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

evening.

Fang Wei and her grandfather sat on the rooftop drinking tea.

There's also a rooftop terrace on the second floor, which is nice for drying clothes, airing out other things, or simply sitting there to cool off.

"Third Brother, look at Da Bao, doesn't he look like a model student?"

At this moment, Pan Lianhua came up with her son.

Fang Hongbin, dressed in a brand-new military uniform and carrying a yellow schoolbag, looked like a little adult. The little guy is going to school tomorrow to register, and then his primary school life will begin.

"Dad, don't I look impressive?"

Da Bao was quite vain, pacing back and forth a few steps in front of Fang Wei and Grandpa.

Grandpa couldn't help but burst into laughter and said, "Dabao, when you go to school, listen to your teacher, study hard, and don't be naughty."

"Yes, yes."

Fang Hongbin readily agreed, but Fang Wei was not entirely at ease.

This kid is much more mischievous than Fang Tao was when he was young; he needs to be disciplined properly.

the next day.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua took their son to register at the brigade's primary school. To be honest, the practice of setting up the primary school in the brigade did increase the educational opportunities for rural children.

If the primary school were located in the commune, many children might give up going to school because of the long distance or other reasons.

Of course, the situation varies from brigade to brigade. In some poorer brigades, a privately-run teacher teaches students of all grades, making it difficult to guarantee the quality of teaching.

But regardless, the team-run primary schools and barefoot doctors of those years did indeed make a great contribution to rural development.

The primary school in Xiatang Brigade is the best in the surrounding area. There's no other reason than that the brigade is willing to invest in it.

First, there's the issue of teachers' compensation. Each teacher's food rations, supplies, bonuses, and subsidies mean that their average monthly income already exceeds that of public school teachers.

Secondly, a large amount of money has been invested in the school's hardware and software development.

The school's teachers were all high school graduates, and the teaching quality improved significantly, even surpassing that of the commune primary school of yesteryear.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua arrived at the school and were naturally very popular. However, for the sake of the child, Fang Wei waved the teachers away. She couldn't let the little one feel special, otherwise it would have negative consequences.

After completing the registration, Pan Lianhua took Dabao back home, while Fang Wei stayed behind to inspect the school.

Then he went to the brigade headquarters.

in the afternoon.

The team held a meeting, which was attended by brigade cadres and relevant personnel from the afforestation team.

"The afforestation activities on the mountain are temporarily suspended. From now on, all afforestation activities are limited to the brigade's forest land."

Fang Wei didn't explain much and simply stated her decision.

Everyone understood that Fang Wei had proposed protecting the mountain forest environment, so the team provided saplings, manpower, and other resources to plant trees on the mountain voluntarily.

The environment on the mountain has changed now, so there is no need to continue investing in it.

"Okay, Secretary Fang, I will revise the production plan."

The forestry team leader made his statement, and the others had no objections.

The team will definitely increase investment in economic forests and protective forests, and no one has any objection to that.

"Captain Zheng, we'll be harvesting the herbs next. Chenzhou Central Hospital will send us the purchase list soon, and we'll start preparing as soon as we receive it."

Fang Wei then mentioned something else: the medicinal herbs planted under the forest should be harvested in large quantities.

After a severe drought, many traditional medicinal herb producing areas in the province faced reduced production, but the understory medicinal herbs of Xiatang Brigade were not significantly affected.

Having enough wells in the team is one aspect, but the key is that all kinds of plants in the afforestation area have good drought resistance. This is the power of attribute bonuses; you might not see it normally, but it makes a big difference in crucial moments.

"Okay, Party Secretary, I guarantee I'll complete the task."

Zheng Hu smiled and made his promise, saying that this kind of thing was commonplace for him and he could do it even with his eyes closed.

Fang Wei nodded and then adjourned the meeting.

That's his style: he doesn't hold meetings unless necessary, and when he does, he gets straight to the point, solves the problem, and that's it—he never procrastinates.

night.

After dinner, the family of four went for a walk as usual.

"Lotus, is the factory still as busy lately?"

Da Bao played around with his younger sister the whole way, while Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua chatted casually.

"It's alright! We were busy for a while because the second and third phases of the new residential buildings were completed and many people wanted to make furniture. Now the factory mainly relies on machinery for production, so there are generally no backlog of orders."

