Chapter 2790
Serving the People by Riding on Their Heads
Chapter 2790 Serving the People by Riding on Their Heads
Time passed quickly, and December 22nd arrived, the 24th day of the 11th lunar month, the Winter Solstice.
The heating system, which had been working tirelessly all night, finally gave out and could no longer stop the cold from seeping into the room.
So, the two people lying in bed felt the cold and gradually woke up.
Yang Xiaotao stretched his arms and yawned to relieve the fatigue of last night, then checked the temperature in the room and quickly burrowed into the blankets.
Watching his wife wriggle around, he couldn't help but lean forward and hug the "warm baby," instantly feeling an urge like a king neglecting his morning court.
The next second, the hand warmer in her arms opened her eyes, then reached for the watch on the bedside table, looked at it, and then pried off her hands and feet that were tied to her body.
"Get up, it's the Winter Solstice today. Go buy some meat early so we can make dumplings when we get back tonight."
Ran Qiuye pushed Yang Xiaotao, then realized she wasn't wearing enough clothes, so she quickly shrank back under the covers. With Yang Xiaotao's mischievous grin, she twisted her arm and then pulled the covers over her head. After groping around for a while, she finally put on her underwear, then got up and quickly put on her cotton-padded coat.
Yang Xiaotao lay in bed, his gentle, jade-like demeanor gone, and could only get up.
And judging by the time, it probably won't be long before those young masters and ancestors in the family wake up.
Sometimes Yang Xiaotao really regrets it, wondering why she had so many children.
One is enough to cause trouble, a group of them...
Yang Xiaotao made up his mind that once these kids were older, he would send them to school to live on campus.
To avoid disturbing one's happy life.
I got up, put on my thermal underwear, found a cotton-padded jacket and put it on, then went to the heater and fiddled with it for a while. The temperature in the room gradually rose, and then I asked, "Don't we have meat at home? Why did you buy more?"
Yang Xiaotao remembered receiving the reward a month ago, and he made sure to bring it back with him whenever he could.
These days, the various pork, lamb, and beef rewards the system gives out every month must add up to at least 120 jin (60 kg).
Why do you eat so much meat?
Even with a large number of people, it's impossible to eat this much.
Ran Qiuye rolled her eyes. "Didn't we send them to school last time?"
Yang Xiaotao slapped his forehead, "I forgot about that."
I'll go buy some in a bit!
"Don't wait any longer, hurry up and go! If you're late, you'll be at the back of the line, and then there won't be any left!"
Ran Qiuye urged him on from the side, so Yang Xiaotao had no choice but to put on his coat and gloves and go out.
As soon as I stepped outside, I felt like I had entered a cold storage room; I was completely chilled.
Feeling Xiao Wei's warmth against his chest, Yang Xiaotao patted her through his coat and then went to the side to push his bicycle.
I don't know why, but it's unusually cold in Beijing this year.
Especially since it snowed just two days ago, the heavy snow turned the entire city of Beijing into a cold, silver-clad world.
With his hand resting on the bicycle, Yang Xiaotao felt that if he were to hold the cold iron directly, a layer of skin would probably freeze off.
As soon as we exited the hanging flower gate, we saw the old Taoist priest and Elder Ye taking a stroll.
As was their usual routine, they would take a walk in the alley every morning.
This was what Yu Zecheng told him, because the comrades in charge of security often complained that these two got up too early.
However, the two did not go out today, naturally because the streets and alleys were covered with thick ice, and even the public toilets were covered with ice. The two knew their own condition; even going to the toilet was difficult, so it was better not to go out and cause trouble.
Why are you up so early today?
The old Taoist priest looked Yang Xiaotao up and down and asked curiously.
Yang Xiaotao pulled the scarf off his head. "I'm going to buy meat, I'm afraid it'll be sold out if I'm late!"
"Then you'd better hurry up and go. I saw that Yan Fugui from the front yard went there a long time ago."
