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

Chapter 367 Facing Challenges Head-on, A New Generation Replaces the Old
Reducing or exempting agricultural taxes for breeding enterprises is a concrete manifestation of the state's support for breeding work and a policy benefit that every breeding unit can enjoy.

He didn't care much about this stuff before, but now he's going to prove himself and cut all the taxes that were added at the end.

"Secretary, applying for a reduction or exemption isn't that difficult, but you know the current situation. Will the higher-ups approve it for us?"

Some board members expressed concern, saying that ultimately, the approval process is carried out by people, and given the relationship between the cooperative and certain individuals, it would be difficult to get this done.

"As long as we meet the policy requirements, we can apply for a reduction or exemption. Old Zhao will take the lead in this matter and organize relevant personnel to prepare the application materials as soon as possible."

Fang Wei had considered the possibility of making things difficult for others, but she couldn't let that deter her from submitting the application.

His principle is to solve problems when they arise, and not to give up on things just because they are difficult.

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements right away."

Zhao Jinsheng accepted the task and immediately began preparing the application materials together with the finance and administration departments.

Fang Wei returned to his office and began reviewing documents and handling official business. The cooperative was churning out more and more things, and he had a lot of issues to deal with.

It's approaching noon.

Huang Zhigang made a phone call and invited him to dinner the next evening. The location was set in the county town, and he specifically instructed him to bring a driver, clearly indicating that he wanted to have some drinks.

Fang Wei readily agreed and went home for dinner after ending the call.

The next evening.

Fang Wei arrived in the county town and had the driver stop in front of a small restaurant.

"Xiao Cao, go eat by yourself later. Eat something good, and I'll reimburse you later."

Fang Wei gave the driver some instructions and then went to a private room on the second floor of the restaurant. The room was empty, so he went in, sat down, and drank a cup of tea before Huang Zhigang arrived.

Secretary Huang

"Sit down. Secretary Fang, have you been waiting anxiously?"

"No, I just arrived recently."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two took their seats.

Huang Zhigang asked the waiter to serve the dishes. This dinner had been arranged in advance, so there was no need to order beforehand.

Since there were only two of us, the portions of food that were served were not large.

To Fang Wei's surprise, the food in this small restaurant was of very good quality. After taking a few bites, he couldn't help but praise it repeatedly.

"Secretary Huang, let me raise a glass to you, wishing you a bright future!"

After eating a few bites, Fang Wei put down his chopsticks and raised his glass to toast Huang Zhigang.

He also offered a word of blessing.

"Thank you for your kind words! Secretary Fang, you'll have to control your temper while I'm gone. But luckily I'm still in this area, so you can come to me if you need anything."

The two then chatted for a while, drank most of a bottle of wine, and then ended the meal.

Huang Zhigang will be going to the region to take office tomorrow. He didn't let Fang Wei see him off, only saying that there would be opportunities for reductions and exemptions in the future.

Fang Wei got home around 11 p.m., and Pan Lianhua was still awake, waiting for him in the house.

"Third Brother, you've drunk quite a bit again. Have a cup of tea to sober up."

Pan Lianhua brewed a pot of tea for Fang Wei, then gave him some peanuts and melon seeds to eat, and they chatted for a while.

"Are they all asleep?"

"You went to bed early, Third Brother. Will Secretary Huang's departure have any impact on you or the commune?"

"It's hard to say right now. After all, we haven't dealt with the new leader before, and we don't know what his temperament is like. But it doesn't matter. Just do your job well."

Fang Wei didn't really have anything to worry about. At most, Huang Zhigang's departure would make it a little less convenient for her to handle things, but it wouldn't have a huge impact.

Pan Lianhua trusted her man; if he said it was alright, then it was alright, so she relaxed.

A few days passed quickly.

That morning, just as Fang Wei arrived at his office, Zheng Xianfa called to say that Secretary Cui was coming to the township to inspect the work that morning and had specifically requested to visit the cooperative.

Fang Wei hung up the phone, greeted the directors, and then went about handling his official business.

Actually, there's not much to prepare when a leader comes to inspect our work. He can't exactly put up a banner at the main gate, can he? It's really unnecessary.

He was busy in his office, and before he knew it, more than an hour had passed when Cui Yiming and his group arrived.

"Welcome, Secretary Cui, to our cooperative! Everyone, please have a seat in the meeting room."

