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

Now the commune has established a security department, and the key members of the militia have all joined this department.

They are specifically responsible for the security of the cooperative, and Zheng Bao is not only a director but also the head of this department.

"Who has such audacity?"

Fang Wei found it unbelievable and asked casually.

"It's that group led by the Wu brothers. They were behaving themselves for a while, but now they're causing trouble again. Those bastards, I'll teach them a lesson."

Zheng Bao's face was full of murderous intent. He was definitely not going to swallow this insult, since a few thugs dared to provoke the cooperative.

"Take more people with you, I'll go with you."

Upon hearing this, Fang Wei thought, "Why are those guys again?"
He immediately got up and asked Zheng Bao to gather men, as he wanted to go and see for himself.

The transport team had two trucks left at home today; the rest were out on assignments. Zheng Bao gathered fifty or sixty people, who split into two vehicles and headed straight for the county town.

Fang Wei followed closely behind in his Jeep and soon arrived at the scene of the standoff.

The Wu brothers gathered about twenty people and blocked the cooperative's vehicles transporting live fish. The cooperative only had five or six people, but they did not back down either, though they inevitably suffered some losses in the scuffle.

After all, the other side outnumbered them, and one man can't fight four men.

Several vehicles stopped inside, and fifty or sixty strong young men jumped out of the trucks. Led by Zheng Bao, they rushed forward and surrounded the Wu brothers and their companions.

Zheng Bao looked at the jeep, and Fang Wei stretched out a hand from the open window, raising his thumb high.

"Do it!"

Zheng Bao understood immediately. At his command, the young man pulled out a plastic stick and rushed forward to beat the Wu brothers and others mercilessly.

The entire process was completely silent, targeting the most painful areas without causing any injury.

The Wu brothers and their gang were beaten so badly they were crying for their parents. They never dreamed that the cooperative members would actually attack them; they had thought the other side wouldn't dare to fight back.

The members who had been directly confronting the other side retreated to the back.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

Fang Wei got out of the car and went over to check on the injuries of the group.

Fortunately, all of them only suffered minor injuries and were basically fine.

"Thank you, Secretary Fang! Those bastards are awful. We heard they stopped all the live fish from outside today."

The group thanked Fang Wei and recounted the day's events in detail.

Perhaps due to the approaching Chinese New Year, the demand for live fish in the county town increased significantly. The Wu brothers saw an opportunity and, disregarding previous warnings, resumed their bullying and monopolistic practices.

They wouldn't allow vehicles transporting live fish into the city, so many people ended up selling their fish to them at low prices.

To put it bluntly, they want to monopolize the supply of goods and prices so they can make a fortune before the Lunar New Year.

"These bastards, beat them up!"

Zheng Bao, having overheard the whole story, felt a surge of anger rising within him.

The Wu brothers were truly despicable, so he ordered them to be dealt with severely.

Those people had no chance to resist and were quickly knocked to the ground, howling in pain.

Fang Wei waited a while, and when he saw that it was about time, he shouted, "Alright, stop, tie them up and send them to the county bureau."

He didn't want to send these guys to the nearby police station. If he was going to cause trouble this time, he wanted to make a big one. He didn't believe the Wu brothers had no one backing them up.

Unexpectedly, after only a few days of behaving themselves, they started causing trouble again. The key issue is that this time they've crossed the line with the cooperative, so how could Fang Wei let it go so easily?
Everyone stopped immediately, then tied up the Wu brothers and others with ropes and threw them all onto the truck.

"You guys go sell the fish first. I'll have someone call you if I need anything."

Fang Wei told the truck transporting the live fish to go directly to the market, while he and Zheng Bao got into the jeep and then led two trucks to the county bureau.

This alarmed many people, and the news quickly spread throughout the city.

"What's happening here?"

Many police officers came out of the building. Fang Wei had Zheng Bao explain what had happened to them, and then handed the Wu brothers and others over to them.

"Secretary Fang, if there's anything wrong, you can call the police. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to directly assault and arrest people?"

After listening to Zheng Bao's account, the police officer in charge walked directly to Fang Wei.

He knew Fang Wei and had met her more than once, so he naturally knew who to deal with.

"Yes, we called the police after our vehicle transporting live fish was blocked, but no one came to deal with it. When we arrived, the Wu brothers and a group of people were beating our members. Our actions were purely in self-defense, and incidentally, we were also helping to rid the people of this menace."

