Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 896, Chapter 895: Why don't you become my godson?
Tang Zhitong had just started writing when he heard his classmate Xiao Wang lift the curtain and enter the room behind him.

"Did you go to see Director Ye?" Tang Zhitong put down her pen, got up and helped Xiao Wang wipe his sweat with a towel.

"Hmm. Why is it so cool in here?" As soon as Xiao Wang entered the room, she felt that the temperature was several degrees lower than outside, and she immediately felt comfortable. She took the towel from her husband and wiped the sweat from her forehead and neck. Although she felt sticky, it was still bright outside, so she chose to endure it a little longer.

"Maybe it's because the bricks used to build the house were very thick and couldn't be fully dried in the sun," Tang Zhitong could only offer a vague answer to Xiao Wang's question.

He didn't expect Xiao Wang to come back so quickly. While enjoying the air conditioning, he was in a hurry to cool down, so he stuffed in too much air conditioning.

"That's strange, I never noticed it before, the temperature keeps fluctuating. Have you started writing?" Xiao Wang muttered casually, hanging the towel on the washbasin stand. As she turned around, her gaze was drawn to what her husband was writing.

"I've written a beginning, can Teacher Wang review it?" Tang Zhitong secretly wiped away a cold sweat behind Xiao Wang's back. If she really dug deeper... well, it's all the wonders of nature.

"Not bad, it confines the conflict to the artistic level, and it has a high-level, authoritative feel to it. However, the title is too aggressive and needs to be changed." Xiao Wang smiled playfully at her husband.

"Hey, it's not like he's the only one who can label people. We can too. He doesn't represent everyone." Tang Zhitong chuckled. Of course, the target of the insults had to be limited. He wasn't really going all out and taking down everyone. He could change the title and name if he wanted; the platform wouldn't approve it if he didn't.

As for his leadership style, he definitely has it.

Thinking about this, Tang Zhitong suddenly felt that the kid's motives might not be so simple. Could there be a powerful figure behind this article? Is it because he didn't pay his respects to the patron?

"Hmm, not bad, Comrade Tang, keep up the good work." Little Wang playfully patted her husband's shoulder, encouraging him in a boss-like manner.

"Please rest assured, leader! I guarantee to complete the task!" Tang Zhitong stood at attention, his posture and attitude were perfect.

He then stopped thinking about the background of the manuscript, and let whoever wanted it, he just wanted to hold him down and beat him to death. Even if there were people behind him, they would have to think twice about how to treat him.

After dinner, Xiao Wang helped Tang Zhitong sort through the letters.

Many letters had already been opened by the two of them. They would glance at them, determine their type, and then categorize them and set them aside. Finally, they would count the number of letters by type.

The vast majority of people praised the song's writing and requested a replay, while only a small minority wanted to improve together. There were also criticisms, but the proportion was very low, almost negligible, and the wording was not particularly harsh.

It's obviously impossible to please everyone, so Tang Zhitong is already very satisfied with this result.

While the two were tidying up, Xiao Wang told them about the result of his communication with Director Ye: "The uncle in the military band that my mom found, who composed the music for 'Athletes' March,' has agreed to help publish it in 'Military Arts' under his own name."

"That's great! Mom's move was brilliant!" Tang Zhitong was overjoyed and gave Director Ye a thumbs up from afar.

Normally, songs, operas, dances, crosstalk, storytelling, books, and the like all fall under the management of the cultural department, but there is one rule: they can only manage civilian use, not military use.

Director Ye's move directly bypassed jurisdiction, getting the military authorities to back him up. This micromanagement can be summed up in one word: brilliant!

"Mom is getting more and more fond of you. She called right away as soon as she heard it was about this. You'd better write your article carefully later." Xiao Wang was happy to see his mother value him, but this meant that the quality of the article would affect his mother's reputation. No matter how much they valued it, it couldn't be too much.

"Okay! I'll have to take better care of Mom from now on." Tang Zhitong readily agreed. He had originally planned to use his own name to argue back and satirize the person for not having any widely circulated works when responding to the article, but it seems that opportunity is gone. He can only deal with the matter at hand.

It's alright though. Yang Lin has already agreed to make his letter public. I believe that people in the industry will despise this kind of person's "integrity" then.

"Hmph, Mom doesn't care about your filial piety. But she did make a request: she wants you to write some military-themed songs, the kind that boost morale." Little Wang proudly raised his head and added.

"No problem! This must be done perfectly!" Tang Zhitong smiled and readily agreed. He was very familiar with military songs. During high school and college military training, he had to learn at least ten songs for every singing competition.
"What did Editor Yang say?" Xiao Wang asked, satisfied with her husband's statement.

