Chapter 547

Elder Yu said, "Isn't the household contract responsibility system a very good system?"

Su Xinghui said, "The system is indeed a good system, and even now, it can be considered a good system. But the situation is different now. Now grain production has increased a lot compared to before, and in some places it has even doubled. However, the prices of agricultural production materials have risen sharply, while the grain purchase price has not risen much. In some places, selling grain doesn't get cash, only a white slip. Therefore, the farmers have not gained any real benefits, and a farmer's cash income is at most a few dozen yuan a year."

"Instead, the retention and overall planning tasks of the towns and villages are getting higher day by day. Now in some places, one person's annual retention and overall planning task is to pay over a hundred yuan. A family of seven or eight people has to pay over a thousand yuan a year. This retention and overall planning cannot be offset by the white slips from selling grain; it must be paid in cash. If there is no cash, the town and village cadres will take away the grain at home, drive away the pigs, and grab the chickens, ducks, and geese."

Elder Yu heard this, slapped the table heavily with his palm, and said, "Is there really such a thing? This is outrageous! What is the difference between this and Huang Shiren, whom we wanted to overthrow back then?"

The old lady quickly said, "Old Yu, don't be excited. We agreed not to be excited."

Su Xinghui also said, "Yes, Elder Yu, if you are excited again, I won't talk anymore."

Elder Yu quickly smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm not excited, I'm not excited. Xinghui, you continue."

Su Xinghui said, "Some rural cadres in some places want to engage in some sideline businesses to increase farmers' income, but they have no ideas. They engage in some special breeding, and either they are deceived, or after raising them, they can't find a market and can't sell them, which instead causes losses to the farmers."

Elder Yu frowned and said, "Is what you said all true?"

Su Xinghui said, "What I said is absolutely true. If there is any falsehood, I can take any responsibility."

Elder Yu said, "Why are the retention and overall planning tasks of the towns and villages below so high? Don't they know that the farmers' burden is heavy?"

Su Xinghui said, "Firstly, it is because the economy is underdeveloped, and the rural areas have no other income. Basically, all fiscal expenditures have to rely on these retentions and overall planning. For example, the wages and bonuses of town cadres, hired personnel, and civilian teachers, the maintenance costs of school buildings, and the construction costs of various infrastructure all have to rely on retentions and overall planning. How can this not make the farmers' burden heavy?"

"Secondly, it is also because some local officials have too much selfishness. Many unnecessary expenses, such as entertainment expenses, their personal expenses, and official car expenses, all have to be apportioned to the farmers. To put it bluntly, this is exorbitant taxes and levies. If this situation is not reversed, the farmers' burden will only get heavier in the future."

Elder Yu frowned tightly. He had never heard anyone tell him these things before. Even his son-in-law, Gu Shanmin, would not tell him anything when he came to see him, as he was also afraid that Elder Yu would be too excited. In addition, the issue of "three rural issues" was really too big a proposition, and it was not something that any one person could reverse by himself.

Today, Su Xinghui told Elder Yu the truth, which also shocked Elder Yu. Has the rural area now become like this? How much difference is there between this and the regime they wanted to overthrow back then? If this is really the case, then the situation has indeed reached the point where it must be changed.

In fact, Su Xinghui had not yet pointed out the root cause of the problem. The root cause of the "three rural issues" was national policy. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, China's economic policy had always been to use agriculture to support industry. This was because China's industrial economic foundation was too weak, and it could only use agriculture to support industry.

The specific practice was to suppress the purchase price of agricultural products. In addition, it also levied agricultural taxes, retentions, and overall planning on the rural areas. However, the fiscal fund support for the rural areas was pitifully small. All of this was to accumulate funds for the industrialization of New China.

After the reform and opening up, the central government also realized this problem. They were also increasing the purchase price of agricultural products and increasing fiscal fund investment in rural areas, but this was still far from enough. The purchase price of agricultural products was still quite different from their actual value, and the fiscal fund investment in rural areas was still not enough, and the rural infrastructure construction was still lagging behind.

At the same time, the extraction from farmers had never stopped. On the contrary, various taxes and retentions and overall planning were increasing with the rise in prices. How could this not make the farmers' burden heavy?

However, this was a matter at the policy level. Su Xinghui, a small town mayor, could of course not comment on this. He could only report to Elder Yu based on the facts he saw. Of course, Elder Yu naturally understood these policy-level things. After hearing the facts Su Xinghui said, he could naturally figure out the cause and effect.

The old lady and the Yu Ruizhi siblings all looked at Elder Yu with some worry. However, after Elder Yu frowned for a moment, his brows relaxed. He asked Su Xinghui, "Then tell me about the situation in your Shangjun County. Is your Shangjun County also in this situation?"