Fang Wei smiled, not really wanting to talk to the other person.

However, he still gave a loud explanation, and the surrounding crowd joined in the commotion, showing that justice is in the hearts of the people.

The man couldn't continue speaking. After letting out a cold snort, he led the Wu brothers and others, as well as Fang Wei and Zheng Bao, into the office building.

The Wu brothers straightened their backs again, perhaps believing they would be fine and that someone would speak up for them. The problem is, they'd messed with Fang Wei today; didn't they see how cautious and careful the police officers had become?

After the statement was taken, someone spoke to Fang Wei privately.

"Secretary Fang, we now know the truth of this matter. As for the Wu brothers, I think we should detain them for half a month and then make them compensate the villagers for their medical expenses. What do you think?"

"This isn't just simple bullying; it's organized and planned market manipulation. This kind of problem can't be covered up with just a few days in jail. They're committing crimes! Organized crimes."

The other party wanted Fang Wei to settle the matter peacefully, but Fang Wei firmly refused.

Just as the two were staring at each other, Huang Zhigang arrived and immediately launched into a tirade against the man.

The county's public security has always been a problem, and the root cause is self-evident. Huang Zhigang originally planned to deal with this issue when he had more free time, but he saw the crisis in the Wu brothers' case.

Even after he personally intervened, the Wu brothers still dared to be so arrogant, which shows that some people have reached the point where they must be dealt with.

Fang Wei's matter today has just been exposed, and Huang Zhigang had no choice but to take action ahead of time and convene a meeting of relevant leaders here.

It is said that the meeting was filled with heated arguments, but the specific details are unknown.

Fang Wei came out of the office building and told Zheng Bao to take his men back first, while he waited for Huang Zhigang in his car. After waiting for nearly two hours, he finally saw Huang Zhigang come out of the building, so he got out of the car and went to greet him.

"Secretary Fang, come with me." Huang Zhigang's expression was not good. He called out to Fang Wei and got into the car.

Fang Wei then drove his Jeep to the county, following Huang Zhigang's vehicle, and then went into both of their offices.

"The Wu brothers have been sent to the detention center. I estimate that at most three of them will be sentenced, and the sentences won't be severe. Sigh, I overlooked many issues before, and only today do I realize that my control over the situation is far less than I imagined."

Huang Zhigang used to stay in the commune, but later rose to prominence at a rocket-like speed, so his foundation was not solid.

Previously, everyone maintained a facade of harmony, but when he was ready to take real action, enormous resistance surfaced. This made him realize that some things couldn't be rushed, and ultimately both sides made compromises.

"Director Huang, let's take it slow. The public security situation in most areas has been poor in recent years, but I believe that this situation will not continue indefinitely and will soon be strongly reversed."

What else could Fang Wei say? She could only offer a few words of comfort.

Huang Zhigang smiled and shook his head, unwilling to discuss the topic further. If he hadn't taken Fang Wei's visit because of the Wu brothers last time seriously, it had now raised his alarm.

He remembered this debt and would settle it one by one when the time was right.

Fang Wei sat for a while before getting up to leave. Huang Zhigang didn't see him off, and the matter ended just like that, uneventfully.

The next day.

Upon receiving the news, Tian Bingyi came to the company to find Fang Wei, and the two then went home and talked for a long time.

Tian Bingyi has accumulated a lot of evidence, and the evidence is conclusive.

"Brother-in-law, keep this evidence safe for now and don't show it, because it won't be of much use. Let's be patient and wait for my news. I'll let you know when it's time to show it."

Fang Wei deeply understood Huang Zhigang's helplessness; he, too, could not act rashly at this time.

Tian Bingyi had put a lot of effort into collecting this evidence, and it was crucial that it be put to good use and not wasted. Now was not a good time; even Huang Zhigang could be patient for the time being, so why couldn't he wait?
"Third brother, didn't I hear that at least some of the Wu brothers are going to get sentenced?"

“That’s right, but don’t you understand what it means to raise the board high and then lower it gently? So, don’t bring out this evidence for now, because it’s useless. Good steel should be used where it’s needed most.”

"I understand now! These bastards got off too easily. Let's wait a bit longer."

Tian Bingyi and the Wu brothers have long been irreconcilable enemies, and now Fang Wei and Huang Zhigang must be added to the mix.