"Hehe, Editor Yang said he'd help me get some exposure on the radio, but I'd have to write a song for him too." Tang Zhitong felt he'd be busy for the rest of the year. If it was one song a month, he'd be working until the twelfth lunar month. Fortunately, it wouldn't be all for nothing; the payment would definitely be settled as usual.

Regardless of the reasoning, this is normal practice. Without a vested interest, who would willingly extend a hand of friendship? It's better to have mutual benefits; otherwise, the bond will only grow stronger…

With the two of them finished organizing, Tang Zhitong had a data foundation. He leaned over his desk and honestly praised his work. Anyway, it wouldn't be published under his own name, so it wouldn't count as self-promotion.

After finishing the manuscript, Xiao Wang polished it again and rewrote it. The "Military Arts" magazine will be printed at the beginning of next month, and this manuscript must be sent out as soon as possible.

Tang Zhitong wasn't idle either. He copied the data from the letter and sent it to Yang Lin, planning to mail it out tomorrow. Once it was broadcast by China National Radio, the data would be equivalent to having the endorsement of China National Radio, and thus gain authority.

Tuesday, May 6th.

Tang Zhitong took an exam in the morning and went to the escort office in the afternoon.

"Section Chief, a comrade named Zhang Xinping called you this morning," Ma Wei reported to Tang Zhitong as he came to work, like a secretary who had received a missed call.

"I understand, thank you." Tang Zhitong was slightly surprised. Only three days had passed, and the Municipal Public Security Bureau had already closed in?

After Tang Zhitong sat down and picked up the phone, Ma Wei went out, giving up the space.

"Hello? Is this Director Zhang? This is Tang Zhitong. I wasn't at the office this morning. What instructions do you have?" Tang Zhitong began to probe indirectly after the call was connected.

"I wouldn't dare accept such instructions; I'm just reporting to you." Zhang Xinping answered the phone, speaking quite formally at first, but his tone changed as soon as he heard a door close: "Damn it, I'm exhausted."

"Brother Zhang, you've worked hard. Has there been any progress?" Tang Zhitong guessed that Zhang Xinping's office was empty except for one person, just like his own, which explained his relaxed demeanor. "Yes, our city bureau leaders take the crackdown on gambling very seriously. Based on the clues you provided, and through meticulous planning by our leaders and the tireless efforts of our colleagues, we've dismantled several gambling dens in our city. Your neighbor was indeed set up. The case isn't closed yet, and I can't say more than necessary." Zhang Xinping sounded very tired.

"Brother Zhang, you've worked so hard. My neighbor can rest in peace now." Since Zhang Xinping said it was inconvenient to talk about the case, Tang Zhitong, though feeling like a cat was scratching at her heart, held back and didn't ask if the gambling den was run by Wan Jia.

It took Ma Wei quite a while to return after hanging up the phone.

As the end of the month approached, one of them was reviewing expense reimbursement vouchers, while the other was busy preparing the payroll for the security guards' employees for the next month. For a while, the only sound in the finance department was the scratching of pens on paper, which was quite harmonious.

As it was nearing the end of the workday, Ma Wei, contrary to her usual behavior, did not rush to pack up and leave. Tang Zhitong teased her, "Little Ma, work is never-ending. Pack up and leave. Don't keep Aijun waiting."

“He’s been busy these past few days and hasn’t come over.” Ma Wei’s face flushed slightly. The way they addressed each other had been settled recently: one called her Sister Wei, and the other called her Ai Jun.

"Wow, that must be tough. You're getting a taste of what it's like to be a police officer's wife." Tang Zhitong was speechless. She hadn't expected that after she mentioned gambling to Zhang Xinping, the Municipal Bureau would transfer Wu Aijun to handle the case.

"It's alright, it's quite an honor, after all, it's for the safety of our Beijing." Speaking of this, Ma Wei was proud and there was a hint of pride in her words.

"That's right, our capital city can't do without the hard work of our public security comrades." Tang Zhitong was very moved after hearing this. People nowadays are so much more aware. If it were him, he probably wouldn't be able to remain so calm.

Ma Wei was urged to leave work by Tang Zhitong; if Tang Zhitong didn't leave, Ma Wei couldn't leave either.

When they returned to the iron wheelbarrow, the information center was surrounded by three layers of people, making it impossible to move. It was noisy and chaotic inside, with shouting, punches, and sounds of pain. The neighbors were just watching the commotion, and no one stepped forward to help.

"What's going on? Who's arguing again?" Although Tang Zhitong had the advantage of height, the noise sounded like it was coming from the ground, and it sounded like Old Lu.

