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

Fang Wei accepted the investigation's findings and then put Zheng Bao in charge of punishing Wang Hai.

If we let them off so easily, what will happen if similar people appear in the brigade again? But there is one condition: violence is not allowed, so as not to give others ammunition to criticize us.

Zheng Bao knew that during their investigation, he and Zheng Hu had discovered some of Wang Hai's private matters.

People who are capable of betraying others must have low moral standards and plenty of dirt on them.

This evening.

As usual, Wang Hai ate dinner at home, then told his wife he was going to play cards at a friend's place before leaving.

There are several production teams around the breeding base. After Wang Hai started eating commercial grain, some of his true nature began to show.

He got involved with a young widow from a neighboring production team, and the two often met secretly at an abandoned local temple outside the village.

Today was no different. Wang Hai arrived at the usual spot with great enthusiasm, and before long, the widow also arrived.

Just as the two were engrossed in their passionate struggle, a group of people suddenly rushed in, their flashlights illuminating everything clearly.

The visitors included employees of the breeding base, Wang Hai's wife, the production team leader of the young widow's village, and others.

Wang Hai was so frightened on the spot that he was tied up and taken to his workplace.

This kind of thing might not seem like a big deal in later years, but in the present day it would be considered a serious matter of personal conduct. Wang Hai was not only fired from his job, but his wife also divorced him.

The young widow was kind enough not to kill him as a hooligan, but she spoke up for him.

"Third Brother, if this guy didn't have so many problems, how would we deal with him? You won't let us use force."

Afterwards, Zheng Hu asked Fang Wei this question.

Fang Wei smiled and shook her head, refusing to answer.

Zheng Hu is ultimately a kind person. If you can't find any evidence against him, what can you do? Could you frame him? Could you set a trap? Could you orchestrate a scheme?
There are countless ways to deal with such a despicable person and make him submit.

However, since the matter was already resolved, Fang Wei was too lazy to say anything more. In short, Zheng Hu was adept at managing brigade affairs, but a complete novice when it came to political maneuvering.

This is a huge scandal; it has all the elements that make it a hot topic, and people are talking about it with great interest.

Then there was another rumor that this guy betrayed the interests of Xiatang Brigade and was a typical traitor, and that he deserved to end up like this!

commune.

Upon learning of this, Director Xin felt a chill run down his spine.

Wang Hai's request to inform on him was kept very secret; he didn't even mention it to anyone other than Director Yao in the county.

As a result, he returned empty-handed from the Xiatang brigade, and a few days later, Wang Hai got into trouble.

He couldn't protect Wang Hai. The evidence of Wang Hai's dirty deeds was irrefutable, and he was caught red-handed. What could he do?

Through these two incidents, he realized that Fang Wei and the Xiatang Brigade were not to be trifled with at all.

Fang Wei didn't have time to care what Director Xin was thinking. When it was time to transplant rice seedlings, the whole brigade got busy again.

Tractors and rice transplanters shuttled back and forth in the paddy fields, and rows of lush green rice seedlings took root in the ground.

Barefoot members followed closely behind, handling some cleanup work.

In just one week, the rice transplanting work of the entire brigade was completed, and the remaining field management could be handled by a small number of people.

a few days later.

All 17 production brigades of Yaoling Commune have completed the rice transplanting work.

In addition, all production teams planted peanuts this season and cultivated high-yield peanut seeds.

This was unimaginable before, but due to the existence of the [Mutual Aid Coordination Group], Fang Wei incorporated all the farmland of the commune into the Dapeng [Planting Area], which is why this situation has arisen.

Director Xin and others are now completely unable to interfere with agricultural production. The various brigades do not listen to him, and the production plan is carried out according to the instructions of the "Mutual Aid and Coordination Group". The 17 brigades move in unison, and no one can stop them.

This is a honeymoon period for everyone working together, but whether things will change in the future remains to be seen.

Fang Wei has been going up the mountain more often lately, and each time he comes back he picks some herbs to take with him.

Currently, the forest rangers have not yet entered several "herb cultivation bases," and the danger level in this area is even higher than in some wild forests. First, there are no existing roads, and if one is not very familiar with the terrain, it is almost impossible to reach the destination.

