Chapter 72 Public Meeting
In the afternoon, Zhang Guangzong went to the commune for a meeting.
The captains of the 13 brigades under Taoyuan Commune were all present. The leader had not yet arrived.
We often have meetings together and know each other, so we gather together and chat.
Zhang Guangzong found Yang Futian, the captain of the Yangjia Village Brigade, whom he knew best, and asked him, "Do you know what's going on?"
Yang Futian shook his head. "I don't know. Xiao Wang didn't say. But I have some guesses. Have you read the newspaper on December 22nd?"
"I saw it."
He reads the newspaper every day without missing a single one.
"Do you still remember what the highest directive from above was?"
Zhang Guangzong thought about it. He actually had a good memory and could remember most of the content he had read, but he did not pay special attention to the time when reading the newspaper, so he could not remember the specific content of that day.
However, the highest instruction, which is closely related to the countryside, is the article "We also have two hands and will not eat idle meals in the city." It says, "It is very necessary for educated youth to go to the countryside and receive re-education from poor and lower-middle peasants. We must persuade urban cadres and other people to send their children who have graduated from junior high school, high school, and university to the countryside for mobilization. Comrades in rural areas everywhere should welcome them to go."
"So, the city kids are really coming?"
Yang Futian sighed, "It's possible. Let's hear what Secretary Li has to say later."
As soon as he finished speaking, Secretary Li arrived.
Secretary Li is not very old. His name is Li Zhihua, about 40 years old, and he was appointed by the higher authorities.
He was accompanied by Zhong Liangcai, the commune director and deputy secretary. They were about the same age.
Although they have a "staff establishment" and are considered "civil servants", the people's commune, like the brigade, is a mass autonomous organization and is not considered a first-level government.
The leaders of the people's commune had to take care of many and diverse things, including specific production arrangements. Therefore, the secretaries and directors did not have any airs, and they could get along well with the masses and were very familiar with the team leaders under them.
As soon as Secretary Li and Director Zhong arrived, the team leaders stopped their private chats.
Secretary Li smiled and said, "I called you here today because I have something to tell you. You should have read the newspapers. The educated youth are going to the countryside to take root and make revolution. The commune has also received instructions from the county. We must be prepared to welcome the educated youth from the city."
Since the 1950s, there have been educated youth sent to the countryside, but the scale was small, and most of them went to the frontier areas, with little connection to our communes and production brigades. This time it was different. They had to go to the production teams to work in the fields, and their household registration and grain and oil relations had to be transferred along with them.
These educated youth may come from Qushui County, Rencheng City, or even other cities across the country. We are still unsure. The county has established an educated youth office. If there are any educated youth to be arranged, the office will contact us. We will then make reasonable arrangements for everyone.
This is all later.
We now have some specific work to arrange, so I'll let Director Zhong explain it to you."
Director Zhong cleared his throat and smiled, "It's not a big deal. Simply put, the 'educated youth going to the countryside' movement means that unemployed young people in the city are sent to the countryside. So who are the young people in the city? Not just those from the city and county, but also those from our commune."
Our commune also has some young people with non-agricultural household registration who are currently unemployed. These young people are also included in the "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" program. Our "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" program will begin with them. The commune is currently conducting a survey, and once the survey is complete, we will assign them to everyone. You can start preparing now.
After the educated youth went to the countryside, they needed a place to live. The specific arrangements were left to the brigade to decide. However, after discussing this with Secretary Li, we decided against allowing the educated youth to live with the commune members. Everyone's living habits might differ, which could easily lead to unnecessary conflicts. We suggested establishing a dedicated housing unit for the educated youth.
The educated youth who went to the countryside received subsidies, part of which was given to the educated youth themselves and part to the production team. The part given to the production team was specifically used to build houses and prepare the means of production needed for their work in the countryside.
However, since we don't know how many people will be assigned to each brigade yet, we need you to build the houses first. When we arrange for people to go there, the subsidy will be sent along with the money. You can advance the money first.
At least two large rooms should be built, one for male educated youth and one for female educated youth, and additional rooms can be added later based on actual conditions. Furthermore, a kitchen and men's and women's restrooms must be built. The men's and women's restrooms must be separate. This isn't our own home; one restroom will suffice.
The first batch of educated youth would go to the countryside after the Lunar New Year, in the early spring of the following year. Their food rations and other supplies were subsidized by the government during the first year, allowing them to adjust. From the second year onward, they would be expected to be self-sufficient.
Okay, that's all I have to say. Secretary Li, do you have anything to add? Or if you have any questions, please raise them and we can discuss them together."
Secretary Li: "I have nothing to add."
Zhang Guangzong asked, "How long will these educated youth stay in the brigade?"
Director Zhong and Secretary Li exchanged a glance and replied, "It's not clear yet."
Secretary Li thought for a moment and said, "Let me put it this way. The educated youth came from the city. Although they have their household registration and food and oil supply, and seem to be the same as our members, it is hard to say whether this is temporary or long-term.
I also want to emphasize that if someone has a job opportunity in the city, they can return to the city through recruitment. Just like our members can change from rural to urban areas if they find a job, they can do the same.
Their families are in the city, and they are likely workers. They are well-informed and have more job opportunities than us members. The possibility of returning to the city is still very high, it is just a matter of time.
That’s a big uncertainty.”
Director Zhong smiled and added, "Secretary Li spoke from the heart. Let me add a few words. Although they may all return to the city and it's uncertain how long they'll stay here, as long as they're here, we'll treat them as ordinary members."
We can show some concern for them, but there is no need for excessive extra care. They are here to receive re-education and to build the countryside, not to enjoy themselves.
As for the specific management model, whether to break them up and work alongside the commune members, or organize them into separate teams and let them work independently, you can make your own arrangements based on the actual situation. But there's no need to give them special treatment. Treat them all equally.
They may not be able to do it well at first, or they may not know how to do it. You can teach them, but they must learn. This is their mission here."
Secretary Li said, "There's still time. You can all go back and think these things over carefully. The brigade leadership will discuss and make a decision. We can make adjustments during actual work. Don't feel pressured. Do you have any other questions?"
The captains remained silent.
They are not fools, they can analyze something.
Children in the city cannot find jobs, and they cannot all gather together in the city to hang out on the streets, as that would easily cause trouble, so they are driven to the countryside to be eliminated by the vast rural areas.
After they arrived, they received government subsidies for the first year, which was equivalent to the treatment of urban residents. However, in the second year, they had to divide the grain among their members. If they still had the same amount of land and the same income, the grain would be thinned out if more people were to share it. If they wanted to give everyone a bigger share, they had to find a way to expand the pie. But how could they do that?
Zhang Guangzong had a worried look on his face: "Our brigade's income is just this much. The members work from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from dusk to dusk, and can barely fill their stomachs. There is not much money left.
The young men have to get married, the older girls have to get married, and they have to raise children. Everyone is living a tight life. Now people from the city have to come and snatch food from everyone. Isn’t this a bit difficult for us?
Secretary Li, Director Zhong, it's not that I'm not aware enough, it's just that this is really difficult for us to handle."
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