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

Chapter 294 Paving the Way, the Times Are Calling
"Comrades who hope to change their fate by going to university, now is the time to work hard. Although I don't have definite news, nothing in this world is immutable. The college entrance examination system will be restored sooner or later, and you will all return to the city unconditionally."

There's no point in saying too much now, so Fang Wei just picked out some things they wanted to hear.

Going to university changes one's destiny, and the promise of unconditional return to the city are topics of great interest. However, he always issues a disclaimer before making these statements to avoid getting himself implicated later.

But the educated youth loved to hear these things. They trusted Secretary Fang, and some of those who aspired to go to university would work hard silently.

There are also many people who don't like studying; they care more about the hope of returning to the city. Hearing these words can at least soothe their mood and make them feel that life has a future again.

For several days in a row, Fang Wei visited the educated youth groups in various production teams, talked with them, and offered guidance. The effect was very good.

The dormitory for educated youth was located outside the new residential buildings. The reason it wasn't rebuilt was because Fang Wei knew they would leave soon, and it would be pointless to waste resources.

However, security measures have never been relaxed, and militia patrols are ongoing, so everyone still feels very safe.

this day.

The design drawings from the design institute were freshly completed and sent to Fang Wei. He then convened a coordination team meeting to discuss the feasibility of the proposed plan (draft).

The leaders of the 17 brigades gathered together to have a heated discussion about the problems in the plan.

Fang Wei also offered suggestions, and after all the opinions were collected, he summarized these issues and provided feedback to the design institute. The design institute would then revise the plan based on the feedback until the final draft was completed.

This time, 16 brigades are working together to build the new residential buildings, which is quite a large undertaking.

Fang Wei brought in the construction company and began preliminary discussions with them. The benefits of working together were obvious: firstly, it enhanced their bargaining power, and secondly, it reduced project costs.

Domestic steel and cement production has increased significantly compared to previous years, making it relatively easier to obtain building materials, and prices remain low.

In other words, now is actually a pretty good time to undertake this project.

Fang Wei helped them coordinate the design and construction issues, and then left the rest to a designated person in the coordination team; he no longer followed up on the matter.

Before he knew it, the year was drawing to a close, and he felt he should take a break.

Accountant Liu and others began their year-end settlement work. Fang Wei accompanied Taoist Sun to the Sanqing Temple and brought some supplies with him.

The supplies were collected by him and Sun Daoren themselves; there weren't many, since only two people remained at the Taoist temple.

Like the issue of educated youth returning to the city, the problem of Sun Daoren returning to the Taoist temple has not yet been resolved. However, it is better than in previous years; he can now visit occasionally without having to act like a thief.

The two disciples were overjoyed to see their master and wanted Sun Daoren to stay on the mountain for a few more days.

"I have no objection, Daoist Master. You may stay for another week. I will go back by myself tomorrow."

Fang Wei stayed on the mountain for two days before returning to the team on his own.

Three days later, Master Sun returned. He didn't want to cause trouble for Fang Wei, and he could go to the Taoist temple to see his disciples again when he had time.

As the weather gets colder, households are starting to use honeycomb briquettes for heating. Traditional earthen stoves have been phased out, and sheet metal stoves have become the mainstream.

The houses have glass windows, which greatly enhances the insulation of the interior, creating a noticeable temperature difference between the inside and outside.

night.

Fang Wei brought out the copper hot pot from home, and the family sat around the table, enjoying the steaming hot pot.

Looking at the scene before him, the grandfather said with deep emotion, "Life is good now, Third Brother. You have led everyone to create one miracle after another. It's time for you to take a rest."

"Grandpa, I don't have much to do all day. I'm resting every single day."

Fang Wei actually understood his grandfather's subtext, but how could he possibly stop during the transition period?

He had more advanced rice varieties, and everyone had only just passed the stage of basic subsistence, not even reaching the stage of moderate prosperity. He was unwilling to give up.

"Third brother, you did this on purpose, didn't you? I knew you couldn't stay still. When you were arrested last time, Grandpa was worried sick, even though he didn't say it. He was afraid you would repeat the same mistake and get into trouble again."

Pan Lianhua was immediately amused and decided to speak frankly.

She was just as terrified last time, abandoning her two children to search for Fang Wei's whereabouts everywhere. Fortunately, the ending was good, otherwise she wouldn't know how she would have been able to go on living.

