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

"Songlin, you need to assign someone to manage this experimental field. I must be present during the harvest, understand?"

Fang Wei and Wang Songlin stood by the experimental field, and Fang Wei specifically explained the precautions for planting tobacco seeds to each other before returning to the brigade.

To be honest, he was quite confident in the planting process, but he needed to personally oversee the final selection process; he didn't need to keep an eye on it every day in the early stages.

Before this, Fang Wei had little interest in cultivating tobacco seeds. If it weren't for the concern for Tingting's future, he really wouldn't have bothered with all that effort.

Back at the team, he made a phone call to Zhu Minghui.

On the one hand, he told Zhu Minghui that he had received the tobacco seeds sent by the other party, and on the other hand, he also told the other party that the breeding work of new tobacco varieties had officially begun.

"Good, good! Secretary Fang is so decisive, no wonder he has achieved so much. Fang Tingting is studying at the city cigarette factory, and everything is going well. I visited her at the factory a few days ago, so please don't worry."

Zhu Minghui was very happy, and at the same time, he did Fang Wei a favor.

A few days ago, he went to the cigarette factory and specifically instructed the factory leaders to take good care of Fang Tingting.

Fang Tingting did not learn production technology at the factory, but instead learned quality inspection from her mentor. Whether she stays or returns to Xinlin County Cigarette Factory, her new position will definitely be a quality inspector.

This also lays the foundation for his future transition to a cadre position.

"Thank you for your consideration, Director Zhu!"

Fang Wei expressed his gratitude repeatedly, as the other party was exceptional in their work, and he could only repay them by cultivating new tobacco varieties.

The two chatted for about ten minutes before ending the call.

a few days later.

The team's spring planting work has officially begun. Sowing, germination, seedling cultivation, etc., are all fixed procedures. After the seedling cultivation is completed, the rice can be transplanted.

With a surplus of labor in the team, Fang Wei reached an agreement with the construction company to start construction on Phases 2 and 3 of the [New Residential Buildings] project simultaneously. The team immediately dispatched 300 strong laborers to the construction site.

Just then, Zheng Hu and the others' scores came out, and as Fang Wei requested, they are currently being posted on the bulletin boards of the brigade headquarters and each team headquarters for public display.

Overall, the reactions were generally positive. Some people might have murmured behind people's backs, but no one publicly expressed their opposition.

After all, neither the brigade cadres nor the cadres of each production team participated in the housing allocation, so what else could the others say?

After the public notice period ended, Zheng Hu, on behalf of the brigade, distributed the keys to the new homes and gave them a month to move in.

The vacated old houses will be taken over by the production team and then all of them will be demolished.

These days, the team is filled with a festive atmosphere.

Those who didn't get a house are now hoping that the second and third phases of the project will be completed soon, so that a large number of people can move into their new homes.

Because there was hope, the housing allocation process was exceptionally peaceful.

night.

Pan Lianhua looked at Fang Wei with a resentful look in her eyes, and then expressed her dissatisfaction in a very tactful way.

"Third brother, I'm so envious of other people who have new houses to live in."

"Lotus, you're joining in the fun too. We'll definitely get new houses in the fall. You don't need to remind me. The team leaders won't give us any more houses next time."

Fang Wei couldn't help but smile and quickly offered an explanation.

Pan Lianhua then let him go, saying it was alright to wait a little longer, but she was afraid that the man would be so eager to show his generosity that he would give in again and again.

"By the way, Third Brother, the factory has been very busy these past few days. Many of the commune members who are about to move into their new homes have come to the factory to buy bamboo furniture and bamboo products. Eldest Brother took the initiative to give them factory prices, and they are all very happy."

After finishing the previous topic, Pan Lianhua thought about things at the factory and casually mentioned it.

"Not bad, brother, you've learned to be flexible. No wonder the factory's business is booming."

Fang Wei casually remarked that he hadn't expected his elder brother to have already positioned himself in the bamboo ware factory and managed it so well.

He rarely interfered in the affairs of the bamboo ware factory; Fang Ping usually made the decisions.

