Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 946, 945: Liu Yuxi has sweaty feet.
"Brother Yuan, I need to go to the music academy for classes in the mornings recently, so I can only come over in the afternoon." The cultivation of algae was strongly promoted from top to bottom, and the escort department could cultivate it if they wanted to. Tang Zhitong couldn't stop them, so he changed the topic to his studies, which was also a way of letting Fang Yuan know that he was skipping class.

"Oh? You've learned quite a lot." Fang Yuan was a little surprised, but not too surprised, after all, Tang Zhitong had also participated in the compilation of "The Barefoot Doctor's Manual" while studying at university.

"Hey, let's try writing some songs and earn some money to supplement the family income," Tang Zhitong readily admitted.

“Okay, you can arrange the time yourself.” Fang Yuan nodded and readily agreed.

“Brother Yuan, I’m planning to go on a trip soon. I spend most of the year at school, and this year the school has arranged military training in August, so I’ll have even less time at work. I figured since I’m an escort anyway, I should take advantage of the time I have to learn about the different routes.” Tang Zhitong wasn’t satisfied with just skipping work in the morning, and he was also laying the groundwork for going on the trip.

Tang Zhitong had been thinking about going to Hami to get some Hami melons for his classmate Xiao Wang, and also wanted to go to his cousin's place to get some fruit, but he had been too busy with other things to do. Now that he remembered Baihua Shecao Shui (a traditional Chinese medicine), he decided to add the trip to Guangxi Province to his itinerary and make a trip before the military training started.

"Sure, you can accompany him on the journey based on your schedule. Give it a try, and we'll see if you can help our escorts reduce their quotas a bit." Fang Yuan nodded again. The requirement for cadres to go deep into the masses is still in place, and with this banner in place, it's reasonable for Tang Zhitong to accompany him on the journey. He can't stop his younger colleague from pursuing advancement.

Moreover, Fang Yuan immediately thought of the upcoming reduction in grain rations. As the head of the escort department, he didn't want the staff to live in poverty, so he wanted to use Tang Zhitong's representative status to speak out for the escorts.

"Yes, that's only natural." Tang Zhitong nodded in agreement.

When it came time to pay wages, Tang Zhitong overheard some of the security guards or their families saying that they were struggling to make ends meet.

The escorts also participated in the previous rounds of "saving" grain rations, but their workload was not reduced.

With reduced food rations and slightly higher prices at train restaurants, it's inevitable that expenses will increase if you want to eat the same food as before.

Tang Zhitong's abilities were limited, and he could not keep all the postal system employees on the current quota, but he wanted to try to keep the quota for the escorts.

Unlike mail carriers, who can reduce their delivery frequency, escorts must maintain their current escort frequency because they are responsible for sorting and transporting not only ordinary civilian mail, but also a lot of military mail, bank documents, tax payments, and other items.

Upon entering the finance department, Ma Wei immediately acted like a secretary, reporting the day's phone calls to Tang Zhitong: "Section Chief, a comrade named Yan Xiongfei called you this morning."

"I understand, thank you." Tang Zhitong smiled and nodded to Ma Wei, took off her handbag, and planned to wash her hands and wipe her face before calling Yan Xiongfei back.

"I'll go get some water first." Ma Wei smiled, picked up the thermos and went out, leaving the office space to Tang Zhitong.

Tang Zhitong wiped his face and dialed the Bureau of Materials.

"Xiao Tang, I heard you moved?" Yan Xiongfei asked directly after the call connected.

"Yes, I moved it a couple of days ago." Tang Zhitong readily admitted. In his mind, if he took the note to the coal station, the coal station would definitely report to Yan Xiongfei. He had done the work, so he had to ask for credit and make Yan Xiongfei feel indebted, right?
"Hey, why didn't you say anything? I could have at least come over and helped you out," Yan Xiongfei complained from the other end.

