Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

"It's up to Tingting herself. If she wants to stay at the Xiangling City Cigarette Factory, then she can stay. If she wants to come back, that's fine too. We'll see if we can find a way to transfer her to a government job, or she can just go to university."

Fang Wei was referring to taking the college entrance exam, but Pan Lianhua clearly hadn't noticed this detail.

The resumption of the college entrance examination is not far away. If you can persist in your studies and not forget what you learned in high school, you still have a high chance of passing the exam.

"Tao Tao and Ting Ting are so lucky to have a brother-in-law like you. Their lives will be much smoother."

Pan Lianhua was deeply moved. She liked that her man valued family ties. A man who was so good to his nieces and nephews would only be even better to his wife and children.

The next day.

Tingting rushed back from the county town. The two siblings hadn't seen each other for quite a while, so they could have a good chat.

Fang Wei went to the team headquarters and discussed with Zheng Hu about distributing gifts for the New Year.

"Third Brother, we only have 90 pigs left to slaughter. There won't be enough meat for the New Year."

"Even if it's a small amount, we can still each get about 10 jin of pork on average, which should be enough for the New Year."

In addition, give everyone a larger share of chickens and ducks; each person should receive 2 chickens, 2 ducks, and 10 jin (5 catties) of eggs.

Fang Wei also knew that there was a little less pork this year, so he got an extra chicken and a duck, which should be enough for the New Year.

Zheng Hu nodded. He would have to handle the rest; Secretary Fang wouldn't be involved in the specifics.

At noon, Chenzhou Textile Factory delivered two truckloads of cloth. Fang Wei didn't have anyone unload the trucks; he went directly with the vehicles to the Yao village.

Wang Songlin had been looking forward to this batch of cloth for a long time. He immediately had the cloth unloaded and then the village paid for it in advance.

“Songlin, go back and distribute the cloth, according to the number of people, but collect cash.”

Fang Wei gave Wang Songlin a brief greeting and then returned to the team with the empty car.

Next, he had 1000 chickens and 1000 ducks loaded onto the truck. After settling the accounts, the other party hurriedly returned to Chenzhou.

the next day.

The team slaughtered 90 pigs and also distributed chickens, ducks, and eggs to the commune members and educated youth.

[New pigs born, points +25470]

[Produces broiler chickens, +12000 points]

[Produces Muscovy ducks, points +13500]

Eggs produced: Points +20000

Total points: 10576390.

The pig farm has 2258 pigs left.

There was a little less pork than in previous years, but each person still received about 12 jin (6 catties) on ​​average, which is not bad.

New Year's Eve.

Fang Wei and Fang Ping's families gathered together for their New Year's Eve dinner. Guan Chongyang and Sun Daoren also came, along with Yu Hao and Liang Xueqin, who brought their children.

It was a very lively dinner with so many people together.

Fang Wei bought some firecrackers in advance and set off a string before dinner. After the crackling sounds, the smell of gunpowder wafted into the house, giving people a sense of the New Year.

Tian Guihua, Sister, Pan Lianhua, Tingting and others were busy all day long. The large round table was piled high with dishes, almost overflowing.

This was undoubtedly the most sumptuous meal of the year, a time to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, with everyone's face beaming with joy.

Fang Wei raised his glass, first looking at the two elders, then at his elder sister, Pan Lianhua, his elder brother and sister-in-law, Yu Hao and his wife, and all the younger generation, before offering a few words of blessing.

Then he drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.

The meal lasted for more than two hours. Afterwards, Tingting and Taotao helped with the aftermath, while Yu Hao and Fang Wei took Sun Daoren and Grandpa Guan back home.

New Year's Day.

Two special guests have arrived in the village.

When Master Sun opened the door and saw his two disciples, he was quite surprised: "Why are you two here? Did something happen on the mountain?"

"Master, we came here specifically to see you. Everything is fine on the mountain!"

"It's good that you're alright! Come inside and sit down so we can talk more."

Only then did Master Sun put his worries aside and enter the house with his two disciples.

Fang Wei wasn't in the village; he went to the Yao village early in the morning to visit the elderly living alone with gifts. After returning, he even took a walk around the team, only learning about this in the afternoon.

He hurried over to Sun Daoren's place, but no one was inside.

He turned around and went to Grandpa Guan's side, where he met Master Sun and his two disciples.

