A septuagenarian veteran Party member gets rich raising cattle and strides toward a moderately prosperous life
Zhang Shoufa, a veteran Party member over seventy years old in Guanbei Village, Shannan Town, Feixi County, took the lead in raising cattle in the village as a "cowherd," succeeded in his business venture, and became a locally famous "cattle" man.
A cattle man with a cattle temper. "Since ancient times, few people live to seventy," "Is Lian Po old? Can he still eat?" ... Remarks like these always bring to mind a white-haired old man hunched over. Yet veteran Party member Zhang Shoufa, though over 70, is still hale and hearty. His children urge him to rest early and enjoy his later years, but the old man still rises early and sleeps late every day, chopping grass and gathering manure, for 30 years without change. In all his years of raising cattle, there have been many ups and downs beyond counting: in the early days he had no skills, and his failures cost him dearly, so people urged him to give up; later, when life got better and cattle raising proved too hard, people urged him to give up; now, as he grows old and his body is not what it once was, people urge him to give up. But he still holds fast. His wife says he is just like his cattle, all cattle temper, yet he just laughs happily.
A cattle man does cattle business. "In all 360 trades, every trade can produce a champion," as the saying goes, and a "cowherd" can also get rich and stride toward a moderately prosperous life. Old man Zhang Shoufa is indeed a leader in getting rich. Each year he sends over 200 head to market, and one head of cattle sells for more than 10,000 yuan. Around the New Year, people nearby come to buy his beef, saying the meat is good and tasty! Others mainly feed their cattle fodder, but his cattle are either grazed or fed rice straw. Every autumn harvest season, he travels through the fields collecting rice straw from nearby farming households, consuming as much as 50,000 jin per year on average, which greatly eases the burden on fellow villagers of handling rice straw during the straw-burning ban. In addition, to avoid creating problems for environmental improvement, he consulted with nearby large-scale growers and provides cattle manure fertilizer free of charge, which not only prevents the manure from piling up and fermenting, but also provides free fertilizer for the growers and further guides other local livestock and crop farmers toward scientific production.
A cattle man holds the cattle by the ears. "Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix." Though old man Zhang Shoufa usually says little, he is also a "competitive" person. He is not only the "head of the household" of his own farm, but also serves as village group leader, responsible for all matters large and small in the village group. He normally actively cooperates with the village's work, serves the masses, and does a good job publicizing and explaining various policies. When people come to ask about cattle raising, he does not hesitate to share his knowledge. During the busy season, the farm hires several surplus laborers from the village, and he has also led many nearby villagers to raise cattle and get rich together. When it comes to public welfare causes, he too takes the lead like a "cattle," playing a pioneering and exemplary role and fully demonstrating the shining image of a Party member.