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

Many people were watching the spectacle, and they also understood the consequences of offending the cooperative. While it was impossible to completely blockade rice seeds, high-yield vegetable seeds were already in short supply, and this move would leave the other side with nothing.

The villagers also sent people to find Tian Bingyi. Tian Bingyi led about twenty villagers to gradually cultivate a batch of high-yield vegetable seeds and began to sell them.

However, Tian Bingyi will not sell the seeds to them; don't even think about it.

The villagers finally relented and had no choice but to come to the cooperative to apologize. However, they could only continue to buy seeds next summer; the "ban" remained in effect until then.

This was originally just a source of amusement, but some people saw something different in it.

This evening.

Just as Tian Bingyi finished eating, more than thirty commune members suddenly arrived at his home.

"Captain, does your mutual aid group need more members? We'd like to join, and we hope you can give us a chance."

These people saw the huge benefits of breeding, after all, Tian Bingyi and others had successfully cultivated some vegetable seeds, and estimated that the future potential was huge.

The only reasons these people are willing to join are the benefits of having a large group of people.

For example, the Wu brothers wouldn't dare mess with the mutual aid group now. Since it's called a mutual aid group, it's definitely a group where everyone helps each other out when one is in trouble. If anyone dares to bully one of them, everyone will step forward to help.

Sometimes, strong alliances based on shared interests are more solid than clan ties.

“The mutual aid group can admit new members, but there needs to be a screening process; not everyone is qualified to join. So, you can first become peripheral members of the mutual aid group, and only after passing the probationary period can you officially join.”

Having learned his lesson before, Tian Bingyi has gained a deeper understanding of human nature.

People don't cherish things that are too easily obtained, which is why he sets up thresholds to gradually accept people into the mutual aid group. Once the number of people reaches a certain level, he will consider establishing a cooperative.

These people then left Tian Bingyi's house with a mix of hope and trepidation.

Since the production season is already halfway through, setting up an assessment period won't cause any problems.

When Fang Wei found out, he praised his brother-in-law highly. He felt that this approach was correct; it was essential to eliminate unstable factors and not expand for the sake of expansion.

Although these peripheral members still need to be evaluated, they can also enjoy some technical services.

This season, most of the members of Tian Bingyi's brigade planted the "Nanguang No. 2" rice variety. They also want to breed it next season, and with this benefit in mind, they are all eager to join the mutual aid group.

In this process, Tian Bingyi reunited a group of people and re-established his prestige.

During this process, many people approached the cooperative, hoping to join. However, Fang Wei rejected them all. He had already incorporated the entire commune's production brigades into the cooperative, and further unrestrained expansion would likely provoke a strong backlash.

Apart from Tian Bingyi, he has no plans to cooperate with anyone else, at least not in the next few years.

The current mainstream is the household responsibility system, so he is actually going against the trend and going too far is as bad as not going far enough.

this day.

Around noon, Huang Zhigang and his group, accompanied by Zheng Xianfa and Zheng Hu, arrived at the Yaoling Seed Industry Agricultural Cooperative.

Fang Wei and the other directors came out to greet them and warmly invited them into the conference room.

"We should have come earlier, but we were delayed by too many things. Chairman Fang, we are not here to inspect your work, but to hear your plans for the future."

Huang Zhigang was indeed busy before, busy implementing the "household contract responsibility system".

Moreover, he was unsure of the higher-ups' attitude towards the cooperative, so he decided to take a low-key approach, neither supporting nor opposing it, and trying to stay as uninvolved as possible.

However, the cooperative developed rapidly and did not collapse in less than three months as some people said; on the contrary, it became more and more prosperous.

Therefore, he and the county officials could not continue to turn a blind eye; they would come and take a look once the storm had passed.

"Director Huang, the cooperative's 80,000 mu of paddy fields are currently cultivating a new type of hybrid rice, 'Nanguang No. 3'. We had a great success last season, and the new rice variety is expected to yield between 1250 and 1350 jin per mu, with very good quality."

Fang Wei didn't waste any time and went straight to introducing the cooperative's production situation.

They avoided discussing the various construction details and never touched upon the issue of allocation.

The cooperative is an independently accounting unit. As long as the tax payment target is met, neither the commune nor the county has the right to interfere with the operation of the cooperative.

