Chapter 122 Telegraph and the Household Registration System

"Meng De, when did you come back? I asked Shengnan yesterday afternoon, and she said you hadn't come back yet."

In the middle courtyard, beside the pool, Mrs. Wang asked curiously.

The other neighbors in the courtyard also looked in his direction.

"Mrs. Wang, I didn't get home until around nine o'clock last night."

Wang Mengde took a toothbrush and tooth powder, filled a glass of water from the pressurized well, moved two steps to the side to make some room for others, and then said with a smile.

"Meng De, your trip was quite long. You didn't even have time to come back for the New Year. It must have been a full six months."

Aunt Li filled half a bucket of water from the faucet and said with a smile.

"Yeah." While brushing his teeth, Wang Mengde hummed and nodded.

"It's really hard. I haven't been able to go home for half a year. I look thinner and darker." On the other side, Mrs. Wang also sighed.

The sun in the south is very strong, and everyone who went to support got tanned because they had to run outside every day.

"Hard?"

At this time, Liu Haizhong came over from the backyard with his big belly and his hands behind his back. He was going to the toilet outside the yard and happened to hear their conversation.

“It’s worth it no matter how hard it is. You don’t usually read newspapers, so you don’t understand how great Meng De’s work is. He saved the lives of tens of millions of people in the south and ended a plague that had been prevalent for thousands of years.

His name has appeared in the country's largest newspapers at least seven or eight times in the past six months, not to mention newspapers like the Capital Daily.

This is a matter of honor for the family. It is said that even Mr. M and 'President Zhou' praised him highly. "

Liu Haizhong finished speaking in one breath, and then said to Wang Mengde in a flattering way:

"Am I right, Meng De?"

"Haha, uncle, we are all serving the people. I don't care about anything else." Wang Mengde rinsed his mouth and then said.

Next to him, Jia Dongxu was already extremely jealous, and when he heard him showing off, he rolled his eyes, forced himself not to say anything, hurriedly brushed Banggeng's teeth and washed his face, and then walked home.

"Look, he has done such a big thing, but he is still so humble. This is a role model that our hospital should learn from."

After looking around, Liu Haizhong took the opportunity to lecture the neighbors.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Wang Mengde returned home. After putting down his things, he came to the door of the ear room.

I listened carefully and heard the voices of my two younger brothers in the room. Knowing that they were all up, I went up and knocked on the door.

After the door was opened, Ran Xiaomei saw her eldest son suddenly appear in front of her. She stepped forward, tightly grasped Wang Mengde's arm, and said:
"Meng De, you are finally back."

After saying this, her tears couldn't stop flowing.

In the past six months, in the eyes of other people, Wang Mengde was featured in the newspaper so many times and made such great achievements, and others looked at their family with all kinds of envy and jealousy.

No matter whether it is people inside or outside the hospital, as long as Wang Mengde's name is mentioned, there are all kinds of praises. When outsiders hear that she is Wang Mengde's mother, they flatter her even more.

But these were not what she wanted. Others only saw the glory, but she saw the danger of schistosomiasis and was afraid that something might happen to her son accidentally.

She thought to herself that she would rather not have all these and just hoped that her son could return to her safely.

"Mom, I came back last night, but I didn't tell you because you were asleep. I'm home safely now, you should be happy."

Wang Mengde smiled and comforted.

"Yes, Mom should be happy." Ran Xiaomei said while crying and laughing.

She stared at her son's face, looked at it again and again, and finally said distressedly: "You have become much darker and a little thinner. Did you not eat or sleep well over there?
I'll take the meat coupons and go to the grocery store to buy some meat and a fish, and then I'll make you a delicious meal at noon."

Starting from the Spring Festival in 1958, the state implemented a rationed supply system with tickets for eight kinds of non-staple foods, including pork, beef, mutton, eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, cakes and vermicelli.

Each person is supplied with six ounces of pork, five ounces of beef and mutton, and four ounces of brown and white sugar each per month.

At that time, the standard used was sixteen taels per catty, so the monthly supply per person was no more than half a catty of each kind. Six taels of pork was equivalent to less than four taels in later generations.

"Mom, I eat very well in the south. During the Chinese New Year, every meal is chicken, duck, fish and meat, with very few vegetarian dishes. I have gained a lot of weight. The meals are also good on weekdays, with meat every now and then.

My staple food is rice every day, and I want to eat steamed buns now."

Wang Mengde said with a smile.

He really didn't lose weight. The southern provinces and cities tried their best to provide high-quality meals for the medical staff who went to provide support.

