Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 883 882 You Shouldn't Have Agreed

Some say that people eat noodles on the summer solstice because the new wheat has been harvested and people want to taste it.

Zhang Guifang uses ordinary flour to make hand-pulled noodles; it's not new flour.

To make this batch of hand-pulled noodles, she sifted the flour in a basket beforehand to remove the bran.

Nowadays, whether making hand-pulled noodles or dumplings, any food that is directly put into the water must be sieved.

If it's not sieved, it will probably turn into noodle soup when it's cooked.

The sifted wheat bran is not wasted; it is poured back into the flour bag and mixed in when steaming buns next time. The whole family will use it up after eating a few buns with a high bran content.

The starch broth that Tang Zhitong strained while making gluten for the three girls today wasn't wasted. Zhang Guifang put it in a basin to settle, and it can be used to make soup tomorrow, or directly to knead dough.

Use a strainer to scoop the hand-pulled noodles out of the pot. Hold the strainer up and down vertically above the pot a few times, using inertia to gently pull the noodles out while the boiling water isn't looking. Then plunge one end of the noodles into cold water to cool them down, and then scoop them out again to make cold noodles.

Cold noodles with gravy are a delicious treat for the whole family.

As for the cold purslane salad, Xiao Wang didn't get to eat it because Zhang Guifang said it's not good for pregnant women.

Xiao Wang wasn't disappointed at not being able to eat purslane, because she found the stir-fried pork with chili peppers even more delicious. Not only did she not vomit after eating, but her mother-in-law also didn't seem unhappy. On the contrary, she thought it was a good thing that Xiao Wang had an appetite.

Tang Zhitong watched with a smile, feeling a sense of comfort in her heart.

Recently, Tang Zhitong and his mother discussed and decided to slightly increase the rations for each family member, with the aim of gaining weight and storing up energy for the upcoming reduction in rations.

After dinner, Fengzhi was still thinking about roasted cicadas and begged her mother to make them for her, so the task fell to Tang Zhitong.

As a former boy, Tang Zhitong did roast cicadas when he was young. And like Feng Zhi, he removed the cicada's wings, claws, head, and tail, only eating the lean meat on its back.

Back then, we'd light a bundle of grass, throw in the cicada meat, and wait for the fire to go out. Whether it was cooked or not, it tasted delicious.

Now that we have a stove at home, there's no need to light an extra fire. Just put the cicadas that have been marinated in salt water on the stove lid and roast them for two or three minutes on each side before eating.

The stove was outside the door. As the aroma of meat wafted out, Beibei stopped courting. She raised her front paws and stood upright on her hind legs, meowing longingly at the stove.

Who can resist a soft, sweet voice?
Of course it's Tang Zhitong!
Fengzhi was supervising the work from the side, because the protein that had been exposed to light would be difficult to give to Beibei.

After roasting the cicadas, Tang Zhitong put them all in a bowl and had Fengzhi bring them inside, while he secretly fed Beibei two small fish outside.

Back inside, Fengzhi, who had already eaten two bowls of noodles that evening, announced to the cook, holding up a cicada, "Delicious!"

"Hey, if I make you a serving the traditional way, you'll be so happy you'll bite your tongue." Tang Zhitong wasn't particularly interested in cicadas; as a native of Shandong Province, he actually preferred eating cicada nymphs.

In the mid-to-late 1990s, cicada nymphs could sell for five cents each in rural Shandong Province. Thirty years later, they would cost two yuan each, more expensive than beef.

As for cicadas, even if the price is halved, there's no guarantee anyone will buy them.

"What ancient method?" Little Wang had clearly never eaten cicadas before. He ate them cautiously, but he was also enjoying them.

"It's also grilled cicadas, but they're skewered on bamboo sticks, grilled over charcoal, brushed with oil, and sprinkled with cumin, chili powder, and salt. The taste is absolutely authentic!" On this hot day, Tang Zhitong was craving some barbecue: cicada nymphs for eight yuan a skewer, lamb skewers, heart tubes, bone marrow, and pork carcasses for one and a half yuan each, plus a few mugs of draft beer…

Oh my, my mouth is watering!

“I don’t believe it. How many years has chili pepper been introduced to China? How ancient can this method you’re talking about be?” Xiao Wang tore off a piece of meat from the cicada’s back and held it to her husband’s mouth.

"Then let's not add chili powder. This way of eating has existed since the Han Dynasty." Tang Zhitong opened his mouth, and Xiao Wang's slender fingers reached forward, and the cicada meat went into his mouth.

There's nothing that can be done if Xiao Wang doesn't believe it; perhaps the artifacts depicting roasted cicadas haven't been unearthed yet.

After eating two roasted cicadas, Fengzhi was still not satisfied and kept saying she wanted more.

"How about we stick some more on?" Little Wang wasn't much better off, blinking her big eyes as she looked at her husband.

"It's already dark, so we won't be able to stick anything. But we can use a flashlight to spot the cicada nymphs." Tang Zhitong stroked his stubble, slightly worried. Pregnancy makes you stupid for three years. It's already dark outside, and Xiao Wang can still ask such a question. It seems like there are already some signs.

