Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 901 900 Hailstorms Reappear
The comparison was a pretense; the real purpose was to ask the price of each item. Tang Zhitong memorized all the prices to avoid being overcharged when it came time to settle the bill.

After asking about all the cotton-padded jackets and trousers, Tang Zhitong discarded a few that were really worn out and pointed to the remaining few sets, saying, "I'll take all of these. What's the price?"

"Want both? I'll give you a discount of one dollar." The vendor was overjoyed, his smile more pronounced than an AK, but he still tried his best to put on a pained expression.

Tang Zhitong observed the vendor's demeanor, expression, and service attitude, and roughly judged that this was a sole proprietorship, that is, one without a joint venture.

A few years ago, there was a wave of public-private partnerships. Many places announced in 1956 that they had completed the public-private partnerships of all industries ahead of schedule. However, it was not so thorough in reality. The official statement was that "99% of private industries and 82.2% of private businesses have been transformed." In the private business sector, there were still many individual businesses.

Things like making jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes), frying youtiao (Chinese fried dough sticks), sculpting clay figures, making sugar figurines, etc., are just things that are supposed to be done by setting up a stall. How can these things be combined? Where can they be combined?
It wasn't until the last two years, when canteens started in the streets, and more items in stores were sold with ration coupons, and supplies became tight, that more vendors joined the ranks of joint ventures or state-owned enterprises.

With more mouths to feed, wages will increase, putting greater pressure on public finances. Coupled with a decrease in the supply of goods on the market, inflationary pressures are inevitable. However, the fiscal data looks very good. The reason for this is, of course, that it is inflated. This is one of the reasons why high-priced snacks and candies will be introduced next year.

Judging from the vendor's expression, Tang Zhitong knew the price was too high and started nitpicking: "One yuan? Sir, these cotton-padded coats of yours are gnawed by insects and rats, bare and without any fuzz, missing edges, and in terrible condition. How can you be so shameless as to only give a one yuan discount?"

Tang Zhitong learned these terms and phrases from pawnshops in TV dramas. Regardless of the quality, everything was accepted as a defective item by the pawnshop. This was to maximize profits and also to avoid liability for improper storage.

"Oh dear, now that you mention it, it reminds me of my days at the pawnshop. Since you know what you're doing, I'll give you another dollar off, that's the lowest I can go." The vendor wasn't actually a joint venture; he just rented a stall here. His earnings depended entirely on his words. When faced with a customer who genuinely wanted to buy something, he had to wipe his face clean and smile obsequiously, even if he was spitting on them.

"Can't it go any lower? If it can't go any lower, I'm leaving." Tang Zhitong made a move to leave.

"Hey, comrade, the price is negotiable." The vendor quickly reached out to stop Tang Zhitong, but when he saw Tang Zhitong stop, his tone changed again: "I'm not bragging, you won't find another place with this price anywhere else in Beijing."

"Give me two more yuan off, and I'll take all of these." Tang Zhitong looked at the vendor's confident expression and thought about it; it really made sense.

The development of the secondhand clothing trade is inseparable from the morning market. Back when there was a morning market, secondhand clothes were sold by the bag. Some people went there to sell their clothes because they were too poor to make a living and were afraid of losing face. Others stole clothes from people's homes and sold them as stolen goods.

With the cancellation of morning markets and the near disappearance of traditional markets, the secondhand clothing industry has become polarized.

There are also secondhand clothing shops in the markets of Dongdan and Xidan, but they sell high-end goods such as leather jackets, cheongsams, suits, and military overcoats, while Baiqiao has become a distribution center for cheap secondhand clothes.

"Seeing that you're really interested, I'll make a sale and give you a discount." The vendor put on a show of gritting his teeth and stomping his feet, as if he were losing money.

Although he said that, his hands were busy, tying the straw ropes with remarkable skill.

Having already inspected the goods, Tang Zhitong has now paid the money, and the matter is settled.

As Tang Zhitong left the People's Market, he noticed a northerly wind blowing, and the cool feeling returned immediately.

But he had no time to worry about that at the moment. He first found a secluded spot to put the clothes into his spatial storage and then processed them inside. He pulled out all the old skin flakes, mites, dust, fleas, and lice from the cotton. Then he prepared two burlap sacks, one to hold the corn and the other to hold the nesting dolls.

Wrap the corn sack with a cotton-padded jacket and trousers, put them into another sack, and finally tie the opening tightly.

It doesn't look like anything from the outside, and it's quite soft to the touch, which minimizes the chances of others recognizing it as grain.

Because she was still worried about the baby girl who had been left at her doorstep that morning, Tang Zhitong didn't go anywhere after finishing all this and rode her bicycle straight home.

