Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 868 867 Little Wang Wants to Eat an Apple
After leaving the Women's Federation, Tang Zhitong went to the escort office.

Although I told Fang Yuan yesterday that I would submit the application for formal employment to him by Monday at the latest, I can't really wait until Monday. It's better to do it as soon as possible.

If Tang Zhitong hadn't been thinking of asking Teacher Wang for guidance yesterday afternoon, he could have finished writing at the escort office and slipped it under the door into Fang Yuan's office. Being even a minute late would have been disrespectful to his future.

"Alright, take a day off on the 1st of next month. Let's go to Lao He's place and get the formal employment thing done." Fang Yuan glanced at Tang Zhitong's application and was quite satisfied with its contents.

Tang Zhitong joined the organization last year under the guise of being a dual-management escort. Recently, the Municipal Bureau found out about this and had some objections, complaining that Fang Yuan hadn't processed such an outstanding comrade through the Municipal Bureau. Fang Yuan ignored them.

Last year, Tang Zhitong didn't have such outstanding achievements as she does now. In addition, some people with ulterior motives conducted unfounded investigations against her. Fang Yuan felt that she was already very cultured by not pointing her finger at them and cursing.

"Okay! I'll be at work early!" Tang Zhitong quickly assured him.

"This is a major life event for you, so dress smartly and take care of yourself," Fang Yuan said with a smile.

"Yes, I'll definitely take it more seriously than my wedding. I'll wear my best clothes then," Tang Zhitong replied cheerfully.

When he married Xiao Wang, it was winter, and he was wearing a postal uniform. It wasn't disgraceful, but it wasn't exactly formal either.

Right now, Tang Zhitong's most eye-catching clothes are probably the casual clothes Wu Haiyang gave him, plus the military overcoat from his father. Wearing them out, he would definitely be the most stylish guy on the whole street.

But the weather is unsuitable for wearing it now, so Tang Zhitong decided to go back and ask Xiao Wang to iron the shirt she made for him a while ago, so he could wear a white shirt then.

When Tang Zhitong was leaving get off work, he "bumped into" Wu Gousheng, who had come to pick up Ma Wei from get off work.

Wu Aijun was still a little shy as they entered the early stages of their sweet romance. He felt embarrassed when he saw Tang Zhitong and didn't dare to look her in the eye.

"Comrade Aijun, how dare you come here?" Tang Zhitong was much more composed when facing Wu Aijun, but he still appeared heartbroken, which made Wu Aijun feel guilty as soon as he spoke.

"What, what's wrong?" Wu Aijun's face was now not only shy, but also nervous and guilty. After all, he had told Ma Wei the whole process of his communication with Tang Zhitong, and yesterday he was accused of betraying his friend.

"Ma Wei is the most beautiful girl in our escort department. Now that you've plucked her, those employees who admire Ma Wei won't be able to sleep at night. You'll have to wear a mask when you come over from now on, or you'll be burned to ashes by the jealousy in their eyes. Hahaha..." Tang Zhitong joked with Wu Aijun. As for betraying a friend, it was just a joke.

"Let them be jealous, our feelings are as pure as gold, they can withstand the test of fire!" Upon hearing this, Wu Aijun finally stopped feeling guilty and took the opportunity to confess his feelings to Ma Wei.

Listening to the sweet nothings, Ma Wei no longer cared that Tang Zhitong was beside her. She looked at Wu Aijun with deep affection, feeling an overwhelming sense of security.

"Alright, I'm really looking forward to getting some wedding candy from you two soon." The teasing turned into a mouthful of dog food, and Tang Zhitong was shoved in the face with other people's affection. He said this and pushed his bicycle as if to leave. It was the time to get off work, and when more employees came out, he would inevitably be stared at like a monkey.

The two then realized what was happening and walked out together. Tang Zhitong didn't want to be a third wheel anymore. He walked from the staff entrance onto the main road and parted ways with the two.

After returning home and having dinner, Xiao Wang washed a melon, first bringing it to his nose to deeply inhale its sweet aroma, then handed it to Tang Zhitong: "Do you want some?"

"You eat it, I don't like this kind of food." Tang Zhitong smiled and shook her head, then took out a pen and paper, preparing to write out the sheet music for "The Little Girl Picking Mushrooms" with her classmate Xiao Wang later.

"I've never liked eating fruit this much before, but lately I don't know why, I just really want to eat fruit." When her husband didn't eat it, Ms. Wang neither cut it with a knife nor removed the pulp, but just opened her mouth and started eating it.

"Eat as much as you like, and I'll find some more when you run out. It's almost the end of the fruit season, and watermelons will be in season soon. I'll buy you a big watermelon then, cut it in half, and you can eat it with a spoon. That'll be so satisfying." Tang Zhitong felt comforted seeing Xiao Wang enjoying his food.

