Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 888, Chapter 887: Not Betraying the Working Class

"Hey, what era are we living in? How come there are still people promoting feudal superstition? How about this, you summon Xiao Liu here, even if he possesses you, I'll talk to him about the debt, okay?" The burly man being scolded didn't buy it and, in front of the onlookers, gave Old Zhu a good beating.

"You..." Faced with this insolent person, Old Zhu felt as if a fly the size of a walnut had blocked his throat. He couldn't spit it out, nor could he swallow it down. He was stuck in the middle, feeling extremely disgusted.

"Oh, you can't step in? That's troublesome. Why don't you help settle the debt? Little Liu is gone, and several people are eyeing his wife. If you settle the debt, you might just win her heart." The burly man grinned, not caring what Old Zhu thought, and kept teasing him.

Old Zhu was a man of pride; at his age, being accused of having designs on a widow nearly made him faint.

"How can you talk like that? Didn't your parents teach you to respect the elderly and care for the young?" The onlookers remained silent, but the newly appointed security guard, Uncle Wu, couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to uphold justice.

"Hey, old man, are you thinking about that young widow? Or are you feeling sorry for this one? Why don't you lend a hand and settle the debt?" The burly man was determined to collect the money and would harass anyone he could get his hands on.

Having said that, he no longer paid attention to Old Wu's expression, took out the IOU handwritten by Liu Chengzhi from his pocket, and displayed it in a circle with both hands:

"Neighbors, it's not that I'm unreasonable, nor that I don't respect the elderly and care for the young."

Since ancient times, it has been a matter of course to pay back debts.

This is an IOU written and fingerprinted by Liu Chengzhi himself. I'm here to collect the debt, right?
To put it bluntly, even if everyone within a hundred miles is hoping for something to happen to Liu Chengzhi, I wouldn't be hoping for it, since the debts haven't been settled yet.

"We all have elderly parents to support and young children to raise. We have several mouths to feed from the moment we open our eyes. You are all reasonable people; you can't just ignore our lives after someone in the Liu family died, can you?"

"But Xiao Liu was just buried, you can't come knocking on his door to collect debts at this critical juncture, can you?" Seeing the burly man begin to reason, someone in the crowd finally spoke up again.

"Gentlemen, I'm just a rough fellow. I may have done something wrong just now. Please forgive me and don't hold it against me. I apologize." The burly man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he put away the IOU, changed his demeanor, and cupped his hands to Old Zhu and Old Wu, giving himself a way out and saving face for them as well.

Having said that, the burly man, without lowering his hand, gestured to the surroundings and continued:
"To be honest, I didn't want to come today. Now that I'm here, I feel like I'm a generation lower than Liu Chengzhi. I had to kowtow to him as soon as I entered the house."

But I couldn't not come. Liu Chengzhi is heavily in debt; if I'm late, I'll be stuck with this IOU.

"It's no use you coming. How much is the funeral fee? His family has no money." The Liu family used to be prosperous, but since the strict rationing of grain, their lives have become worse day by day, and many neighbors have seen it.

"Hey, I heard yesterday that someone's been looking around for people who want to work. They're willing to pay to take Liu Chengzhi's place. As long as his wife sells her job, the money'll come in, right?" The burly man pointed in the direction of Liu Chengzhi's former workplace and said.

"How shameless! If you sell your job, how will Xiao Chu's family starve?"

"Is this some kind of good thing? They don't even consider our neighbors."

Some people disapproved of the strong man's actions, while others felt that the Liu family's handling of the matter was unethical.

"Hey~ I don't like hearing you say that. It's not like I spread the rumors. I came here because of what I heard. If I miss this wave, I'll have to take back the house. Are you really going to drive the orphans and widows out onto the streets? That would be truly immoral. Even if I sell my job, at least I'll get some compensation to live on, right?" The burly man complained while trying to please everyone, almost as if he was trying to build a memorial arch for himself.

"You're talking nonsense! I just told you in the yard that I had no intention of selling my job, and I didn't mention it to anyone!" Chu Chunxue came out of the yard after hearing the commotion and confronted the burly man face to face.

"Who knows? I heard it all yesterday. They said they got divorced a long time ago and went back to their hometown. They also said they only wanted five hundred yuan." The burly man wasn't guilty at all and spoke with a straight face.

"I didn't! Who's spreading these rumors?!" Chu Chunxue stamped her foot, even more agitated, her swollen eyes showing signs of tears again.

"Alright, just take it as me talking nonsense. It won't make a difference if it's a few more days. I'll come back after the seventh day after the funeral. If you sell the job, we'll settle the debt. If you don't have the money, we'll take back the house. Please have the neighbors bear witness." The burly man wasn't annoyed, seemingly convinced that the job would definitely be sold.

After saying this, the burly man cupped his hands to Chu Chunxue, then to the onlookers, turned around and waved his hand. Two more people emerged from the corner of the wall, and the three of them walked away without looking back.

As soon as the three men left, the crowd became lively. Some said they dared not take back the house, while others advised Chu Chunxue not to be afraid. In any case, their words implied that they acknowledged the debt left by Liu Chengzhi, but no one offered to help them rob Peter to pay Paul.