Fang Wei met Cui Yiming, who was about forty years old, of medium build, with a square face and little smile on his face.

We invited everyone into the conference room, where staff immediately brought tea and fruit. Everyone took their seats.

"I'd heard of the cooperative before I even came to our county. Secretary Fang, could you tell me about the basic situation of the cooperative so I can learn from it?"

After everyone sat down, Cui Yiming spoke first.

Fang Wei agreed, and then explained the basic situation of the cooperative, including its main outputs, other operations, number of members, per capita income, and so on.

Not only Cui Yiming, but some of the people who came with him were also very surprised.

The cooperative's operations are not made public. Although Fang Wei didn't say much, the few data points he cited were enough to illustrate the point.

"I never imagined the cooperative would grow to what it is today. Secretary Fang, let's go take a look at the fields."

Cui Yiming's serious face finally softened, and he immediately asked Fang Wei to lead the way. The group went to the fields and carefully examined the growth of the rice.

This season, the cooperative planted two types of rice: Nongyou 82 and Nanguang No. 4. Fang Wei gave a detailed introduction to the characteristics of these two rice varieties.

"In addition to rice seeds, we have also cultivated high-yield soybean seeds and high-yield vegetable seeds in the past two years. We are currently working on high-yield corn seeds, and we have already achieved some preliminary results."

Fang Wei spoke his mind freely. Since Cui Yiming had said he wanted to know about the cooperative, he would explain it to him from all aspects.

These situations aren't secrets, so of course we can talk about them.

He felt that he couldn't be too low-key on this occasion; he needed to highlight the achievements of the cooperative and let others see its value.

"In addition, the company is also actively exploring the deep processing of agricultural products, and currently owns brands such as [Yaoling Rice] and [Yaoling Chili Sauce]."

Fang Wei then took them to visit the rice mill and the chili sauce factory, where they had lunch in the chili sauce factory's canteen.

After the meal, Cui Yiming suggested visiting the bamboo ware factory and the hardware factory before returning directly to the county town.

It was getting late, so Fang Wei waited until Pan Lianhua finished get off work before they went home together. "Third Brother, is the new boss easy to deal with?"

During the meal, Pan Lianhua asked a question with a smile.

She also met with Cui Yiming today and felt that his aura was even stronger than Huang Zhigang's, making him seem difficult to get along with.

"He's alright. He seems like a person who gets things done, but we'll have to wait and see how he performs."

This was Fang Wei's first time meeting Cui Yiming, and her impression of him was alright, but it was too early to draw conclusions based on that alone.

Regardless, their first meeting was pleasant, but who can say for sure what will happen in the future?
A few days later, Fang Wei asked Zhao Jinsheng, "Old Zhao, have you submitted the application materials for agricultural tax reduction and exemption?"

"It's been submitted, and now we're just waiting for approval from higher authorities. However, because this matter involves multiple departments, it won't be quick. Let's see if there's any news next month."

"Alright, keep an eye on this matter. If any trouble arises, be sure to report to me immediately."

After finishing this, Fang Wei left Zhao Jinsheng's office and drove directly to the transportation company.

The transportation company is a prime example of extraordinary growth, currently owning over 100 vehicles of various types and employing more than 150 people.

"Secretary, what brings you here? Please have a seat. I need to tell them something, I'll be right there."

When Fang Wei arrived at the transportation company, he ran into the energetic Deng Yuanen.

Deng Yuanen greeted him, then jogged to the garage, gave the employees a few instructions, and then returned to his office.

"Yuan En, are you always this busy?"

"That's not necessarily true, but the company has basically had no off-season this year, it's been all peak season, so naturally we're never free for a single day."

Deng Yuanen made Fang Wei a cup of tea and then began to report on the company's situation.

Fang Wei listened for a moment, then smiled and waved his hand before getting up and heading towards the garage. He figured it was better to chat with the driver than to sit in his office listening to reports.

You can get a lot of information through chatting.

He didn't have Deng Yuanen accompany him, and wandered around by himself. He was quite satisfied with Deng Yuanen's work.

Deng Yuanen is a down-to-earth worker who cares about his employees, but he is also very strict about traffic safety and standardized management. The transportation company's performance has been rising steadily, and it has maintained a zero-accident record since its establishment.

"Yuan En, well done. I hope you can keep up the good work. You're busy now, I'm leaving."

Fang Wei then left the transportation company and sat in Zheng Xianfa's office for a while.