Old Ye chuckled to himself, and Yang Xiaotao waved his hand, "Let's go!"
They hurried out of the car.
"Be careful, the road is slippery!"
Old Ye reminded him from behind, and Yang Xiaotao waved and quickly left through the gate.
I rode carefully all the way to the supply and marketing cooperative, and just as Ran Qiuye had said, there was a long queue early in the morning.
Yang Xiaotao quickly parked his car and then joined the back of the queue.
"Oh dear, I told you there's no need to come so early. We have plenty of meat, so there's no need to worry about running out!"
Just then, a woman wearing a coat walked by, her face showing some dissatisfaction.
"I told you all, why did you have to come and suffer so early..."
As the woman walked into the supply and marketing cooperative, the crowd stirred, with many stretching their wrists, ready to get to work.
Then more people came and entered the supply and marketing cooperative.
However, the people in front of them did not move and continued to wait.
However, the supply and marketing cooperative has explicit regulations stipulating that it must operate at designated locations.
Yang Xiaotao glanced at his watch; there were still fifteen minutes until eight o'clock.
Just as I looked up, I suddenly saw a familiar face behind me.
Among the crowd, Lu Tao, dressed in thick clothes, was also queuing up to buy meat.
If it weren't for the clothes he was wearing that clearly identified him as a member of the Ninth Division, plus the large black glasses he was wearing, it would be really hard to recognize him.
"Lu Tao!"
Yang Xiaotao called out, and Lu Tao, who was in line, looked up when he heard someone call him. He saw Yang Xiaotao standing in front of five or six people.
"Uncle, this is my friend, how about we switch places?"
Yang Xiaotao walked in front of Lu Tao and spoke to the uncle who was queuing up.
With such good news, the uncle was naturally willing to move forward.
The two switched places, and Lu Tao rubbed his hands together, "Director Yang, you're here to buy meat too?"
Yang Xiaotao nodded, "My family is making dumplings, so they asked me to come early to buy meat."
"The same to you?"
Lu Tao nodded vigorously, his face beaming like a groundhog.
"Yes, yes, my wife also told me to come early. I'm late. I'll go back and have some food before heading to headquarters."
Lu Tao spoke quickly, his eyes filled with gratitude as he looked at Yang Xiaotao.
Back when we lived in the countryside, let alone buying meat, we couldn't even eat a piece of meat all year round.
What now?
While I wouldn't dare say my salary is enough to feed my family meat every day, I can certainly afford to have it every few days.
The key point is that we can also eat meat at the headquarters canteen, which is cheaper, and technical staff also receive a meal allowance, making it more affordable.
Finally, there's my eldest daughter, who's now earning money too.
Having two employees in the family all at once is quite remarkable in the neighborhood.
As a result, his wife's mood improved, and the family became more harmonious.
What he wants to do most now is to hand over this hundred-odd pounds of meat to the Ninth Division and dedicate his life to fighting for the Ninth Division.
"How is things at home? If you're having any difficulties, be sure to tell us."
Yang Xiaotao didn't talk about work, since this place wasn't suitable, so they just chatted casually.
"Everything is fine, everyone in my family is doing well."
Lu Tao quickly spoke, and then the two found common ground and started talking about their children.
As the two were talking, the line began to move forward.
When Yang Xiaotao entered the supply and marketing cooperative, only a small piece of meat remained on the cutting board.
"Didn't you say there was enough meat?"
Yang Xiaotao watched as people in front of him cut small pieces of meat, and the meat on the table was decreasing at a visible rate. Looking back, he saw a long queue behind him.
I sighed inwardly, realizing that the road to having meat at every meal is long and arduous.
When it was Yang Xiaotao's turn, there was only a small piece of meat left on the cutting board.
"Comrade, is there any more?"
Yang Xiaotao asked the saleswoman.
Perhaps irritated from waking up early for work, the saleswoman glanced at Yang Xiaotao and asked, "Anything else?"
