Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 721 Allocation Method
After sitting at Master Lu's house for more than an hour without staying for lunch, Chen Fan and Zhou Yali took their leave around 10 a.m.

Master Lu did not try to persuade him to stay.

He had already reached a tacit understanding with Chen Fan that there was no need for formalities between them. If Chen Fan wanted to stay for dinner, he would definitely cook for himself. Since he didn't, it meant that he wouldn't stay for dinner.

The ground was icy and slippery, so the two men stepped out the door, mounted their horses, and soon arrived at the brigade headquarters.

As usual, even though it wasn't the busy farming season, several brigade leaders were on duty at the brigade headquarters.

Chen Fan's arrival quickly enlivened the place.

With Zhou Yali around, they exchanged a few simple pleasantries. After Zhang Cuie ran over from the broadcasting station behind the house, Chen Fan handed Zhou Yali over to her to show her around the village, while he stayed in the office to talk with several leaders.

Chen Fan poured himself a cup of hot tea, took out his pipe, lit a ball of tobacco, plopped down on a bench by the side, looked around, and asked curiously, "Where did Brother Sanhu go? I haven't seen him for the past two days."

In the past, whenever Zhang Wenliang had free time and knew that Chen Fan had returned, he would definitely go to him for a drink as soon as possible.

But I didn't see him when I came back yesterday afternoon, and I didn't see him this morning either, which is a bit strange.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's question, Secretary Yang, Captain Zhang, and Deputy Captain Ye all turned their heads and looked at Xiao Liewen.

Xiao Liewen chuckled, took a puff of his cigarette, and said with a smile, "A few days after you left last time, he and the people from the brigade's directly subordinate militia squad were conscripted by the county's armed forces department and haven't returned yet."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan's eyes widened in surprise.

I left at the end of November, and today is January 23, almost two months. What could have required them to be mobilized for so long?

Moreover, although they are called militia, they are just militia. What use would it be to conscript them?
Just as Chen Fan was about to ask, Xiao Liewen said seriously, "Their whereabouts are currently a secret. We don't know exactly where they are or what they are doing, including myself. We also don't know when they will carry out their mission."

I know your Master Lin and the others will definitely be able to find out, but you absolutely mustn't try to find out. That's the rule, understand?

Chen Fan frowned slightly and blinked at him.

Looking at Xiao Liewen's serious expression, and then at the awkward smiles on the faces of the leaders next to him, he suddenly understood.

It's possible that they don't know where or when they'll return after completing the task.

But if you say you don't even know what they're going to do, Chen Fan said he didn't believe it.

The militia is the militia; in fact, it is the last line of defense in the national defense system. Unless there are special reasons, the militia will generally not be the first to be mobilized.

But now Zhang Wenliang and his men have not only been conscripted, but they've also been sent on a secret mission.

If Xiao Liewen and his group knew nothing about the inside story, how could they easily release the person?

And then they completely ignored it, even forbidding me from inquiring about it myself?!

Considering their unique characteristics and the current timeframe, Chen Fan would bet that they are currently in some forest, working with a group of special operations experts, researching, or being researched, jungle warfare.

Thinking of this, Chen Fan couldn't help but smack his lips, then looked up and took a drag of his cigarette.

Sad.

Including Zhang Wenliang, the brigade headquarters' directly subordinate militia squad has a total of 11 people. These 11 people are not fixed, but are selected from the more than 200 militiamen in the entire brigade. They are the strongest and, naturally, the best at mastering tactics.

It would be best if these people could return safely. If they haven't returned by the Lantern Festival, then I'll have to go there myself.

After all, tracing back to the source, he himself brought this upon himself. If he hadn't fought Zhang Wenliang, Zhang Wenliang wouldn't have become interested in jungle tactics, and naturally, none of the subsequent events would have occurred.

Xiao Liewen had no idea that Chen Fan had so many thoughts in his mind, and that he had already guessed the mission that Zhang Wenliang and his team were carrying out.

