Chapter 213

Su Weimin looked at the plan written by his daughter. It was only a few hundred words long, with straightforward content. It could be summarized into several key points:

Divide the land equally per capita, disregarding gender or age, and assigning responsibility to each family to boost their work ethic. The amount of public grain allocated should be flexible, ensuring self-sufficiency in production. During years of abundance, families should store surplus grain, while in lean years, they won’t seek aid from the state. Although the statement avoids blaming the public if higher authorities criticize Secretary Su Weimin, Su Xiaoxiao proposes suggesting Sujia Village as a pilot project for two years before reassessing the situation.

Su Xiaoxiao had seen some documentaries in her past life. In 1978, in a small village in a certain province, eighteen farmers acted as pioneers of reform. Despite the risks, they drafted a less-than-a-hundred-word “household-based land contract” guarantee, abandoning the communal dining system and idleness. The following year, the harvest surpassed the total yield of the previous five years.

However, despite a plentiful harvest, questioning and criticism persisted. It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that leaders recognized and endorsed the practice of “large-scale contracting” in small villages, believing it would enhance the enthusiasm of rural workers and maximize the land’s potential value. They clearly stated that “rural reform is imperative.” The policy of the “household contract responsibility system” was officially implemented in 1982.

Su Xiaoxiao, born in the 1990s and lacking experience in rural areas, had limited knowledge about such matters since she had no one around her to provide information on this topic. She vaguely recalled from historical accounts that land would inevitably be divided among households in the coming years. Therefore, Su Weimin did not need to emphasize this issue prominently amidst the current disagreement.

However, looking at the current situation, if Su Weimin hadn’t decisively called for an early rice harvest and if she and Han Cheng hadn’t coincidentally returned and brought reinforcements, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t intend for Su Weimin to take such risks “without hiding anything,” but this matter could be brought up with the county leadership in advance. Whether the county leaders dared to approve it or not, the timing of approval didn’t matter much. It would still be a matter of implementing it a few years earlier or later, with no significant loss.

But Su Weimin’s forward-thinking suggestion needed to be seen by the leaders. Even if the county leaders didn’t dare to approve it, when the highest leaders announced the policy in the future, they would remember that the branch secretary of Sujia Village was a reform pioneer whose ideas and leadership coincided with theirs. In the future, if Su Weimin proposes any suggestions to the county, they might take them seriously.

Moreover, this idea was indeed proposed by Su Weimin. Whether they ate from the communal pot or not, they would still be half-fed and never truly satisfied. People who worked hard saw lazy individuals getting by easily, which naturally demotivated them. Consequently, the labor enthusiasm of everyone remained low, and many engaged in “cutting corners” in their work. With such a work mentality, how could productivity possibly increase?

Previously, Su Weimin would never have entertained such thoughts. However, in the past two years, with the reinstatement of the college entrance examination, increasing instances of open criticism, the disappearance of red armbands on the streets, the gradual rehabilitation of intellectuals, and the return of educated youth to the cities, all these changes indicated one thing: under new leadership, the social atmosphere had shifted, and hope was visible to everyone. 

Su Weimin now believed that dividing farmland among households wouldn’t necessarily decrease national grain output but could incentivize more work and fair compensation, discouraging laziness. Despite this, he remained uncertain about its feasibility.

“Don’t worry, my daughter. After the Double Harvest, I will go to the county to bring up this matter. There is not much rain outside, so I will go and see the situation outside first.”

The cubs who have been locked up at home for several days can no longer sit still; they all want to go out with their grandfather.

Actually, once the typhoon subsided, there wasn’t much danger outside, and since the rain had stopped, Li Yufeng didn’t restrict them anymore; she just made sure they wore hats and raincoats. Han Cheng and Su Zhenhua also couldn’t sit still; each carrying a little one, they went out to see the situation.

Li Yufeng said, “I’ll also go to the vegetable garden and see how things are. I’ll bring back some vegetables on the way.”

