bookrandom Chapter 482 Household Contract Responsibility System
Chapter 482 Household Contract Responsibility System
True to his word, Li Xiangyang ordered a 14-inch black-and-white television set from Ma Laosan three days later. That day, Li Xiangyang's house was packed with people.
When the opening theme of the evening news started playing, someone shouted, "Get moving!" and everyone was drawn to the magical box.
This lively atmosphere lasted for half a month.
……
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was 1982.
The hot spring development project in Xiaoliang Village has been completed and has become a well-known tourist attraction in the county, bringing considerable income to the village.
Li Xiangyang and Li Xiaoyun's lives are getting better and better.
Besides hunting, Li Xiangyang also started to get involved in the business of mountain products, setting up a mountain product purchasing point in the village, and the business was booming.
That day, Li Xiangyang was counting the goods at the purchasing point when he suddenly heard a commotion outside.
He went outside and saw several villagers having a heated discussion.
"What's wrong?" Li Xiangyang stepped forward and asked.
"Brother Xiangyang, you don't know yet, do you?" a villager said excitedly. "I heard they're going to implement the household responsibility system!"
"Household responsibility system?" Li Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat. This was a major change in rural areas that he knew of.
“Yes,” another villager chimed in, “yesterday the county held a meeting and said they would divide the production team’s land among individual households to cultivate themselves, and any yield exceeding the quota would belong to them.”
Li Xiangyang feigned surprise: "Really? This is a big deal!"
“Absolutely true!” the villager said confidently. “My brother works in the county and heard it with his own ears. However, we’ll have to wait for the village meeting to announce the specifics of how it will be divided.”
Li Xiangyang was secretly delighted; this was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for.
Once the household responsibility system is implemented, farmers' enthusiasm for production will be greatly mobilized, and the rural landscape will undergo tremendous changes.
He hurriedly handed over the affairs of the purchasing point, got on his bicycle and rode home, wanting to tell his family the good news.
When Li Xiangyang got home, he found Li Xiaoyun hanging out the freshly washed clothes to dry in the yard, while Li Wangchen was playing nearby.
"Xiaoyun, I have some good news to tell you!" Li Xiangyang said excitedly.
Li Xiaoyun turned around and asked curiously, "What good news makes you so happy?"
"I heard they're going to implement the household responsibility system!" Li Xiangyang said. "From now on, the land will be divided among individual households, and they'll cultivate it themselves. Any extra grain they harvest will be theirs."
Li Xiaoyun was stunned for a moment, then a joyful expression appeared on her face: "Really? That's great! This will make everyone even more motivated to work."
Hearing his parents' conversation, Li Wangchen curiously leaned over and asked, "Dad, what is the household responsibility system?"
Li Xiangyang squatted down and patiently explained, "From now on, the land won't be cultivated collectively; instead, it will be allocated to each household to cultivate independently and be responsible for their own work. Any extra grain harvested will belong to the individual and won't need to be handed over to the production team."
Li Wangchen nodded as if he understood but not quite.
“By the way,” Li Xiangyang stood up and said to Li Xiaoyun, “once the policy is officially released, we need to plan carefully, to see what to plant and how to plant it to increase our income.”
Li Xiaoyun laughed and said, "Don't worry about it. I see your mind is all on the mountain produce business. Leave the farm work to me."
Li Xiangyang rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed: "I thought it would be more stable to have two legs to walk on. The mountain produce business is good, but we still need to farm the land; after all, that's the foundation."
Just then, Wang Ergou came running over, panting: "Brother Xiangyang, have you heard? They're going to implement the household responsibility system!"
Li Xiangyang laughed and said, "I just heard about it, and I'm discussing it with Xiaoyun right now."
"This is fantastic news!" Wang Ergou exclaimed excitedly. "From now on, we'll farm our own land, and any extra grain we harvest will be ours, unlike before when it didn't matter how much we worked."
Li Xiaoyun invited Wang Ergou inside: "Ergou, have some water. You've been running around in this heat."
Wang Ergou took the water glass and drank half of it in one gulp: "Thank you, sister-in-law. By the way, Brother Xiangyang, I heard the village is planning to hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss how to divide the land."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Then let's go listen together tomorrow."
The next day, the villagers of Xiaoliang Village gathered early in the square in front of the village committee, waiting for the meeting to begin.
Standing on the stage, Old Party Secretary Zhang looked at the densely packed crowd below and felt a sense of satisfaction.
"Fellow villagers," said Old Zhang, the village secretary, "I've called you all here today to announce some good news. Following instructions from higher authorities, our village will be implementing the household responsibility system!"
A cheer immediately erupted from the audience.
Village Party Secretary Zhang raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "The household responsibility system is good, but we still need to discuss the specifics of how to implement it. First, regarding land allocation..."
The meeting lasted the entire morning, during which participants discussed a range of issues, including land allocation standards, determination of production targets, and handling of overproduction.
Ultimately, the village committee decided to allocate land according to population size and labor availability, and each household had its own designated plot of land.
After the meeting, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou walked side by side on their way home.
"Brother Xiangyang," Wang Ergou asked, "how much land did your family get?"
Li Xiangyang calculated: "Based on population and labor force, my family received a little over three mu of land. What about yours?"
“My family is about the same,” Wang Ergou said. “Three and a half mu of land. To be honest, it’s not much, but the advantage is that it’s our own, so we’re much more motivated to work on it.”
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Yes, the key is that the excess production goes to everyone, which motivates everyone to increase production."
"Brother Xiangyang," Wang Ergou suddenly lowered his voice, "do you think we could consider planting something else? I heard that some places have started growing cash crops, which are more profitable than growing grain."
Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up: "Your idea is good. I think it'll work."
"So what should we plant?" Wang Ergou asked.
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment: "I remember that the soil and climate in this area are suitable for growing some specialty crops, such as medicinal herbs and fruit trees from the mountains. I'll look up some information and study it later."
Wang Ergou nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll do whatever Brother Xiangyang says."
Back home, Li Xiangyang told Li Xiaoyun about the village's decision and shared his thoughts.
"Xiaoyun, do you think we should try planting some cash crops? Like medicinal herbs or fruit trees?"
Li Xiaoyun pondered for a moment: "That's a good idea, but we also need to consider the risks. What if it doesn't turn out well or doesn't sell? Then we'll lose our entire year's income."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "You're right. We can do this: we'll set aside a small plot of land for a trial planting, and continue growing grain in the rest of the land using traditional methods. That way, even if the trial fails, it won't affect our basic livelihood."
“That’s a good idea,” Li Xiaoyun agreed. “It’s both safe and innovative.”