"What's wrong? You think it's not enough?"
"There are so many, can you afford them?"
Hearing this, Lu Tao was about to step forward to argue. He had also heard that the sales clerks were not very nice, but he would let it go if it were him. But this was Director Yang.
Before Lu Tao could speak, Yang Xiaotao reached out and stopped him, then said with a smile, "Whether you can afford it or not depends on how much meat you have." The saleswoman frowned at the person in front of her. In winter, people wear a lot of clothes, and Yang Xiaotao was wearing a scarf, only revealing his nose and above. If you didn't know him well, you really wouldn't be able to tell.
However, the woman knew one thing: the person in front of her was not old.
I'm not that old, so what?
He slammed the knife down on the cutting board and said disdainfully, "Like a toad yawning, what a big mouth you have."
"Let me tell you, there's plenty of meat, but you can't afford it!"
Yang Xiaotao smiled even more broadly, "Tell me, how many kilograms? Let's see if I can afford it."
"By the way, we need money and prostitutes, right? How much do you want?"
When Yang Xiaotao said this, everyone behind him looked over, and for a moment they had to hold the woman back, leaving her somewhat embarrassed.
The other sales clerks nearby heard the commotion and rushed over. Instantly, the people behind them fell silent, not daring to say another word.
The man in the lead, with his sleeves rolled up, strode up to Yang Xiaotao and said, "Comrade, don't be so impulsive."
"Don't think you can be arrogant just because you have a little money and tickets."
"This is a state-run supply and marketing cooperative."
Yang Xiaotao crossed his arms. "Yes, I know this is a state-run supply and marketing cooperative, otherwise I wouldn't have come."
The man glanced at Yang Xiaotao, then snorted coldly, "We've sold out of meat today. Everyone else, go home. Go home now."
After the man finished speaking, the other sales clerks stepped forward to shoo people away. The people in line changed their expressions upon hearing this, and some even prepared to leave in disappointment.
Yang Xiaotao shook his head, "I come all this way to buy meat, if I can't find any, how am I supposed to explain this to my family?"
How should we explain this?
The man sneered, "This time I'll teach you a lesson."
"Yes, we need to learn our lesson."
Yang Xiaotao took a deep breath and then shouted outside, "If you don't come out, then I'll do it my own way."
When everyone saw Yang Xiaotao talking nonsense to the outside world, they were all confused. The man frowned, completely bewildered.
A sense of unease lingered in my heart.
Seeing that no one came out, Yang Xiaotao decided to resolve the matter in his own way.
In short, I need to get the meat home today.
Before Yang Xiaotao could act, an old man ran out of the supply and marketing cooperative, shouting, "Wait, wait!!!"
When the old man approached, the people from the supply and marketing cooperative immediately changed their demeanor and became docile.
"director."
When the man saw the old man approaching, he hurriedly nodded and bowed in response.
The old man didn't even glance at him, and went straight to Yang Xiaotao. "Comrade, my men are ignorant and have made a fool of themselves."
Yang Xiaotao frowned, knowing in his heart that someone had probably given him a heads-up.
"What are you standing there for? Why aren't you cutting off this comrade's flesh?"
The director quickly gave instructions to the sales clerk, but Yang Xiaotao spoke up at this moment, "But this sales clerk said that we're not selling today."
The director looked embarrassed, inwardly cursing his subordinates, before nodding repeatedly, "Sell, sell."
"Director, we... we're out of meat."
The woman behind him still didn't understand the situation, so she quickly stepped forward to explain.
"Shut up and get out of my way."
The director, however, coldly rebuked them. He didn't say anything about how these people usually used back channels to get preferential treatment and leave behind benefits, since his own hands weren't clean either.
But this guy has no tact; why is he jumping out at a time like this?
Thinking about the people who would find me later, my heart skipped a beat.
The woman was startled and quickly ran to a corner.
