Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 841 840 Goodwill
Tang Zhitong had known Su Qingxiang for almost a year. Although they didn't interact much, she knew what kind of person he was.

In Tang Zhitong's memory, Su Qingxiang was particularly good at handling things, smooth in his work, and always able to satisfy everyone, which was completely different from Fang Yuan. But today's scene was beyond Tang Zhitong's expectations.

"Director Su, is it alright to just let him go like this?" The reporter, who had been unaware that his film had been stolen, had almost slipped out of their sight. Tang Zhitong saw that Su Qingxiang was still staring at him and asked from the side.

"It's alright, he can't cause any trouble." Su Qingxiang turned his head and smiled, not taking it to heart.

The main task of the propaganda department now is to manage ideology. In many places, people are starving, yet this reporter is still thinking of fabricating stories. Even if he goes back to complain, there are always reasonable people in the newspaper.

Moreover, the tone of newspapers has shifted recently, with many news reports highlighting the struggle against nature after natural disasters. It's clear that the old approach from two years ago is no longer effective.

"That's fine then." Tang Zhitong was relieved to hear Su Qingxiang say that. Su Qingxiang's resolute attitude today showed that he was a good cadre who stood on the side of the commune members.

"How's Zhiping doing at school lately? Is he behaving well?" Su Qingxiang took out a cigarette, flicked the bottom of the pack with his finger, and a few cigarettes popped out. He then handed it to Tang Zhitong.

"Thank you, Director Su, I've quit smoking." Tang Zhitong quickly waved his hand.

"Quitting smoking is good, it saves me from coughing all the time." Su Qingxiang chuckled and lit a cigarette for himself.

"The class monitor has performed quite well at school. This time when we went to the factory to participate in production labor, he ran around doing everything he could. All the classmates saw that." Although Luo Zhiping's performance at the School of Posts and Telecommunications still has room for improvement, he is qualified as a class monitor.

After listening, Su Qingxiang nodded, but did not stop there. Instead, he continued, "When he came home last time, he said that he and that female classmate named Lu Yan were in love and insisted on being together."

"Well... it's better to tear down a temple than to break up a marriage. Although they haven't registered their marriage yet, it's consensual, and I can't interfere. Besides, even if I did interfere, I might not be able to break them up." When Tang Zhitong heard about this, he thought Su Qingxiang was implying that he hadn't completed the task Su Qingxiang had given him last time, so he quickly explained his reasons.

"Sigh, this kid is stubborn. I didn't ask you to break them up. Could you keep a closer eye on them and prevent them from doing anything unexpected?" Su Qingxiang had already gone to great lengths to get Luo Zhiping this training opportunity, but he still pulled this stunt at the school. What will happen when they graduate? Will they really be separated forever?
Su Qingxiang really didn't want to get involved in Luo Zhiping's love life, but he couldn't resist the constant whispers in his ear. There was still a long time before graduation, and as long as no one got killed in the next few years, things might change by the time he graduated.

“They don’t miss a single class, so they shouldn’t do anything foolish, right? I can remind him, but I’m a day student and spend more time away from the academy. I can’t exactly put a lock on his crotch, can I?” Upon hearing Su Qingxiang’s request, Tang Zhitong readily agreed, but at the same time made it clear to Su Qingxiang that his surveillance was of limited use.

"Yes, I know. Please remind him properly and make sure he understands things clearly. It's not appropriate for me, as an elder, to say these things to him. Please help me." Su Qingxiang nodded after listening, but didn't insist.

“Okay, they’ll be back around mid-June. I’ll have a good talk with the class monitor then.” Tang Zhitong nodded in agreement. This talk might just mean he’d become Luo Zhiping’s life mentor again.

As the class's life committee member, Tang Zhitong also didn't want the couple to get pregnant. If they really couldn't hold back, she would let Luo Zhiping use his hands and mouth, as his desire for pleasure was relatively easy to satisfy.

After Su Qingxiang finished smoking, Tang Zhitong glanced at her watch and was about to go back to cook when she saw several children from the production team repeatedly licking the small bamboo sticks after finishing their popsicles, trying to savor every last bit of sweetness inside.

"Director Su, there are still a few popsicles in the box. Should we share them with them?" Tang Zhitong felt a little sorry for them when he saw this.

“Okay, let’s distribute them.” Su Qingxiang nodded. He had seen Tang Zhitong distribute popsicles to the kids and commune members, but he didn’t say anything. The wheat field is different from the wheat field. In the wheat field, the fields are separated and far apart, so the workers don’t eat in front of the commune members. But here, everyone is mixed together. If they are treated differently, it will have a bad influence.

