The next day, almost everyone in Xiaomo Village turned out; even Mo Gang and Chen Qiaoyun stayed home.

For the first time, the breakfast business wasn't shut down for a day due to the weather. There was nothing they could do; today was a crucial day for the entire village.

But Mo Yuan had already shared the news about something even bigger than the Lunar New Year with everyone yesterday.

And in the evening, after dinner...

Taking advantage of the fact that everyone in the village could hear it, Mo Youxian even made a special announcement using a loudspeaker.

There's only one thing to do: divide the land!

So almost the entire village gathered together, even if they didn't do anything, just to watch the excitement and share in the joy.

That would be enough to make anyone happy, but before that, Mo Youxian repeatedly emphasized...

This matter must be handled discreetly; try not to tell people from other villages.

Seeing everyone nod and earnestly agree, I finally felt relieved.

Actually, even without Mo Youxian's instructions, everyone knew what was going on, even though everyone knew it was a good idea.

Once the land is allocated, the amount of grain received will definitely be more than before.

However, due to the current policy environment, no one dares to be too blatant.

In everyone's mind, the land belongs to the country, and no one dares to divide it up privately.

If they weren't forced into it, and if everyone really wanted to live a good life, they wouldn't dare to divide the land so openly.

So people can still listen to what Mo Youxian has to say.

Some men even solemnly instructed their wives, who couldn't keep secrets, not to reveal the news to their wives' families, even when visiting their parents' home.

After the land was allocated, everyone worked diligently on their own plots, but if outsiders asked, they still had to say that it was a production task assigned by the team!

With his worries resolved and no more concerns, Mo Youxian waved his hand, and everyone prepared to welcome the big event to come!

Two days ago, before Mo Yuan even went to the county to summon Bao Ruijin, everyone was already busy.

We have already organized people to measure all the arable land in the entire village.

And, under the witness of the two production team leaders, Mo Chunsheng and Mo Dazhuang, the village's land was divided according to its fertility.

Based on factors such as water resources conditions, the land was divided into three categories. Category I land was naturally the best, being close to a water source and having fertile soil.

Category II land is next, and Category III land includes some sloping, low-lying, and obscure areas.

Under the coordination of Mo Youxian and others, it has been divided into two equal parts.

Besides that, there are some vegetable plots, which will be allocated to each household according to the number of people in the household.

The most immediate thing to do was for the two team leaders to draw lots to see which plot of land their team would be allocated.

Then each team draws lots to divide the area, it's all based on luck, whichever piece you get is your piece, and nobody should complain!

Soon each household sent out someone they considered to be the luckiest.

At this time, Mo Chunsheng and Mo Dazhuang had also finished drawing lots.

Everyone already roughly knows where their assigned plot of land will be located.

This step is fine, since the two plots of land are quite similar, and it's really hard to say which is better or worse; they're just in different locations.

Next, the people from the first and second teams gathered together, and representatives selected by each household stepped forward one by one.

One by one, they lined up and drew a crumpled piece of paper, and soon everyone knew where their spot was.

Not wanting to waste a single second, everyone ran excitedly to the fields.

They all wanted to confirm that, at least until a clear ban was issued, the land belonged to them.

Plant whatever you want; after you've harvested and paid your share of the grain tax, the rest is yours.

Everyone was full of enthusiasm, and even some veteran farmers were already thinking about it.

The excrement and urine in the family's outhouse are no longer enough.

When I had free time, I had to go to the main street to collect manure. In this day and age, chemical fertilizers weren't common yet.

It would be good enough if some ammonia water could be diluted and used as fertilizer, since it does contain nitrogen.

In an era before chemical fertilizers were widely available, it was one of the few things that could help increase crop yields.

There was only one ammonia tank in the village. Back in the production team days, it didn't matter; they just assigned it to whichever piece of land they wanted to use it for.

The commune members didn't care; anyway, the amount of grain produced would be distributed according to work points per person.

That won't work now. The land will be ours from now on, and the pitiful amount of ammonia water in the village certainly won't be enough to go around.

It's time to think about how to get more manure and other fertilizers.

It has to be said that everyone's mindset has already changed since the land was just allocated and hasn't even been actually planted yet.

If you produce a lot of grain, it's all yours. But if you produce little grain, you'll have very little left after paying your share of the grain tax. Nobody would want that!

In order to increase production, everyone is putting in their best efforts and using all their unique abilities!

With this in mind, they arrived at the field one by one, full of expectations.

The entire Mo family mobilized, led by Mo Youshan and Yu Xiue, to determine their specific piece of land.

Although the necessary steps have been taken, the matter is not yet finished; there is still one thing that needs to be strictly adhered to.

After repeatedly confirming which two households were his neighbors on either side of his land,

Mo Youshan then found the large, pointed stones that had been prepared beforehand.

In fact, quite a few people do this; many of them push carts or carry loads on shoulder poles.

They brought large stones to the field, and with everyone as witnesses,

Bury the stone in the ground, leaving the pointed end sticking out, making sure it's positioned precisely in the center of both houses' land.

These are stone roots; once buried, most of them are deep underground.

Only a small portion protrudes above ground, serving as a dividing line between the two households and also as proof of eligibility for farming.

The ridges of both houses must strictly follow the stone base at both ends.

Straightforward and unbiased, so that no one is at a disadvantage.

Everyone took this matter extremely seriously; some even argued heatedly over a few centimeters.

Everyone has the same idea: I can not benefit from it, but I absolutely cannot suffer a loss!

Not a single inch of land should be given to my family!

And so, from Class I land to Class II land,

From Class II land to Class III land, and then to just over one-tenth of an acre of vegetable plot per person,

Mo Youshan was thoroughly enjoying himself, and he and his entire family meticulously buried all the stones at the base.

Only then did he straighten up and survey the land before him with boundless pride.

From now on, this place truly belongs to me; I can plant whatever I want, however I want.

No one will bother you anymore; you're entirely responsible for yourself. All you need to do is pay your grain tax on time!

In short, you are responsible for your own profits and losses. If you want to reap a greater harvest, you have to put in more effort and sweat than others!

Mo Youshan and everyone else were filled with pride and confidence!

Mo Youshan, unusually bold, addressed Mo Yuan and the others, saying...

"Let's go home, today's a good day! Let's have some good food and a couple of drinks to celebrate!"

…………