Wang Dongyun, a village official in Xingtai County, Hebei, shoulders the heavy burden of entrepreneurship and enriching the people
The photo shows Wang Dongyun inspecting the growth of tomatoes.
"Every time I walk on the paths of my hometown and look at the barren hills around me, I say to myself, I will do my utmost to blaze a path to prosperity for my fellow villagers." In May, in Tianjiazhuang Village, Beixiaozhuang Township, Xingtai County, Hebei Province, the colorful fruit tomatoes that Wang Dongyun had long been looking forward to had ripened and gone on the market. Jingdan Emerald, Jingdan Small Yellow Jade, Beijing Cherry, and Black Jade No. 1 - these small tomatoes were like baskets of "little golden eggs," bringing gratifying economic benefits to the villagers.
Ordered to take command, crying aloud after suffering grievances
In February 2015, Wang Dongyun was transferred from deputy secretary of the Party branch of Beiyugou Village, Beixiaozhuang Township, Xingtai County, to first secretary of Tianjiazhuang Village. The township leaders assigned her a special task: develop a greenhouse economy.
By this time, Wang Dongyun had been serving in the village for more than 6 years. Capable, efficient, and dutiful - that was the deep impression she had left on township leaders and villagers.
The township set up a greenhouse development team and, without delay, visited vegetable greenhouses around Beijing, Shouguang in Shandong, and other places. In the end, it established contact with the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences and, through layer upon layer of screening, introduced 28 varieties of domestically renowned, high-quality colorful fruit tomatoes.
The market price of colorful fruit tomatoes is 15 yuan to 20 yuan per jin, 5 times the price of ordinary tomatoes. "If we grow them well, the village will have a path to prosperity," Wang Dongyun said.
In May 2015, through the introduction of foreign capital and individual investment as shareholders, the township decided to build the Shidihe Farm, a colorful fruit tomato planting experimental base, in Tianjiazhuang Village, including more than 100 mu of mountain land and 10 mu of land leased from villagers.
The farm site had many graves, and the issues and conflicts involved were also numerous. In order to persuade the villagers to transfer their land, Wang Dongyun nearly ran her legs off.
Villager Tian Xiaosheng was advanced in years and trusted only his own reasoning, feeling that the land was safe only if it remained in his hands. In fact, his land was all dry land, the cost of irrigation was relatively high, and the annual net harvest was only about 200 yuan, while the rent for land transfer was 700 yuan per mu. Wang Dongyun explained this reasoning repeatedly, but he simply did not believe it. "I know you are the college-graduate village official in our village, you do a good job, and you genuinely do practical things for us villagers, but say no more. My land simply will not be leased!" Old Man Tian said as he pushed Wang Dongyun out the door.
Returning to the office full of grievances, Wang Dongyun cried loudly. "Crying is not weakness, but a kind of release," Wang Dongyun said. Afterward, feeling lightened, she went with village officials to do the work again. Time after time, Uncle Tian finally agreed: "Girl, work hard. With your spirit, anything can be done well! We believe you!"
Living at the construction site, sleeping at most 4 hours a day
Once greenhouse construction began, Wang Dongyun ate and lived at the construction site. During the day, under the scorching sun, she arranged and directed the construction, with no time to drink water and no time to rest. Often her lips were cracked and her throat was so dry she could not speak. At night, she still had to keep accounts, record work hours, arrange the next day's work, and plan the next steps. Basically, she could sleep at most 4 hours a day.
"5+2" and "white+black" - even an iron man could not withstand such exhaustion. At 10 a.m. on July 12, Wang Dongyun suddenly had a stomachache and collapsed to the ground. The workers quickly sent her to the hospital. The doctor diagnosed acute appendicitis and suggested immediate surgery. However, surgery would delay things for several days. What should be done? "This is an old problem. It's nothing. I can hold on. Surgery can wait until later," Wang Dongyun said through clenched teeth to the doctor.