The path, hidden in the woods and bushes, is only wide enough for one person to pass at a time.

These herbs should still be picked; there are no regulations prohibiting people from going into the mountains to collect herbs.

Around noon, Fang Wei walked easily along the mountain path, carrying a large basket on his back. He rarely encountered the forest rangers on this route, not because he was afraid, but because he preferred to avoid trouble.

When he got home, he put the herbs away, washed them, and then went to eat.

"Third brother, I'll ask you to wait a couple of days. Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll go with you to gather herbs. Two people can always gather more than one person."

Pan Lianhua originally planned to accompany the man into the mountains, but the factory had a lot of orders lately, and everyone was so busy that they didn't have time to rest. She was too embarrassed to ask for leave.

As a result, Fang Wei would often go into the mountains alone, without ever saying he would wait for her.

"Chenzhou Central Hospital urgently needs the goods, so I'll handle it quickly by myself. Once you're done, we'll go hunting in the mountains."

Fang Wei knew Pan Lianhua's personality; she loved to play, especially running around in the mountains and forests.

If it weren't for this incident at Chenzhou Central Hospital, he could have waited to go hunting and mushroom picking in the mountains together, but he couldn't put off important business.

Although he doesn't care too much about the income from selling herbs now, it is still very important to maintain a good relationship with the Chinese medicine hospital.

“The factory has been incredibly busy lately. My boss said we either need to add more equipment or more people, otherwise, even if we work overtime for hours, it will be difficult to complete the orders.”

Pan Lianhua then talked about the bamboo ware factory. Because the furniture and bamboo products produced by the factory are of good quality and inexpensive, they have now become well-known in many regions.

Since entering the Guangzhou market, the product's sales have grown rapidly, and the net profit for this year is expected to exceed 500 million yuan.

The existing scale of the bamboo ware factory can no longer meet the needs of the company's development, and it is now urgent to expand the factory and increase machinery, equipment and personnel.

Fang Wei nodded. In the afternoon, he went to the bamboo ware factory and discussed the matter with Fang Ping and others. They decided to add some more machinery and equipment. It was not advisable to increase the number of personnel for the time being, since the team's labor force could not be excessively diverted.

“There should still be some surplus labor in the village. Why don’t we ask them to send more people?” Fang Ping proposed a new plan. If there isn’t enough manpower, it will affect production. He can’t just take orders during the off-season, can he?
"Okay, I'll go talk to Songlin."

Fang Wei thought this was a good idea. The village was undergoing renovation and reconstruction, and allocating some of the labor force could alleviate the pressure on the village.

Afterwards, he sent someone to call Wang Songlin over, and they happened to have dinner at home that evening.

After a few drinks, Fang Wei brought up the issue of labor, and Wang Songlin immediately assured him that he would send more people to work at the factory.

This is a result that everyone is happy to see; it's a win-win situation.

A week later.

People from Chenzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital came and took away the herbs from Fang Wei's hands, and he pocketed nearly 3000 yuan in cash.

"Third Brother, the people the team sent out for training have returned. Would you like to meet them?"

Time flies.

The personnel who were previously sent to Guangzhou for training have returned to their team.

Zheng Hu hadn't seen Fang Wei for the past few days, so he came to his house to look for him. Fang Wei was inside drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

"Let's go see them then. I wonder what they've learned in all this time."

Fang Wei and Zheng Hu then went to visit the commune members who had just returned from Guangzhou. They were full of ambition after their studies.

A year isn't a long time, and there's only so much you can learn. But at least you're no longer like the blind men and the elephant; you can at least get a general idea.

The group shared their observations and understanding of the hardware factory, and Fang Wei nodded, quite satisfied with their performance. The team wasn't planning to produce high-tech products at the hardware factory; they'd start with the most basic items.

the next day.

The team held a meeting to discuss this matter, and because the investment was not large, Zheng Hu and others were very supportive.

“Secretary Fang, I suddenly have an idea. When we start this hardware factory, can we cooperate with the other 16 production brigades? There’s strength in numbers, and they have a lot of talented people too.”

Gao Wenshu made a suggestion: to set up a hardware factory with other brigades.

