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

Chapter 92: Covered in scarves, divine assist
Two days later.

Fang Wei followed Zheng Xianfa on a tractor to the commune, and then took a bus straight to the county town.

The bus was in such a shabby state at that time. There was no part of the car body, frame or window that didn't make noises. I was bumping along all the way and felt like I was about to fall apart.

The cars are bad and the road conditions are worse. This is the reality of today.

Zheng Xianfa kept greeting people on the bus, but Fang Wei was not familiar with these people, so he didn't say anything.

When they arrived at the county town, everyone got off the bus and the two walked to the county theater.

Today's commendation meeting was held in the theater, and it was packed with people.

"Zheng Xianfa, Captain Zheng, this way."

The two were a little confused, and just then, Secretary Liu from the commune saw them and waved to call them over.

The seats were arranged according to the commune. After the two sat down, someone announced the meeting after more than ten minutes.

The county leader then began his summary report, summarizing the achievements and challenges of summer harvest and planting. He praised Yaoling Commune, emphasizing the outstanding achievements of Team 2 in cultivating high-quality rice varieties.

The speech lasted a long time, and Fang Wei was lost in thought. He listened to some of it, but not most of it.

Later, when the award ceremony came, he and Zheng Xianfa went on stage to receive their awards respectively.

A certificate, a pen, and a notebook are the only personal prizes, and the only collective prize is a certificate.

Zheng Xianfa didn't mind and kept smiling foolishly while holding the certificate.

He still attaches great importance to collective honor. A thin piece of paper represents the countless sweat and hard work of all the members of the team.

"Fang Wei, don't leave yet. The leader wants to see you after lunch."

Fang Wei and Zheng Xianfa came out of the theater. Secretary Liu from the commune caught up with them and told Fang Wei not to leave after dinner and to wait in the cafeteria.

It was almost noon, and the county office cafeteria arranged meals so we could have a free meal.

Some communes are far away. If you go back on an empty stomach, won’t you starve?

"Okay, I know."

Fang Wei responded and went to the cafeteria with Zheng Xianfa.

The meal was simple: a serving of shredded sweet potato rice, a serving of [stir-fried pork with chili peppers], and a small bowl of loofah soup.

It is called [Stir-fried Pork with Chili Peppers], but you can only see a few bits of meat in the dish. It is good enough if you can taste some meat in your mouth.

Fang Wei and Zheng Xianfa were not picky eaters and they quickly finished the food, feeling very satisfied.

The two of them set out early in the morning, traveled to the commune and then to the county. By this time, they were so hungry that everything tasted delicious to them.

"Xiao Xiucai, the leader is meeting you, so be careful with your words and don't say everything. It's better not to say anything that is not appropriate, and don't say anything carelessly to avoid trouble.

I'm going back first. When you're done, take the bus to the commune. Do you understand?"

Because the leader only saw Fang Weiyi, Zheng Xianfa planned to leave first.

Before leaving, he was given many warnings and instructions, fearing that the young man would be ignorant of the situation and offend the leader with his words.

Fang Wei nodded repeatedly, understanding the other person's concern, even though he didn't need it. As someone who had lived two lives, he was already accustomed to the ups and downs of life and wouldn't lose his composure just because of who he met.

After Zheng Xianfa left, he sat in the corner of the cafeteria to rest.

Less than twenty minutes later, a staff member from the county office found him and took him to Xue Yumin's office.

Xue Yumin is the county manager. He is about fifty years old, but his face looks wrinkled and he looks much older than his actual age.

"Comrade Fang Wei is truly young and promising. Please take a seat."

When Xue Yumin saw Fang Wei, he couldn't help but sigh that the other party was so young, yet had achieved extraordinary results.

Then the two of them sat down separately, and he always had a warm smile on his face.

"I'm young and promising, but I don't dare to take credit for it. I just did something insignificant."

Fang Wei knew that he had to be humble when facing praise from his leader, as no leader liked people with flamboyant personalities.

Sure enough, the smile on Xue Yumin's face became more sincere.

Next, Xue Yumin asked about some details of the breeding work, especially wanting to know the yield limit of [Nanguang No. 1].

When he heard that the yield per mu of [Nanguan No. 800] was unlikely to exceed kilograms, he sighed slightly.

"People really shouldn't be greedy. Our current achievements are already very good, so how could we possibly ask for more? Xiao Fang, I hope you'll keep up the good work and cultivate even better rice varieties in the future."

Xue Yumin ended the conversation in less than an hour.

