Traveling back to 1952, starting a comeback from a relief station

After exchanging pleasantries, Deputy Factory Director Yang told Wang Anping that his uncle's ashes had been buried in the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. He then had someone fetch the belongings that Wang Ligen had left at the factory.

Three gleaming military medals, a martyr's certificate stamped with a bright red seal, and a letter written by my uncle on his deathbed.

There was also a list and two thick envelopes.

The list includes pensions, funeral allowances, and wages and subsidies that my uncle hadn't had time to collect yet.

These are nothing.

To Wang Anping's surprise, there was another envelope.

Wang Ligen had worked in the factory for many years and had accumulated a considerable amount of savings, which he had kept in the union, waiting for his nephew to come and collect it.

No wonder when I was cleaning the house earlier.

Apart from some old clothes belonging to my uncle, there was nothing else of any decent quality. So that's why.

Does Old Wang also know that those people in the yard are unreliable?

That's quite possible.

When Wang Anping saw the numbers on the list, he couldn't help but be astonished—Old Wang had left him quite a lot of money.

Old Wang is a veteran who has earned military merit. He works as a team leader in the security department of the steel rolling mill. His basic salary is fifty yuan, plus subsidies and various benefits, such as a meal allowance and a charcoal allowance in winter.

I saved almost all of my salary.

In addition, there are pensions and subsidies.

After counting them one by one, it came to a total of 1,680 yuan!

"Comrade Wang Anping, these are all your uncle's belongings, as well as subsidies calculated by the factory."

"Take a look here. If you have no questions, just sign it."

The union members whispered a reminder from the side.

Wang Anping looked it over and signed his name on it.

As for his uncle's former position, Director Yang and the labor union knew that Wang Anping already had a job, so after discussing it, they decided to reserve the position for him.

After he gets married, his wife can take over the job at the steel mill.

In this way, Wang Anping not only inherited his uncle's estate, but also gained a factory job that everyone else would fight tooth and nail for.

These days, countless people are scrambling to flock to the capital, and a worker's job in a state-owned factory is incredibly valuable.

Moreover, because Comrade Lao Wang is a martyr, his family members can skip the apprenticeship period and become full-time employees directly, which will earn them a lot more money.

Although the ins and outs of the matter sounded simple, the procedures actually involved running around to quite a few places.

By the time Wang Anping finished all his work and walked out of the steel rolling mill, it was already getting dark.

When Wang Anping returned to the courtyard with a piece of meat in his arms.

Yan Bugui had already finished get off work and returned to the hospital.

Students these days aren't as competitive as they are in later generations; school ends early, so teachers can naturally leave on time as well.

To be honest, Yan Bugui's job as a primary school teacher was pretty good. Apart from the low salary, it was perfect in every way—the work was easy, and there were winter and summer vacations. It was considered a respectable job in the district.

Wang Anping hadn't even had a chance to greet Yan Bugui before entering the courtyard.

He was stunned by what he saw.

There was nothing in front of my door!

at this time.

The area in front of Wang Anping's door was no longer cluttered as it used to be.

The pile of junk that was there in the morning has vanished, leaving only broken bricks and tiles scattered on the ground. It seems that no one really wanted the junk.

These guys chickened out so quickly?

Their combat strength is really not that great!

Wang Anping was inwardly furious, but pretended not to understand the situation, pointed to his doorway, and turned to ask Yan Bugui:

"Teacher Yan, what's going on?"

"Where are those things?"

That kid.

This is a classic case of someone who benefits but then complains!

Yan Bugui couldn't help but roll his eyes at Wang Anping and said:

"What else could it be?"

"It's all because of the commotion you caused this morning."

"You left this morning, and the people in the yard quickly moved their things back home."

"You know what, your trick actually worked! A huge open space suddenly appeared out of nowhere!"

When Yan Bugui said this, his tone was full of undisguised envy.

His house also occupies a small plot of land in the front yard, which he uses to store miscellaneous items and grow flowers and grass.

But his house was on the east side, and the main gate of the courtyard was also on the east side. There was a stone-paved path from the main gate to the middle courtyard, which was the only way for everyone in the courtyard to enter and exit.

Even if he likes to take advantage, he has to obediently give up this path.

The passageway only extends to the hanging flower gate, and the western side is completely untouched.

The land in front of Wang Anping's house is a solid piece of land, about thirty square meters in size, which is quite enviable.

Wang Anping didn't care about Yan Bugui's ulterior motives and pretended not to know.

He chuckled and agreed twice, then turned and went back into the house.

The first thing I did upon entering the house was to open the stove door and stoke the fire. Then I filled a basin with water and carefully washed the piece of meat I had bought, preparing to make braised pork noodles for dinner.

Compared to the meat sauce favored by northerners or the diced braised pork commonly eaten by southerners, Wang Anping still prefers large chunks of braised pork, which he finds truly satisfying.

The piece of meat he bought was a mix of lean and fat, with more lean meat than fat.

In those days, everyone preferred fatty meat, liked to render lard and store it for later consumption, as it made stir-fries incredibly delicious. This type of meat, which was mostly lean, was not popular, which benefited Wang Anping.

He didn't blanch the meat; he simply cut it into cubes the size of mahjong tiles.

Heat oil in a pan, add the meat pieces, and stir-fry slowly over low heat.

[Ding dong, cooking proficiency +1!]

[Ding dong, cooking skills proficiency +...]

His proficiency steadily improved, and since his culinary skills reached the level of a master chef, Wang Anping has gained a distinct understanding of cooking.

The control of the heat and the proportion of the seasonings are all done with a sense of ease and mastery, as if these skills are ingrained in one's very bones.

Once the surface of the meat chunks was slightly browned and a layer of clear oil seeped from the bottom of the pot, Wang Anping scooped out most of it and placed it in the bowl next to him.

He has never liked overly greasy textures.

Leave a little oil in the pan, add a few rock sugar pieces, and stir-fry slowly over low heat.

Once the rock sugar has melted and turned a light caramel color, evenly coating each piece of meat, he adds spices and soy sauce, stir-fries it to release a rich aroma, and then adds enough boiling water.

After the pot has been bubbling for a while, transfer the meat and broth to a clay pot and simmer it on the stove.

After finishing those tasks, he started kneading and mixing the dough.

Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, then spread a thin layer of oil on it, put it in a bowl, and place it next to the stove to let it rise slowly with the heat of the stove.

However, in just a short while, my cooking proficiency increased by more than 120 points.

Wang Anping pondered to himself:

In terms of technical sophistication, this braised pork is far superior to the large pot of braised pork with potatoes I made at the shelter.

It seems that increasing proficiency depends not only on the difficulty of the technique, but also on the frequency and quantity of cooking. Both aspects must be addressed and mastered.