"Excellent, excellent, you have made another great contribution. The county plans to vigorously promote your new rice variety during next spring's planting season, and we hope you can do your best to increase the yield."

There has never been any mandatory purchase of seeds, so the county cannot set quotas for cooperatives. As long as they pay their agricultural taxes in full, no one can force them to produce or not produce anything.

However, Huang Zhigang still hopes that the other party can produce more new rice varieties to help the county's agricultural production reach a new level.

"Please rest assured, Director Huang, we will do our best."

Anyone can say nice things, but only Fang Wei himself knows what he's really thinking.

Huang Zhigang and the others had lunch at the canteen of the 1st Brigade (Xiatang Brigade), then went for a walk in the fields before heading back home.

Fang Wei didn't mind the county's attitude; he would be extremely grateful as long as they didn't cause trouble. Having chosen an unconventional path, he wouldn't care about other people's opinions or be afraid of being marginalized.

evening.

Fang Ping and Tian Guihua arrived at the house together, followed by Fang Tingting.

"Manman, Auntie, I'm back."

"Oh, it's Tingting. Please have a seat. We'll have dinner here later."

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua got up and got busy. Pan Lianhua was busy boiling water and making tea, while Fang Wei went to prepare some things and asked his sister to add a few dishes.

Afterwards, Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua asked Tingting about her studies. After Tingting finished speaking, her expression changed and she suddenly said somewhat shyly, "Mom and Dad, Manman and Aunt, a classmate of mine is coming to visit in a couple of days."

Before Fang Ping and Tian Guihua could react, Pan Lianhua's eyes lit up.

"Tingting, you're dating someone at school?"

Everyone immediately turned to look at Fang Tingting, who nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Tian Guihua was both surprised and delighted, and then kept asking questions until they started eating, at which point she temporarily stopped her daughter.

after a few days.

Tingting's boyfriend came to the village. He was a northern man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but it was clear that he treated Tingting very well. The two were quite a good match.

Fang Wei didn't offer an opinion; this was something Fang Ping and Tian Guihua should decide. "Chen Gang, this is my man. He's a very capable person. Don't be arrogant just because you're a college student."

Tingting solemnly introduced her uncle to her boyfriend, and even cracked a joke along the way.

Chen Gang felt a little embarrassed. He already knew about Fang Wei's identity and achievements, and he couldn't be arrogant in front of him.

After they got to know each other better, Fang Wei asked Chen Gang and Tingting a very practical question: "Have you thought about what will happen after graduation?"

"We plan to stay in Beijing, but if that doesn't work out, we'll go to big cities like Shanghai or Guangzhou."

Chen Gang didn't hide anything and told Tingting about his and her plans.

As one of the top universities in the country, they certainly have the confidence to say so. Of course, the final decision rests with the department and the university, but since both he and Tingting have joined the student union, they must be quite certain of their abilities to say this.

Fang Wei nodded, without saying anything else.

Children naturally have their own ideas when they grow up; the sea is wide enough for fish to leap freely, and elders won't tie them to their side.

When Fang Ping and Tian Guihua get old, they can rely on their son Tao Tao. Their son lives in the provincial capital, which isn't too far away, so there's no need to worry too much about this issue right now.

Tian Guihua had some objections, but after muttering about it twice behind her back, she kept quiet.

Chen Gang stayed in the village for a week before taking his leave.

This was his first time meeting the parents, and the Fang family had a good impression of him. Chen Gang's family was well-off; his parents were both government officials in Tianjin.

Next, we just need to wait for both sets of parents to meet, but there's no rush, they still have a few years before they graduate.

Pan Lianhua couldn't help but sigh that she was getting old. Her nephews and nieces had all started or were about to start their own families, and Binbin and Xiaojie were growing up day by day. She couldn't help but start to feel sentimental.

"What's there to be so impressed about? Look in the mirror. You don't even have a single wrinkle on your face. You look exactly the same as you did ten years ago."

Fang Wei pursed her lips, not liking the other person's tone.

But these words actually made Pan Lianhua laugh. She thought the man was very romantic and that what he said was really nice.

In fact, neither of them looks old; they look much younger than their actual age.

Fang Wei felt that the success was partly due to the couple's long-term commitment to exercise, and partly due to the "main residence." Slowing down aging needs time to prove its effectiveness; the longer the time, the more pronounced the results.

the next day.