"I was originally thinking of troubling you, Brother Yan, but after my boss heard I was moving, he took it on himself, so I didn't ask you." Despite not having such an intention, Tang Zhitong still made polite remarks on the phone.

“You have a great group of colleagues. Your sister-in-law gave me a good scolding. When would be a convenient time for you? Your sister-in-law and I could come over to your house for a visit.” Yan Xiongfei casually praised the escort department before revealing the purpose of his call.

"Brother Yan, you and your wife are both very busy. You don't need to trouble yourself with such a small matter, do you?" Tang Zhitong's first reaction was to politely decline. Yan Xiongfei meant well, but he certainly wouldn't come empty-handed. Tang Zhitong didn't want Yan Xiongfei to spend money.

“How can you call it a big fuss? Moving is a big deal. We’ll just go over and get acquainted with the place, and we can visit each other often in the future,” Yan Xiongfei insisted on the other end of the phone.

"Well... I have a friend coming over on Sunday noon, is that convenient for you?" Hearing Yan Xiongfei's firm tone, Tang Zhitong didn't hesitate any longer and set a time.

"No inconvenience at all, it'll be more fun with more people, so it's settled then," Yan Xiongfei said cheerfully.

“Okay, my house is at the south entrance of Dashizuo Hutong. The gate has been newly painted with a layer of black paint, and no two gates in the entire hutong are the same.” Tang Zhitong pointed out the most distinctive feature of his house.

The two agreed on the terms and hung up the phone. Tang Zhitong sat down in a chair and sighed.

Tang Zhitong hadn't originally planned to host a hot pot dinner, so when Meng Qingfeng brought it up a few days ago, he didn't give a date. As adults, if a date isn't set, the matter will probably fall through.

Since Yan Xiongfei insisted on going this time, Tang Zhitong simply picked up the phone and called Meng Qingfeng again.

As for Wu Haiyang, Ma Sange, and the others, Tang Zhitong doesn't plan to invite them unless they mention it. If they insist on coming, they should avoid this Sunday, since a large portion of the goods he has stockpiled in his warehouse are traded at the Yuquanshan construction site.

Wu Haiyang is the general commander of the construction site, and Meng Qingfeng is the head of the supply and marketing cooperative there. Once they meet and start comparing accounts, I'm afraid I'll be exposed.

After making two phone calls, Tang Zhitong finally got around to dealing with the work that had been piling up over the past few days.

A short while later, Ma Wei entered the house carrying a thermos.

Tang Zhitong put down his pen, took out two peaches from his bag, and apologized to Ma Wei, "Ma Wei, you went over to help with the move the day before yesterday. There were so many people around that Jingwen didn't get a chance to chat with you properly. I brought you some peaches today as a small apology."

This was indeed Xiao Wang's idea. Wu Aijun's mother had a good relationship with Director Ye, and she and Wu Aijun were childhood friends. Although the two had some unpleasantness because of the "blind date," it was all in the past and did not hinder Xiao Wang's determination to carry on the friendship between the two families.

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Both peaches were fried peaches and didn't look very appealing, but they were big enough. Ma Wei didn't refuse them and not only accepted them generously, but also thanked Tang Zhitong.

Since getting to know Wu Aijun, Ma Wei has learned a lot, one of which is how to address others. Appropriately lowering one's own status and using terms like "brother" or "sister" can quickly shorten the distance between colleagues.

Wu Aijun's original words were: "When I meet someone younger than me, either their birthday is older than mine or they are more capable than me, so calling them 'brother' is perfectly fine."

"This is messed up, this is messed up. Jingwen and I are both younger than Aijun. If we're really talking about age, we should call you sister-in-law." Tang Zhitong waved his hand with a smile.

Within the system, titles follow official positions. In formal settings, it is usually the surname plus the official title, while in private settings, the titles used between close friends are mostly based on strength, regardless of age.

Tang Zhitong felt that he couldn't reach that level. Besides, there was Aunt Lu and Vice Minister Ma there. What would they think if they knew that Ma Wei addressed him and Xiao Wang in that way?
That's clearly inappropriate.

