Chapter 57 New Policy "Boss Chen, you're really powerful now..."

The entrance to the Agriculture Bureau was crowded with people.

A notice was posted in front of the bulletin board, which listed the new policy.

"From the date of this announcement, Wumu City encourages people with household registration from other provinces and cities to contract land in Xinjiang. They can transfer their household registration with a lease agreement. The maximum contract term is thirty years, and the specific contract price and acreage will be designated by the Agricultural Bureau..."

However, most of the people in the crowd were just there for the fun of it; those who were really interested were waiting for someone else to take the lead.

Aizimaiti slowly walked out, carrying a teacup in his hand.

He glanced at the crowd of onlookers, yawned, and said in a lazy tone, "Don't just watch, everyone. If you want to try, come in and register with me."

It wasn't that Aizimaiti was putting on airs; he simply felt that these outsiders didn't have that much money, nor did they dare to take out loans.

These days, very few people dare to take out loans to do business.

Not to mention running a farm, which is entirely dependent on the weather, no one dares to take the risk.

Chen Mian came with Li Hongmei today. Ji Yu went back to work, and Yu Xiaoyue was also busy with farm matters.

Only the two of them came.

Li Hongmei is quite interested in the idea that outsiders can contract farms, as she is very good at farming.

She just didn't have enough money, and she didn't dare to take out a loan.

So she just came with Chen Mianmian to take a look first, thinking that she would come back in a few years when she had saved enough money.

Unexpectedly, Wu Wei also came along.

Chen Mian glanced at him: "Boss Wu, are you also eyeing this new business?"

"You look like someone who lives a life of luxury; you don't seem like someone who would know how to farm."

Wu Wei knew that Chen Mian was blaming him for provoking Li Hongmei. He smiled bitterly to himself, but still maintained a gentle and refined smile on his face.

"Miss Chen, you think too highly of me. I also come from a rural background. I've just been lucky enough to accumulate some wealth."

He did indeed have his eye on the farm contracting business, but not for himself; he was looking for Li Hongmei's business.

He's doing quite well in his business now, and he doesn't have any ambition to become rich or powerful. He's content with what he has.

However, Li Hongmei is so much younger than him, and she has a long road ahead of her. She can't work for him forever. He was originally thinking about what would be suitable for her.

It just so happens that this new policy on contracted land came into effect.

The others around them were also discussing it.

"Is this reliable, bro? Don't try to trick me into throwing my money in and only to end up with nothing."

"How would I know? I certainly wouldn't dare to be the first to try something new."

"You don't even have this much guts, yet you want to get rich?"

"Then why don't you go if you dare?"

"I...I just don't like to stand out..."

Seeing that everyone was still arguing but no one was volunteering, Aizimaiti's eyes revealed a knowing look. He then turned to go back to his office, leaving behind only the words:

"My office is room 205 on the second floor, and I'm in it during working hours."

Just then, a clear female voice rang out: "Excuse me, please wait a moment, I'd like to register!"

Aizimaiti turned around and squinted at her. "Oh, it's you, little girl. I remember you."

"Didn't you come to me before, saying you wanted to lease land? Now that the policy has been implemented, you're lucky to have caught a good time. By the way, where's your husband?"

When Chen Mian heard the other person refer to Ji Yu as her man, a blush rose on her face, and she said shyly, "He's not my man yet."

“Then you can register together next time,” Aizimaiti said.

"What do you mean next time? He has a job. I'm the one who wants to contract the farm. Why do we have to wait for him to come along?" Chen Mian asked, puzzled.

Aizimaiti: "If you contract our land, you need to sign a contract and register with the government, so of course your husband needs to be involved."

"Oh, you mean you're not married yet, right? Then you can have your dad sign it."

Chen Mian roughly understood the unspoken meaning in the other person's words, and felt somewhat angry: "Comrade, I am an independent adult, and I can take responsibility for my own actions. So, may I ask, what is the reason that you tacitly agree that this matter can only be accomplished by a man?"

“No, our policy states that it is a household contract responsibility system, so of course it is based on the household unit.”

“I’m in charge of things in my family. The announcement didn’t mention any restrictions on gender,” Chen Mian said.

She didn't expect the people from the Agriculture Bureau to suddenly do this. What's wrong with women? Can't women have their own careers?

We've been promoting gender equality for so many years, so why does this kind of hidden discrimination still exist?

Among the onlookers, a man offered advice: "Girl, don't argue. You're so young. Just go home and bring your dad next time. We have plenty of land here; you can't run away."

"That's right, in our village it's also contracted out to families."

Aizimaiti's tone was tinged with impatience, "Tsk, arguing with me is useless. I've said it, the head of household is the head of household."

He flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

Li Hongmei, standing nearby, also felt indignant on behalf of her friend and her future self, saying, "Why can't you just say it's not allowed? It clearly says here that it's for people from other places, so how can it only be men?"

"You look like a scholar, all dressed up in glasses trying to appear refined, but you do absolutely nothing decent behind the scenes..."