This surprised Fang Wei. The suggestion was actually quite good. On the one hand, it could diversify the risks, and on the other hand, it could partially address the shortage of talent.

No matter which brigade it is, are you afraid that you can't find a few capable people?
"Gao Wenshu's suggestion is good. Captain Zheng, could you go and contact the other brigades later to see if they are willing to do this together?"

If the goal is to divert surplus labor, one bamboo ware factory would suffice for Xiatang Brigade.

But this is only the current situation. The labor force needed for future food production will definitely decrease significantly. If we don't think of countermeasures in advance, we will definitely be in a panic when the time comes.

Furthermore, if other teams are willing to participate, it would be a good opportunity to establish a deep partnership with them.

After the meeting.

Zheng Hu went to talk to other brigades about opening a hardware factory, and all the brigades were very interested. Whether they could make money or not was another matter, but they wouldn't lose much money anyway, since the 17th Brigade would share the cost.

Things went smoothly, and everyone agreed to jointly establish the factory.

The application was then submitted to the commune, and Director Xin approved it after a glance, and then reported it to the county.

"Seventeen production brigades jointly established a hardware factory, but the initiator wasn't the commune? Director Xin, did you know about this beforehand?"

Director Yao took charge of the matter and even summoned Director Xin from the commune to the county.

He sensed something was amiss in this matter, so he wanted to ask him directly.

"I didn't know beforehand; I only found out when I saw their application report."

Director Xin answered truthfully that this was actually the effect he wanted; otherwise, he would have simply delayed the process. He wanted to draw the county's attention; he was practically being sidelined.

"You're really something! As the commune director, you can't even manage the production brigades below you. What are you good for? And how did all those production brigades in your commune end up all mixed up like this?"

Director Yao flew into a rage and started cursing at Director Xin.

Director Xin lowered his head and remained silent until the other party finished cursing before saying, "They colluded because of breeding. I heard that Fang Wei promised to help them develop a standardized rice variety, but I don't know if it's true."

Without witnessing the facts firsthand, even he didn't believe this claim.

Is it really that easy to develop the "Nanguang No. 2" rice seed? If it were that easy, why couldn't the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences develop it, and why couldn't so many experts from all over the country develop it?
"Hmph, it all comes down to your incompetence. Now tell me, what should we do with their application to open a hardware factory?"

Director Yao didn't want to deal with this guy. This mediocre talent was actually being sidelined; it was a joke.

But he couldn't replace the other party yet, as he faced a similar predicament: he had no one to rely on. In the county, a group of people led by Qi Haiyang constantly opposed him, making it difficult for him to act decisively.

Finally, returning to reality, he pointed to the report in front of him and asked Director Xin what his thoughts were.

"Let them do what they want. Opening a factory isn't that easy. The agricultural machinery factories and hardware factories in the county are barely surviving. They don't even have technical personnel. They deserve to lose money."

Director Xin believed that their application should be approved, as he simply did not believe that a group of farmers could run a hardware factory.

Anyway, it's not like we're losing money to the commune, so let them die.

"Alright, the county will approve it. Director Xin, you need to pay more attention to the 17 brigades under you. Don't isolate yourself. Do you understand?"

"understood."

"Alright, I've already signed the report. Take it back and let them do whatever they want with it."

After receiving the signed report, Director Xin rushed back to the commune, and the hardware factory's permits were quickly processed.

Although he was scolded during his trip to the county, he was in a good mood. At least the conflict had been resolved, and the 17 brigades were now firmly united. Was it really just a slap in the face to Xin alone?

They've really slapped the county in the face.

This time, the hardware factory was located in the commune. The site used to be a repair shop of the agricultural machinery commune, which had been abandoned for several years. The commune entrusted the site to them to set up a factory, based on the principle of making use of waste.

The hardware factory was established without anyone paying attention, and Zhang Wenyuan became the factory manager.

The people who went to Guangzhou with him to study were the backbone of the factory. In addition, each brigade contributed seven or eight people. They had all worked in the hardware factory in the county before, but returned to the countryside for various reasons.

"Secretary Fang, although this place is abandoned, the repair shop building is fine and still usable. In short, with a little cleaning and renovation, we can install machinery and equipment and start production." (End of Chapter)