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

Fang Wei and his team, however, disregarded these concerns and convened a meeting at the commune to discuss the upcoming summer harvest and planting arrangements. The purpose of the entertainment was to help everyone relax and prepare for the work ahead.

After the meeting, Zheng Xianfa called Fang Wei to his office.

"You've all had your performances and movies, so you should all keep quiet for a while. Have you read today's newspaper? The authoritative newspapers have started criticizing the household responsibility system, saying it's a step backward and extremely wrong."

Zheng Xianfa has some insight, but it's not enough.

He appeared somewhat worried after reading the newspaper, which actually stemmed from a lack of understanding of the current situation. People are now yearning for change, and everyone hopes that restrictions can be relaxed to revitalize the economy.

Therefore, the clarion call for "reform and opening up" will be sounded at an important meeting in a few months.

In Fang Wei's view, some changes are inevitable and beyond human control. After thirty years of trials and tribulations, China has finally completed its initial industrialization, and the era in which agriculture fully supported industrial development has come to an end.

Next comes the era of industry supporting agriculture. Whether or not there is a call to action, it's time to loosen the shackles on farmers.

This is a product of economic development at a certain stage, and its material basis is the comprehensive industrial system built up over the past thirty years through frugality.

The working class may be poor now, but once the economy shifts towards improving people's livelihoods and the development of light industry is accelerated, everyone's living standards will improve at a visible rate.

Now that China has a complete range of industries and a large number of well-educated workers, it must find a way to prepare for the next surge in production capacity.

The solution is readily available: open the country's doors and integrate with the global economy.

This is the material and practical basis for reform and opening up.

Therefore, Fang Wei was not worried about the problem Zheng Xianfa mentioned at all. The development of anything is a spiral ascent and a wave-like progression. Some noise or even temporary setbacks are normal.

"Director Zheng, you don't need to think too much. The main theme of the future is to loosen the shackles on farmers. One day, even the obligation to hand over grain will be abolished. Everyone may not be very rich, but at least they will no longer have to worry about going hungry."

Fang Wei smiled indifferently. Some things are already set in stone and cannot be overturned by an article.

Seeing that the other party wouldn't listen to his advice, Zheng Xianfa gave up and stopped trying. After all, the other party was a breeding expert and a national representative, and a little bit of trouble was not enough to bring him down.

Fang Wei then returned to the team, completely ignoring what Zheng Xianfa had said.

Time flies.

Summer harvest season is just around the corner.

All the production brigades got busy, and all the farm machinery of the commune was mobilized to start a new round of harvesting.

"Manman, we succeeded! We have successfully cultivated a new type of hybrid rice, and the yield is estimated to be even higher than that of [Nanguang No. 2]."

Fang Wei was patrolling the various teams when Fang Tao, who didn't know how he found him, excitedly shouted from a distance.

Under Fang Wei's instructions, the breeding team not only successfully screened out suitable sterile plants, but also successfully cultivated a new generation of rice varieties, namely "Nanguang No. 3", through the three-line breeding method.

Fang Tao and his group followed the breeding team to conduct research. Although they were not the inventors, they would definitely benefit from it.

"That's right, we all succeeded. The new rice variety we cultivated this time has been named 'Nanguang No. 3', and it is expected to yield 1400 jin per mu. Its taste and quality are even better than the 'Nanguang No. 2' rice variety."

Fang Wei recited the key data of the new rice variety as if it were a treasure trove of knowledge, making Fang Tao extremely envious.

The inventor of this new rice variety was still his uncle. They had relied entirely on each other's theoretical guidance and had not made a single mistake.

The next step is to conduct verification experiments, after which Fang Tao and his team will need to write and publish a paper. This was a pre-agreed condition: the team receives the benefits, and the research group, represented by Fang Tao, has the right to publish the paper.

Take what you need.

"Manman, thank you!"

Fang Tao knew that the reason for this was that his uncle wanted to help him; otherwise, he wouldn't even have had the chance to benefit from it.

He's really reaping the benefits now. A new rice variety that has broken historical records will definitely increase his net worth many times over. Whether it's for promotions, salary increases, or housing allocations, he'll enjoy the advantages of this.

Fang Wei glanced at his nephew, waved him off and told him to go about his business and not get in the way.

He doesn't like his family to be too polite, especially since this isn't the place to discuss important matters.

