unbearable.

I don't get dentures even after I have my teeth pulled. I just make do with what I have because a tooth extraction only costs four or five cents, while dentures are much more expensive.

A filling costs a little more than a tooth extraction, but is cheaper than a denture. Fillings are also more aesthetically pleasing and less bloody.

Before 57 or 58, there were two witty sayings on the street: "Gold teeth and gold stitching, leather shoes and woolen vests" and "Those who wear watches slap their thighs, those with gold teeth grin widely."

There's a folk belief that two ghosts guard the door, so some people have their two front teeth gilded, so that when they open their mouths, the gold shines brightly, making them feel very prestigious.

Many people even use this as their nickname, such as "Big Gold Tooth" and "Little Gold Tooth" on the overpass.

57 or 58 years later, social attitudes changed, and gold teeth were considered a luxury. In addition, with the emergence of new materials, amalgam began to gradually disappear from the history of dental filling materials.

People aren't prohibited from watching when getting dental fillings done at a small stall. Every time a customer tries the service and praises it, it's free advertising for the stall.

The medical students didn't forbid the staff from gathering to watch. Tang Zhitong looked at the group of onlookers and felt that they weren't getting dental work done inside, but rather that a group of people were mending pots and pans, washing carpets, forging knives, and trimming hooves...

"Come here, I need to talk to you about something." Tang Zhitong spotted Shi Zhengze in the crowd and patted him on the shoulder from behind.

"Oh, Teacher Tang is here to get her teeth fixed too?" Shi Zhengze was a little surprised. After squeezing out of the crowd, he first showered Tang Zhitong with compliments: "Teacher Tang's cooking is amazing. I ate two extra steamed buns for lunch today."

"Eat up, eat up. Opportunities to eat like this are rare." Tang Zhitong said cheerfully, then changed the subject to the incubator. Miao Xiaoqin had mentioned that some organizations wanted to use it, so he should tell Shi Zhengze in person and tell him to think about important matters in his spare time and not waste his energy watching the excitement.

"That's great! Thank you, Teacher Tang. I thought no one would be interested!" Shi Zhengze was very excited after hearing this, rubbing his hands together, ready to make a big splash.

"Haha, everyone has their own talents, right? Go back and work hard, and show the farm what you've got." Tang Zhitong laughed and encouraged him.

"Yes, yes, I definitely won't let Teacher Tang down." Shi Zhengze didn't think this was a waste of his time. Compared to ship models, he even felt that this kind of invention was more meaningful, having already found an application scenario before it was even finished.

They had only been chatting for a few minutes when the production team's bell rang again, and the workers and students picked up their tools and went back to work in twos and threes.

Tang Zhitong gave Shu Qing and Fu Caiyun a few instructions, asking them to pick and wash the remaining vegetables. Then he pushed his wheelbarrow again, intending to go back to the fields to work for a while.

Although it may be a bit tiring, the opportunity to perform at the grassroots level is rare, after all.

On the other side, the No. 49 Experimental Middle School team also arrived at their destination. There were no beds, so everyone slept on the floor. However, their conditions were better than Tang Zhitong's team. At least they found a few rooms for them, and they just laid a layer of straw on the ground to make do.

If it weren't for the fact that they were a group of girls, the production team wouldn't have even provided them with housing.

They are all pampered girls from the city. If they live outside, what if someone gets the guts to sneak over at night and do something bad? The production team and the school wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility.

The school made it clear that the students would come over and pick up the wheat ears, but the production team wasn't too happy about it. Picking up wheat ears is something that four or five-year-old children can do. Even if a group of junior high school students don't know how to cut wheat, they can at least help transport the wheat bundles and pull the wheelbarrow, right?
(End of this chapter)