Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 910 909 I Love BJ Tiananmen

After measuring the length, height, and width of the hospital bed, Tang Zhitong said goodbye to Lü Lixian and went to the escort office.

Throughout the journey, Tang Zhitong pondered the design requirements, especially where the headboard should begin to curve upwards. Should it be a simple, straightforward middle section? Or should the length of the human body from the buttocks to the head be considered?
If we consider human proportions, we also need to collect height data, since everyone's height and the proportions of various parts are different, and this proportion must meet the needs of most people.

As Tang Zhitong passed by the square, he saw tourists taking photos with Tiananmen Square. Their clothes and demeanor were much better than those of ordinary residents.

That's just how things are in this world. No matter when, there will always be people living comfortably. There's still no news from the chemical raw materials company, and Tang Zhitong is looking forward to seeing what kind of house Director Meng can help them find.

When they arrived at the transport site, it was lunchtime, and most of the potatoes in the yard had already been harvested.

Ma Wei and Fu Caiyun were eating in the finance department when they saw Tang Zhitong enter. They immediately put down their chopsticks, stood up, and greeted him.
"Section Chief."

"Section Chief Tang."

"The food looks good today. Sit down, don't let me keep you from eating." Tang Zhitong cheerfully took off his bag, opened it to take out his own lunchbox, and glanced at the two lunchboxes.

"The cafeteria improved the food today, stewing potatoes, and everyone got two big spoonfuls." Fu Caiyun squinted her eyes when talking about food.

"Looks like I've been lucky enough to catch all the good things. You guys eat, I'm going to the cafeteria." Tang Zhitong picked up his lunchbox, nodded to the two of them, and went straight to the cafeteria.

The staff in the canteen all had satisfied smiles on their faces. Potatoes were good; they could be used as a side dish, fill you up, and were free.

Tang Zhitong scooped two spoonfuls from the window, paused to look around, and saw Fang Yuan. She then approached him.

Everyone else was laughing, but Fang Yuan couldn't quite manage a smile.

"Director Fang, are you planning to plant something else outside?" Tang Zhitong put down his lunchbox, greeted Fang Yuan, and inquired.

"Yes, Sister Chen called a technician to come and take a look. The hail damaged the potato vines, and the yield couldn't keep up. He suggested harvesting them in time and replanting pumpkins. I didn't expect to run into pumpkins again this year." Fang Yuan smiled, his face full of regret. These potatoes represented the hard work of many people in the transport department, and they were all gone in an instant after one hailstorm.

"It's a bit of a pity, but pumpkins are also very good. They have a high yield and don't require much care." Since things had come to this, Tang Zhitong could only say the nice things.

"Well, that's all we can do. Luckily, it's not too late yet, and there's still time. I was thinking of planting cabbages again in the fall, but it looks like it's too late." Faced with the reality, Fang Yuan felt regretful but had no choice but to accept it. Fortunately, there were subsidies from the farm, so they should be able to make ends meet.

"Not necessarily. It's a bit warm today, so let's see when we harvest the pumpkins. If the temperature allows, we can still plant cabbages. They might not form clusters, but that won't affect the taste. If the temperature drops, we can plant some scallions. Scallions aren't afraid of the frost, and in winter, they can be eaten with a little soy sauce. It's better than nothing." The Tang family has been growing vegetables in their yard for many years, and Tang Zhitong has been exposed to it since childhood, so he has a certain understanding of the growth period of various vegetables.

"Yes, the technician said so too. We can only take it one step at a time." Fang Yuan nodded and sighed. Some things are beyond human control; we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate.

When Tang Zhitong returned to the finance department after dinner, Fu Caiyun had already left.

Tang Zhitong sat at his desk, writing and drawing, recording all the bed parameters and needs he could think of. He planned to continue to entrust the improvement of the beds to the research team.

Strangely enough, the job assignments for this year's graduates have not been announced yet, and many graduating students have not left campus.

Graduates are not worried about this situation. They are well aware that as long as they are in school, they will have a quota for university students. If they are assigned to local areas, it will be difficult to maintain this quota.

Why haven't I received my job assignment yet after graduation?

Tang Zhitong was unaware of this.

Since we're still in school, we should seize this opportunity to use nuclear-powered oxen and horses for free. Who knows, once the project to develop hospital beds is completed, the health department might have a change of heart and provide two more Beijing residency permits.

After a short rest in the afternoon, Fang Yuan took the lead and started digging potatoes with a hoe.

Since Tang Zhitong had already been caught up in it, he couldn't stay out of it.

The potatoes weren't fully grown yet; they were only the size of an egg.

