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

morning.

Fang Wei attended a commendation meeting at the county level, where Xiatang Brigade received an award for Advanced Brigade. He declined the Advanced Individual award and gave it to Zheng Hu instead.

Zheng Hu is a well-deserved model and advanced person. He is busy every day of the year.

The team's plans need to be implemented by him, and production activities need to be organized by him. When encountering problems, everyone usually comes to him and rarely comes to Fang Wei.

It can be said that Zheng Hu is Fang Wei's well-deserved right-hand man, sharing most of the trivial matters with him.

Fang Wei has already asked, and after the new year, Zheng Hu will be able to take over as the captain of the Xiatang Brigade with full legitimacy.

He is still the branch secretary, but he is no longer the team leader.

"Huzi, come with me to No. 1 Middle School. My brother and sister-in-law brought some food for Tingting. I'll give it to her first, and then we'll go back."

There will be no meals at today’s summary and commendation meeting. Comrades in need can go to the cafeteria to get meals and pay for them themselves.

This matter has nothing to do with Wu Yaoyang. It is a request from his superiors. I guess it will be fine after this storm passes.

Neither Fang Wei nor Zheng Hu planned to go to the cafeteria for dinner. After the meeting, they went to No. 1 Middle School together.

When we arrived at No. 1 Middle School, school was just over.

Fang Wei called Fang Tingting out and handed her the lunch box containing the braised pork.

Tingting has grown a lot taller and looks like a grown-up girl when she stands there, but she is still very close to her uncle.

"Manman, you came just in time. I haven't eaten meat for several days. I only eat vegetables every day. Do you think I look green?"

"Where did the food come from? Your face is so red. Tingting, go eat quickly. If you have anything, tell your family. Don't keep it in your heart. Do you hear me?"

"got it!"

Fang Wei said a few words to Tingting and then turned and left.

Then he called Zheng Hu and went to the restaurant together. Since there was no lunch, he decided to splurge and eat out.

The two ordered two dishes and a soup, and returned to the team only after they were full.

night.

Pan Lianhua coaxed Xiaobao to sleep and then handed him over to Wang Zhuyun's care.

"Third brother, you're not done yet, go to bed early."

Fang Wei was reading a book. Pan Lianhua often nagged him, saying that reading under an oil lamp was bad for his eyes, but he never listened.

Now Pan Lianhua came to call him again, but it was not just about reading, it was about the literal meaning.

Fang Wei understood what his wife was thinking, so he closed the book, washed up, and went to bed. During this period, Pan Lianhua was very interested in it and basically asked him to pay his taxes every day.

In essence, Pan Lianhua still wants to have another child.

As a family man, Fang Wei has been working tirelessly during this period. Fortunately, both of them have very good physical fitness, otherwise they really couldn't bear it.

"Third brother, do you want a boy or a girl?"

After everything calmed down, Pan Lianhua turned around and asked.

"I don't have a choice. If I really had to choose, I would want a daughter. One son and one daughter would be best."

Fang Wei really wants a daughter, and he doesn't plan to have more than one. It would be perfect if he had a son and a daughter.

Pan Lianhua thought Fang Wei wanted a son. In rural areas, everyone wants a son because when a son grows up, the family will have an extra strong labor force.

Sooner or later, my daughter will get married and become someone else's daughter-in-law.

That was the truth. She had never thought that her third brother actually wanted a daughter. After living together for so long, she could tell the truth from the lies.

"Okay! Then I'll give you a daughter. Have you rested well? Come back when you're done."

Just when the couple was busy making a baby, the grandfather in the mountain suddenly fell ill.

the next day.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua packed up in a hurry, and went to the Yao village with their sister, Xiaobao and Taoist Sun.

"Brother Songlin, grandpa was fine the last time I came. How come he suddenly can't get out of bed?"

Taoist Sun was treating Grandpa in the bedroom, and Fang Wei pulled Wang Songlin aside to ask about the specific situation.

"A couple of days ago, Grandpa said he had a bloated stomach and couldn't eat. He ended up sleeping and then couldn't get up. Luckily, there were people taking turns to look after him every day. When they realized something was wrong, they went to see a barefoot doctor.

The barefoot doctor said Grandpa was old and had indigestion, so he prescribed some digestive medicine. But after taking the medicine, not only did it not get better, it actually got worse.”

