Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 840 839 Uninvited Guest

Before the meal, a pale-faced scholar with a camera hanging around his neck came to visit, and Su Qingxiang greeted him.

Su Qingxiang was hospitable and shared an ice pop with him. The two of them hid under the shed, eating and chatting.

It's wheat harvest season right now, and the reporter is here to report on the bustling wheat harvest around Beijing, hoping to showcase their abilities and give the nation a boost of confidence.

Tang Zhitong glanced at him and, judging from his appearance alone, he was a reporter. After all, no one would casually show up in the countryside with a camera hanging around their neck.

Journalists are the uncrowned kings. Tang Zhitong truly admires those investigative journalists who risk their personal safety to go to the front lines, but as for those with impure motives, well...

Tang Zhitong didn't know what the reporter was there for, so he just waited. Besides, with Su Qingxiang there, it wasn't his place to worry about this kind of thing.

The two seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. When it was time to eat, Su Qingxiang tried to pull the reporter to queue up for food with him, but the reporter refused.

The reporter chose a good angle and filmed the meals, the employees queuing for food, and the employees eating under the shed.

"Director Su, the staff are all very conscientious. Not only are they orderly, but their smiles are also genuine. This article will definitely be another good report." After taking the photos, the reporter didn't forget to eat, taking out his lunchbox and getting food with Su Qingxiang.

"Of course, it's a bumper harvest, everyone's happy." Su Qingxiang smiled, letting the reporters line up in front of him. When it was time to get the food, he didn't forget to tell Tang Zhitong to give the reporters who had come from afar a lot of food.

"Thank you for your hard work. Which newspaper are you from?" From their brief conversation, it was clear that he wasn't a proper investigative reporter. Tang Zhitong served him two spoonfuls of food while also inquiring about his background.

The two full spoonfuls were both a treat and a test. There were two dishes today, one spoonful for each dish, but the employees could only choose one.

The reporter didn't refuse, looking like he was used to it, and replied with a smile of pride, "It's from the People's Daily."

"Hey, it's a big newspaper." They're so enthusiastic about satellites. Tang Zhitong didn't want to pay attention, but he still smiled and gave a thumbs up. There's no need to offend people in front of Su Qingxiang.

After serving the food to the employees, Tang Zhitong then served food to the staff of the temporary canteen. There was plenty of food today, so he also got a portion.

Because there were so many people, Tang Zhitong had only eaten half of what she had eaten when others had already finished.

After finishing his meal, he wiped his mouth, pulled a newspaper from the pile that Tang Zhitong had placed beside him, and ran to the toilet. When he came out, his hands were empty.

The reporter witnessed all of this. Just moments ago, he had been praising the workers who participated in labor to Su Qingxiang, saying that labor should not be a time for learning. Who would have thought that this was how they learned? What's even more infuriating is that those newspapers belonged to his own workplace!

The reporter's face turned green, and his eyes twitched, but he couldn't lash out.

Because this is the current situation; everyone does it this way, except that very few people do it in front of their own workplace.

The reporter was unhappy, but pretended not to see it. After all, he had come with a mission, and he had to complete the mission first.

After finishing his meal, Tang Zhitong wiped his mouth and picked up some of the small bamboo sticks that the employees had thrown on the ground after eating their popsicles. He then collected them in a corner and planned to bring them to Fengzhi later.

After picking up the small bamboo sticks, Tang Zhitong went to the temporary warehouse to retrieve the newspapers from the past few days.

Although second-rate daily newspapers may not be of high quality, they do publish some of the latest developments and instructions. It's still necessary to know what you need to know, since newspapers are a tool for obtaining information and shouldn't be discarded just because of personal preferences.

In the past few days, newspapers have published extensive articles opposing the new security treaty signed between the US and Japan. There are not only reports of dissatisfaction from all over the country, but also voices of protest from people all over the world.

Domestic news mainly focuses on two areas: the promotion of the Wanrong experience and food.

Today, the front pages of second-rate newspapers are almost all related to food.

The front-page headline was "Sichuan Province rushes to plant mid-season rice, sweet potatoes, corn and beans." The region is known as the "Land of Abundance." Its unique geographical location and superior natural environment determine the abundance of its produce. If the reports on paper can be implemented in a timely manner, and excluding weather and human errors, even though grain has been diverted twice, the people there will not go hungry.

In addition, Shandong, Guizhou, Shaanxi and Gansu have started the summer harvest. It is a good thing to have grain to harvest, but many of these places grow wheat, and harvesting wheat at this time means that farms there are also facing the same problems.

The drought caused the wheat to turn yellow prematurely, forcing a harvest and making reduced yield a foregone conclusion.

The later pages also had similar news. The content was indeed very inspiring, but upon closer inspection, it was also very distressing, because behind each headline was either a drought or a flood.

The water conservancy system is still very well-developed. Most parts of the country rely on the weather for their harvest, and the yield is not subject to human will.

Sigh, Tang Zhitong put down the newspaper and sighed inwardly.

