Chapter 120: From Household Gardening to Urban Greening

Director Wang was persuaded by Yang Qing's smooth talk.

She paced back and forth in the office, frowning in thought, undecided.

"There's just no policy for this."

Yang Qing reminded.

"Aunt, it's a famine year now; regarding people's livelihood issues, there's a lot of room to maneuver."

"Why not use our courtyard as a pilot and jointly conduct research with the Agricultural College?"

"Once we've worked out a feasible plan, we'll then seek approval and promote it."

"Act first, report later?"

Director Wang thought Yang Qing's proposal was fine; even if it wasn't, it didn't matter, because the elderly lady would take the blame, and if problems arose, the consequences wouldn't be too serious.

Finally she nodded.

"Okay, let's try it first. Tomorrow I'll go to the Agricultural College to find someone; Chen Hong, you and Yang Qing work together to come up with a plan and institutional framework."

"Once the Agricultural College's experts arrive, we'll start the trial right away."

"What could go wrong? These are things people will mess around with in the future; who knows how many people are doing balcony gardening at home, growing grapes, watermelons, strawberries on their balconies—there's nothing they wouldn't dare to plant."

Back in the courtyard, Yang Qing furrowed his brows.

Because he realized he seemed to have gotten himself into trouble.

Getting the courtyard residents to set things up is easy, but getting them to move out is hard.

"Damn, with all these broken pots and jars, what do we do?"

Seeing Yang Qing suffer a setback, Chen Hong comforted him.

"Don't worry, I'll handle the other matters; you get the plan and institutional framework ready for me, and I'll take care of the rest."

The plan and institutional framework really aren't much.

It's just stipulating where planting is allowed and where it isn't, how the produce is to be distributed—whether each family gets a rack or it's divided per person.

If there's a surplus, how should it be handled?

As he wrote, he felt he had dug himself a hole.

"Damn, how should we handle our own courtyard? Should it be uniformly allocated or privately owned?"

"If it's privately owned, such a large area becomes a privilege and an unfairness issue."

"If it's uniformly allocated, then what's the point of me planting potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit trees, and roses?"

"Am I being masochistic?"

"In the end, the boomerang still hurt myself."

"But the rules are of my own making; let's see if I can fight for something within them—I can give up the courtyard, but the original housing land should be mine, right?"

"In other words, the house and such belong exclusively to the family, much like a private plot."

"The courtyard, being public space, can be incorporated into the collective for uniform allocation."

"Not bad, this idea is quite reasonable."

He worked nonstop until midnight before finishing the plan and institutional framework.

Although it mixed in some self-interest, it was still reasoned and evidence-based.

"Even if we pursue collectivization, we shouldn't collectivize others' produce, right?"

"If not, I'll just bring out our elderly lady."

Upon getting onto the bed, Chen Hong had already fallen asleep.

Yang Qing let out a sigh of relief and also fell asleep.

The next day, Director Wang received Yang Qing's plan and institutional framework.

Director Wang felt very satisfied; it was very complete and looked mature.

This plan, from the Siheyuan to the Jiedao, and then to many vacant lots and future plans in Jingcheng.

From a vegetable-garden city, transitioning to a fruit-orchard city, then to a garden city, it has a set of long-term goals.

"It's not a spur-of-the-moment suggestion; rather, it's the result of long-term consideration."

"It extensively references the thinking behind the nation's three five-year plans."

"It's very persuasive and also fits the document characteristics of this era."

"Director Wang's confidence grew; she no longer wanted to run a trial first, but instead go straight to seek approval from her superiors."

"Vegetable gardening is just a start; these greening ideas can be incorporated into future urban planning."

"She directly went to see her superior, discussing her own rebirth and arduous struggle."

"Yang Qing didn't know how things were; according to Chen Hong, the matter of contacting the Agricultural College experts was delayed by three days."

"Over the following three days, Director Wang would curse and grumble as she left early and returned late each day."

"Chen Hong also felt the difficulty of the situation."

"This country is accustomed to top-down directives; regarding grassroots wisdom, it often adopts an attitude of 'what do you know?'"

"Otherwise, with so many differing voices from below initially, how could they not know?"

"But they didn't want to listen; only when huge problems arose did they begin to reflect this year."

"The likelihood of my insignificant proposal being given a glance is very slim."

"But Yang Qing doesn't care; even if it fails, what's the worst? At most we'd pull everything out—this small loss for a slim hope is well worth it."

"If someone wants to take it, let them; I still have my own little plot of land as a safety net."

"Some things truly are a matter of doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate."

"Just as Yang Qing felt hope was gone, Director Wang brought back good news."

"\"Approved. Your No. 95 Courtyard is now a trial site; if we can ease the burden a bit for our fellow farmers, that's a victory. \""

"Master Lei will cooperate with you, agricultural college expert; tomorrow I will go ask him."

Director Wang wiped the sweat from his head while excitedly telling Chen Hong the good news.

In the evening, Yang Qing returned after catching a cicada monkey; hearing the news, he hugged Chen Hong and bit her hard several times.

He opened a gap, gaining a chance to get on the table; if this succeeds, he can use Chen Hong's identity to do some things.

Why were there those ten years?

It is not the rapidly expanding urban population that has brought a heavy burden to the whole country.

A country severely lacking raw materials, in order to maintain industrialization, is already exhausted and unable to handle the large number of unemployed urban residents.

Industrial scale can no longer continue to expand, because industrial sustenance relies on the scissors gap, on sucking the blood of peasants.

(Important thing said three times: before the 1980s, we were a grain-exporting country, relying on grain exports to earn foreign exchange and introduce industrial products to promote industrialization.)

Several decades of industrial history are also several decades of peasants' suffering.

But land is limited, population is growing, and land also has a bearing limit.

That is why later reform and opening-up became necessary; without it, we cannot continue.

And the key to solving this problem is the utilization rate of resources.

It is to activate dormant funds and materials, letting dead resources come back to life, forming a cycle.

(For example, Yi Zhonghai's family wealth exceeds ten thousand, but it's all hidden at home, treated as dead money; if he could release it and join the social circulation, it could create over ten thousand in value.)

Just like a sickle, only I have it; after I reap the grain and set it aside, the sickle's value is just cutting my own land; if I lend it to others, its value increases.

Of course, all this must be carried out in the name of the subdistrict, operating in the form of subdistrict enterprises.

He wants to try to see if he can, like returning to Guo Town, promote the development of township enterprises, create a miracle, to absorb the incoming surge of labor.