I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Zheng Fenglin prepared a feast and invited Qiaoqiao's whole family to eat.

Where can a large family of ten or so people go?

Zhou Zhonghai, Yang Zheng, Zhou Wenhui, and Qiaoqiao went.

Luo Meiyun didn't go; her heart was with her grandson, and she wanted to stay home and take care of him.

There weren't any gifts. Qiaoqiao took a chicken, a duck, and a pound of fruit candy she brought from the city.

Zhao Jintao greeted them at the door, and his mother was also there. She exclaimed dramatically, "Oh my, Qiaoqiao, my good girl, it's been over a year since you've come back! Come in, come in! If I hadn't stopped you back then, you wouldn't have married so well..."

"Mother!" Zhao Jintao scolded.

"I didn't say anything. Qiaoqiao is so smart, she got into university. You're talking about Fenglin, all he knows is raising rabbits."

Qiaoqiao laughed awkwardly, and Yang Zheng chuckled and said, "Each has its own merits. Being able to raise rabbits is quite remarkable."

"Of all professions, only studying is noble. Look at my son, he got into university."

Jin Tao's mother didn't appreciate it at all and would complain about her daughter-in-law to everyone she met.

Zhao Jintao's expression changed, and he retorted, "So what if you go to university? University is just about raising rabbits."

Qiaoqiao smiled for no apparent reason, and Zhao Jintao indeed protected Zheng Fenglin.

Jin Tao's mother's face darkened, and she changed the subject again: "Qiaoqiao, your son-in-law is really handsome. Isn't he legless? How can he walk?"

Zhou Wenhui generously rolled up his trouser leg and said, "Auntie, I'm using a prosthetic leg."

"A prosthetic...limb? You can do that? Qiaoqiao, you've struck gold! So you can walk without legs? No wonder your grandfather wanted you to marry him."

Jin Tao's mother kept nagging, and Zhao Jin Tao got annoyed: "Mom, why don't you go to the kitchen and help Feng Lin cook?"

Zhao Jintao, feeling embarrassed, welcomed the group into the main room, where food and wine had already been laid out on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Minister Zhou, Wenhui, please excuse the commotion. Please take a seat."

Zheng Fenglin came in carrying a bowl of dried fish stir-fried with pickled chili peppers and said, "Minister Zhou, Wenhui, I'm sorry, my home is too simple. Please sit down, please sit down."

"Great, Jin Tao, your wife is very capable," Zhou Zhonghai praised.

Zheng Fenglin smiled shyly: "When Jin Tao was taking the college entrance exam, he probably wouldn't have gotten into the provincial agricultural university without the help of Wenhui and Yang Zheng. Jin Tao often tells me that it's his good fortune to have such good friends."

Zheng Fenglin expressed his sincere gratitude, and Zhou Zhonghai smiled with satisfaction: "I never expected that you two would have such a camaraderie from fighting together."

Qiaoqiao seized the opportunity to complain, "Dad, you don't know, my brother and Jintao often stay up all night. I want to sleep as soon as it gets dark, but Wenhui won't let me. He insists that I memorize history and politics. Without that kind of intense study atmosphere, I don't think I'll pass the exam."

That's how the saying "the grudge of the mother during childbirth" came about.

Zhou Wenhui smiled and said, "You reap what you sow. I'm also grateful that I didn't have to take English in this year's college entrance exam."

"None of the three of us speak English well," Yang Zheng said.

Zhou Zhonghai said seriously, "Next year's college entrance exam will be much more difficult. Qiaoqiao, you should thank Wenhui for urging you on."

"Thank you, thank you so much. He made me study when I was in my postpartum confinement period for ten days. He said he had obtained a state secret and that the college entrance examination would be reinstated soon."

He said thank you, but actually had a lot of complaints.

"We started studying a year in advance, and Zhou Wenhui deserves all the credit for that. If the government had issued a document requiring us to start reviewing later, I definitely wouldn't have passed. Wenhui, let me toast you; everything is in this drink."

Zhao Jintao raised his glass seriously, and Qiaoqiao and Yang Zheng also raised their glasses, saying together, "Thank you for your insightful advice, Professor Zhou."

Zhou Zhonghai laughed heartily; even though Luo Meiyun wasn't there, he wanted to have a drink too.

Zhou Wenhui drank his wine, stealing glances at Qiaoqiao, his eyes full of affection.

This dark-skinned girl from Dashui Village was his wife, whom he had personally groomed.

Zheng Fenglin brought over another plate of stir-fried pork liver, and outside the door, she could hear the cheerful laughter inside. At that moment, she envied Qiaoqiao.