He was actually in a good mood, with a hint of pride on his face, and said, "Don't worry too much. Everything is peaceful now. Even if there is a mission, it won't be their turn to take action."

They were mostly conscripted to perform auxiliary tasks, just minor support roles, and there wouldn't be any danger.

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then asked, "Besides Brother Sanhu and the others, has the county conscripted anyone else?"

Xiao Liewen glanced at him. "I just told you not to ask. Have you forgotten already?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. Well, he was now increasingly certain of his guess.

But I can't tell them this. Should I tell them that I'm sure we're about to start working and they might be sent to the front lines, and that they should be sent back immediately, otherwise their lives are in danger?
That doesn't make sense!

Not to mention that in the eyes of the older generation, sacrificing oneself for the country is a great honor. Those who are guilty will have their punishment reduced by three degrees, and those who are innocent will be honored. Whether guilty or innocent, they can be included in the family genealogy, with their own page!

Although Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang looked a little unnatural and their eyes showed some unconcealed worry, they showed no sign of regret or reluctance.

It's just that they're old and don't have the skills of Zhang Wenliang and the others; otherwise, they would have been summoned without the slightest hesitation.

They won't let you ask, and they won't let you say anything.

Chen Fan could only sigh softly, then turned to Secretary Yang and asked, "Secretary, Xingxiu's due date seems to be before the new year, right? Has she given birth yet?"

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yang beamed with joy and laughed heartily, "It's a baby boy! It's a big, healthy boy!"

Captain Zhang smiled and nodded repeatedly, "She's currently in postpartum confinement at home. Sanhuzi has a successor now."

That's not bad.

Chen Fan smiled and stood up, saying, "Then I'll go take a look."

Xiao Liewen waved his hand, "Go ahead, but don't stay too long. Only Sanhu's mother is at their house. Just take a look and come back."

Chen Fan nodded. "Understood."

Then he turned around and walked out.

Zhang Wenliang's new home is not far from here, also within the scope of Team 5. It is next to the old village, where a long mound of earth has been built as the new homestead for Team 5.

As Chen Fan walked along, he saw a row of neat two-story red brick buildings, the first of which was Zhang Wenliang's house.

He knocked on the door, greeted Zhang Wenliang's mother, and then went into the room to see the baby.

The room had a fireplace with a chimney, and an opening in the window to vent the exhaust fumes outside, almost exactly the same as the one Chen Fan used in his home.

The room was warm and cozy. Yang Xingxiu sat on the bed with the baby sleeping soundly beside her. When she saw Chen Fan come in, she took the initiative to pick up the child and hand him over.

Chen Fan held the baby and looked at him. He was a very cute little bean sprout. Luckily, Zhou Yali didn't come, otherwise he would probably have held him and not wanted to let go.

After holding the baby for a while, he placed the baby next to Yang Xingxiu, then took out a gold longevity lock with a bell and put it into the baby's swaddling clothes.

Yang Xingxiu didn't refuse politely, and thanked him on behalf of the baby, saying that she would invite Zhang Wenliang to dinner when he returned.

Chen Fan stayed for less than ten minutes before taking his leave.

Back at the brigade headquarters, we chatted about Yang Xingxiu and her child's situation, and then the conversation returned to business.

Secretary Yang tapped his pipe, knocked the ash out of the bowl, lit a new leaf tobacco, and said to Chen Fan, "This year's (lunar calendar) profits are good, much better than last year. However, the investment was also large, so your dividend this year will be about the same as last time."

"Once the factory goes into production next year and we see profits, the dividends will definitely increase significantly."

Chen Fan, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, didn't seem to care about the ten thousand yuan, but instead asked, "Where's the team?"

Captain Zhang smiled and said, "The situation in each team is not much different. A strong laborer with full work points can earn more than 4 yuan, which is much better than last year."

Chen Fan frowned slightly. "But compared to the brigade headquarters, there's still a considerable gap." Secretary Yang nodded. "That is indeed a problem. After production was distributed to groups, production teams used small teams as the accounting unit, but the brigade headquarters' work point income was still based on the production of the small teams, so the value of work points wasn't much different. But since the brigade headquarters started several sideline businesses, the gap has widened significantly."