Everyone was holding back their anger, and they were going to vent it sooner or later.

noon.

Fang Wei and Tian Bingyi drank a few glasses of wine. After Tian Bingyi had eaten and drunk his fill, he returned home.

He immediately made arrangements upon returning home. If the Wu brothers did release two of them, he would have to guard against them causing trouble. The fishpond was a key protected area; he had suffered a great loss at their hands last time.

Fang Wei put the matter aside for the time being and then notified Zhao Jinsheng to prepare to slaughter the pig for the New Year.

The commune prepared a total of 2000 pigs, 3.5 chickens, 3.5 ducks, and 10 catties of eggs. Then each brigade took them back and distributed them themselves.

These New Year's supplies were distributed free of charge to the members as part of their welfare benefits.

The large group began slaughtering pigs the day before New Year's Eve. Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua brought back various supplies and then prepared for the New Year. They prepared more New Year's goods this year because their eldest brother's family was coming back, and they needed plenty of food and drink.

In the afternoon, Fang Ping, Tian Guihua, and Fang Tingting returned to the village, and many people came to help them clean up.

Fang Wei has already helped them collect the allocated supplies; they just need to wait for the New Year.

This Spring Festival was undoubtedly lively. Fang Wei drank almost every day, but fortunately he didn't drink too much.

Nowadays, the supply of goods in the market is becoming more and more abundant, and no household has to worry about these things. Many members of the commune no longer rely on food rations. They can buy new rice in other communes, so they are unwilling to buy the rationed grain.

In any case, the grain supply is gradually being liberalized. Grain other than the grain allocated to the state is already circulating through multiple channels. The unified purchase and sale system is not only nominal but also riddled with problems.

Furthermore, the rice seeds produced by the cooperative can be sold to whomever they want, and the grain quota is directly calculated using the rice seeds.

During the Spring Festival, the Fang brothers mostly stayed together for meals and drinks. After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Fang Ping and his family returned to the provincial capital. He and Tian Guihua rented a small courtyard in the capital, and they plan to buy a house when the opportunity arises.

After all, they will be staying in the provincial capital for a long time in the future, and they can't keep making do with things in all aspects.

Before leaving, Fang Ping suggested that Fang Wei send Binbin to school in the provincial capital and then have him return to take the high school entrance exam. However, Fang Wei thought about it and decided against it, because it was unnecessary and the constant transfers would only negatively impact the child's mindset.

"Lotus, would you like to live in the provincial capital?"

"No! I think things are fine now. I have everything I need at home. I wouldn't know anyone in the provincial capital. It's much more comfortable to stay at home."

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua also discussed whether to settle down in the provincial capital. It was clear that Fang Ping didn't plan to come back. On the one hand, it was due to work requirements, and on the other hand, their son's family was in the provincial capital, so they could look after each other.

Pan Lianhua doesn't want to live in a big city. If you can make money, who would want to leave their hometown?
However, she could never have imagined that decades later, the rural population would be decreasing, and even those who were unwilling to leave the area would mostly buy houses in the county town.

Fang Wei was certainly aware of this trend; it was an inevitable result of urbanization.

But there's no need to rush now. He still has many things to finish. Let's talk about it when he's almost done.

He had a relatively quiet period after the New Year, and since it wasn't time for spring planting yet, he took the opportunity to review last year's harvest.

秋收收获了6900万斤【农优76】稻种、8400万斤【南光三号】稻种。去年培育的高产经济作物也有不错的表现，其中，收获了黄豆种子1925万斤、花生种子2275万斤，各种辣椒5600万斤。

Other sectors such as aquaculture and forestry also yielded good results.

Harvest crops, points +69000000

Harvesting crops? Points +84000000

Harvest crops, points +19250000

Harvest crops, points +22750000

Harvest crops, points +56000000

[Side hustle settlement, points +15600000]

[Settlement in Yao Village, Points +4000000]

Total points: 874764680.

Next, Fang Wei needs to think things through carefully and then make targeted upgrades.

"The planting area, afforestation and harvesting area, and the main residence are definitely the key areas. Next are several factories."

Fang Wei reorganized the priorities, deciding that facilities like pig farms and poultry sheds should be postponed, as they wouldn't significantly impact the cooperative's performance. Ultimately, planting and forestry were more important, while the main house was more crucial for him and his family. (End of Chapter)