1968: Started from breeding

Chapter 243 The Provincial Revolutionary Committee decided to award Comrade Su Wenchen the title of "Hero of Foreign Exchange Earning"!
Provincial Guesthouse.

A huge banner reading "Warmly welcome the triumphant return of the pioneers of foreign exchange earnings" was hung in the auditorium.

After the members of the foreign exchange earning team followed Li Mingyuan in, they entered.

The cadres, who had been exchanging pleasantries in small groups, instantly stood in two rows, and a wave of applause almost lifted the ceiling.

As the director of the provincial capital leading the delegation, Director Zhu should have been the happiest person to see such a scene.

After all, as the head of the provincial foreign trade bureau and the leader of the team, I deserve credit for this excellent result.

Over the years, he has attended the Canton Fair more than once, but this is the first time that he has been greeted by the second or third most important person in the province as soon as he got off the train.

Now that he had arrived at the reception hall and saw this scene, he felt even more uneasy.

Because while many provincial officials might not know, he was perfectly clear that Lanshuichang was already directly under the ministry.

They've praised him so highly this year, what about next year? He can't afford to fall so low!

After all, this year, Moonflower Treasures Leather from Blue Water Field accounted for 85% of the province's foreign exchange earnings.

All the other factories in their province that participated in the exhibition combined only earned 17 million in foreign exchange.

Well, it can't really compare to some of the major silk-producing provinces.

However, compared to some provinces with zero points, it's not bad; it's basically an average one.
This is consistent with their past performance, as most of their products are, after all, low-level OEM raw materials.

So the more grand the commendation now, the worse he will be when he falls from grace next year!
Moreover, since Blue Water Field is now an asset of the directly subordinate department, he had no choice but to decline.

"Xiao Su, why don't you go first? This is mainly to commend you!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen immediately declined.

"Director Zhu, this won't do! You're the leader of this foreign exchange earning team, you should be at the forefront."

Upon hearing this, Director Zhu quickly shook his head repeatedly.

"You're all back now, why are you still mentioning the team leader? This is all to commend you!"

Director Zhu knew his own limitations very well; this time, they had clearly taken advantage of the Moon Rabbit's influence.

The more successful he is this year, the more people will kick him while he's down next year.

So he really didn't want to stand out.

Cao Xinmin, who was lagging behind at the municipal textile factory, couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness when he saw the scene in front of him.

To be honest, he had considered that Bluewater Field's foreign exchange earnings might be slightly higher than theirs.

Actually, their city's textile industry had investigated the products of Lanshuichang before they came.

The quality is indeed very good, but the production volume is limited.

At the time, he thought, "You're doing great if you can sell a piece of leather for two or three hundred dollars!"

That would amount to at most four or five million US dollars, which is about the same as theirs. Moreover, they've launched new products this time, so they're bound to steal the spotlight.

As a result, when Su Wenchen was forced to close the exhibition hall on the first day, he was secretly pleased.

Serves you right for showing off!

But then he couldn't understand what happened, because the other person was immediately quarantined and moved out of their floor.

He had originally planned to secretly inquire about it, but he was arrested by the Canton Fair review team the next day.

To be honest, if he hadn't also been part of the Lan City Foreign Exchange Creation Team, he probably would have been taken away as a spy this time.

Therefore, his feelings towards Su Wenchen are very complicated.

He was released because of the other party, but he was also almost mistaken for a spy because of the other party.

While his excessive curiosity may have played a part, who would blame him?

Su Wenchen, however, was unaware of Cao Xinmin's complex feelings behind the scenes.

Because now the municipal textile industry is basically no longer an eyesore to him.

As for using the foreign exchange earning tactic to deal with their market in the future, that's impossible, since everyone is a foreign exchange earning industry.

If you continue to act superior and treat our eggs like charity when you enter the chicken farm...

Su Wenchen was certain that they wouldn't be able to take even an eggshell with them.

After declining several times from Director Zhu, Su Wenchen finally sat with Director Zhu in the front row.

Soon, the attendees of the Canton Fair took their seats one after another.

The people on the platform also came out from behind.

After everyone was seated, the person sitting in the center of the stage spoke first.

"Comrades, today, with immense excitement and pride, we stand here to warmly welcome the triumphant return of our province's heroes who have made outstanding contributions to foreign exchange earnings!"

"This is a brilliant practice of our approach! It is also a demonstration of the wisdom and labor of our cadres and the masses."