"Then... let's call each other by our names in private." Ma Wei felt a little embarrassed after Tang Zhitong pointed it out.

Ma Wei listened to her boyfriend's nonsense and tried it out once, but the effect was clearly not ideal.

“Okay, we usually just call Aijun by his name anyway.” Tang Zhitong happily accepted Ma Wei’s suggestion. These two come from distinguished families, so everyone feels more comfortable calling them by their names.

"Section Chief, after Aijun found out you moved, he told me he wanted to come over for a visit." Wu Aijun wasn't referring to Tang Zhitong when he said that, but after learning from Ma Wei that Tang Zhitong had moved, his first reaction was: I have to go and visit.

The photo taken that day greatly shocked Ma Wei. When the two were on a date, Ma Wei asked about the two photos. Wu Aijun replied that he knew about them, but then asked her how she knew.
Ma Wei then mentioned that Tang Zhitong had moved, and her boyfriend said he was going to host a housewarming party. Ma Wei didn't stop him, but said that Tang Zhitong might not go to the office for a while, and that she would call Wu Aijun when she was in the office.

“Okay, I have a friend coming over on Sunday noon, let’s all come together. But let’s make it clear, you can come and sit down, but don’t bring anything. If you’re free, come over and sit down too, chat with Jingwen.” Since she was only going to herd one sheep, she wasn’t so resistant to Wu Aijun’s offer to host a hotpot dinner. “Okay. You can tell him later, I think he’ll call you soon.” Ma Wei smiled; she had just gone out not only to get a thermos of hot water, but also to let her boyfriend know.

As soon as Ma Wei finished speaking, the phone on the table rang.

Tang Zhitong answered the phone. It wasn't Wu Aijun calling, but it was almost the same, because it was Zhang Xinping on the other end.

Zhang Xinping knew he was moving, so Wu Aijun must have told him.

Zhang Xinping also started by complaining, saying that Tang Zhitong hadn't invited him when she moved.

Tang Zhitong explained his situation and arranged to meet him at Dashizuo Hutong on Sunday noon.

After hanging up the phone, Tang Zhitong was delighted. He had originally planned to let things calm down at Shichahai for a few days before going fishing there. But since he had a family dinner to attend to on Sunday, fishing had to be arranged. After all, a hot pot dinner wouldn't be complete without some meat and vegetables.

Tang Zhitong was only planning to go fishing, but his legend already existed in the Shichahai area.

The two guys standing on either side of Tang Zhitong yesterday made a lot of money and boasted about their winning streak.

Big fish are very eye-catching right now, so today the Qianhai South Riverbank was packed with people. The anglers who wanted to catch fish lined up in a row, just like the people queuing up to buy vegetables at the entrance of a grocery store. There were so many of them.

There were quite a few people around the angler, mostly people waiting to buy fish and those just watching the spectacle.

With so many people fishing, the trick of using earthworms to bait the area spread like wildfire. As a result, the earthworms by the roadside suffered greatly. Before they even woke up in the morning, their entire family, spanning eighteen generations, was dug up and torn to pieces by the fishermen and thrown into Shichahai Lake.

With many hands making light work, the fish along the southern bank of the Qianhai River were fortunate enough to come and feast on the earthworms, many of which were caught because of their greed.

As long as a fish bites, the angler is convinced that Tang Zhitong's fishing method is feasible. As for why not everyone catches fish, it must be because the baiting is not done enough!
Tong Wang was also in the crowd at the back. He wasn't there to buy fish, but to inquire about something.

Given Tang Zhitong's head shape, even Tong Wang felt it was a stretch to call it a coincidence.

But the fisherman's words were not without merit. Early this morning he was saying that the fish he caught yesterday weighed more than 20 pounds, and now it had reached more than 50 pounds. Some busybodies even dragged their grandson over to add fuel to the fire and lecture him: "Did you hear that? There are big fish in Shichahai Lake, big fish weighing more than 100 pounds, the kind that eats children. You dare not go swimming in the sea anymore, do you hear me?"

