I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 354: An Unexpected Encounter

Wu Xiucai glanced at the lush Soothing Grass on the bedside cabinet, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his face was covered in a smile.

He suspected his little granddaughter must have had some sort of serendipitous encounter.

The old man laughed silently, mulling over the idea of giving a pot of the plant to a few old friends on an opportune occasion—they had all exhausted themselves and neglected sleep and rest for the prosperity and development of the country.

...

Upon arriving in Xichuan, Qiao Qingyu started getting busy.

Spring plowing was about to begin, and there were too many tasks to handle. Then Fang Xiaomei and Wang Laogen officially began working.

They each received a pass; Fang Xiaomei wore hers around her neck, striding with an air of purpose.

Two offices were cleared next to the Zone 5 Original Seed Laboratory—one for Wang Laogen and another for Fang Xiaomei to use as a financial office.

In reality, the staffing didn’t conform to regulations at all, but there were no suitable candidates available. In many people’s eyes, her Original Seed Laboratory seemed irregular.

And if they were not trustworthy individuals, Qiao Qingyu did not want to employ them.

She asked Wang Laogen to find a few assistants since they were for his own use, so Wang Laogen was bound to diligently search, not wanting the people he hired to hold him back.

Once the staff was found, Qiao Qingyu took a look and had Fang Xiaomei include them in the Laboratory’s organization.

Everyone had a file.

Old Xie had installed iron bars and a large iron door for the financial office of Qiao Qingyu’s Original Seed Laboratory; a safe was also placed in the room.

This setup was basically ready for operation.

Qiao Qingyu knew that in this era, whatever was planted on the land did not lack sales channels.

Because the country was in a time of much-needed restoration.

There was a shortage of everything.

During this period, she phoned her uncle, asking him to report to higher-ups, applying for Qiao Family Team to be designated as a seed-testing agricultural base.

Just that the land had been contracted to individuals, which necessitated a second round of negotiation and communication with the members.

But none of that was a problem.

The same applied to the Xiaxi Commune.

Qiao Qingyu had Wang Laogen disseminate news that this year the Tenghai Original Seed Agricultural Base was planning a large-scale contracting of land.

This mainly targeted households with a shortage of labor who did not have the energy to farm. Contracting fees were one aspect, but the main attraction was hiring landowners as temporary workers, with monthly wages and year-end benefits.

This news almost caused an uproar in the Xiaxi Commune.

Though everyone was pleased the land had been allocated to individuals, not every family had the strength to work the land, with many being old, weak, sick, or disabled, and few fit for fieldwork.

Thus, the first year was referred to as household responsibility system contracting.

Had it not been for Qiao Qingyu’s land contracting in Xichuan and the seeds from her laboratory, the household contracting would have just continued.

But last year, the land contracted by Qiao Qingyu yielded an abundant harvest.

Wang Laogen became the richest man in the surrounding ten miles.

For a villager, their most genuine wishes were to have enough food and clothing, surplus grain, for their children to afford school, the sick elders to afford hospital visits, and to provide a red velvet dress for their daughters upon marriage...

And Wang Laogen, in just one year, had achieved what they wished for in a lifetime.

Many people had their eyes on him.

Envious eyes turned red as they watched him cycle to the base for work.

Seeing those who once looked down on him now flattering him, the taste of that in their hearts was peculiar.

Thus, without even knowing the contract fees or how much the wages were, many people sought out Wang Laogen, some even blocking him at home if they couldn’t catch him at the base.

Wang Laogen’s family was already prepared for this situation.

Of course, they were not contracting just any land; it had to be connected tracts of land.

The soil in Xichuan was quite suitable for growing crops, and where it was not, the land lay fallow.

Mr. Qian was not involved; he simply watched from the sidelines, ready to step in if necessary.

The area under his charge at the Xiaxi Commune had about ten thousand acres where Barley Grass and Willow Wood could be planted.

He planned to complete at least two thousand acres this year.

Poplar saplings were pre-ordered from the base.

Once harvested, the Barley Grass was delivered directly to Xichuan’s seed cultivation center.

However, after the household contracting system, planting Barley Grass and Willow Wood in the sandy areas had become much more challenging than before.

Everything was done together in the past; whether it was digging a trench, it was a collective effort, and then work points were calculated.

Now that every family had their own land, one couldn’t ask others to neglect their fields to work for the commune.

Thus, an alternative solution was necessary.

Of course, the commune still maintained the same rights as before.

In terms of human resource allocation, Mr. Qian was not in a hurry.

...

Within a week, over five hundred households had registered.

Wang Laogen, born and raised in Xiaxi Commune, took full responsibility for this task as instructed by Qiao Qingyu. However, signing contracts and dealing with contract fees and other matters required Fang Xiaomei to step in.

And when Fang Xiaomei handled these matters at the commune, she did whatever was most convenient.

Before 1981, the Xiaxi Commune’s arable land area had been decreasing every year.

The amount of land reduction depended on the severity of the sand storms that year.

However, after 1981, this phenomenon rarely occurred.

Not only had the frequency decreased, but they had also gained over five thousand more acres of cultivable land.

When the figures were laid out on the table, the commune’s officials realized what challenges Xiaxi Commune was facing.

Naturally, they provided great convenience for everything Qiao Qingyu did.

So the various statutes were quickly negotiated and settled.

In reality, Qiao Qingyu was also testing the waters.

After all, her experience in agriculture was not extensive, but Qiao Qingyu knew that these farmers could not get rich by simply tending a few acres of land. However, crops are the foundation of a nation, and you could not expect these members to grow valuable commodities and neglect crops.

So comprehensive planning and arrangement were necessary.

Fortunately, with He Xiuyu’s help, and after several phone calls with Qin Duo from the Agricultural Department to grasp the current national policies and information in this regard, she went ahead and put her plans into action.

Not everyone was convinced by Qiao Qingyu.

Some were very cunning, thinking that it was better to farm their land themselves, believing it was only secure while in their own hands, regardless of whether they could make money from it in the future.

Therefore, Qiao Qingyu contracted one-fifth of Xiaxi Commune’s land for herself.

She decided not to manage the remaining four-fifths, but if someone wanted to buy seeds, she was willing to sell.

Moreover, she was willing to extend credit to those in difficulty.

However, that would require a guarantor.