She didn't expect the man to have any grand ambitions; she only hoped that her family could be safe and happy.

"The current policies are basically stable, and they will only become more relaxed in the future. It is impossible for us to repeat the same mistakes. Come on, let's not talk about these unhappy things and eat more vegetables."

Fang Wei smiled and shook her head, telling her grandfather and wife not to worry.

He will also distribute a large sum of money to everyone next. The team's money is not just for breeding, but also for continuing to improve everyone's lives.

"Third brother, I'm old and not very educated, just keep that in mind."

Grandpa was infected by his optimism and realized that he might have been worrying too much.

after a few days.

The Xiatang brigade then decided to distribute dividends, with the standard being an average of 1000 yuan in cash per person, totaling only 200 million yuan for the entire brigade.

The commune members and educated youth were overjoyed. This year's dividend distribution was the highest in history, and everyone suddenly found themselves to be much richer.

After distributing the money, which happened to coincide with the New Year's Day, Fang Wei took the opportunity to distribute pork, chicken, duck, and eggs to everyone.

At the end of the year, the team's pig farm added a batch of piglets, bringing the total to 3248. The team's pig inventory once again approached 5000, reaching 4818 pigs.

The team slaughtered 120 pigs and distributed a chicken, a duck, and 5 jin of eggs to each person.

[New pigs born, points +33960]

[Produces broiler chickens, +8000 points]

[Produces Muscovy ducks, points +9000]

[Eggs produced, 10000 points awarded]

Total points: 118661700.

The pig farm has 4698 pigs remaining, including 3248 piglets, 300 pregnant sows, and 1150 adult pigs.

They had just distributed the money, and then immediately distributed the meat, making everyone extremely happy.

This New Year's Day was very enjoyable. Everyone spoke highly of Secretary Fang, and whenever someone cooked something delicious, they would always send some to Fang Wei first.

Sister Wang Zhuyun hasn't had to cook for several days because there's just too much food to eat.

this day.

Fang Wei was resting at home when Fang Tao suddenly walked in.

"Manman, I'm back."

"Huh? Why did you come back? Where's Xiaoya? She didn't come back with you."

Fang Wei stood up and looked behind his nephew, but didn't see Wen Xiaoya. "I came back this time for your research project. Xiaoya came with me, but she's a little tired and is sleeping in the house right now."

Fang Tao quickly explained that he had come back this time to balance his personal and professional needs.

Not long ago, a research group was established in the institute, whose main research direction is hybrid rice breeding.

Xiaoya and he were in the same group, so the group leader asked the couple to come back and contact Fang Wei to try to advance the project with the Xiatang Brigade during the spring planting season.

"No problem. When we're developing new rice varieties, we'll include your research group and give you a name on the list."

Fang Wei agreed to his nephew's request. It was just adding a name, which wouldn't harm him but would greatly benefit Fang Tao.

"Thank you so much, Manman! To be honest, hybrid rice breeding is really difficult. Our institute hasn't made any progress in the past few years, let alone me. The reason the leaders asked me to come here this time is actually to hitch a ride with you."

Fang Tao touched his nose, looking a little embarrassed.

He could accept taking advantage of his uncle, but he ended up dragging the entire research group into it, so he has to explain himself.

"It doesn't matter, it's just adding a name, like I said. But Tao Tao, you have to be with us for the whole experiment, Xiao Ya is pregnant now, is that convenient for you?"

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it. My parents-in-law are taking care of Xiaoya in the provincial capital, so there won’t be any problems. I will go with the relevant personnel in the team to conduct the experiments, and I will ask for leave to go back when her due date is approaching.”

Fang Tao felt full of energy just thinking about the pigeon coop at home.

If my uncle's new rice variety is successfully tested, Fang Tao will be the biggest contributor to the research team, and the others will also benefit from it.

In research institutions, it's nearly impossible to get anywhere without research achievements; you won't even be eligible for housing or salary increases. Therefore, he's determined to participate fully this time, even if his wife is pregnant.

"You can let Xiaoya stay in the village. Isn't she in the same research group as you? She can get some credit for it later. Don't worry about giving birth, the county hospital can handle it."

Fang Wei gave her nephew an idea: to have him and Xiao Ya stay in the team under the guise of conducting an experiment.

This way, Fang Tao can participate throughout the process, and he can also take care of Wen Xiaoya nearby.

"That's a good idea. I'll discuss it with Xiaoya later."