After Fang Wei left, he asked someone to call in Tang Ze who was waiting in another office.

"Old leader, what do you think of this young man Fang Wei?"

Tang Ze was not at all restrained in front of Xue Yumin. Xue Yumin was his old superior and mentor, and the two were very familiar with each other.

After he sat down, he asked with a smile.

"He's a very interesting young man. Although he's young, he's calm and composed. He doesn't boast or talk big. He's a down-to-earth person.

You found a treasure, and with a push at the critical moment, the thing was basically done."

Xue Yumin looked at his trusted and beloved general, feeling filled with emotion.

Tang Ze's luck was too good, wasn't it? At a critical moment, Yaoling Commune achieved a significant increase in grain production, leaving its competitors far behind.

"Done? Thank you very much for your support, old leader."

Tang Ze immediately showed an excited expression. The promotion had put a lot of pressure on him, but he didn't expect that it would come true.

He suppressed his joy and after a little thought he knew the key factor that determined his victory.

It was because he removed obstacles and vigorously promoted the planting of [Nanguan No. 1] that the rice production in the entire commune increased significantly.

The root of all this is Fang Wei. It was he who developed the rice seed "Nan Guang No. 1".

"Why are you thanking me? First of all, you did a great job and were good at seizing opportunities. Someone else might not have dared to promote the new rice variety so quickly.

Also, you have to thank Fang Wei later. Without his [Nanguang No. 1], you wouldn't have won."

The county wants to promote a deputy this time, and in principle, he will be selected from the grassroots communes.

There are many talented cadres at this level, and Tang Ze is not outstanding among them. Unexpectedly, he came to the rescue at the critical moment.

Let’s not talk about the two of them chatting about the future in the office, let’s just talk about Fang Wei.

After he came out of Xue Yumin's office, he walked slowly on the old street, and for a moment he recalled many memories of his original self.

This is the only long street in the county town. The road surface is made of bluestone slabs, which are so shiny that you can see your reflection in them.

The buildings on both sides of the road are ancient and it is said that the history of this street can be traced back 200 years. Walking here is like walking in the long river of time.

This was not Fang Wei's first time to the old street, but he had been so busy in recent years that he had hardly been to the city.

He decided to just wander around today, not rushing back. He wandered from the beginning to the end of the street, then took a shortcut towards the station. Passing by a restaurant, he was greeted by a fragrant aroma. The aroma was so enticing that he couldn't help but walk in. There wasn't much inside, but the first thing he saw was the "Dengcao Baba."

The fragrance he smelled just now came from this thing. [Dengcao Baba] is a local snack made by flattening and frying a mixture of glutinous rice flour and shredded radish.

Fang Wei went up to ask and found out that [Dengcao Baba] did not require food coupons, but was sold at a high price, 5 cents each.

He immediately bought 10, packed 9 to take home, and ate the other one directly. This snack is soft and sticky, very sweet, and tastes good.

Then he left the snack bar, walked quickly to the bus station, and took the bus back to the commune.

"Third brother, this way."

As soon as he got off the car, he heard his elder brother's voice.

Looking up, I saw my elder brother Fang Ping standing by the roadside, holding his bicycle and waving at me.

"Brother, why are you here?"

"The captain said you wouldn't be back until later. I had nothing to do anyway, so I rode my bike over here to wait for you."

Fang Ping learned how to ride a bike after practicing a few times. Now his skills are pretty good and he can ride his bike everywhere.

He had met Zheng Xianfa before but found that he was the only one who came back, so he hurriedly asked about it. When he learned that his third brother had stayed in the county town for something and would not be back until later, he rode his bike to the commune to wait.

The wait was over an hour.

Fang Wei didn't say anything. He asked his elder brother to sit in the back and he rode his bike to take him back home.

At this time, Fang Tao was doing his summer homework. When he saw his uncle and father walk in, he immediately went to greet them. The two children in the family were very attached to Fang Wei. Fang Tingting also ran out from the inner room.

"I brought you some delicious food, sister-in-law. Take a break first and come over to eat some [Dengcao Baba]."

Fang Wei took out nine [lamp grass cakes] from his bag and distributed them to his elder brother, his wife and the two little ones.

Tian Guihua hasn't eaten this thing for a long time. It's too expensive to buy it outside, and it uses too much oil to make it at home. She actually likes it very much.

Not to mention the two little kids, they ate it so sweetly, and after finishing what they had in their hands, they looked at Fang Wei eagerly.

