Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 849 848 A Feeling of Joy
May 31st, the seventh day of the fifth lunar month, Tuesday.

The rain last night was quite heavy and lasted a long time, only stopping sporadically in the latter half of the night.

Given the muddy conditions of the roads, before leaving home, Xiao Wang picked out a few small wooden sticks of suitable thickness from the pile of firewood and handed them to her husband and Fengzhen: "When you get to work, clean up the mud under the mudguards as soon as possible, because it will be even more difficult to clean if it dries in the afternoon."

"Alright, you've thought of everything." Tang Zhitong took the small wooden stick. Apart from being a little short, it was perfect. If it were a meter long, it would definitely be a boy's dream sword, perfect for whipping up weeds by the roadside.

Although the road surface of Huashi Street is somewhat uneven, it is paved with broken blue bricks, so it is not very muddy here. However, it becomes muddy after crossing the overpass, and it is not much different from the muddy roads in the countryside.

Even though Tang Zhitong has a cheat code to clean up the mud at any time, pedaling on this kind of road is still strenuous, and the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers would increase by three steamed buns.

Upon arriving at the transport depot, clumps of mud were visible everywhere around the parking area, clearly dug out from under the mudguards.

Tang Zhitong also pretended to poke around, cleaning the area under the mudguard. As for the outside of the car, having some precious mud splatters on it made it more authentic.

Ma Wei had prepared the payroll in advance when she came to work last time. Tang Zhitong filled a thermos with hot water, poured himself a cup, checked it, and then took it to Fang Yuan for his signature, but Fang Yuan's office was locked up tight and no one was inside.

Fang Yuan is known for his punctuality, so Tang Zhitong thought it was unlikely that the mud on the road was the cause. But since Fang Yuan wasn't there, there was nothing he could do but return to his office and plan to come back and check on him later.

"Good morning, Section Chief. The roads were bad today, and the buses were slow, so I'm late." Ma Wei was fine except for some mud on the soles of her shoes.

"It's okay, the road conditions are bad, it's normal to be late." These days, road conditions are considered an uncontrollable factor. Many employees who live far away will be late when it's windy or rainy. Companies are used to this and don't demand that employees sign in before a certain time.

This is indeed an improvement compared to the days when Tang Zhitong was treated like a slave.

When I was working like a beast of burden, even when the weather station issued a heavy rain warning, the company HR would only thoughtfully send a group email based on the warning: "The weather is bad, please pay attention to safety and make reasonable travel arrangements."

They didn't mention at all that it was okay to arrive late or leave early.

Even so, the boss would still complain from time to time that the employees were ungrateful and did not stand with the company through thick and thin.

When we weren't making money, they talked about sticking together through thick and thin, but when we were making money, they didn't say anything about giving their employees extra pay.

Wages divided by weight are still less expensive than beef, so is the employment contract a form of servitude?

Hmm... it seems that even if you divide your current salary by your weight, the price per unit is still not as high as beef. However, my current company is offering me a university education, and I have complete freedom to arrange my time, so the two are not comparable.

Since they had to meet at a designated location in the afternoon, Tang Zhitong handed over his work to Ma Wei. This time, Ma Wei would be responsible for collecting and distributing the wages.

The handover was completed on this side, and Wu Aijun immediately knocked on the door of the finance department.

The door wasn't closed, and Tang Zhitong looked up and saw Wu Aijun. She asked in surprise, "Wow, how did you get in? Didn't the security guard stop you?"

“Hey, I have a work ID. This ID works great. It allows me to move freely throughout Beijing, except for a very few specific units.” Wu Aijun smiled, his eyes intentionally or unintentionally drifting towards Ma Wei.

"Tsk tsk tsk, your work ID is really useful. Did you fall? Why are you covered in mud? Go wash up." Wu Aijun's work ID was, of course, the kind issued by a powerful agency, which allowed him to move freely when performing official duties. Tang Zhitong saw that Wu Aijun's hands and sleeves were covered in mud, and his yellow rubber shoes were also covered in mud, so she quickly poured some water into a basin for him.

"Thank you. On the way here, I saw a farmer pulling a cart into town. The road was bad, and he got stuck, so I helped him push it." Wu Aijun didn't stand on ceremony and explained while washing his hands.

"Do you know them or not? If you don't, then you're helping others." Even the prime minister's family has poor relatives. The rich have distant relatives even in the deep mountains. Some people don't know each other even if they are a thousand or eight hundred meters apart. Compared to that, Wu Aijun is not at home all year round, so it's normal that he doesn't know them.