These news reports reminded Tang Zhitong of a notice that had not been published in the newspapers—"Emergency Instructions on the Transfer of Grain."

The notice will be issued the day after tomorrow. The main content is that the grain depots in Sijiucheng, Huxian, Tianjin, and Liaoning Province are empty. The grain reserves in Sijiucheng, Tianjin, and Liaoning Province are only enough to support four days, and in Huxian, only enough to support two days.

"Section Chief Tang, could you give me two copies of the newspaper after you've finished reading it?" Tang Zhitong had just put down the newspaper when a colleague came up to him.

"Here, take a look." Tang Zhitong was worried but didn't show it on his face. Hearing his colleague's request, he smiled and handed over a newspaper.

Once this started, people came one after another to borrow newspapers, and Tang Zhitong was generous, distributing them all.

The group of people took the newspapers not because they needed to go to the toilet, but simply to relieve their boredom. There were no entertainment activities on the farm, only a large loudspeaker that broadcast selectively when there was electricity. Once the busy farming season ended, the workers would get quite bored.

Even those who rushed to grab the newspapers didn't all go to the toilet right away. Instead, they grabbed a copy to read after dinner to relieve boredom, and to make their butts suffer less when they needed to defecate—killing two birds with one stone.

A newspaper has several pages. As soon as these people took the newspaper, several other people crowded around and, with a few quick movements, the newspaper was divided into several pieces.

"Hey, look! Many places across the country are having a bumper harvest. That's great news!" The person who got today's newspaper immediately became excited after reading the headline, his eyes shining.

Some people take this seriously, while many others don't. Such reports are like "quenching thirst by looking at plums"—you can see them, but you can't necessarily eat them.

Just then, the reporter heard the worker's commotion and came over to have a lively discussion with him about the prospects for a bumper harvest.

Tang Zhitong listened intently, and the more he listened, the more suspicious he became of this reporter. They all make a living with words, and they learn the main idea of ​​paragraphs from a young age. You're telling me that this represents a writer's homesickness?
You're doomed!
Unexpectedly, the reporter, still not satisfied with the conversation, walked up to Tang Zhitong.

"Chef, your cooking is excellent! Thank you for the food; it made me feel right at home," the reporter said, showering Tang Zhitong with compliments and extending a warm hand.

"You flatter me. Everyone must be tired after a long day's work. I was just doing my best to ensure everyone's well-being," Tang Zhitong said calmly, standing up and gently shaking the reporter's hand. The reporter's outstretched hand had given Tang Zhitong a feeling of being looked down upon, but standing up changed that feeling, making him the one looking down at the reporter.

"Would you be interested in working at the People's Daily cafeteria? There's a much broader stage there." The reporter withdrew his hand and extended an invitation to Tang Zhitong.

"Heh, not interested." Hearing this question, Tang Zhitong was too lazy to even bother with him. Where did this idiot come from? Trying to poach someone from the post office on their own turf? Does he really think he's a chef?
Su Qingxiang was standing nearby and not only witnessed the two shaking hands but also heard the conversation, which made him somewhat displeased.

"Director Su, you two chat, I'm going to wash my lunchbox." Meeting Su Qingxiang's gaze, Tang Zhitong immediately ignored the reporters, bent down, picked up her lunchbox, and walked away confidently.

Many employees witnessed this, and some of them laughed out loud. This reporter really looked down on people, and he underestimated Section Chief Tang. He invited a college student and a representative of the postal and telecommunications organization who had been received to be the cook.
Are they taking themselves too seriously, or are they underestimating the postal and telecommunications system?
Although he didn't invite the people himself, Su Qingxiang was still troubled. The reporter held the power of discourse, and he had originally hoped that the reporter would say a few good words to highlight the work done by the Municipal Bureau during the wheat harvest. Who would have thought that they would be stuck here?
Seeing that the reporter's face was almost turning liver-colored, Su Qingxiang pulled him aside and explained Tang Zhitong's identity.

Now, the reporter realized that he had been abrupt.

After that incident, the reporter behaved himself better during the subsequent field trips.

In the afternoon, as the production team's work bell rang, workers and students got up one after another. Those who had hats put them on, and those who didn't went to work under the scorching sun.

Since they had already eaten a bunch of popsicles at noon, Tang Zhitong didn't get up until 4:30 pm to tie the box to his bicycle and deliver it.

More than half of the large ice block covering the box remained. Qu Yi didn't intend to waste it. He rinsed it briefly with well water, moved it to the cutting board, smashed it with an axe, and then put it into the cooked mung bean soup. A pot of chilled mung bean soup was ready and sparkling.

At the edge of the wheat field, Tang Zhitong did not spot Su Qingxiang or the reporter. A worker who came to get popsicles told him, "The reporter thought the wheat was too sparse and asked us to make the photos denser, but Director Su did not agree."

"Ha, that's really daring!" Tang Zhitong immediately understood. If it were denser, it would look like a New Year's painting, with a chubby baby squatting on top.

