Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 902 The food in Cafeteria 901 is plentiful.

"Mom, stop blocking it, hurry back inside, the hail isn't big." Tang Zhitong opened the door to the side room and saw Zhang Guifang covering the low-lying vegetable seedlings with a basket.

"We'll cover as many as we can. You should go back inside." Zhang Guifang looked up and glanced at Tang Zhitong, who was shirtless. She waved her hand as if shooing away flies.

"Don't cover it up anymore. It was just a small hailstorm. Now it's just raining." Zhang Guifang didn't even have an umbrella at home and rushed out to salvage the vegetables in the yard without wearing a raincoat. How could Tang Zhitong, as her son, just go back like that?
Not only did he not go back, but he also ran into the yard and pulled his mother toward the main house. Although he managed to scoop the hail into his spatial dimension, the rain still fell as usual. The temperature of the rain was higher than that of the hail, but not by much.

"Oh dear, you child, who knows if it will rain again in a little while? Cover each tree as you can, otherwise what will happen to the vegetables in the summer if they are all ruined!" Zhang Guifang was not as strong as her son, and she slapped him twice in anger and anxiety.

"Don't worry, it won't rain. It won't stop our family from eating vegetables in the summer." Tang Zhitong said with absolute certainty, not because he had confidence in God, but because he had confidence in his own cheat code.

Ever since he heard the sound of hail hitting the roof tiles, Tang Zhitong has been using a third-party tool to collect the hailstones that haven't yet hit the ground.

Without external assistance, not only would the vegetables in the yard be destroyed, but even the roof tiles of one's own house would likely be damaged.

After being pulled into the main room, Zhang Guifang was anxious, but she knew that a few baskets would be of no use. She sighed and first got a towel for her son.

"You dry your hair. I'll get soaked again when I go out. You can dry it when we get back to the room." Tang Zhitong didn't take the hair. She stood under the eaves and tilted her head to look at the sky. It was lucky that it was hailing at night. If it had been hailing during the day, those egg-sized ice balls would have injured several people.
"Really not going to rain anymore?" Zhang Guifang took back the towel, but instead of drying her head immediately, she stood under the eaves and reached out to probe outside.

"Really, don't be fooled by the noise, it's all rain." Tang Zhitong said, waving his hand through the rain, the water was icy cold.

"It's so cold, don't stand there, go back inside and wipe yourself down, or you'll catch a cold." As soon as she stopped, Zhang Guifang also felt the temperature of the rain, and then, feeling sorry for her son, she urged him to go back inside.

"Then please don't go out again," Tang Zhitong instructed her mother before taking a step.

"Okay, let's go back quickly." Zhang Guifang said while wiping her head with a towel. She could also see that with this kind of rain, if it really started to hail, a few baskets would not be enough.

When Tang Zhitong returned to the room, Xiao Wang had also gotten up and was holding a towel, waiting for her husband to come in.

There are three commonly used towels in the room. One is draped on the washbasin stand for the young couple to wipe their hands and faces; one is under the bed for wiping their feet; and the other is for daily cleaning. They used it after playing basketball and haven't washed it yet, so it's a bit dirty to use it to wipe themselves.

Xiao Wang held the towel on the washbasin stand and silently wiped the rainwater off her husband's back and chest. Although she felt sorry for him, she didn't say a word.

"I can do it myself, you go to bed and rest. Cover yourself with the blanket, it'll feel cold after this rain." Tang Zhitong took the towel from Xiao Wang and rubbed his head vigorously.

Since arriving in this era, I've stopped losing hair and my brain oil has disappeared. Having a full head of hair has finally fulfilled Tang Zhitong's wish when he was working like a slave.

"Is the loss not too great?" Xiao Wang asked as he laid out the thin blanket.

"It was pitch black, so I couldn't see very well. It shouldn't be too bad. It just hailed a little at the beginning, and then it was all rain." Tang Zhitong was busy pulling her mother and collecting the hailstones, so she didn't pay attention to the vegetables in the yard at all. She acted quickly, so the damage shouldn't be too great.

After drying his hair until it was half dry, Tang Zhitong lay back on the bed and silently turned the cheat code to the maximum setting in the northeast direction to avoid centering the game around his own home.

If the intelligence center adjusts the hail range tomorrow, some busybodies might discover something amiss and slightly shift the hail immunity range so that their own area only gets a slight graze, minimizing others' curiosity.

Lying in bed, with Xiao Wang in her arms, a basketball in her hand, and the scent of Xiao Wang's hair wafting into her nose, Tang Zhitong was wide awake.

The hail is still falling, so even if you want to sleep, you have to wait a while longer.

It's unclear how widespread the hailstorm will be. If it only affects the main urban area, it's fine; at most, it will only damage the roof tiles, causing headaches for the housing management bureau. However, if it also hits the suburbs, then it's not just the housing management bureau that will be in trouble; vegetable companies will also be affected.