After receiving an IV for a day and taking some anti-inflammatory and painkillers, Wang Dongyun arrived early at the construction site again the next day. A woman working as a short-term laborer said to her: "Girl, don't you want your health anymore? Hurry back and rest!" She smiled and said it was nothing.
This was not the first time something like being a "desperado" had happened to Wang Dongyun.
In 2011, Wang Dongyun was temporarily assigned to the greenhouse construction base in Machanggou Village and participated in the entire process of greenhouse construction, trademark registration, cooperative establishment, packaging box production, green food certification application, management and planting technique study, and marketing. She also ate and lived in the village, working day and night. Just for the design of one packaging box, she and several village officials glued it together and took it apart again and again, fiddling with it about 30 times. In the end, with the trademark pattern and product introduction added, it took 10 days and 10 nights to finally complete it.
"You're just a small village official. What can you accomplish? You're the only one busy. Do you still want a family life?" her mother said countless times. But Wang Dongyun had her own "little calculation" in mind: by learning and mastering greenhouse construction techniques, she could later build soilless cultivation greenhouses in her own assigned village and lead the people to prosperity. "At that time I had just gotten married, and because of work I could not take care of the family. My family did not understand and complained about me one after another," Wang Dongyun said. She did not give up and eventually won her family's understanding.
However, deep in her heart, Wang Dongyun always felt guilty toward her family.
"I can't remember the last time I went home to visit my parents," Wang Dongyun said. "My mother is in poor health, yet she always calls to tell me to drive carefully and pay attention to rest."
Her child was more than two years old, and Wang Dongyun went home only once every few weeks. When the child saw her, he wrapped his arms around her neck: "Mom, where did you go? Other children all have their moms to play with them. Why don't you play with me? Mom, do you not want me anymore? Mom, I won't let you leave." The tender childlike voice and the stream of questions made Wang Dongyun choke up.
On July 3, 2015, her maternal grandfather passed away. When she got the news, Wang Dongyun was discussing the next step of work with technicians and construction personnel. The bad news tore at her heart, and all she could do was lie before her grandfather's coffin saying sorry again and again.
"I always think that if I cannot accompany my child, honor my elders, or take care of my family, I am truly not a qualified mother, wife, or daughter. But I must do my utmost to be a qualified village official, grounded in serving the people and leading them to prosperity," Wang Dongyun said. Her grandfather's passing became an eternal pain in her heart.
Facing challenges head-on, seeing the rainbow after the storm
On August 25, 2015, 3 greenhouses and 2 cold sheds were finally completed. In just over two months, Wang Dongyun had lost a full 20 jin. Others joked that she had gotten a free weight-loss program, but only she knew where her sweat had gone. Building sheds, raising seedlings, planting, and managing - although there were sweat and tears, seeing the thriving tomato seedlings made all the sacrifice worthwhile.
In mid-October, some of the colorful tomatoes ripened, and finding a market for them became urgent. Wang Dongyun, together with Guo Wenqing, deputy township head of Beixiaozhuang Township and director of the prosperity office, took the products, handed out promotional flyers, and traveled to units, schools, and hotels large and small throughout Xingtai City, while also conducting online promotion. Through their efforts, the products gained recognition, and sales were no longer a concern.
However, storms gather without warning. Because the temperature earlier had been unusually high, the tomatoes ripened too quickly, and most of them split open and became substandard goods. Just then, the temperature suddenly dropped and a heavy snow fell, forcing the tomatoes to be covered with thick cotton quilts. They could not see sunlight all day and could only rely on weak incandescent lamps for supplemental light. Unable to see sunlight, the tomatoes could not carry out photosynthesis; fertilizer could not be applied, pollination could not be done, and fruit could not set. A continuous month of scant sunlight pressed down on Wang Dongyun until she could hardly breathe. She could not sleep night after night. What should be done? A whole season's harvest was ruined just like that.