Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 904 903 Drinking tea is not the goal
Meng Qingfeng hung up the phone, went out, hopped on his bicycle, and headed towards Donghuashi. At that moment, he regretted letting Huang Liren take charge of the site selection.

The Tang family's yard is very nice. If the plan agreed upon this morning is followed, the chemical raw materials company will use this yard to grow some vegetables to subsidize the company canteen.

When the plan was discussed in the morning, Huang Liren said that the Tang family should carry on the family's traditions. Meng Qingfeng didn't feel anything was wrong at the time, but now that he knows the courtyard belongs to Tang Zhitong, the plan has to be adjusted accordingly.

As long as Tang Zhitong does not explicitly state that he is unwilling to exchange, keep increasing the offer until he is willing!

Regarding the terms of the exchange, Meng Qingfeng felt that he was just as naive as the person who petitioned a few years ago to preserve the city walls and ancient buildings and move the city to the west.

Although no public opinion has been expressed regarding the relocation of the city to the west, anyone working in the government with even a little bit of a sense of things would feel that such a relocation is simply impossible.

Beijing is first and foremost the capital, and only secondly a city!
"The People's Republic of China... is founded today!"

These words were announced in Tiananmen Square, and the annual military parade thereafter has also been held in front of the square.

The country has only been established for a few years, and they're already moving the capital?
What will the world think? What will the people think?
The report even claimed that building a new urban area would be cheaper and have more complete functions, but Meng Qingfeng thought this was nonsense.

The new urban area planned to the west was built on the foundation laid by the Japanese during their invasion of China. Its facilities, such as water supply and sewage systems, are indeed more advanced than those in the city center. But precisely because of this, it is even more unacceptable to move there.

The city of Beijing not only represented the legal orthodoxy of the Ming and Qing dynasties, but also had to take into account the feelings of the people!
Why are we using these old books instead of the ones built by our ancestors? What do the people think?
While the old city of Beijing may indeed have deficiencies in water supply and drainage, this cannot be used as a basis for urban relocation; such a reason is simply untenable!

The subtext of this suggestion is to protect historical buildings by piling all the limited resources into the new city, leaving the old city untouched.

So here's the question: what will the residents of the old city of Beijing think?
Meng Qingfeng is now afraid of hearing employees say to him when he goes down to the grassroots level: "Manager Meng, it's been a long time."

"Long time no see" is both a greeting and a sign of being out of touch with the masses!
As Meng Qingfeng pedaled his bicycle, a few strands of hair fluttered behind him in the wind. He recalled the time when Tang Zhitong contacted him at the supply and marketing cooperative when they were working on the construction site.

To be honest, I have benefited from this; otherwise, I would not have been able to rise from the director of a supply and marketing cooperative in the suburbs to my current position.

Meng Qingfeng tried to keep in touch with Tang Zhitong afterwards, but the construction site was special and the construction team had left, so there was no way to find out anything.

Now that we know, there's no reason not to seize the opportunity.

When Meng Qingfeng arrived at Donghuashi Street, he asked passersby for directions to the Tang family's residence. When he stopped the car in front of the Tang family's gate, Meng Qingfeng made sure to re-arrange the few strands of hair on his head around the bald spot.

Just as Meng Qingfeng was about to step inside, he heard Tang Zhitong speak up against Huang Liren:

"Show some style? Master Huang, where do you live?"

I suppose you're the kind of person who's willing to give selflessly. How about this, I'll go back and find a family of ten or so people who are crammed into one room and we can switch rooms.

"You're a good person, so you can pay their rent along with the bill later."

"You!" Huang Liren never expected that one day he would be stabbed squarely by the very spear he was best at.

"What do you mean, 'you'? It's your turn, and you're still not happy? Then what gives you the right to ask me to change rooms?" Tang Zhitong said with a sneer.

Promoting good conduct requires careful consideration.

I am unwilling to donate two cows because I actually already have two cows.

Promoting a good style is indeed commendable, but we can't just look at the surface of things. Tang Zhitong also wants to promote it, but the problem is that he only has this one courtyard!

If you have ten or eight sets, you can develop five of them!

Many years later, there are still those who claim to be from respectable families who refuse to return their houses to the state, and there are still people who refuse to move out of the lake. How far am I from that?

Those houses don't belong to them, but the courtyard beneath my feet truly belongs to my ancestors!

Tang Zhitong was not satisfied with the conditions offered by the chemical raw material company. What Huang Liren needed to do now was to go back and coordinate to raise the conditions further, instead of arguing with him. Therefore, he rebuked Huang Liren without any burden or guilt.

"You!" Huang Liren was so embarrassed that he turned red in the face and was speechless.