Wang Songlin told Fang Wei what had happened, and he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Barefoot doctors can only treat minor illnesses and common diseases, so it's normal for them to misdiagnose. Wait for Taoist Sun to diagnose you first. If nothing works, go to the hospital immediately. You can't just lie there at home.

Later, Taoist Sun came out from the inner room.

The other party gave Fang Wei a wink, and the two of them walked out, stopping only when they reached the bamboo forest.

"The old man's condition is not good. You have to be mentally prepared. Grandpa's health is even worse than that of my senior brother. He is almost at the end of his life."

Grandpa is older than Guan Chongyang and is over 80 years old.

Fang Wei had expected what Taoist Sun said, but he couldn't accept it.

"Can you find a way to delay it as long as possible? I still have a lot of precious medicinal herbs at home. Mr. Sun, you just need to prescribe the medicine, and I will be responsible for collecting the herbs."

"The effect may not be significant. You can give it a try, but don't hold your hopes too high."

Taoist Sun knew very well that although his medical skills were not bad, he was not a god after all and did not have any magic method to bring the dead back to life.

But since Fang Wei wants to delay for a while at all costs, it can still be done.

Although the price is high, I believe the other party has the ability to do it.

When they returned to the house, Taoist Sun wrote out a prescription and handed it to Fang Wei.

Fang Wei took it and took a look. Wow, there were all these precious medicinal herbs on it, some of which could only be bought in big cities.

But he said nothing and went down the mountain overnight and headed straight for Chenzhou.

With Wu Di's help, he quickly bought all the herbs, spending over 1600 yuan. 1600 yuan was a lot of money in those days, equivalent to the total income of an average worker for three or four years.

After returning, he took a lot of medicinal herbs from home and finally found all the herbs on the prescription written by Taoist Sun.

Afterwards he went to the Yao village without stopping, which was very tiring.

Taoist Sun personally made medicine for Grandpa. During the time Fang Wei was away, he had been living in the village. Wang Songlin specially sent someone to take care of his food and daily life.

After taking the medicine, grandpa's health improved significantly and he was able to get out of bed on the third day.

"Grandpa, take some time to recover. I'll take you to the hospital in the provincial capital."

Fang Wei still wanted to make a living on his own, and when his grandfather's condition got better, he would take him to a big hospital for treatment.

"Don't bother yourself. I'm not sick, I'm just old."

Grandpa is a very open-minded person. He knows very well that everyone cannot escape the natural law of birth, aging, sickness and death.

He was unwilling to go to the provincial capital again, thinking it was unnecessary.

Fang Wei tried to persuade him for a long time, and then Pan Lianhua tried to persuade him for a long time, but no one could convince Grandpa.

"Forget it, Third Brother, this is Grandpa's fate. I think he's gotten much better after taking the medicine prescribed by Old Sun. Let's talk about it later."

In the end, Pan Lianhua accepted her fate and stopped trying to persuade Grandpa. Instead, she turned around and tried to persuade Fang Wei.

She knew that her third brother had tried his best. Putting aside the question of money, he had not had a single day off during this period and had been running around everywhere.

And she didn't think that a big hospital could cure Grandpa.

Fang Wei didn't say anything, feeling very upset.

He now fully understood what it meant that "human power is limited". Even though he was cheating, he could not save other people's lives.

A week later.

Grandpa's health has improved significantly and has basically returned to his previous condition.

Fang Wei did not dare to take it lightly, and asked Wang Songlin to arrange for someone to carry Grandpa down the mountain and back home.

Grandpa will live here from now on. There will be someone to take care of him and it will be close to Taoist Sun.

This time, Taoist Sun forcibly pulled Grandpa back from the brink of death, which caused a stir in the entire Yao village. Therefore, the brothers and sisters also supported Grandpa to go down the mountain so that any problems could be dealt with in time.

The medicinal herbs that Fang Wei bought at a "huge expense" were soon used up.

He then went to Chenzhou again, spent almost all his savings, and insisted that his grandfather complete three courses of Chinese medicine.

"Third brother, that's enough. Everything is excessive."

After taking the medicine, Taoist Sun quickly stopped.

