Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Everyone followed Li Jianguo to the team headquarters, and others who heard the commotion also rushed over one after another. The mud-brick house of the team headquarters was soon crowded with commune members.

There weren't enough benches, so many people simply squatted by the wall, asking each other questions. Once everyone understood what was going on, an unprecedented uproar ensued.

The title of "ten-thousand-yuan household" is a nationwide sensation, but in the tiny Jiangxin Village, it's like a spark hitting a woodpile—it's ignited at the slightest provocation.

The smell of smoke mixed with a strange odor filled the room as Li Jianguo sat on a wooden stool in the center of the courtyard.

As he twirled a cigarette between his fingers, listening to the incessant chatter, his knuckles unconsciously tightened, a sense of surprise creeping into his heart.

At this moment, Li Suanpan pushed through the crowd to the front, waving his hands wildly in the air, and excitedly shouted in a high-pitched voice: "Captain, you have to come out and make a decision. The fish in the river belong to the collective."

"It's always been the fishing teams that do the salvage, so why are Lin Chuan and his group able to do it privately? I heard they made a fortune of ten thousand yuan in just one trip! What is this if not speculation and profiteering?!"

Li Suanpan shouted loudly in front, and Li Chunjiang and the others immediately echoed him from behind.

When they heard the news, they felt the same jealousy that gripped their hearts, just like Li Suanpan. Seeing Li Suanpan leading the trouble, how could they not follow suit?

"Exactly! We work our butts off every day to earn work points in the team, and we only get this little bit of food in return. Meanwhile, they've taken advantage of the collective's resources to make a fortune. It's just too unfair."

Li Chunjiang's words struck a chord with several poor commune members, and the noise inside the room suddenly rose, causing the dust at the base of the walls to fall in a flurry.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the resources in the river are collective assets, and what Li Chunjiang said is in line with everyone's understanding.

After all, the fishing industry is still within the scope of regulations, under the unified leadership of the organization and managed at different levels. The fishing area of ​​the fishing team does indeed belong to the Qingpingzhou Production Cooperative.

But nowadays the policies keep changing, and private boats have long been fishing in coastal areas. As long as they don't cross the border, no one will say anything.

In coastal areas, and in places like the Yangtze River estuary, people with boats would fish to supplement their income.

The organization turned a blind eye. Although there was no explicit document, the villagers were in their own team's fishing area and wouldn't say anything.

Lin Chuan's catch was truly eye-catching; it was the best catch not only in Jiangxin Village but also in the surrounding brigades.

While Li Jianguo was still pondering the matter, Wu Jia couldn't help but shout loudly, "Captain, you can't show favoritism! You can't protect your brother's family just because they're with Lin Chuan!"

"Yes, Captain, you have to think about the collective and not cover it up!" Several other members chimed in.

Li Jianguo suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the table, instantly silencing the room.

He looked coldly at Wu Jiayong and Li Suanpan, and said, "If you keep shouting and yelling, get out of here!"

After saying that, Li Jianguo pulled Lin Chuan's application documents out of the drawer, shaking them loudly: "What's all the fuss about? Get this straight! Lin Chuan and his group aren't illegally fishing; it's a legitimate fishery production cooperative project!"

Li Jianguo slammed the document on the table with a loud bang.

He glared at everyone and said, "You all got envious when you saw Lin Chuan catch fish and sell them for money. But he earned it through his own skills!"

Besides, which of you families with boats hasn't secretly crossed the river? Did I say anything?

Then Li Jianguo changed the subject and pointed at Li Suanpan angrily, saying, "And you, Li Suanpan, you pretended to be sick to avoid work in the spring and secretly followed the fishing team to cast nets. Do you really think I'm blind?"

I didn't expose your family's difficult circumstances; that was to save you face!

"Look at Lin Chuan. He not only applies for permission before going fishing in the river, but he also takes the lead in setting up a cooperative to help everyone make money together."

"What's wrong with you all? Gathered here to accuse him of speculation and profiteering? I think you've all lost your minds! And you call yourselves elders? Where's your shame?!"

Li Jianguo unleashed a torrent of abuse on the group, and the people who had been making a fuss immediately fell silent. Li Suanpan's face turned red, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Li Chunjiang and the others also shrank their necks, afraid that Li Jianguo would notice. They only dared to argue with Li Jianguo because they were just excited for a moment.

At this moment, Li Jianguo unleashed his power and immediately revealed his true colors, hiding to the side.

Seeing that no one was making any more noise, Li Jianguo sat down again, picked up the document in his hand, and waved it around:

"This cooperative was approved by the team committee, and there's an official seal to prove it!" He pointed to the red seal on the document.

Looking at everyone, he said, "It's their skill to fish in the river. They can catch any fish that isn't one of the designated species. That's what I said."

The sea bass they caught weren't part of the fishing team's procurement quota; how they made their money was their business. Anyone who wanted to join them should go find Lin Chuan.

At this point, Li Jianguo changed the subject again, raising his voice, "Since everyone's here today, I'll mention something else."

The county has approved the task of managing Canhong Island, and has also given Lin Chuan a seed reward for taking the initiative to undertake the task of managing wasteland.

As for the remaining few barren islands in our production team, the county hopes that our team will actively respond to the policy and reclaim these islands.

Before Li Jianguo could finish speaking, the room erupted in chaos again. The person squatting against the wall shouted, "Canhong Island? You can't dig sweet water out of that island!"

Lin Chuan only needs to manage one, why bother with the other deserted islands? Those places are practically uninhabited, how can they be managed?

"Exactly, isn't Lin Chuan enough? Why make things so complicated for others?"

Li Jianguo raised his hand and pressed down: "The results of this governance are all yours. The county doesn't want them, and neither does the team."

"If you can cultivate just a few acres, that'll be enough for your family to live on for half a year."

"That sounds nice! We all toil in the fields, everyone knows that. Take Canhong Island for example, it's true that it has good soil."

But there is more saline-alkali land and no water, so how can crops survive?

Even if there is water, I'd rather starve to death by the time the crops on the island grow.

"Why not go down to the river and catch a few more fish? If we find a school of fish, we can become a millionaire!" This commune member scoffed at the idea of ​​managing the deserted island.

Li Jianguo was silent for a moment, then tapped his knuckles on the table and continued, "Since no one is willing to take the initiative to manage the deserted island, let's draw lots."

"We'll address it household by household; whichever household we find, we'll deal with."

"Draw lots? How can that be! My family just split up, and we don't have any extra labor!" Upon hearing this, one of the members panicked and immediately stood up and shouted.

"Whoever we catch is ours. Your family doesn't have extra labor, but other families do? That's settled then. We'll catch them when we calculate work points at the end of the year," Li Jianguo said decisively.

After a pause, Li Jianguo looked around at everyone and softened his tone: "Of course, if someone takes on the task voluntarily during this period, then there's no need to arrest them."

I hope everyone on our team will actively respond to the policy. If we can truly achieve results in managing this deserted island, I can't guarantee you'll become a millionaire, but your family will definitely never go hungry again.

"That's true, but it has to be cured first," the members crowded outside the door muttered quietly.

"Alright, since no one has any objections, everyone can disperse. Go do what you were doing!" Seeing that no one was speaking anymore, Li Jianguo waved his hand to disperse the crowd.