Anyone with a brain knows that this kind of painting is impossible, but two years ago, someone actually stood on it.

Tang Zhitong sneered. This reporter really had no sense at all. Shouldn't a reporter speak up for the people? This is going against the grain. I wonder if the reporter's brain has been chewed up by a dog.

Even if there's strong pressure from above, he can still outwardly comply but inwardly defy it, right? But judging from his appearance, he doesn't really seem like someone who's been forced to produce this kind of news.

"Who says otherwise? He hasn't even had a proper meal twice and he's already thinking about bragging. This kind of person is just not hungry enough. His ration should be reduced to twenty pounds, so he can be bored and cause trouble all day long!" Someone else nearby also disapproved of this reporter, their words full of disdain and strong personal feelings.

"Where is he? Has he left?" Tang Zhitong asked as he took out popsicles.

"I had Director Su take him to the threshing ground." The speaker pointed in the direction of the threshing ground while holding an ice pop.

"Director Su is really good-tempered. If it were me, I would have kicked him in the butt a few times and sent him to find somewhere cool to stay," someone said indignantly from the side.

"That's why Director Su is Director Su. Look at your manners, you're just not cut out to be an official." The teasing was constant.

Tang Zhitong listened and laughed. Ordinary employees have the best ability to distinguish between good and evil, beauty and ugliness. They dare not tear off the emperor's new clothes, but they can still point the finger at a certain liar who is an accomplice to evil.

After handing out the popsicles, Tang Zhitong closed the box and planned to go to the wheat field to hand out another batch.

As he was leaving, he glanced at the ground and didn't see many small bamboo sticks. Where did the small bamboo sticks he threw on the ground after eating the popsicle yesterday go?
When Tang Zhitong arrived at the threshing ground, he discovered the answer: the small bamboo sticks were still being used by the young members of the production team.

Children in rural areas don't have many decent toys, so these small bamboo sticks become the objects they fight over.

"Don't worry, there will be some every day from now on, I guarantee you'll all have a handful." Tang Zhitong parked his bicycle and, before handing out popsicles, casually separated two little brats who were fighting over small bamboo sticks.

Seeing Tang Zhitong start handing out popsicles to the junior members, a reporter who was struggling to find good material suddenly had a flash of inspiration and immediately ran over to stop him: "Wait a minute, wait a minute!"

Tang Zhitong glanced at him, but didn't stop working. Did he really think he was something special?
When the reporter saw that Tang Zhitong was ignoring him, he blushed and didn't dare to criticize her, after all, the halo surrounding Tang Zhitong was heavier than his small frame.

When that failed, the reporter approached Su Qingxiang again, using the same old tactic: to persuade Su Qingxiang to cooperate in taking a photo with a striking contrast and visual impact.

“We can’t cooperate at all.” Su Qingxiang still refused, and even gave them the boot: “Go away, we don’t have the photos you want.”

Although this wasn't exactly faking it in the true sense, Su Qingxiang still couldn't accept it. It was one thing to film the workers at the grassroots level, but to have naive children cooperate like this was really going too far.

"You...you..." The reporter blushed, feeling humiliated not only for being rejected but also for being driven away.

"I'm telling you right now, you're not allowed to use the photos I took here in your reports." Now that things had come to a head, Su Qingxiang's smile vanished.

"You...you..." The reporter's face turned even redder. This time, it wasn't just a feeling; it was a genuine insult.

"Let's go, are you waiting for me to treat you to another free meal?" Tang Zhitong then brought out two popsicles, handing one to Su Qingxiang and keeping the other for himself. Not only were there no popsicles for the reporter, but he also looked at him with a mocking smile.

From Tang Zhitong's perspective, people should have a conscience. Even if others tell lies, we should stick to our bottom line. We can't fight against bad trends to the death, but at least we should control ourselves and not blindly follow them.

Even if someone above is forcibly suppressing them, they can at least outwardly comply while inwardly resisting, right?

Why risk your life by aiding and abetting evil when you can't earn more money or increase quotas? Doing things this way will only earn you a place on the pillar of historical shame!

"Fine, fine! You just wait!" The reporter almost choked on his breath. He was always treated to good food and drink wherever he went. He had never been treated like this before.

"You? Don't think too highly of yourself." Su Qingxiang sneered at the reporter and turned away, ignoring him.

The reporter, having been rebuffed, could only slink away.

Tang Zhitong wasn't going to let him go so easily. He used a hacking tool to make a small hole in the valve core of his bicycle, forcing him to walk the rest of the way back to Beijing so he could experience the hardships of working people. These hardships couldn't be shown by taking a few photos.

In addition, Tang Zhitong also pulled out the rolls of film from his body.

If this reporter can come up with the idea of ​​whitewashing the truth, the photos probably aren't much better. Let him lose his material and go home and cry.

If it weren't for the fact that the camera was the newspaper's collective property, Tang Zhitong wouldn't have even left him the camera; he himself was short of one!

(End of this chapter)