"The fact that I agreed to discuss it already shows that I have done a great service."

Your chemical raw materials company is interested in this yard, and I can cooperate with you, but you can't try to fool me with some odds and ends! Do you really think I'm a fool?
Go back and repeat what I said to your supervisor word for word. If you want a change, you must show sincerity!

Huang Liren was just a gofer. Tang Zhitong saw that he couldn't offer any higher terms, so he simply made his intentions clear and then waved him away, saying that he was just wasting his time and that he still had to crack chestnuts and roast pine nuts.

"Comrade, who are you looking for?" Meng Qingfeng heard everything, but he wasn't angry that Tang Zhitong had embarrassed Huang Liren. Instead, he focused on Tang Zhitong's words, which seemed to suggest that there was still a possibility of exchanging houses.
Just as he was at the door pondering what to say when he went in, Xiao Wang arrived at the door with Fengzhen.

Meng Qingfeng blocked the door, preventing the two sisters-in-law from going home. They could only ask them to leave, but Xiao Wang was much more tactful than Tang Zhitong.

"Oh, please come in, please come in." Meng Qingfeng had never seen such an elegant girl before, so he smiled and took two steps back to give them some space.

Watching the two girls push in two more bicycles and put them away, adding to the one that was already parked, Meng Qingfeng felt that the conditions he had offered that morning were indeed a bit too low, no wonder Tang Zhitong was angry.

"Who are you? Director Meng?" Tang Zhitong was too lazy to waste words with Huang Liren. Hearing Xiao Wang talking at the gate, he left Huang Liren and came over to greet him. He immediately spotted Meng Qingfeng.

Tang Zhitong had a deep impression of this person; his unique Mediterranean hairstyle was something he had never seen before in the two years he had been here.

"Oh, Comrade Tang, it's been two years! How have you been?" Meng Qingfeng put on a smile and extended his hand to Tang Zhitong. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It really is Director Meng. You look even more official than before; I almost didn't recognize you." Tang Zhitong greeted him with a smile. This man used to have an electric fan in his office, and he was very shrewd. If it weren't for him using the construction site as a pretext, it would have been difficult to find an opportunity to stockpile goods.

"Forget about official airs, we're all serving the people. I heard about you from Director Xu Hui of the neighborhood committee this afternoon because of the chemical raw materials store location issue, and I didn't waste a moment after hanging up the phone." Meng Qingfeng withdrew his hand, subtly revealing his purpose.

Meng Qingfeng was very satisfied with the word "official air," believing that a true man would rather be penniless for a day than powerless for a day.

Huang Liren's information from the residents of Donghuashi was very accurate. In addition to growing vegetables, the Tang family's courtyard also had another feature, which was said to have been built under the guidance of a master.

Meng Qingfeng didn't care much about the small amount of food. No matter how difficult things got, he wouldn't starve. But if it came down to the feng shui benefits, he would be happy to exchange this courtyard.

"Oh, this matter has even alarmed Aunt Xu? Please come in." Tang Zhitong understood, smiled, and gestured for Meng Qingfeng to enter the house. This was the one who could make the decisions. As for the chestnuts and roasted pine nuts, they could be prepared in the evening.

Meng Qingfeng had just seen a corner of the vegetable garden from the gate. When he came in, he saw that it was full of life and everything was thriving. No wonder Huang Liren couldn't forget it.

"Manager Meng, he..." Huang Liren saw his direct supervisor arrive and felt as if he had found his pillar of support. He wanted to explain what had just happened and ask his supervisor to help him get back at him.

"Xiao Huang, I heard everything just now. Your methods of doing things are still a bit too crude. Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. We ourselves cannot do it, so why should we expect Comrade Xiao Tang to do it? Apologize to Comrade Xiao Tang and go back to reflect on your actions." Meng Qingfeng reprimanded Huang Liren with a stern face.

"Hey, Director Meng, it's alright. Comrade Huang was just doing his job. I was too harsh. I apologize to Comrade Huang and hope you won't take it to heart." Tang Zhitong had an attitude, but it wasn't very proper. He was just offering a way out for Lao Meng and Lao Huang.

Tang Zhitong understood that Huang Liren was just a worker. If he was to take the blame for this, it would mean that the chemical raw materials company had made a mistake in its decision-making. If the decision was wrong, how could they change houses?

Besides, would Huang Liren dare to do this without Meng Qingfeng's authorization? So this conflict needs to be eased.

"Look at Tang Zhitong, so young yet so magnanimous, he's truly destined for great things." Meng Qingfeng gave Huang Liren a pep talk, but didn't forget to praise Tang Zhitong.

"Come in, come in and sit down." Tang Zhitong pointed to the side room, intending to give the two a surprise, which would also make it easier to discuss the specific details of changing rooms.