Seeing Chen Mian's unpleasant expression and Li Hongmei's increasingly outrageous remarks, Wu Wei quickly raised his hand to appease her and chimed in, "Comrade, you see, we've come all this way, hoping to support the city's new policy. Could you please make an exception? Once we sign the contract and transfer our household registration, we'll be the heads of the household then."

Chen Mian was awakened by Wu Wei's words and also tried to fight for it. "The announcement clearly states that people with household registration from other provinces and cities are encouraged to come to Xinjiang to contract land. They can apply for household registration transfer with the lease. There is not a single word that says women are not allowed."

"Now that the higher-ups have issued this policy, they must be going to achieve some results. Everyone else is just watching and waiting, but I'm willing to be the first to try something new..."

She thought of the letter she had sent before, wondering if it had any effect. If it had, it would be a huge irony that she still couldn't take care of the job because of her status as a woman.

During the stalemate, a simply dressed middle-aged man from the back of the crowd waved to Aizimaiti.

"Wait a moment, I'll go ask my supervisor." Aizimaiti jogged away.

When he returned, he was holding several forms and said to Chen Mian, "Let's go, come with me to register first."

Chen Mian glanced at the form with a suspicious look and asked, "Didn't we say we were going to sign a contract? Why do we have to register now? Don't tell me it won't work later."

"No way, we never go back on our word. Hurry up, I'm waiting to get off work." Aizimaiti said, pursing his lips speechlessly.

"The leader said personally that your name will be listed as the first contractor under the new policy."

"That's fine then." Chen Mian's face, like the weather in June, instantly brightened from cloudy to sunny.

She's still young and can't keep secrets.

She didn't even think about who changed their mind; all she wanted was to get the land.

After finishing her business, she still had a lot to do. She needed to contact Professor Shen to order peach saplings and call her parents to tell them to come to Xinjiang as soon as possible so the family could reunite.

My parents probably don't know that my brother has also come to Ebony City.

The group followed Aizimaiti to the office to fill out forms. Chen Mian was the first person to obtain the contract qualification, and Wu Wei was the second.

Looking at the two people filling out forms beside her, Li Hongmei was genuinely happy for Chen Mianmian. "That's great, Mianmian! You'll be a big boss from now on!"

"Brother Wu is very capable. I'll work for you guys from now on." She hid her little wishful thinking. She was already very happy with the life she had now and should be content. She would take things one step at a time.

Who knows, maybe I can become a big boss someday.

At this time, she was unaware that Wu Wei had actually contracted the land on her behalf.

In a sense, she is already practically a boss.

Ever since filling out the form, Chen Mian has been mentally calculating the funds at hand and the planting plan.

After the peach saplings are planted, it will take at least a year for them to flower and bear fruit. During this period, it may be necessary to grow other crops to make a living.

And how do we get the saplings from Professor Shen's place here...?

"What are you thinking about, Mu Mian? You're not even looking where you're going," Li Hongmei complained, but smiled as she took her friend's arm, temporarily acting as her eyes.

Chen Mian snapped out of her reverie and blurted out, "I'm thinking about how to transport my peach saplings from Yuanning City to here."

She shared her guess: "It will most likely be transported by train, but it will take many trucks to get it from the train station to the farm."

She still needs to contact a few more truck drivers in advance.

“If you need a truck, just tell me,” Li Hongmei said with a smile. “Brother Wu owns several trucks, and he knows many friends who are in the freight business.”

"Stop thinking about these things. Look at how furrowed your brow, you're almost like an old lady, Mr. Chen."

"I heard there's a really big event in the city in a few days, let's go have fun together!"

"What kind of event?" Chen Mianmian asked, drawing out a bit of her attention.

"I forgot the exact name, but it seems to be some kind of local traditional festival. Handsome men and beautiful women will be singing and dancing, it'll definitely be a lot of fun." Li Hongmei was excited just thinking about it.

In the past, apart from the few days of the Lunar New Year, her happiest time of the year was the temple fair held in July in town. Many people from other places would come to the market to set up stalls, and there would be all kinds of snacks and acrobatics.

I wonder if the traditional festivals in Ebony City will become even grander.

Chen Mian was drawn to the scene described by Li Hongmei, which sounded like a rare and grand event, but then she thought of her own farm.

She pulled her friend along quickly, saying, "Hurry up, I still need to call Professor Shen to order saplings. What if he gives them to someone else if we're too slow?"

"Understood, Mr. Chen."

"Mr. Chen, you're really impressive now..."

"You're making fun of me again..."

Under the warm sunshine, two girls chatted and laughed in the spring breeze, full of anticipation and longing for the future.

The willows along the roadside have also sprouted new buds, swaying gracefully.

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Author's Note: The farm is finally done! Applause! This isn't meant to criticize the policy or protest; it's all for the plot, for the plot! [shrug]

And I finally got a ranking list this week, but it requires 21,000 words of updates. I also have to entertain friends from out of town this weekend. I have a bad feeling about this...

P.S. I didn't update for the past two days because my cat was sick. I took her to the vet for IV drips for two days, and it broke my heart. My poor little one suffered so much, I wish I could take her place! [crying][crying]

Thankfully, I finally started eating today. I feel so haggard! [dove][dove][dove]