Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 934 933 Mutual Help
July 11th, Monday, the second day of Fengzhi's summer vacation, and also the first day that Xiao Gu helped her with her studies.

"You go to work first, I'll take Fengzhi with me." When they left after dinner, Ms. Wang refused her husband's offer to escort her.

Going from Tieluguba to Beitu and then to Yongdingmen is 10 kilometers longer than going directly to Yongdingmen, which is not only more physically demanding but also less time-efficient.

"Okay, I'll head to the transport office first. I wonder how my colleagues who got food poisoning are doing. If there's nothing else at work, I'll cook lunch at Chunshu Hutong and settle the bill at the housing management bureau while I'm at it. Can you pick Fengzhi up after get off work this afternoon?" Tang Zhitong considered her schedule for the day; it was quite tight.

"Okay, let's go quickly, be careful on the road." Xiao Wang smiled, first pushing the bicycle outside the gate, and after her sister-in-law climbed onto the back seat, she then nimbly rode off on the bicycle.

Fengzhen followed closely behind, and Tang Zhitong put the iron gate guard into his bag and went out as well.

Upon entering the gate of the escort office, Tang Zhitong saw Fang Yuan standing by the roadside from afar.

"Brother Yuan, are you alright?" Tang Zhitong stopped the car and greeted Fang Yuan.

"It's nothing, I was fine yesterday," Fang Yuan replied, her eyes a little red and her lips curling upwards.

"That's good. Has the Municipal Bureau given their opinion on how to handle this?" Tang Zhitong noticed that Fang Yuan's smile seemed a bit forced, and assumed that he had heard some news. If the punishment was too severe, should she ask Uncle Hao for help?

"Yes, a reprimand and a written apology were issued yesterday. I have to thank you for your timely handling of the situation, which prevented things from getting any worse." As he said this, Fang Yuan's smile became much more genuine.

"Brother Yuan, don't mention it. Even if I didn't intervene, it wouldn't be a big deal. It would just mean one more day of labor. The human body's self-healing ability is quite remarkable," Tang Zhitong said modestly, waving his hands repeatedly.

"That's not how it is. Yesterday, some people even said that someone was deliberately sabotaging us, and they almost labeled me and Master Gao as enemy agents," Fang Yuan said with a wry smile.

"Then there's even less to fear. Your resume speaks for itself. How could someone who has risked their life for so many years be an enemy agent? A big label won't crush you. Just ignore it." Where there are people, there is struggle. However, most of the struggles nowadays are within a certain scope, which is called fighting without breaking apart. Once someone jumps out of the box, that's called disunity, and it's easy to suffer a backlash.

As the two chatted, some employees who came to work greeted Fang Yuan and Tang Zhitong. Fang Yuan smiled and nodded to them, then said to Tang Zhitong, "That was quite frightening. My heart was pounding when I heard it, and I was afraid that half the people would come to work today. But it seems that everyone is recovering well, and quite a few people have come to work."

"Yes, everyone looks good. Our department should be back to normal by tomorrow at the latest." Hearing Fang Yuan say this, Tang Zhitong finally understood why he had been standing there so early in the morning.

"Didn't you want to move? Have you moved yet?" Fang Yuan temporarily put aside the food poisoning incident and became concerned about Tang Zhitong's situation.

"I haven't moved yet. The housing management bureau tidied it up a bit, so I'll let it air out before moving. I'm here to get a certificate. I'll need to take some time off to run some paperwork these next few days." These days, moving involves not only quota transfers but also the transfer of household registration. In addition to the household registration book, a certificate from the employer is also required.

"Okay, I'll get it for you when I get back to the office. Have you decided on a moving date? I'll bring some colleagues to help you out." Upon hearing that Tang Zhitong was there to get a certificate, Fang Yuan didn't hesitate and strode towards the office.

"No need, it would be bad for the image. I'll just find Li Ben." Tang Zhitong followed Fang Yuan's lead, not intending to trouble his colleagues in the escort department. After all, they were just colleagues, not friends, and their relationship wasn't that close.

"Why spend that money? Isn't mutual help within the workplace the norm? What's the impact? Everyone does it. Besides, you saved a lot of people the day before yesterday, and everyone was wondering how to thank you. This is a perfect opportunity, and no one wants to miss it." Fang Yuan was a little surprised by Tang Zhitong's plan. These days, everyone is in the same boat, and helping each other is the norm, which also reflects the warmth of the collective.

"Hehe, the food poisoning already delayed the work schedule. If it were delayed again because of my move, I would feel bad." Hearing Fang Yuan say this, Tang Zhitong realized that he had not fully integrated into this era and still held the old ideas from when he was a beast of burden.

Both cattle and horses are working people, and their relationships with each other are very fragile. Most of them don't send wedding invitations, and once someone leaves their job, the relationship is over.

