The Sweetness of the Seventies-Chapter 1170 - 1139 Human Development

Family planning was extremely strict, and it was unclear whether it would affect the work of Village Chief Qi.

"So, how much money can a villager get each year?" He Tiantian asked, "Is it even a thousand yuan?"

Village Chief Qi stretched out two fingers and said, "One can get two thousand yuan! But those who exceed the birth limit get nothing, not a single cent."

Now, family planning is a basic national policy and also serves to curb the population explosion in Country H.

After all, in times of peace and prosperity, with enough food and warmth, the population could grow even more if not controlled.

It was only after thirty years that they started to relax the policy to allow for a second child.

But by then, the cost of living was high, and so was the cost of having children. People were in pursuit of a better material life and didn’t want to have more children. Even with the two-child policy and incentives, they didn’t want to have another.

This was particularly disadvantageous for women in big cities.

Employers once dared not hire married women without children, and after the two-child policy, they feared hiring those who could have a second child.

It felt quite helpless just thinking about it!

But it was still necessary to do the work.

Village Chief Qi talked for a while and then went back, telling He Tiantian to get some good rest.

Although the children wanted to go out and play, He Tiantian didn’t dare let them out at night; it was too cold.

At night, He Tiantian talked at length with Third Grandma Qi about private matters and also shared Xiao Xuanxuan’s origin, which made Third Grandma Qi deeply moved.

"That girl is clever, and now that you have adopted her, you should treat her well," Third Grandma Qi said. "But she’s also lucky to have met you, not only growing up safely but also benefiting greatly in all aspects."

"Yes, I treat her like my own daughter, and now I have two daughters," He Tiantian said, thinking back on the family planning ordeal when Huo Xiaosan almost didn’t make it.

She never expected to have another daughter.

It was a delightful surprise.

"Hehe, that’s very good," Third Grandma Qi said. "I see that the girl also has a good temperament."

"Yes, she’s very well-behaved and obedient," He Tiantian said. "We all like her very much."

The two talked for a long time before He Tiantian went back to her room to sleep.

The next morning, the children were already up. Apart from Huo Xiaosan, who couldn’t dress himself, the other three could take care of themselves.

Breakfast was delicious rice porridge, all made from rice produced in Qijia Village, which tasted particularly good.

The cured meat was something the children all enjoyed eating.

After eating, the children ran out to play. With people watching over them, there was no fear of them getting into accidents.

Third Grandma Qi and He Tiantian, carrying gifts for the children, went together to visit Qi Daniu.

Qi Daniu had heard yesterday that He Tiantian had come and was very happy.

Because her delivery was natural, Qi Daniu was recovering quickly and could already walk around in the house.

"Sister Tiantian, I heard from my mom that you had come yesterday. If I could have gone out, I would have come to talk to you," Qi Daniu said excitedly, holding onto He Tiantian’s hand and not letting go.

"Hehe, I was so tired from the journey yesterday, I didn’t want to disturb your rest, so I didn’t come over," He Tiantian said. "By the way, where did you give birth? In the county town?"

"No, they built a hospital over in our village," Qi Xiaoyan said. "You even know the director!"

"Our village already has a hospital?" He Tiantian exclaimed, surprised that the village had developed so quickly.

Qi Daniu said, "With the development of tourism, many people come and go to our village, and since our place has become a central gathering hub for the surrounding areas, Secretary Qi applied to build a hospital and invited Wang Shuilian to be the director. Director Wang’s medical skills are highly respected by everyone."

He Tiantian had a good impression of Wang Shuilian.

"Her medical skills are indeed very high," He Tiantian said. At that time, it was very difficult for Qijia Village and the surrounding villages to travel to the county town because the roads were bad. Anyone with a headache or fever would get some medicine from Wang Shuilian.

There were Chinese herbal medicines as well as Western medicines.

However, at that time, Western medicines were hard to come by, so Wang Shuilian mostly prescribed Chinese patent medicines, which were very cheap but effective.

Wang Shuilian not only treated illnesses but also set bones and delivered babies; she was almost an all-rounder.

"Yes, the affairs of that year have also been clarified," Qi Daniu said. "Now our hospital, though small, is fully equipped to handle common diseases. And Wang Shuilian’s son and daughter, who learned from her since they were young and are graduates from prestigious schools, did not accept outside job offers or placements and returned here. Secretary Qi personally went to present them with a banner commending their excellent medical skills."

"It’s good that the village has a regular hospital, which is beneficial to the surrounding villagers," He Tiantian said. Secretary Qi truly did a good deed for the villagers.

Over the years, thanks to Secretary Qi’s efforts, Qijia Village had been developing very well, not just economically with land distribution to households, planting peach trees, opening factories, and developing tourism; but also culturally, with the establishment of schools, hospitals, and nursing homes for the elderly and widowed...

Every initiative was for the benefit of the villagers.

In Qijia Village, everyone had their reasons for greatly respecting Secretary Qi.

He Tiantian prepared a Jade Gourd for the child, hoping the child would enjoy both prosperity and good fortune.

After that, she returned from Qi Daniu’s home.

Since it was still early, Wei Yuanyuan followed He Tiantian to the nearby streets of Qijia Village for a look.

Rows of shops with local characteristics lined both sides of the street, which was paved not with cement but with bluestone slabs.

Inns, taverns, etc., various antique-like banners hung neatly in the air, full of ancient charm.

He Tiantian wore high heels, and her footsteps on the stone were very crisp.

The weather was nice today; the sunshine was warm and bathing in it felt particularly comfortable.

There were a lot of people shopping on the street, clearly tourists, and the businesses on this street were doing quite well.

It was indeed the case!

This was winter, but if it were spring, when the peach blossoms were in bloom, there would be beautiful peach flowers everywhere—on the mountains, along the roadsides.

In the summer, large peaches would hang on the trees...

He Tiantian roamed around and bought some interesting souvenirs she found amusing.

As she walked, she passed by an antique shop selling the Four Treasures of Study, jade, and antiques, which was simply and elegantly arranged.

Feeling intrigued, He Tiantian took Wei Yuanyuan inside.

The plainclothes officers who followed them also entered, standing by the side of the store.

"Miss, what are you looking for?" The young man, dressed in a long robe from the Republic of China period, asked attentively.

He Tiantian looked around after entering, noticing some antiques, which were ordinary, with most of the space occupied by the Four Treasures of Study and modern jade craftworks.

"I’m just looking around," He Tiantian said with a smile. The children already had jade items, and she didn’t intend to buy any. At the Four Treasures of Study section, she spotted some fine wolf hair brushes, "How much for one of these brushes?"

"Our prices are fair, and the goods are both excellent and affordable, sixteen yuan for one brush," the young shop assistant said. "Buying one won’t leave you at a loss, and you won’t find anything like it for less than twenty yuan anywhere else."