The potatoes were very tender. I cut them into four pieces with the skin on, and they were just the right size for stewing. That's what we ate for lunch today.

The men dug in front, while the women picked up the baskets from behind. Once a basket was full, they carried it to the logistics warehouse to empty it.

Although the potatoes were small, there were many of them, and the canteen at the transport depot could probably survive for about ten days without any vegetables.

After the potatoes were dug up, Fang Yuan told the women to go back and rest. He continued to lead the men to work under the scorching sun, turning the soil around as quickly as possible to plant the pumpkins.

With leaders setting an example, no one complained or cried. Chef Gao from the canteen, fearing that everyone would suffer from heatstroke, contributed all the limited amount of mung beans in the canteen to cook a pot of mung bean soup for everyone.

Comrades who were tired from working would rest for a while by the field, have a cup of mung bean soup and a smoke, and then go back to work. For a time, the vegetable garden of the escort office was bustling with activity, no less than the scene described in the newspaper.

As it was nearing the end of the workday, the ground had been mostly dug up. Ma Wei came out of the finance department and went straight to Tang Zhitong: "Section Chief, the security guard called and said that a comrade surnamed Ding is looking for you."

"Okay, thank you." Tang Zhitong raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Working in the fields from dawn till dusk was not easy. Not only did it tire his back, but sweat would also drip down his eyebrows, eyes, and nose, making his face itchy.

After greeting Fang Yuan, Tang Zhitong, with sweat pouring down his forehead and his clothes clinging to his body, went to the gatehouse.

Ding Jianhui was taken aback when he saw Tang Zhitong's appearance: "Aren't you in finance? What's making you so tired?"

"The hailstorm a couple of days ago ruined all the potatoes in the vegetable garden, so we're making room to plant something else." Tang Zhitong smiled and greeted the gatekeeper, "This is my friend, please register him and let him in."

"Alright!" The gatekeeper had already registered the information. Hearing Tang Zhitong's words, he felt relieved and immediately lifted the railing. The comrade standing guard with a gun also shifted his attention to the distance outside the gate.

"The security here is really tight. I was getting really creeped out by all the stares just now," Ding Jianhui complained to Tang Zhitong in a low voice as he pushed his bicycle in.

"There's nothing we can do. There was a violent incident here recently, so we've increased the manpower." Tang Zhitong smiled. Ever since Ma Wei was stabbed by the knife thrown by the man surnamed Qin, the security at this staff passage of the train station has been very thorough.

One reason Ding Jianhui was being watched was probably his disheveled appearance; he was unkempt and had a bulging bag on his body, making him look exactly like Qin from that incident.

"No wonder, that makes sense now." Ding Jianhui suddenly realized, glanced at the security guards who were busy turning the soil in the field, skipped over the topic, and fast-forwarded: "Xiao Tang, come to your office." "Brother Hui, you really don't need to be so polite." Tang Zhitong could guess that Ding Jianhui's purpose in coming this time was nothing more than to bring something to express his gratitude.

If the gatekeeper hadn't been watching so closely, Tang Zhitong would have even wanted to argue with him outside the gate for a while, but she was afraid that the gatekeeper would misunderstand and think that the bolt had been pulled, so she could only let him in.

“Anzi, you can say that, but I can’t be so unreasonable. Besides, this is also my mother’s wish.” Ding Jianhui said this with great emotion.

Ever since my mother knew her days were numbered, she created every opportunity to introduce me to people.

Despite his aversion, he forced himself to be polite and exchanged letters with others two or three times, but he never encountered anyone as capable as Tang Zhitong.

In just three months, I was transferred from a grassroots worker who climbed utility poles to the municipal power bureau, where I became a staff member.

Clerk may not sound high, but it ranks 21st or 22nd out of 24 levels of cadres, belonging to the grassroots level. This is the highest salary after completing four years of formal high school education, and even among college graduates, it would be considered average.

Ding Jianhui was very content, and his mother was also very satisfied.

Now that his mother is terminally ill and doesn't have much time left, Ding Jianhui finally understands his mother's good intentions, so he cherishes his friendship with Tang Zhitong very much.

"I really can't do anything with you, let's go." Tang Zhitong shook his head with a smile. Ding Jianhui had brought up his mother, so he couldn't refuse. He couldn't let her leave without feeling uneasy, could he?
Ma Wei was sensible; seeing Tang Zhitong bring his friends in, she poured a glass of water and left.

After Ma Wei left, Ding Jianhui took the items out of his bag: two bottles of Maotai produced a few years ago, plus two cans of meat.

