Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 918 917 Returning a Kindness
The residents of Beijing are only now beginning to realize the damage caused by the hailstorm a few days ago – the vegetable shops are out of vegetables.

"Anzi, can you finish all the vegetables you have? If you can't, sell some to me." Tang Zhitong had just arrived at the entrance of Tielugu Alley when a neighbor with ulterior motives bluntly threw the question in his face.

As temperatures rise, residents' water consumption increases dramatically. The water pump is often crowded with neighbors coming to get water, and the taps are always running. People leave when the water is full, but even so, you still have to queue to get water.

"What vegetables are left? They've all been ruined by the hail." The place was packed with people, and Tang Zhitong couldn't ride his bicycle any further, so he had to stop. But he didn't respond to her request. Regardless of whether others saw it or not, when it came to him, there was no one left.

As I said before, some things, even when sold, shouldn't be sold to acquaintances. Not only is it easy to create conflicts, but you also won't get a good price.

"Tsk tsk, I saw it all, a whole yard of lush green vegetables, it doesn't look like it's being wasted at all." This person not only lacked tact, but also added a sour remark after hearing Tang Zhitong's response.

Tang Zhitong pretended not to hear. His family was moving soon, so there was no need to get angry over such a small matter.

"Hey, I saw the housing management office came to your house to take measurements. Does that mean you're going to move?" Old Zhu asked the question that had been nagging at him all day before Tang Zhitong pushed his bicycle home.

"Yes, it should be soon. The chemical raw material company thinks my yard is in a good location and plans to open a shop here to make it convenient for people to dye their clothes." Tang Zhitong admitted it frankly, and the smile on his face was also from the heart. Moving from "the poorest of families" to the capital is a worthwhile deal from any perspective.

Old Zhu felt a little regretful when he saw Tang Zhitong admit it. In the past two years, Tang Zhitong was the only one who would occasionally offer him a cigarette. If he left, he would have nowhere to smoke.

Old Zhu was about to ask where the Tang family was moving their house when he was interrupted.

“Anzi, we’re moving houses soon, so there’s no point in keeping your vegetable garden. Why not give it to the neighbors? It would be a good way to settle our years of friendship, wouldn’t you say?” The man who had been so persistent earlier had his eyes gleaming when he heard that the Tang family was about to move away. It was as if the vegetables were now ownerless and whoever got them would have them.

"That XXX of your mother! From childhood to adulthood, have I ever drunk a drop of water from your family? Or eaten a grain of rice from your family? Why are you so concerned about our relationship?"

Faced with such a greedy and demanding neighbor, Tang Zhitong really wanted to point his finger at him and curse him out, but due to his position, he could only keep this friendly greeting to himself.

"Auntie, please don't even think about taking my vegetable garden. The chemical raw material company has requirements that we have to be very careful when moving. We can't touch or damage the vegetables. They have arrangements for the vegetable garden." Tang Zhitong retorted in a light tone.

"Oh~ you're really moving away? You don't care about neighborhood ties at all. If you're missing a few eggplants or loofahs, what company would even know?" Hearing that Tang Zhitong wasn't cooperating, this person started speaking sarcastically.

“There are no secrets in this world. If I give it to you, what will the chemical raw material company think? They won’t find me a place because of this. Are you going to find me one?” Seeing that she was going too far, Tang Zhitong took out cigarettes from his pocket and offered them to the neighbors who were smoking around him, so that they would subconsciously stand on his side.

If we win over a group of people, we won't have to give these kinds of people any face anymore. They dare to take advantage of us just because we give them a little leeway. This is only because she doesn't know that we have stored grain. If she knew, wouldn't she lead the way in robbing us?

Smoking the cigarette Tang Zhitong gave him, someone stepped forward to smooth things over, sticking to the old adage that a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative.

Some people stood by and watched the spectacle, but no one spoke up for this person.

The man who had tried to take advantage turned pale and then red-faced, and went home looking ashamed.

After chatting and laughing with the neighbors for a while, Tang Zhitong didn't reveal the location of his new home, only mentioning that the chemical raw material company hadn't given him any definite answer yet.

Jealousy can distort a person's character. My family only has a few more vegetables than the neighbors, yet they're already attracting envy. If they knew that my family would be living in the capital, who knows what kind of trouble they might cause.

Knowing that he wouldn't be staying here for more than a few days, Tang Zhitong didn't want to get into any trouble.

Xiao Wang left work with a smile on her face because she received a call from Yang Lin before leaving get off work. Two of her children's songs had been accepted, and the payment would be sent out today and she would receive it tomorrow.

