Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 885 884 Has Sister-in-law Liu returned?

Fun fact: Telephone lines have a higher power supply rating than residential electricity.

Even if there were citywide power outages in Beijing, the telephone lines would most likely still have power.

Tang Zhitong went to make the call alone, without anyone accompanying him. It wasn't that the others were being malicious, but they were probably worried that Tang Zhitong might say he didn't bring any money.

The call reached Qinjiacun Village. Tang Zhitong explained the situation and asked the staff on duty to pass on the message to Chu Chunxue as soon as possible, and to ask her to come back.

Tang Zhitong did not mention the matter of succession on the phone.

Even if Liu Chengzhi had made a thousand or ten thousand mistakes, he is now gone. It is said that even a day of marriage is worth a hundred days of kindness. If Chu Chunxue does not even remember this old affection, forcibly luring her back will only result in a mess.

Back at the iron wheel handle, some neighbors had already gone home for dinner. Liu Chengzhi had a workplace, and since he died in the line of duty, most of his affairs had been handled by his workplace.

The details of his funeral arrangements, including the scale and style, will be decided after Chu Chunxue returns. If she doesn't return, Old Lü will likely handle everything himself. In any case, he has already stated that no one will be carrying the funeral banners or other traditional decorations, and everything should be kept simple.

When Tang Zhitong returned home, Zhang Guifang inevitably asked him a few questions, but she didn't scold her son for being nosy. Instead, she thought he had done the right thing.
"Of all the Liu family members, only Chunxue is sensible. She has been married into the Liu family for so many years and her child is so grown up, yet she has returned to her parents' home."

"Since Chengzhi is gone, it's not a loss for her to come and see him off; at least she can take over, and her future will at least be secure."

"There might still be a mountain of debts, and I don't know if the funeral expenses and compensation will be enough to cover the hole." Tang Zhitong could roughly guess why Lao Lü didn't want to call Chu Chunxue back; it was nothing more than a matter of money.

In recent years, the Liu family has taken a lot of money from Lao Lü under the pretext of providing for his old age and funeral. Although the two families had a falling out recently, the Liu family's difficulties are still out in the open. Even if Lao Lü wanted to collect the debt, he probably wouldn't get much back.

But now the situation is different. Liu Chengzhi is gone, and the funeral expenses alone amount to three months' salary. In the case of the Liu family, the maximum amount of compensation they can receive is 50% of their monthly salary, so they have the first payment.

“Even if it’s not enough, there’s always someone to take over. As long as there’s work, we can pay it back slowly,” Zhang Guifang said matter-of-factly.

"I hope so." Tang Zhitong smiled, feeling that things weren't so simple.

The funeral expenses will have to cover Liu Chengzhi's cremation, urn, and burial plot costs, and there may not be much left over.

Given Old Lü and Liu Zhangshi's old, worn-out legs, Old Lü probably wouldn't dare to try to get the compensation money, so all that's left is work.

Tang Zhitong felt that Lao Lü might be taking advantage of Chu Chunxue's lack of knowledge and using this job to settle accounts.

As long as Chu Chunxue doesn't come back, once Liu Zhangshi and Liu Jiaming are released from prison, Lao Lü will give them the compensation and promise that Liu Jiaming will take over his job when he grows up. Then this matter will be over.

After the meal, the power went out again in the flower market area.

Tang Zhitong suddenly remembered telephone lines. Residential electricity was cut off, but telephone lines remained powered. What if they could make a telephone light…

However, Tang Zhitong immediately dismissed the idea.

If you want to use a telephone light, you first need to have a telephone at home.

To have a telephone, one's rank became a mandatory requirement.

I'm old enough to use a telephone, how could my home possibly have a power outage?
Furthermore, regardless of the type of electricity used, stealing electricity is illegal, and using telephone lights hinders one's progress and is unacceptable!
Zhang Guifang struck a match and beckoned Fengzhen to bring the kerosene lamp, intending to use a single match to find and light the lamp.

Although there are no purchase restrictions on matches yet, there are signs of supply shortages, and occasional sell-outs occur.

The kerosene lamp was lit, and Xiao Wang nudged her husband: "Shall we go catch some more cicada nymphs?"

“You’re not allowed to go. Chengzhi just lost his child, and you’re pregnant. Going out could easily cause him to be injured. And you, you’re the only man in our family. You have plenty of yang energy. If you stay home and stay with him, he won’t dare to come.” This was the first time Zhang Guifang had so clearly stopped her daughter-in-law from doing something, and she also made clear arrangements for her son.

“Fine, we won’t go then,” Tang Zhitong said on behalf of Xiao Wang.

From the crackdown on the sorcerers in Beijing, the suppression of superstition continued until the 1980s. However, due to the limited understanding of the public, many people still privately accepted this belief to some extent.

The most striking example is that when a child in the family has a headache or fever, instead of going to the doctor, they take out a bowl and chopsticks, fill the bowl with half a bowl of water and stand the chopsticks upright. If the chopsticks stand upright, it means they have guessed the suspect correctly, and they will either try to persuade him with kind words, coerce or bribe him, or curse him out. In short, they will try to drive that person away.

