I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 487: Exiting the Stage of History

Chapter 487: Chapter 487: Exiting the Stage of History

Of course, once Wu Xiucai was involved, things were easier to handle.

Secretary Chang acted swiftly and it was almost settled within a week.

For Qingyu’s convenience, the factory was built directly in the suburbs of Yushu County, not far from Xiaxi Commune, approximately at the boundary between the two places. This piece of land was the kind that couldn’t create significant benefits; whatever was planted there simply wouldn’t grow.

As for the rest, construction was set to begin after the New Year.

Then, Qingyu always received phone calls, some inquiring through Mr. Qian, others calling her directly, asking when the woolen mill would start hiring workers. Based on everyone’s experience, the woolen mill hired mostly female employees, which led many to seek information through Fang Xiaomei.

However, this time the county did not plan to hand over the woolen mill to Xiaxi Commune. Mr. Qian had received too many benefits already, and if they didn’t offer something sweet to the other communes, there was a risk of revolt.

Moreover, the establishment of such a large woolen mill in Yushu County was a political achievement for the current leaders. Who wouldn’t want to accomplish something tangible while in office?

Nonetheless, Mr. Qian needed to be mentioned; the county was preparing to bring him into the county government. With six years left until retirement, he could certainly serve a full term.

This was also an affirmation of his capabilities.

Naturally, Mr. Qian was satisfied and worked even harder.

But soon, everyone’s attention was drawn to another piece of news.

That was, the current communes were all to be transformed into towns; production brigades would no longer exist. The official document had come down. The restructuring was to be completed before this year’s Spring Festival.

From then on, the term "people’s commune" would gradually fade from history. Production brigades would cease to exist, transforming into individual villages with the establishment of village committees, village chiefs, secretaries, and committee members.

As for other facilities, like health clinics and schools, there wouldn’t be such drastic changes.

However, this meant that some organizations and members would need to be streamlined, as some departments were no longer necessary.

The transition here in Xiaxi Commune was relatively smooth; from now on, it would be known as Xiaxi Town, with Mr. Qian as the Village Chief.

The militia company was disbanded.

The collective and individual were now clearly separated.

Qingyu planned for this year to be the last of contracting; she didn’t want to continue it and thought about returning the land, which she had almost fully cultivated, back to Xiaxi Town.

The operational model was already established. If technical support was needed, they could provide it. Now, not to mention the town government, even the villagers of Xiaxi Town had extra money. Xiaxi Town was also the largest town in Yushu County, with the largest market.

There were many doing business in the market, and now there were already over a dozen restaurants.

So it was a thriving place.

The next step was to steadily develop agriculture, the rural economy, and build a beautiful homeland.

Unexpectedly, as soon as it was heard that Qingyu did not plan to renew her contract, Uncle Qian was in a panic. Without making a call, he went directly to see Qingyu, implying through every word that he hoped she would continue contracting and offered the largest discount possible within his authority.

Village Chief Qian was in a transitional period, and he said, "Jade, I know you’re busy too, but it’s not convenient to talk about this over the phone."

Qingyu offered Uncle Qian some tea before discussing further, "Uncle Qian, take your time. What’s on your mind?"

"Girl, I won’t beat around the bush with you," Uncle Qian said bluntly. "These past few years, I’ve come to see clearly that whatever you do, you need a leader with planning. As long as we follow behind Tenghai Agricultural Base, we won’t end up mired in a mud pit."

"I’m just worried that some villagers might have other ideas..." Qingyu voiced her concern.

Now that the economy was completely open, some wanted to use their own small plots of land for other purposes instead of contracting them out. To be honest, Qingyu was also worried about this.

A large expanse of land, with several dozen households wanting to do their own thing in the middle, means contracting out patches here and there, making the whole concept less meaningful.

Upon learning of Qingyu’s concerns, Uncle Qian thumped his chest and promised, "Don’t worry, Jade. We’ll hold a large meeting to discuss this matter. But regardless of whether there’s agreement or not, we’ll still provide contiguous land for the Agricultural Base to contract."

Having a strong backer is beneficial, and Uncle Qian certainly knew that, or he wouldn’t have come all the way to the base to find Qingyu.

The same land, cultivated by the Agricultural Base, yielded bountiful harvests and made money, but when the farmers worked it themselves, success was far from guaranteed.

Not to mention those advanced agricultural machines, the fertilizer produced by the base themselves was something the farmers couldn’t afford.

After returning, Uncle Qian promptly called an emergency meeting, first reaching a consensus with the town officials. Nobody was a fool. With Tenghai Agricultural Base’s technology and capital, not joining forces with such a team and striking out alone would be foolish.

Next were meetings with each village. Indeed, Qingyu’s worries were not unfounded; quite a few people simply wanted to do their own thing. For example, some planned to join forces with siblings, using their family land to build greenhouses for medicinal plants or even to plant fruit trees, and some wanted to dig ponds for fish farming.

And truly, there were quite a few who had such intentions.

Now that the land was allocated to individuals, if people didn’t agree, the town couldn’t forcibly contract the land from the villagers.

While some places might experience such phenomena, it certainly didn’t happen here under Uncle Qian.

Then came negotiations, yet at the meeting Uncle Qian let slip the plan to set up the woolen mill, inadvertently revealing it. According to the plan, if the woolen mill was built, it would need at least five hundred employees.

Although five hundred was a small number compared to tens of thousands, there were plenty of jobs available now; one couldn’t work in the woolen mill but could work for the Agricultural Base.

How could such good fortune be real? After contracting out the land and receiving the contracting fee, you’d be hired back to work on your own land for pay—a double income. Unless someone had grand ambitions, most were very content with the situation.

But the work wasn’t easy to handle, and Uncle Qian put a lot of effort into it. Before the Spring Festival, Xiaxi Town had contracted its land to the Agricultural Base for ten years.

As for those who wanted to do it on their own, the town also provided many concessions, including land exchanges, even if it was to the very edges, to ensure they didn’t lose out.

Some people, if silent and honest, might not speak up, but others, never satisfied with enough, would make a huge fuss over a slight disadvantage. Now that the commune had just transitioned into a town and the town government was newly established, Uncle Qian didn’t want to stir up trouble. Thus, after providing an extra ten thousand yuan to the town, the matter was satisfactorily settled.