Tang Zhitong watched this scene from outside the crowd and began to understand its significance.

These three people came here on purpose today, and deliberately spread rumors that they wanted to take back the house. As for the job-selling thing, they probably heard about it too.

Old Zhu also noticed something was amiss. Suddenly, he asked from the crowd, "Where's Old Lü? I haven't seen him today."

“He went straight from the cemetery to the factory. He said he had a batch of parts to process,” Chu Chunxue replied instinctively.

"Could it be..." Chu Chunxue realized what was happening after she finished speaking, looking incredulous. She tried to open her eyes wide, but they were already swollen from crying, making her look somewhat comical.

"Go to the factory and take a look. If you don't show up, someone might take it seriously." Old Zhu said bluntly, not caring at all that there were other people present, and seemed to be completely concerned for Chu Chunxue.

Not only that, Old Zhu also called out Tang Zhitong's name: "Anzi, by the time Xiao Chu walks over there, they'll be closing time. Do you have a rickshaw? Go with Xiao Chu?"

Tang Zhitong remained silent throughout, never expecting Old Zhu to call his name. However, he couldn't bring himself to say he needed to go back and make garlic chili sauce for his wife in front of the neighbors, so he could only agree and readily said "okay."

So, Chu Chunxue sat on the back of Tang Zhitong's bicycle, but unlike Xiao Wang, she only had a hard seat and no soft cushion.

On the way, Chu Chunxue thanked Tang Zhitong again, but Tang Zhitong only exchanged a few polite words and didn't say anything else.

Upon arriving at Liu Chengzhi's former workplace, the two inquired along the way and first went to the trade union.

"You two aren't divorced?" The union director had already guessed when he saw Chu Chunxue dressed in mourning clothes. After hearing her self-introduction, his first words confirmed the rumors the burly man had told him.

"No, Chengzhi and I just had a fight, and I went back to my parents' house for a few days in a huff. I never expected that... that..." Chu Chunxue said, then took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears in front of the union leaders.

“This is my identification. Liu Chengzhi and I are neighbors, and I can testify for her that they are not divorced. I came in a hurry today and didn’t bring our marriage certificate. If necessary, I will have Comrade Chu bring it next time.” This time, Tang Zhitong did not pretend to be deaf and dumb and took out his Beijing representative ID card.

I need to get this sorted out quickly. I still need to go back and make garlic chili sauce. Even if I can't have it tonight, I have to make it so that my friend Xiao Wang can taste it and see if it's salty enough.

"Oh, Comrade Tang, hello. This is our fault for not thoroughly investigating. Old Lü said that Xiao Liu got divorced, and that the child lives with Xiao Liu. Now that Xiao Liu is gone, the elderly and the young have no one to rely on, so he's thinking of finding a relative of Xiao Liu to take over, so that the child can be raised and the elderly can be cared for. Old Lü is Xiao Liu's mentor, so we believed whatever he said." Upon seeing Tang Zhitong's delegate badge, the union leader not only stood up and shook hands, but also became more polite, not only not doubting Chu Chunxue's marital status, but also subtly implicating Lü Dexian. "I understand. You can't judge a book by its cover; kind people are easily deceived." Tang Zhitong extended his hand, speaking politely, without any intention of pressing the matter.

"Let's go to the personnel department first and tell them about this." The union leader breathed a sigh of relief and immediately led the two to the personnel department.

"That old Lu is just talking nonsense!" The personnel department immediately expressed strong dissatisfaction after hearing this. The replacement job was initiated by the labor union, but the personnel department couldn't directly accuse the labor union, so they could only target old Lu.

With the personnel department's guarantee, Chu Chunxue's succession was settled; all that was left was to complete the formalities in a couple of days.

Throughout the entire process, Tang Zhitong didn't say much, but Chu Chunxue thanked him again on the way back.

"Sister Chunxue, after you go back, go to the police station and tell Chief Wang about the gambling debts and the house." Tang Zhitong suddenly instructed Chu Chunxue.

Old Zhu had previously told Tang Zhitong that he suspected Wan Laosi had his eye on the Liu family's house. Now that the job situation has come true, the house has naturally become the focus of the debt collectors.

Regardless of what Lao Lü had said to the factory before, Chu Chunxue's succession was basically a done deal, so Chu Chunxue became a worker and a member of the working class. Tang Zhitong was someone who did not want to betray the working class, so he decided to give her a hand out of consideration for their class ties.

What's more, behind the gambling debts is Wan Laosi, and behind Wan Laosi is Lao Wan. Tang Zhitong still remembers how Lao Wan forced him to travel to the hometown of Confucius and Mencius to collect the debt, and he slept in the wild for several days in the dead of winter.

As for Lü Dexian, Tang Zhitong didn't hold a grudge just now, and he didn't plan to stand up for Chu Chunxue when he got back. At most, he would just tease him a bit.

