1968: Started from breeding

Chapter 293 Director, you certainly don't want our farm workers to work on an empty stomach!
After Su Wenchen and the old man entered the office, the old man picked up his enamel mug and took a sip of tea.

"Say it!"

"What are you trying to take back this time? Let me hear if it can be approved!"

Su Wenchen was a little embarrassed, but he still explained.

"Boss, I think it's a waste that technical experts from all over the country came to our farm just to learn *** breeding techniques."

"Think about it, given how much importance various organizations are placing on promoting white pigs, the people they can send here are all top performers in their organizations."

"It's such a waste to gather so many people together just to learn about things related to ***."

Seeing the old man raise his eyebrows, Su Wenchen quickly introduced himself again.

"Sir, how about this? My idea is that we can take this opportunity to establish a learning base for livestock technology exchange."

“The Academy of Agricultural Sciences can send some researchers to serve as instructors, and the technicians sent from farms in various places can also be both instructors and trainees.”

The old man looked at Su Wenchen and asked directly.

"I'm just curious about one thing: why would a researcher from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences take on the role of a faculty member?"

"You're not thinking of having me talk to them, are you?"

Su Wenchen shook his head repeatedly.

"How could that be! Boss, you've been working so hard lately because of what's been going on at our site!"

"How could I trouble you with such a small matter? We have already discussed it with the Animal Husbandry Research Branch of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences."

"They are all willing to contribute some of their people!"

The old man looked suspicious.

"Did we discuss it?"

"Did they change their ways? Or did you give them some benefits?"

The old man clearly understood that the Academy of Agricultural Sciences offered no benefit whatsoever and would not specifically train technical personnel for them.

If it were that easy for others to borrow people from there, then the technical experts at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences would probably have been all borrowed long ago.

Su Wenchen smiled and scratched his head, then opened his briefcase and took out a bound book catalog.

"There's no benefit to it. This is some information about international agriculture and animal husbandry collected by some comrades from the Ministry of Foreign Trade."

"I hope the ministry can help us import some of them."

"Boss, I think we can't just keep importing ready-made production lines and equipment from others. Shouldn't we also keep up with the underlying technical theories?"

"Moreover, our agriculture and animal husbandry are quite different from industry. Once the machines are moved, they can basically produce anywhere as long as there is electricity."

"But livestock and improved breeds are different. Even if we introduce them back, they must undergo localization and improvement in order to gradually adapt to our domestic living environment."

"Therefore, I believe this matter should be addressed sooner rather than later."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, the old man instantly understood the other party's plan.

He first took the book catalog that Su Wenchen handed him and glanced at it.

Then, with a slight headache, he said...

"You might as well come to me for money! This thing isn't as easy as you think."

After a moment's hesitation, the old man folded the paper and put it away.

"I'll leave the things here for now!"

"I'll report to my superiors later and see, but don't get your hopes up too high. The censorship of books from outside is quite strict."

"Moreover, even if it is approved, each document will be reviewed and approved before it can be introduced, so the process will not be very fast."

Su Wenchen immediately became serious.

"Don't worry, leader, our farm has enough patience to wait."

After saying that, he rubbed his hands together.

"However, sir, there are some agriculture-related books listed here. If the review process is slow, we can bring those agriculture-related books back later. Just bring back the few related to animal husbandry first."

The old man just laughed and joked.

"I can't say for sure, but once the list is submitted, they'll definitely have someone else evaluate it!"

"I can't say for sure which ones are urgent domestically and which ones aren't."

Su Wenchen was stunned for a moment when he heard this.

"Boss, we have to do our best to get it!"

The old man picked up the enamel mug and took a sip of tea.

"What am I fighting for? Agriculture and animal husbandry are the top priorities of our ministry."

"I think neither of those places is suitable, no good, no good!"

Su Wenchen looked aggrieved upon seeing this.

"Boss, how can this be considered biased!"

"This catalog was painstakingly collected by someone. Boss, what do you think would be appropriate if, in the end, not a single piece of information related to animal husbandry was imported?"

Upon hearing this, the old man put down his teacup and said in a relaxed tone.

"Alright, it's not really suitable. I'll do my best to help you, but I can't guarantee the outcome."

Su Wenchen immediately picked up the thermos next to him and refilled the old man's water.

"Boss, I knew you were definitely on our side!"

"Don't worry, with this information, plus the opportunity for livestock technical experts from all over the country to come to our farm for training."

"Our domestic animal husbandry industry will definitely make great progress!"

There's a saying that goes, "A single flower does not make a spring, but a hundred flowers blooming together make a garden full of spring!"

"Isn't that right, sir?"

The old man reached out and pointed at Su Wenchen a few times.

"Slippery!"

"Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? On the surface, most units across the country are sending some technical backbones over for training, and there are even more people in your field who can participate in the training."