Grandpa seems to be in perfect condition now. You shouldn't take too much tonic medicine, as it can be harmful. Fortunately, Grandpa is no longer involved in village affairs, so he can stay in Team 2.

The old man chats with Guan Chongyang every day, sits at home and plays with Xiaobao, looking carefree.

Fang Wei finally put his worries aside and life returned to normal.

The next day.

Someone from the breeding base invited him to give a lecture, and Fang Wei happily went.

This work is actually very meaningful. On the premise of ensuring that the interests of the team and individuals are not harmed, he is happy to promote hybrid rice breeding technology.

Wang Liang was very capable and even borrowed a jeep from the county to pick up Fang Wei, showing his sincerity.

In one afternoon, Fang Wei talked a lot. In short, he had taught Qinghe County a lot, and he had also taught the county's breeding base as much.

There is no need for him to be so modest. He would be very happy if his small contribution could increase the grain production in the entire region or even the entire province.

Fang Wei spent three consecutive days at the county breeding base.

Wang Liang was very helpful and showed great respect to Fang Wei. After the lecture, he even gave Fang Wei two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of wine.

Fang Wei did not refuse. It was not a valuable thing, and he was willing to have a good relationship with Wang Liang.

As for Rhode, he had already left the base to go to the region for training. I heard the training would last for six months, and it was unclear whether he would be able to stay at the base after his return.

"Brother, let's split the cigarettes and alcohol they gave us in half."

After returning home, Fang Wei gave his elder brother a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of wine.

Although he doesn't smoke, he always carries one or two packs of cigarettes with him, and often needs to give cigarettes to others.

Fang Ping accepted the cigarettes and alcohol without hesitation, then said:
"Third brother, someone has set their sights on our vegetable seeds and has used their connections to find me. Do you think this could be a way to make money?"

"Seed breeding is very profitable. In comparison, seeds of high-yield cash crops are the most profitable, high-yield rice seeds have the highest social benefits, and vegetable seeds are also acceptable.

The problem is that we don’t have enough land and manpower to do this, so the yield of vegetable seeds cannot be increased, and there is no way to promote it on a large scale.”

Fang Wei shook his head and then explained to his elder brother.

Fang Ping nodded, feeling it was a pity. If they had a hundred or so more mother lands, Team 2's income would increase significantly.

Of course, some people tried to obtain seeds through other means, such as offering them some benefits. But Fang Ping sternly rejected all of these. Now that all the fields were collectively owned, he would definitely make a mistake if he did so.

In fact, Fang Wei was also short of money. In order to collect the precious herbs to treat his grandfather's illness, most of the family savings were used up.

As a team leader, you should never do this. Individuals are individuals and collectives are collectives. If you want to gain benefits from the collective, you will definitely pay the price in the future.

night.

Pan Lianhua also mentioned the family’s financial situation. They are not so poor that they can’t make ends meet, but they are a little tight.

"Third brother, how about we go to the mountains in the next couple of days? Our family savings are almost gone. You and I can pick some herbs and make some money."

She doesn't feel bad about spending money on her grandfather's medical treatment, but the family's expenses are high, and now she has to bear the expenses of five people.

Although Grandpa has changed his prescription now and his expenses are much lower, that is only relative.

Grandpa wanted to give his savings to his granddaughter several times, but Pan Lianhua refused to take them, so she was a little angry.

"There's no rush to collect herbs. My family isn't so desperate to afford living expenses yet. The team will distribute dividends soon, and between you and me, we'll have at least two thousand yuan."

Fang Wei didn't want Pan Lianhua to worry about him, so he responded lightly.

You can go picking herbs anytime, but the weather has been bad lately, so let's wait a while.

The next day.

Tian Bingyi suddenly came to Fang Wei and said he wanted to buy some vegetable seeds.

"Is it your production team that wants it or you personally?"

"Of course it's our production team that wants it. Third brother, I have good news for you. I'm now the team leader."

Tian Bingyi was the deputy team leader two years ago, and now he has taken a step further and become the team leader of the production team.

Fang Wei couldn't help but laugh and quickly offered a few words of congratulations.

"If your team needs it, I'll find a way for you. Go find Hu Zi later; he'll be in charge of this matter and can give you some. Brother-in-law, you don't know that our vegetable seeds have suddenly become a hot commodity."