Realizing what was happening, Fang Tao quickly ran away, but he still couldn't contain his excitement. He planned to return to the provincial capital after the summer harvest and planting season to share this good news with Xiaoya.

"Secretary Fang, I've been looking for you everywhere. The commune has sent an urgent meeting notice, informing you to leave for the capital immediately. Go back and take a look."

Less than half an hour after Fang Tao left, Gao Wenshu arrived again on his bicycle at breakneck speed.

He told Fangwei Commune that an urgent meeting notice had been forwarded, and that the other party should go to Beijing immediately to attend an important meeting.

Fang Wei dared not delay and immediately returned to the brigade headquarters with Gao Wenshu.

After carefully reading the meeting notice, he immediately realized that the meeting in Beijing was a preparatory meeting for an important conference several months later.

Some resolutions may be implemented simply by reading them out at a meeting, but in reality, a lot of preparatory work needs to be done beforehand.

The next day.

Fang Wei went straight to Chenzhou early in the morning, and then took the train to the capital.

He didn't know how much longer he could serve as a representative. But when he thought about it carefully, he realized he had been a representative for many years, first as a provincial representative and then as a national representative. He had quite a lot of experience.

As it turned out, the meeting lasted for a full two weeks, with too many issues to discuss, which proved that his judgment was correct.

When he returned to the team exhausted, the summer harvest and planting work was already over.

The Yaoling Commune and its breeding center produced a total of 132 million catties of "Nanguang No. 2" rice seeds this season, which can supply 26 million mu of farmland for rice cultivation.

With the addition of the secondary rice seeds previously stored in various regions, it is more than enough to achieve full coverage of the entire province.

Therefore, about one-third of the standardized rice seeds will flow to other provinces, and even more of the second-grade rice seeds will flow out. As a result, the national rice production has increased significantly for two consecutive years.

At this critical juncture, the breeding team led by Fang Wei and the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences announced the successful development of a new generation of rice varieties. The new rice variety is characterized by high resistance, high quality, and high yield; current trial results indicate a yield of approximately 1400 jin per mu (about 700 catties per hectare).

However, the new rice variety still needs further verification trials, and it is estimated that it will be able to be widely promoted later next year.

The news caused a sensation as soon as it was announced.

While many places still consider a yield of 1,000 jin per mu (a Chinese unit of area, approximately 667 catties per hectare) a myth, others have already pushed the yield to 1400 jin per mu. Nationwide, there is only one rice variety that can truly achieve a yield of 1,000 jin per mu, and that is the [Nanguang No. 2] rice variety.

Based on extensive data analysis, rice grown using the "Nanguang No. 2" standardized rice variety yields approximately 1020 jin per mu. Even when using a slightly lower grade of rice variety, the yield can still reach over 900 jin, nearly 1000 jin per mu.

“Secretary Fang, you are truly remarkable! Of course, we must also thank the comrades from the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, who, as a professional institution, have also made certain contributions.”

Upon receiving the written report, Qi Haiyang did not delay for a moment and immediately led his men to Xiatang Brigade.

In front of Fang Tao and others, they confirmed the ownership of the new rice seeds, but they didn't go too far and still acknowledged the other party's contribution.

Now he's just waiting for the verification trials to finish before starting large-scale rollout. If the results are promising, he estimates he should move to a different location.

Therefore, he plans to give substantial rewards to Xiatang Brigade, Fang Wei, and all participants. He will bring up this suggestion at the county meeting later, and the approval rate should be 100%.

"Director Qi, this is what we should do, and we will continue to work hard in the future."

Fang Wei chuckled and then accompanied the group to visit the farmland and granary.

The team now has five huge granaries, but they are almost never full. As soon as the rice seeds were produced, the purchasing department sent people to buy them, and the team didn't even have to worry about loading and unloading.

This service is so thoughtful.

"Comrade Fang Wei, the county has decided to appoint you as the director of the breeding center. Although this position is not officially established, it can play an important role in breeding work."

After walking around for a long time, Qi Haiyang and the others prepared to leave.

Just before boarding the car, the other party revealed an important piece of information: Fang Wei's latest appointment. The official document hadn't been issued yet, but a decision had been made, and there wouldn't be any reversals.

If Fang Wei hadn't insisted on staying in the countryside, the county wouldn't have had to go through such a long and complicated process.

