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In the summer of 1992, after the busy wheat harvest, most villages in Gaoqiao Town were actively planning chive bases, celery bases, cabbage bases, and radish planting under the guidance of the Town Government. Technical personnel from the Provincial Agricultural University, Agricultural Science Institute, Vegetable Research Institute, and Plant Protection Station were brought in to provide training and guidance.
In addition to open-field varieties, new vegetable greenhouses began to emerge spontaneously.
The latest data showed that Gaoqiao Town had over thirty plastic product factories and cold-drawn wire factories. Mayor Mao personally visited some of these enterprises, where he witnessed a thriving scene of activity.
What excited him even more was that during his research, he discovered that some villages had established poultry farms, raising both egg-laying hens and broilers, with several of them operating on a considerable scale.
The Poultry Equipment Trading Market, located alongside National Highway 106, was taking shape and was expected to be operational by the end of the year. At that time, all related products from Gaoqiao Town would be distributed here, which would help avoid price-cutting competition among enterprises and eliminate the need for customers to purchase from multiple sources.
During the market's groundbreaking ceremony, key officials from Jinan City—including the Vice Mayor in charge of township enterprises, the Director of the Agricultural Bureau, the Director of the Animal Husbandry Bureau, the Director of the Business Bureau, and the head of the Economic Planning Committee—along with Li Gaoqiang and Jiang Ruming from Annan County's government personally participated in shoveling soil. The event was reported not only in Jinan Daily but also received half a page coverage in Jiangbei Daily (Rural Edition).
Simultaneously, several shops quietly opened around this yet-to-be-completed market, dealing in veterinary medicines and feed, seeds and seedlings, pesticides and fertilizers, as well as irrigation equipment. The once barren land had transformed into a multifunctional comprehensive market.
Hu Ruoyun was now in his third year of high school. Over the past two years, although he had changed his own situation and that of some family members to a certain extent, it was still far from enough. With graduation approaching next year and his current academic performance, he was certain he wouldn't qualify for university. Should he really follow his memories to enroll in a vocational college instead?
Those two years had been spent in a haze; not only had he wasted time but also life and money. He didn’t want to repeat those mistakes! After much contemplation without any clear direction, he decided to just take things one step at a time.
The corn in the fields had grown taller than a person. His father Hu Qihua and Second Uncle Hu Zhenhua seemed much younger now; they woke up early every day to deliver bricks to the villages below from the Township Brick Factory as if trying to make up for a lifetime of hardship.
It hadn’t rained for over a month, so Hu Ruoyun planned to water the fields at home this weekend.
Xiao Feng and Xiao Hu were excitedly following their older brother back home, chattering away. Even while Hu Ruoyun was watering the fields, Xiao Hu mimicked him with a small shovel in hand. Reflecting on how quiet his younger brother used to be and looking at his sister’s patched-up old clothes… Seeing their carefree demeanor now filled Hu Ruoyun with mixed emotions.
The economy not only determined the superstructure but also affected a family's living conditions and an individual's state of mind.
His mother Zhao Meirong had worn a lackluster expression for many years; now she appeared rosy-cheeked with a sparkle in her eyes. Gone were her worries and sorrows; she even hummed a tune from a Henan opera: "The vast land of our motherland is developing rapidly; countless victories are beyond counting..."
In just over a day and a half, Hu Ruoyun finished watering the fields with his two little followers. He didn’t feel particularly tired; before heading back to school, he gave Xiao Feng and Xiao Hu each one yuan: "From now on, if you need pocket money, just ask me. As long as you don’t spend it recklessly, I’ll give you however much you need."
The two nodded eagerly in agreement.
On Monday, he received a large package sent by the Editorial Department of Story Collection. His piece "Humanity's Forbidden Island" had been fully serialized. According to Editor Zhou Dong, it received an excellent response. Along with it came a large bundle of letters from readers across the country addressed to him through the Editorial Department.
The letter informed him:
1. After discussion by the Editorial Department, they decided to award Hu Ruoyun with an "Honorary Author" certificate and hoped he would continue supporting Story Collection by contributing content.
2. They planned to compile and publish his serialized content from "Humanity's Forbidden Island" into a standalone book and requested him to extend some parts of the original text to about 150,000 words; royalties would be paid separately by the magazine.
