Wang Zhengguo did not agree immediately.
His silence chilled the heart of Shao Jiandang bit by bit. Just as it was about to completely turn cold, he heard Wang Zhengguo say, "Borrow, yes."
"Really?" Shao Jiandang couldn’t believe his own ears. He vigorously dug in his ear, "Old Wang, are you really agreeing to lend us grain? Really?"
The few robust laborers, whether standing or squatting, turned their heads in unison, looking at Wang Zhengguo with surprise and delight.
Lu Jiang and Wang Dachun felt uncomfortable inside.
"I agree to lend you grain, but there is one condition."
Upon hearing Wang Zhengguo’s words, Shao Jiandang hastily replied: "I agree to any conditions, not just one. I agree to even ten or eight! I really have no other choice but to come to you."
Wang Zhengguo solemnly said, "There’s no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world. Getting something for nothing encourages laziness, and does not necessarily foster gratitude for others’ contributions. Therefore, my condition is an equivalent exchange. I lend you grain, I know you have no money, I don’t want your money, and I don’t need you to repay, but there must be other things that can be used for exchange?"
Shao Jiandang was as delighted as a child upon hearing that he didn’t need to repay the borrowed grain, but when he heard the rest of what Wang Zhengguo had to say, he frowned, "Our production team only has this mule and some farming tools, nothing else. What can we exchange? Old Wang, you can’t take this mule, it’s my life! Without this mule, I would have to work twice as hard during the farming season."
"Land," Wang Zhengguo said.
Wang Zhengguo continued: "I’m saying that I lend you grain, and you give me land. Assign a large piece of your brigade’s uncultivable land to our brigade to grow grain. Your land is mountainous. I know mountainous land is capable of producing high yields of sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and also suitable for growing economic crops such as cotton, sunflowers, and peanuts."
"This..." Shao Jiandang fell silent.
"Your brigade has more than four thousand acres of land. Can the two or three hundred of you cultivate it all? Do you have enough grain seeds? Do you have enough livestock and farming tools? You don’t, right? It’s a pity to let the land lay fallow! You can allocate the land to us. Of course, it won’t be ours. The land is still yours, just lent to us for farming. I won’t cultivate your land for nothing. The borrowed grain doesn’t need to be repaid. When it’s time to harvest, we’ll help you pay the public grain for that land, and leave some seeds for you. It’s beneficial for your future development."
Shao Jiandang was moved, "But, would the commune allow that? The land belongs to the state, and also the collective. Individuals only have a small amount of private land. If I lend you land to cultivate, would it violate some decree from above? I also know it’s a pity that such large tracts of land are laying fallow, but we are really in a bind."
Wang Zhengguo glared at him, "I am trying to help you, help you without enabling you. That’s why I proposed this mutually beneficial method, which also contributes to the country!"
Shao Jiandang finally understood.
"Alright!" Shao Jiandang agreed with full mouth, pulling on Wang Zhengguo’s hand, "Let’s go find the officials at the commune. Let them be our witness. Let’s say that the Wanglou Brigade wants to help our Huoguang Production Team develop, that you are helping us!"
Huoguang Production Team is located in the southwest corner of the Wanglou Brigade, many of their lands are adjacent, both belonging to the Dawn Commune.
The commune officials were also worried, with no solution in sight. Too many people were dying of hunger in their jurisdiction, not to mention the difficulty of explaining this to higher-ups. Reduced labor force led to uncultivated land in large tracts, far from meeting the public grain standard set by the state.