"Then take tomorrow off and come with me into the mountains. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital has another case."

"Going into the mountains to pick herbs, right? No problem."

The two talked about picking rare herbs and decided to go into the mountains the next day.

The forestry bureau's ban primarily targets collective organizations, such as the Xiatang brigade, not individuals. Individuals entering the mountains to collect medicinal herbs do not violate the ban, unless the entire mountain is designated as a "nature reserve" in the future; otherwise, locals will not be restricted from entering the mountains.

The next day.

The couple went to the mountains to collect herbs early in the morning and returned at noon, just in time for lunch.

In the afternoon, the two of them could also go to the team headquarters and the factory to do work, so basically nothing was delayed.

On the third day, the two encountered a small group of people on their way back. They were all carrying guns and wearing red armbands.

"Fellow villagers, are you going into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs?"

"What fellow villager? Your eyesight is bad. That's Secretary Fang from Xiatang Brigade."

"Excuse me, Secretary Fang."

Those people were from the Forestry Bureau's "Forest Protection Team." The first one didn't recognize Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua and originally intended to ask them a few questions.

Someone recognized Fang Wei and quickly whispered a reminder to the other person.

A person's reputation precedes them; Fang Wei's name was so well-known in the county that the man quickly apologized.

"Where are you going?"

Fang Wei smiled and waved his hand, indicating that the other party did not need to apologize.

He never thought that everyone had to know themselves, but he was curious about what the forestry bureau was doing.

“Secretary Fang, we are all forest rangers, and we are going to patrol the mountains. Your brigade is really vigilant. We were stopped when we were about to enter the mountains, and it was only after Captain Zheng intervened that we were allowed to come up.” One of the forest rangers said indignantly, because the militiamen in the brigade had been very rude when they blocked the road earlier.

Actually, many people in the team have grievances against the Forestry Bureau now; after all, not everyone is so rational. The ban was issued by the Forestry Bureau in the form of a document, and the members didn't care about the rights and wrongs of it; they simply hated the Forestry Bureau.

"You'll have to cross the team's woodland to get into the mountains, so the militia will naturally check you. I'll talk to them later and they won't stop you anymore; you can come and go freely."

There's no need to argue with these forest rangers; they're just following orders.

Fang Wei explained to them with a smile, and the resentment in their hearts immediately dissipated.

Fang Wei then reminded them to be careful, and then left with Pan Lianhua.

"Secretary Fang even went into the mountains to collect herbs himself. Who was with him? Was it his wife?"

"Isn't that obvious? Of course she's someone else's wife."

The forest ranger didn't take Fang Wei's warning seriously and chatted and laughed all the way into the mountains.

night.

Fang Wei had just finished eating when a staff member on duty came to call him, saying that Director Chen from the county forestry bureau had called and said he had something urgent to discuss with him.

Fang Wei rarely receives phone calls at night, since his new home is not close to the team headquarters.

He knew something must have happened, and it was very likely related to the forest rangers he had encountered that day.

"Hello, this is Fang Wei."

"Secretary Fang, a group of forest rangers went into the mountains from your area today and haven't returned yet. Could you please ask if anyone has seen them?"

“I just asked them. They went into the mountains this morning and haven’t come out since, at least not from the mountain pass of our brigade.”

Fang Wei knew things were going badly. There weren't many paths into the mountains, and entering from the Second Team was the best option. The forest rangers entered from the back of the Second Team's mountain, and logically, they should have come out from there as well.

It is very inconvenient and dangerous to enter and exit from other places, and under normal circumstances no one would make such a choice.

"Secretary Fang, could you please send someone to meet them? I'm worried they might be in danger. I'll be there in a bit."

"No problem, I'll arrange it right away."

Director Chen was very anxious. It was already dark, and there were all sorts of dangers in the mountains and forests. How could he sit still?

After ending the call, he rushed to Xiatang Brigade.

Fang Wei then called Zheng Bao over and asked him to lead a team of militiamen into the mountains to meet up with the forest rangers.

This is quite a mess. The forest rangers went on their first patrol of the area behind the team's mountain, and problems arose. In fact, the forests in this area are very dangerous, and even locals generally wouldn't venture deep into them, let alone the rangers.

