1968: Started from breeding

Chapter 338 This is clearly a manifestation of our agricultural progress!
In the auditorium.

The huge ceiling fan hummed, and the air was thick with the smell of freshly printed slogans.

After all the cadres took their seats.

Su Wenchen sat on the platform, and after checking that it was almost time, he raised his hand to signal for quiet.

Then, looking around the room, he spoke in a calm voice.

"Comrades, the reason we are calling this emergency meeting is because our farm has received an important task from our superiors."

After a brief pause, Su Wenchen raised the newspaper in his hand.

"Some of you may have read this morning's newspaper, and some of you may not have, so I'll repeat it again."

"Our national leaders have extended an invitation to the US president, who has agreed to visit us no later than May of next year."

"Our farm has been selected as a national agricultural demonstration zone by higher authorities, and we will be showcasing our country's agricultural development achievements during the US president's visit next year!"

The moment the words were spoken, the entire auditorium fell silent.

However, soon enough, murmurs of discussion could not be stopped from the audience.

"What does the director mean by that? Does he really think the president would come to this wretched place?"

"Nonsense, otherwise why would we have a meeting? But I also don't understand why the president doesn't go to any of the big cities in the country and comes here to see us harvest wheat!"

"What are you looking at while we're harvesting wheat! The wheat is still green in May! How are we supposed to harvest it?"

"If you ask me, they're probably here to see our alkaline-curing rabbits. Maybe they just want to buy some of our fertilizer that can cure alkalinity!"

"My God! Aren't we going to be on international news?"

"Of course! Maybe the president will take a liking to our Golden Rabbits, and our branch farm will be able to earn foreign exchange. Besides, we won't sell rabbits anymore, we'll only sell fertilizer, so we can keep making money, right?"

"Moreover, this time we are representing our country, so we have to prepare well, otherwise we will lose face on the international stage."

Just then, some cadres couldn't help but stand up and say something in a somewhat excited tone.

"Director, please make the arrangements directly!"

"Yes! Director, you can just give the instructions. We guarantee we'll complete this task assigned by our superiors!"

Su Wenchen nodded in satisfaction, but continued speaking.

"The time allotted for this reception is very tight, even though they said they would arrive no later than May next year."

"But we certainly can't leave that many!"

"Our superiors have only given us six months, which is the end of this year, to make all the arrangements for the reception work in place."

"Therefore, everyone must be prepared for a tough battle!"

"Remember this, everyone—from today onwards, you will no longer only represent our Blue Water Farm, but also the level of modern agricultural development in our country!"

"This time, we will show the world how we transform barren land into the nation's granary!"

After Su Wenchen finished speaking, all the cadres stood up in unison, followed by thunderous applause that seemed to lift the entire roof off.

After the applause subsided slightly, Su Wenchen made the announcement directly.

"That's all for today. This meeting was mainly to disseminate information and to reach a preliminary consensus."

"After the meeting, all department heads will stay behind to discuss the specific division of labor for each individual!"

"The former production team leaders who came here, who are now the leaders of the farm's production groups, must go back and fully convey this matter to all the employees."

"Let's all work together to successfully complete this important task assigned by our superiors!"

"The meeting is dismissed!"

As the farm officials got up and slowly left, Liu Guangde and his group also got up and walked towards Su Wenchen.

"Director Su, we also need to head back soon. If your farm needs anything in the future, please don't hesitate to contact us."

Su Wenchen knew that after hearing the news, they would probably be anxious to go back and think of a solution, so he did not try to stop them.

He shook hands directly.

"Director Liu, don't worry, we'll definitely need your help a lot later on."

At this moment, Liang Huashu, who was standing nearby, also spoke up.

"Director Su, our Suxian area can also help. If you need saline-alkali land later, just ask."

"The two counties under our jurisdiction will definitely cooperate unconditionally!"

Su Wenchen smiled and reached out to shake hands with the other person.

