1968: Started from breeding

Chapter 250: After 996 days, he completed his first class leap.

Because the last topic was rather heavy, neither Su Wenchen nor Lei Boliang had any interest in continuing the conversation.

After finishing the meal, Lei Boliang left in a hurry with his men.

Su Wenchen sat alone in the cafeteria for a long time. This was the first time since he transmigrated that he felt completely powerless.

There's nothing we can do.

Watching the young employees walk into the canteen with their heads held high after get off work, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

Looking at these people's energetic and youthful faces.

Su Wenchen chuckled and shook his head, realizing he was getting a little stuck on one thing.

For these pioneers of the older generation, their concerns were perhaps not about their own life or death.

Rather, it is the continuation of one's revolutionary spirit and the achievement of the goal of the great rejuvenation of the nation.

and so.

Instead of wasting this time, I would rather cultivate more like-minded and ambitious young people.

Let's not talk about grandiose empty words like "accelerating the pace of rejuvenation".

At the very least, Su Wenchen himself felt that this was a very beneficial thing for Blue Water Farm.

January 1, 1971, New Year's Day.

As cold and warmth intertwine, the seasons begin to change.

Early in the morning.

As the farm gates opened, trucks began to drive into the farm.

After entering the farm, some people turn left to pick up eggs from the chicken coop and egg storage, while others go straight to pick up pigs from the pig farm.

There are also rabbits being transported to the right from the rabbit hutch to carry Moonflower Rabbits.

The entire farm was bustling with activity as the workers were busy at work.

Since New Year's Day is not a national statutory holiday, there is usually no holiday. Many factories will hold a rally on this day to mobilize all employees to work overtime to increase production!

Moreover, this kind of overtime work for production is usually accompanied by extra meals, and these extra meals on holidays are usually meat dishes.

Otherwise, if you just shout slogans and make people work overtime, but do nothing in practice and just feed them plain water and cabbage, the workers won't be motivated.

Therefore, at this time, people come to Blue Water Farm to make purchases in an endless stream. And those who come at this time are usually not purchasing agents, but leaders from the logistics department who come to discuss business.

Here at the pig farm.

"Ow—!"

A piercing squeal of a pig echoed through the sky.

A large black pig was tied to a wooden stick as thick as an arm and carried out of the pigpen by four or five strong men.

Su Wenchen patted the black pig's belly and said with satisfaction.

"This pig must weigh at least 350 or 360 pounds!"

As the second generation of hybrid black pigs, these black pigs did not inherit the fast growth rate of white pigs, so they were not qualified to be kept by Su Wenchen as breeding pigs.

Having been well-fed and cared for all year, the black pig naturally has to make its own contribution at the end of the year.

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, the director of the county meat processing plant standing to the side immediately smiled and flattered him.

“It must weigh at least 350 or 360 pounds. Director Su, if I hadn’t said you could have developed this business, our meat processing plant has been slaughtering pigs in the county for so many years, and your pigs are still the best.”

"Look, this fat is at least three fingers thick!"

"Your farm is so generous in slaughtering these pigs to give as employee benefits, that's why everyone says they want to come to your Blue Water Farm!"

"These benefits are making me so envious!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen smiled and waved his hand.

"Director Chen, you've gone too far with that. Didn't you just take a thousand catties of eggs from our plant? Besides, does your meat processing plant not have meat to eat?"

As the main slaughterhouse at this time, Su Wenchen didn't believe that meat processing plants would lack meat to eat!
Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Director Chen of the meat processing plant gave a wry smile.

"Director Su, do you think we can just distribute the meat we take back from the meat processing plant as we see fit?"

"There are plans for all of this. How many kilograms of meat are to be extracted from a pig after it is collected? There are quotas set up there."

"Unlike you, we can't decide when to kill!"

After saying that, he looked on with envy at the black pig being carried away in the distance.

Su Wenchen smiled when he heard this, knowing that the other party was probably telling the truth.

Because Blue Water Farm is indeed quite special in Lan City now.

In normal state-owned farms, the allocation of supplies such as live pigs and eggs during holidays is generally decided by the higher-level planning committee. The specific amount of supplies allocated is basically determined by the higher-ups.

