Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 905 904 Changing houses was also for the sake of this family

A caged bird longs for its old forest, a fish in a pond yearns for its former deep pool.

Those who have this kind of insight are definitely not young people. Young people only think about spreading their wings and flying high, and they can't wait to break free from their parents' control.

When Tao Yuanming wrote this poem, he claimed to be around thirty years old. In reality, Tang Zhitong didn't know either, but this poem truly reflects the mentality of some elderly people.

Tang Zhitong understood Zhang Guifang's reluctance, but understanding was one thing, moving was another; if it could be moved, it still had to be moved.

"Mom, my grandma moved here from Mentougou back then. Do you think it was a good move?" Even if they had to move, Tang Zhitong, as a son, still had to offer some guidance.

“Of course it is. Mentougou is a strange place. Can it be compared with the city?” Zhang Guifang answered matter-of-factly.

“According to the old saying in Beijing, the east is rich and the west is noble, the south is poor and the north is lowly. We belong to the poor and lowly area. Wouldn’t it be better to move to the inner city than here?” Tang Zhitong had already persuaded her mother from the perspective of size last time, and this time she changed her angle.

"You dug a pit, waiting for me to fall into it? The past is the past, the present is the present. Things are much better now than before. We've built roads, opened up roads, and even have running water." Hearing her son say this, Zhang Guifang smiled, but there was still worry on her face. "The inner city might be a little better than here, but those people are all rich or officials. I'm afraid they won't be easy to get along with."

“We’re building here, and the inner city isn’t standing still either, right?”
You don't need to worry about being difficult to get along with. Have you ever seen a cadre who doesn't speak properly to the people?
Besides, your son is a cadre, and your daughter-in-law is also a cadre. Who can do anything to you?
You can rest assured, the inner city is definitely better than the outer city. Otherwise, when the Wan family was choosing their houses, they wouldn't have chosen to live in a two-courtyard house in Xishicao instead of the four-courtyard house next door.

Although Lao Wan and his son have already been imprisoned, that doesn't stop Tang Zhitong from using them as examples.

Older people tend to be more stubborn in their thinking. Sometimes, no matter how much you explain, it's not as effective as using examples from people and things around them.

“That makes sense.” Sure enough, with the Wan family’s masterpiece as an example, Zhang Guifang nodded reluctantly.

"There's also the issue of Fengzhi's schooling. If we move, Fengzhi will have to transfer schools as well. There are many top schools in the inner city with strong teaching staff."

Take Jingmin School for example. Every semester, the school organizes outings, visits, and movie screenings, which effectively broaden students' horizons. What do we have here? Running around in the alleyways serves as a physical education class.

The gap between the two sides is huge; Fengzhi will broaden her horizons considerably if she goes there.

Tang Zhitong has brought up the concept of school district housing again, saying that for ordinary families, school district housing is the most worthwhile investment for their children.

Many real estate agents often persuade clients to buy a house by saying "Don't let your child lose at the starting line," but Tang Zhitong thinks that's nonsense.

For ordinary families, the starting line for other people's children is the finish line for their own children. The race is over before it even begins. What can they use to compete with others?
There are countless examples like this, and many things simply cannot be compared. However, school district housing is different because it is tied to educational resources.

There is a huge difference between key schools and ordinary schools in terms of facilities and educational investment. Senior professional titles, which are rare in ordinary schools, are common in key schools.

Once a child gets into a top-tier school, it's not necessary for them to excel academically. As long as they learn to think independently, the value of the school district property is realized.

Zhang Guifang listened and nodded. As a mother, she certainly hoped that her children would be more successful.

"And most of the grudges and disputes between neighbors actually stem from trivial matters and calculations. Residents in the inner city generally have higher incomes and are less concerned about small things. I think at least we won't have a situation like the water bill incident last time, because people feel it's not worth arguing over a few cents." After talking about education, Tang Zhitong continued to talk about neighborly relations.