After he developed a prescription for treating schistosomiasis, the quality of food at Wenqiao Township Guesthouse was greatly improved. Not only were there big fish and meat for every meal, but every meal was also full of oil and fat.

The key is that the price is cheap, which is obviously a benefit given to him by the Guangxi Province, and it also benefits other people by the way.

"Oh, you want to eat steamed buns, right? Eat the leftovers from the past few days in the morning. I will make the dough in a while and steam a pot of steamed buns for you at noon." When Ran Xiaomei heard that her son wanted to eat steamed buns, she wiped her tears and said.

At this time, Wang Yuanchao and Wang Weiguo also climbed down from the bed. They called him brother excitedly and rushed to him and hugged his thighs tightly.

"Yuan Chao, Wei Guo, have you two been obedient during this period?"

Touching their heads, Wang Mengde asked with a smile.

"These two naughty boys are still obedient. They beat Banggeng again yesterday." Before the two younger brothers could speak, Ran Xiaomei spoke first.

"What's going on?"

Leading the two of them, the four of them walked towards the wing room, he asked as they walked.

"Brother, don't blame us. It's Banggen who deserves to be beaten."

Wang Yuanchao held his brother's hand and explained in a low voice, "Yesterday afternoon, my sister-in-law came home from get off work and was kneading dough to prepare steamed buns in the house. Banggeng ran over from outside the yard and shouted to my sister-in-law, 'There's a telegram from your family.'"

Before he could finish, Wang Mengde became furious and said, "He really deserves a beating. You should beat him harder next time."

"Well, brother, you don't know, the wash basin fell to the ground with a bang, and my sister-in-law was stunned for a long time, and she almost fell when she walked out.

When she finally heard that it was fake, my sister-in-law squatted on the ground and burst into tears. Yuan Chao and I were so angry that we beat Bang Geng severely. "

Wang Weiguo also said.

"Well done."

It’s no wonder Wang Mengde said that. In this era, the way to contact people in the same city is to go to their homes, and the way to contact people in other places is basically to send letters.

The postage for ordinary letters sent within the city is four cents, and the postage for ordinary letters sent to other cities is eight cents.

If there is an urgent matter in another place, then a telegram is sent.

What are generally urgent matters? Of course, things like birth, aging, sickness and death.

There were no relatives in their family outside the province, and he was the only one supporting them in the south. When He Shengnan suddenly heard that a telegram had arrived, she would inevitably think of the worst. Therefore, Wang Mengde agreed with his two younger brothers to beat Bang Geng hard.

"Hey, brother, after we beat Bang Geng yesterday, my sister-in-law gave us candy."

"Really? I have a gift for you later."

"What gift is it, brother? I want it now."

"Don't worry, I'll get it for you after breakfast. Don't worry, you both get a portion, exactly the same."

When they arrived at the living room of the wing, He Shengnan had almost finished cooking. After a while, Wang Hao also came over from Yuer Hutong.

"Dad, I'm back." Wang Mengde walked up and greeted him.

Seeing him, Wang Hao was stunned for a moment, then he said with a bigger smile on his face: "Okay, okay, okay, I'm glad you're back."

This son has brought me great honor.

At the dinner table, Wang Mengde was eating while recounting interesting stories about his time in Guibei County.

When he heard that he passed by the Guanyin Temple at night and picked up a baby girl, and that this little girl actually helped him find a prescription for treating schistosomiasis.

Although they had heard about this incident in the newspaper a long time ago, he, the person involved, described it in more detail, and several people were still very surprised.

He Shengnan's eyes moved. When she saw her man talking about the baby girl with a happy look on his face, she thought secretly in her heart.

The two sons are gradually growing up. They should have another child while they are still young. It would be best if it could be a daughter this time to fulfill her husband's wish.

When Wang Mengde said that he had just got off the train, he was picked up by someone sent by "President Zhou". The two of them also had dinner together. Wang Hao and Ran Xiaomei were both very excited.

Wang Hao even held the bowl of porridge and drank three big gulps without caring about the heat.

Finally, when two pieces of 'Send Away the God of Plague' written by Mr. M were placed on the table, he almost couldn't help but snatch them away.

"Dad, Mom, these two calligraphy pieces will be given to Yuanxun and Yuandiyi."

He Shengnan said with a smile.

"Haha, what a coincidence, they both have one." Ran Xiaomei also said with a smile.

After dinner, Wang Mengde didn’t go anywhere. He stayed at home with his family and children, and wanted to have some quiet time.