Moreover, after Yang Lin endorsed and repeatedly played "The Little Girl Picking Mushrooms" on China National Radio, she received many letters from listeners, some of which she removed. Most of these letters were from people who felt indignant on behalf of the lyricist and composer.

As soon as she got home, Ms. Wang shared the good news with her husband.

"That's great! We're one step closer to paying off our debts," Tang Zhitong said, pulling out the royalty slip Wu Jiaming had sent him.

"Did you submit a piece to 'Military Arts' magazine?" Xiao Wang asked, glancing at the payment recipient.

"I guess Uncle Wu left my name on the document when he sent it from his workplace. The editorial department of 'Military Arts' sent the manuscript fee to the military band, and Uncle Wu forwarded it to me." Thinking of this, Tang Zhitong felt a little emotional, realizing how different people's perspectives were.

Yeh Chih-chuan asked Wu Chia-ming for help in speaking out through "Military Arts Journal." It would be reasonable for Wu Chia-ming to accept not only the manuscript fee from Tang Chih-tong for the article, but also the gratitude from Yeh Chih-chuan or Tang Chih-tong.

But that's exactly what they did.

Tang Zhitong's first submission in this era was to Huang, the clerk. He was paid for it, and Huang showed off the newspaper for several days. Not only did Huang not say a word of thanks, he didn't even give Tang Zhitong a single cigarette.

"Isn't it inappropriate for us to take this?" Xiao Wang looked at the remittance slip and hesitated. His family was indeed short of money, but they couldn't just send money home for every penny.

"Take it. I'll get Uncle Wu a big one later, the kind that will make him ecstatic and keep him busy for a while." Tang Zhitong smiled. Wu Jiaming was a man of noble character, so there was no need for her to haggle over such a small amount of royalties. When the time was right, she would just submit a few more songs to the military band.

To ensure the quality of the song, although I wrote the lyrics and music myself, there are also other aspects such as arrangement, production, singing, and performances, all of which offer plenty of opportunities.

Hearing her husband say this, Ms. Wang put away the remittance slip. At the same time, she was happily calculating in her heart that if she forced her husband to write two songs every week with a small leather whip, she could earn eighty yuan a month. With their combined salaries, they could pay off the six hundred yuan in six months at most!

"Brother, have you written another song?" Fengzhi wasn't doing her homework properly; she was eavesdropping on her brother and sister-in-law's conversation.

"Stop thinking nonsense. Tomorrow is the final exam, so hurry up and study." Tang Zhitong knew what her sister was up to just by looking at her, but she wasn't going to give in to her.

"Sister-in-law, can I sing one more song? Just one." Seeing that she couldn't get through to her brother, Fengzhi started to beg her classmate, Xiao Wang.

"Do you think the radio station is our family's property? You think you can just sing whenever you want? If you don't do well on the exam, you'll get a beating!" With their father gone, Tang Zhitong had to take on the responsibility of caring for his younger sisters. He sincerely hoped that his two sisters could grow up healthy, happy, and safe.

Although the social status of artists has been elevated, the presence of celebrities still attracts many with ulterior motives. It cannot be simply assumed that in-depth discussions of scripts with celebrities are something that only happens after economic development has taken hold.

With Tang Zhitong's stance, Xiao Wang could only offer an apologetic smile to her sister-in-law. She didn't quite understand, but unconditionally stood by her husband's side. Fengzhi's wishes weren't fulfilled, and she grumbled a few times in dissatisfaction, but she didn't throw a tantrum.

"Mom, did anyone from the housing management office come today?" Tang Zhitong asked his mother after threatening Fengzhi.

"They came and praised our house so highly, I'm almost embarrassed," Zhang Guifang said with a smile, clearly very satisfied, recalling the housing management office staff's comments about her house earlier that day.

"That's settled then. I'll make another trip tomorrow." Tang Zhitong smiled as well. A flowery compliment meant a high estimated score, a high estimated score meant high value, and a high value meant a smaller price difference, or even no price difference at all...

After dinner, Tang Zhitong returned to his room and told Xiao Wang about what he had seen and heard at the Housing Management Bureau that day.

Although Director Zhu said he had done the housing management bureau a favor, Tang Zhitong still felt somewhat uneasy.

The wealthy and powerful donated first, followed by the common people. After the project was completed, the wealthy and powerful were returned in full, while the common people's donations were split 30/70.

If the property tax is increased starting from your own side, and your own house is estimated to have a high valuation, then the increase will not only offset the tax burden, but may even leave you with a surplus.

"Everyone has their own stance. Being caught in the middle saves us money, but it also puts us in a difficult position," commented Xiao Wang after hearing this.

"Of course, I think we're too much of a moralist." Tang Zhitong nodded in agreement.

Every individual or group has its own interests and demands.

