Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 920 919 was raised to supplement our mother's nutrition!

After leaving the Central Radio and Television Station, Tang Zhitong's first stop was the National Library of China. The procedures for changing apartments were completed, and he needed to let his classmate Xiao Wang know.

"It's done so quickly?" Ms. Wang carefully examined the property certificate her husband handed her. This was where she would be living from now on!
"This matter is beneficial to all three parties, and there is no reason to delay." Tang Zhitong was very satisfied with the speed of this house exchange. According to the normal procedure, both the initial provision of materials and the subsequent review take time, especially the process of making the property certificate, which has always been rumored to require the municipal government's seal.

Actually, the housing authority has pre-stamped blank property ownership certificates; you just need to fill in the information.

What used to take three to five days, or even ten days, I finished in less than half a day. I'm very efficient.

"Not bad, a verbal commendation to Comrade Tang." Xiao Wang didn't even ask about the price difference; after looking at the property certificate, she was very satisfied and handed it directly back to her husband: "Take it home and keep it safe."

“I originally wanted to add your name to the property certificate, but the housing authority said that adding a name would require paying deed tax, so I didn’t add it to save money.” Tang Zhitong took it. He had originally planned to add his name, but to save money for his family, Tang Zhitong used his own name instead.

"Why add my name when it's exchanged for the Tang family's ancestral home? If you don't add my name, am I not going to live here? We're not spending that money." Xiao Wang looked at her husband, puzzled, not understanding what he was doing.

"Hehe, whether we add it or not, you'll get a share anyway, so we really shouldn't spend this money." Tang Zhitong laughed. Whether it's Xiao Wang or other married women of this era, they all have the same obsession with houses.

They are determined to have their own house, even if it's just a small room, it's still their own little home, just like Shu Qing and Wan Xiangyang, Wang Yan and Ma Kejian.

Whether the house is rented, bought, or inherited, it doesn't matter.

As for property rights, it seems no one cares, because the right to rent out a property is greater than the right to own it. Tang Zhitong has been here for two years and has never heard of any landlord evicting a tenant or taking back the property.

The same applies to housing allocated by work units. As long as you continue to work for that unit and pay rent on time, you can live there until retirement or even death. Some people even pass the house on to their children. However, such houses do not have property rights unless the necessary procedures are completed during the wave of reforms.

"When can we move there?" Xiao Wang is quite looking forward to the courtyard in Dashizuo Hutong. After all, it will be more convenient for him to go to work after moving there, and he will no longer have to work up a sweat on his way to and from get off work.

"It won't be until Sunday at the earliest. The housing authority said they'll tidy up the house so we can live comfortably." With everything settled, Tang Zhitong smiled broadly. Little Wang was indeed considerate.

A few days ago, when the two were analyzing the pros and cons of the two houses in bed, Xiao Wang suggested not to change, because if they moved to Dashizuo Hutong, it would be too far for him to go to work at the security guard station.

Tang Zhitong was very touched and strongly supported the move, saying that "it would be closer to work if we moved there, and we would be able to advance in our careers and possibly be transferred to the inner city," thus responding to her thoughtfulness.

"The housing authority is being so proactive? It must cost a lot of money, right? Should I borrow some more from my colleagues?" Xiao Wang naturally wouldn't refuse someone offering to repair his house, but he was a little short on funds.

"No need. The price difference between the two houses is less than expected, and the rest is enough to pay the labor costs." Tang Zhitong waved his hand, not only reporting the expenses to his classmate Xiao Wang, but also explaining that he had come up with the idea.

"I think you could be a genius inventor, or even a master of ideas." Little Wang listened intently, his hands supporting his chin, a slight smile playing on his lips, his eyes glistening with tears.

"Don't engage in personality cult, just call me 'comrade' is enough." Tang Zhitong put one hand on his hip and waved the other in the air, making a small show of himself.

"Comrade Tang, are you hungry? Let's eat. You still have to go to CNR after you eat." After watching her husband finish his performance, Ms. Wang stood up. It was almost noon, time to eat.

"I came from CNR. The message has arrived. I'll ask the comrade who delivered it to keep an eye on it for a while. After lunch, I'll go straight home." Tang Zhitong was already starving after a busy morning.

"The comrades from the housing management bureau repaired our house, shouldn't we show our appreciation? You should go home and discuss it with your mom," said Xiao Wang as he took out his lunchbox.

After getting married, Xiao Wang was no longer the naive girl she once was. Whether it was seeing how the Tang family provided meals for the construction team led by Master He and Master He before the marriage, or chatting with her colleagues on a daily basis, she had gained an understanding of the ins and outs of housing maintenance.