To increase the weight, many vegetables supplied in Beijing are now harvested when they are old. Although the taste is not as good, at least there is something to eat. If vegetables are damaged by hail, residents will probably have less and less vegetables on their tables...

The hail and rain lasted for more than half an hour before it completely switched to a light drizzle. In the southwest direction, where Tang Zhitong hadn't used any cheats, the corners of the walls and the road were covered with a thick layer of ice.

After waiting a while longer and making sure that no more hail was falling, Tang Zhitong finally closed his eyes with peace of mind.

Saturday, October 7.

Tang Zhitong got up exceptionally early because the security detail was paying salaries today.

Thanks to the timely intervention yesterday, the vegetables in the yard didn't suffer much damage.

It was a sunny day, and the vegetables in the yard, nourished by last night's rain, were now radiating vitality under the sun. Zhang Guifang took away the baskets that had been covered yesterday and was satisfied to see that her vegetable garden, into which she had poured her heart and soul, had not been destroyed.

"Mom, keep the front door closed for the next couple of days. If anyone asks about our vegetables, just say they were almost all damaged by the hail." Knowing their own situation well, Tang Zhitong gave this extra instruction to prevent anyone from being envious.

“Okay.” Zhang Guifang was still thinking that the hail wasn’t that bad, and the vegetable garden shouldn’t be in such a bad state, but she didn’t object when her son spoke up.

After breakfast, Tang Zhitong went to the municipal post office ahead of everyone else.

Whether on the road or in the corner, there was no longer any sign of hail. Only large patches of broken branches and leaves, knocked down by the hail, were scattered under the trees on both sides of the road, as if lamenting how cruel and merciless the hail was last night.

After passing Chongwen Gate, Tang Zhitong saw sanitation workers, each with a cart, clearing away the branches blown down by the wind from both sides of the road, without any intention of sweeping up the leaves on the roadside.

That makes sense; it rained last night, and the leaves are still clinging to the road, making them difficult to sweep up.

From Dongjiaomin Lane all the way to the Municipal Bureau, and then from the front gate of the Municipal Bureau to the escort office, only in the inner city are there sanitation workers cleaning up the traces left by the rain and wind. As for the outer city, it basically relies on the streets to mobilize the neighbors to sweep the snow in front of their own doors.

Before entering the escort office, Tang Zhitong found a secluded corner to tie the sack he had prepared for Gu Mancang to his bicycle, and then rode the bicycle directly to the escort office.

As soon as Tang Zhitong entered the escort department, he saw Fang Yuan squatting by the roadside smoking. He stopped his bicycle and greeted him, "Brother Yuan."

"They're here?" Fang Yuan turned to look at Tang Zhitong, sighed, and said, "These potatoes are ruined."

"Let's wait and see. After all, they're growing underground, so there's always a chance we can get some harvest," Tang Zhitong comforted the potato seedlings, which had been battered and broken by the hail.

"It's unlikely. We might as well consider replanting some other things while there's still time." Fang Yuan shook his head. He had just gone down to the field to check, and not a single potato plant was intact.

"That's one way to do it." Tang Zhitong had no other choice. Not only had Fang Yuan put in a lot of effort for this potato field, but he had also added extra fertilizer himself.

"Go to the finance department, some people are already waiting to collect their wages." Fang Yuan waved his hand, telling Tang Zhitong to take care of his business first. "Okay, I'll go to the security office first, I need to see Section Chief Zhang about something." Tang Zhitong patted the sack on the back seat. He hadn't expected to run into Fang Yuan here, but since he had, he couldn't just ignore him.

Fang Yuan hummed in response, as if he hadn't seen anything.

Because the escort department controls most of the railway and postal routes in the country, many people try to curry favor with Fang Yuan in hopes of sending things back to their hometowns, even though the railway and postal services are strictly enforcing regulations.

Fang Yuan agreed to several, and then handed these matters over to Zhang Jinbo to handle.

Tang Zhitong carried a sack to the transport department; it was obvious what it was about without even asking.

"Brother Zhang, you're here early today?" Tang Zhitong took the sack off his bicycle and went straight into the escort department's office, where someone was on duty all day because of unloading mail packages.

"What do you mean 'early'? I haven't even gotten off work yet. Section Chief Tang, are you thinking of sending something?" Zhang Jinbo said, then yawned.

Since the postal service issued its policy, sending grain to other places has become increasingly difficult. Not only have some people come to Fang Yuan for help, but many others have also come to him for help. From here, you can board a train and go directly to most parts of the country. As long as someone is there to meet you at the train station, it can be done.

"Hey, it's not me, it's my classmate. He's from Henan Province, where the situation is quite serious. He scrimped and saved during his university years to scrape together some food to take home." The food could be loaded onto the truck through the transport department without being noticed by other personnel, but not by the transport department itself, so Tang Zhitong simply got straight to the point and told them what was going on.

“No problem, leave it here for now. What train does your classmate take?” With Tang Zhitong’s influence and the natural advantage of Henan Province, Zhang Jinbo agreed without hesitation.

