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Just as Grandma Qi had said, when He Tiantian saw Secretary Qi and Aunt Liang the next day, they were in good spirits, beaming with joy and full of energy.

Qijia Village has returned to its former tranquility and liveliness, with everyone working hard for a good harvest.

In the village, Secretary Qi only had a handful of people he could truly confide in. If you have something on your mind, you need to find someone to talk to; otherwise, keeping it bottled up inside makes you uncomfortable.

Seeing that He Jingyu was at home, Secretary Qi brought some melon seeds and came over to chat with him.

However, several groups of children approached him from his house, asking for sunflower seeds.

Before we even reached Grandma Qi's house, the children had taken all the more than one pound of melon seeds we brought.

Secretary Qi was both happy and worried, especially when he saw young women and wives taking basins to bathe in the back mountain.

Sigh, I reckon there will be a lot more pregnant women after the New Year, and by this time next year, there will be many more twins.

Upon seeing this, Secretary Qi's good mood vanished when he arrived at Grandma Qi's house.

"What's wrong?" He Jingyu poured tea for Secretary Qi. "It's a little hard to part with your daughter, but your son-in-law is a good person, so what are you worried about? Your daughter is already married, you can't bring her back!"

Secretary Qi took a sip of hot tea and said, "Oh, I don't miss my daughter at all! Xiao Yan married well, what do I have to worry about? Listen to those kids outside, chattering away, never still for a moment. And so many of them, it's driving me crazy!"

He Jingyu listened and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Hehe, yes, in the last two or three years, there have indeed been quite a few newborns in the village."

“This little melon rind will take many years to grow up!” Secretary Qi said with a sigh. “It’s okay now that there’s not much work in the village, but next spring, not only will there be more children, but also more pregnant women. Our village will have fewer laborers again.”

He Jingyu looked up at his wife, who was reading a book, and felt happy; he would have two children in the future.

Having a son would be good, as he can support his older sister in the future; having a daughter just like Tian Tian would be even better, as the two sisters can keep each other company in the future.

"Hehe, this is a good thing, there will be more labor force in the future!" He Jingyu said, the idea that many children bring many blessings is deeply rooted in people's hearts.

It's 1975 now. In a few more years, the one-child policy will be implemented, and people won't be able to have children even if they want to.

Secretary Qi smiled wryly and shook his head, saying, "Fortunately, our village has had good harvests in recent years, otherwise how could we support so many children! The village has only so much land, and the grain supply is finite. When these children grow up, they will need to get married, receive land, and be allocated residential plots. At that time, the land in the village will become even more scarce."

“That makes sense,” He Jingyu said. There are only so many resources, and with more people, each person gets much less.

"So I plan to cultivate several other large barren mountains and plant more peach trees," Secretary Qi said. "This may lower the price of peaches, but with more quantity, we will earn more."

“Sure!” He Jingyu said. “As long as we are careful during development, it shouldn’t have too much of an impact on the environment of Qijia Village.”

"Well, then I'll have to trouble you again next spring," Secretary Qi said. "By the way, I was in a meeting in the county town a few days ago, and I heard that many middle and primary schools in Huai City have started classes. It's just that our Qijia Village doesn't have a school, so we have to go to the county town to go to school."

He Jingyu smiled and thought for a moment, then said, "Look at all the children in the village. In two or three years, they'll be of school age. Even now, there are quite a few school-age children in the village. So why don't you set up your own school?"

"Run our own school?" Secretary Qi was taken aback; he had never really thought about running a school before.

Running a school is a big deal.

Firstly, it's because of the lingering shadows from the past; secondly, running a school requires human and material resources.

“Yes, look, right now, there are over three hundred children under the age of ten in the village. If they all went to school in the county town, how much manpower and resources would that waste?” He Jingyu said. “Besides, it’s a long way, and it’s not safe for them to leave early and return late!”

Secretary Qi thought about it and felt that He Jingyu made sense. He said, "That's right. Running a school is a big deal. If it's successful, it will be of great benefit to our Qijia Village and even the surrounding villages."

“Yes!” He Jingyu said, “The country can’t keep ignoring education forever, which is why schools are reopening now. I’m not entirely sure about the specifics, but you can ask your in-laws in the county town when you have time.”

Secretary Qi agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "That's right. Putting aside everything else, just look at the literacy classes in the village. They've helped the young people in the village learn a few words, so they're no longer blind."

“Yes!” He Jingyu said, “You said it yourself, there are many children and the village’s resources are limited. For the sake of the children’s future, we should let them study more. Take Er Gou, for example, who went to the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University. After studying for a few years, he was directly assigned to the tractor factory in Huai City.”

"Yes, yes." Secretary Qi nodded repeatedly. His daughter had served in the army for three years and had so many connections, but the job issue still hadn't been settled.

Qi Ergou, after graduating from university with a degree in mechanical design, was directly assigned to the Huai City Tractor Factory.

After all, there are too few college students these days, but too many places to join the army, and it's even harder to be assigned to arts and cultural troupes.

“There are educated youth in the village, so we can have them be teachers,” He Jingyu said. “It’s actually a regular literacy class, with a venue and manpower. If there is policy support, that would be even better.”

"That's right!" After leaving He Jingyu's house, Secretary Qi returned home and immediately asked someone to bring Qi Shugen, Qi Shuming, Qi Shuli, and others to the village branch for a meeting.

Every meeting has its share of agreement and disagreement, but this time, even Qi Shuli, who has always disagreed with Secretary Qi, was in full agreement.

Because Qi Shuli's daughter, Qi Fenfen, and Li Mingkai gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, their family finally had an heir.

Qi Shuli knew the importance of education and naturally hoped that his grandchildren could receive a good education.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Secretary Qi waited for his daughter to return to her parents' home so that he could go to the county town to find out more about the situation.

On the third day after the wedding, Niu Dajun, accompanied by Qi Xiaoyan and four gifts, arrived at Qi Family Village.

From a young woman to a new bride, Qi Xiaoyan's eyes showed a touch of shyness, while Niu Dajun was all smiles and full of vigor!

When the son-in-law came to visit, Secretary Qi invited some familiar people from the village to accompany him, and He Jingyu was also at the table.

When a new son-in-law makes his first formal visit, his father-in-law and brother-in-law set rules for him.

If you can't hit me or yell at me, then drink some alcohol.

Niu Dajun was made completely drunk and was carried directly to Qi Xiaoyan's room.