They were all good friends from the same village, but now they've flown out of the mountains, while he's stuck here. A mix of emotions welled up inside him.

The conversation shifted from studying to the development of Dashui Village. Zhao Jintao offered his sincere advice: "Commander Zhou, I have been a team leader in the countryside for many years. It is very simple for farmers to have enough to eat."

With a few acres of land to tend, and the ability to work hard, and with access to the mountains and rivers, how could they possibly lack food? The problem lies with the collective. You get ten work points a day whether you work hard or not. If this continues, what can be done in one day will take two days to complete.

The mountains and fields are covered in lush grass, perfect for raising pigs and cattle, but policy doesn't allow it. If you take the lead, I believe that within two or three years, every household in Dashui Village will have surplus grain. Having enough to eat is easy; becoming wealthy is difficult.

For example, you mentioned growing potatoes. Ten or so mu (approximately 0.67 hectares) of land would yield about 20,000 to 30,000 jin (approximately 10,000-15,000 kg) of potatoes, which would only bring in four or five hundred yuan per household. To become wealthy, you need to achieve scale. You need to grow to a hundred mu, several hundred mu, so that the entire county, city, and even province know that our Liushan Commune has a large quantity of potatoes for sale, attracting schools and workplace canteens to purchase them.”

"You mean, a region that specializes in one crop?"

"Yes, each commune has its own suitable sideline. Our Liushan commune specializes in growing potatoes, while the neighboring commune specializes in growing watermelons, as well as sweet potatoes, garlic, and ginger—all necessities. Farmland can only grow wheat and corn; we can't let the crops go to waste."

Land was distributed to individual households, and mountains were also allocated so villagers could cultivate the land, generating additional income. I believe the people are willing to do it; the only problem is finding a market, which will depend on the government.

Zhou Zhonghai slammed his hand on the table: "Jin Tao, I understand. Large-scale production, seizing the initiative. No, we need to write a plan when we get back today and have Fu Sanjun inspect each commune. As long as we can grow the potatoes and become famous, all units in the province will come to Liushan Commune to buy potatoes. The key is 'fame,' we need to seize that fame."

After listening to Zhao Jintao's advice, Zhou Zhonghai couldn't even eat. He couldn't wait to go home and write the business plan, but unfortunately, Liu Songming hadn't come to pick them up yet.

Zhao Jintao poured a full glass of wine and respectfully toasted Zhou Zhonghai: "Commander Zhou, it is our blessing to have you standing behind the farmers."

"What are you talking about? It's all about serving the people. When you graduate from university, you should put what you've learned into practice. I'll be waiting for you."

Come on, have a drink.

This is a passionate new year, and everyone has expectations for the future.

Qiaoqiao finished eating, but Zheng Fenglin still hadn't come to the table. She kept bringing over a dish and pouring tea. Qiaoqiao felt sorry for her and said, "Fenglin, stop cooking and come eat."

"No, my in-laws and I ate in the kitchen."

Qiaoqiao stopped eating, got off the kang (heated brick bed), and followed Fenglin to the kitchen.

"Hey, Qiaoqiao, why aren't you eating?"

Jin Tao's mother and sister were eating in the kitchen, Jin Tao's father was tending the fire, and Feng Lin was stir-frying the last vegetable.

"Auntie, I'm full. There was too much food. Why don't you all go and eat on the kang (heated brick bed)?"

Qiaoqiao doesn't like Jintao's mother, but she still maintains a polite demeanor on the surface.

"They're all important people. We country folk can't even say the right thing, and my son will yell at me again. Qiaoqiao, sons grow up and they're no longer under their mother's thumb. Jintao used to be so obedient, but now he looks down on me. He's been corrupted."

As she spoke, she rolled her eyes at Feng Lin.

"Auntie, since Brother Jintao got married, he's not only become more obedient, but also more sensible. He was just talking to my father-in-law about raising pigs and growing potatoes, and my father-in-law really admires him."

"Qiaoqiao, tell me, how high a position does your father-in-law hold? Is it even allowed for him to raise pigs? Won't he have to hand them over to the government again? Last year, we only received twenty yuan for feed for our big fat pig. Those officials are all scoundrels; aren't they just blatant robbery?"

"Mother!" Zheng Fenglin quickly stopped her.

"Did I say something wrong? We raised them with great care, and all we got was a little bit of offal. All the good meat was eaten by the officials."

Zheng Fenglin, carrying a plate of vegetables, pulled Qiaoqiao aside and said, "The vegetables are ready, let's go to my room to talk."

Qiaoqiao smiled awkwardly. Zhao Jintao was about to go to university, and Fenglin's days were going to be tough.