Not everyone came at once, but six arrived together.
Captain Ou and Branch Secretary Yang's faces beamed with joy.
Wang Hongwei was displeased. "Dr. Yang, do you have to see me beaten by my father? Besides, you're a lonely old man, why would you buy land for a house?"
"Get lost," Dr. Yang pushed Wang Hongwei away and stood behind Ouyang Meihua. "Who told you I was a lonely old man? I have a disciple, and she'll be here soon. I want to buy land and build a larger, brighter house for my clinic."
Tian Jing heard this and shifted aside. "Dr. Yang, you go first. Since you plan to continue running your clinic in Kushan with your disciple, you are benefiting the production team and its members. I'll donate two thousand of my work points to support your noble cause."
Dr. Yang walked to the desk. "How can I possibly accept?"
Tian Jing wouldn't let Dr. Yang refuse. Her family had too many work points, and some people would always gossip.
"The members of the production team, when they have a headache or a cold, they go to your place, and you sometimes just tell them to go up the mountain to pick herbs, not even charging them a consultation fee. Everyone else feels okay about it, so why shouldn't you?"
"Just accept it. I know you don't have much savings. Keep it for building the house. Two thousand work points are almost enough for a plot of land."
"That's more than enough," Captain Ou chimed in quickly. "The value of work points has dropped to twenty-five cents. Five hundred yuan won't be fully used."
Dr. Yang nodded. "Then I'll shamelessly accept sixteen hundred work points and return the remaining four hundred to the Li family."
"That's fine, that's fine."
Captain Ou signaled Yang Jianjun to register and deduct the Li family's work points.
Dr. Yang produced a rolled-up handkerchief, containing loose change of various denominations. "Here is four hundred yuan, the money for the old house plot and private land. I was originally going to shamelessly ask the production team to lend me money for a new plot, but now that Hao Hao's mother has helped, I can still keep my face."
Captain Ou and Branch Secretary Yang felt a pang of regret. Dr. Yang had quietly lived in Kushan for over a decade, and they had overlooked him too much.
But they could still make amends. "Dr. Yang, let us know when you plan to build. Our families have many children who can help with the work."
"Okay, I'll be waiting for you to say that."
"Don't worry, just give us the word."
Dr. Yang was the first to pay. Tian Jing looked at Wang Hongwei at the end of the line. "Wang Hongwei, you go next?"
"No, no, no," Wang Hongwei quickly waved his hands. "I'm sixth in line, my father definitely won't beat me."
"Really not?"
"No."
Tian Jing then spoke without reservation, taking out a stack of money to count. Captain Ou and Branch Secretary Yang looked bewildered. "Tian Jing, aren't you exchanging your work points?"
"Yes, for farming land. But the house plot will still be purchased with money, so you don't have to feel awkward, and we won't be criticized."
Captain Ou and Branch Secretary Yang nodded with smiles. "Comrade Tian Jing is a good member, always understanding the difficulties of our work."
"It's always been difficult to be an official, especially a good official for the people. I can't change everyone's minds, so I can only support your work more."
Tian Jing took the opportunity to flatter them a bit, and indeed, the two of them were genuinely dedicated to the people. She counted out two hundred and fifty-seven "Da Tuanjie" bills.
"I'm buying three new house plots and one old house plot, as well as four private lands, and the remaining one mu and four fen of cultivated land."
The money was collected by Yang Jianjun. In this era, let alone a production team like Kushan, even in later generations, many small units merged the positions of accountant and cashier.
After counting the money and registering the house plots and cultivated land area purchased by the Li family, Yang Jianjun asked, "What about the remaining four thousand-plus work points of your family?"
"Contracting cultivated land, two mu for twelve years."
Two mu for twelve years?
Not only Captain Ou, Branch Secretary Yang, and Yang Jianjun, but everyone in the office was stunned.