The primary function of a house is to provide shelter from wind and rain, which is also the main task of the housing management office in repairing houses.

If you are treated to good food and drink, the renovated house can stay dry for seven or eight years, or even more than ten years. But if you are not treated well, it will probably start leaking again in less than three years.

Even some officials have suffered losses in this matter. When they went to the housing management bureau again three years later, the bureau simply refused to acknowledge them.

"Yes, I've been thinking about that too. I'll go back and ask Mom." Tang Zhitong nodded in agreement.

In the past, providing a meal at noon wouldn't have been a problem, but now that the rations have been reduced, Tang Zhitong doesn't know how much food reserves his family has left, so he has to go back and figure it out.

After dinner, Xiao Wang went back to work, while Tang Zhitong was urged to go home.

If you walk east from the National Library, you will find the stone bridge between Beihai and Zhonghai, south of Tuancheng.

When Tang Zhitong was a child, he always mistakenly thought that this bridge was Lugou Bridge. It wasn't until he was a little older that he learned that the bridge was called Jin'ao Yudong Bridge. It was formerly called Jinhai Bridge or Yuhe Bridge. Later, it was named after the two archways "Jin'ao" and "Yudong" that were erected at both ends.

The small section of road east of Jin'ao Yufeng Bridge, which is the road south of Beihai Alley and Dashizuo Hutong, is called Sanzuomen Street.

There are several "three gates" in Beijing, but the most famous are the East Three Gates and West Three Gates on the east and west sides of Three Gates Street.

"Three gates" is short for "three gates attached to the wall," which is a traditional Chinese architectural style.

The three western gates connect the Imperial City and the Inner City, while the three eastern gates facilitate the entry and exit of people and vehicles from the Forbidden City and the Imperial City.

Before Puyi abdicated, these two gates were strictly managed. However, in the 1950s, they were demolished because they were too obstructive to traffic.

Passing by Dashizuo Hutong, Tang Zhitong was tempted to go in and take a look at the new courtyard, but after hesitating for three seconds, he finally gave up.

I reckon the chemical raw materials company is currently moving things around in their warehouse; it's a mess. If I go over there, I'll either help them or make things worse. Besides what the employee on duty at the chemical raw materials company told me yesterday when I was looking at the property, Meng Qingfeng gave Tang Zhitong another introduction this morning.

A courtyard along the street on the east side of Tuancheng is where Ba Jin and Jin Yi once lived, and several courtyards next to this courtyard are the dormitories of the Palace Museum.

When Tang Zhitong heard this, he even hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should make friends with some of these neighbors in order to learn how to identify and collect cultural relics.
Upon returning home, Tang Zhitong immediately told Zhang Guifang about the Housing Management Bureau's plan to renovate the courtyard in Dashizuo Hutong.

"How many days will it take?" Zhang Guifang's first reaction upon hearing this was to consider the amount of food consumed and whether it could sustain the operation.

"Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after that, three days at most. If things go quickly, it might be two and a half days, or even two days." Tang Zhitong felt that Director Zhu's words left some room for maneuver. He wasn't a high-ranking official, so there was no need for him to rush to make a pledge in the shortest possible time.

"How many people will we need to build the house? If we provide meals, how much will it cost?" Zhang Guifang calculated her food reserves, afraid of consuming too much.

"I didn't ask how many people there were, but I guess there must be at least ten. How about we stop feeding them?" Tang Zhitong noticed his mother's hesitation. It was fine if they didn't feed them; he could just go over and leave them two packs of cigarettes and say some nice things. In any case, he wanted the repairmen to work hard.

“Here, they always provide meals when repairing houses. If the repairman does a good job, we can live here without worry and feel at ease for several years.” Zhang Guifang paused after saying this, as if trying to convince herself, “They’re doing you a favor by repairing our houses. If we lose face in this kind of thing, how can we face them in the future? We have to take care of it!”

"Okay, then we'll provide meals." Tang Zhitong nodded in agreement. With the vegetable shop empty and the shortage of non-staple foods highlighting the importance of grain, he wasn't worried about the repairman not being attentive.

“Since we’re providing meals, let’s give each person one pound of dry rations. If we provide enough, they’ll feel more at ease working.” Although she decided to provide meals, Zhang Guifang was still a little worried about the food. Half of the food her son had bought from Northeast China last year had already been used up, and the rations would be reduced in the future. She was not confident about the future.

Fortunately, the meals were only provided at noon, and the construction period was at most three days, which Zhang Guifang felt she could afford.

