The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 650 - 619: Formal, Sudden Visit_1

Chapter 650: Chapter 619: Formal, Sudden Visit_1

Huang Jingli was poised and took the initiative to greet an embarrassed and bashful Wu Youliang.

Wu Youliang was not a coy person either; he spoke to Huang Jingli with courtesy. After they had gathered their things together, they became much more familiar with each other.

Neither of them mentioned the meeting they were supposed to have tomorrow, but both had it on their minds.

Wu Youliang helped Huang Jingli move her things and brought them to the Chinese department’s office before taking his own things back to report to his teacher.

The next day, under He Tiantian’s introduction, they officially met.

After lunch, as they walked back in the afternoon, they chatted along the way, talking about their past lives.

When Wu Youliang heard about the reason Huang Jingli had not returned home for so many years, he felt a twinge of heartache and said, "Jingli, I may not be good-looking, but I can assure you that I have good character and ambition, and I will treat you well in the future. I will work hard to provide a good life for you."

Huang Jingli smiled and responded, "When I was younger, maybe outward appearances mattered more to me, but I’m already twenty-seven this year, and those things have become less important. As long as someone has good character and ambition, that’s enough. No matter how tough it gets, as long as we work hard together, we can always have a good life."

"Yeah, you’re right," said Wu Youliang with a wide, sincere smile, "When is your train ticket? I’ll see you off!"

"Tomorrow afternoon," said Huang Jingli, "Your home is in Gao County, and mine is in Li County, not too far apart."

"Hmm, by train, it should take about two hours," Wu Youliang said. He invited Huang Jingli for dinner that evening and then walked her back to her dormitory.

The next morning, they met at He Tiantian’s home, which was a formal introduction.

In the afternoon, when sending Huang Jingli to the train, Wu Youliang showed thoughtful attention by buying a few cakes and eggs for Huang Jingli to take with her.

Seeing that Wu Youliang got along well with Huang Jingli, He Tiantian did not interfere with them anymore.

What would happen to them in the future was their own business now.

While Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian were preparing for the New Year’s festivities, the Huo Family welcomed two visitors, Niu Dajun and Secretary Qi.

They did not send a telegram in advance before coming; they came directly based on the address that He Tiantian had left.

When He Tiantian opened the door and saw the two men outside, she was stunned.

"Brother Dajun, Secretary Qi, why are you here? Did something happen to grandma?" He Tiantian quickly asked, fearing the worst.

Huo Yingjie, seeing the situation, hurriedly stepped forward, "Tiantian, don’t worry. Let them in first, and then we can talk slowly."

"Hehe, your third aunt is fine; I came here to consult with your father-in-law and Yingjie about something," Village Chief Qi said with a laugh, "When we came, we forgot to send a telegram, did we disturb you?"

After hearing this, He Tiantian quickly said, "Village Chief Qi, what are you talking about? It’s a pleasure to have you, I wouldn’t dream of you disturbing us. It’s cold outside, please come into the house."

Huo Yingjie led them inside, and He Tiantian quickly made some ginger tea to warm them up.

Dinner had already been eaten, but He Tiantian cooked a hot beef noodle soup especially for Village Chief Qi and Niu Dajun, which made them sweat profusely.

When Huo Zhekun and Jiang Lifang heard that guests had come from Qijia Village, they quickly got dressed and came over.

Seeing that it was Secretary Qi, Jiang Lifang warmly welcomed him, "Big Brother Qi, what brings you here? If you had said something earlier, I could have come to meet you."

"Hehe, it’s fine, I calculated that you wouldn’t have left for Yanjing yet, so I came directly. You all have jobs, you have school, we have hands and feet, we can read, we know the address, it’s not hard to ask around," Secretary Qi said with a chuckle, "but our sudden visit has disturbed you."

Hearing Village Chief Qi say this, Huo Zhekun said, "Big Brother Qi, if you talk like that, it feels like you’re making us strangers. Is there something you need? As long as I can help, you can count on me."

Village Chief Qi, seeing that Huo Zhekun was straightforward, stopped beating around the bush. If it weren’t for something important, he would not have made the effort to come to Nan City in such cold weather.

"Hehe, I have encountered some difficulties, or you could say, confusion," Secretary Qi said, "A few days ago, the county committee leaders gathered all the village secretaries to discuss the possibility of splitting land into individual holdings."

Splitting the land into individual holdings?

Huo Zhekun smiled, with an idea forming in his mind.

The policy was received from higher authorities, but it was not mandatory to complete it all at once. They could start with a pilot program, so Nan City chose a few relatively remote villages for this purpose. If the individual farming was not suitable, it would not have a substantial impact.

If the results were good, then they would carry it out on a larger scale, which would be more secure.

"Indeed, splitting land into individual holdings," Village Chief Qi took a drag of his cigarette, "We used to be a big collective, and everyone was accustomed to that. People think that doing so promotes individualism, petit-bourgeois mentality, so many are reluctant to split the land into individual holdings."

"So, Big Brother Qi, what do you think?" Huo Zhekun asked. Village Chief Qi had made the trip specially, which likely meant he was conflicted and had his own thoughts.

"During the collective era, I’ve noticed many problems. Most people are indeed diligent, but there are some who slack off, shirking their work. You can’t just call them lazy, but they weren’t like this before. I suspect that the collective work model has made them realize that their efforts don’t matter, hence their attitude," Village Chief Qi said, "If we adopt individual farming, where each family is accountable for their land, then if a family doesn’t work or tend their fields, they won’t have food to eat. I believe that even the laziest people, faced with no food, will work hard."

Village Chief Qi, who had been a village chief for many years and was a thoughtful one, had identified quite a few issues.

"The purpose of the higher-ups in advocating for individual farming is exactly that," Huo Zhekun added, "The long-term collective system is detrimental to productivity growth, hence the authorities are considering reform. However, they suggest reforming step by step, hence the idea of setting up pilot areas."

"Brother Huo, you are an official and have a deeper understanding of these matters," Village Chief Qi said, "Just tell me straight, are there any real benefits to individual farming?"

This question had been discussed by Huo Zhekun and his son Huo Yingjie. His son was adamant in telling him that individual farming was inevitable. Only through this could they change the structure of production and increase the productive forces without altering the amount of land. The think tanks above had validated this theory numerous times and it was correct.

Therefore, individual farming was destined to bring radical changes to rural areas.

"There are benefits," Huo Zhekun stated, "The policies from above are flexible. After individual farming, for every mu of land, only 110 jin of grain needs to be contributed, and the rest belongs to the individual. Previously, I learned that Qijia Village’s yield is quite high, with 400 jin per mu. Thus, for a family with five mu, they hand over 500 jin and keep 1500 jin for themselves. And that’s just one season’s harvest; in your area, there are two seasons. After excluding the government’s share, a family can have 3000 jin of grain."