"Brother Hui, I'll leave the wine here, but you can take the canned goods back to help Auntie recover." Ding Jianhui has three younger siblings, and supplies are tight right now, so Tang Zhitong wanted to find a compromise that would put his mind at ease without disrupting his life.

“No need, we still have plenty at home. To be honest, since my mother was hospitalized, quite a few uncles and aunts have come to visit, so we don’t lack any food.” Ding Jianhui said this with a faint, bitter smile on his face. Among these visitors were people his mother had shamelessly begged, who agreed verbally but did nothing of substance.

However, Ding Jianhui understood them. Helping was a favor, not helping was their right. He had only agreed to help his mother save face.

Similarly, this taught Ding Jianhui a lesson: sometimes, adult promises are just a formality and shouldn't be taken seriously.

In the end, Tang Zhitong stayed.

Ding Jianhui arrived right on time, and Tang Zhitong accepted the gifts, just as it was time to leave work.

Tang Zhitong temporarily locked her things in the cabinet under her desk, packed her bag, and left the finance department with Ding Jianhui.

Tang Zhitong didn't lock the door when he left because he had already seen Ma Wei walking towards the finance department.

Ding Jianhui was going to the hospital, and the two parted ways at the west entrance of Huashi Street.

Tang Zhitong originally wanted to find a bicycle repair shop on the road and use his money to buy some bicycle chains and inner tubes to make a chain gun for his brother-in-law, but Ding Jianhui stayed with him the whole time, so he didn't find an opportunity.

When Tang Zhitong got home, she first changed her clothes, threw them into a basin, rubbed them a couple of times in the water, and then hung them directly on the clothesline.

"You're just trying to get it clean. How can you wash it properly like this? Put it in the basin, and I'll wash it for you in a bit," Zhang Guifang muttered after seeing her son's actions.

"Hey, it's not dirty. I just sweated a little today, it'll be clean after a soak." Tang Zhitong didn't take it seriously. The clothes she had just put on today, how dirty could they be? Besides, clothes these days aren't very durable. If she rubbed them too hard, they might tear after a few washes.

"Getting lazier and lazier," Zhang Guifang said with a smile, pointing at her son.

"Did you upset Mom?" Xiao Wang heard her mother-in-law talking about her husband as she entered the gate. She put down her bicycle, walked up to her husband, and asked quietly.

"It's nothing, they just think I'm sloppy with the laundry." Tang Zhitong chuckled as she recounted what had just happened.

"I thought it was something serious. I'll wash it again later," Xiao Wang said casually.

"Alright, now that you put it that way, I'll do it." Tang Zhitong shrugged, realizing he couldn't slack off this time.

"I'm not that delicate. If you're hungry, go cook some food and eat first," Xiao Wang said reproachfully.

"Understood!" Tang Zhitong, wearing a tank top full of holes, stood at attention, turned around, and marched into the main room, leaving Xiao Wang behind, giggling.

After dinner, Tang Zhitong still couldn't win the argument with Xiao Wang, and she ended up washing the clothes.

While rubbing her husband's shirt, Ms. Wang said to him, "Editor Yang Lin from China National Radio called me today."

"Is it still about 'The Little Girl Picking Mushrooms'?" Tang Zhitong sat at his desk, holding a pencil and ruler, busy drawing blueprints for a new type of hospital bed.

"Yes, but not entirely. Editor Yang said that CNR has been reading listener letters for four consecutive days, all praising the song. Today we received an unusually large number of letters, all from people who listened to the first broadcast and then wrote to support us. She told us to relax, that we're all set." As Xiao Wang said this, her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with joy.

"The eyes of the masses are discerning; we still have a strong foundation among the people. Besides that, what else did she say?" Although she had anticipated this outcome, Tang Zhitong was still very happy to hear it.

"She also said that people have written to us hoping we'll write a few more songs. Editor Yang said she's looking forward to it too, so she called to urge us." At this point, Xiao Wang laughed even more happily.

"Well, the deadline is here." Tang Zhitong threw down his pen and scratched his head. His audience was his bread and butter, and he couldn't afford to offend them; he had to try his best to satisfy them.

"So, are you going to write it or not?"

"I definitely have to write it." Yang Lin was doing a great job, and Tang Zhitong felt that he couldn't let her down on his end either.

"I just don't know when inspiration will strike, right?" Xiao Wang playfully added to her husband's comment.

"Now that you mention it, I actually have an idea. Let me hum it for you." Tang Zhitong recalled what he saw when he passed by the square earlier that day, and the song "I Love Beijing Tiananmen" immediately popped into his head.

(End of this chapter)