"You really have a clever idea. Using white pigs as bait, you've managed to lure out a whole pool of technical talent from the national livestock system!"

"However, I am quite supportive of your idea of ​​using this opportunity to train technical personnel to establish a training school related to animal husbandry."

"The slow development of the domestic animal husbandry industry is indeed largely due to the shortage of talent. In the past two years, only your farm has achieved significant results."

"Now, taking advantage of the opportunity to promote white pigs, you have a great idea to establish a place specifically for training livestock professionals."

"It seems you've already developed a certain overall perspective, and maintaining that will be very important for your future!"

"However, in the end, we still need to see the results."

"From now on, you can hang up the sign for the White Pig Breeding Technology Backbone Training Base!"

"Once you can prove that you've achieved good results, then you can apply to have it officially established as a cadre school!"

"Before you produce results, just talking big won't do you much good!"

Upon hearing the old man's words, Su Wenchen immediately reassured him.

"Rest assured, leader, I will definitely complete this task well. When the time comes, I will bring you tangible results!"

The old man nodded, his face showing satisfaction, but he said something else.

"You'd better visit me less often. I feel like if you ever mention having any ideas, I'll lose at least six months of my life."

Su Wenchen replied with a smile.

"Don't worry, boss. Next time I come, I'll definitely keep quiet and not say a word."

Upon hearing this, the old man glared at him.

"Get out of here! What did I bring you here for if you didn't say a word? To be a block of wood!"

"Alright, I'm not going to chat with you anymore. I have another meeting later, so I won't keep you any longer."

"The institute has approved the funding for your farm's Moonflower Rabbits, and will provide financial support annually based on the size of your farm."

"This year, the higher authorities have allocated a total of one million to you. The Ministry of Finance will then coordinate with your local finance department to disburse the funds."

"You need to keep good accounts and such. Don't make any mistakes in these things. If you do, I can't save you."

Su Wenchen thumped his chest loudly about this matter.

"Boss, putting everything else aside, I guarantee I won't make any mistakes in this matter."

"Money is just a number to me."

Su Wenchen was right; it was indeed very easy for him to get money, but at this point, he could only deposit any excess money in the bank.

Because the things available for purchase are very limited.

You need a receipt to buy it, but Su Wenchen feels like he has everything he needs right now.

As for saving some money for the children.

Su Wenchen was thinking that in another eight or nine years, when real estate could be traded again at the beginning of the reform and opening up, he would ask Ali to use her connections to buy a few courtyards in Beijing.

However, Su Wenchen felt that by then he would probably be able to live in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry compound, so this property was just to leave a guarantee for his children.

So money isn't really a high priority for him.

Besides, in this land, money is certainly not as effective as the path he's taking now.

After leaving the elderly person's office.

Su Wenchen then turned and walked towards the office floor where the Engineering Bureau was located.

Since Su Wenchen was no longer a stranger in the ministry, it was very convenient for him to come to the leader's office at the Engineering Bureau.

Looking at the open wooden door, Su Wenchen walked over and peered through it. He found that the interior was much more cluttered than the offices of other leaders in the department, with all sorts of messy drawings scattered all over the desk.

Su Wenchen knocked on the door.

"Boom! Boom!"

"Director Qin, do you have some time?"

Hearing the noise, a head popped out from the thick sea of ​​documents.

Upon seeing that it was Su Wenchen, he immediately waved.

"Xiao Su, you're here!"

"Come, come, I went to the State Farms Bureau to look for you after the meeting! Old Lu said you went to the leader's office."

"It's probably about the construction of the training base!"

"Perfect timing, we've already made most of our plans for the Chinese New Year these next few days."

"Come and see, is this okay?"

As he spoke, he got up and stacked the other drawings on the table together to make room.

Then he spread out a sketch drawn in pencil and introduced it to Su Wenchen.

"Xiao Su, look, this is the pigsty breeding area. We'll introduce the pigsty demonstration site here later."

"This is the dormitory area and the canteen."

"This area includes the conference room, auditorium, and teaching area. Do you think this layout is suitable?"

Su Wenchen listened to the other party's introduction and looked at the training base, which was somewhat similar to the schools of later generations.

Said directly.

"Director Qin, I don't understand the blueprints. You're definitely a professional, so please take a look. I only have one request: there can't be too few dormitories."

"However, we can save the cafeteria space, since the base is not far from our living area cafeteria, so we can just go to our cafeteria to eat."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, the other party used a pencil to measure it.

“That works too. That way, we can build a few more dorm rooms in the dormitory area.” Seeing this, Su Wenchen directly stated the reason why he had come here specifically.

"Director Qin, I wonder if our bureau's engineering team would be available to take on other work after completing the construction?"

"Don't worry, our farm will definitely take care of your food, lodging, and subsidies!"

"All we need to do is send people from our bureau."

