Chapter 170: Organizing a Collective [Shop]
The third uncle asked again: "How many rooms do you want to build?"

Liu Zhiye replied: "It would be best to build a quadrangle with two or three entrances."

Upon hearing this, my grandfather, uncle, father and others were stunned.

"What? It has to be so big?" said the uncle in surprise.

"It's wonderful that you dare to think about it, but let alone whether you have the money to build it, you may not even be able to get the materials..." Liu Jingzhai said.

“The key is that the higher-ups won’t approve it. If a private person builds such a large building, he’d be even richer than the landlords.” Upon hearing this, the third uncle broke out in a cold sweat.

Liu Zhiye knew that he had taken it for granted. In today's social environment, large-scale private construction was not allowed by policy. However, he was unwilling to give up. After all, this was not a city and was relatively well hidden.

"Is there no other way?" Liu Zhiye sighed and said unwillingly.

The third uncle hesitated for a moment and said, "Actually, there are other ways."

Liu Zhiye immediately perked up and asked anxiously, "What's the solution? Can you tell me?"

"This method sounds complicated, but it is actually very simple to do. You see, we can do it like this: we apply for a piece of residential land on the grounds of a village-run enterprise to build a yard. After approval from above, you can rent it. The lease period can be longer!" The third uncle whispered mysteriously.

The more Liu Zhiye listened, the more he thought this idea was feasible, so he suddenly had an idea and decided to adopt the strategy of renting first and then buying.

He imagined that when the time was right and he paid some extra fees, he would be able to take control of the yard.

If there was an inspection from above, he also had a countermeasure, which was to hang a sign of the unit at the gate of the courtyard. For example, "Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Station" would be quite appropriate.

"Uncle, I'm leaving this matter to you. Please solve this matter as soon as possible..." Liu Zhiye reminded him cautiously.

Uncle Liu Yuanhai gladly accepted the commission. He said seriously: "I will fully support you, although I don't understand what you want to do."

Liu Zhiye looked at his grandfather, third uncle, eldest uncle and father in front of him and said helplessly: "Believe me, everything I do is for everyone's good. There are some things I can't explain clearly."

"Zhiye, we firmly believe in your ability. Since you came back, everything you have done has demonstrated your wisdom. Here, I would like to state that in the future, all major and minor issues in our village will be decided by you. We believe that you can lead our Liu family to prosperity." The third uncle Liu Yuanhai expressed his attitude seriously.

Liu Zhiye's words made Grandpa, Third Uncle, Uncle and Dad feel a little confused, but they still chose to believe him.

They knew that Liu Zhiye was a responsible and accountable person, and believed that he would be able to handle everything.

Liu Zhiye was very happy to hear the news. He took out his cigarettes, smoked one for each person, and then handed it to the old man.

However, the old man waved his hand and refused, preferring to smoke a pot. Soon, everyone started puffing away.

The uncle smiled and said, "Although my home is good, it is not as good as the prosperous city, and the conveniences are limited. For young people, it is okay to come back and play, but if you live here for a long time, you may find it boring."

He exhaled a puff of smoke and continued, "Apart from anything else, shopping is much more convenient in the city. There are supply and marketing cooperatives and large shopping malls everywhere."

"It would be great if we could buy things without going far, just like in the city!" said the third uncle with a smile.

Liu Zhiye suggested, "This is easy. Our village can apply to open a supply and marketing cooperative store. This is allowed by the policy."

"Really? That's good to know. If it works, it will be much more convenient for us to buy some daily necessities." The third uncle said in surprise.

"But does our village have the conditions to run this supply and marketing cooperative store?" the uncle asked.

Liu Zhiye smiled and said, "Don't worry, uncle. Our village is a populous village in the nearby mountainous area. People from nearby come to the market every now and then. In addition, with the existence of the training camp, their spending power is not low. In addition, it also facilitates the supply and marketing cooperative's demand for purchasing agricultural and sideline products, so there is a great chance that it will be successful."