"On behalf of the Provincial Revolutionary Committee, I would like to extend my highest respect and warmest congratulations to all comrades who have fought on the front lines of foreign trade!"

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

After the applause gradually subsided.

The old man sitting in the middle continued.

"Now I announce the decision made by the Provincial Revolutionary Committee regarding the commendation of all members of this foreign exchange earning team."

"The Provincial Revolutionary Committee has decided to award Lanshui Livestock Farm the honorary title of 'Pioneer Collective in Foreign Exchange Earning'!"

"With the indomitable spirit of the proletariat, this collective broke through the foreign breeding technology blockade and created the miracle of a single product category achieving a foreign exchange value of over 100 million at the Canton Fair, successfully bringing glory and profit to our socialism! It also built a red bridge for the Yuehua Rabbit project to go global!"

Su Wenchen, sitting in the audience, heard that their Blue Water Field had actually received a collective honorary title.

It was somewhat unexpected; is the province really that generous?

Knowing full well that the department was going to take him away anyway, they were still willing to give him things, which made Su Wenchen feel a little embarrassed.

He was alright, but Han Yang, who had come with Lan Shuichang, had a flushed face.

After all, he's a member of the group too!

Although the honorary title awarded by the provincial government is not a personal one, it is still very helpful to him, because honors obtained for promotion are now an important criterion.

The old man then continued reciting.

"The Provincial Revolutionary Committee has decided to award Comrade Su Wenchen the title of 'Hero of Foreign Exchange Earning'!"

"This comrade, based in the grassroots animal husbandry industry, overcame the difficulties of breeding superior breeds with the revolutionary ambition of 'reaching for the moon in the heavens.' The Moonflower Rabbit, a high-quality rabbit breed he cultivated, not only filled the industry gap in my country's inability to produce top-grade leather, but also brought a large amount of foreign exchange reserves to our country. He is an advanced model that we should learn from!"

"Crash!"

Applause erupted instantly.

Su Wenchen didn't react at first, then thought with some surprise.

Heroes and role models in foreign exchange earnings.

The province is investing so much; surely they don't want Lanshuichang to take it away?
But his word doesn't count!
Why are you trying to win him over like this? Do you have other plans?
The others in the audience clapped and looked at Su Wenchen with complicated expressions.

After all, there is a difference between collective honor and individual honor. Having such a provincial-level individual honor will give you a significant advantage in provincial promotions.

Cao Xinmin from the municipal textile company was so envious of Su Wenchen that his eyes practically popped out of his head.

He slapped his hands with great force with each strike.

He wished Su Wenchen were right there in his palm, to be slapped to death.

However, he was also somewhat hopeful that he might also receive an award!

After all, as mentioned earlier, he was one of the members whose awards were being given!
Thinking that he might also be recognized, Cao Xinmin clapped even louder.

As the old man gestured for the applause to stop, it gradually subsided.

The sermon continued.

"The Provincial Revolutionary Committee has decided to award Comrade Jiang Li the title of 'Model Grassroots Practitioner'!"

"This comrade, based at the grassroots level of the people's commune, relied on his own efforts and did not depend on anyone. He actively sought opportunities and cooperated with Lanshui Livestock Farm, complementing and assisting each other. He set a new direction for the development of the collective economy of the people's commune. This spirit is worthy of learning by all our grassroots communes!"

Hearing this, everyone else present was somewhat surprised.

Apart from a few people who had attended meetings at the provincial level and knew the inside story, most of the people present were full of doubt.

They all knew that Bluewater Field had been commended, as it had indeed broken records in foreign exchange earnings this time.

Their province also received substantial equipment support.

However, most of them know very little about ginger pears.

As for the idea of ​​complementarity and mutual assistance, most people think it's just about clinging to someone's coattails.

Is this something that deserves separate recognition?
Only Su Wenchen looked thoughtfully at the stage, where the old leader sat calmly to the side.

The other person in the car did not tell me the content of the commendation meeting.

It's clearly impossible that they didn't know; it's either that they didn't want to say more or that they deliberately chose not to.

There's no point in deliberately not telling him, because he'll find out eventually anyway.

Su Wenchen switched perspectives and put himself in the shoes of Deputy Director Li.

Knowing that higher-ups are going to take their territory, what will he do?

Disagree? Direct confrontation?

That's foolish. Someone who's reached that level wouldn't do something like that.

So the remaining ones are most likely to be won over.