"With Director Liang's words, we certainly won't be polite. However, we still need to discuss the specific amount of land needed later."

"After all, this is the first time our country's agricultural development has been showcased under foreign cameras, so we still need to discuss how to plan for the future and which parts to showcase before we can decide."

Seeing Su Wenchen say this, Liang Huashu knew that he had missed the opportunity in the morning, and now he could only rely on luck.

He even felt a little regretful, wondering why he hadn't taken a newspaper to read on the way here!

However, he himself knew that even if he did see this news...

He probably never imagined that Blue Water Farm would be directly selected as the reception farm.

If he had been given the choice before, he felt that the chances of the opposing team being selected were higher than those of the opposing team's home court.

After seeing off the group of people who were in a place with mixed feelings.

Su Wenchen didn't have time to think about anything else, so he summoned the heads of each department to the conference room for a separate meeting.

They discussed how to best showcase the achievements of their agricultural development.

Su Wenchen was also thinking about how to take advantage of this opportunity to help their farm develop faster.

After thinking for a moment, Su Wenchen got up and started writing on the blackboard at the back of the conference room with chalk.

"Since we are going to showcase ourselves to the outside world this time, we can't just focus on one aspect."

As he spoke, he drew three concentric circles on the blackboard.

"My initial idea is to present it in three directions."

"First and foremost, the most crucial aspect is our achievements in saline-alkali land management, which is also the main reason why our farm was selected by the higher authorities."

Hearing Su Wenchen say this, the people below nodded frequently and took notes in their notebooks from time to time.

"The second direction, I think, should be from the aspect of biogas recycling."

The moment the words left his mouth, everyone present was completely dumbfounded.

Hou Guozhong raised his hand directly.

"Director, aren't we here to showcase our country's agricultural development achievements to the world?"

"Isn't this biogas digester just a cesspool? What's so special about it?"

"And he was even introducing someone to a foreign president! That's just too much!"

After Hou Guozhong finished speaking, everyone else looked at Su Wenchen seriously, clearly they were also a little confused.

After all, biogas digesters are still being promoted in their country!
So everyone was a little confused as to why Su Wenchen brought this up.

Su Wenchen said with a smile.

"If you don't like the name 'biogas digester,' how about calling it an ecological cycle system? Or you could call it the concept of agricultural cycle."

"Wouldn't it be easier to say the name this way?"

"Wouldn't that elevate the class?"

Hearing Su Wenchen say that, Hou Guozhong scratched his head.

"It sounds nice, but is it really necessary?"

Su Wenchen glanced at the closed door before speaking seriously.

"Let's say a few words behind closed doors here."

"In this reception, we aim to showcase our country's agricultural development."

"At the same time, we should make good use of this opportunity to give our farm room for further development."

"Look at the opinions you all raised earlier?"

"He even said that he would cultivate seedlings in other places and then temporarily concentrate all the output in one mu of land."

"Who are you trying to fool!"

"You think everyone's an idiot, don't you!"

"Or are you all blind, acting as the president's advisors and technical experts?"

"With your skills, you probably won't even be able to fool their press corps. We'll really lose face internationally then."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, the cadre who had made the suggestion immediately lowered his head.

Seeing this, Su Wenchen did not elaborate further, but instead spoke directly.

"So this time we not only need to complete this reception task perfectly, but also take advantage of this opportunity to lay a solid foundation for our farm in the future."

"Opportunity only comes once, if you don't seize it..."

"It is highly unlikely that there will be another opportunity like this in the future, which can mobilize resources from all over the country to help our farm develop."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Ren Dachuan immediately spoke up.

"Director, I think what you said makes sense, and I agree with your idea."

"Director, I agree, but to be honest, I don't quite understand biogas digesters. Can't we just build them ourselves?"

Seeing this, Su Wenchen immediately explained.

"What you're talking about are only the small biogas digesters built by your production team."

"I'm talking about large-scale biogas projects."