"Third brother, thank you so much. They have always been taken care of by you. I don't know how to thank you enough."

The three of them had lunch at Guan Chongyang's place and talked about the past few years. They inevitably mentioned how Fang Wei had taken good care of Sun Daoren's two disciples.

Just before the Lunar New Year, Fang Wei sent someone to deliver grain, cooking oil, soybeans, and some fruits to the two of them.

Sun Daoren expressed his gratitude to Fang Wei, and his two disciples quickly stood up and bowed to Fang Wei.

"We're all family, don't be shy. Come to my room for dinner tonight, you two can stay a few more days before you leave."

Fang Wei smiled and waved his hand, indicating that the three of them didn't need to be so polite.

He sat for a while, then invited Guan Chongyang and the three disciples, including Sun Daoren, to his home for dinner that evening, before getting up and leaving.

He's been out for most of the day, and even had lunch at Zhang Chu's house.

"Third Brother, Happy New Year!"

When I got home, I found the house full of people.

Wang Songlin and seven or eight other men and women came to wish their grandfather a Happy New Year in the morning, and also to visit Fang Wei, Pan Lianhua, and their two children.

Pan Lianhua invited them to have lunch at her home. They would have left long ago if it weren't for waiting for Fang Wei to come back and meet her.

"Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! Didn't you have enough to drink at noon? I'll have a few more drinks with you now."

Fang Wei greeted everyone with a smile, then asked Pan Lianhua to prepare some dishes and have a few drinks with Wang Songlin and the others.

Wang Songlin quickly stopped him, saying, "We drank at noon, and we have to go back soon, so don't bother."

"What's the rush? Let's have dinner before you leave."

Seeing that they had indeed drunk alcohol, Fang Wei stopped pressuring them and invited them to stay for dinner.

"Third brother, let them go. They'll have another drink when they get back."

Grandpa helped Wang Songlin and the others out of their predicament. In a sense, the New Year is all about eating and drinking.

Wang Songlin and the others have dinner plans for the evening, so there's no need to insist they stay.

Fang Wei smiled and nodded, then sat down and chatted with them for a while before Wang Songlin and the others took their leave.

night.

Guan Chongyang, Sun Daoren, and his two disciples came over for a meal.

"Third brother, the Taoist temple has been in disrepair for years, and more and more parts are falling into disrepair. Can you give me some advice on how we can repair it? The two of them want to go out and beg for alms, but I think that's not feasible and the risk is too great."

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Master Sun asked Fang Wei for guidance.

The Taoist temple is getting more and more dilapidated, and if it's not left unattended, the buildings might collapse. The higher authorities definitely won't allocate funds, and they're worried about getting arrested if they go out to beg for alms. It's a real dilemma.

“Old Sun, don’t think about those unrealistic things. They don’t even have letters of introduction. Where can they go? When things are less busy this year, I’ll bring people to help you with the repairs. We just need to find the timber and other materials nearby.”

Fang Wei smiled and shook his head, thinking that Sun Daoren and his disciple's ideas were unrealistic.

But the Taoist temple couldn't be allowed to fall into disrepair, so he decided to personally take charge and lead a team to repair it. Many people in the team were skilled in carpentry; the bamboo ware factory was a good school, and many learned carpentry and bamboo ware making in their spare time.

However, the mountains are high and the roads are long, making it difficult to solve the problem of materials.

"Over the years, we have been using timber directly from the mountains. For every tree we cut down, we will replant three. If we really want to be honest, all the forest land in the area behind the Taoist temple belongs to us."

What Master Sun said is very true: those who live near the mountains live off the mountains; otherwise, where would the timber come from?

And he wasn't lying; the Taoist temple owned land deeds to the surrounding mountains and forests, it's just that no one would acknowledge it now.

Fang Wei remained silent, thinking this was also a solution. The mountains and forests near the Taoist temple were currently unclaimed woodlands, or rather, state-owned forests. Since no one was managing them, they could use the local resources.

"Cut down one tree and replant ten. I'll take care of it then."

Fang Wei wasn't the kind of person who was inflexible; he knew how to adapt. For example, the new residential construction project that the team was building required a lot of timber. Fang Wei had people cut down some suitable trees from the protective forest and the team's own mountain forest.