Especially after learning that Jiang Li was a member of the commune, winning her over was essentially a way to indirectly influence himself.

If other new varieties emerge later, the province will still be among the first to benefit.

And what do we have to give up?
The honor is precious to those below, but for the province, it doesn't actually require much actual expenditure of resources.

Especially considering that Jiang Li is currently a provincial-level cadre.

It's safe to say that it's incredibly profitable.

Even if Su Wenchen found out, he would still have to accept the favor from the province!
The supplies from the Blue Water Field will definitely be prioritized for supplying the province.

After all, for the provincial bigwigs, honors are not so important; actual supplies are more useful.

But for Jiang Li, this honor is very important, as it will make her future promotions much easier.

So Su Wenchen had to admire him; he was truly shrewd and calculating!
Of course, he didn't lose anything, since Bluewater Field didn't have any other plans to supply them besides the top-tier Moon Rabbit.

So he actually had no objection to continuing to supply the province.

As Su Wenchen's thoughts shifted.

The old man continued.

"Finally, we commend the comrades from the Provincial Foreign Trade Bureau represented by Comrade Zhu Dezhi, the comrades from the Lan City Foreign Trade Bureau represented by Comrade Deng Hongxia, and the comrades from the Baocheng Foreign Trade Bureau headed by Huo Youde."

"To all the comrades who participated in this foreign exchange earnings campaign, and to all the employees and cadres of all the factories who contributed their labor."

"It is thanks to your unremitting efforts that we are able to bring more of our high-quality products to the world and make a greater contribution to supporting the world!"

"In conclusion, we hope that the commended groups and individuals will keep in mind the two incomparable principles and continue to carry forward the great spirit of being unafraid of hardship and death."

"After this, all departments across the province should issue a notice to launch the 'Strive to learn from Lan Shuichang and surpass Su Wenchen' campaign."

"We must delve into the underlying ideas and strive to cultivate more high-quality products to break through the economic encirclement of capitalism!"

The old man put down his speech.

"Crash!"

This time, even more enthusiastic applause erupted.

However, some people were dumbfounded, because it wasn't just two people being commended!

Everyone else just said one thing and that was it!

At this moment, Cao Xinmin felt that the more he had anticipated it, the more disappointed he was now.

Because they didn't even receive a collective model award, only a verbal commendation.

This is far from what he envisioned. Especially considering his final mention of organizing a campaign to "learn from Lanshuichang and surpass Su Wenchen" upon returning.

This is like rubbing salt into his heart!
However, it wasn't just him; even Su Wenchen himself was finding it hard to hold back.

He has actually become a role model to be learned from.

How can I describe this feeling?

Something felt off to him. It wasn't that he disliked it; in fact, deep down, he felt a little bit of joy.

However, he also knew that his path was something others couldn't learn, because how could you learn it if you didn't pass the test?
He never expected the province to pull this stunt at the last minute.

However, amidst enthusiastic applause, Su Wenchen still walked onto the stage with the others.

He watched as a high-ranking official from the province personally pinned the model award on his chest, along with the red ribbon.

The applause from the audience was enthusiastic and intense.

In an instant, Su Wenchen felt an indescribable pressure bearing down on him.

At that moment, he finally understood the meaning of the saying, "With great power comes great responsibility."

He earned the talisman of honor and role model status, and of course, he also had to do things commensurate with that talisman.

However, for Su Wenchen, it was more of a good thing than a bad thing.

After all, at this time, as long as the honorary role model does not cause any problems, basically no villains dare to approach him.

However, this is only a provincial-level farm, and Su Wenchen even felt that if they were still a provincial-level farm this year.

Then provincial model workers definitely deserve their place.

However, Su Wenchen thought that might not be the case, because if it were still at the provincial level, then the provincial level would naturally have a lot of say in personnel appointments.

He wasn't sure if the province would still go to such lengths to win him over at this point.

The reason for investing now is that the main personnel appointment authority of Blue Water Farm has now been transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

If you can't control them, you have to win them over!

Soon after the awards ceremony was completed in the auditorium, a group of people left the auditorium and went to the restaurant of the provincial guesthouse for a meal.

"Xiao Su, you and your colleagues from the field, sit here!"

Just as Su Wenchen and the others walked in and were about to take their seats at the back, they were called out by Deputy Director Li.

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen waved his hand.

"Boss, how can we sit in the front row!"

