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

Just like the Nanguang series, the four corn varieties were named from Yuxiang No. 1 to Yuxiang No. 4. Among them, Yuxiang No. 1 was bred through a mutant strain.

"Tao Tao, what do you estimate the stable production of [Yu Xiang No. 1] will be?"

Fang Wei stayed in the experimental field for two hours, then turned to look at Fang Wei and asked.

"According to our calculations, the stable yield of [Yuxiang No. 1] should be between 1200 and 1500 jin per mu. The yield of the other three corn varieties should be over 800 jin per mu."

Fang Tao thought for a moment and gave a more convincing figure.

"There should still be potential to be tapped, so there's no rush. You guys keep working on it."

Fang Wei then left the experimental field and went for a walk on the dry slope.

This season, the cooperative planted chili peppers in the dry fields, a variety of six different types. Some of these varieties are suitable for making chili sauce, some for making chili threads, some for making chili powder, and some for making chopped chili.
Dried chili peppers are also very popular and have long been a hot seller both inside and outside the province.

The cooperative's products are no longer limited to rice varieties. In addition to the cultivation of seeds for various crops, they also include the planting (purchase) and deep processing of chili peppers, as well as the purchase and processing of rice.

There are also two vegetable greenhouses that can produce off-season vegetables, early-maturing fruits and vegetables, specialty vegetables, and so on.

With a diverse product range and flexible switching options, there's virtually no possibility of losing money; it's just a matter of how much you earn.

As for the factories under the cooperative, that's another different track altogether, where they can basically crush a host of township enterprises and are extremely competitive.

After this season's chili peppers are harvested, soybean seeds will be cultivated, which is a variety that Fang Wei has been promoting for the past two years.

morning.

A torrential downpour began, and Fang Wei braved the rain to rush to the office, where he convened an emergency meeting with Zhao Jinsheng and others.

The weather this month is unpredictable; for example, this sudden downpour was not detected in advance.

After sitting down in the conference room, Fang Wei didn't waste any time and immediately activated the emergency plan, requiring everyone to perform their duties and make preparations for flood prevention and control.

No one was surprised. The company has developed many emergency plans over the years, and there are standard procedures for which plan to activate in which situation.

The short-term rainfall of this rainstorm has exceeded the threshold of a 50-year event, so it should be taken very seriously.

After the tasks were assigned, the council members went to their respective teams to work with the team leaders to implement flood prevention and control measures.

Fang Wei, who was in charge of the cooperative, kept receiving reports from various production teams.

By evening.

The rain stopped abruptly, and the stars in the night sky were exceptionally bright; the rain had stopped and the sky was clear.

the next day.

Fang Wei then lifted the alert status. Apart from having dedicated personnel patrolling, all flood control and disaster relief personnel were withdrawn, and supplies were immediately transferred back to the warehouse.

It's okay if it's a false alarm, but without contingency plans and effective execution, a single disaster can severely damage the community.

Because the rainstorm came and went quickly, it did not cause any harm to agricultural production; on the contrary, it was beneficial to the growth of crops.

Fang Wei and the others breathed a sigh of relief, and only after calming down did they realize that the Dragon Boat Festival was just around the corner.

"During the holidays, welfare will be distributed according to the standard of 5 catties of pork, 1 chicken, 1 duck and 5 catties of eggs per person."

After discussing it with the board members, Fang Wei decided to provide welfare benefits to the members. This kind of material distribution welfare was limited to a few important holidays throughout the year, such as the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Spring Festival.

This is actually a way to enhance everyone's sense of collective honor.

Fang Wei received the benefits for herself and Pan Lianhua, then returned home and asked her older sister to handle the matter.

"Third brother, the weather is getting warmer, do you think we should buy a refrigerator for the family?"

At that time, Japanese home appliances were still dominating the domestic market, but domestic home appliances also began to emerge, and some well-known brands that would later become famous also appeared.

To be honest, there is still a gap between domestic and imported home appliances at this stage. Of course, the price difference is even greater, but this may be the last glory of Japanese home appliances.

Fang Wei bought a Zhongyi refrigerator directly, and it seems to be working well for her.

Currently, most domestic appliance production in China involves directly importing production lines. The current trend is towards an import-digestion-innovation model, resulting in a proliferation of large and small appliance manufacturers across the country.

For example, popular brands like Shaofeng TVs and Zhongyi refrigerators have all eventually disappeared due to market forces.

"Third Brother, this refrigerator is really nice!"