Meng Qingfeng's approach is the safest: by having the relevant departments handle the core tasks, his risks will be greatly reduced. Meanwhile, the housing management bureau can take this opportunity to increase property tax, accumulating small gains to pave the way for achieving the annual tax revenue target.

"By doing this, we're setting an example by paying taxes and reducing the burden on the country. Don't take it too hard." Xiao Wang was good at comforting people, and with just one sentence, he relieved most of the moral pressure that Tang Zhitong was under.

"Yes, following your line of thinking, I feel like I've considered the bigger picture." Tang Zhitong took Xiao Wang's hand and smiled at her.

"Editor Yang said we've received many letters from listeners who support us, and asked me how to handle them. What do you think?" Xiao Wang, not wanting her husband to dwell on the tax issue any longer, brought up the matter of the listener letters.

"I'll go there tomorrow and see what the audience says. It'll also be a survey of public demand to determine the direction for future creations." Tang Zhitong, who is about to go to the music academy for further studies, felt that if he wanted to earn this money, he had to understand the pulse of this era and not let people find fault with him again like this time.

July 7th, sunny, Thursday.

Tang Zhitong had already inquired about the required documents and procedures for the property exchange yesterday, so when he left home today, he stuffed his documents and money into his bag.

After dropping Xiao Wang off at the National Library, Tang Zhitong leisurely made his way to the Housing Management Bureau.

Before Meng Qingfeng arrived, Tang Zhitong stood in front of the office building watching him.

The clerical staff are relatively relaxed; some carry bags slung across their shoulders, while others tuck bags under their arms, displaying the demeanor of leaders.

The maintenance workers were in worse shape; some were pushing carts, others were carrying shovels, walking slowly and looking utterly lifeless, like oxen working from 8 am to 5 pm.

Tang Zhitong even saw them arguing; the noise was quite loud, and the sound kept pouring into her ears.

They complained that the house was bad and not worth the price, that the house had poor lighting and was damp and growing mushrooms, that the housing management office was doing a bad job of listing any kind of house, and that they insisted on exchanging it for another one.

It was bustling with activity; everyone was quite busy. Early in the morning, the housing management bureau was filled with busy figures.

In previous years, the Housing Management Bureau was not actually this busy. Although its functions have not changed much, before the rental management, the Housing Management Bureau was only responsible for the collection of rent and maintenance of public housing, apart from valuation and transfer of ownership.

After the housing management bureau started managing the rental properties, the work of appraising and transferring ownership of private houses decreased, but the collection of rent and maintenance of those properties also became part of the bureau's work, which resulted in a much larger number of people doing the work.

With more work to do, the housing management bureau is busier, but there's a good side to it: revenue is rising sharply, and property tax, land tax, and housing maintenance funds can all be deducted directly from rent, eliminating the need to collect them door-to-door.

"I had a lot to prepare, so I arrived a little late. I hope you weren't waiting too long?" Meng Qingfeng rode his bicycle into the housing management bureau and immediately saw Tang Zhitong, who was already waiting for him.

"I'm new here too, thank you for your hard work, Director Meng." Tang Zhitong saw Meng Qingfeng's hair hanging down from the side due to the wind, how could she bear to say anything to blame him?
Yesterday, Director Zhu made it very clear that because this house exchange is a public-to-private transaction involving fixed assets, the procedures and materials required are a bit more complicated. Many certificates require official letters from the chemical raw material company, and the housing management bureau is also responsible for the score assessment, so no signature or seal can be missing.

However, having connections in the court makes things easier, and once Meng Qingfeng arrived, the property transfer proceeded smoothly without any obstacles.

Even if Tang Zhitong has a strong sense of morality, he feels no guilt about this green light and is satisfied with it.

Changing a house is just like buying a house; there are too many uncertain and uncontrollable factors.

How many people have emptied the wallets of three families to pay the down payment and take out a loan, only to be unable to take possession of the house?

Some people say that second-hand houses are existing houses, but how many people know that when a second-hand house transaction is conducted, confirming the intention to buy and listing it online is not necessarily safe?
It takes time from listing the property online to paying taxes, completing all the formalities, and receiving the property certificate.

If the court seizes the original homeowner's property, it could lead to serious trouble.

Although it's unlikely that this situation will occur now, the green light effectively prevents things from getting complicated.

Looking at the property ownership certificate and property survey map that he had just received, Tang Zhitong was filled with emotion. He never thought that one day he would become a beneficiary of the system.

To express his gratitude to Director Zhu, Tang Zhitong decided to return the favor and help him get ahead of the competition: "Director Zhu, I just saw some people having conflicts over housing exchanges. Are there any difficulties with our housing exchange program here?"

(End of this chapter)