Matches were in short supply, and kerosene was almost gone too. To save kerosene, Zhang Guifang sent the young couple back to their room, intending to go to bed early.

It was still early, so they returned to their room. The young couple couldn't sleep at all, and after talking for a while, they almost got into a fight.

Xiao Wang is clever and skillful. Relying on his kung fu skills, he used a set of "Dragon Hand" moves to subdue Tang Zhitong completely.

"Fengzhen and Jingying will be on vacation soon, so Mom should be contacting music school teachers for them soon. You study music theory, right? I'll ask Mom to help you find a teacher." After cleaning up the mess and tidying himself up, Xiao Wang blew out the lamp, lay back down next to Tang Zhitong, and brought up the old topic again.

"Okay, I'll learn it. After I finish, I can write songs and earn royalties. But we have to do group military training in August, so I can only go in July at the latest." Tang Zhitong entered a state of deep thought, considering the days ahead. Little Wang is due to give birth next year, and her nutrition cannot be interrupted during this period. More income means more excuses, so I have to catch up on this course.

"I'll tell Mom later." Little Wang yawned and pulled the blanket over their stomachs.

"By the way, ask Qingqing later if Xiao Gu is free during the summer vacation. Let's ask him to tutor Jingmin and Fengzhi again this year." Since the topic of tutoring classes came up, Tang Zhitong naturally thought of Xiao Gu. This tutoring cannot be interrupted. It would be best to tutor him for five consecutive years until he graduates.

“He’s in the same class as Qingqing, and you know his address. Why don’t you just write to him and ask? If he refuses, Qingqing will be caught in the middle and put in a difficult position.” Although Xiao Wang thought Xiao Gu was nice, she still cared more about her friend.

“You’re right to think that way, but Qingqing set up this connection for us, so it wouldn’t be good to bypass her, would it? How about this, we’ll ask her to put in a good word for us this year, starting from winter break, and I’ll contact him.” Tang Zhitong scratched his head. A gentleman’s friendship is as light as water, and he really should strengthen his correspondence.

Thursday, March 6th.

The first day of final exams for the Wired Department.

The exam for the first course was scheduled for the second period in the morning. After dropping off Xiao Wang, Tang Zhitong went to Xinhua Bookstore and bought a copy of "Famous Chinese Recipes".

This recipe book was sponsored by an authoritative organization and co-sponsored by relevant departments in various regions.

The dishes in each collection are local specialties or classic representatives of their respective cuisines. Many of these dishes would probably be illegal to even look at, let alone eat, many years later.

A couple of days ago at the technical school, Tang Zhitong glanced at the contents of the book. The recipes were written in great detail, and some even had illustrations to make them easier for readers to understand.

He's at least a level two chef. Even if he can't eat these dishes in the future, he should at least know how to make some of them, right?
After buying "Chinese Famous Dishes Recipe", Tang Zhitong also bought a "Xinhua Dictionary".

The dictionary was a gift for Yu Ying. I wonder how well this girl is doing with her self-study. I hope she gets better and better.

Tang Zhitong threw away the "Chinese Famous Dishes Recipe" and put the Xinhua Dictionary in his handbag. When he entered the Post and Telecommunications Institute, the first thing he did was go to the research class.

"How is it? Are they all out yet?" Tang Zhitong greeted the group of "fathers" of the chicks as he entered the room.

"Most of them have already come out, lively and energetic." Shi Zhengze hadn't slept all night, his eyes bloodshot as he scooped up a chirping chick and held it up to Tang Zhitong, looking at the chick with a gratified expression, as if he were looking at his proud son.

"That's good. It seems your invention is a great success. Whether the people of the whole country can have eggs at every meal in the future depends entirely on you." Tang Zhitong patted Shi Zhengze and encouraged him with a cheerful smile.

"I will definitely work hard!" Inspired by this dose of motivation, Shi Zhengze seemed to see families all over the country eating eggs around the table, and he became even more excited.

"Good luck! Oh, by the way, I have a dictionary here. Give it to Yu Ying when you go to the farm. I'm not doing well on my exam. Please tell her to study hard and try to become literate as soon as possible." Tang Zhitong said, taking out a Xinhua Dictionary from his bag.

"Don't worry, Teacher Tang, I guarantee I'll complete the task!" Shi Zhengze took the dictionary, bent down, and put the chick back into the box made of nailed wooden boards.

"Thank you, but I have an exam today and have to go back." Tang Zhitong glanced at the time, patted Shi Zhengze on the shoulder again, and left.

Back in the classroom, Tang Zhitong originally planned to cram at the last minute, but Luo Zhiping told him that Teacher Zhou had invited him.

Tang Zhitong had just seen Teacher Zhou yesterday when he delivered the grain coupons, and now Teacher Zhou had summoned him again after only half a day. Tang Zhitong felt that something must have happened, so he didn't dare to delay and hurried to the office.