For example, regarding the price discounts that Pan Lianhua mentioned, Fang Ping had the authority to make the decision. Since they were all from the same brigade, he directly offered them the most favorable price, and naturally, they were all very satisfied.

"Third brother, quite a few people want us to make wooden furniture, but the factory's strength is bamboo furniture and bamboo ware. Eldest brother didn't agree and told them to find someone to make it themselves."

The two continued chatting until the older sister had finished preparing dinner, at which point they stopped.

the next day.

As soon as Fang Wei arrived at the office, some commune members came to him, requesting that the team supply timber.

Most of the trees on the mountain are now mature, and there are countless Phoebe zhennan trees used as protective forests, which are ready for felling.

Fang Wei told them to go back first, and then convene a brigade meeting to specifically discuss the matter.

“Secretary, I think it’s feasible to use forest resources in a planned way. What we’re trying to stop is indiscriminate logging, and planned use is also to reduce the burden on everyone.”

Zheng Hu spoke first, expressing his support for providing a certain amount of timber to the commune members.

"I don't think it's a good idea. Once we start cutting down trees in large numbers, I'm afraid we won't be able to stop it."

Some people oppose cutting down trees to make furniture for everyone, but wood is readily available and inexpensive nowadays, so everyone can find their own way to obtain it.

"I think it's appropriate to provide some timber to the members. We can set a standard for how much timber each person should receive, and anyone exceeding that amount must find their own way to get it."

Furthermore, these quotas are non-transferable, and any violations will be severely punished. Sustainable development is our goal, and we must not compromise on it.

In the end, Fang Wei made the final decision, instructing the forestry team to submit a logging plan and develop a detailed allocation scheme.

At that time, strict environmental protection policies were not yet in effect, and the brigade could make decisions about the team's woodland, at most reporting to the commune for record-keeping.

Moreover, since Xiatang Brigade has planted forests, the policies are even more lenient.

However, the logging plan formulated by the forestry team was very strict and combined with afforestation. For example, if a member purchased 1 cubic meter of timber, he/she would have to plant 10 trees on the mountain.

Moreover, the logging plan is very detailed, and the protection forest must not be lost. The requirement for staggered logging must be strictly enforced.

The plan was submitted to Fang Wei, and he signed it.

The afforestation team already had logging tools, because during the afforestation process, there were always some dead and diseased trees that needed to be cut down. However, a large number of logging operations required more tools, so the team immediately purchased a new batch.

The forests, which had been silent for many years, were now bustling with activity. The trees to be felled were selected by the forestry team, and the felling plan was reported.

The felled timber was transported to the brigade's threshing ground, where the first batch of commune members who moved into their new homes could purchase it using their quotas. This required cash payment, not deductions from work points.

Members who were eligible to purchase timber used up their quotas, since the timber supplied by the team was cheaper than outside and of very high quality.

The wood needs to be left to dry completely in the shade for a while before it can be used to make furniture.

in the afternoon.

Fang Ping went to Fang Wei's office and talked to him about some things at the factory.

"The villagers are really asking us to help them make wooden furniture. We can manage, but the factory lacks experience in producing wooden furniture. What do you suggest we do?"

The management of the bamboo ware factory was in a dilemma. On the one hand, the commune and brigade enterprises should serve the commune members. It's not like they're not paying us. What reason is there to refuse them when they have this condition?

On the other hand, bamboo ware factories are indeed not good at wooden furniture. If they really want to produce it, they will need to add new equipment and bring in some technical personnel in this field.

These are all troublesome matters.

"The equipment is easy to deal with; we can buy it back with money. But it's hard to find experienced furniture makers. Didn't the county furniture factory close down several years ago? Let's see if we can hire a couple of experienced craftsmen to help out."

Fang Wei also felt that it was wrong to completely ignore the voices of the members. After all, the company belonged to all the members, and it couldn't be simply rejected.

Fang Ping nodded and then led his men to the county to search for the old master craftsmen from the furniture factory.

In fact, he himself is a fairly good carpenter, but there is a difference between a furniture factory and a craftsman. A furniture factory, in any case, has a production process, which is exactly what the bamboo ware factory lacks. Design and production are not major issues.