"How could I not know? Otherwise, why would I come to you for such a small matter?"

The two chatted in the office for a while, and then Fang Wei went to call Zheng Hu over.

As soon as the matter was told, Zheng Hu immediately patted his chest in confidence.

Afterwards, Tian Bingyi followed Zheng Hu to get the seeds. There were a lot of things, so he asked a hand tractor to deliver them and settle the bill at the same time.

Every penny of collective property must be calculated clearly, and only the appropriate amount should be given.

Next.

Xiatang Brigade began the year-end settlement, and Accountant Liu and others were busy as a whirlwind.

The accountants of each production team all participated in this work, which was also their busiest time of the year.

After summarizing the income and expenditure and calculating the net profit, they had to make a reserve. Fang Wei also asked them to set aside a separate amount for the production development fund, and the remaining amount could be used as dividends.

"Captain, the settlement data is out. The funds available for dividends this year are 247.52 million yuan."

Accountant Liu and others worked for half a month, and only after repeatedly checking and confirming that the data was correct did they report to Fang Wei.

"Thanks for your hard work!"

Fang Wei thanked the other party for his hard work, asked him to put down the report, and went back to rest.

Later, he convened a meeting of brigade cadres and production team leaders to discuss the issue of dividends.

Everyone spoke enthusiastically and said all kinds of things. More than half of them suggested that all the money should be distributed. After all, the team had already made full provisions for various things and had left a large amount of funds for production development.

Some people think that one should be more low-key. If one divides too much, it will surely cause jealousy and may even cause trouble.

Fang Weiyi remained silent until everyone had fully discussed the matter before making a decision.

"This year's distribution plan is still based on the coefficient. The average for Team 1000 is 800 yuan per person, and the average for the other production teams is yuan per person. That's it."

Fang Weiyi made the final decision on this year's distribution plan.

The specific dividend distribution date will have to wait until after New Year's Day. Everyone is eagerly looking forward to it, but the rule will not change.

There has been a cold wave in the area these two days, and the temperature has dropped sharply and is approaching zero degrees.

Fang Wei asked someone to buy a few iron stoves from the county, remodeled the chimney, and added a fire wall so that he could boil water in the main room to keep warm. The floor stove in the middle of the main room was no longer used because the exhaust gas was difficult to exhaust completely.

In fact, you basically don’t see fire walls in the south. After all, they are not very useful. There are rarely sub-zero temperatures throughout the year, and the low temperature periods are generally very short.

This means that buying coal is another considerable expense, and the main purpose of doing this is for grandpa's consideration.

Now that his own home was warm, he did not forget Old Man Guan and Taoist Sun. He installed an iron stove for each of them, and they bought the necessary coal with their own money.

The two old men still had some savings, so a little heating money was no problem.

"Big brother, third brother, don't forget to eat hot pot tonight."

Guan Chongyang likes hot pot very much. He has a copper pot at home, which is at least 20 years old.

Fang Wei and Fang Ping busied themselves updating their heating equipment, and the old man was so happy that he took out the pot again.

"Okay, let's invite Grandpa over tonight, but one thing: don't drink too much."

Fang Wei agreed readily, but also issued a ban to the old man in advance.

You are not allowed to drink more than three glasses of alcohol, everything else is fine.

"If I don't want to drink, then I don't. I just want to eat hot pot. It doesn't matter whether I drink or not."

The old man laughed and was very receptive to advice.

After the two brothers finished their work, they returned home to rest.

When Fang Wei saw Pan Lianhua, he told her that he was going to the old man's place to eat hot pot in the evening. This made his wife very greedy. She also wanted to eat hot pot and was not willing to wait even for a day.

"That's it, then. Let's just call them all over to our house in the evening, isn't that all that matters?"

Fang Wei couldn't help but smile, so he went to talk to the old man again and asked him to change the location of the hot pot to his own home.

Grandpa Guan didn't mind. His house was small and it would be crowded if there were too many people. So he gave all the ingredients he had prepared in advance to Fang Wei.

Afterwards, Pan Lianhua and Wang Zhuyun also prepared a lot of things.

night.

Fang Ping, Tian Guihua and his wife, Taoist Sun, and Old Man Guan all came to Fang Wei's place to eat hot pot. (End of this chapter)