"Alright!" Now that he had officially appeared in front of Su Qingxiang, Tang Zhitong happily acted as a generous benefactor, distributing the last of the popsicles in the box to the little ones.

"The threshing ground is getting busier and busier, and there will be more and more people here. Starting tomorrow, buy some more popsicles and share them with the commune members here." Just as Tang Zhitong was tying the box to his bicycle and preparing to leave, Su Qingxiang gave him this instruction.

"Okay, you can take it. I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Tang Zhitong grinned and agreed. Now that he had the imperial edict, he could openly distribute the money to the members.

Tang Zhitong returned home a little late today. After cooking, he saw a few little kids peeking out from the roadside outside the temporary dormitory, looking like they wanted to come over but didn't dare to.

Tang Zhitong was busy serving food to the staff and students and didn't pay attention to these little kids for a while. But when he finished serving the food, he found that they were still there.

After finishing her work, Tang Zhitong didn't even take off her apron and sleeves. She wiped her sweat with her sleeves and went out.

"Why aren't you going home? Be careful you don't get a spanking if you go home late." Tang Zhitong recognized these little guys as the ones who had been playing with sticks in the wheat field that afternoon. He walked over to them, squatted down, and asked with a smile.

"Here you go!" The little ones weren't afraid of the tall uncle handing them popsicles. They stretched out their hands and presented them to Tang Zhitong, opening their palms.

"For me? Thank you, take them home and eat them." The little ones held different things in their hands, some were bird eggs, and some were tender grasshoppers.

The bird eggs were small and few in number, and although there were many grasshoppers, they were all stretching out their legs and staring wide-eyed, some of which had already been gutted during the capture process.

Although the image was somewhat pitiful, Tang Zhitong didn't mind and was even a little moved.

Whether it's grasshoppers or bird eggs, they can provide some protein. The little guys don't eat them themselves, but bring them to themselves. It's like a person who is dying of thirst in the desert giving their last bottle of water to someone who has a cart of water behind them. How could Tang Zhitong not be moved?
Tang Zhitong doesn't lack this, but he can feel the sincerity of their feelings.

"Here you go." The little guy was stubborn; Tang Zhitong wouldn't take it, so they just kept stretching out their arms.

"Xiao Tang, what's wrong?" Just then, Fang Yuan noticed that Tang Zhitong hadn't gone back yet, so he came out with a lunchbox.

"Brother Yuan, the little members want to give us their grasshoppers and bird eggs to try." Tang Zhitong heard Fang Yuan's commotion, picked up two grasshoppers from the little guy's hand, stood up, and showed them to Fang Yuan with a smile.

"Wow, they're quite big! They're all capable!" Fang Yuan praised a few of the grasshoppers after seeing them, then said to Tang Zhitong, "Sending a gift from afar, even a small one, carries great meaning. We can't let the young members go back empty-handed. Come on, let's get some steamed buns and give each of them one."

"Okay!" Tang Zhitong nodded readily; this was exactly the result he wanted.

He just lied, switching the recipients of the grasshoppers and bird eggs to the workers who came down to do labor. That's only possible in Fang Yuan; if it were someone else, doing this might not have worked.

The stir-fried dishes were plentiful today, and Tang Zhitong stuffed each steamed bun with vegetables.

The children's hands were dirty; they left handprints on the steamed buns, but they didn't mind at all, eating happily in front of Fang Yuan and Tang Zhitong. "Comrades, the young members brought us grasshoppers and bird eggs! Children's hearts are the truest; this is their recognition of our work! Tomorrow, I'll have Section Chief Tang make some soup, and everyone can taste it and see if it's salty enough!" Fang Yuan held up several grasshoppers and bird eggs high, as if waving an invisible flag high...

While everyone was in high spirits, the reporter was in a terrible state. He had been thinking of playing word games and subtly criticizing the postal service, but when he got back, he was completely dejected.

Because the film is gone! Not only is the film in the camera missing, but the film in my backpack is gone too!

Losing film can be a big deal or a small deal. You can grit your teeth and pay out of your own pocket to replace it, but where can you find replacement photos?
The reporter was utterly exasperated.

He's still completely confused. Where did the film go? He always has the camera with him, and he's absolutely certain that no one else touched it except him. Could it be that he really lost it?
Friday, September 5st.

Tang Zhitong was on duty again last night and only woke up early this morning from the haystacks in the threshing ground.

The haystacks had almost become his second home. Although they looked a bit rough, after smoothing them out and leveling the top, they were very comfortable to lie on.

On his way back to the temporary camp, Tang Zhitong deliberately took a detour, specifically seeking out places with tall trees and lush grass to stroll around.

Yesterday, Fangyuan announced that today they would use grasshoppers and bird eggs given by the young members to make soup. There weren't enough grasshoppers, so they could only make up for it with bird eggs.