Captain Ou was particularly confused. He had expected the Li family to occupy a large amount of cultivated land and was prepared to lose six mu. He never imagined they would only want two mu, and under the contract responsibility system at that.
"Why?" he voiced the question on everyone's mind in the office.
"My family is small, and we can't manage too much land. Branch Secretary Yang, ask your grandson if he's willing to help. Twenty yuan a month, the work is a bit heavy, like carrying water to irrigate, but it's paid for twelve months a year, not counting peak and off-peak farming seasons."
"I'll do it, I'll definitely do it! How many people do you need?"
Branch Secretary Yang quickly agreed. He saw Ouyang Guochang's lips move, and he must have wanted to grab the job. Two hundred and forty yuan a year was better than farming.
"Three. We need two on the hills to watch and water the fields, and one near the vegetable sheds to help Grandpa Chen carry water. But they must be over eighteen; we don't hire child labor."
"Good, good. The eldest of my three sons' children are all over eighteen."
Captain Ou lost his chance to speak and subsided. Seeing Tian Jing receive her change, he intended to call the next person. Unexpectedly, Tian Jing started counting money again.
"The maximum term for land contracting is twenty years. I'll pay another eight hundred yuan for those two mu, and please write me a twenty-year contract."
"For the land on the hills, although it requires payment after the summer harvest each year, I have some spare cash, so I'll pay the three thousand yuan for this year now."
If she hadn't worried about scaring people by suddenly producing over ten thousand yuan, she would have exchanged gold bars for money last year and paid for fifty years of contracting fees.
Unfortunately, the term for land transfer and contracting was only twenty years, but it was enough. Perhaps by then, she would be tired and not want to farm anymore.
"For those two mu, I want the ones near the river, so watering the fields will be easy and not tiring."
Near the river meant, in fact, near the canteen and the educated youth point.
Everyone in the office stared at the money in Yang Jianjun's hands. The only family that could produce over six thousand yuan at once was probably the Li family.
It was Sister-in-law Niu's turn. She turned to Tian Jing. "Lend me two hundred yuan."
She saw there was still money in Tian Jing's roll of clothes. She and Tian Jing were not strangers.
Tian Jing readily counted out two hundred yuan for her. "Remember to have Brother Niu write an IOU. Even close brothers settle their accounts clearly."
"Of course."
Niu Dasao's south side had just over one mu and two fen. Twelve hundred yuan, including the old house plot.
Ouyang Meihua's house south side was wider than Tian Jing's because the wild land became wider as it went west. Three mu and eight fen cost over two thousand eight hundred yuan.
As for her wanting to buy house plots for Damai and Xiaomai, Captain Ou selectively forgot that Secretary Ji had said male children buy house plots.
What about female children? As long as they were willing to stay in Kushan, he would sell them house plots.
Li Min's was simple; she and her sister-in-law had already figured it out.
Li Min took her change. Wang Hongwei stepped forward with money in hand. "My family is buying two new house plots."
Tian Jing, who was about to leave, stopped. "Wang Hongwei, is the money not enough?"
Wang Hongwei's face showed some embarrassment and annoyance. "Originally, I could have bought one more. My aunt came and borrowed it."
Wang Hongwei's aunt? Wasn't that Wang the Butcher's wife? "Is Wang the Butcher short of money?"
"With my uncle's skills, he only gets some meat to eat by slaughtering pigs during the New Year. He has three cousins. My uncle said your judgment is definitely correct, so he wanted to buy two new house plots and planned to borrow money from my aunt's family."
"My aunt came to my house to borrow, saying my family buying two new house plots was enough, and she blabbered a lot of nonsense. In short, not lending it to her would be wrong."
"I have a few hundred yuan here. Go back and ask Brother Wang if he wants to buy them all. Your family already has three sons."
Wang Xiaodong has a sister, Wang Xiaoxi, who is over a year old.
Wang Hongtao's family has Wang Xiaonan, who is two years old, and Wang Xiaobei, who is one year old.