Upon hearing this, Director Wang of the Provincial Revolutionary Committee, who had personally presented Su Wenchen with the Model Medal, also waved his hand.

"What's the big deal? You guys are the real heroes this time. Without you, we wouldn't even have this meal!"

"Don't refuse, come over here!"

Seeing this, Su Wenchen could only lead the group over and sit down.

Basically, everyone at this table is one of the top people in the province.

As the dishes were served one by one...

The atmosphere wasn't too oppressive, but apart from Su Wenchen, Deng Hongxia, Han Yang, and others being a bit reserved, there wasn't anything particularly awkward.

Director Wang was the first to pick up his chopsticks.

"Come on, everyone, help yourselves!" she said, picking up a piece of food with her chopsticks.

After everyone started eating, Su Wenchen also picked up a piece and thought the dishes prepared by the provincial government were really delicious.

It's just ordinary stir-fried chicken, but it's cooked to be fresh, fragrant, and flavorful.

"Xiao Su, do you think it's possible for other places in the province to raise the Moonflower Rabbits from your farm?"

After a few rounds of drinks, Director Wang suddenly asked a question.

As soon as he said that, the entire room fell silent. The others who were chatting at the table also fell silent and all looked at Su Wenchen.

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen put down his chopsticks, thought for a moment, and then said...

"Director, are you referring to the top-grade Moon Rabbit or the ordinary Moon Rabbit?"

The other party waved their hand.

“I understand what you mean. The production target you set in Guangzhou is based on evidence.”

“When I went to the meeting, they also discussed this matter. Currently, the export volume of top-grade sable leather from the Soviet Union is basically limited to 20,000 to 30,000 pieces per year, because sable is a bit smaller.”

"Therefore, limiting our annual production to 20,000 is quite reasonable. Moreover, these top-quality furs are all planned for export by the institute. Our province has no such plans. I am referring to ordinary Moonflower rabbit furs."

“I’ve seen your original samples. The ordinary Moonflower rabbit fur isn’t as eye-catching as the top-grade kind.”

"But it is still a high-quality fur, and its warmth is no less than that of the top-grade Moonflower rabbit. Although the appearance is not good after tanning, I think it still has great potential!"

"I don't know if you know this, but it was a piece of writing that was once published in the provincial newspaper."

"It was submitted by your Beiwan Commune. I remember it very well. I think the title was 'Self-Reliance Writes a New Chapter: Beiwan Commune's Rabbit Fur Industrialization Sets a New Benchmark for the Development of the People's Commune Collective Economy!'"

"It details how your Beiwan Commune will rely on the rabbit fur industry to form its own industrial chain, from rabbit breeding to tanning of rabbit fur to sewing into fur coats, and finally to processing of rabbit meat."

What do you think of this idea? What are the chances of it succeeding?

Upon hearing Director Wang's words, Su Wenchen blinked.

This sounds so familiar!
Isn't this the plan I originally devised for Jiang Li?

But as time went on, Pikachu's potential was tapped more and more, and he became so busy that he didn't even have time to think about the commune.

So you want him to evaluate his own proposal? How is he supposed to answer that?
Say it's okay! That sounds like self-praise.

But we can't go against our conscience and say it's bad; if we say it's bad, wouldn't we be negating ourselves?
He hesitated.

"Director, I think this plan will definitely work in Beiwan Commune."

"But that's not necessarily true in other places."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Director Wang immediately asked seriously.

"Can you tell me what you think?"

"Don't worry, we'll just treat this as casual conversation at the dinner table!"

Su Wenchen pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Director, it's like this."

"This plan was actually a plan that I discussed with Comrade Jiang Li from the commune."

"At the time, we formulated the plan based on the objective conditions of our commune and the actual situation of our farm."

“At that time, our farm was mainly developing chicken farms, but we found that there were many restrictions on the subsequent development of chicken farms.”

"Because without sufficient food supply, the development of chicken farming was almost inevitable."

"In addition, we merged with a nearly bankrupt Shiquan chicken farm at that time, which suddenly brought in nearly a thousand employees, putting a lot of pressure on our farm."

Hearing Su Wenchen say that, Li Mingyuan, who was standing next to him, suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Because it was he who passed this burden on to Lanshuichang back then.

At the time, he also felt that the matter was not fair to Blue Water Field, which is why he agreed to let Blue Water Field keep all of its profits for the following year.

However, thinking about this, Li Mingyuan always felt that there was something he hadn't finished doing before he was transferred directly to the provincial level.

