“Then can we ask Old Ji to help treat the villagers in Ping’an Brigade?”
“What?!” The brigade leader’s tone was laced with shock.
“No, no, no. You know his background—it’s impossible.”
“Why not? They came here to work as part of their reformation. Isn’t treating illnesses just as much a contribution as working in the fields? We wouldn’t even be paying him for it. This counts as reformation too. Of course, if he’s doing that, he wouldn’t be able to do the work he used to do.”
Hearing Song Wei’s words, Lin Zhen’s eyes lit up. “That’s true, Brigade Leader! We don’t have enough doctors. In winter, so many elderly and children fall ill, and the clinic can’t keep up. If Old Ji helps treat people, he’ll still be working, and he can also help those in need. Plus, it’s a much better use of his skills.”
The old man was already advanced in years. Continuing with heavy farm work would surely break his body. While treating people was still busy and tiring, it was far easier than laboring in the fields.
The brigade leader had witnessed Old Ji’s medical skills firsthand and was tempted by the idea. But that man’s background… it was a tricky matter.
“Brigade Leader, don’t be so quick to refuse. You can go to the commune and ask the leaders about it. But you’ll need to approach this tactfully. Start by painting a tragic picture,” Song Wei said, leaning in and whispering her suggestion to the brigade leader.
The brigade leader frowned, his expression conflicted as he weighed her words. “Do you think this will work?”
Song Wei replied, “It’s worth trying. If it works, it’ll be a blessing for our village. If it doesn’t, we don’t lose anything.”
The brigade leader gritted his teeth. “Alright, I’ll go ask!”
“What are you all discussing?”
A few elderly men, the most respected figures in the village, stepped out of the room where the off-season vegetables were being grown. They had been invited by the brigade leader to see the progress.
One by one, their faces turned red with excitement. “To think vegetables could actually grow during this season—it’s incredible!”
“But it has to be done indoors, and you need heated kangs to keep the room warm. This isn’t feasible for large-scale planting, and it takes up too much space.”
After inspecting the off-season vegetables, everyone gathered in the main room, where Lin Zhen poured water for them.
“Song Zhiqing, how did you come up with this idea?”
“Can these vegetables even sell? How do we sell them?”
The elders bombarded Song Wei with questions about the planting and sales of the off-season vegetables.
In response, Song Wei simply asked, “In winter, don’t you all wish you could eat fresh greens?”
“Of course, we do!”
Winter offered few vegetable options, and eating the same kind repeatedly made people sick of them. Given the chance to eat something better, who wouldn’t want it?
Song Wei continued, “City folks want it even more than you do, and most importantly, they have money to spend. Think about it—if Ping’an Brigade is the only place with fresh greens in the middle of winter, do you really think we’ll struggle to sell them?”
The group’s excitement grew as they rubbed their hands together eagerly. “What do we need to do?”
Song Wei turned to the brigade leader. “First, if we want to sell these off-season vegetables openly, we need approval. Brigade Leader, take some of these greens tomorrow to the commune and request permission for our brigade to cultivate and sell off-season vegetables.”
“Next, we’ll need to build vegetable greenhouses. Growing indoors isn’t practical—it takes up too much space, and the room is limited. We’ll need transparent plastic greenhouses that retain heat. Since the amount we need is large, the supply cooperative won’t have enough, so we’ll have to place a bulk order directly with the plastic factory.”
“Finally, we’ll need to address management and sales. If this project succeeds, we’ll need people to manage the greenhouses and others to handle external sales. These workers will need to negotiate with factories for cooperation and orders. But those are problems for later. For now, we need to solve the initial issues.”
The brigade leader nodded. “Alright, I’ll talk to the leaders tomorrow. Song Zhiqing, why don’t you come with me? You’re articulate and know the details of the off-season vegetables better than anyone. If the leaders have questions, you’ll be able to answer them.”
Song Wei agreed readily. She had planned to bring up old Ji’s situation to the leaders anyway.
The group continued their discussion, planning how to present the idea to the villagers. If the project succeeded, building the greenhouses would require shared funding—no single household could shoulder the cost. Song Wei proposed a system where villagers could invest in shares to construct the greenhouses together.
Those who worked in the greenhouses would earn work points, and managers would also be compensated with either work points or wages. Sales personnel would receive commission bonuses based on the orders they secured.
“Song Zhiqing, slow down—I can’t remember everything you’re saying.”
Most of the attendees were older and struggled to keep up with Song Wei’s ideas. The more she explained, the more overwhelmed they became.
The brigade leader cursed himself for not bringing a pen and paper to take notes. “Lin Zhen, do you have any paper and a pen? Bring them to me quickly!”
“I do.”
Lin Zhen fetched the supplies, and the meeting resumed, lasting over two hours. Everyone contributed ideas, identifying potential loopholes and ironing out the details before finally wrapping up.
As they left, their faces were full of smiles, and they looked at Song Wei with warm, approving eyes.
One elder even patted Lin Zhen on the shoulder and said, “Lin Zhen, you found a good partner.”
Off-season vegetables were bound to make money during this season—it didn’t even require much thought.
For rural villagers with few income sources, even though they grew enough food to fill their stomachs, they lived in poverty. If the off-season vegetable project succeeded, Song Zhiqing would undoubtedly become the benefactor of the entire Ping’an Brigade.
Early the next morning, Song Wei accompanied the brigade leader to the commune to meet with the leaders.
“Secretary Wang, the brigade leader from Ping’an Brigade, Jiang Lei, has something to discuss with you.”
“With me? What could it be in this weather? Is someone sick?”
It wasn’t unusual for people to come to him about elderly or children falling ill in the brigade, especially with the clinic unable to handle the demand. Many had come before, asking for more doctors at the clinic.
Did he want to solve the issue? Of course, but all the skilled doctors had gone to big hospitals, and every commune was fighting for the few remaining ones. Their small clinic simply couldn’t attract any good doctors.
“Let’s go see what’s going on.”
The middle-aged man got up and walked out of his office. Jiang Lei immediately stepped forward, greeting him warmly. Song Wei stood a little behind him.
“Secretary Wang, sorry to bother you, but we need to discuss something important with you.”
Secretary Wang replied politely, “No need to apologize. Serving the people is our duty. What’s the matter with your brigade?”
Jiang Lei began explaining the off-season vegetables project. Secretary Wang’s mouth fell slightly open as he listened, thinking he must have misheard.
“You’re growing what kind of vegetables?”
Jiang Lei motioned to Song Wei. “Song Zhiqing, show Secretary Wang the vegetables.”
Green vegetables grew quickly and densely, changing visibly by the day. Bringing samples was essential for meeting with the commune leaders.
Song Wei handed over a bundle of fresh greens, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor. “Secretary Wang, these are off-season vegetables that we’ve successfully grown in our brigade as an experiment. Please take a look.”
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