Xiao Wang didn't get involved in the matter and took his sister-in-law back to the main room.

As soon as the three entered the room, they looked up and saw an enlarged photograph.

Seeing the two dumbfounded people, Tang Zhitong was very satisfied. While putting tea leaves into the teapot, he said, "Director Meng, Comrade Huang, please have a seat. I don't have much tea at home, and I usually can't bear to drink it. Today, I'll take advantage of your presence to taste the tea."

“This is…” Meng Qingfeng came to his senses, pointed at the photo on the wall, and looked incredulous.

"Oh, that one is a photo of my wife from a performance a few years ago, and this one is from a meeting I attended recently. I washed it and hung it up so I can see it all the time and remind myself of something," Tang Zhitong said with a smile as she picked up a thermos to make tea.

Xiao Wang was indifferent to these things, so he didn't care whether the notice was posted or not. Tang Zhitong, on the other hand, knew that he acted unconventionally, and posting the notice actually served as a way to keep himself constantly vigilant, reminding himself not to do anything out of line or go astray.

Tang Zhitong spoke of it casually, but Meng Qingfeng and Huang Liren saw it differently. How many people in the whole country could have such an honor? Yet this couple had it!

"Director Meng, Comrade Huang, please sit down and talk." Tang Zhitong set out the teacups and offered them to everyone again.

"You did the right thing!" Meng Qingfeng managed to control his expression before sitting down. Huang Liren wanted to say something but couldn't, so he sat down as well, becoming a silent background figure.

"Director Meng has profound insights. Here, have a taste of this tea." Tang Zhitong poured most of a cup of tea for the two of them, and also had a bowl for himself.

Tang Zhitong wasn't lying just now. This tea was given by Director Ye. She rarely drinks it. Her friend used to squeeze a couple of leaves to add some flavor, but after she became pregnant, she stopped drinking it at her husband's suggestion.

Regardless of the era, drinking tea, drinking alcohol, singing, foot massage, business companionship, etc., are never the goal, but rather a means to deepen understanding, bind, and exchange through these forms in order to achieve the objective.

“I support the work of the neighborhood committee and the chemical raw materials company. I can change the house, but it must be near the National Library of China, and the size cannot be too different. If the house you provide is larger, I can also pay extra.” After drinking two bowls of tea, the ins and outs of the matter were clarified, and the misunderstanding was resolved. Tang Zhitong stated his requirements directly, without even mentioning the vegetables in the yard.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Since you've limited the location and area, the vegetables in the yard and the expected harvest there should belong to someone else, which is perfectly reasonable.

"I'll get back to you as soon as I get back to you." After seeing the photos hanging on the wall of the side room, Meng Qingfeng became even more determined to take over the courtyard, but in the end, he did not mention the alternative plan of choosing another courtyard.

Two years ago, a young man was doing odd jobs, but in just two years he has received numerous honors and been received by many people. Meng Qingfeng does not believe that the feng shui of this house has not played a role in this.

After seeing Meng Qingfeng and Huang Liren off, Tang Zhitong was in a good mood and hummed a little tune as he entered the main room.

"Anzi, your Uncle Zhu came to collect the water bill today. He saw the vegetables in our yard and praised them several times. We should be fine, right?" Zhang Guifang asked with some concern as soon as she entered the house.

"It's alright, Mom. We might move in a couple of days. Let those who are jealous talk to the chemical raw materials company." Tang Zhitong had given her mother those instructions that morning to prevent the neighbors from getting jealous, but keeping it a secret was only a temporary solution.

Now that Meng Qingfeng has agreed to help arrange housing, all of this is irrelevant; let him know if he wants to.

"Did you agree on this?" Ms. Wang asked, noticing the joy on her husband's face.

"There should be a chance. We'll get back to you in a couple of days." Tang Zhitong smiled, eagerly anticipating what kind of courtyard Meng Qingfeng could coordinate.

"What about the vegetables in our yard? Will you share some with us?" Hail fell in Beijing and the surrounding area last night, and the vegetable garden was ruined. The vegetable store increased its supply today, and Zhang Guifang bought some as well. If they don't have the support from their own vegetable garden, they probably won't have much non-staple food to eat.

"Mom, don't worry, everything's been discussed. We'll get at least half this year." Tang Zhitong's lies came out without hesitation. He still had reserves in his space, which he could just use to cover up his debts later.

Zhang Guifang felt a little relieved after hearing this. She looked up at the ceiling and then at the portraits of her mother-in-law and husband on the wall. Her eyes welled up with tears: "Sigh, after living here for so many years, now that you say it, I really feel a little reluctant to leave."

(End of this chapter)