If there is such a supply and marketing cooperative store, it can be said to have many benefits. It can not only buy things from outside the mountain, but also sell things from the mountain. As the center of the surrounding villages, Liujiazhuang's influence will also expand. The commune currently has only one middle school. Considering the future population growth, it will face a serious shortage of teaching resources. So, should Liujiazhuang also consider adding a middle school?
In that era of relative scarcity of materials, the supply and marketing cooperative store of the Red Star Commune could be said to be the commercial center within a radius of dozens of miles.

Residents nearby, whether they want to buy daily necessities or find a piece of jewelry, have to travel over ten miles through mountains and rivers to come here to buy them.

Under the background of planned economy, supply and marketing cooperative stores were giants in the retail industry and could be found in almost every village.

Especially in rural areas, although farmers under the planned economic system could produce their own food and vegetables, the means of production needed, such as farm tools and fertilizers, daily necessities such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, cloth, knitwear, cotton, children's stationery and books, etc., had to be supplied through the supply and marketing cooperatives, which was the only supply channel.

People at that time had special feelings for the supply and marketing cooperatives. It was not only a place to meet life needs, but also an important link connecting urban and rural areas and delivering materials.

According to Liu Zhiye's suggestion, a supply and marketing cooperative store should be opened in Liujiazhuang. When this proposal was made, everyone present was excited.

This is undoubtedly a great blessing for the villagers. Imagine that the villagers can conveniently buy all kinds of items they need in their own village without having to worry about buying some daily trivial items. How wonderful it would be.

Liu Zhiye continued, "Uncle, I have something good to tell you. The cherries in our village are ripe and it's time to pick them.

In previous years, except for a small portion that was sold, most of the cherries were eaten by the members themselves. Some also fell to the ground and rotted because there was no time to pick them, which was a pity.

This year, you don’t have to worry about wasting it, I will take care of all the sales.”

Uncle Liu Yuanhai was very happy to hear the news and said, "Okay, I will go back and arrange for the members to start picking the fruits. After they are picked, I will send them to the old place and wait for you to pick them up."

Although small cherries are delicious and loved by everyone, they are difficult to store and inconvenient to transport, resulting in a relatively low purchase price, with one pound worth only about three cents.

Although there are many cherry trees planted on the hills near Liujiazhuang, the management is not strict. Some trees grow well, and one tree can produce more than 100 kilograms of fruit, while others only produce dozens of kilograms.

There are about three to four thousand cherry trees in the village, which can produce up to 30 kilograms of fruit, but the supply and marketing cooperative can only purchase one-third of them. The rest will either be eaten or rot.

Liu Zhiye promised to reimburse the remaining fruits, and the amount was not small, about five or six thousand yuan, which was equivalent to increasing the income of each household in Liujiazhuang by nearly 20 yuan.

This promise is undoubtedly good news for the villagers of Liujiazhuang, and their enthusiasm for work will definitely be greatly improved.

Liu Zhiye smiled and said, "This thing will fall to the ground after one or two days of ripening, so it's better to pick it early. After picking it, send one or two thousand kilograms to the training camp for the team members to taste."

"Oh! Okay!" said the third uncle with a smile.

Liu Zhiye said: "In the future, we will plant more cherries and strawberries. The supply of fruits will be low before June, and these two are the only options. Leave the sales issue to me, I will take care of it." He added.

"You are worthy of being a man who has seen the world. You have a sharp mind. Let's discuss any good ideas together!" said the third uncle approvingly.

The uncle also smiled and said: "I also found that every time I chat with him, I will gain something new..."

"Hahaha..." Everyone laughed.

Liu Zhiye pondered for a moment and said, "Generally speaking, what I have said is almost the same. We can open up more vegetable gardens in the village and grow some vegetables. In the city, when winter comes, the demand for vegetables such as cabbage and potatoes is very high and the supply cannot meet the demand."

The third uncle's eyes sparkled, and he asked curiously, "Anything else?"

Liu Zhiye joked: "And have more children and plant more trees."

"Hahaha..." Everyone laughed happily again.

Liu Zhiye said seriously: "There is really no need to be greedy now. If you bite off more than you can chew, the existing projects in our village will be very impressive as long as they are done step by step. It is unrealistic to eat a lot at once."

(End of this chapter)