Pan Lianhua enjoyed the wonderful feeling of eating cold drinks in the hot weather and liked the refrigerator more and more.

In reality, most domestically produced home appliances are currently at the low end of the market. They are usable, but if you're unlucky, they can cause a lot of problems.

The happiest person about having a refrigerator isn't even Pan Lianhua; it's my sister who's the happiest. Before, storing food and meals was a real headache whenever the weather got hot, but now with a refrigerator, it's so much easier.

"I'll install a ceiling fan in the main room later, so it'll be cooler for everyone sitting here."

Fang Wei nodded at the lotus flower plate, then went to the refrigerator and took out an ice pop to eat.

Although the cooperative's refrigeration equipment factory produces air conditioners, nobody in the cooperative buys them. Air conditioners are still considered a luxury item these days, and it's rare for ordinary households to own one.

In big cities, some wealthy families do buy air conditioners, but the proportion is very low; generally, it's more common for workplaces to buy them.

The refrigeration equipment factory's business mainly consists of two parts: one is producing air conditioners under its own brand, and the other is OEM production.

Fang Wei acted immediately. The next day, as soon as he got to the office, he called the distributor in the county and asked them to send over a few ceiling fans.

These ceiling fans are also products of the electric fan factory, and they still sell very well in county towns and rural areas, mainly because they are practical and inexpensive.

He wouldn't bother getting the goods from the factory for such a small item; the distributor not only delivers them to his door but also handles the installation.

Ceiling fans were installed in the main room and several bedrooms. When they were turned on, a cool breeze blew, which was quite comfortable.

"What else do we need? Oh right, we need to buy another washing machine, so that you and your sister won't have to work so hard."

During dinner, everyone felt cooler than usual, all thanks to the ceiling fan.

Fang Wei realized that her family was missing a washing machine, so she discussed it with Pan Lianhua and said that she wanted to buy one.

"Okay, but I don't know if the washing machine can get the clothes clean?"

"It'll do. If the dirt is too bad, rub it by hand first, then wash it in the washing machine. It will definitely be clean."

Fang Wei thought about it more and more and felt that it was necessary. After discussing it with Pan Lianhua, they bought a washing machine.

Grandpa circled the washing machine for a long time, and couldn't help but feel that times had really changed. Things he never dared to imagine before were now right in front of him, and he couldn't even fathom what the future held.

Pan Lianhua and her sister couldn't wait to try washing clothes in the washing machine. The results were just okay, but it was much easier than washing by hand.

"Third Brother, it's all thanks to your insistence on building the water plant back then, otherwise even if we bought a washing machine, it wouldn't be convenient to use."

Pan Lianhua had always admired men's foresight and wisdom, and now she admired them even more. Fang Wei smiled and nodded. There was nothing to be modest about; it was all his own achievement.

in the afternoon.

Fang Wei arrived at the office, and Zheng Xianfa and others came in.

"Secretary Zheng, why such a big commotion today?"

Fang Wei stood up with a smile. Seeing that there were quite a few people, he decided to invite them to sit in the conference room.

"Secretary Fang, please don't rush. The comrades from the county are here today to discuss agricultural tax again. We hope you will cooperate."

Zheng Xianfa looked very unwell; he had no prior knowledge of the matter concerning the verification of agricultural taxes.

He also realized that the so-called agricultural tax audit was aimed at cooperatives and had nothing to do with other townships.

"Secretary Fang, we are here to conduct the verification as required by our superiors. We apologize for the trouble we have caused you."

The inspectors were very polite. They explained that this was not something they did voluntarily or proactively; it was at the request of the relevant local authorities, and they had no choice but to come.

"Please come with me to the conference room. I'll have the finance staff contact you later."

Fang Wei was very unhappy, but he didn't say anything and cooperated with the other party's work.

The finance staff arrived at the meeting room with the ledgers, and everyone got to work.

Fang Wei and Zheng Xianfa went outside. Zheng Xianfa silently took out a cigarette, lit it, and said, "I didn't know about this beforehand. Be careful. I suspect someone is trying to mess with you."

"Whatever. If it's not too outrageous, I won't say anything. But if it's too outrageous, I'll definitely make a huge scene."

"No, they're just following the rules. Don't do anything reckless."

As it turned out, Fang Wei's concerns were not unfounded. After verification, the cooperative's agricultural tax was to increase by nearly 20%.

This isn't some random thing done by comrades from the county; recently, the region issued a document stating that the agricultural tax for breeding companies will increase by 5% to 20% per unit of land area.

