They're living such a wonderful life, tsk tsk tsk.

“The village-run factory is a good thing, but the premise is that the oil press can work. I didn’t hear that it’s broken now, and there’s only a chance that it can be repaired.”

"Why don't we just forget about it? There's no war, no smoke of gunpowder, and we can make a living by farming. If we gamble, we'll suffer losses, but if we don't gamble, we won't. Isn't it better to maintain the status quo? Why gamble?"

Everyone chattered and expressed their opinions. Three minutes later, the team leader signaled for the voting to begin.

Two baskets are placed in the open space; the one on the left represents agreement, and the one on the right represents opposition.

Each household received a small twig, and the final decision was based on the vote, with the minority yielding to the majority.

Hu Bin spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and was the first to vote against it; the Hu family followed suit.

70% of the villagers behind them voted against it, and only a few families, either with a long-term vision or desperately poor and lacking any chance to turn their lives around, chose to support it. The brigade leader silently made a note of these people.

"The results came out: most people opposed the village-run factory. As agreed beforehand, right here, in front of everyone, the machine was returned to Ruan Zhiqing, and the 900 yuan in public funds was returned to the account."

Does anyone have any objections?

"No! We have no objection." The Hu family took the lead in responding, while the others remained silent, feeling somewhat regretful.

But the fear of failure ultimately outweighed that slight regret.

Xiang Hongjun wrote a note quickly and expressionlessly. Both parties confirmed that it was correct, signed it, and stamped it with the brigade's official seal.

The moment the official seal was affixed, a burst of laughter came from outside the threshing ground.

"Old Xiang, I heard you bought three and a half broken oil presses from the provincial capital for only 900 yuan. Such a good thing, why didn't you send someone to inform the commune in advance?"