Tang Zhitong actually wanted to say "Poverty breeds cunning, wealth fosters conscience," but this phrase comes from the opera "The White-Haired Girl," where the villains stigmatize poor tenant farmers and advocate that wealth determines moral superiority or inferiority. It is not appropriate to use it here.

In fact, this statement is indeed biased. There are many conscientious people among the poor, and many cunning people among the rich. It depends on the person, or rather, on their upbringing.

"It's hard to say, but our family does use a lot of water, so it's no wonder the neighbors have complaints." Zhang Guifang is a reasonable and kind person, and she didn't hold a grudge against those troublemakers because of the water bill.

"Alright, that's because you don't mind." Tang Zhitong scratched his head, trying to squeeze out some more juice to persuade his mother.

Seeing her husband scratching his head in frustration, Xiao Wang chimed in, "Mom, the sanitation conditions in the inner city and the outer city are quite different. The outer city is cleaned more frequently."

"Yes, yes, this morning on my way to work I saw a lot of tree branches and leaves that had been hit by hail. There were people cleaning up the inner city, but in the outer city we had to do it ourselves." Tang Zhitong immediately remembered the difference he saw this morning, and even more so the old neighborhoods decades later.

While some old residential areas are still clean and tidy, the dormitories of companies that have disappeared in the wave of the Democratic Progressive Party are much more miserable. Dogs are walked without leashes, dog urine and feces are everywhere, stray cats are everywhere, cockroaches and ants crawl all over the house, there are always scavengers rummaging through the garbage cans downstairs, recyclable garbage is piled up in the corridors, and advertisements for unclogging sewers and installing broadband are posted in the corridors.

The residents of this kind of community are almost all from the lowest rungs of society. What kind of impact will this have on children?

They may learn about the hardships of life earlier than their peers, but their knowledge and experience will be a level below that of children from other upscale neighborhoods, which is similar to the saying "poor children learn to be independent early".

This reminded Tang Zhitong of a free medical check-up he had at the flower market a few years ago.

After examining a child, the doctor said the child was calcium deficient, but the mother said: "He's not deficient. We always give him the thickest blankets first."

Given the same starting line, broadening one's horizons can, to some extent, help a child reach a higher potential. For Fengzhi's sake and for her own future children, Tang Zhitong supports changing houses.

"There's also a difference in supply between the inner and outer cities; the inner city has a wider variety of non-staple foods." This was the first time Xiao Wang had mentioned this issue since marrying into the Iron Wheelbarrow family.

“Mom, I’m confident I can get grain from other places, but if we eat like this in Tielugu, it’ll be easy to be found out. Others will look pale and thin, even swollen, while our family will all be full of energy. We’ll have no way to explain ourselves then. The supplies in the inner city are better, and we can blend into the crowd without being so conspicuous.” Tang Zhitong nodded and stammered beside him, this was also what he was most concerned about.

Because of the hail, the supply of vegetables will decrease in another three to five days; in August, the catering industry will strictly implement the requirement of ration coupons for meals; in September, the purchase of snacks will require both snack coupons and ration coupons; around October, the rations for residents of Beijing will be reduced; in November, edema will spread from the rural areas surrounding Beijing to the city...

Tang Zhitong felt that although he had honors and glory, public opinion could be devastating and could destroy a family. He was already seeing signs of this. If things continued for a few more months, while the neighbors were starving and their stomachs were growling, his family would be full of energy. He was afraid that there would be even bigger trouble then.

We can't force our family members to go hungry just because of this, can we?

Life always finds a way out. Seeds can push aside the stones overhead, and pine trees can take root in the cracks of rocks where there is no soil. When faced with difficulties, people will also choose a new way of life with their feet.

People in the inner city have higher incomes and can buy more things. Even during the worst of the famine, it is easier to obtain food than in the outer city.

After the wind picked up, the master architect received a monthly allowance of 150 yuan. When the higher-ups sent his secretary to inquire, the architect said that 150 yuan was just enough for him to buy supplements, and he didn't have money for food.