The village has grown considerably, and recalling the days when there were only a dozen or so people, he couldn't help but sigh.

"With so many more people all of a sudden, is the village really that busy?"

"Busy, of course we're busy. Before, with the brigade and production team levels, the township didn't have to worry about many things. Now, there's only one level of administrative village under the township, so the township's burden is naturally heavier."

As the two were talking, Zheng Xianfa made Fang Wei a cup of tea.

He's much busier than before. The new leader doesn't know if there will be personnel adjustments, and people in the townships all have their own ideas.

Fang Wei sat in the office for more than half an hour before taking his leave. Mainly because the office was indeed very busy; people kept coming and going, and he was constantly interrupted whenever he tried to say a few words.

He then went to the bamboo ware factory and waited for Pan Lianhua to finish get off work before returning home together.

The next day was Sunday. Fang Wei took his family to the county town at noon, including Sun Daoren.

Sun Daoren stayed at the Sanqing Temple for a week before returning to his community. Now he still treats people every day and seems to enjoy it.

Currently, China does not have a national medical licensing examination system, and the requirements for practicing medicine vary widely, with relatively lax regulations.

Especially in rural areas, even barefoot doctors can practice medicine, so Sun Daoren certainly can too. However, although Binbin is learning traditional Chinese medicine from the old Taoist priest, he will definitely work hard to get into medical school in the future.

Binbin was also there today. In the car, Sun Daoren asked him a question and answered him. It seemed that he had a very good memory of the traditional Chinese medicine knowledge he had learned.

Fang Weiyi listened to their conversation while driving and felt that her son was born to study traditional Chinese medicine.

However, by the time Binbin finishes university and starts working, traditional Chinese medicine will be in serious decline. I wonder if my son will be very disappointed then.

He didn't want to interfere with his son's choices; he'd deal with some things later.

It was nearly noon when they arrived in the county town. Fang Wei had brought his family out for lunch today. The restaurant he chose was the same one where he had drinks with Huang Zhigang last time. He thought the food there was excellent, so he came back again today.

The proprietress was quite shrewd in business; even though Fang Wei had only been there once before, she remembered this customer.

The family entered the restaurant, and the proprietress busied herself greeting the guests, even giving them a quieter private room.

Fang Wei ordered a table full of dishes. Since he was going out to eat, he wanted his family to have a good meal. Being stingy was not in his nature.

"Third brother, the standard of living is much better now. Before, we wouldn't dare to eat out easily, let alone order so many dishes."

Grandpa was deeply moved. In his younger days, when he went to the county to handle business, he always brought his own food and dared not even step into the door of a restaurant.

Pan Lianhua kept serving food to her grandfather. She had a cheerful and generous personality and didn't think that going out for a meal was a big deal.

We've gotten through the tough times, and now life is pretty ordinary. As long as we're happy, that's all that matters.

After dinner, everyone strolled around the streets and bought clothes for the two children. The small county town was much more prosperous than before, with markets selling fabrics and ready-made clothes, and the noise of bargaining everywhere.

Afterwards, Fang Wei took her son to Xinhua Bookstore to buy some books they needed, and then sent Binbin to school.

After dropping Binbin off, the family returned home.

Time flies.

The village has ushered in the summer harvest.

Fang Wei no longer needed to worry about these matters; Zhao Jinsheng and the other directors had already arranged everything perfectly.

As always, the main force for summer harvest and planting is the agricultural machinery brigade. Nowadays, the agricultural machinery brigade not only undertakes the farming and harvesting tasks for the entire cooperative, but also has the capacity to earn extra money in other towns.

On the one hand, the cooperative's harvest time is earlier than in other places, and on the other hand, there is a large number of various agricultural machines, basically everything you could need.

Customers from all over the country rushed to the cooperative, eagerly awaiting the sale of its rice seeds.

The [Nongyou 82] rice variety is considered better due to its high yield, while the [Nanguang No. 4] rice variety is currently extremely difficult to obtain, requiring people to beg and plead with others, and even then, the success of purchasing it remains uncertain.

"Old Zhao, have someone announce this season's sales plan."

The proposal is readily available and has already been approved by the council.

Specifically, priority is given to supplying farmers who have signed purchase and sales agreements, both within and outside the county. Secondly, we must take care of long-term and large customers.

As a result, the supply of Nanguang No. 4 rice seeds will be very tight.

(End of this chapter)