"I don't know him. We're all class brothers. If the peasant brothers can't pull the cart, I can't just stand by and watch, can I?" Wu Aijun didn't understand the hidden meaning in Tang Zhitong's words. After washing his hands, he consciously poured the muddy soup in the basin outside the door.

"You are such a helpful young man!" Tang Zhitong gave Wu Aijun a thumbs up. They were complete strangers, but Wu Aijun not only didn't look down on the farmers, but also took the initiative to help push the cart, getting his hands and feet covered in mud. This kind of spirit is worth learning.

"It was nothing, just a small favor," Wu Aijun said modestly, grinning.

"Section Chief, Comrade Wu, you two chat, I'll go get some water." Ma Wei smiled and nodded to Wu Aijun, picked up the thermos, found it was full, put it down, picked up her own water cup, and was about to leave.

"Um... Comrade Ma Wei, I'm here today to report something to you. If you're not busy, you can listen in." Seeing that Ma Wei was about to leave, Wu Aijun quickly made up an excuse to stop her.

I came here specifically for her. If I let her go, wouldn't my trip have been for nothing?

Upon hearing this, Ma Wei glanced at Tang Zhitong and then sat down again.

Tang Zhitong poured Wu Aijun a glass of water: "I don't have any tea leaves here, so just make do with this plain water."

"I'm not picky, I'm glad there's water to drink. The potatoes in your yard look pretty good." Seeing that Ma Wei didn't seem to be leaving, Wu Aijun felt a little relieved and praised the large patch of lush green potatoes in front of the office.

"Hey, not bad, you even recognize this as a potato." Tang Zhitong chuckled and teased. He knew why Wu Aijun had come today, but he had no experience being a third wheel, so he could only take it one step at a time, first creating a relaxed atmosphere, and then leaving the space and time to the two unmarried men and women.

"Don't underestimate me. I grew up in Nanniwan, relying on my own efforts and working hard. I can still distinguish some common crops." Wu Aijun gently pointed out Nanniwan to Ma Wei, and after speaking, he didn't forget to steal a glance at Ma Wei.

Ma Wei was also stealing glances at Wu Aijun at this moment. Their eyes met briefly and then looked away, but it was as if a resistor had been electrified, and a slight blush slowly rose to Ma Wei's cheeks.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward. Neither of them spoke, and the finance department remained silent for a few seconds. Tang Zhitong pretended not to notice their strange behavior, but also didn't want the atmosphere to freeze. She grabbed a pencil from the table and wrote a few words on a piece of paper while continuing to ask Wu Aijun, "You should have been in elementary school back then, right? Did you help out in the fields during the busy farming season?"

After asking the question, while Ma Wei was looking down, he pulled the letter directly under the desk, using the desk to block Ma Wei's view, and showed the contents to Wu Aijun.

"Busy? Of course I'm busy." The letter only contained the three words "Inquire about the patient's condition." Wu Aijun was slightly lost in thought after seeing the words, but quickly regained his composure.
"Back then, men, women, and children all pitched in. What I miss most is that time when everyone ate and lived together, and we all ate the same food. During the busy farming season, the food was always the best, and everyone ate to their heart's content. Don't laugh at me, but I looked forward to the busy farming season back then so I could have a good meal."

"So that's why the Municipal Bureau organized us to work in the production teams. It turns out that this excellent work style stems from this. We just went to work there a couple of days ago, and the scene was just as you described. Everyone was very enthusiastic." Tang Zhitong picked up the thread, affirming the spirit of self-reliance and hard work in one sentence, and pointing out that the Municipal Bureau had been learning from this aspect.

"It's a pity I didn't get to go this time," Ma Wei said regretfully, clearly longing for the scene the two had described.

"Comrade Ma Wei, you are injured, and it's the unit's thoughtfulness and care that they don't let you go. How is your wound?" Wu Aijun smoothly got to the point. At this moment, he even regretted not asking about Ma Wei's injury as soon as he entered the door. He only remembered this after Tang Zhitong reminded him. He was indeed lacking in this aspect.

"Thank you for your concern, Comrade Wu. I'm much better now," Ma Wei replied politely.

"That's good. Summer is just around the corner, so it won't stop me from wearing skirts," Wu Aijun said, almost as if possessed.

Wu Aijun had been looking forward to this meeting for a long time, and in his torment, he had dreamed many times about those long, white legs that haunted his dreams. He accidentally blurted it out.

One sentence made Ma Wei's face turn red again. Tang Zhitong wished she could plug her ears and pretend she didn't hear what Wu Aijun said. What business is it of yours whether she wears a skirt or not?

But the current situation left him no choice but to quickly take over the conversation and change the subject: "Aijun, you just said you had something to report, what is it?"