Later, Tsinghua University paid this master his full salary. (Source: Cheng Zhengrong, *Secretarial Work*, Issue 6, 2016)
No matter how much money they receive, it's what they deserve. What Tang Zhitong wants to say is that the 150 yuan monthly allowance for supplements only happens in the inner city. Places like the Donghuashi grocery store mainly sell basic necessities; there's no sea cucumber or abalone at all. Even if you have money, there's nowhere to spend it.

Grain harvests are affected by weather and fertility, but seafood production is currently only affected by transportation capacity. The resources in the sea are inexhaustible, but there are not enough fishing boats and transportation capacity.

When winter comes, seafood arrives in Beijing, providing a legitimate opportunity to replenish nutrients.

Because of income constraints, no one in Tielugu can afford to eat fish every day. But in the wealthy inner city, let alone fish, they could certainly afford sea cucumber every day, since rehydrated sea cucumber only costs 2.7 yuan per jin these days. It's like two people going to university: some truly go to university and have a bright future, while others just happen to have studied for a few years.

The Ugly Duckling was able to become a swan because it was a swan to begin with.

If Tang Zhitong continued to stay in his old house, guarding against his neighbors and getting bogged down in internal squabbles with them, he felt it would be safer to immerse himself in the company of the wealthy.

“We’ll move, whatever you think is best.” Zhang Guifang couldn’t describe her feelings. She had lived in Tieluguba for most of her life and was somewhat afraid of change…

Although his mother didn't say it, Tang Zhitong understood that his mother was reluctant to leave the old house. However, the general trend would not change according to anyone's willpower. Between the two, moving was more important.

After Zhang Guifang nodded, Tang Zhitong began to cook.

The vegetable fields in the suburbs were damaged by the disaster, but the residents of Beijing were in for a treat. The vegetables didn't look very appealing today, but there were plenty of them.

"Brother, what if you can't keep up with your studies at the new school?" Fengzhi asked with some concern as she watched Tang Zhitong cook.

"Do you see the roof beam?" Tang Zhitong leaned back and asked her sister, pointing to the roof beam through the bamboo curtain, as the stove was next to the main room door.

"Hmm." Fengzhi looked up, puzzled.

"If you can't keep up, I'll take a rope, tie your hands together, hang you from the rafters, and then beat you with a belt." Tang Zhitong straightened up and grinned at his bratty sister.

"Go away, why are you scaring the child? I thought you were going to say something like 'hanging one's head from the rafters'." Xiao Wang was both amused and exasperated, and gently pushed her husband. She was helpless about her husband's occasional erratic thought process. Normal people would use "hanging one's head from the rafters and pricking one's thigh with an awl" to educate their children, but what parent would use a belt to educate their child?
Fengzhi leaned against her sister-in-law, her eyes darting around, not believing her brother's words at all.

Tang Zhitong burst into laughter. Xiao Wang had a happy childhood and never received his father's discipline with a belt, but many children have truly tasted the bitterness of being beaten with a belt.

After dinner, Tang Zhitong started cracking chestnuts. Since there was only one stove in the summer, these two tasks could only be carried out outside the main room.

Fengzhi wanted to join the fun and sample the food, but her mother grabbed her ear and dragged her back into the house to do her homework.

Even while doing her homework, Fengzhi was still thinking about snacks, calling out to Tang Zhitong every three to five minutes: "Brother, are the chestnuts ready? Are the pine nuts ready?"

Faced with Fengzhi's double-dealing, Zhang Guifang could no longer tolerate it and immediately made her daughter eat chestnuts, the kind that were stir-fried with her fingers.

Fengzhi went inside, but Xiao Wang remained sitting on the small stool by the stove, waiting for the chestnuts to ripen.

Since becoming pregnant, Ms. Wang's craving for snacks has increased significantly, but fortunately, her morning sickness has mostly subsided.