Even if there were unplanned supplies, there weren't many.

Even if a year goes very well and there is an extra production beyond the plan, this usually only lasts for one year. The targets set by higher authorities for the following year will be increased to be roughly the same as the total production this year.

Therefore, many units actually don't have much unplanned material.

Of course, they will also try to find ways, such as manufacturing additional defective products. In short, it is a process of wits and courage.

Of course, their Bluewater Farm is an exception now.

Because they are now directly under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, their superior planning commission is the State Planning Commission, but only the Moon Rabbit is included in the national plan.

Because the State Planning Commission wouldn't waste time figuring out the planned destinations for the eggs and pigs from the Blue Water Farm.

As the department in charge of comprehensive material planning for all departments across the country, it is naturally impossible for it to manage those particularly detailed aspects.

The specific plans and allocation of these local essential supplies are normally handled by lower-level departments such as the provincial planning commission, municipal planning commission, and county planning commission.

So the final result is that although the meat and eggs produced by their Blue Water Farm supply Lan City, Lan City no longer has the right to formulate development plans for them.

boom--!
Another jeep, roaring with its engine, screeched to a halt at the entrance of the pig farm.

Su Wenchen turned his head and saw Luo Yan from the Municipal Planning Commission getting out of the passenger seat.

Upon seeing the vehicle, Su Wenchen's eyes lit up, and he immediately walked over, because they had recently contacted many people to try and purchase a Jeep.

"Haha, Director Luo, I was wondering why the magpies had been chirping all day. Turns out, good news is on its way!"

After Luo Yan got out of the car, he heard Su Wenchen's words and immediately smiled and said.

"Director Su, your skill in praising people is as impressive as ever!"

After saying that, he patted the car with a smile on his face.

"These are retired military vehicles that came from the garrison troops stationed in our city. You don't mind, do you?"

"But don't worry, there's definitely no problem with the vehicle. It's just that the military's standards for vehicle retirement are higher than ours in the civilian sector."

"Especially these jeeps, which are usually used to transport mid- to high-ranking commanders such as operations staff officers. If they break down on the road frequently, it could cause serious problems."

"But there's basically no problem with it being used locally."

Su Wenchen looked around and found that it was similar to He Zhenbang's car, both being quite old.

However, he also knew that at this point, it was already good enough to have any cars available.

Because many of the cars used in normal places are retired from the military, repaired, and then continue to serve in civilian life.

These jeeps retired from the military are something you can't get your hands on without connections.

So Su Wenchen nodded in satisfaction.

"Director Luo, what are you saying? This is already excellent. Even if you were to find a car that had been retired twice from another unit, I wouldn't complain!"

"So, today is New Year's Day, and we'll have an extra meal at the farm. You can eat lunch here!"

"This is Director Chen from the county's meat processing plant. He brought people here to pick up pigs, and we'll take this opportunity to slaughter one too."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Director Chen of the meat processing plant immediately gave Su Wenchen a grateful look.

Hurry up and reach out your hand.

"Director Luo, I am Chen Dachuan from the county meat processing plant!"

Although he knew it was just a casual acquaintance and might not be of much use, at least Chen Dachuan had made an appearance before the leaders.

Seeing this, Luo Yan also reached out and shook hands.

"Hello, Director Chen!"

"How's the pig supply in your county? Is it alright?"

Upon hearing Luo Yan's question, Chen Dachuan immediately responded.

"The supply is sufficient. Thanks to Director Su and his team at Lanshui Farm, our pig supply this year is much higher than in previous years."

Luo Yan nodded.

"That's good!"

After speaking, he turned to look at Su Wenchen.

"Director Su, I won't eat. This car isn't something they gave you for free."

"During their stay, you will supply their camp with 3,000 catties of eggs every month."

"Of course, this is normal military procurement, and their superiors will allocate funds as usual."

"This shouldn't be too much of a burden for your team right now!"

Su Wenchen shook his head.

"Only three thousand catties? A little more won't hurt!"

After all, they have more than 70,000 chickens, and they produce 10,000 to 20,000 catties of eggs every day.

These few eggs are really no big deal.

Luo Yan quickly shook his head.