Unfortunately, Tang Zhitong was too busy to go fishing today, leaving Tong Wang with nothing but loneliness.

When Tang Zhitong got off work and arrived at the alley entrance, he found that the popsicle stand had already closed.

"Anzi, sales were good today, you packed up early." Old Zong saw Tang Zhitong stop at the alley entrance and poked his head out to greet him.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Zong." Tang Zhitong nodded to Old Zong. Actually, he wasn't thinking about the two kids selling popsicles, but rather how to make full use of the existing conditions to cover up the future.

Old Zong is sharp-eyed and quick-tongued. At the right time, he used his mouth to spread the word that he could often catch fish. This should be one of the reasons why his family would not go hungry when the special famine of Beijing came.
When Jingmin got home, he was being slapped.

"What's wrong? Don't hurt your hand," Tang Zhitong advised Xiao Wang, who was committing the violence.

"I kindly asked him how much money he made today, and he actually said that adults shouldn't pry into children's affairs, acting incredibly arrogant." Xiao Wang gave her husband face and let go of Jingmin's arm.

Jingmin acted as if nothing had happened, made a face at Xiao Wang, and ran off with Fengzhi.

"Hey, this kid." Tang Zhitong chuckled. Jingmin is such a good kid, he just has a slightly cheeky mouth.

After Tang Zhitong told Xiao Wang that someone was coming to host a hot pot dinner on Sunday, he saw Jingmin and Fengzhi staring blankly at the corner of the wall.

"What are you doing?" Tang Zhitong asked casually.

“Look at the moss, it’s all dried up in the sun. Brother, can you eat algae? Can you eat moss?” Fengzhi turned around first, blinking her eager eyes as she asked.

"No way? I've never tried it before. Why don't you be Shennong and try it yourself?" Tang Zhitong teased, looking at her eager younger sister.

“The moss is all dried up. If you’re going to eat it, you have to eat the green kind. Chlorella is green,” Jingmin said confidently, offering his advice on what to eat.

"Want it to be green? It's simple. Just wait." Seeing the two little ones so serious, Tang Zhitong became interested as well. He immediately took a little water in his hand and carefully sprinkled it on the dried moss.

In less than a minute, the moss, which had turned brownish-black from the sun, turned yellow at a speed visible to the naked eye, with a hint of green showing through the yellow.

"Wow! It's turned green!" Fengzhi exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this.

"Hmm, why don't you try it?" Jingmin urged from the side.

"What does it mean that the moss has turned green?" Tang Zhitong immediately changed the subject when he saw that his sister was really about to grab it. He was just joking with his sister, how could he let her actually eat this stuff? Underneath the moss was a lot of dust and humus that had accumulated over the years.

"Does this mean the moss isn't dead?"

"This demonstrates strong vitality!"

The two children gave different answers.

"You're both right, but not entirely right. This shows that Liu Yuxi had sweaty feet," Tang Zhitong revealed the answer.

"Why?" The two children were completely confused.

"Because Liu Yuxi said that moss grows green on the steps," Tang Zhitong said with a smile.

The two children became more and more confused as they listened, but Fengzhen and Jingying had studied "The Humble Abode Inscription," and upon hearing Tang Zhitong's explanation, they immediately covered their mouths and burst out laughing.

"He must have stepped on the moss barefoot, that's why the moss turned green. Would you still eat moss that's been stepped on by stinky feet?" After circling around, Tang Zhitong finally asked tentatively.

"Nonsense! Go cook, I'll watch them and make sure they don't touch anything." Xiao Wang, having overheard her husband's absurd reasoning, laughed and playfully punched him.

Jingying watched from the sidelines, feeling incredibly envious of her sister's loving nature and her brother-in-law's interesting personality.

(End of this chapter)