They probably didn't take Fang Wei's words to heart at all, thinking that was all there was to it in the mountains. Little did they know that the mountain path they were on had just been opened up for the harvest season, and if they strayed from that path, they would suffer greatly.

Zheng Bao gathered the militia and then selected about 20 people to hurriedly go into the mountains to search.

After Director Chen arrived, he gathered more than 50 forest rangers. Fang Wei was worried that they were not familiar with the conditions in the mountains, so he sent three militiamen to act as guides. The second wave of search and rescue personnel then set off.

Fang Wei stayed in the office with Director Chen, who kept smoking one cigarette after another, appearing very anxious.

Time slowly passed, and it was almost noon when the two groups of search and rescue personnel returned to their teams.

"Secretary, the people have been found, but three of them are injured. One was bitten by a snake, and the other two accidentally slipped and fell."

Zheng Bao came to the office and reported to Fang Wei that the forest rangers had lost their way after venturing deep into the mountains. There were no paths in the mountains, and the dense vegetation made it virtually impossible to move.

Although these forest rangers have experience in the mountains and forests, they are not good at using the current environment.

As a result, a series of problems arose.

Fortunately, Zheng Bao and his men found them in time; otherwise, there could have been fatalities.

How are people who have been bitten by snakes doing?

Fang Wei and Director Chen were both very worried. The fall injury wasn't serious; at least it wasn't life-threatening. But the snake bite was a different story, especially since so much time had passed.

"Fortunately! Some of them know a thing or two and used herbal medicine on the wounded, so his condition is relatively stable for now. The wounded have been sent to the county hospital, and we'll have to keep an eye on him later."

As soon as Zheng Bao finished speaking, Director Chen jumped up.

"Secretary Fang, Company Commander Zheng, thank you so much for your help. I must rush back to the county now. I will remember your great kindness."

After Director Chen finished speaking, he hurriedly returned to the county town.

Zheng Bao then finished speaking to Fang Wei, explaining that after they came out of the mountains, they had to race against time, so they sent the wounded away as soon as possible.

"You did the right thing! Second brother, you've worked hard, go back and rest now."

Fang Wei didn't know what to say. The Forestry Bureau sent forest rangers into the mountains to patrol in order to appease its superiors.

You have to understand, they had never been to this area of ​​mountains and forests before. It was their first time going in and something bad happened. It's really a coincidence.

The root cause is that the forest has changed drastically in recent years. The vegetation is now dense, and various venomous snakes and wild beasts roam, making it very dangerous. Unfortunately, the forest rangers ignored Fang Wei's advice and treated this forest as an ordinary one.

When you're careless, something bad is bound to happen.

After Zheng Bao left, Fang Wei packed up and went home to sleep. Ultimately, this matter had nothing to do with him; it was Director Chen who should be concerned.

the next day.

News came from the county that the person bitten by the venomous snake was out of danger and had been given a second chance at life.

After all, there are many kinds of venomous snakes, and whether they live or die depends entirely on luck.

A few days later, Director Chen led a group to the Xiatang Brigade to express his gratitude to the brigade cadres and militiamen who participated in the search and rescue.

"Secretary Fang, as required by our superiors, we must arrange personnel to patrol key forest areas, and this area is one of those key forest areas. I have a favor to ask: could you spare a few militiamen to act as our guides?"

Director Chen was furious. Even after this incident, the patrol work could not be stopped.

Now everyone in the forest ranger team knows that the back mountain of Xiatang Brigade is very dangerous, and they are unwilling to patrol here at all, since everyone only has one life.

Director Chen will have to work on them after he gets back, but the most important issue right now is to ensure the safety of the forest rangers.

Therefore, hiring a guide is necessary, and he is willing to pay extra for it.

"Alright, I'll give you three people, and you can distribute the subsidies. The period will be one month. After a month, the forest rangers should be familiar with the mountains and forests around here, right?"

Fang Wei eventually agreed to Director Chen's request. He had no conflict with Director Chen and felt he could help him within his capabilities.

Director Chen was overjoyed and expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

Next.

An 11-person forest protection team began patrolling the mountains and forests in the Xiatang Brigade area.

Zheng Bao assigned three militiamen to accompany them, and everyone dared not deviate from the existing mountain path again. Their daily ascents and descents were merely for the sake of completing their tasks. (End of Chapter)