Su Xiaoxiao doesn’t want to go out, but she really wants to go to the county and see what Head Chen, who had vehemently accused her of acting out of selfishness, is doing now. And there was another thing: who was so bored as to report her?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

At this moment in the county office, the county magistrate and the secretary were shaking hands with Head Chen. The secretary patted his shoulder and said, “Well done. You were the first to visit Sujia Village and managed to harvest all the rice. You also mobilized troops to help. Other communes have harvested about forty to fifty percent on average. I’ve sent agricultural experts to inspect the unharvested rice. If it’s all harvested in the next two days and dried in the sun in time, we can salvage a lot. Even if it’s sprouting, it won’t affect its edibility. The losses will probably only be about ten to twenty percent.”

The county mayor sighed and said, “The unexpected arrival of this typhoon can be seen as a stroke of luck amidst adversity. The superiors won’t blame us. It’s all thanks to your timely detection of the problem and decisive actions during the visit. I’ll report to the higher-ups. We’ll save more public grain this year, and your achievements will be recorded. You’ve been in this position for so many years; it’s time to move up.”

Head Chen tried several times to interject with “Actually, it’s Su Weimin’s credit,” but couldn’t get a word in. Finally, upon hearing phrases like “recorded in achievements” and “move up,” he changed his approach, saying, “Actually, it’s not all my credit. It’s also thanks to experienced village branch secretary Su Weimin, comrades from the meteorological department, and other village elders who provided reminders. It’s everyone’s credit.”

(Lucia: *sigh*, what a greedy man.)

Without clearly explaining the true cause of the matter, Head Chen was essentially deliberately taking credit for himself. But to the leaders who were unaware of the truth, it conveyed a different message. The leaders do not even know the true reason for Head Chen’s visit; they thought he had specifically discussed the matter with Su Weimin before calling on the villagers to harvest rice. Because of the importance of the matter, other communes waited for more in-depth research and accurate data before starting large-scale harvesting. This showed a cautious attitude towards work.

The county magistrate and the secretary exchanged a glance, thinking what a great comrade Head Chen was. Despite his significant contribution, he didn’t seek sole credit and didn’t forget to acknowledge others who were merely involved. Such a cadre with good moral character must be promoted. It wouldn’t do to overlook such a dedicated cadre who didn’t seek personal gain.

The secretary said, “Rest assured after the typhoon passes, everyone who deserves recognition and reward won’t be overlooked. Now, your agricultural department will mainly cooperate to do a good job in the next harvest work. The top priority is to delegate the task to see the situation of the disaster, how to provide assistance, and postpone the rest.”

Upon hearing this, Head Chen naturally felt reassured. He hadn’t sought personal gain; he had already mentioned Su Weimin’s name in front of the county magistrate and the secretary. As for how the leaders would commend him, that was up to them; it had nothing to do with him.

(Lucia: Yeah, gaslight yourself, bud.)

He even added as he left, “Actually, Su Weimin deserves the most credit.”

The two leaders waved their hands, indicating they understood.

When Head Chen walked out of the county mayor’s office, he felt completely rejuvenated. He had never experienced success before and had resigned himself to working in the same position until retirement. Unexpectedly, at his age, he was being promoted, and he walked away while humming and with his newfound confidence.

-o-o-o-o-o-

During the siege of Sujia Village, Su Weimin’s family saved the entire village’s food supply, earning the gratitude of everyone. Wherever they went, people warmly greeted them, even offering double happiness candies that had been saved since Chinese New Year as a gesture of respect for Xiao Roubao.

Naturally, Xiao Roubao declined. His mother had told him that life was hard for people in the village and that grains were precious. All the food was hard-earned, so he shouldn’t take anything from them. He should go home and eat when he’s hungry; he shouldn’t take things from the villagers. He couldn’t accept anything.

Xiao Roubao is greedy, but he is also a kind and sensible child. He politely refuses with a smile, “Thank you, Auntie, but my mom said eating too much candy can cause cavities, so she doesn’t let me eat candies.”