Many canteen chefs have a special skill: they can beat the egg drop soup very thinly, so that the egg drop soup looks like it has a lot of egg drop soup, but they don't use too many eggs.

Tang Zhitong wants to try it today.

Although I have eggs in my own space, I can't openly take them out, but bird eggs are different; I can say I found them.

At the same time, Fang Yuan began visiting villagers' homes in the fields to learn about their family situations.

Last night, while accepting the kindness of the young members, Fang Yuan noticed their clothing and physique, both of which revealed their impoverished living conditions.

After discussing with Su Qingxiang and the department leaders, everyone agreed that they could do something to help the commune members improve their lives.

As the initiator, Fang Yuan naturally undertook the task of conducting the research.

Tang Zhitong went to the wheat field after finishing his meal, unaware of what was happening. At that moment, he was using a hook to carry out his "egg-hunting" mission.

Places inaccessible to humans are often paradises for birds to breed and thrive. After a round of searching, Tang Zhitong actually found some bird eggs, some of which were particularly eye-catching in color.

Tang Zhitong picked it up and realized that the blue eggs were actually the eggs laid by cuckoos.

There are several kinds of azaleas, and the colors of their eggs are also different. Some are white with spots, somewhat like quail eggs, while others are blue and look very rare.

The phrase "the cuckoo cries blood" has been passed down for thousands of years, but this creature only cares about giving birth and not raising the next generation; the task of incubating the next generation is entirely done by other kinds of birds.

No one wants to experience the pain of raising a child with great difficulty, only to find that the child is not their own. Tang Zhitong felt that no bird would willingly endure such suffering.

To ensure the survival of their offspring, cuckoos typically lay only one egg in each nest. Once the egg hatches, the instinct ingrained in their genes will prompt the baby cuckoo to use its back to push all the other eggs out of the nest, thus enjoying the exclusive affection of its adoptive parents.

Nature has its own rules, and Tang Zhitong has his own way of doing things, which is—to hell with nature!

Tang Zhitong advocates harvesting azalea eggs first. A single azalea can lay 2-10 eggs during the breeding season. Harvesting ten azalea eggs yields only the equivalent of one pair of azaleas, resulting in a negligible impact on the environment.

"Section Chief Tang, what kind of egg is this? It looks quite beautiful." The woman at the temporary canteen was captivated by its emerald-blue color and picked it up to play with it with great enthusiasm.

"I don't know, I just saw it in the bird's nest and took it back. It's strange, there were two colors of eggs in one nest." Tang Zhitong lied happily. The colors were indeed beautiful. If they were made into necklaces or earrings, wouldn't a set be worth 200 million?
"Two colors of eggs? Could it be that the mother bird stole a lover outside?" Upon hearing this, the older sister suddenly felt that the color of the eggs in her hand was not good. What good things could come from the eggs laid by a lover?

"How would I know? I can't just catch the birds and ask them. Even if they were willing to tell me, I wouldn't understand." Tang Zhitong silently applauded her older sister's awareness, noting the fundamental difference between her and those other girls.

"You are all fathers of the children, and you have equal opportunities." Ugh, who are you trying to disgust? Bah!

"Section Chief Tang, are you planning to use these bird eggs to make soup for everyone?" Someone guessed Tang Zhitong's intention in taking the bird eggs and asked from the side.

"The junior member only took two, which is indeed a bit few. I'll add these more, and that should be enough to make an egg drop soup," Tang Zhitong nodded and replied directly.

"Such a big pot, and you only used a few bird eggs?" The older woman spread her arms to show how big the pot was, finding it hard to believe that a pot of egg drop soup could be made with just over ten bird eggs.

"Hey, you should at least have some faith in me. I'm not bragging, but if I crack this egg on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, all the people in the middle and lower reaches can have egg drop soup," Tang Zhitong joked as he picked vegetables.

"Isn't this bragging? According to you, if I wash my feet upstream, wouldn't everyone downstream drink my foot-washing water?" The older woman was amused by Tang Zhitong's remarks.

"Wow, big sister, you really washed your feet in the Yangtze River? That's incredible! You've traveled all over the country, even had your legs run over by train tracks. I admire your extensive knowledge." Tang Zhitong gave the big sister a thumbs up and praised her.

"If you were to stretch your legs on the train tracks, you'd be dead. How could I have time to banter with you? You're just making fun of me." The older woman raised her hand and splashed water all over Tang Zhitong's face, then laughed herself.

"Section Chief Tang's rhyming is quite good, almost as good as the storyteller on Tianqiao Street..." For a moment, the temporary canteen was filled with laughter.

(End of this chapter)