"No need. If you supply them too much, our city's supply will be less."

"You can't favor one over the other!"

After all, their municipal planning commission has no control over the output distribution of Lanshui Farm anymore.

Su Wenchen immediately burst into laughter.

"Don't worry, Director Luo, the city's supply will not be reduced no matter what!"

"We've been old friends for several years."

"That way, if you need anything in the future, just give our facility a call."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yan felt a sense of relief.

His efforts in helping Su Wenchen find a car weren't really for the sake of ensuring the city's meat and egg supply.

Rather, it's about maintaining his personal network of contacts.

After all, Su Wenchen at this time was no longer the little guy who refused his attempts to win him over.

These have become important connections that he must maintain.

In particular, their city desperately needs the meat and egg supply from Blue Water Farm, but they cannot directly interfere with the development of Blue Water Farm.

For him personally, this network of contacts is even more crucial.

After all, things weren't all harmonious within their planning commission.

The planned allocation and destination of various supplies all need to be negotiated little by little.

His good relationship with key meat and egg suppliers like Blue Water Farm will correspondingly increase his influence and value in the city.

They would also have some advantages in terms of the State Planning Commission's authority over the allocation of materials.

Su Wenchen knew Luo Yan's thoughts, which is why he said that. After all, in his opinion, supporting Luo Yan's development in the city would also benefit their farm.

It can be said that the two sides hit it off immediately.

Luo Yan did not stay at Lanshui Farm for long, because there were many more meetings and activities in the city that needed to be attended during the New Year's Day period.

laugh--!
With a sudden stop, the military green Jeep left a long tire mark on the ground and came to a stop directly at the office of the transport team in the field.

The noise caused the losing team members to come out immediately.

Just then, Su Wenchen opened the car door and got out of the car.

Upon seeing the group of people who had come out, Su Wenchen immediately spoke to Zhao Weiguo, who was at the front.

"Old Zhao, get some men to give it a good scrub before you drive to the vehicle management office to get the license plates. I've already put the military vehicle transfer certificate and the city's material allocation order in the car, don't lose them!"

"From now on, these will be our own commercial vehicles!"

Zhao Weiguo's eyes lit up when he saw the jeep in front of him.

He patted his chest and agreed. "Director, don't worry, I'll personally wipe it clean, I guarantee there won't be a speck of dust."

Su Wenchen waved his hand.

"No need. Once the license plates are issued, we'll drive to the Yellow River floodplain for research."

"You should also tell your family that you might not be able to come back until Chinese New Year this time."

To be honest, Su Wenchen originally planned to leave as soon as he got back, but various things have delayed it for so long.

Now that everything is ready, Su Wenchen felt he should take a look around as soon as possible and choose a good location so that he could plant the first batch of pasture next spring.

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Zhao Weiguo immediately agreed.

"I know, Director. I told my wife before that I might have to take long-distance buses during this period."

“It was all arranged long ago, and I told her that if she needed anything, she could just come and find the manager at the venue.”

Since the stadium manages everything at this time, Zhao Weiguo is not worried about being bullied at home while he is away on a long trip.

The reason why employees in this era didn't worry about their families when they traveled long distances was largely because their employers would generally take care of any family matters.
From being broke to being harassed, if you talk to your workplace, most companies will actually take action.

Moreover, the factory security at this time is not the same as the security guards in the future.

At this time, the security personnel were armed with real guns and also performed some of the functions of the local public security bureau, just like the security department at Su Wenchen's site.

If disputes arise among family members living in the staff quarters, the security department and the Women's Federation will usually go together to resolve them.

Hearing this, Su Wenchen felt relieved.

"Alright, the car is yours then!"

As soon as Su Wenchen turned around, the other drivers from the transport team immediately surrounded Zhao Weiguo.

"Captain, can I give it a try? I've never driven a Jeep before!"

"Yeah, Captain, you'll be driving a car every day from now on. Let the brothers have a try it out today!"

"Get out of the way, all of you! If you want to try it out, go try it on your own wives. Do you think you can just try it on like this? What if you break it!"

After saying that, she looked at the tire tracks on the ground with a hint of heartache!

"How could you brake like that!"