The day for the cooperative to pay wages has arrived.

Each brigade sent its finance personnel to collect wages early on. Accountant Liu and others had already calculated the amount each person was entitled to and then brought the cash back.

Fang Wei and other directors received their money last. His income this month was good, totaling nearly 500 yuan.

The income of the first brigade was generally higher, with the lowest receiving nearly 100 yuan and the highest receiving more than 200 yuan.

Even the lowest-paid members of other brigades earned over 60 yuan. That's a month's income, which adds up to quite a bit, especially considering the year-end bonus and dividends.

This day was like Chinese New Year for everyone; everyone was all smiles.

Although a few hundred yuan wasn't enough to tempt Fang Wei, the fact that he was able to receive this salary showed that the cooperative was indeed doing well.

In those days, 500 yuan was no small sum. A household with 10,000 yuan was equivalent to a millionaire or even a multi-millionaire in later generations. In short, the money was very valuable.

Fang Wei is not short of money. He has a chieftain's land in the Yao village, which brings him at least 10,000 yuan a year.

He achieved financial freedom early on, so his desire for money wasn't that strong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the lead in starting this cooperative, since the cooperative follows the path of collective prosperity, and even if he could get a little more, he wouldn't get too much.

But everyone's joy infected him, and that evening he set up a table at home and invited his second sister and brother-in-law over for drinks.

“Our mutual aid group has now grown to more than 30 households. New members will not participate in profit sharing for the time being; their main task is to learn the technology. When we plant spring next year, we will revise our production plan. At that time, we estimate that the total number of households in the mutual aid group will reach about 100.”

Tian Bingyi can drink quite a bit, especially when he's excited; he can easily drink more than half a bottle of baijiu.

While drinking, he talked about the mutual aid group's situation, which seemed to be developing smoothly and that they were gradually figuring out a way of vegetable breeding.

He may devote more energy to vegetable breeding when the spring planting season comes next year.

There's nothing else to it, it's just that cultivating vegetable seeds is actually more profitable than cultivating rice seeds.

Tianbingyi Production Brigade is located near the county seat. Many members, besides growing some food for their own consumption and for the government, mainly grow vegetables to sell in the city. Don't underestimate these seemingly insignificant vegetables; the daily consumption is enormous, making it a very promising industry.

"Brother-in-law, please be careful to control the number of people. The number of households in the mutual aid group should be around 100. If there are more people, the benefits will actually decline. Unless you can achieve a scale like ours."

Fang Wei also gave Tian Bingyi some suggestions. The two of them drank more and more happily, and in the end, Tian Bingyi and Fang Mei stayed at his place for one night.

The two didn't return until early the next morning.

Fang Wei went to the office after breakfast, and Zhao Jinsheng rushed in shortly after she sat down.

"Secretary, let's go take a look. Today is the day for a large-scale harvest of fish from the pond."

The fishpond is producing live fish faster than expected. Grass carp, crucian carp, and silver carp are all growing faster in the pond than in other places.

Moreover, the fish produced has a very mild muddy taste and delicate texture, which received a lot of positive reviews when we tried selling them before.

Today, the fish can be sold in large quantities. Fang Wei followed Zhao Jinsheng to the fishpond of the first brigade and saw everyone busy at work. With one net cast, a large number of live fish can be caught, and then they are sorted after being hauled up.

Fishmongers from all directions were already waiting there, and then it was just a matter of weighing and paying repeatedly.

Truckloads of live fish were hauled away, some to the market, some to the county, and some even to neighboring counties to sell. It was truly a bustling scene.

Fang Wei and Zhao Jinsheng then went to check the fishponds of other brigades. The situation was basically the same: the live fish produced by the cooperative were in short supply, attracting fishmongers from all over the country to come and buy them.

The individual economy is just emerging now, with selling vegetables, fish, cloth, and clothing being the earliest industries that individual business owners engaged in.

Another industry that is booming is the food industry. It is said that many private restaurants have opened in the county. You don’t need food coupons to eat there, but the prices are a bit higher.

Fang Wei liked these fishmongers; having them made things easier for her.

Otherwise, the cooperative would have to organize people to sell fish at the market. With such a large output, when would they ever sell it all? (End of Chapter)