"To be honest, small-scale biogas projects are troublesome to operate due to their rudimentary equipment. Furthermore, manually feeding and discharging materials is a very troublesome, dirty, and physically demanding task."

"Moreover, the gas production rate is low in winter."

"Large-scale biogas projects are much better in this respect, both in terms of gas production rate and equipment stability."

For Su Wenchen, their farm actually faced a severe fuel shortage later on.

The main fuel consumed by the people here is grain straw.

This is also why the scale of breeding here has never been large; there isn't even enough straw to burn, and there's no way to collect wood from the mountains.

To address this situation, Su Wenchen felt that biogas digesters were a good solution at present.

In this way, straw and alfalfa can be used to feed pigs, and pig manure can be used to produce biogas and biogas slurry.

Biogas can be used as fuel, and biogas slurry is also a high-quality fertilizer.

In Su Wenchen's view, this cycle would definitely improve the utilization rate of resources.

However, after examining the biogas digesters available at the time, Su Wenchen abandoned the idea of ​​building a small biogas digester.

The main problem is that the quality of design and construction varies greatly.

Previously, he planned to wait until the branch farm had developed a bit before trying to find a biogas engineering expert to help with the design.

But now that he has this opportunity, he naturally won't hesitate.

Because this was a national mission, he didn't need to ask anyone for help.

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's explanation, the others thought that building a large biogas digester would indeed be quite a good idea.

However, I still have some concerns.

"Director, will the higher-ups approve our report?"

"Won't this give us away for our own benefit?"

Upon hearing this, some people nodded in agreement.

They are clearly all worried about this.

Su Wenchen waved his hand dismissively and said righteously.

"Who said we had ulterior motives?"

"We've always been thinking about the reception arrangements!"

"Take this biogas project for example. We are showcasing our country's concept of environmentally friendly agricultural development to the world."

"We are doing this to reduce chemical inputs, improve the health of the country's soil, and think about future generations. This will also help produce safer and higher-quality agricultural products."

"This is clearly a manifestation of our agricultural progress!"

Su Wenchen was well aware that they simply didn't have much chemical fertilizer to use at this point.

Can we say that to outsiders?

It must promote the concept of environmentally friendly agricultural development; it must be synonymous with advanced and environmentally friendly practices.

As for whether they will use chemical fertilizers in the future, who knows after the president leaves!
But at least this way he can use the opportunity to leave others with a reputation for an advanced and environmentally friendly farm.

This will be somewhat beneficial for entering the international market in the future!
The others were genuinely impressed with their director at this point. He was clearly acting in the best interests of the farm, yet he managed to portray it as a matter of national image.

They genuinely felt they were far from being as good as the director.

The meeting continued into the afternoon.

Su Wenchen's notebook was filled with all sorts of suggestions.

During this period, there were also some suggestions, and Su Wenchen would also incorporate some ideas that would emerge later to make appropriate improvements.

suddenly!

Inside the conference room, a series of loud rumbling sounds came from outside!

At that moment, there was a rapid knocking on the conference room door.

"Director! Director!"

"Come out quickly! There's a helicopter flying overhead!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen subconsciously looked out the window.

Although he couldn't see the helicopter outside, he could still hear its huge roar very clearly.

Moreover, he was aware that more people would be coming.

He hadn't expected to be in such a hurry, especially since he had come by helicopter.

So he simply closed the notebook and said...

"Let's go!"

"Let's go out and take a look. I suspect they're people sent from above!"

When Su Wenchen arrived at the courtyard of the farm headquarters, many cadres had already come out of their offices.

Everyone craned their necks to look at the helicopter in the sky.

Clearly, airplanes were a very novel mode of transportation for most people at that time.

Most people will never even see it, let alone ride in it.

Su Wenchen looked up at the helicopter in the sky, which hovered above the field headquarters for a while before slowly flying north.

At this moment, murmurs arose from the surrounding area.

"Hey, what's going on? How did it fly away?!"