Clearly, Su Wenchen felt that if the construction team here could help with the construction of the subsequent branch sites, it would save a lot of effort.

Although many large machines could not be transported there, the small, detailed equipment was something that ordinary commune members could not match.

Qin Hongye glanced at Su Wenchen, a hesitant look on his face.

"Other work? Is it work from your factory?"

Obviously, this is a matter of a word for him, but there are certain risks involved. It would be fine if it were to help build Blue Water Farm.

Since they are all units under the ministry, it's still possible to get by with it. But if it's about helping local areas, it's much more difficult without orders from above.

Su Wenchen nodded immediately.

"It's our farm, just the headquarters of our branch farm!"

“That area was only allocated to us at the end of last year, and the farm headquarters is still using the old commune location.”

"The office space is okay, but there's nowhere to park all the farm machinery and vehicles."

“We also need to build new grain storage warehouses and breeding farms.”

“Our workers will have to do land reclamation and canal digging starting next year. In order not to delay their work, I have no choice but to swallow my pride and ask Director Qin for your help.”

For Su Wenchen, there were actually quite a few people at the branch farm, so it wouldn't be a big problem to spare some people to establish a farm headquarters.

However, those people aren't professional construction workers. If possible, it would definitely be faster to find a professional construction team from the ministry to build it, which would also save more manpower.

Because by saving one person's manpower, we can cultivate one more plot of land, grow more pasture, and raise one more rabbit.

In any case, for Su Wenchen, managing a household means saving money wherever possible.

Qin Hongye pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Director Su, you really know how to give me a tough challenge!"

"The leaders at your branch farm just sent us two excavators over there, and now they're having us help you build the farm headquarters!"

"Even if I agree, it's hard to say what will happen to the construction team's workers!"

Su Wenchen felt somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this.

He also knew that at this time, many employees truly considered their workplace as their home.

Many people value the machines in their workplaces, and since excavators are industrial equipment, unlike agricultural machinery, they are not under the jurisdiction of the ministry, so basically every one of them is a precious treasure.

Especially for those in the Ministry's Engineering Bureau, it represented their efficiency.

So it's understandable that the engineering bureau had objections when they learned that two machines had been allocated to them, just like if their farm knew that the equipment on the farm was going to be allocated to other units.

The staff on site will also have opinions, although in the end they may be unable to change anything due to orders.

However, these employees will certainly harbor hostility towards the receiving unit.

However, he certainly wouldn't give away what he had already obtained. His eyes darted around, and Su Wenchen continued.

"Director Qin, we can't just look at the immediate situation, don't you think?"

"We need to look at the long term."

"Think about it, with your help, wouldn't we be able to save manpower for land reclamation?"

"Wouldn't that allow us to plant more pasture grass, and thus raise more meat rabbits?"

"Tell me, you've come all this way to help us build the headquarters, and after it's finished, how can we not show any appreciation?"

"So, Director Qin, you need to communicate more with the staff in our bureau. You need to make them understand that this is not working for us, but working for themselves, and all the benefits are for them."

Qin Hongye blinked.

"No, wait a minute, let me catch my breath. How did we end up talking about doing work for ourselves?"

"So you mean all the rabbits your branch farm produces this year will go to our bureau?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen was momentarily taken aback.

Not buddy.

It turns out your engineering bureau has the real appetite!

If we give it all to you, they'll starve next year!

He initially thought the other party was the kind of technically-minded leader who wouldn't react quickly to this kind of thing!
Who knew the other party was waiting for him here? This wasn't just slow reaction; they had dug a pit for him to fall into.

So he said it directly.

"Director Qin, you must be joking. Our branch has more than 10,000 people, and we're counting on feeding some rabbits this year to fill our stomachs."

"If we give you all this, we won't go hungry!"

"I believe Director Qin definitely cannot allow such a thing to happen!"

Qin Hongye then revealed a hint of doubt.

"Didn't I hear that the local authorities said they would allocate enough food rations to you within two years?"

"Why did they change their minds again?"

"If that's the case, don't worry, we'll go directly to the leaders and ask them to give you an explanation."

"Our department can't suffer this kind of injustice in silence."

At this moment, Su Wenchen looked at Qin Hongye in front of him. He knew that the other party was pretending, and he also knew what the other party meant.

Therefore, Su Wenchen knew that he wouldn't gain anything by dragging things out, so he took a deep breath and laid his cards on the table.

"Director Qin, let's not beat around the bush. How about this: by the end of this year, our branch farm will supply our bureau with a thousand meat rabbits."

"Each one weighs no less than three pounds."

"Our bureau helped us complete the construction of the branch farm headquarters and rabbit sheds, while we took care of the steel bars and cement ourselves!"

"Just finish the job as soon as possible, okay?"

To be honest, Su Wenchen now realizes that he was wrong. How could someone who can become a department leader in a ministry be a simple person?