3. Story Collection would soon issue a subscription notice for "Humanity's Forbidden Island," asking Hu Ruoyun to write an article reflecting on his creative insights, self-introduction, or summaries of additional content; this would be published prominently in issue two’s golden position to interact with readers nationwide!
What a delightful surprise!
One by one, I opened the letters from readers. Besides those expressing hope for me to continue writing, a significant portion contained affirmation and encouragement:
"Very well written, captivating, especially the spirit of the protagonist..."
"After reading, I felt the plot was tightly woven and full of ups and downs. I support the author in continuing their efforts!"
"Not bad, this novel has a grand scale, spans across time and space, involves many exotic cultures, and features characters of various skin colors and nationalities with distinct personalities that come to life. It is highly readable..."
Why are the reviews so overwhelmingly positive?
After all, this isn't the current internet age where anyone can easily criticize with a keystroke. Back then, very few people were bored enough to spend money on postage to write a letter of complaint.
The "Story Collection" is one of the most influential popular reads of this era. In the foreseeable future, advertisements of the same size would cost a fortune to publish in "Story Collection," due to its massive circulation and the resulting advertising effectiveness and returns.
The second page gave itself an entire layout! I need to think carefully about how to incorporate my own "advertisement."
I decided to give this opportunity to Chai Hongmin, the director of the Laogu Township Party Affairs Office. This kind brother had always been warm towards me and even helped me connect with the local supply and marketing cooperative, allowing me to benefit alongside Second Uncle's family.
It was another Saturday. I asked my homeroom teacher for leave in the morning and rode my bike straight back to Laogu Township Party Affairs Office. Chai Hongmin warmly welcomed my arrival.
The issues with the Laogu Township Grain Management Office were now a thing of the past. However, last year’s abrupt halt of the "Modern Commercial Street Development" in Gaoqiao Town led to disciplinary actions against the town mayor, secretary, deputy mayor... all demoted or penalized. The instigator of this incident was none other than this half-grown child before me.
As I sipped tea brewed by Chai Hongmin, I shared my thoughts. The more he listened, the brighter his eyes became. After a moment, he eagerly extended his hand: "Brother, hold on a second; let me find Township Head Feng. We should discuss this in his office." Without waiting for my response, he turned and dashed out. Less than two minutes later, he returned: "Let’s go! Township Head Feng is in his office; we’ll go together!"
I felt a bit caught off guard. Wasn’t this making a mountain out of a molehill?
Following Chai Hongmin out of the Party Affairs Office, I saw Township Head Feng waving at us from outside an office door where we had met once before. I quickly waved back.
After shaking hands with Township Head Feng, Chai Hongmin pulled aside the curtain at the door for us.
Township Head Feng got straight to the point: "Xiao Hu, Little Chai has probably briefed you on our situation. The village fully supports and cooperates! You know that right now we are focusing on economic development; our county is traditionally an agricultural one with a single industrial structure... We urgently need new economic growth points!
By the way, during our last meeting at the county level, I had many discussions with Mayor Mao from Gaoqiao Town. He was quite pleased after having a few drinks and mentioned that many ideas came from you! Mayor Mao is quite something now!"
At this point, he leaned in conspiratorially: "He might be Vice County Head next year!
Regardless, you are still one of us from Laogu Township. On behalf of nearly sixty thousand people here, I want to express our gratitude!"
His words were sincere.
I briefly shared my thoughts on how "Story Collection" wanted an author introduction section that included county and township names while highlighting local characteristics and advantages—perhaps even mentioning potential project collaborations...
In fact, even if Hu Ruoyun did not come to the Town Government, Township Head Feng intended for Chai Hongmin to take the initiative. He envied the development of Gaoqiao Town and was filled with jealousy over Mayor Mao's "drunken talk": originally, they were from the same village, and he had known them longer than Mayor Mao, yet it was Mayor Mao who stumbled upon such a great opportunity!
Although Mayor Mao seemed to be speaking nonsense, it was during moments like these that people within the system revealed their true thoughts. If Mayor Mao hadn't been drunk, he likely wouldn't have voiced those opinions at all.
Moreover, are there really secrets within the system? The internal reports of Jiangbei Daily are only accessible to leaders at the Department Level and above, yet countless people have seen copies of Hu Ruoyun's article. Therefore, even if what Mayor Mao said was indeed drunken rambling, Township Head Feng was willing to believe it this time and take a gamble.
The pressure for development was immense! He needed to seize every possible opportunity and give it a try!
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