At that time, his requirement for the forestry team was that for every tree cut down, ten more must be replanted.

However, he never allowed anyone to cut down trees in the mountains. Once the forest land was outside the brigade's area, it became state-owned forest land. Cutting down trees in the mountains lacked the necessary legitimacy and was no different from illegal logging.

This is different from picking fruit in the mountains. Fruit ripens naturally, and it would be a waste not to pick it.

The situation at the Taoist temple is different because it doesn't own its own mountains and forests. The old land deeds are definitely useless; we'll have to negotiate with the relevant authorities. For now, this is the only option.

The next day.

Sun Daoren's two disciples returned to the Taoist temple with a large amount of stuff.

These things were all accumulated by Master Sun. He was respected in the clinic, and people brought him food, drink, and clothing all year round.

Because Grandpa was here, Fang Weiyi's family stayed at home, while her eldest brother Fang Ping's family went to her parents' home.

After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Tingting packed her belongings and went to Xiangling City. As previously stated, she would be studying at the Xiangling City Cigarette Factory for six months; whether she would stay or leave after the training period would be decided later.

When Fang Wei came back this time, he also talked to Tingting, but she was worried that if she left, her parents would be left without anyone by their side, so she kept hesitating.

Fang Wei didn't try to persuade her; she was told to take her time to think it over, since there were still six months to go.

morning.

When Fang Tao returned from chopping firewood on the mountain, he saw his uncle and aunt exercising in the yard.

They have been practicing the "health-preserving exercises" taught by Master Sun for about twenty minutes every day, and it has long become a habit.

"Manman, Auntie, you've been exercising for so many years, do you think it's been effective?"

Fang Wei went into the yard, put the firewood away, and then stood aside and watched for a while.

After the two finished their workout and stopped, he asked a question with a smile.

"Of course it works! Look how well your aunt and I look. We eat well, sleep well, and hardly ever get sick."

Fang Wei responded with a smile, then fetched water and washed her face in the yard.

Pan Lianhua turned around and called the two little ones to get up, then it was time for breakfast.

"Manman, then teach me, I'll keep exercising and experience the effects you mentioned."

"Sure, if you want to learn, I'll teach you. It's not some secret. But the key to physical exercise is consistency; just talking about it won't do."

Fang Wei smiled and beckoned Fang Tao over, then taught him the basic moves.

Over the next few days, he taught this set of "health-preserving exercises" to Tao Tao. Once he was sure that Tao Tao had learned it, he had him practice it on his own every day.

After the holiday, Fang Tao returned to work in the provincial capital.

Before leaving, Fuhe Tiangui gave her son 2000 yuan, telling him to keep it safe and use it for the wedding.

This money was saved up by the couple through frugality. After all, since Fang Ping became the factory manager, he had almost no time to earn extra money. Tian Guihua did the same at the nursery; together, the two of them earned only about a thousand yuan in cash each year.

In other words, the Xiatang Brigade had no shortage of food and drink. In other production teams, it would be difficult for ordinary members to come up with 2000 yuan in savings.

Time flies.

Zheng Hu began arranging the rapeseed harvest, while the new residential construction project resumed work early after the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. The 100 houses were nearing completion, but the supporting facilities were still a little behind schedule.

Due to the extensive use of agricultural machinery, it is now rare to see the entire team mobilized.

With a large number of laborers concentrated in sideline occupations and forestry, the transfer of some laborers to participate in the construction of the new residential buildings will not affect the team's agricultural production at all.

The rapeseed was harvested quickly, and then the land was turned over and the fields were left to dry, which helps to kill off a large number of parasites, viruses, and bacteria.

The weather has been nice lately, so Zheng Hu arranged for people to dry the food, and after processing, it can be pressed for oil.

Fang Wei took some time to visit the Yao village.

The rapeseed in Yao Village was harvested earlier than that in Xiatang Brigade, and the oil pressing process has already been completed. Everyone is waiting to receive their share of the oil.

As the village head, Fang Wei had to make the decisions on matters like this; no one else, including Wang Songlin, could do it for him. So he rushed over, and the accountant immediately brought the ledgers.

"This year, the village planted one season of soybeans, one season of peanuts, and one season of flue-cured tobacco. After the autumn harvest, they planted another season of rapeseed. The total yield of soybean seeds was 74.8 jin, the total yield of peanut seeds was 88.4 jin, the total yield of flue-cured tobacco was 68 jin, and the total yield of rapeseed was 11.85 jin."