Fang Wei stopped worrying about it after that. Adding a new business to the bamboo ware factory, namely making wooden furniture, was not a big deal.

However, Wu Yaoyang then approached him again, bringing up the old issue and hoping that the bamboo ware factory could absorb and merge the original county furniture factory.

"Director Wu, please don't take offense at my harsh words. With those outdated machines and those lazy employees at the county furniture factory, no one would want them."

The factory wants to start a new business in wooden furniture, but at most they can only hire two skilled master craftsmen. We can't afford to support all those distant relatives and friends.

Fang Wei made it clear this time that the bamboo ware factory could not support those idle people.

In reality, even furniture factories can't handle supplying parts to agricultural machinery factories properly, so he wouldn't bother with that kind of trouble.

"You're a good comrade in every way, except you're too clear-headed. If you can't do it, you can't do it. The county is carrying this burden, and they can't get rid of it."

Wu Yaoyang knew that his request was a bit excessive, so he decided to let it go since the other party did not agree.

The furniture factory used to be a place for idle people to hog the business, which ultimately ruined the factory and made it impossible to recover.

"Director Wu, I have an idea for you. The county furniture factory no longer exists. You should relocate these people to the places where they are most needed and in the most difficult conditions. Can we really let them just take the money and not do any work?"

Before leaving, Fang Wei made a joke to Wu Yaoyang.

If these people were so easy to deal with, the furniture factory wouldn't have been dragged down by them.

Wu Yaoyang didn't say anything, nor did he get up to see him off; it was unclear what he was thinking.

Back in the team, Fang Wei went straight to the bamboo ware factory to find Fang Ping, and there he saw Fang Ping talking with two master craftsmen.

“Secretary, these two are former craftsmen from the county furniture factory. They have now retired, and it took me a lot of effort to persuade them to come back to the factory as technical consultants.”

Fang Ping and his two mentors stood up and introduced themselves to each other.

"Sit down, everyone. What are you standing for?"

Fang Wei greeted the two of them with a smile, and then everyone sat down again.

The bamboo ware factory has already gone through the procedures and received approval from the commune to hire two people as technical consultants. Today is the first day for the two craftsmen to report for duty, so they are still a little reserved.

Fang Wei chatted with the other party about the furniture factory in the past. In fact, the furniture factory was quite good in the early years and was very successful for a while.

Later, one reason was that the county government put some idle people into the factory, and another was that the furniture factory couldn't keep up with the times and the style of the furniture remained unchanged for many years, so it was eventually eliminated.

The bamboo ware factory now has specialized design talent. Lin Hanyang has begun to unleash his creativity, with various design inspirations emerging one after another, and he has trained several talents in this field for the factory.

Otherwise, a former educated youth wouldn't have been able to become the second-in-command at the bamboo ware factory.

Fang Wei chatted with the two for a while and felt that the bamboo ware factory had a good foundation and could definitely build a wooden furniture business.

"Alright, Master Su and Master Huang, please keep an eye on things. You two continue your work, I have to go now."

Fang Wei was relieved and signed the report for the bamboo ware factory to purchase new equipment after returning home.

Adding a few pieces of equipment would cost 10 yuan, so he had to be cautious. Now it seems there's not much of a problem; recouping the equipment investment shouldn't be a problem, and he might even be able to start a new, profitable business.

After receiving approval, the bamboo ware factory quickly purchased the new equipment.

After a brief installation and debugging process, the new equipment was put into production, starting to manufacture standard furniture for the commune members. The advantage of mechanized production is standardization and assembly line operation; it's impossible to produce custom-made furniture.

Fortunately, the furniture designs created by Lin Hanyang were very popular, and the factory received orders for seventy or eighty sets of wooden furniture at once.

These orders are a good opportunity to train the team. With two experienced craftsmen overseeing the work, the quality of the furniture is guaranteed.

Time flies.

The day for rice planting has arrived for the brigade.

The agricultural machinery team made a grand appearance, and they are now the main players in the rice transplanting. The widespread use of tractors and rice transplanters has greatly improved labor productivity and reduced the input of human resources. The rice transplanting work was completed in less than a week.