"The director is still too young. This car should be driven by an experienced driver like me!"

Hearing the commotion behind him, Su Wenchen looked up at the hazy white sky.

On January 1, 1971, he finally became one of the class that owned a car.

In modern times, this is also a symbol of status and position.

From the beginning of 68 until now, 996 days have passed, and he has completed his first class promotion.

He rose from deputy secretary of a production brigade to director of the national-level Blue Water Farm.

He's now considered to have crossed the threshold of leadership, though he'd crossed it before, but what kind of leader is he without a car?

Who has ever seen a leader walking on their legs all the time!
Su Wenchen counted on his fingers.

"Above are deputy directors, directors, and deputy ministers."

"Hmm, there are still several levels above. Even if we can advance at the current rate, it seems like it will take many years!"

However, Su Wenchen also knew that things were fine at first, but it was impossible for him to be promoted like that later.

"Looks like I still need to work harder!"

Two days later, the first rays of dawn appeared.

The bare branches of the locust tree in front of the Su family's house made a soft, mournful sound as the wind swept through the withered branches.

Under Jiang Li's reluctant gaze, Su Wenchen opened the car door, turned around, and waved with a smile.

"Let's go back!"

"Don't overwork yourself at the commune, and remember to take good care of yourself."

"If anything happens at home, ask your parents for help. Don't try to be strong by yourself!"

Jiang Li nodded.

"Don't worry! I'll take care of myself and the child. Just be careful out there."

Although she was very reluctant to part ways, Jiang Li also knew that at this time, they were not the only family separated due to work.

Many people live far away and live in anonymity.

So he just waved.

Su Wenchen also waved.

"Wait for me at home, I'll be back as soon as possible."

After saying that, he turned and got into the car.

"Let's go!"

"boom--!"

Accompanied by the roar of the engine.

The car slowly started and drove out of the village. Through the rearview mirror in the passenger seat, Su Wenchen saw his mother come out of the house, take Jiang Li's hand, and lead Jiang Li, who had been standing there, back inside.

Su Wenchen breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps he himself did not realize that it was only because his father and mother were at home that he felt at ease going to work in the Yellow River flood area.

In the back seat, Su Wenchen kept looking at the rearview mirror.

Hou Guozhong, who was traveling with them, immediately expressed his envy.

"Young couples have such a good relationship."

"When I left home in the morning, my husband just boiled an egg for me and that was it."

"Not to mention seeing me off at the door!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Weiguo immediately laughed.

"Section Chief Hou, your wife still has the heart to boil an egg for you!"

“My family didn’t even boil eggs for me this morning; they just made me eat at the cafeteria. It was no different from any other day for her.”

"You have to admit it's the director; everyone is so reluctant to leave."

Upon hearing the two trying to ease the tension, Su Wenchen responded in a rather irritable manner.

"You're all old cucumbers, how can you still want to compare with us youngsters?"

"No, should I paint myself green to try and look younger? But it won't help since I'm still soft-spoken!"

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Zhao Weiguo immediately objected.

"Director, I don't agree with what you said. What do you mean by 'old cucumber'? Haven't you heard that old ginger is spicier?"

"Let me tell you, I'm very capable. My family might even be able to have another one!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen turned and glanced at Zhao Weiguo.

"Alright, Lao Zhao, I didn't realize you were still so vigorous for your age!"

"But your wife isn't young anymore! Pregnant women of advanced maternal age can be very dangerous."

"Don't just think about your own happiness!"

After all, advanced maternal age can be a real threat. In today's less advanced medical environment, women of their age could easily lose both their baby and their life.

Therefore, Su Wenchen still tried his best to remind the other party.

Hou Guozhong also looked at Zhao Weiguo with surprise.

"Really? Everyone in the stadium is saying that Lao Miao has some secret formula for having children."

"Old Miao's wife is so afraid to go out that she's been driven to despair."

"What, you really do have it!"

"That doesn't make sense either. I saw your wife a few days ago! I didn't see any signs of anything amiss!"

Zhao Weiguo quickly shook his head.

You guys actually believed it?!

"How could there be such a thing? I was just trying to lighten the mood. My wife has been menopausal for many years."