"Xiao Tang, you've been named a National Outstanding College Student!" Zhou Zheng, unusually excited, stood up when he saw Tang Zhitong enter.

"What?" Tang Zhitong was stunned. The news came too suddenly. There were already outstanding college students at this time? When did he make the shortlist? Who selected him? How was he selected?

"Are you so happy you've gone mad? Get ready, the education department will be holding an awards ceremony at Tsinghua University on the 30th, and they intend for you to speak as a student representative. Prepare well." From the beginning, Zhou Zheng had high hopes for the student in front of him, believing that he would definitely achieve something in the future, but he didn't expect this day to come so soon.

"Teacher Zhou, um... why was I selected? Which direction should I prepare my speech for?" Tang Zhitong didn't want to speak at all, but he knew that this was not something Teacher Zhou could decide, so he didn't bring it up to make things difficult for Teacher Zhou.

However, before speaking, you must understand why you were selected so that you can prepare your speech accordingly.

"It must be because of your achievements in the research class. Not only did you give hope to premature babies, but the incubator also helps agricultural development. And that artificial rainmaking project has benefited so many people across the country! It's all over the eight major universities, saying how you guided the School of Mechanical Engineering." Professor Zhou smiled happily, answering as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"That's not true. I was just daydreaming. The artificial rainmaking is thanks to the joint efforts of the faculty and students of the School of Mechanical Engineering. I am grateful to Professor Zhou for his guidance. Without your trust and indulgence, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today." Although Professor Zhou spoke with confidence, Tang Zhitong perceived it as baseless. It seems he didn't understand why he was selected.

However, Teacher Zhou's words reminded Tang Zhitong that when he went to the Academy of Sciences to report the good news to Qiu Han about the incubator a while ago, Qiu Han mentioned that the education department had specifically praised him, but that was because of the super magnet. It seems that it was because of the super magnet.

As for artificial rainmaking, Tang Zhitong didn't want to get involved, because when he talked to Huo Xiaoping about the issue of grain rationing last time, Huo mentioned that some people used the excuse that artificial rainmaking could increase rice production to prevent the reduction of the rationing in Beijing.

Everything has two sides. Just like Xiao Wang said that he shouldn't have accepted Ruan Yan's request. If he were in that position, stopping the reduction of quotas would be fighting for the welfare of the residents of Beijing. But the key is that he wasn't in that position.

I took two exams today, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The state of mind of the sponsored students after the exams is similar to that of last winter break. Passing is all that matters; any more points would be a waste.

Tang Zhitong estimated that he could pass. He had done all the questions he knew how to do, and he hadn't left any questions blank either. He might even get two points for the neatness of the paper.

After finishing the exam, Tang Zhitong didn't linger at school; he put "Chinese Famous Recipes" into his bag.

On ordinary days, when resources are limited, it's hard to think of what to eat. Now that we have a menu, Xiao Wang can order whatever he wants.

Although Tang Zhitong couldn't pluck stars or the moon for Xiao Wang, he could still satisfy her cravings.

Even if there are things you don't know, there are still Ma Kejian, Zheng Liangcai and Wang Fusheng, you can go and ask them for help!

After picking up their classmate Xiao Wang from the National Library, the couple returned home together.

It's the same old iron wheel handle, and today there's still a crowd gathered around it.

However, today was different from yesterday. There was a small table in front of the water room, with writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone on it. Old Master Zhu was sitting in front of the table, obviously the one who kept accounts for the Liu family.

According to the old customs of Beijing, for all weddings and funerals, there would be an accountant to collect and record the gifts. Firstly, the accounts would be organized; secondly, the host would have a reference when returning gifts; and thirdly, perhaps it would be to see who was inconsiderate and did not give a gift.

Tang Zhitong left her bicycle under the gate as usual, asked Xiao Wang to help her put her bag back home, and then returned to the information center by herself.

"Uncle Zhu, did my mother give a gift?" Tang Zhitong walked to the table and looked around. There was indeed only a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone; there wasn't even a pack of cigarettes.

"I gave it to you early this morning, and it's in your name," Grandpa Zhu replied readily when Tang Zhitong asked.

"Alright, thank you, Uncle Zhu. It's been years since I've seen this set of furniture." Since his mother had already given a gift, Tang Zhitong gave up the idea of ​​paying. However, this matter was a bit unusual. The authorities had been advocating for simplified weddings and funerals for several years, and this old custom had long since disappeared. Yesterday, Old Lu said that Liu Chengzhi's funeral should be simplified, so why was the small table brought out again?
"Hey, Old Lu said the Liu family is in trouble. They have elderly parents to support and young children to raise. Their pillar of support is gone just like that. He asked everyone to do their part to show their support." After saying this, Grandpa Zhu smacked his lips twice.

"You've thought of that quite thoroughly. Has Sister-in-law Liu returned?" Tang Zhitong was speechless. Old Lu really doesn't let go of any opportunity to make money. If Chu Chunxue hadn't returned, it's uncertain who would have ended up with the money.

(End of this chapter)