Perhaps because she had never felt such a craving before, Xiao Wang felt a little embarrassed. While staring at the stove, she discussed with her husband, "Ensheng has been sent to the orphanage. Do you think we should donate an extra five yuan every month?"

“Okay, you handle this as you see fit, I have no objection.” Ensheng was the name of the abandoned baby girl. Since there was no name given to her, her surname was “Dang” from the orphanage, and her given name was Dang Ensheng.

After saying that, Tang Zhitong took out his wages for the day from his pocket, kept the change for himself, and handed the remaining seventy yuan to Xiao Wang: "Give this to your mom for living expenses, and you can keep the rest."

"Okay, then I'll send it." Xiao Wang took the money, stood up, and prepared to give it to his mother-in-law.

"Send it. The chestnuts will be ready by the time you come out, and we can taste them to see if they're salty enough." Listening to the muffled popping sounds coming from the pressure cooker, Tang Zhitong timed it precisely.

The chestnuts were ready. Xiao Wang tried them, and Feng Zhi also came out to join in. Even though no sugar was added this time, the two of them ate them with great relish.

Tang Zhitong placed chestnuts on a tea tray, brought them into the house, and gave a handful each to his mother and Fengzhen. He then left the rest to dry before going out to continue roasting pine nuts.

Since it was outdoors, Tang Zhitong was very careful when roasting pine nuts, breathing in the surrounding air so as not to make the neighbor's child cry with envy.

After it was cooked, the family ate it first, and the rest was saved for guests the next day.

Back in their room, the young couple first discussed what dishes to make for tomorrow. With vegetables from their own yard as a base, plus the ample supply from the grocery store these past two days, they figured they could easily put together six dishes.

"How much money have we saved up?" Tang Zhitong asked Xiao Wang after they had discussed the menu.

"Including the salary we just received, it should be around four hundred. Why are you asking this?" Since buying a sewing machine last year, the young couple hasn't bought a camera or a radio, so their expenses haven't been high.

"When I was discussing the house swap with the chemical raw materials company this afternoon, I made a request: the yard should ideally be about the same size as our current house. If it's any bigger, we'll have to pay the difference." Tang Zhitong made more than just this request; he also demanded that the chemical raw materials company coordinate with the housing management department to change the property certificate for the new house, making it his private property.

Many people don't pay much attention to this area now, and there aren't any major problems at the moment. But if we don't change it now, it will be easy to get entangled in property rights issues after the reform and opening up.

"Oh, is four hundred enough? If not, I'll ask Director Ye for more." As soon as Xiao Wang heard it was about the house, she immediately thought of her parents' family. Although Director Ye was sending money to her mother-in-law every month, her income was still there, and she had said that if she needed money, she could just ask her. She should have some money, right?

"We'll see when the time comes. If it's not too much bigger, this amount of money should be enough for us." Tang Zhitong shook his head, deciding to wait and see.

Although many houses were rented out in the past two years, the buying and selling of houses has not stopped, only decreased.

Private property sales are not a matter of selling as many properties as you want; the housing authority has guidelines in place.

The full name of this document is "Urban Housing Valuation Method". This method scores the houses being traded based on factors such as location, area, age, materials, and depreciation. The total price is calculated by multiplying the score by the house price ratio.

The scores for each house were calculated based on the construction costs in February 1950, so the house price obtained based on these scores is relatively low.

When Tang Zhitong went to Lao Wan two years ago to discuss mortgaging the house, Lao Wan said that the Tang family's house was valued at 1,000 yuan based on the appraised value. That's the gist of it.

According to Huang Liren's initial statement, the Tang family would be given three rooms in exchange for new rooms, and any extra rooms would be compensated according to the estimated area. Therefore, Tang Zhitong also requested in the afternoon that if the new courtyard had extra area, the estimated area should also be used.

Since you think this is reasonable, then it's also reasonable for you to make this request. It's just that the price should definitely be lower than the price in the market.

That's not much at all, maybe three to five times more...

(End of this chapter)