Soybean seeds sold for 359.04 million yuan, peanuts were sold in exchange for seeds for 203.32 million yuan, and flue-cured tobacco sold for 170 million yuan. Rapeseed oil was extracted, yielding 39105 jin of rapeseed oil. Additionally, the village also obtained 9520 jin of flue-cured tobacco seeds during the tobacco harvest.

The accountant recounted the harvest of all the cash crops in the village from last year to now.

Fang Wei nodded, told the other person to put down the ledger, and then sent him away.

Harvest crops, points +748000

Harvest crops, points +884000

Harvest crops, points +680000

Harvest crops, points +118500

Total points: 13006890.

"The rapeseed oil was distributed at an average rate of 50 jin per person, and the remaining 9105 jin of rapeseed oil was put into storage. Everyone did a great job last year and achieved remarkable results."

Therefore, I plan to start the village renovation project in the second half of this year. The project includes the repair and renovation of all houses, the repair of internal roads, and the construction of supporting facilities.

Fang Wei's decision to announce this at this time naturally stemmed from his own considerations.

The first phase of the new residential building project in Xiatang Brigade is nearing completion. At that time, people from the Yao village will be able to visit the site and offer suggestions for the subsequent renovation project.

Fang Wei was quite knowledgeable about modern architecture, but he didn't know much about wooden building complexes like the Yao village.

Therefore, when formulating a renovation plan, everyone needs to pool their wisdom and efforts to better complete the project.

To be honest, the conditions in Yao Village are better than those in Xiatang Brigade. It has a smaller population and more arable land per capita, so its future economic strength is sure to be quite good.

"Okay, Third Brother, I'll go arrange it right away."

Following Fang Wei's decision, Wang Songlin distributed rapeseed oil to everyone.

Grandpa and Wang Zhuyun both received their share. The village would send someone down the mountain to deliver Grandpa's share, while the village would give Wang Zhuyun cash for her share.

Fang Wei happened to be here this time, so he took 59 jin of rapeseed oil with him when he left.

Next.

The team also completed the oil pressing work.

This season, the team harvested 640500 jin of rapeseed and extracted a total of 211365 jin of rapeseed oil.

Harvesting crops, points +640500, total points: 13647390.

The team decided to distribute the rapeseed oil at an average rate of 80 jin per person, distributing a total of 160000 jin of rapeseed oil, with the remaining 51365 jin of rapeseed oil going into storage.

To be honest, none of the families in the team are short of money right now.

At the beginning of the year, they received rapeseed oil, and in the fall, they received camellia oil. The per capita amount of cooking oil they have is many times higher than that of city dwellers. Keep in mind that city dwellers' monthly cooking oil ration is calculated in ounces.

Today, Xiatang Brigade and Yao Village have become well-known "prosperous brigades". Who wouldn't envy the living standards of these two brigades?

To put it bluntly, the young men in the brigade have a lot more options when it comes to finding wives, since young women in the county consider it an honor to marry into the Xiatang brigade.

As for the young women in the team, none of them want to marry outside the team; they all hope to find their ideal partner within the team.

"Third Brother, I have something strange to tell you. There's a male educated youth in the Second Team who's planning to marry Fang Wenshu's sister. He says he's too lazy to go back to the city and will settle down in the team from now on."

this day.

Zheng Hu came to talk to Fang Wei about work. After they finished talking, he told Fang Wei an interesting story.

One of the male educated youths in the second team broke with convention and won over Fang Wenshu's sister. He had already proposed marriage, and Fang Wenshu's family had agreed.

If all goes well, the two will get their marriage certificate soon.

"It seems that not everyone can persevere to the end; some people will eventually give in to reality. But is this male educated youth reliable? Let's hope he doesn't cause any more trouble."

Fang Wei was deeply moved. The educated youth had it tough too; some of them had even been sent to the countryside at the age of fifteen or sixteen.

As they grow up, they will gradually develop a reality discrepancy, and eventually some of them will accept their fate.

In previous years, educated youth almost never married locals, because doing so would mean losing the opportunity to return to the city.

But Fang Wei has heard of several similar incidents this year. (End of Chapter)