"Okay, you can make ten catties of cornmeal to steam buns. I'll take them over tomorrow to check on things. Mom, how much corn do we have left?" Tang Zhitong could see his mother's reluctance to part with the grain. As a hands-off father, he hadn't really paid much attention to the remaining amount after putting the corn into the jar.

"I estimate there are only about two hundred jin left." Although Zhang Guifang is illiterate, she cares about the grain and keeps track of every consumption.

"It's alright, it should last until National Day. I'll make a trip to the Northeast or somewhere else to buy some more during National Day, and then send some over to my uncle's family." With less than three months until National Day, Tang Zhitong felt it necessary to go out and replenish the stock so that his mother could have a peaceful New Year.

“What are you sending him? He’s such a worry. He’s already causing us so much trouble just by going out once.” Zhang Guifang muttered, though it was unclear who she was referring to as a worry. However, she didn’t show any strong opposition to her son going out to buy grain.

"Mom, use the cornmeal from the grain store to make steamed buns. We'll keep the cornmeal we grind ourselves for our own consumption," Tang Zhitong instructed her mother as she watched her carry a basin into the inner room to scoop out the flour.

Although the rations for residents of Beijing have not yet been "reduced," the fine grains supplied are all new grains, while the vast majority of the coarse grains are old grains from many years ago, which have a musty taste.

The current tradition is to eat last year's grain, saying that storing new grain can reduce internal heat. In reality, it's just another version of "having grain in hand means you won't panic".

Anyone with a keen sense of smell can glean information about food shortages from the food supply. However, there are always some people who take a chance, believing that Beijing is the capital and the whole country needs to support it, so there will definitely be no food shortages. But reality will give them a resounding slap in the face.

Tang Zhitong felt no guilt about using old grain for the construction workers' lunch. He believed that using this kind of grain meant that it was something his family had saved up from their own meager resources, which proved that the source of the grain was legitimate.

If we use corn "bought" from Northeast China, the taste will definitely be better, but there is a great risk in taking it out.

Tang Zhitong felt that it was good enough to have something to eat, and that the construction workers shouldn't be picky.

Although Zhang Guifang was busy kneading dough, she was uneasy and kept asking her son various questions: "What should we do with all these buckets, stone rollers, and stone mills in our house?"

“We’ll move it together later. I’ve already figured out how to move the grain. I’ll put it in bags, and I’ll make two trips there every night. It’ll be empty in two or three days. We’ll put it in the cellar first, and then move it out after we’ve settled in the house.” The most valuable thing in the house is the two hundred or so pounds of grain in the jar. We’ll definitely need a cart to move it. If people find out that we have so much grain, who knows what kind of trouble it might cause.

"What dishes will we have for lunch tomorrow? The vegetables in the yard definitely won't be enough."

"Pickled vegetables will do. Just wrap some of our pickled toon sprouts in the bag; they won't mind." Tang Zhitong said matter-of-factly. It's just a simple house renovation, not like building a new house or setting up the main beam; there's no need to serve them wine and meat.

"We don't have much flour left at home. Take your ration book and flour bag and go to the grain store to buy twenty jin." Hearing her son's words, Zhang Guifang felt reassured and began to worry about the family's food again.

"Okay!" Tang Zhitong readily agreed, not only making a trip to the grain store but also grinding half a bag of cornmeal under the scorching sun.

After school, Fengzhi rushed home, grabbed the water tank, scooped out half a ladle of water and drank it all. Then, wiping her mouth with her arm, she asked Tang Zhitong, "Brother, our teacher wants everyone to grow algae!"

"Do you know how to grow it?" Tang Zhitong was not surprised at all that the school required students to grow Chlorella.

Yesterday's editorial in the second-rate daily newspaper, "Mass Production of Chlorella," was of landmark significance. Before this, instructions on grain allocation, the collection and full utilization of wild plants, and the summer and autumn harvests were all kept at the level of government orders and were not directly made public.

Yesterday's newspaper front page featured two articles about Chlorella. The one in the upper right corner, as always, discussed the advantages of Chlorella in livestock feeding, while the one below, titled "Mass Production of Chlorella," directly pointed out that it could be used as a substitute for grain.

Even without careful examination, one can sense the disconnect and contrast. Previously, they were promoting chlorella as a feed for livestock, but now they are openly saying it's for human consumption.

This was actually a subtle statement, lifting the last veil of pretense and formally acknowledging the nationwide food shortage.

The next step is to rely on Chlorella for nutritional supplementation and to promote the cultivation of Chlorella by the general public.

“I know, we need to use glass bottles and soak them in urine to grow them! Our teacher also said that chlorella is more nutritious than eggs! I want to grow them to supplement Mom’s nutrition!” Fengzhi said, looking for praise.

(End of this chapter)