“We’ll escort one of those trains this afternoon.” Tang Zhitong lifted the sacks inside and placed them in the corner.

“Okay, I’ll oversee loading it onto the truck this afternoon, and he can come pick it up when it arrives at the station.” Zhang Jinbo yawned readily.

"Okay, thanks, Brother Zhang. I'll be going now; I need to pay everyone's wages." Tang Zhitong glanced at his watch, determined to finish paying everyone's wages by noon, then meet with Gu Mancang at noon and see him off in the afternoon.

Today was a big day for the security department. Ma Wei left home very early. When Tang Zhitong arrived at the finance department, Ma Wei was already ready and waiting for the payroll to arrive.

"Section Chief, someone named Gu Mancang called you yesterday." Ma Wei told Tang Zhitong about the phone call from yesterday as soon as he came in.

"Thank you, I understand. Let's pay the wages first." Tang Zhitong nodded to Ma Wei, not surprised that Gu Mancang couldn't hold back, but now was not the time to talk about that. There were already employees waiting outside to receive their wages, and they had to finish the important business first.

Waiting for payday is a process that is both exciting and tedious, and many employees discussed the hailstorm that happened last night while they were queuing.

"I had just fallen asleep last night when I heard a loud bang. I turned on the light and saw, wow, a hailstone the size of a fist had fallen into the room!"

"Big fist? That's an exaggeration, isn't it?"

"Really, would I lie to you? The hole in the roof is still there!"

"Then your house will become a waterfall cave?"

"Isn't that just like the Water Curtain Cave? Half an hour of hail, an hour or two of rain, and we collected more than ten basins of water."

"Shouldn't we get it fixed right away?"

"We need to hurry. My wife went to the housing management bureau early this morning to queue up, and we don't know when we'll get to the front of the line. When I passed by the housing management bureau on my way to work, wow, there were hundreds of people in line."

……

While Tang Zhitong was quickly distributing wages to Ma Wei, he was also listening intently to the conversations among the staff of the escort department.

Many people talked about the hail, some about the potatoes grown by the transport office, and others about the farms belonging to the post and telecommunications department, but few cared about the farmers and farmland of the nearby communes.

Around noon, the security guard received a call; it was Gu Mancang who had come looking for him.

"Section Chief, there aren't many left. You go pick them up, I'll come by myself." The phone was heavily leaky, and even without deliberately eavesdropping, Ma Wei could tell that someone was looking for Tang Zhitong.

"Okay, thank you for your trouble." Tang Zhitong took the money out of the drawer and handed it to Ma Wei.

Before Ma Wei came here, Tang Zhitong had paid all the staff of the escort department their salaries by himself. The procedure was definitely not in accordance with regulations, but as long as no mistakes were made, no one would hold a grudge about such a small problem.

When Tang Zhitong picked up Gu Mancang and arrived at the finance department, the salaries had already been paid. Ma Wei stood up and handed over the remaining money along with the salary sheets signed by the employees: "Section Chief, please check this."

"Okay." Tang Zhitong didn't sit down. He took the bill, first looked at the total amount of union dues and organization fees at the bottom of the payroll, and then counted the bills in his hand.

Taking advantage of the break, Ma Wei pulled up a chair for Gu Mancang and poured him a glass of water.

"Thank you." Gu Mancang had never experienced such a scene before. After taking the water glass, her eyes darted away, and she didn't dare to meet Ma Wei's gaze.

"The amount is correct." Tang Zhitong checked it over and, after confirming that it was correct, locked the money and pay slip into the drawer.

"Then I'll go to the cafeteria to get my food." Ma Wei smiled and nodded to Gu Mancang, intending to make room for the two of them.

“We’ll go to the cafeteria too. You and Xiao Fu can continue using the office.” Tang Zhitong glanced at his watch. It was almost time, so he decided to take Gu Mancang to the cafeteria for a meal first.

After bringing back timber from the forest farm in Northeast China last year, in addition to building shelves for the mail trucks, we also updated the tables and chairs in the canteen and opened several private rooms. Occasionally, when leaders come to inspect the area, they will eat in the private rooms, but most of the time, the private rooms are idle.

Tang Zhitong planned to take Gu Mancang to a private room to eat and chat.

Before going to the private room, Tang Zhitong took his lunchbox and led Gu Mancang to get food.

As soon as Tang Zhitong entered the cafeteria, he saw several extra bowls of food at the serving window: "Wow, Chef Gao, what's going on today? Did you improve the meals?"

"Sigh, it's all because of last night's hail. The vegetable farmers' fields were all damaged. To prevent them from rotting in the fields, the commune organized people to harvest them overnight. That's why they were all brought in at once, and the vegetable company gave us extra." Gao Lide looked a little worried.

The cook dislikes unstable supply the most. The vegetable company said that the supply will be relatively large in the next few days, but it is hard to guarantee after this period.

Gao Lide wasn't worried about selling the vegetables, but he was concerned about how to ensure the food supply for the escort office when the vegetables ran out in a few days. After all, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice!
(End of this chapter)