But things are different now. Once you join a company, you're basically going to retire from that company. After years of working together, you're not only colleagues, but also friends and comrades-in-arms.

“You’re taking your workplace to heart, but it’s not like your workplace can just sit idly by. Work isn’t just about this half-day. Do you have a lot of stuff at home?” Fang Yuan was very satisfied with Tang Zhitong’s awareness and began to ask how much stuff needed to be moved.

"Even a dilapidated house is worth a fortune; there's quite a lot of stuff. I reckon it'll take ten carts to move everything." Tang Zhitong was also worried, not about the amount of stuff, but about whether any of his colleagues would be envious if they came to help. He was also concerned about how to entertain them.

If you're going to host someone, the cost isn't lower than the effort itself.

"Wow, that's quite a lot, but it's normal since your house is detached and has its own yard. Don't bother with Liben, I'll coordinate two trucks for you from the transfer station, and we'll try to finish moving everything in one trip." Fang Yuan was a little surprised when he heard about the amount of flatbed trucks needed, but he quickly figured it out and offered a solution.

"Brother Yuan, wouldn't this be too much trouble?" The escort department didn't have any trucks, and contacting the transfer department would require asking for favors. Once inside the office, Tang Zhitong politely declined.

"It's alright. I've worked there for many years, so I still have some face. You don't need to worry about these things, just tell me when we're moving," Fang Yuan said, taking it all in stride.

"We'll move on Wednesday, from Tieluguba to Dashizuo Hutong." Since Fang Yuan had already put it this way, Tang Zhitong couldn't refuse his good intentions, so he simply agreed.

"Dashizuo Hutong? Next to Jingshan Park? Not a bad location. What kind of proof do you need? You can write it yourself." Fang Yuan said politely while taking out the letter paper and official seal, letting Tang Zhitong write whatever he wanted.

After leaving Fang Yuan's office with the certificate, Tang Zhitong did not leave immediately, but went to the finance department first.

"Ma Wei, are you feeling alright?" When Tang Zhitong arrived, Ma Wei was already tidying up her workstation, preparing for the day's work.

"Good morning, Section Chief. I'm all better now. Thank you for the soapy water the other day." The young man was in good health, and Ma Wei was no different from usual, smiling as she thanked Tang Zhitong.

"No need for thanks. In that situation, even a stranger wouldn't stand idly by, let alone colleagues from the same company." Tang Zhitong waved his hand and tentatively asked, "Were your parents worried after you went home that day?"

Although the municipal bureau had already given Fang Yuan their opinion on how to handle the situation, Tang Zhitong was still a little worried because the matter involved the postal department's "little princess." If there was any hint or if the people below were to try to make things difficult for Fang Yuan, things would get complicated.

"There's nothing to worry about. Everyone gets sick sometimes. Don't worry, Section Chief." Ma Wei knew what Tang Zhitong was worried about; her mother had indeed had some complaints after she went back.

Although her father didn't say anything, he still took her to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor on duty approved of Tang Zhitong's actions and praised the timely and professional handling of the situation.

Afterwards, Ma Wei praised Tang Zhitong highly and also spoke well of Fang Yuan and Gao Lide. Although they meant well but did something wrong, their intentions were good, both in terms of their actions and their hearts.

Since Vice Minister Ma had no objections to the escort department, Tang Zhitong felt relieved, quickly finished his work in the finance department, and went out again.

Director Zhu of the Housing Management Bureau took his house renovation very seriously, and Tang Zhitong felt that he should at least go and thank him, and also settle the project payment, so as not to make things difficult for him.

"Director Zhu, thank you for your trouble with the house. I've come to settle the payment." Although Director Zhu had put in a lot of effort, it wasn't appropriate to give him Huang Yu or money directly, since everyone's intention was to help each other. Tang Zhitong entered Director Zhu's office and took out two boxes of cigarettes from his bag, placing them on his desk.

Offering cigarettes would be most appropriate, a pack of Daqianmen or Mudan. Director Zhu might not necessarily find them rare, but Huazi is different; these are hard to find on the market.

"Oh dear, we're just serving the people. I heard from Xiao Wan that you were very hospitable those two days, preparing plenty of lunch for the chefs. You've gone to so much trouble." Sure enough, Director Zhu didn't refuse when he saw Hua Zi, replying with a beaming smile.

"Since Director Zhu is giving me face, I can't let him down, can I?" Tang Zhitong said politely to Director Zhu with a smile. As for the service he mentioned, just listen to it and forget about it. In his own situation, having someone step in versus not having someone step in would result in completely different outcomes.

In addition to handling real estate-related business, the Housing Authority is also responsible for collecting rent from rental properties and carrying out housing repair work.

The focus of housing repair is actually on public housing and government-subsidized housing; private housing is sometimes overlooked.

Public housing is easy to understand; it's all business between public entities.