"Shall we get a flashlight?" Although Xiao Wang asked in a solicitous tone, the expectation in his eyes was not well hidden and was seen by Tang Zhitong.

“Great! Let’s take a flashlight and go spot the cicada nymphs!” Fengzhi clapped her hands in agreement.

"Have you finished your homework? What business is it of yours to catch cicadas?!" Zhang Guifang hugged her clueless daughter and then twisted her ear to do her homework.

"Let's go." Tang Zhitong smiled and stood up.

Not long after my mother said that meat coupons could be used to buy canned goods, the supply of raw meat in grocery stores and butcher shops has been decreasing, and as of today, it has been out of stock for several days.

Although there was no raw meat, grocery stores and butcher shops provided residents with cooked meat and offal products in addition to canned meat. These were purchased with meat coupons and were not considered substitutes because they were more expensive.

There was still some salted pork left over from the previous cooking session at home, so Zhang Guifang held onto her meat ration coupons, waiting to use them all when the next batch of raw meat was available.

Tang Zhitong tried to persuade her, but it was no use. Zhang Guifang still held onto hope, thinking that the authorities wouldn't abandon the lives of ordinary people, after all, this was Beijing!

Tang Zhitong had no choice but to let his mother do as she pleased, since she wouldn't listen. However, Zhang Guifang relented and said that if there was no raw meat by the end of the month, they would buy cooked meat, as they couldn't let the meat coupons expire.

The young couple took a flashlight and headed towards Baiqiao along Huashi Street.

On the way, Tang Zhitong shared the latest developments of Ma Wei and Wu Aijun with Xiao Wang. After hearing her husband recommend that they buy back seats to watch the movie, Xiao Wang gently pinched her husband and said coquettishly, "You're so naughty. They'll realize it one day, and then we'll see how you face them."

"Hey, they might even thank me when they realize what's going on. Besides, even if they have the nerve to say it, as long as I don't admit it, they'll be the ones who are embarrassed." Tang Zhitong didn't care about this. Gou Sheng was none other than a friend of his and his wife. He only told these kinds of jokes with close friends, and in front of outsiders, he always presented a righteous and noble image.

"I'm grateful to you, but I'm afraid they'll make fun of you. Since you know to sit in the back row at the movies, you must have done the same thing before. How am I supposed to face them?" What Xiao Wang was really worried about wasn't her husband's teaching and guidance, but how she would face her friends.

"Hey, if they laugh at me, it means they understand the trick. Then we'll all be on equal footing. Don't blame your older brother, we'll just exchange a knowing smile. Relax, it's nothing." Tang Zhitong was taken aback. It was true. He'd been so busy giving pointers to a pair of newbies that he hadn't considered this possibility. But it was too late now; he could only hope for a tacit understanding between adults. "Aren't there any stray dogs around here? That kid from the Liu family stole our chickens last time, and he said there were stray dogs around here." It was the end of the lunar month, the sky was dotted with stars, and there was no moonlight. Stepping out of the flower market street, it was pitch black, and Xiao Wang was a little worried.

"It's alright, if there are stray dogs, we'll have an extra meal." Tang Zhitong wasn't afraid of wild boars, so why would he be afraid of stray dogs? Even so, he still activated his spatial radar to scan.

“We only brought a bucket, not a stick or anything.” Xiao Wang grabbed her husband’s arm and looked around warily.

"If you're scared, we can go home. I'll come over myself tomorrow," Tang Zhitong kindly suggested, feeling the pressure in Xiao Wang's hand.

"Hmph, I'm not afraid at all! Let's go, head towards the cicada nymphs!" Little Wang continued to exert force with his flashlight, pointing the way.

Tang Zhitong chuckled to himself, finally understanding where Jingmin's stubbornness came from.

Although cicadas have been chirping in the trees these past few days, signaling the arrival of summer, it hasn't rained for almost a month, and the ground is incredibly hard. Looking down at the trees, the two found themselves in a lonely situation.

"Why isn't it here?" Xiao Wang asked, somewhat disappointed.

"Maybe it's not their work start time yet, or maybe they don't work here. Let's go check over there." As someone who doesn't want to spoil the fun, Tang Zhitong sensed Xiao Wang's anticipation and naturally offered her a helping hand.

Cicada nymph: Who is knocking on my window?

Tang Zhitong: Gently awaken your sleeping soul, slowly open your eyes.

Tang Zhitong used his special ability to pull the cicada nymphs that were sleeping in their burrows out to work.

How can leeks, which are either eaten by humans or fed to birds, be allowed to sleep in the prime of their lives?
When the time came, Tang Zhitong ultimately didn't use up last year's stock. The famine would continue, so he'd keep those as backup plans.

"Hey! Here's one!"

"There's one more!"