Su Xinghui said, "Three years ago, our Shangjun County was also in this situation. When I first arrived in Meng Hu Ling, the common people in Meng Hu Ling were also bitter. A medicinal herb farmer who picked herbs fell and broke his leg, and had no money for medical treatment, so he could only lie on the bed every day and groan helplessly. Because their family couldn't live on, they were preparing to marry their beautiful daughter, who had just graduated from high school, to a disabled person with money in the family."

This time, not only Elder Yu, but the old lady also frowned. She asked, "Did they really marry their daughter to a disabled person?"

Yu Ruoqiu knew that Su Xinghui was talking about Xia Zhu. She smiled and said, "Grandma, it was because Xinghui went to Meng Hu Ling that he saved that girl. Not only did that girl not marry a disabled person, but now that the family is rich, she has also become the factory director of the bamboo weaving factory run by their village. One of her works can sell for one or two thousand yuan."

Elder Yu said, "Xinghui, what you did can be considered a work of boundless merit!"

Su Xinghui said, "Elder Yu, you are overpraising me. As a local cadre, these things are what I should have done."

Elder Yu said, "Then tell me more about some of the things you did in Meng Hu Ling and Pengjiawan, and tell me how their situation is now."

Su Xinghui then talked about some of his actions in Meng Hu Ling and Pengjiawan, focusing on how he led the common people to develop the economy. He did not boast about himself, but talked about some gains and losses in his work, and talked about the universal significance of his methods for developing the economy, and how to promote them to the whole country.

Finally, Su Xinghui said, "To solve the rural problems, the most important thing is to develop the economy. Once the economy develops, many problems will be solved. Like our Shangjun County, now that the local government's income has increased, we can cut off some random apportionments and random charges, reducing the farmers' burden. As farmers' income increases and their burden decreases, they will naturally become rich slowly."

"I went back to Meng Hu Ling a few days ago and saw that the farmers there had already built new houses, and their living habits had changed from eating two meals a day to three meals a day, and they could eat some meat every few days. I think that in another year or two, I estimate that every household will be able to watch TV and use a refrigerator."

Elder Yu was excited to hear this, and he nodded and said, "Good, good! You did this thing too well!"

Su Xinghui did not have any arrogant look. He just smiled. This situation fell into Elder Yu's eyes, making him look at Su Xinghui even more highly. How many people could be like this, not trembling in front of him, being able to tell him the truth, and not being arrogant when receiving his praise?

This was Elder Yu, a founding general. A word of praise from him was truly more glorious than a magnificent robe. Even a ministerial-level official would be overjoyed to receive a word of praise from Elder Yu.

Elder Yu said, "Xinghui, then do you think your experience in Meng Hu Ling and Pengjiawan can be promoted nationwide?"

Su Xinghui pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, Elder Yu, it's not that I'm boasting, but if my experience is promoted to other places, I'm afraid the effect will be discounted."

Elder Yu naturally understood what Su Xinghui meant. Good experience also needs people to implement it. Talents like Su Xinghui are truly one in a thousand.

Moreover, Su Xinghui could be considered lucky. He had ability and happened to meet leaders who were willing to support him, allowing him to let go and work hard. Not everyone had such luck.

Elder Yu sighed and said, "Then how do you think the rural problem should be solved?"

Su Xinghui said, "I think, first of all, we must develop the economy, which is the foundation of everything. Second, we must gradually increase the purchase price of agricultural products. Third, we must reduce the farmers' burden. Fourth, we must improve the quality of grassroots cadres and organize rotation training for them frequently."

Although Su Xinghui originally didn't want to talk about policy-level issues, at this moment, he couldn't help but involve this aspect. Increasing the purchase price of agricultural products and reducing the farmers' burden required policy support.

Without involving the policy level, some things were dead knots that couldn't be untied. Since Elder Yu asked him for a solution, it was impossible for him not to say this.

Elder Yu pondered Su Xinghui's words, first nodding, then shaking his head and sighing, "It's difficult!"

Things at the policy level were of course difficult to change. These were all things that affected the whole situation, and they couldn't be changed just by saying so.

Su Xinghui said, "I know it's difficult, but we can take it step by step."

Elder Yu asked with great interest, "Tell me, how to take it step by step?"

Su Xinghui said, "We can encourage places with relatively developed economies to provide subsidies to farmers when purchasing agricultural products, and reduce taxes and retentions and overall planning for farmers. This can be considered a pilot project. If the pilot effect is good, it can be slowly promoted to the whole country."

Elder Yu pondered for a long time and nodded, "This is a good method. It seems that I can make a suggestion to the central government."