To be honest, the losses to the factory caused by the shutdown and maintenance due to Liu Chengzhi's death far exceeded the losses to his family. The reason why the factory agreed to let Liu's relatives take over was inseparable from the work done by Lao Lü. Chu Chunxue was able to take over smoothly thanks to Lao Lü's help to some extent.

However, Lao Lü's days ahead may not be easy. The factory's pursuit of accountability and the neighbors' gossip will be enough to give him a hard time.

When I got home, Xiao Wang greeted me with a smile: "Did you work overtime?"

"Ugh, don't even mention it. I was coming back from the escort office and watched some commotion in the washroom. I got conscripted..." Tang Zhitong then took off his bag and handed it to Xiao Wang. While wiping his face with a towel, he recounted what had just happened.

"I never realized Old Lü was this kind of person, taking advantage of his own apprentice's family as well," Zhang Guifang remarked after hearing the story.

"Hey, Old Lu has helped the Liu family a lot before, he's trying to take this opportunity to get his money back."

"These two families are really something, one was after money, the other after people, and now they've lost both." The love-hate relationship between the Liu and Lü families had long been a topic of conversation among the neighbors, but no one ever talked about it in front of either family.

"Wow, Mom, your Chinese language skills have improved by leaps and bounds! You can even use idioms now." Tang Zhitong gave Zhang Guifang a thumbs up.

"Go away! Seeing you all studying all day, even if I'm slow to learn, I can still pick up one or two words. Let's eat." Zhang Guifang envied those who could read and write. A few years ago, the neighborhood organized literacy campaigns, but she was too busy with her own family to pay attention. Now that she had made progress, she felt embarrassed when her son praised her.

"Hehe." Tang Zhitong chuckled. The old man's skin was a mystery. Sometimes he could swallow insults and give the impression that his skin could withstand bullets, but other times he was very thin and could blush at the slightest praise.

Before sitting down to eat, Tang Zhitong didn't forget to tell Xiao Wang, "I'll make you garlic chili sauce after dinner."

"No rush, we can talk about that later. Let's eat first." Ms. Wang showed her husband her two dimples.

Although Xiao Wang said there was no rush, Tang Zhitong still dragged Fengzhi along to peel garlic after dinner.

While peeling garlic, Tang Zhitong told her about the impending reduction in grain rations.

"Sigh, another two jin. I'm afraid our grain won't last until the end of the year." Zhang Guifang sighed after hearing this, somewhat worried. Last year, her son brought home grain to subsidize both sides and also gave some to Zhang Yongxiang's side, so naturally there was less left.

Although the mother and daughter had previously discussed strictly controlling the rations at home, they did not fully implement it. Other families had no choice but to control the rations, but the Tang family's ration control was to let Fengzhen and Fengzhi experience what it was like to go hungry.

After two or three months, the two children had come to realize the preciousness of food. They would even sweep up any crumbs of cornbread that fell on the table and lick them off their hands before eating them.

"Eat until you're about 70-80% full. I'll be on summer vacation soon, and I'll go out and travel around, and try to bring some more back." From her mother's sigh, Tang Zhitong could hear a hint of helplessness in her about reducing the ration, but what could she do?

Fortunately, Tang Zhitong still had a lot of corn in his space, which he could easily bring back after a trip, so he wasn't in a hurry to stockpile food and just kept saying things to comfort his elderly mother.

Zhang Guifang was, after all, a woman. Apart from telling her son not to make things difficult for her, she could only secretly decide to use vegetables instead of grain and save more grain on weekdays.

After peeling the garlic, Tang Zhitong did not take out a mortar and pestle to pound it, but instead placed the garlic on the cutting board.

Xiao Wang likes the texture of the garlic, so Tang Zhitong crushed each clove of garlic with the flat side of a knife and chopped them into minced meat. The fresh chili peppers were also diced.

There are several ways to make garlic chili sauce. If you follow the traditional method of old Tianjin, it probably needs to ferment for a month after pickling before it can be eaten.

Tang Zhitong found it troublesome, so she chose a simple and quick version that could be made and eaten on the same day.

Put half a pound of oil in a pot, first add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Stir-fry over medium heat until the peanut oil bubbles, then add the diced chili peppers. Cook for about five or six minutes until the moisture evaporates, then add the seasonings.

On the surface, only soy sauce and salt were added, but Tang Zhitong secretly added his own stock of traditional soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a handful of sea cucumber noodles.

Stir for two minutes to allow all the seasonings to fully dissolve in the chili sauce, then it's ready to serve.

"Try some?" Tang Zhitong picked up a tiny bit with his chopsticks and fed it to Xiao Wang, who was swallowing hard next to him.

"It's delicious, but there's too much oil, it's a waste." Xiao Wang was very satisfied with the Love Brand garlic chili sauce, but also complained that her husband was too generous with the amount of oil.

“The grain ration is being reduced, but the oil ration isn’t. Besides, we still have some high-sodium glutamate at home, so you can manage to cook for me occasionally. This pot will last you at least a month or two, it’s a good deal.” Although Tang Zhitong said this, she knew in her heart that the grain ration had been confirmed to be reduced, and the cooking oil ration would be soon, just a couple of months later…

(End of this chapter)