After saying this, the little guy proudly showed off his sparkling white teeth, saying, “Look at how good my teeth are after not eating candies. For the sake of my pearly whites, I won’t eat candies. You guys keep them for yourselves.” Although Xiao Roubao said this, his eyes clearly betrayed his words; he stared eagerly at the red double happiness candies in the person’s hand, almost drooling.

Xiao Roubao nibbled on his chubby fingers, sighing inwardly. Double happiness candies! They looked so delicious.

The four older brothers in front all suspected that their ears were damaged. They were nearly stumbling over each other in disbelief. If it hadn’t been for Xiao Roubao consuming most of the white rabbit milk candies at home, they might have believed him.

Even Han Cheng, who was holding Xiao Roubao, couldn’t help but smile. He and Su Xiaoxiao, with their upright personalities, couldn’t fathom how they had raised such a little rascal. Han Cheng pinched the child’s cheek with his large hand and whispered softly in his ear, “Daddy will buy you some later.”

Xiao Roubao, hugging his father’s neck, stared with wide eyes, hardly believing it. His chubby hands tugged at his father’s hairline as he looked left and right. “Daddy, did you get struck by lightning on the way out in the rain yesterday?”

The other children couldn’t hear what Han Cheng whispered to Xiao Roubao. Upon hearing Xiao Roubao’s audacious words, they turned around one after another.

Fantuan asked, “Xiao Roubao, do you want Daddy to beat you?”

Xiao Roubao shook his head while holding his father and said, “I’m so well-behaved. How could my father be willing to beat his beloved baby?”

Han Cheng: “…”. Forget about buying candies; he’d just let this little meatball go home and eat sweet potatoes.

Fantuan said, “You’re not the beloved baby; your sister is our beloved baby. You’re just a little troublemaker.”

Xiao Roubao didn’t have the same view as his older brother. Seeing that his father’s head was fine and he didn’t have any problems, he realized that what his father said about buying him candy was real! Xiao Roubao hugged his father’s face and gave him a heavy, wet kiss on his cheek, leaving his father’s face covered in saliva. “Daddy, beloved baby declares you the most handsome and best daddy in the world! Beloved baby loves you!”

Han Cheng said, “…” 

Han Cheng couldn’t bear it anymore, so he handed Xiao Roubao over to Fantuan, lest he accidentally throw this cunning little meatball away.

Both Su Weimin and Su Zhenhua couldn’t help but laugh. Han Cheng’s relationship with the children was really good. Han Cheng didn’t talk much and was a bit serious, but the children all admired him and listened to him very much, but they weren’t afraid of him. In fact, he and Su Xiaoxiao treated their children as friends and taught them very well.

The whole family “patrolled” around, and the typhoon had indeed been fierce; almost all the haystacks and vegetable garden fences in the village had been blown down. The adobe houses, cattle sheds, and toilets, long neglected, had collapsed. Even the courtyard where Yang Nanhuai used to live collapsed halfway. Fortunately, no more people are living in the place now. Some of the nearby mountains had also collapsed, and a lot of mud had fallen into the fields and needed to be cleared.

Despite stocking up on straw in the various cowsheds before the typhoon, it was still a problem if one of the cowsheds collapsed and a cow escaped. The production team leader had organized villagers to search the mountains after discovering them.

Thanks to Su Zhenhua’s foresight, after the number of pigs increased, he built a bungalow and kitchen at the breeding farm. He had also hired two lonely orphaned children who had no family to take care of the pigs and allowed them to live in the house. Otherwise, with such a typhoon, they wouldn’t know how to feed the pigs. Now, everything was safe.

Overall, although this typhoon was fierce, it did not cause too much damage to Sujia Village. However, it would take some manpower and resources to clean up afterward.

As the saying goes, in the face of such natural disasters, this outcome was considered fortunate amidst the misfortune.