At this moment, Xiao Wang no longer cared about the stray dogs. She seemed to have transformed into a little girl picking mushrooms. Wherever the light shone, there was a cicada nymph in three or four out of ten places. Some were crawling on the ground, some were climbing up the trees, and a few were still asleep on the ground.

Tang Zhitong happily carried the bucket behind her, becoming the little girl's dedicated bamboo basket.

Both of them were very happy, but Tang Zhitong did not exhaust the resources. He let Xiao Wang take pictures of forty or fifty birds and then stopped, so as to leave some summer joy for other children in the neighborhood.

"There are quite a few! Enough for a plate!" After circling around twice more and confirming that there were no more cicada nymphs, Xiao Wang looked at the insects trying to climb out of the bucket and swallowed hard.

"So you wanted to eat them? Did you deliberately suggest catching cicadas at home earlier?" Apart from the occasional chirping of insects and the rustling of small animals, the grove was very quiet at night. Tang Zhitong heard Xiao Wang swallowing.

"Hmph, didn't you say I needed to make sure I got enough nutrition? Not only can I eat this myself, but everyone can get some nutrition too!" Feeling quite proud of his achievement, Xiao Wang said.

"Not bad, not bad, you've learned and applied it well, worthy of praise." Tang Zhitong nodded in satisfaction, and little Wang was one step further away from the "pregnancy brain" syndrome.

"Let's come again tomorrow night! Twenty a day is enough. Even if there's no meat in the market, we won't be afraid." Xiao Wang tilted her chin up 10 degrees, met Tang Zhitong's sharp eyebrows, and discussed with her husband.

"Come if you want." Since Xiao Wang was considering his family's situation, Tang Zhitong could only support him and certainly couldn't object.

However, cicada nymphs are not a renewable resource. If Xiao Wang becomes obsessed and insists on coming every day, the cicada nymphs under this land will soon be wiped out. At that time, we will definitely have to use the space reserves, and we don't know how long we can last.

Coming here every day has both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is that you can eat cicada nymphs at home every day. The disadvantage is that you have to accompany them. If Xiao Wang comes alone, he probably won't catch any.

In any case, it's good to be able to legitimately supplement the family's protein supply. If the reserves in the space are also gone, then we'll consider catching cicadas with fire.

If you light a bunch of open flames late at night and kick the tree trunk a couple of times, the cicadas will be startled and fly into the fire, much like moths to a flame.

As for whether the children in the neighborhood will still have the joy of summer, Tang Zhitong felt that missing a year or two wouldn't matter much.

For the sake of Xiao Wang and his family, the bottom line is this flexible...

Back home, I scooped two ladles of water into a bucket to create an artificial swimming pool for the cicada nymphs, so they could learn to swim in it.

If you learn to swim well, you might be able to climb out.

If any of them manage to climb out after a night of effort, Tang Zhitong felt that Fengzhi would simply throw them back in without him having to lift a finger.

Back in the room, Tang Zhitong wrote back to his two half-brothers, while Xiao Wang found their old clothes, spread them out on the bed, and picked through them.

Xiao Wang plans to repurpose the unwearable clothes into diapers or baby clothes, depending on how worn they are.

After Tang Zhitong finished his work, Xiao Wang was still tidying up. After learning about the situation, Tang Zhitong was both amused and exasperated: "It's only been a few months, and you're already planning a bit too far ahead."

"While I'm still healthy, I'll do everything I can, instead of just leaving everything to Mom, right?" Little Wang would never admit that her overflowing maternal love was just to lighten her mother-in-law's burden.

"Oh, you're such a thoughtful daughter-in-law. But I feel bad for you doing all that work. How about we let the baby wear these clothes? By the time our baby is born, Yang Ge's little Guang will be all grown up, and the clothes will be retired." Little Wang was six months pregnant, and Tang Zhitong didn't argue with the pregnant woman, going along with her wishes.

As for Fengzhi's childhood clothes, they have long since disappeared. Zhang Guifang used them up from sewing and mending shoes.

“It’s not like Yang Ge and his wife only have one child. Who knows, they might have another one after us. If we can handle it ourselves, we shouldn’t bother others.” Little Wang kept working and patiently sorted the items.

"Hmm, you make a good point." Xiao Wang sorted through the papers, while Tang Zhitong stood beside her, helping to sort them. When she couldn't persuade her, she recounted how Ruan Yan had asked her to find Yan Xiongfei that day.

“You shouldn’t have agreed. Public matters and private matters cannot be mixed up. If you were in the escort department’s shoes, it would be barely acceptable to fight for some benefits for your employees. But you’re just a student at the Post and Telecommunications Institute, and you can’t offer Director Yan anything. This is inappropriate.” Upon hearing this, Xiao Wang stopped what she was doing and frowned as she analyzed the situation for her husband.

"Who can argue with that? He put me in a difficult position by bringing up the heating problem for the entire school, so I couldn't refuse. I'll just go visit Director Yan later and consider that my best effort." Xiao Wang's analysis made sense, and Tang Zhitong felt that the saying "pregnancy makes you stupid for three years" might not apply to Xiao Wang.

(End of this chapter)