But what he didn't expect was that when he was preparing to have some quiet time, people from the courtyard came to his door one after another. They came in groups of three or four, curiously asking him about his experiences in the south during this period.

Especially Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, they almost wanted to stay in their house and not leave.

In the end, it was the mother-in-law who came with her brothers-in-law He Shengwen and He Shengwu and sister-in-law He Yanan, and the two of them returned in disappointment.

He Shengwen is 15 years old this year and is in the second grade of junior high school.

According to Wang Mengde, his brother-in-law's academic performance has been declining since he entered junior high school. In school, apart from studying, he is very good at everything else that should and should not be learned.

"During the six months since you went to the South, Shengwen has gotten into trouble many times at school, and the teacher has called him home several times.

Every time my mother mentions him, she worries a lot. For someone like him, he doesn’t even know if he can get his junior high school diploma next year. If he doesn’t have a diploma, it will be hard for him to get into any job in the future.”

He Shengnan looked at her brother who was holding the gift given by Wang Mengde and looking left and right not far away, and said with a worried look on her face.

"Shengwen still has more than a year to graduate, it's still early now."

Wang Mengde said with a smile.

"A year went by very quickly. Ever since he turned fifteen after the Chinese New Year, my parents have been very worried. If he can't find a job after school, won't he become a street urchin?"

"It shouldn't be difficult for Shengwen to find a job. In January this year, the country issued a household registration management regulation. Soon, a large number of farmers who came to the city to work will have to return to the countryside.

If they leave, many factories will be short of workers, and it will be easier to find a job in the future."

On January 1958, 1, China's first household registration management law, the "xxxxxxx Household Registration Regulations", was officially promulgated and implemented, and since then there has been a distinction between populations in different regions.

In particular, Article 16 stipulates that if a citizen leaves his or her permanent residence for personal reasons or temporarily resides for more than three months, he or she shall apply to the household registration authority for an extension of time or go through the relocation procedures; if there is no reason to extend the time and no conditions to relocate, he or she shall return to his or her permanent residence.

Afterwards, the household registration system became like an invisible belt, restricting people's free movement, and household registration began to be linked to rights and interests such as employment, housing, education, and social welfare.

A large number of farmers who come to the city to work have to return to their rural hometowns because they do not have a household registration.

"Really?" He Shengnan asked in surprise.

"Of course it's true. I have studied the country's policies very thoroughly." Wang Mengde said with a smile.

"That's great. By next year, when he finishes junior high school, he will be sixteen years old, which is just the right age to enter the factory as an apprentice." He Shengnan said with a smile.

An apprenticeship is a period of time during which unmarried young people between the ages of 16 and 22 enter enterprises and institutions to learn skills under the guidance of a master. This period is also called the apprenticeship period.

The country also made regulations on the duration of learning this year. The apprenticeship learning period should be 3 years. For jobs with relatively simple techniques, the period can be shortened appropriately, but it must not be less than 2 years.

"It's so hard to be an apprentice in a factory. When he graduates from junior high school in June or July next year, I will find him a good job as long as he gets his junior high school diploma."

"Is he going to study medicine? His personality doesn't make him a good candidate for this." He Shengnan said.

"He's not studying medicine." Wang Mengde said, "Ask him where he wants to work. It can be a grain store, a supply and marketing cooperative, a non-staple food store, a meat processing plant, or a food factory. He can choose whatever he wants."

"Ah? Can we enter these units?" He Shengnan was shocked when she heard him speak so confidently.

The units he just mentioned are all first-rate units, and many people are fighting for entry but just can’t.

If his younger brother could get in in the future, not to mention the benefits, if he wanted to find a partner, as long as he spread the word, matchmakers would knock on the door of his house.

"Everyone can get in. I know the leaders of these units," Wang Mengde explained.

He was not bragging. During the time he worked at Guang'anmen Hospital, he got to know many powerful patients.

These people initially went to see Pu Lao, but after seeing his medical skills, they began to take him seriously. In addition, after his trip to the south, the halo around him became even more dazzling.

It is easy to cram a few people into these units.

Maybe they are looking forward to it.

"Mom, come here."

"Shengwen, come here too."

After getting Wang Mengde's assurance, He Shengnan quickly called Zhou Xiaoyan and her brother to her side and told them what had happened.

"What? To enter these companies, you need a junior high school diploma, right? Mengde, Shengnan, don't worry. When we go back today, your dad and I will urge him to study hard every day.

If he doesn’t get his junior high school diploma next year, I will break his legs.”

(End of this chapter)