The director looked at Yang Xiaotao and smiled, "Comrade, however much meat you want, we'll cut it for you!"
But Yang Xiaotao turned around to look at the people behind him, then smiled and said, "I'm not in a hurry, let the comrades behind come first."
As he spoke, Yang Xiaotao stepped aside. Lu Tao, seeing this, understood what Director Yang meant and immediately stepped forward, saying, "Give me a pound."
Seeing Yang Xiaotao's detached, amused expression, and thinking of the people behind him, the director gritted his teeth and said, "Cut some meat for this comrade."
The man realized at this point that things were not simple; otherwise, why would the director, with such powerful backing, be sweating bullets?
So he stepped forward and quickly cut some meat for Lu Tao.
After paying the money and ticket, Lu Tao didn't leave. He just stood next to Yang Xiaotao, and the two of them started talking about computers again.
The director, who was standing nearby, was dumbfounded when he saw this.
If there's no meat left, what should this gentleman say if he wants to buy some?
There was no other way but to bite the bullet and keep selling.
As the people behind him bought it by the pound or half a pound, the piece of meat on the table was quickly gone.
"Director, there's no meat left."
The man spoke in a low voice, but the director turned around and slapped him.
"Shut up!"
The man sensed a murderous intent and dared not speak further.
The manager, however, turned to the other sales clerks and said in a cold voice, "Go and bring out all the meat. If it's not enough, you don't need to come back."
Everyone shuddered, and the man's eyes widened in shock; this was the first time he had ever heard the director say something so serious.
He glanced at the young man beside him, wondering who this person was.
Before he could come up with an answer, the director's urging voice rang out again, "What are you waiting for? It's so cold, can't you see the comrades are waiting?"
The man took a deep breath, hurriedly ran to the counter, and took out a bag of meat.
The others didn't dare to hesitate either, and in an instant, the cutting board was filled with meat again.
Yang Xiaotao looked at the scene before him, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
He was about to take back what he had just said.
This isn't just a long and arduous journey; it's a task so heavy that the knife has become too soft.
The people queuing behind them felt a surge of anger.
Although I had heard that there was something fishy going on, I still couldn't help but curse when I saw it for the first time.
As a result, the people who bought meat afterwards all gave each other a cold shoulder, even if they managed to buy some.
Only after the last person had paid their money and tickets did he glare at the sales clerk, then nod to Yang Xiaotao before leaving.
"Give me ten pounds."
Yang Xiaotao stepped forward and took out a handful of banknotes, placing them on the table.
The director swallowed hard, glanced at the meat on the cutting board, and realized there were no more ten pounds left.
He gritted his teeth, turned around and rushed into the office, and came out a while later carrying a piece of meat.
"Comrade, ten pounds of meat, please have another one!"
Yang Xiaotao nodded, holding the meat. "Good, you should have this attitude from now on."
"The attitude of serving the people is not the attitude of serving them while riding on their backs."
After saying that, he walked out with Lu Tao.
The sales clerks behind him all looked bewildered.
But the director plopped down on the ground, his eyes filled with fear.
Riding on the backs of the people
finished~
The sales clerk behind him was even more confused.
Shortly after Yang Xiaotao left, a group of young people with the word "business" printed on their sleeves entered the supply and marketing cooperative, and then the cooperative closed its doors.
When the door was opened again at noon, people who came to buy supplies found that the staff had all changed.
When I inquired about what happened, the sales clerks inside kept quiet and, on the contrary, provided excellent service, almost like completely different people.
After that, a story circulated throughout the supply and marketing cooperatives of Beijing.
The story goes that a leader criticized some sales clerks for "serving the people while riding on their backs," and then those clerks went to the countryside.
Whether this was true or not, it certainly sent a chill down the spines of all the sales clerks.
Subsequently, starting from the winter solstice, salespeople in Beijing and even across the country changed. They became more cheerful, their voices became less aggressive, and their tempers underwent a complete 180-degree turn.