I thought about it for a long time but still couldn't remember.

Su Wenchen continued.

"At that time, in order to increase our income, we decided to develop a side business, which is the predecessor of the current Yuehua Rabbit, the Rex rabbit breeding project."

"Our initial idea was to introduce this foreign breed of Rex rabbit and then start breeding them around our farm."

"The commune provided manpower and resources to build the leather tanning industry and the rabbit meat processing industry."

"Once we see that our farm is making money, we can also promote this to the homes of the other members. Each household can build a kennel and raise five or six rabbits. The members don't need to put in much effort. Most of the time, they can just have their children cut some extra grass for the rabbits while they're cutting pig feed."

"In this way, they can raise rabbits at least twice a year and sell them to the commune's tanneries and rabbit meat processing plants, which can give these families an extra 40 or 50 yuan in savings each year."

"This way, not only will the children have money for school, but they can also buy some cloth to make new clothes for their families, and those with extra money can even buy some meat to have a prosperous New Year."

"Director, that's why I said it would definitely work in Beiwan Commune, but not necessarily in other places."

"It is precisely because Beiwan Commune has already done this that almost every household in the commune raises four or five of them."

“Some families even split up as soon as the rabbits reach adulthood, just to meet the threshold of raising five more rabbits.”

Upon hearing this, Director Wang nodded seriously.

He spoke directly to Jiang Li.

"I didn't expect your Beiwan Commune to actually succeed. But I think five rabbits per family is too few. How can you separate a litter of baby rabbits after the mother rabbit has given birth to one?"

"I think each family should raise at least ten!"

"While our bottom line cannot change, we also cannot stand still. It's perfectly reasonable for a large group of commune members to support another large group of rabbits!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li immediately reassured him.

"The director is right. We've been too rigid. Our commune will go back and study how to adjust the number of various poultry to raise."

Hearing Jiang Li's words, the others at the table echoed her sentiments.

"I think the director is right. Rabbits have many offspring per litter, so they can't be raised like chickens and ducks. Each family should appropriately increase the number of rabbits they raise."

“I agree. It is indeed necessary to issue this notice. Different types of livestock are of different sizes, and we cannot implement a one-size-fits-all rigid rule.”

Seeing the majority of people at the table agreeing, Su Wenchen was surprised that this would prompt Director Wang to speak up and directly double the number of animals each member was raising.

Obviously, at that time, the regulations regarding poultry farming varied from place to place.

Almost every region has its own policy.

Now that Director Wang has spoken up, at least the commune members will have a much better life from now on.

As for other places, it ultimately depends on how well the specific leaders at the bottom implement the policies.

After all, if the higher-ups have given the go-ahead, it's all for naught if you don't follow through.

As the atmosphere relaxed, some people looked at Su Wenchen curiously and asked him questions.

"Comrade Su, didn't you initially import ordinary Rex rabbits? How did you come up with the idea of ​​breeding Moonflower rabbits later?"

Upon hearing this question, everyone else immediately perked up their ears.

Obviously, everyone is very curious about how the Yuehua Rabbit was bred.

Su Wenchen thought for a moment and then spoke directly.

"Actually, this is all thanks to Comrade Jiang Li, who has a friend in the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Foreign Trade. She helped us find a lot of international information and prices on various types of leather."

"It was around that time that we realized how huge the price difference was between different types of leather, which was quite outrageous."

"At that time, we were raising ordinary blue-green Angora rabbits."

"Ordinary ones are worth ten or twenty US dollars, but once a pure blue one appears, its value will increase several times."

"Initially, we were actually aiming to breed this pure blue Rex rabbit."

"Later, we collected various local Rex rabbit breeds, as well as foreign breeds, and carried out multiple rounds of crossbreeding and selection. With a certain amount of coincidence, we unexpectedly gave birth to this new Rex rabbit breed that we named Yuehua Rabbit."

As Su Wenchen finished speaking.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Director Wang was the first to applaud and speak.

"Don't talk about coincidences or luck. If you hadn't gone through multiple rounds of crossbreeding and selection from the beginning, even if you had luck, it wouldn't have been your turn."

"How come your farm is the only one that has successfully bred the Moonflower Rabbit, when there are so many Rex rabbit breeding farms in our country?"

"This shows that your farm has put in more hard work in cultivation than other farms, otherwise this luck would not have come your way."

Faced with Director Wang's praise, Su Wenchen could only smile modestly.

(End of this chapter)