The reason why the Housing Management Bureau is responsible for the repair of the leased housing is actually rooted in the rent of the leased housing.

The housing authority deducts a portion of the collected rent and then gives the remainder to the landlord.

This part of the fee is somewhat similar to a maintenance fund.

In terms of building materials, the housing management bureau has a dominant position upstream. The difficulty of repairing private houses is something that landlords have long been aware of. Moreover, collecting rent is also a troublesome matter for landlords. Therefore, when the rental management policy was introduced, many landlords handed over their houses to the housing management bureau.

In the landlord's mind, as long as the rent is paid, they will still receive rent even if the house collapses.

That was indeed the case during the years of leaseholding, until the year the winds rose, and everything changed...

After exchanging a few polite words, Director Zhu called Wan Shan over and asked him to accompany Tang Zhitong to settle the fees.

"Three hundred and ten yuan." When paying, the staff member from the Finance Department of the Housing Management Bureau found the settlement sheet for the relevant project, glanced at the numbers below, and quoted the price directly.

"Huh? This is the cost of materials?" Tang Zhitong could hardly believe his ears. Three hundred and ten yuan was indeed a lot, but his own project was also quite large. Twenty-six master craftsmen had been busy for two whole days, plus several laborers. The labor costs alone must have been one hundred and fifty yuan.

"Do you have enough money for the wages and materials? If not, I'll cover it for you first," Wan Shan, noticing Tang Zhitong's hesitation, hinted from the side.

"Oh, I've brought enough." Tang Zhitong wasn't the only one waiting to pay; there were others behind him, so Tang Zhitong immediately took out his money after receiving Wan Shan's signal.

Once outside the office, Wan Shancai said, "Comrade Tang, you must have spent a lot of money on changing apartments for official business, right? After I came back, I mentioned your financial situation to Director Zhu, and he was very understanding, so this price is a friendly discount."

"Thank you, Comrade Wan, for your trouble." Tang Zhitong immediately understood what was going on. It turned out that Wan Shan had taken his excuse for refusing to paint the rafters seriously.

Of course, it's also possible that Director Zhu never intended to charge more and was just doing a favor by going along with the flow. In any case, it's not a bad thing, since it saved him a real amount of money.

"I'm really short of money, Comrade Wan, please don't mind." Since Wan Shan had misunderstood, Tang Zhitong decided to play along and took out two boxes of peony tea from his pocket and stuffed them into Wan Shan's hand.

I'm not in the tobacco and alcohol wholesale business. Since I've already given it to Director Zhu, it wouldn't be appropriate to give it to Wan Shan as well. I need to downgrade it a bit.

Wan Shan showed no sign of disdain for Tang Zhitong's kindness and happily accepted it.

Tang Zhitong was also deeply moved. People these days are so incredibly honest. If this were a project, they wouldn't even bother with him unless he received 20-30% of the project cost.

After leaving the housing management bureau, Tang Zhitong went to Chunshu Hutong to cook.

When Xiao Wang came over this morning, he brought two cucumbers and two tomatoes from his own yard. Director Ye knew that tutoring would start today, so he prepared two sections of lotus root in the kitchen.

It's currently the season for vegetables to hit the market, but due to the recent hailstorm, vegetable stores are deserted. However, lotus roots from other regions have been available for sale in the market these past few days.

The lotus root doesn't taste very good this season, but the supply is scarce, so it's good enough to have some to eat. You can't be picky.

Tang Zhitong looked at the tomatoes, then at the lotus root, and decided to eat the tomatoes first.

The tomatoes we have now are an old variety, with thick skin and strong flavor, but they don't keep well. They crack when they get wet, and they rot easily if they are bumped or knocked. They are very delicate and are completely different from the tomatoes that will be available decades later.

The tomatoes produced in the future will not only be more productive but also more resistant to storage and damage. However, they will lose their tomato flavor. Many people will add an extra spoonful of tomato sauce when making scrambled eggs with tomatoes, otherwise the taste will be bland.

More importantly, these tomatoes are picked while still green and ripened using technological means during transportation.

Many people dislike this, but Tang Zhitong understands; it's simply to ensure that more people can have food.

If we follow the old methods completely, it's estimated that low-income groups will have a hard time even getting a decent meal.

Since there were no eggs in Chunshu Hutong, Tang Zhitong stir-fried cucumber with tomatoes.

Cut the tomatoes into chunks and the cucumber into slices. First, stir-fry the tomatoes in a pan. If you like it sweet, you can add a small spoonful of sugar at this time.

Once the tomatoes are half-cooked, add the cucumber slices to the pan and stir-fry until the cucumbers are translucent. Add salt, mix well, and it's ready to serve.

Tang Zhitong personally loves this dish. It's economical, simple, and delicious. The sweet and sour taste of tomatoes and the refreshing aroma of cucumbers are a perfect match.

(End of this chapter)