"Are you stupid? The air force can't stop the planes here, they must be looking for another place to land!"

"Oh, I see! What do you think this plane is here for? Could it be related to what the director mentioned at noon about receiving foreign leaders?"

"Is that even a question? Who among you has ever seen a plane land over our airfield headquarters normally?"

"Could it be that they're sending us supplies? I heard from the director that although we'll be very busy in the second half of the year, they'll also be sending us supplies from above!"

"Get out of here. All you do is eat all day. This is a big deal that could make international news. You're so pathetic, always thinking about food."

"Hmph, even if you don't care, I haven't seen you skipping meals. The director said you need to eat well to have the energy to work!"

Su Wenchen had no time to pay attention to the various discussions in the department at this moment.

Look at the direction the helicopter is flying above.

He shouted directly at the security personnel who were assigned to him as part-time bodyguards.

"Old Zhou! Drive!"

"They should have landed on the undeveloped land to the north. Come with me."

Su Wenchen had barely finished speaking when...

"laugh--!"

The jeep sped out of the parking lot, braked sharply, and came to a clean stop in front of Su Wenchen.

Su Wenchen glanced at the other person with great surprise.

I thought to myself.

The bodyguards assigned here really know what they're doing!
He guessed that the other party had only glanced at the planes in the sky a few times before going straight to the parking lot to pick up their car.

Otherwise, the car wouldn't have driven over so soon after he finished speaking.

Quickly open the car door and get into the driveway.

"Let's go!"

"I estimate it should be parked in that open area to the north."

"Drive faster, don't keep them waiting!"

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Zhou Qiang's deep voice rang out.

"Director, please take a seat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the car sped off like an arrow, heading straight out of the stadium.

When Su Wenchen arrived at the wasteland to the north, two military green helicopters had already kicked up clouds of yellow dust.

The loud roar of the propeller startled a flock of sparrows nearby, and a dozen or so workers wearing straw hats stood on tiptoe, peering curiously in their direction.

The helicopter door had just opened when the jeep arrived.

Su Wenchen sat in the passenger seat and took several deep breaths to calm his internal organs, which had almost been thrown out of his body by the jolts.

From now on, he decided not to let Zhou Qiang drive too fast.

Even if you're in a hurry, a few more minutes won't make a difference.

Actually, Su Wenchen felt the speed was alright, since at this point the car could only go so fast, but the roads around their branch were just too bad.

In many places, the roads are even just potholes and dirt tracks.

At times like this, if the speed is even slightly faster, he feels like his whole body is being flipped up and down inside the car!
After Su Wenchen calmed down and got out of the jeep, he walked towards the helicopter door.

A middle-aged man with graying temples but a straight back, dressed in a black Zhongshan suit, jumped down the gangway after his entourage disembarked.

The other person's gaze swept across the saline-alkali land like that of a hawk.

When he saw Su Wenchen walking over, his tense lips finally relaxed a little.

Then the other person strode over.

"Is this Director Su?"

Seeing this, Su Wenchen immediately reached out his hand as well.

"Hello, I am Su Wenchen from Blue Water Farm!"

Upon hearing this, the other person immediately reached out and shook hands with Su Wenchen.

"Hello, this is Chen Guodong, Deputy Director of the Protocol Department!"

"I'll be leaving the farm to Director Su and your team for the time being!"

"My company sent me here to coordinate with your farm and assist you in completing the subsequent reception work."

Su Wenchen felt the strength of the other person's handshake and was really surprised that the other person was actually a leader in the Protocol Department who had been in an administrative position for many years.

However, he still nodded with a smile.

"This is not a problem for us. I will need Director Chen to provide us with more guidance in the future! After all, this is related to our international image."

Just then, after everyone had disembarked, the hatch slowly closed.

Chen Guodong waved at the plane and watched it slowly take off again.

He smiled and said to Su Wenchen.

"Director Su, you don't need to be so polite with me."