He looked up at Chen Fan, his brows furrowing slightly. "It's only because the profits of each team have been pretty good in the last two years, and the teams have also relied on the brigade to achieve such good results, that there aren't many people gossiping about it in and around the village."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Not much, so there is some."

The four nodded almost simultaneously. Ye Shubao exhaled a long breath and said seriously, "Although it is said that each team is responsible for its own profits and losses and that no one can be blamed for making more or less money, in reality, there will definitely still be a gap."

Xiao Liewen tapped his pipe and sighed, "Actually, apart from the grain, which each team must strictly complete its tasks, the other three levies and five unified taxes are basically paid out by the brigade headquarters from its profits and borne independently. This is one of the reasons why most commune members have no objection to the profit sharing."

Ye Shubao continued, "Another reason is that all the side businesses are still in the investment stage, including the earliest poultry and livestock farming. Because of the construction of the food factory, we can see that there will be greater benefits in the later stage."

These two reasons should be enough to stabilize the situation for another year or two.

But after a year or two, when all the side businesses start generating profits, how to divide all that money will be a big problem.

He looked around and then at Chen Fan. "If things continue like this, with a few people in the brigade headquarters receiving one or two times more dividends than ordinary members, it's definitely not appropriate."

Chen Fan took a deep breath and frowned deeply.

After taking a few puffs of his cigarette, he looked up at the group and suddenly asked, "Strictly speaking, the people's commune is a three-tiered ownership system, with the production brigade only acting as a coordinator in the middle. If the production teams below have problems, then does the commune above have problems?"

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yang immediately chuckled and said, "This year, the levies we've submitted are almost equal to the total of the other four production brigades combined. Do you think they have any problems?"

Chen Fan smacked his lips, exhaled a long breath, and laughed, "It seems the commune has also set its sights on this lucrative prize, Lujiawan."

Captain Zhang waved his hand and said, "It can't be said that way entirely. On the one hand, Nanhu Commune has never been a poor commune for a long time. It still has some foundation and is not at the point of 'eyeing the fat meat'."

On the other hand, while Lujiawan is developing itself, it has not forgotten its brother units. The four brigades of Ganjiacun, Hongxing, Shengli and Bailanghu have also achieved good results this year, almost on par with our income last year. They have also made significant contributions to the commune.

Moreover, didn't we work with the commune to build the Lujiawan Industrial Park? Once the industrial park is completed, it will definitely contribute a large amount of tax revenue, and the commune will still benefit from it.

Therefore, the pressure from the commune is not so significant; the main thing is to think carefully about how to achieve internal balance.

Chen Fan looked at the four leaders, thought for a moment, and said, "Actually, there are better ways to distribute resources, but if we take too big a step, it's easy to cause problems."

Secretary Yang exhaled a puff of smoke, looked at him, and said, "Is there anything that's not so ridiculous?"

Xiao Liewen nodded, "Even if the effect is a little less, it's fine."

Chen Fan smiled. "Yes, and it's very simple."

After looking around at everyone, he continued, "You all know Huaxi Village, right? Just copy theirs."

Upon hearing this, the four of them perked up and looked at him together.

Xiao Liewen quickly added, "Tell me quickly, what is Huaxi Village like?"

Today, Huaxi Village is famous throughout the country, and there is no news of anything inappropriate about it. If we were to adopt Huaxi Village's distribution method, neither the higher-ups nor the lower-ups would have anything to criticize.

Thinking of this, the hope in the eyes of the four people grew even stronger.

Chen Fan changed the tobacco, lit it, and said, "Let me tell you about our current situation. Although Lujiawan has developed side businesses and made a lot of money in the past two years, the distribution model is no different from that of most ordinary production teams."

Regarding grain, rations were allocated proportionally based on the harvest. Any surplus was used to pay public grain taxes, purchase grain, and so on. Any remaining grain was stored in the brigade's warehouse as a reserve for the entire brigade, to be used in case of emergencies.