"It would be a miracle if she actually got pregnant."

After finishing speaking, he quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, Director, which route are we taking this time? Are we going to use the same route as last time we went to Shanghai?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen didn't say much. He opened his briefcase and took out the hydrological map of the Yellow River flood control area that he had marked earlier.

"Before reaching the Yellow River, just follow the same route you've taken before. Once you cross the Yellow River, start taking the smaller paths."

"I've selected several locations in western Shandong, northern Jiangsu, and northern Anhui; I'll visit them all this time."

"Let's see where we can build our first branch."

As he spoke, Su Wenchen took out several marked maps and information about the Yellow River flood zone and handed them to Hou Guozhong behind him.

Hou Guozhong said as he looked at it.

"Director, currently, Shandong Province has the smallest area affected by the Yellow River floods, while Henan Province is the most severely affected. Shall we go there first?"

Su Wenchen shook his head.

"The impact on western Shandong is relatively small, and it's mostly concentrated along the Yellow River. Many of these incidents are caused by breaches in the riverbanks every two or three years. This is something we can't resolve for the time being!"

"Because even if we manage to control it, all our efforts will be in vain once the breach is closed."

"As for Henan Province, although it is the core disaster-stricken area, it is also the place where the higher authorities have put the most effort into its management in recent years. In addition, there is a Yellow River flood area farm being managed there, which I heard has now been renamed Hongwei Farm."

"We won't go and join in the fun."

"So this time the focus is still on the Xuzhou and Huaiyin areas in northern Jiangsu, and the Fuyang and Suzhou areas in northern Anhui."

Hou Guozhong looked around.

"Director, where do you think we should have chosen from the beginning?"

Su Wenchen pointed to a place marked in red in northern Jiangsu.

“One is Fengxian County, where the banks of the Dasha River stretch for dozens of kilometers, forming a wind-eroded corridor. Peixian County, which is adjacent to it, has hundreds of thousands of acres of lake beaches, as well as countless small patches of saline-alkali land interspersed among them, providing ample space for development.”

"The advantage of this place is its convenient transportation. It is backed by the railway hub of Xuzhou, so it will be very convenient for our products to be sent north to Beijing or south to Shanghai and Guangzhou."

"Furthermore, this area can be described as the junction of four provinces, connecting Shandong Province to the north and Henan and Anhui Province to the west, which would be very beneficial for its development."

"But the drawbacks are obvious."

Su Wenchen pointed to Weishan Lake to the east.

"The west side of the lake is much lower than the east side. If the dike breaks during the flood season, it will be a catastrophic disaster."

This is also where Su Wenchen hesitated the most.

Because floods don't give you any warnings; once the waters inundate the area, practically no one is spared!

"Then there's Dangshan in northern Anhui, which is basically affected by the old course of the Yellow River. Many places are sandy and salinized. In some places, the land has already formed a thick crust of salt and alkali when spring planting begins."

“The commune members had to break off the thick salt crust to start spring plowing, and even if they did manage to cultivate, the yield was extremely low. I saw that in the most severely affected areas, the crop failure rate was as high as 62 percent.”

“After removing the seeds that have been sown, there is hardly any grain left to produce.”

"The advantages of this place are similar to those of Fengxian County, because the two counties are not far apart, only they belong to different provinces. The advantage of both is that they are close to the railway hub and are located at the junction of four provinces."

"We're not worried about flooding here, but the problem here is water shortage. We need to build many irrigation canals from the upstream rivers, which is a huge project."

"The rest are pretty much the same: either they are high in altitude and lack water, or they are severely desertified and barren, or they are near lakes and often breach their dikes during the flood season."

After listening to Su Wenchen's words, Hou Guozhong looked around.

"Isn't there anywhere even remotely better here?"

Su Wenchen rolled his eyes.

"Nonsense! A good place wouldn't wait for you to come!"

"Otherwise, why do you think the others in the arena didn't come? You were the only one who stupidly jumped out."

Su Wenchen knew very well that any place that had remained unmanaged until now could not possibly be a good place.

If the land were truly fertile and productive, would it have survived to this day given the diligence of the local people?

impossible!

(End of this chapter)