This time, he also judged people by their appearance, thinking that since the person wasn't very talkative, he could take advantage of the engineering bureau, but he ended up using the wrong strategy.
He also felt that he needed to learn a lesson, especially in a place like Beijing, where things could never be simple!

Looking back now, Su Wenchen realizes that if he had played the emotional card from the start, he would have paid a much lower price.

Qin Hongye was somewhat taken aback when he heard Su Wenchen lay his cards on the table, which left him speechless.

He really didn't expect this kid to make such a decisive decision, so he paused for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Director Su, isn't a thousand rabbits a bit too few? At five cents a pound in our city, that's only fifteen hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Even though we're not using any heavy machinery, this amount of money isn't even enough to pay a month's salary!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen immediately responded.

"Director Qin, I won't hide anything. The situation at the branch site is really different from that at our headquarters!"

"You know the situation in saline-alkali land. In many places, you might not even be able to recoup the cost of the seeds if you plant them."

“I visited once before the Lunar New Year. Many commune members only ate one bite of food a day in winter and could barely survive.”

"Boss, they are really suffering!"

"Moreover, even if we plant alkali-resistant forage grass, the yield is not that high. Currently, in many severely saline-alkali lands, planting one acre of forage grass can only support ten rabbits."

"So our branch farm provides a thousand rabbits, which requires at least a hundred people to spend a year clearing, planting, harvesting, feeding and other related work on hundreds of acres of land."

"Although this amount of money may not even be enough to pay the salaries of the construction team workers in our bureau, it is the most they can offer."

"Director Qin, you certainly don't want the farm workers at our branch farm to be working on an empty stomach, do you?"

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Qin Hongye spoke with some suspicion.

"Are you serious? One acre of land can only support ten rabbits?"

"Can you be self-sufficient?"

Su Wenchen made a firm and confident promise.

"Director Qin, I swear on my integrity that not a single word I said before was a lie!"

"These are all real data from our venue!"

Hearing Su Wenchen say such a thing, Qin Hongye was also somewhat disheartened, as he had heard that things weren't very good there.

But I never expected it to be this bitter.

The grain seeds can't even be harvested, and even if we grow pasture, we can only feed ten rabbits per acre. Ten rabbits are far from enough to make ends meet in a year!

He sighed and said, "Since that's the case, let's not have a thousand."

"By the end of next year, you can send a few to our bureau as needed, just to give the canteen a change of pace."

“Originally, one of our main tasks this year was to help you build a training base.”

"The deadline set by the ministry is May for the training base to be inspected and accepted. I will have someone check if we can send some people to your branch based on the deadline."

"If you can solve the transportation problem, you can send some of the machinery over there."

"Anyway, I'm just working for your Blue Water Farm."

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen felt a little embarrassed, because he had indeed not lied.

But what he didn't say was that it was still severely saline-alkali land that hadn't been improved.

With so many agricultural machines and excavators deployed this year, if things don't change despite all this mechanization, Su Wenchen feels he might as well resign on the spot.

So after thinking about it, Su Wenchen said directly.

"How could Director Qin let you help for nothing! You promised a thousand, and we certainly won't cut corners!"

Just then, there was another knock at the door.

"Chief, you wanted to see me!"

Su Wenchen turned around and saw a young man with thick glasses at the door, who spoke directly to Qin Hongye.

"Director Qin, that's settled then. I won't disturb your work any longer. I'll treat you properly when you have time to visit our venue!"

Qin Hongye suspected that Su Wenchen was really in trouble, so he didn't say much.

"Okay, Director Su, you go ahead with your work. I'll definitely be there to check on the progress of the project during the construction period!"

After Su Wenchen hurriedly left, Qin Hongye handed the blueprints to the young man.

"Take your people to Blue Water Farm for on-site surveying in a few days!"

Suddenly remembering something, he asked the young man.

"By the way, I remember your hometown is near the Yellow River flood plain in Henan Province. Crops can't grow there. How do you usually survive? Do you rely on relief grain?"

Although the young man found the leader's question a bit strange, he still spoke up directly.

"Nothing can survive without planting it!"

"It's just that the yield is a bit lower. Besides, after so many years of treatment, there is hardly any high-concentration saline-alkali land left in our area."

"In addition, some of the grain we pay as public grain is returned to us, so we can make a living."

Upon hearing this, Qin Hongye recalled Su Wenchen's confident words earlier and immediately rubbed his temples.

The boss has already told him that this kid is incredibly shrewd.

Unexpectedly, he was only focused on defending the front, and when he was a little careless in the back, this kid took advantage of the situation.

Qin Hongye smiled and shook his head.

"This young man's mind works really fast!"

However, he felt that his oversight was that he didn't understand saline-alkali land, otherwise he certainly wouldn't have been so easily led astray by this kid.

(End of this chapter)