On his way home, Tang Zhitong felt like he had forgotten something, but he just couldn't remember it.

Meanwhile, in the third male dormitory of the School of Posts and Telecommunications, Gu Mancang was giving a haircut to a classmate.

Some departments in the college have already finished their final exams, and students have been leaving the school one after another in the past two days. Gu Mancang packed his bags to go home yesterday, and was just waiting to carry the food that Tang Zhitong had prepared for him home tomorrow. But he suddenly realized that the two of them had not said where to hand over the food!
Gu Mancang waited and waited, but Tang Zhitong did not come. He could only call Tang's workplace, but was told that Section Chief Tang was out and would call him back when he returned.

This wait lasted for most of the day.

Gu Mancang didn't dare miss the call, so he simply set up his stall and gave the students free haircuts while waiting for the dormitory manager's call to ring.

As she waited, Gu Mancang's hand would tremble every time the phone rang. It was fine when the clippers weren't on her head, but once they were, Gu Mancang's trembling would be accompanied by the screams of her hairdresser.

The feeling of having your fur pulled is no less than that of waxing; anyone who has experienced it knows.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Every time this happened, Gu Mancang would hurriedly apologize to his classmate, but the next time the phone rang, he would still subconsciously tremble, simply because this food was too important to his family.

The phone rang again, and just in time, Gu Mancang's clippers didn't fall, successfully preventing another scream.

"Xiao Gu, phone call." The dormitory supervisor answered the phone, listened for a moment, and then leaned out to wave to Gu Mancang.

"Here they come!" Gu Mancang was overjoyed. She put down the clippers and comb in her hand and ran over without even having time to greet her classmate who had only half-finished her hair.

After finishing the call, Gu Mancang finally felt relieved. When she took out her money to pay the phone bill, the dormitory supervisor stopped her: "Alright, I won't charge you. You've cut my hair so many times for free, this time it's on me."

Gu Mancang had been getting free haircuts at Dormitory 3 for a long time, so the dormitory supervisor was very familiar with him and had cut his hair several times.

College students who care about their image care about their hairstyles, but dormitory supervisors don't.

No matter who it is, Gu Mancang never charges a fee. The dormitory supervisor has a particularly good impression of this kind of hardworking and down-to-earth student. If he had a daughter, he might even want to take him as his son-in-law.

After answering the phone, Gu Mancang apologized to her classmate who was cutting her hair. She was in a better mood now, and her hair was cut quickly. When the phone rang again, there was no more hair-snatching tragedy.

The call was from Tang Zhitong.

Reaching the alley entrance, Tang Zhitong overheard several students chatting about their final exams on their way home from school. It then realized he'd forgotten something: he'd only promised Gu Mancang food and a ride home, but hadn't agreed on how to provide it or how to get him on the bus. Tang Zhitong called the boys' dormitory from the alley entrance, only to find Gu Mancang nearby. The call was brief; he confirmed Gu Mancang's train home, which happened to be the one the security detail was hitching a ride on, and told him to bring his luggage to the security office at noon; the rest was up to him.

After hanging up the phone and returning home, the north wind seemed to pick up even faster.

Zhang Guifang was busy in the yard using wooden sticks to reinforce the seedlings of fruit and vegetable plants, especially tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers, which could be blown over by a slight gust of wind.

Seeing her son return, Zhang Guifang immediately instructed, "Anzi, it looks like it's going to rain. I can't help you, so you can tidy up and cook."

"Okay, Mom. Have the comrades from the orphanage arrived yet?" The cool weather always puts people in a good mood. Tang Zhitong took off her handbag and planned to go back to her room to change into her home essential—a tank top full of holes.

"They arrived before noon, bringing milk powder and bottles. They fed the baby at our house before taking him away. Before leaving, they explained the welfare home's policies to me. They were more meticulous than ordinary people are in raising children." Upon hearing this, Zhang Guifang smiled. Children abandoned by their parents are pitiful, and she felt at ease knowing that her son had found a good place for them.

"That's good. What are we having for dinner tonight?" Tang Zhitong smiled and silently gave Miao Xiaoqin a thumbs up in her heart. She was a very efficient person.

"Let's eat eggplants." Zhang Guifang's eyes fell on the eggplants. Each plant had three or four eggplants hanging on it. She didn't dare leave too many, because they wouldn't grow tall. She picked them as needed and then let the flowers set fruit.

"Okay! I'll go inside and change my clothes first." Tang Zhitong readily agreed, and would come out to pick eggplants after changing into a tank top.

"Wait a minute, did you get promoted today?" Zhang Guifang called out to her son. This was not only a major event in her son's life, but also a major event for her family.