Alternatively, surplus grain can be included in the team's annual income and distributed as supplies during profit sharing.

In terms of production revenue, the accounting unit is the team, and distribution is strictly based on the number of work points earned.

He looked around at everyone. "Is this how it is?"

The four of them nodded in unison, "Yes."

After a two-second pause, Xiao Liewen asked curiously, "Isn't Huaxi Village like this?"

Chen Fan nodded and continued, "The distribution method in Huaxi Village is different from that of ordinary production teams. They adopt a work point plus welfare model, and there is also a hidden investment category."

Before they could ask any questions, Chen Fan explained, "Work points are easy to understand; they're the same for everyone, there's no difference. The specific difference lies in the percentage of the total revenue they allocate each year. This percentage can be adjusted manually; they can give more or less if they want to."

As for benefits,..."

At this point, he turned to look at Secretary Yang and said with a smile, "For example, during last year's Spring Festival, every household was building houses. When we build houses, each household bears the cost themselves, but when Huaxi Village builds houses, the money is taken from the public account and arranged uniformly."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yang and the other three understood what the welfare item meant.

Building houses, repairing roads, constructing water towers and hydroelectric power stations—these are all benefits. In the future, we can also build nursing homes, kindergartens, expand schools, and so on. In the end, every member of the community will benefit from all of these things!
In this way, most people should have no objections, and the reduced dividend amount won't be too conspicuous. This is indeed a good solution.

Chen Fan continued, "As I just mentioned, there is another hidden investment category."

He paused for a moment, then looked at Secretary Yang and smiled, “Uncle Yang, if we were to build a food factory, and I provided the recipe and technical guidance to the workers, how would you rate that?”

Secretary Yang blinked. "Does that count as one extra work point for you?"

Chen Fan smiled and didn't answer his question directly. Instead, he said, "In Huaxi Village, they would convert this into an investment, which means owning one share. When calculating the returns, they would first give one share as dividends, and the rest would be used as the standard for returns, and the amount of work points would be allocated proportionally."

This kind of hidden investment can be technology, management, or even…

At this point, his voice was barely audible, and he raised his hand to make a gesture, "Money."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yang and the others gasped, glancing around and exchanging bewildered glances.

After a few seconds, Xiao Liewen still couldn't believe it. "They've already gone this far?"

Chen Fan nodded and said softly, "Of course, the government still makes the decisions. Even if they invest money, it only accounts for a very small share and they have no say in the matter."

He shrugged as he spoke, "It hasn't even reached the level of public-private partnerships back then."

Xiao Liewen let out a long breath and nodded slightly. "Understood."

He shook his head slightly as he spoke, "But they're also quite bold."

Chen Fan smiled but didn't say anything.

What he said is not information that can be publicly found now, but rather something that was summarized by someone who later specifically studied the Huaxi Village model.

Two years from now, or rather, starting from this point in time, Huaxi Village has used this bundling model to recover a large portion of the distributed dividends as investment capital, binding everyone to the same boat, which is how it has rapidly developed so many subsidiary companies.

This approach has its advantages and disadvantages, which we won't discuss for now. However, Chen Fan was certain that Secretary Yang and his team wouldn't adopt this model, much less investigate it, so he spoke of it without any reservations.

The reason I'm bringing this up now is simply to set a precedent and prepare for further changes in the future.

As expected, after a moment's thought and a brief discussion among the leaders, Secretary Yang made a decision.

He took a drag of his cigarette and chuckled softly, “Investing more money in production and the welfare of the members is a good idea. The distribution model of Huaxi Village is indeed worth learning from.”

However, that hidden investment can be postponed.

Speaking of this, he joked with Chen Fan, "It's not that I'm unwilling to give you a share of the technical business, but you were the one who guided and set up all these side businesses. How about I count each side business as a job for you?"

Chen Fan snorted twice and laughed, "I wouldn't dare take so many bonuses. Keeping one veterinarian as the coordinator is already conspicuous enough. If I give them more work points, I'm afraid people will talk behind my back."

(End of this chapter)