"Is this an increase in agricultural tax based on what's almost the highest standard?"

Fang Wei was very dissatisfied and spoke with the head of the verification team.

The man's gaze darted away, but he still nodded.

"This is a requirement from higher authorities, Secretary Fang. Your cooperative is doing well, so you probably don't mind paying a little more tax, right?"

In fact, he still didn't want to take the blame, and directly pointed out the root cause of the matter.

Fang Wei snorted coldly and said nothing. They were acting within the rules, so he couldn't really find fault with them; if things escalated, it would be his fault.

"That's settled then. I'll go find the relevant local authorities later."

Fang Wei saw the guests off without even offering them a meal.

He has a temper too. How can he still have a good attitude when he's always being targeted like this?
Those people knew what they had done, and they left without saying a word.

Fang Wei then went to see Huang Zhigang, but Huang Zhigang couldn't solve the problem either.

“Secretary Fang, I’ve already started handing over the work, so even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have time. Here’s what we’ll do: wait until Secretary Cui, who’s taking over, is done with his work, then you can have a good talk with him.”

Huang Zhigang is about to take office in Xiangling City, and he is indeed powerless to do anything about the current situation.

His successor was Cui Yiming, who was transferred from another place. Fang Wei hadn't met him yet, so naturally he couldn't go to see him now.

Back at the office, he called Wu Yaoyang's secretary and told him about his predicament.

The other party told him not to worry, and that he would report the matter to his superiors as soon as possible.

The other members of the cooperative were equally angry, but as they said before, the other party was acting within the rules, so there was really nowhere to reason with them.

this day.

After Wu Yaoyang finished the meeting, his secretary took the opportunity to report to him what Fang Wei had said.

“The bigger the company, the greater its responsibility, so it’s not appropriate for me to get involved in this matter. However, the policy issued by Xiangling District is problematic; it does not comply with national regulations and provincial requirements, so this matter should be investigated.”

The secretary understood immediately and then made a few phone calls.

After discussions, the provincial government ultimately decided to revoke the agricultural tax increase regulations for Xiangling area and adopt a unified plan for the entire province. According to this plan, cooperatives will see a 5% increase in agricultural tax.

Fang Wei finally felt relieved. This matter wasn't about paying more or less tax, but rather about someone deliberately making things difficult for the cooperative within the rules.

Unfortunately, the local regulations were deemed inappropriate and were subsequently revoked by the province.

"Old Zhao, go to the canteen and make arrangements. Also, invite all the council members, team leaders, Wang Songlin, and Tian Bingyi to join us for drinks tonight."

Fang Wei vented his anger. He cared about fairness and didn't care about the extra 5% tax.

"Great, some bad guys must be furious, so let's have a proper celebration."

Zhao Jinsheng agreed and then went to the cafeteria to make the arrangements and notified the relevant personnel.

night.

Fang Wei, Zhao Jinsheng, Wang Songlin, Tian Bingyi and others had a meal together in the cafeteria, and everyone drank quite a bit of alcohol.

"Some people are always trying to manipulate the cooperative, but we have no grudge against them, so why are they specifically targeting us?"

With everyone in the room under the influence of alcohol, someone raised this very pointed question.

Fang Wei looked up and scanned the area, and the cafeteria immediately fell silent.

"This isn't about whether there's any grudge or not; it's about the fact that we've chosen a different path, which some people don't approve of. I've said before that the path we've chosen will be difficult, and now you understand, right?"

“If you disagree, just go your separate ways. Why bully people? Fortunately, the higher-ups weren’t fooled, otherwise they would have succeeded.”

"Everyone, this is just the beginning. We will encounter all sorts of difficulties in the future. I hope you will not be discouraged and will continue to do your jobs well. We will definitely be able to persevere to the end."

Those who are considered outcasts must be aware of their own outcast nature.

Fang Wei felt that since everyone believed that the path they were on was correct, they should not be afraid of gains and losses, and should continue to the end even if it meant overcoming many obstacles.

The meal lasted until after 10 p.m. before everyone finally left.

Fang Wei went home, took a shower, and lay in bed unable to fall asleep. He thought a lot. There was a time when he felt that he could compromise on some things, but in return, he was met with relentless pressure from certain people.

Since giving in won't bring peaceful coexistence, then we'll stop giving in!
The next morning.

Fang Wei convened a board meeting and decided to begin applying for agricultural tax reductions for breeding enterprises. (End of Chapter)