"It's done, don't worry." Tang Zhitong smiled to reassure her mother. Actually, the official appointment wasn't that quick; it still required meeting minutes to be presented at the meeting. However, the next step was just a formality, and the actual official appointment date would still be calculated from July 1st.

After going back inside and changing into a tank top with more holes than a heart, Tang Zhitong came out to pick eggplants.

Eggplants look big and round, and they look very appealing. Some people like to judge their ripeness by squeezing them to check their firmness, but this is wrong. The ripeness of eggplants is different from other fruits; you can't judge it by its firmness, but by its weight.

If you pick them up in your hand, the ones that are noticeably lighter are young eggplants, while the ones that feel heavier are old and contain seeds.

The Tang family only has one old eggplant, which is kept separately for seed production next year.

During dinner that evening, Tang Zhitong remembered overhearing the students discussing the holiday, so he asked Fengzhi, "Fengzhi, did your teacher say when the final exams are or when the holiday will start?"

"I told you! The exam is next Friday, and we have a day off on Saturday!" Fengzhi's eyes lit up when she heard about the day off. A day off meant she wouldn't have to sit in the stuffy classroom, and she could have fun at home!
"Okay, then I'll make an appointment with your teacher, Mr. Gu, to start tutoring you from next Sunday." Tang Zhitong felt she had been worrying herself sick over her two younger siblings' studies and future, and finally, she was going to start communicating directly with Gu Kezhan!

"Huh? Do we have to attend extra classes during summer vacation?" Fengzhi's face immediately fell upon hearing this.

"Don't be ungrateful. It took a lot of effort to get college students to tutor you. Haven't you noticed how much better your grades have been this semester?" Tang Zhitong glanced at his younger sister. In a child's eyes, holidays are for having fun, and few children like tutoring. But Teacher Gu is no ordinary teacher. Getting him to tutor his sister might be the biggest opportunity Fengzhi has ever had.

Although Fengzhi was unwilling, she knew right from wrong and could distinguish between the two, so she reluctantly agreed.

After dinner, Xiao Wang was still thinking about going out to catch cicada nymphs, but the night was very gloomy and windy, so Zhang Guifang stopped him.

The night was long and sleepless. Back in her room, Xiao Wang asked her husband about his promotion to a permanent position that day.

While chatting with his classmate Xiao Wang, Tang Zhitong took out some stationery from his drawer to write a letter.

The school holiday schedule has been set, and I need to tell Xiao Gu as soon as possible. I also have a letter to write to my cousin, Tang Rong.

This year's college entrance examination starts on July 20th, so I should write her a letter to encourage her.

The words should be encouraging, but one must also be careful to ensure they are appropriate. It shouldn't be like that magazine that used lines like, "When autumn comes on the ninth day of the ninth month, my flowers bloom and all others wither. A fragrant array fills Chang'an, and the whole city is adorned in golden armor," to wish high school students fulfilling their youthful dreams and living up to their ten years of hard work.

The poem is titled "Ode to Chrysanthemums After Failing the Imperial Examination" and was written by Huang Chao.

The editor has definitely read books, but seems to have read very few. Of course, it's also possible that they've read a lot but are simply bad.

Using such a poem as a blessing for the college entrance examination is utterly outrageous! Is it wishing students success, failure, or even encouraging them to rebel? It's utterly rebellious and despicable!
After writing the letter and sealing it in an envelope, Tang Zhitong's mind started racing. The eggplants on the outside were big and round, and he wanted to discuss ball skills with his classmate Xiao Wang.

As expected of someone who had played on the school basketball team, Xiao Wang's dribbling skills were quite impressive, leaving Tang Zhitong completely bewildered.

As we all know, basketball is an intense competitive sport. After dribbling past his opponent, the two turned off the lights and prepared to go to sleep, but unfortunately, they soon heard a clanging noise coming from the roof.

"Could it be hailing?" This sound is different from the sound of rain hitting banana leaves; it is clearly crisper and heavier.

"It seems so. I'll go take a look." Tang Zhitong quickly slipped on his shorts while simultaneously using his cheat code to pluck the hailstones that hadn't yet hit the ground.

Tang Zhitong wasn't home when it hailed last year, but the hail wasn't heavy and didn't cause much damage.

This year is different. Judging from the size of the hailstones that were brought into the space, the smaller ones are the size of soybeans, a very few are the size of eggs, and most are larger than peanuts.

If we let these hailstones fall on the vegetable garden, then we can forget about this summer's vegetables.

…………

Natural disasters are terrifying; friends in Guangdong, please be sure to stay safe.

(End of this chapter)