"It's Old Lü, he secretly took Liu Chengzhi's job and sold it to someone else. As a result, Liu Chengzhi's family came back and took the job. They gave all the money to Old Lü, but the job wasn't done. They brought their whole family to his door demanding an explanation, and they're making a scene right now." A neighbor nearby said gloatingly.

Old Lu's character is really not good. In the past few years, he often took Liu Zhangshi's side by relying on his position as a security guard, so the neighbors didn't like him much.

This time, he wanted to settle accounts with his apprentice's family. Although the reasoning was sound, the method was despicable. So, there were many onlookers, but few who went in to offer advice.

"What's going on? Everyone, make way, make way." Just as confused as Tang Zhitong was Lao Wu, the newly appointed security guard. He had just returned from buying grain and had been queuing for a long time, but he never expected to see this scene when he arrived at his doorstep with his sack of flour.

Others may not care, but not Old Wu. He carries the title of security officer, and he takes on the responsibility of maintaining order and mediating conflicts.

After hearing the whole story, Old Wu entrusted the two bags to his neighbor for safekeeping. He then squeezed in to try and separate the people wrestling on the ground, but as an old man, he was no match for the young man and could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

"Old folks, lend a hand and pull them apart. What kind of behavior is this, in broad daylight and in public? Let's talk this out. If all else fails, go to the police station!" Old Wu's words finally got some people to lend a hand. They had no choice but to help. If the police got involved, two more of the five-good courtyards in this area would be gone. Even if it was just for the sake of a few drops of oil at the end of the year, they had to lend a hand.

The fight broke out, but the argument didn't stop.

"We agreed beforehand that if the matter couldn't be resolved, I wouldn't charge you a single penny and would return everything to you. Now that the matter hasn't been resolved, I'll return it to you, so how could you hit me?" Old Lu, sporting a black eye, felt extremely wronged.

He felt like he was having a run of bad luck this year, with nothing going right. Not only did he fail to recover the debt owed to the Liu family, but he also ruined his reputation and ended up hiring people from a family who only wanted to work and didn't want to pay him.

At this point, Old Lu lost all sense of shame and, with nothing to lose, laid the problem out in front of the neighbors.

"When you took the money, you patted your chest and said you could definitely get it done. We went there because we wanted it done. You took the money and then came back to tell us you couldn't do it and wanted your money back. Is there such a thing as a free lunch? Here's the money, we just want the job!" The kid who wanted the job clearly had a close relative with him. He was also reasonable. He wiped his face and insisted that he only wanted the job and not the money.

Both sides want to pay, but neither side wants the money, and a quarrel is brewing again.

"Hey, I've really seen something today. They're not short of money, so why bother?" a neighbor said, it was unclear whether he was referring to Old Lü or the young man who bought the job.

"If you ask me, you two became friends after a fight, so it's best to talk things over. Making a scene won't be good for anyone." Old Wu wiped the sweat from his brow, hoping they could resolve the matter calmly.

"It's not good for anyone. If it really comes to the police station, we can just take the money, but what good will that do him? He'll just ruin his job!" The young man had clearly considered the worst-case scenario, and it didn't seem like a big deal.

Hearing this made Lao Lü even more upset, as if he hadn't eaten for three days but had found a plate of lively, wriggling meat sprouts. If he didn't eat them, he would be hungry, but if he did, he would feel nauseous.

He had just been criticized by the factory for Liu Chengzhi's substitute work, and at his age, he had lost face. Yet he was still holding a grudge. The factory had already told him to handle the matter properly himself.

Properly? How can it be properly handled? Old Lu couldn't figure it out even if he pulled out all his hair.

"Old Lu, why don't you adopt a godson and let this young man take over your job?" Some people in the crowd, always eager for a good show, egged him on.

When Tang Zhitong heard this, he almost burst out laughing. This idea was really too damn wicked. Old Lu had just been beaten up by the young man, and now he was his good son.

"Hey, this is a great idea! By adopting him as a godson, not only will this young man have a successor, but Old Lu, your retirement will be taken care of too." Others were just egging him on, but Old Wu thought about it and realized that this seemingly impossible solution was actually the best one.

Old Lu and his wife had no children, so his wife turned a blind eye to his care for Liu Chengzhi, hoping for a better future after he passed away. Now that Liu Chengzhi is gone, their retirement is suddenly in jeopardy again.

Old Lu, however, couldn't wrap his head around it. Upon hearing this, his face turned bright red, as if he had been greatly insulted.

The young man retorted, "Pah! I have parents! Whoever wants to acknowledge them can do so themselves, don't drag me into it!"

(End of this chapter)