"For this reception, our Director of Protocol is personally in charge of the arrangements and reception work in Beijing. Other departments have sent three deputy directors to take charge. One went to Shanghai, one went to Hangzhou, and I am in charge of your side."

"So I'm tied to you guys now."

"If you make any major mistakes, I won't be much better off than you!"

“You can still make excuses by saying you have no experience in receiving guests, but this is my job. Even if I wanted to find an excuse, I couldn’t find one.”

"That's why I'm even more worried than you are!"

Seeing this, Su Wenchen smiled and said.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with Director Chen. Let's work together to make this reception a success."

After saying that, he led the way towards the jeep.

"Director Chen, let's get in the car first!"

"Let me take you to our branch farm to settle in first!"

Chen Guodong nodded, and then followed his entourage to load the luggage into the jeep!
"Sure, but Director Su, do you have any further plans regarding agriculture?"

"We're really pressed for time this time!"

"Especially since your agriculture still requires a long time."

Su Wenchen nodded upon hearing this.

"We have some preliminary plans. When we get to our branch, we'd appreciate it if Director Chen could also give us some ideas."

As they spoke, the car slowly started moving.

Su Wenchen looked out the car window and saw the land gradually transitioning from saline-alkali soil to the black soil they were currently working to improve.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

"Director Chen, what do you think about us leaving some of the saline-alkali land behind?"

"When the convoy arrives, the land will gradually transition from a vast expanse of white saline-alkali soil to improved black soil, and then to a hopeful green landscape!"

"This kind of contrast creates a visual impact that's more effective than a thousand words!"

Hearing Su Wenchen say this, Chen Guodong watched as the jeep drove closer and closer to the site, and saw that some workers were already busy in the fields.

Even in some of the earlier soybean fields, soybean seedlings have already sprouted on the surface of the soil.

Listening to Su Wenchen's introduction and looking at the greenery in front of him, Chen Guodong couldn't help but praise it repeatedly.

"Director Su, your idea is excellent!"

"From a vast expanse of white to lush green, this not only embodies our spirit of human determination to conquer nature, but also serves as clear proof that we have not engaged in any deception."

He breathed a sigh of relief after saying that.

"Director Su, to be honest, I was quite nervous before coming here!"

"Compared to the military and industry, the progress of our agriculture is still somewhat lagging behind. I don't really know what to show."

"To be honest, we discussed the itinerary earlier, whether we should find a commune and create a model commune."

"But it was at this time that news suddenly came that your farm had developed a new model for managing saline-alkali land."

"We even went to the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to confirm it later."

"To be honest, if it weren't for what you guys did, we would have ended up just having to find a commune to create a similar model."

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen smiled and replied.

"So you're saying our announcement was quite timely!"

"If we had been any later, we probably would have missed this opportunity."

Chen Guodong shook his head.

"No, even if it's a little later, the opportunity will still basically fall to your farm in the end."

"Your farm is unique in terms of innovative achievements."

"Because even if we manage to create a model, it will only barely pass muster!"

"After all, no matter how well we build our model, or how well we bring all the agricultural machinery together, it's still just so-so in other people's eyes. Their mechanized agriculture is far more advanced than ours, and we simply can't compare in this respect."

"On the contrary, it's your method of treating alkalinity with microorganisms this time!"

"Even internationally, it's unique; I've heard that others are still in the theoretical stage!"

"We've jumped straight into the application phase, which at least helps us recover some ground in the farming sector!"

"Actually, it's not just our area that has a lot of saline-alkali land. Do you think foreign countries don't have it too?"

"They use far more chemical fertilizers over there than we do. These chemical fertilizers are indeed effective, and they do result in higher grain yields."

"However, damage to the land is unavoidable, so not only in our country, but in most countries around the world, there is a serious problem of farmland degradation."

"The more developed a country is, the more frequently it uses chemical fertilizers, and the more degraded its land becomes."

"So, all I can say about your farm this time is that the timing was perfect!"

(End of this chapter)