This season, all of the brigade's paddy fields, except for the 70-mu experimental field, were used to cultivate the "Nanguang No. 2" rice variety.

The county and commune attach great importance to the rice transplanting work of the second team. County leaders and commune leaders, including Wu Yaoyang and Zheng Xianfa, have been spending almost all their time in Xiatang Brigade these days.

The Xiatang production brigade is now essentially providing high-yield rice seeds for half the province. If something goes wrong, the entire province's grain production will decrease.

After the team successfully completed the rice planting work, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, they trust Fang Wei quite a bit, but agricultural production involves many aspects, especially climate, which still needs to be closely monitored.

"Tiger, the weather this year is a bit abnormal; there hasn't been any rain yet. We need to maintain the wells and pumps properly, in case of a drought, the team will rely on them."

The brigade certainly has more than just the two wells in the second team, but the number is not very large, only 19 irrigation wells.

In previous years, the weather was favorable, and Fang Wei didn't pay much attention to these wells, but water pumps were still installed in batches. This year's climate is a bit abnormal; it's still a bit early to talk about drought, but we have to prepare early.

“I know. I’ve already sent people to check the wells and pumps in each team these past few days. Third Brother, let me tell you, there’s a high chance of a drought this year, no doubt about it.”

Zheng Hu has extensive experience in agricultural production, and his judgment is similar to Fang Wei's: we should prepare for drought in advance.

Of course, their predictions may not be accurate; they are merely a precaution.

"Alright, I'll leave this to you. Go find the well-drilling team and try to get them to drill a few more wells. Tell their captain that if you can help them as much as you can, the team can supply them with a limited amount of affordable chickens and ducks in the future."

In addition, we need to drill several more wells. If there is a severe drought, even the Yaojialing Reservoir will not be safe. In the end, we will have to rely on ourselves.

Zheng Hu nodded, indicating that he had remembered.

He then summoned the team leaders to boil water, assigned relevant tasks in advance, and then personally went to find the well-drilling team.

The drilling team remained as arrogant as ever, because they were always the ones being asked for favors, and none of them dared to speak to him. However, as soon as Zheng Hu appeared, the drilling team members greeted him warmly, and no one dared to give him the cold shoulder.

Zheng Hu took out two packs of cigarettes, distributed them around, and then went inside to chat with the well-drilling team leader.

"We fully support your Xiatang brigade in drilling a well. How about this, we'll finish up our current work first, and then come to your brigade the day after tomorrow?"

Zheng Hu now deeply understands the meaning of the saying, "A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow."

Xiatang Brigade is not only a landmark of Yaoling Commune, but also a landmark of Xinlin County. Wherever it goes, it is highly regarded.

Of course, it's not enough to just rely on other people's politeness.

“Our brigade will never let you help us for nothing. Secretary Fang said that you can buy chickens and ducks from the brigade in the future at a fair price, but there will be some restrictions on the quantity you can buy.”

Don't overthink it; the chickens and ducks in our team are just too popular, and our production simply can't keep up."

Some things need to be said early on; if others are polite, you should reciprocate.

Therefore, Zheng Hu immediately told the well-drilling team leader about it, and the team leader was overjoyed.

The supply of goods has eased somewhat these days, but it is still far from enough. It is really not easy to buy chickens and ducks at a reasonable price.

Zheng Hu contacted a well-drilling team, and Fang Wei wasn't idle either. He started wandering around various production teams, trying to find a suitable location to drill a well. And sure enough, over the years, the underground water veins had changed somewhat, and he actually made some discoveries.

Things are different now. On the one hand, well drilling technology has advanced, and on the other hand, the team has electricity and enough large water pumps to be put into use. So the conditions for drilling wells have not improved but rather decreased.

Fang Wei spent the whole day outside, making five or six marks.

Of course, well-drilling technology has improved now, and these markings are purely for their reference.

"Secretary, you've gone out?"

On his way back, Fang Wei ran into Chu Linlin near the brigade headquarters.

Chu Linlin looked a little haggard. She had to juggle labor with studying, and she wasn't getting enough sleep every day. (End of Chapter)