When he was preparing the fruit, he originally planned to sell it at a high price to those old-fashioned people and capitalists in the dead of winter to make a profit. Now that Little Wang likes it, let's make those old-fashioned people and capitalists suffer a little more.

"We're hoping the fruit company will bring in more fruit; it's cheaper there. If we buy everything from the market, our combined salaries might not be enough." Xiao Wang had heard about the market prices. While the number of grain sellers had indeed decreased due to the joint crackdown on grain dumping by multiple departments, the prices of fruits not subject to unified sales, such as peaches, apricots, and melons, had risen sharply.

"It's not that exaggerated. There are still fewer fruits being harvested from the trees recently. In a few more days, even if you want to sell them at a high price, you won't be able to sell them unless the fruit farmers are not afraid of them rotting and are holding back all the fruit." Tang Zhitong had heard a little about the prices at the market. The protests were quite big, and many employees from various units were forced to sit down and then taken back by their units for criticism and education.

Liu Chengzhi has been keeping a low profile lately and hasn't been dealing in grain on the black market anymore. Otherwise, he might have been shut down again, and he might have lost his job.

"They probably won't hoard them, right?" Xiao Wang had heard about hoarding a few years ago, but it wasn't about apples, but about strategic materials like cotton and grain, and it took a lot of effort to reverse that.

"Don't worry, this won't happen." Tang Zhitong smiled, completely confident.

Fruit farmers are farmers too. To use a popular phrase, they are inherently limited by their class. Before an organization or individual mobilizes them, most will calculate their immediate gains and losses. Some may be reluctant to sell, but others will not. Once the balance is broken, the price will naturally come down.

If this group were replaced by fruit merchants with a certain market monopoly, the situation would be different, and the phenomenon of "dumping milk" could very well occur.

Besides, nowadays there are joint ventures and communes, so most of the fruit belongs to the collective. What actually flows out to the market is the kind grown in farmers' own yards.

Collective fruit purchases must be handled by fruit companies or supply and marketing cooperatives, where fruit prices are fixed and very affordable. Even if sales are booming and cause a buying frenzy, prices are unlikely to rise.

"Now that you mention it, I'm actually looking forward to it," said Xiao Wang with anticipation.

Although she used to enjoy eating fruits and snacks, the craving wasn't this strong. But now that she's pregnant, her desire for fruit has increased many times over. Today, she couldn't control herself and ate two peaches and a melon. She herself felt it was too extravagant!

"The good days are coming soon, so we can eat as much as we want then. Is there any fruit you particularly want to eat? I'll keep an eye out and buy a lot of it," Tang Zhitong chimed in cheerfully.

"I really want to eat some... Does an apple count? It's not that I absolutely have to eat it, I'm just happy to have peaches right now." After saying that, Xiao Wang became a little embarrassed. Apples are stored fruits, and it had been a while since we'd seen them on the market.

"Of course! Some fruit farmers like to store apples in bamboo baskets in cellars, where they can last for half a year. I'll ask around later." Since Xiao Wang wanted to eat some, Tang Zhitong had to find all sorts of ways to get them. Luckily, he still had some stored in his spatial storage. Ever since he and Brother Ma started making jam, the apples in the cold storage had all gone to factories to earn foreign exchange.

Driven by the demand for foreign exchange, factories have ramped up production, and it's said that there are no apples left to cook.

The claim that fruit farmers were storing apples was just an excuse for Tang Zhitong to plunder apples from available space. Given the food shortage in rural areas last winter, Tang Zhitong did not believe that such food was still available in rural areas.

Of course, the world is so big, if you really want to find it, you definitely can.

The ideal latitude for apple growth is 35-50 degrees. Apples in the Northern Hemisphere will have to wait a few more months before they can be harvested, while apples in the Southern Hemisphere have already been harvested, right?

Countries like South Africa, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia probably all produce apples, right?

However, due to limited capabilities, I could neither fly over nor persuade importers, so in the end I had to rely on myself.

"I don't know if it's the medicine Dr. Lü prescribed that worked, or if the fruit stimulated my appetite, but I didn't vomit today." Feeling a little guilty for asking her husband for this out-of-season food for the first time, Xiao Wang started making excuses for herself.

"No matter the reason, as long as you don't throw up, that's fine. I'll take care of buying the fruit." Tang Zhitong noticed Xiao Wang's embarrassment and couldn't help but admire this girl's talent.

In the past, he had seen pregnant women ask their husbands to go out and buy out-of-season fruit in the middle of the night, only to say they didn't want to eat it after it was bought.

Unlike Xiao Wang, who feels guilty even while eating fruit?

"Buy it if you can, otherwise it's fine. If there's no fruit, there are cucumbers." As Xiao Wang spoke, he pointed to the yard, and his dimples came into Tang Zhitong's view again.