Fang Tao didn't reply immediately. He went home later to have a good talk with Wen Xiaoya.

night.

Fang Ping invited his third brother's family over for dinner. After dinner, Tao Tao said that Xiao Ya had agreed to the previous suggestion.

Fang Wei asked Tao Tao to call his workplace in a couple of days to report on the cooperation plan with the Xiatang Brigade. Of course, this plan was proposed by Fang Wei, who was certain that the Academy of Agricultural Sciences would agree.

Once the experiment is successful, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences will gain prestige, and Fang Wei will reap the benefits—it's a win-win situation.

Pan Lianhua pulled Xiaoya inside to talk, as someone who had been through it all, she could share some experience with her. After all, it was Xiaoya's first pregnancy, and there were many things she wasn't clear about.

Fang Ping understood what was going on, but he didn't say anything. He knew that his third brother was doing it all for Tao Tao's good, so what could he say as a father?
after a few days.

After his workplace agreed to the cooperation, Fang Tao stayed at home for a week before taking Xiao Ya back to the provincial capital.

"Third Brother, Tao Tao doesn't actually need to be stationed at the team during his growth period, right? Apart from the sowing, seedling raising, transplanting, and harvesting stages, it shouldn't matter whether he's there or not during the other stages, since there are planting records to check anyway."

After her nephew and niece-in-law left, Pan Lianhua finally asked the question that had been bothering her.

"That makes sense, but I want to help him get more free time so he can arrange it however he wants."

Fang Wei smiled and replied, "Pan Lianhua understands."

These people are all cunning and scheming; compared to them, she seems far too naive.

Time flies.

Before we knew it, the New Year was just around the corner.

The team decided to slaughter pigs for the New Year. This year, like in previous years, 160 pigs will be slaughtered, and each person will be given 2 chickens, 2 ducks, and 10 catties of eggs.

This year, the market supply for the Spring Festival was much more abundant, so people like Guo Yongqing and Jiang Yufen didn't bother Fang Wei, since pork, chicken, and duck were readily available in the market.

The development of the livestock industry must first rely on a bumper harvest of grain; only when grain production increases can the livestock industry flourish.

However, Xiatang Brigade will continue this self-sufficient production method. Although it is currently only raising local pigs, chickens, and ducks, in a few years, when large-scale industrialized farms spring up everywhere, the taste of various meats will decline significantly.

[New pigs born, points +45280]

[Produces broiler chickens, +16000 points]

[Produces Muscovy ducks, points +18000]

[Eggs produced, points +20000]

Total points: 118760980.

The pig farm has 4538 pigs left.

This year's Spring Festival was very lively, with crowds of people at the market, and even the temple fair, which had disappeared for many years, reappeared.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua took their two children to the temple fair, where some craftsmen appeared out of nowhere, which broadened the children's horizons.

The little guy especially loves all kinds of juggling tricks; he can never get enough of watching them.

However, with the Chinese New Year just around the corner, Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua spent half a day playing with the children, then bought all the necessities and returned home.

The entire Spring Festival was filled with a lively atmosphere, with firecrackers going off non-stop from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival. This reflects everyone's anticipation of a happy life and their desire for stability.

The new residential buildings in the team have now been completed, making it very convenient to visit elderly people living alone and those receiving the five guarantees.

Fang Wei went to the Yao village on the second day of the Lunar New Year, and did the same thing: brought some living supplies to visit some impoverished households.

"Third Brother, the renovation and upgrading project in the village is more than halfway complete. The construction team said it will definitely be finished before the autumn harvest this year. If all goes well, it is also possible to finish it around the summer harvest."

The ancient Yao village is thriving. Wang Songlin was in high spirits. After visiting the impoverished households with Fang Wei, he took Fang Wei home for drinks.

With a sip of wine and a bite of food, the two men clinked glasses and chatted about things in the village.

"No rush, make sure they get the project done well. There's another big project coming up, so if there are any problems, just ask them to fix them, they won't say anything."

Fang Wei was also very happy. He witnessed the Yao village emerge from its predicament and gradually build up its current strength.

After the meal, he insisted on going back.

Wang Songlin was worried, so he sent a tractor to take the person and bicycle back to Xiatang Brigade.

In reality, there are very few specific matters that Fang Wei needs to worry about nowadays, but he personally takes care of the annual condolence activities.

(End of this chapter)