To put it simply, Fang Wei will be in charge of the breeding base (center) from now on, while Guo Wenxian will essentially provide logistical support. This will prevent disputes from arising when there are differing opinions on production, allowing Fang Wei to make decisions on the spot.

Appointing an unemployed comrade to this position is quite an innovation for the county.

"Thank you very much, Director Qi!"

Fang Wei didn't say much. Having another position was good; at least it would allow him to keep a firm grip on the breeding center.

It wasn't for the sake of power or profit, but to ensure the smooth progress of the breeding work.

Two days after seeing Director Qi off, Zeng Qing arrived again with his men.

In short, from the county level to the region and then to the province, everyone paid close attention to the achievements of Fang Wei and others. Everyone greeted him with a smile and asked him about his well-being.

The entire team, including Zhao Jinsheng and the core members of the breeding group, as well as Fang Tao and others, were all commended.

The county awarded the production brigade 5 million yuan, and Fang Wei and the core members of the breeding team 500 yuan each. In today's climate, this is an extremely generous reward, and it might even cause controversy.

Qi Haiyang didn't care about any of that. Taking risks would only highlight his sense of responsibility. What could he possibly accomplish if he was always so cautious?
The regional and provincial governments focused more on honors and awards, but this still brought great joy to Zhao Jinsheng, Fang Tao, and others.

Director Li from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences made a special trip, partly to catch up with Fang Wei, and partly to confirm the scientific achievements. Of course, the academy also rewarded the research team members handsomely; Fang Tao was promoted to associate researcher ahead of schedule, and other members received various benefits.

"Director Li, the scientific and technological achievements belong to you, while the ownership of the research and development and the benefits belong to us personally and the brigade. This was agreed upon at the time, and there will be no change."

Fang Wei warmly received Director Li and his entourage, and in front of everyone, made another promise to them.

Director Li's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile. He thought the other person was truly excellent in his dealings with others, a man of his word, and someone destined for great things. This exceptional promotion of Fang Tao was his idea, and it had encountered virtually no resistance. The key was that the result was simply too dazzling.

“Secretary Fang, our research institute is here to serve the production line. If you need anything in the future, just give me a call, and I’ll be there whenever you call.”

The two chatted happily and before they knew it, they had gotten Director Li drunk.

Director Li was happy even when he was drunk, but Fang Tao was even happier. He had obtained the title of associate researcher, which meant he would be ahead of younger people in terms of salary adjustments and housing allocations. He estimated that he would be able to move into his current "pigeonhole" apartment soon.

Next.

With a constant stream of interviews, Fang Wei simply pushed them all to Zhao Jinsheng and the breeding team, and went into hiding.

He spent his days either hiding at home or wandering aimlessly in the mountains, taking the opportunity to settle the profits for the season. The entire commune's 17 brigades, plus the breeding center, produced a total of 132 million jin of "Nanguang No. 2" rice seeds, from which he could reap a substantial amount of points.

Harvesting crops, points +132000000, total points: 319434320.

He had plenty of points, but he didn't upgrade for the time being, planning to wait until later.

Early that morning, he went to the Yao village.

This season is destined to be a bumper harvest in Yao Village. The yield of [Nongyou 76] reached 1150 jin per mu, giving Fang Wei a huge surprise. However, this yield has reached the limit of this variety, and unless a sudden mutation occurs, this yield will not be broken again.

Fang Wei no longer cares about the points contributed by the Yao village. He plans to settle them all at the end of the year to avoid trouble.

“Third Brother, several groups of people have come to the village recently. They say they want to cooperate with us, but they are actually all eyeing the breeding technology of [Nongyou 76]. I have clearly rejected these people and hope they will not resort to other means.”

Wang Songlin hadn't seen Fang Wei for a while, so he dragged her to his house for drinks in the middle of the day.

He told Fang Wei that the Yao village's reputation had attracted the covetous eyes of many. They wanted the core technology of [Nongyou 76], a huge piece of the pie that no one could resist.

Many people dared not mess with Xiatang Brigade. With Xiatang Brigade as the core, all 17 brigades in the commune were closely bound together. They shared the same fate, and it was something that ordinary people really couldn't afford to offend.

In addition, Xiatang Brigade is a breeding model at the county, regional and provincial levels, and is recognized at a higher level. Who would dare to mess with it?

The Yao village has kept a low profile in recent years, producing a limited quantity of the [Nongyou 76] rice variety, thus its influence is also limited. (End of Chapter)