"Eat without worrying about it. Oh, don't eat the melon seeds, they might be bitter." Tang Zhitong felt terrible seeing her son, Xiao Wang, putting even the melon seeds in his mouth. This child was so eager for fruit, and she still had to consider the "reasonableness" of it all. It was really hard for her.

"It's not bitter, it tastes good, and the flesh is sweeter than a melon. Try it if you don't believe me." Little Wang remained unmoved.

"I believe you, you can eat it." Tang Zhitong shook her head. The melons were the same ones she bought last time. Since Xiao Wang likes them, she would like to get some more if she had the chance.

"Okay, I'll wash my hands, let's write the score." The melon wasn't very big to begin with, and Xiao Wang ate until only the stem was left. Even then, he didn't forget to lick the juice that had dripped onto his palm.

Tang Zhitong felt a pang of sadness at the sight of that lick, which strengthened her resolve to promptly provide fruit for Xiao Wang.

When Xiao Wang is focused, he is very efficient. He finished writing the lyrics and music in less than an hour.

"My memory is still pretty good, isn't it?" Looking at the finished product, Tang Zhitong began to show off to her classmate Xiao Wang. Last night, she was worried that she had forgotten.

"Mmm, my man is the best!" Little Wang gave her husband a quick kiss. This wasn't just a piece of paper; it was her royalties! And even more so, fruit!
"Hehe." After a bowl of bewitching soup, Tang Zhitong was so happy he almost lost his bearings.

Every couple has to deal with the mundane details of daily life, but if they can recognize each other's strengths and praise them, even the most ordinary days can be enjoyable.

"Oh, right, Liu Yue replied to my letter. She said her due date is in about twenty days, and if we can't get together before she gives birth, we'll wait until after she gives birth." When Xiao Wang was looking for stationery and an envelope to write a letter to Yang Lin, the editor at China National Radio, she remembered Liu Yue's letter.

"From what she's saying, she seems to be leaning towards a postpartum gathering, so let's get together after she gives birth. I'll also write a letter to Yang Ge and Ma San Ge to let them know." Tang Zhitong said, pulling out a chair and taking out some stationery.

I always keep letter paper, envelopes, and stamps at home. After writing, I simply fill in the sender and recipient information, affix the stamp, and tomorrow I just drop it into the mailbox.

After finishing the letter, while washing her feet, Tang Zhitong chatted with her classmate Xiao Wang about the progress of Wu Aijun and Ma Wei's relationship.

"Gou Sheng is doing well, he's made something of himself. I never realized it before." Xiao Wang was very happy for his childhood friend after hearing this.

"You're lucky you didn't notice. If you had, I wouldn't be in this situation." Recalling the past, Tang Zhitong was very emotional. He had to thank Director Ye for her open-mindedness. If she had insisted on playing matchmaker back then, he probably would have missed out on this treasure of a girl.

"Go away, you're almost a father, how can you talk nonsense? I can tell he has nothing to do with it, and I don't have the same feelings for him as I do for you." Xiao Wang rolled her eyes at her husband, dissatisfied with his lack of confidence in each other.

"Hehe, that shows you have a discerning eye, and it also shows that the God of Love tied us together with a steel bar, and no one can cut it. Go to sleep, pregnant women need to get enough sleep." Tang Zhitong took a foot towel, wiped Xiao Wang's feet, and then went to pour out the foot bath water.

"Don't talk nonsense. People use red ropes, I've never seen anyone use steel bars to tie the knot." The mention of steel bars tying the knot made Xiao Wang laugh again. She had only been dispelling superstitions for two or three years, but she had been in the city for more than ten years and was familiar with the pantheon of gods in Beijing. Although she had never prayed for marriage, she was no stranger to the Old Man Under the Moon.

"Oh, you even know about red ropes? Did you ask for one before?" Tang Zhitong poured out the foot bath water, turned off the light, took off his clothes, and lay down next to Xiao Wang. The straw mat was still usable for now, but in a few days, it would probably be too hot to use.

"I never prayed for it, but when I was in dance school, I went to the Sansheng Temple with my classmates on Sundays. There was an old locust tree in the Sansheng Temple, with red ropes tied all over it." Xiao Wang recalled his days at school, how he would relieve stress by going to the park with his classmates after intense training.

"Did you secretly get a higher degree? Otherwise, how could you find such a capable young talent as me?" Tang Zhitong teased Xiao Wang.

"Pah! We were all carefully selected, and we all have faith. How could we do such a thing? But I've discovered another good point about you." With the lights off, Xiao Wang blinked her big eyes in the darkness, but she couldn't see her husband's expression. However, she guessed he was probably very vain.

"I have many strengths, so this one more won't bother me. But since you've discovered it, I'm happy to hear about it."

"Thick-skinned, bulletproof." In the pitch black, Xiao Wang touched her husband's face and then playfully poked it twice with her finger.

(End of this chapter)