"Eat it, one more per person."

Fang Wei felt a little sad. Nowadays, children in rural areas have nothing to eat or drink, and they have to help with housework at a very young age.

He then asked Tian Guihua to get them two more.

"You two are simply the reincarnation of starving ghosts. Eat now, because if you eat this one, you won't get any more."

Tian Guihua scolded with a smile, and gave each of the two children another [lamp grass cake].

Fang Ping stopped eating one and asked, "At the meeting today, they only gave me a certificate, a pen, and a notebook. Nothing else?"

"That's right, that's all."

Fang Wei curled his lips and took out the rolled-up certificate, pen and notebook from his bag.

Seeing this, Tian Guihua looked at him with a bit of dissatisfaction, then went to wash her hands and came back to stick the certificate on the wall.

Fang Ping didn't say anything, but since his third brother had made such a great contribution, he felt that the county was being too stingy.
After just two days, the brothers' dissatisfaction disappeared.

This morning.

Tang Ze and the main personnel of the commune brought a walking tractor to the breeding team with drums and gongs.

The tractor was decorated with red and colorful decorations, and a big red flower was hung on the front of the vehicle, which looked very festive.

The carriage was loaded with a desktop radio, three transistor radios, ten boxes of batteries, a pile of professional books on agricultural production, and two handheld loudspeakers.

"Comrades, the breeding team has achieved remarkable results that are obvious to all. On behalf of the commune, I would like to congratulate them. I hope everyone will continue to work hard and scale new heights.

This walking tractor was a special reward from the county to the breeding team, and these things are also given to us. Captain Zheng, your team is not allowed to intercept them.

The group arrived at the threshing ground, and the members who heard the noise gathered around.

Tang Ze then turned on the loudspeaker and said a few words on the spot.

When he finished speaking, everyone gave him a warm round of applause.

Fang Wei, Zheng Hu and others were also present. When they heard that these things were rewards for the breeding team, they looked at each other and couldn't help but smile with joy.

With this tractor, tasks including plowing and transportation become very convenient, and it saves us from always occupying the team's treasure.

At this time, Fang Wei could no longer hide in the crowd. He stepped forward and expressed his gratitude to the commune and the county on behalf of the breeding team.

"Please rest assured, Secretary Tang, we will not rest on our laurels and will continue to cultivate better rice varieties."

Tang Ze was very satisfied after hearing Fang Wei's answer.

Xue Yumin had a long talk with him that day, which further solidified his resolve to develop agriculture. With no hope of breakthroughs in fertilizers and irrigation systems, the importance of seed breeding became apparent.

Xue Yumin instructed the county to allocate a tractor to Yaoling Commune as a reward to the breeding team represented by Fang Wei.

The other things are incidental, and their purpose is to encourage Fang Wei and others to study hard, continuously improve their knowledge level and business ability, and strive to achieve greater success.

"Very good! I've given you the county's reward items. I hope to continue hearing good news."

Tang Ze didn't stay in the team for long. After chatting with Zheng Xianfa for a few words, he went to other teams.

The summer harvest was a great success, but there was still the autumn harvest to come, so he dared not relax for a moment.

"Little scholar, the tractor belongs to your breeding team, and you have the right to use it. Maintenance and upkeep should be placed together with the team's tractors, what do you think?"

Zheng Xianfa was a little envious of Fang Wei, not because of these rewards, but because the other party was valued not only by Tang Ze, but also by the county leaders.

This kind of attention is both an honor and a responsibility.

He walked around the tractor twice and reiterated that the breeding team had ownership of the walk-behind tractor.

"That's right. We can save money by doing maintenance together. Captain, let's keep this desktop radio at the team headquarters so we can all listen to the news when we have nothing to do."

Desktop radios can be used with both power plugs and batteries, while semiconductor radios can only use batteries.

He gave the big ones to the team headquarters, took a semiconductor radio for himself, and gave the other two to Zheng Hu for safekeeping. When the team members were free, they could get together to listen to the radio.

As for the books, they were temporarily placed at the team headquarters.

Members of the breeding group can borrow books, but they must register, and the number of books borrowed is limited and the return time is clearly specified.

Fang Wenshu volunteered for this matter and said that he would be the one to borrow and return books from now on.

noon.

Fang Wei turned on the radio before dinner.

Fang Tao and Fang Tingting sat quietly by the side, listening to the news on the radio. Regardless of whether they could understand it or not, the news itself had a great appeal to them.

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)