"Oh, Qin, who threw the knife at Comrade Ma Wei, was sentenced to eat peanuts. The sentence will be carried out after the Supreme People's Court approves it." Wu Aijun realized he had misspoke and dared not look at Ma Wei again. He then dutifully recounted the verdict for Qin.

"Is it that serious?" Ma Wei was a little surprised. She had only injured her leg and had no intention of killing anyone.

“This involves other crimes as well, and this is a case of multiple offenses being punished concurrently. I’m not at liberty to say the specifics. In short, he deserves what he got, and the court will definitely enforce the law impartially.” Wu Aijun did know something, at least he had silenced the “tongue” at the metallurgical institute, but he couldn’t reveal it due to disciplinary restrictions.

"I believe you." Tang Zhitong could roughly guess some of Qin's actions. For someone who betrays secrets and the country, a peanut is really too cheap for them.

Hearing that it was because of multiple crimes, Ma Wei felt relieved. If she had to eat peanuts just because she was injured, she would have suspected that her father had lost his mind and was putting pressure on her.

"Ma Wei, can you entertain Ai Jun for me? I'm going to find Director Fang to get a signature." Tang Zhitong had barely finished speaking when she saw Fang Yuan riding his bicycle closer and closer, and she immediately had a reason to make room for the two of them.

As they reached the door, Tang Zhitong didn't forget to find a reason for Wu Aijun to stay: "Aijun, sit a little longer. I'll come back later to ask you about something."

As soon as Tang Zhitong left, the little deer in Wu Aijun's chest started pounding wildly, his mouth became dry, his tongue became parched, and he suddenly couldn't speak.

Ma Wei was a little better than Wu Aijun; she looked somewhat shy, but overall she remained relatively calm.

The two remained silent for about ten seconds before Ma Wei broke the silence and tried to chat with Wu Aijun about everyday things, such as whether they were busy with work, whether it was hard, and whether there was any danger involved.

When talking about his area of ​​expertise, Wu Aijun finally calmed down and, after answering each question, began to tell Ma Wei about the first fraud case with great enthusiasm.

Seeing Ma Wei listening intently to him with such admiration, Wu Aijun felt like he was about to fly away; even the mud splatters on his sleeves seemed adorable...

The road in the courtyard of the escort office was paved. Fang Yuan rode his bicycle in, parked it, and started stomping his feet to shake off the yellow mud from his shoes. Then he found a small wooden stick and began scraping the mud off his bicycle.

"Brother Yuan, where are you going? How did you get covered in mud?" Tang Zhitong stepped forward with a small wooden stick to help Fang Yuan poke out the mud under the front and rear mudguards.

Somehow, I slipped and fell, covered in mud. If I hadn't been thinking that Fang Yuan didn't know the "little donkey" joke, Tang Zhitong would have started teasing me.

"Yesterday afternoon, as the sky was turning cloudy, I was worried about the farm, so I made a trip there," Fang Yuan said casually.

"Huh? You went over there? How did it go?" Tang Zhitong was taken aback. The leader in charge of that area at the Municipal Bureau was Su Qingxiang. He hadn't expected Fang Yuan to make the trip.

"Sigh, our comrades over there were alright, but the commune members over there were all blindfolded. Even with torches, it wasn't very effective, and a lot of wheat couldn't be moved in time. There weren't enough tarpaulins either, and a lot of it got soaked." Fang Yuan said with a pained expression.

"This..." Tang Zhitong hadn't expected this situation and was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"It's alright, rain is a good thing, there will definitely be some losses. I told the farm to hurry up and dry the wheat, and I also called Lao Su from there. Lao Su will coordinate with the flour mill to grind the rain-soaked wheat into flour once it's almost dried. Our postal and telecommunications system canteen will use this flour first, and make room for the better flour for the commune members." Fang Yuan smiled and explained the situation he had communicated.

"Thanks to Brother Yuan, otherwise the farm would have suffered huge losses." Tang Zhitong was relieved to hear that Fang Yuan had handled the situation properly. It was a blessing for the farm members to have such a good leader mediating the situation.

"Stop praising me all the time. After all, I'm part of the farm too. What do you want?" Fang Yuan waved his hand casually, then stomped his foot to shake the mud off his shoes before getting straight to the point.

"Oh, the payroll for next month is ready. I need your signature. I'm meeting with the city's cultural and educational representatives this afternoon. Xiao Ma will be in charge of collecting and distributing salaries this time," Tang Zhitong said, pulling out the payroll.

"Okay, let's go to the office first." Fang Yuan also had some mud on her hands, and there were no facilities to wash her hands outside, so she took the lead and walked towards the office, with Tang Zhitong following behind at a leisurely pace.

(End of this chapter)